Greg McDermott rolled out his fourth different starting lineup this season in the Creighton men’s basketball loss to Kansas State on Saturday. The previous changes were dictated by health, but that wasn’t the case against the Wildcats.
After brutal starts to both halves in the loss to Nebraska, McDermott felt like he needed to change something, so he plugged Ty Davis, Austin Swartz and Isaac Traudt into the starting lineup alongside Josh Dix and Jasen Green, a lineup that had shared the court for just under five minutes all season.
The results were mixed, with some defensive miscues early but plenty of fight in the second half. The group was on the court together for 13 minutes, outscoring the Wildcats 28-23 in the 83-76 loss. That included a 14-8 stint to open the second half.
McDermott also played Fedor Žugić a season-high 21 minutes. For nearly the final eight minutes, he went with a lineup that included Dix and four players who were on the team last year in Davis, Žugić, Traudt and Green. That group pulled Creighton within three with a chance to tie the game before the Wildcats pulled away again
“I think having more guys on the floor that have been here that understand what this logo means is helpful,” McDermott said. “Ty, Jasen and Isaac were out there to start the game, Fedor played quite a bit in the second half. That’s important, especially when you’re struggling. When you’re struggling, it’s easy to point the finger and blame somebody else. Those guys, I think this program means a lot to them, and I’m not sure that any of the guys that have transferred here in the past, after being here three or four months, the program means to you what it does after you’ve been here for a while.
“We’ve got some guys that are still learning that, and it’s got to be a quick education.”
McDermott is having a hard time taking Dix off the court with all the things he’s doing for the team, and Swartz hit four 3s in his first start, scoring in double-figures for the third straight game as his role continues to increase. However, the rest of the newcomers saw their minutes cut significantly. Owen Freeman played 11 minutes, Nik Graves nine, Blake Harper seven and Kerem Konan four.
McDermott promised a short bench if what he was seeing didn’t change. Freeman, Graves and Harper have all produced at a high level elsewhere, but things seemingly haven’t clicked at Creighton, especially recently. Was Saturday a wake-up call that leads to a bounce-back performance for any of the newcomers? Or will we see primarily a six-man rotation again with spot minutes for others?
Creighton heads into Big East play at 5-5, still looking to find its identity. The Bluejays have fallen to 72nd in KenPom and sixth in the conference. The Bluejays ranked 69th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency (sixth among Big East teams) and 87th on the other end, where only Georgetown and Providence rank worse.
“I’ve got to do a better job, at the end of the day,” McDermott said after the loss. “I’m responsible for the product. I recruited them, I coach them. It’s my job to put them in position to be successful, and if that’s not happening, there has to be a lot of reflection on their part, but also from my perspective.”
Creighton will open Big East play at Xavier on Wednesday. The Musketeers are off to an 8-3 start and rank 85th in KenPom (98th on offense, 74th on defense) under first-year head coach Richard Pitino. Xavier has wins over West Virginia (70th) and Cincinnati (82nd) during its five-game winning streak, but the Musketeers have lost to the top three teams they’ve faced — No. 65 Santa Clara, No. 20 Iowa and No. 23 Georgia.
Xavier sports the lowest turnover rate in the country and wins its games from the 3-point line. The Musketeers shoot 37.1% from deep with nearly 45% of their shots coming from behind the arc, accounting for just over 40% of their total points (the 19th-highest rate in the country). Conversely, only 32.1% of their opponents’ shots have been 3-pointers and they’ve connected at a 30.4% clip. Xavier assists on 70% of its field goals (third in the country).
Defensively, Creighton has limited 3-point attempts and assists for its opponents, so Wednesday should be a fascinating contrast in styles (though Nebraska and Kansas State have had success from the 3-point line the last two times out against the Bluejays).
Four Musketeers are averaging double figures in points, with 6-foot-8 235-pound wing Tre Carroll leading the way. The senior transfer from Florida Atlantic is averaging 16.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 39.6% on nearly five 3-point attempts per game. Jovan Milicevic, a 6-foot-10, 241-pound stretch big, is second at 12.9 points per game while shooting 42.9% on 5.7 3-point shots per game. Roddie Anderson, a 6-foot-3 guard, primarily plays off the bench, pitching in 12.6 points and 2.7 assists per game.
All Wright, a 6-foot-3 guard, is the fourth double-digit scorer, averaging 10.7 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 48.9% on 4.1 3-point attempts per game. Malik Messina-Moore leads the team at 4.2 assists per game while Filip Borovicanin, a 6-foot-9 forward, isn’t far behind at 4.0 assists per game, adding a team-high 7.4 rebounds and 8.9 points per game. Milicevic and Borovicanin followed Pitino from New Mexico.
Wednesday’s game will tip off Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. CT on FS1 with Jeff Levering and LaPhonso Ellis on the call.
