Last time out: Creighton (18-11, 12-6) lost to sixth-place Drake on the Bulldogs’ Senior Day. The loss marked the Jays’ third consecutive loss. In their final regular season game, the Jays fell behind early and trailed by 10 at the half. After the break, Creighton could never get back within ten points of the lead, falling behind by 17 at one point. The Jays played down to Drake’s level, proving that anyone can win in The Valley if the better team shoots poorly. Creighton chucked up 32 3-pointers, though made a measly seven from beyond the arc. The game ultimately came down to Drake shooting 20 percent better from the field and 10 percent better from downtown. Much of this can be equated to the minimal playing time of the injured Kellie Nelson. Since her departure from the starting lineup, Creighton has struggled to find an inside post presence from anyone besides Sarah Nelson, the senior’s younger, freshman sister. The 38-20 points in the paint win for Drake accurately portrays the struggle.
Next up: The rough regular season finish could prove to be detrimental for the Jays. Going into their final three games, Coach Flanery’s squad needed just a single win, or two Illinois State losses, to claim the second seed. Instead, the Jays find themselves with the fourth seed, after finishing in a three-way tie for second place along with Illinois State and Missouri State. Ultimately, instead of playing a weak seventh seed, the Jays will square off with a scrappy Wichita State squad who is on a roll. Should Creighton win, they will find likely play UNI, who is a winner of 16 straight games and is led by MVC Player of the Year Jacqui Kalin.
Wichita State: The Shockers (16-13, 10-8) are winners of their last five games. This is absolutely the last team Creighton wants to see in the first round of the Chuck Madness. In January, the Jays needed overtime to top WSU in front of a record crowd at D.J. Sokol Arena. The win was exciting for the rousing crowd, but was a nightmare for Coach Flanery. A mélange of turnovers, poor shots, and lazy defense nearly led to an upset in Omaha, which in retrospect would have led to the sixth seed for the Jays. Last month, the Shockers forced 25 Creighton turnovers while committing just 10 of their own. On the contrary, the Jays outrebounded Wichita State by 20, evening out the game. With four minutes remaining, the Shockers went on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to nine points with 42 seconds remaining. The rest was history as the Jays dropped their first of three opportunities to grab the second seed. Head coach Jody Adams’ squad features an extremely balanced scoring attack. Junior guard Haleigh Lankster is the only Shocker averaging double figures in points with 12.2 per game. The rest of the roster averages between three and nine points per game, with the exception of Kelsey Jacobs, a freshman forward who’s primary responsibility is warming the bench.
How to Beat Wichita State: To beat the Shockers, they will simply need to play well. Wichita State is the second hottest team in The Valley as of late. The Jays will need to find an inside presence if they want to end their three-game skid and advance to the semifinals. They will also need to protect the ball. In both regular meetings with the Shockers, Creighton has played extremely sloppily and was unable hold on to the ball. This will need to change. On paper, the Jays should win, but playing a team on a five-game winning streak, whose season is over after Chuck Madness, is never a sure win.
Prediction: 55-50 Jays. Creighton is certainly no longer playing its best basketball. It’s not easy to fight back from a three-game losing streak, but I’d be extremely surprised to see seniors Kelsey Woodard, Sam Schuett, and Kellie Nelson lose a quarterfinal game. They’ve all literally been a shot away from the NCAA tournament on two occasions apiece and are looking to make some noise in St. Charles.
