I had flashbacks Monday night. With no television broadcast to watch, I huddled around the radio (OK, actually the web stream of the 590 AM feed) to listen as Creighton played Tulsa. I did that a time or two growing up, and it usually didn’t work out very well.
The Golden Hurricane were once part of the Missouri Valley Conference, and their familiarity with the Bluejays stretches way back to January 1935. In the late 1980s, attending my first Jays games with my father, I knew one thing every time I saw the blue road Tulsa jerseys: Creighton was probably going to lose. And listening to the Jays on the road in Tulsa? Forget about it. From 1986 through 1996, when the Hurricane left the Valley, CU was just 6-15 against Tulsa. The Jays collected just one road win against TU in that time.
Maybe it was history. Maybe it was nerves. Whatever it was, I settled in for T. Scott Marr’s radio broadcast nervous for the outcome. The Golden Hurricane had faced some solid competition before the Bluejays; and although they were 5-6 entering the game, I thought this might resemble Creighton’s trip to St. Joe’s.
A minute or two in, my fears were founded. Gregory Echenique picked up about as quick a first foul as possible, and headed immediately to the bench in favor of Ethan Wragge. This was concerning, considering the collective height of Tulsa’s frontcourt. About a minute later Wragge picked up his first foul. Echenique gave Doug McDermott a blow before the first media timeout but immediately fouled again, picking up his second personal and earning a permanent spot on the bench for the remainder of the first half. After his best statistical game as a Jay, Echenique became the most talented spectator in the crowd.
No bother. Doug McDermott scored 16 of his 19 first-half points after Echenique parked it on the bench. With Antoine Young and Grant Gibbs able to surpass the first wave of defenders extended on the perimeter, passing lanes were open for McDermott to catch and shoot at will. Gibbs had 5 of his 10 assists in the first half, and 4 came off McDermott makes. Young had 10 first-half points thanks to his ability to penetrate and finish. And without their man in the middle playing more than 2 minutes, the Jays took an 8-point lead into halftime.
Creighton came out to start the second half with a renewed focus on getting Echenique involved. He did his part, first by avoiding further foul trouble and then by finishing in the paint. Echenique scored the first 9 points of the second stanza, extending the Jays’ lead from 42-34 to 51-34. His last hoop came on a flush via a great feed from Gibbs. After that burst of offense, the big man could kick back and relax and join his teammates and the Tulsa players as they took in the greatness of Doug McDermott.
Seemingly as soon as Echenique’s scoring spurt ended, McDermott resumed dominating the Golden Hurricane. He scored 16 points in the final 14 minutes of the game, including hitting the only two 3-pointers he attempted all night. He made twice as many shots (16) as he missed (7), scoring 35 points (career high) and adding 7 rebounds while thoroughly thrashing Tulsa’s defense. As Patrick pointed out immediately following the game, the McDermott Fan Club continues to grow. Meanwhile, as the country’s casual college hoops fans begin to find out about him, Creighton fans are running out of superlatives to describe McDermott’s game.
Oh, and he’s a sophomore.
The 19-point win was far from only McDermott’s doing, but to say this team revolves around him is an understatement. Everyone seems to be comfortable in their roles right now, and some are proving exceptional in those spots. First and foremost that includes Gibbs, the type of pass-first combo guard facilitator this program’s missed for ages. Young can pick his spots to score as the point guard, too, knowing that he has offensive help from the wings and in the frontcourt. Jahenns Manigat can focus first on defending the opposing team’s best player and then hitting open jump shots, while shooters Wragge and Avery Dingman and Josh Jones can look for their opportunity to hit thanks to great ball movement and unselfish play. With Echenique picking up the crumbs in the paint, and Austin Chatman and Will Artino spelling Young and Echenique, respectively, ten Bluejays have a specific role heading into Valley play. The win at Tulsa was proof positive, position by position.
The last time Creighton won at Tulsa, I listened on the radio. It was December 2000, and sophomore Kyle Korver helped seniors Ben Walker and Ryan Sears pull off a road win against the Golden Hurricane. That season marked the last time the Jays won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship outright, and the only time in the Dana Altman era that CU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. With sophomore McDermott and steady veteran guard play from Young and Gibbs, Bluejays fans can’t help but flash back to that 2000-2001 team right now. I am, at least.
A few other thoughts while awaiting the Northwestern Wildcats…
Creighton matched its road win total from last season.
With wins at UAB, San Diego State, and Tulsa, the Bluejays own three road wins in four chances. That’s as many true road wins through the first third of this season as the Jays experienced the entirety of last season. Throw in the neutral court victory over Iowa in Des Moines, in front of a pro-Hawkeye crowd, and that’s four wins away from Omaha.
Last season, Greg McDermott’s first at the helm on the Hilltop, the Jays lost to Iowa State in Des Moines and to Northwestern and Nebraska on the road before winning their first game away from Omaha. Wins at Illinois State, at Southern Illinois, and at Evansville contributed to Creighton’s 4-1 start to Valley play last season. But the Bluejays wouldn’t win another game away from Omaha until the quarterfinals of Arch Madness, losing their remaining 6 Valley regular season road games by a total of 21 points.
Sure, the Bluejays are better this year than last. A big reason is their ability to finish games on the road. They couldn’t do that in those 6 Valley road losses to end the season, losing by an average of 3.5 points, and they couldn’t do that in close losses to Iowa State (91-88) and Nebraska (59-54).
Great to see Austin, Avery, and Artino.
Echenique’s early foul trouble, combined with Tulsa’s frontcourt size and Wragge’s two first-half fouls, opened the door for freshman Will Artino. He made the most of his 8 first-half minutes, making both of his shots and grabbing a few rebounds while recording a block and steal. At 6-11, the redshirt freshman has the opportunity to ease into playing time as he gets more comfortable with the college game thanks to 1) the Jays having Echenique established as the team’s center and 2) the focus on a more up-tempo offense this season. Wragge’s solid frontcourt play helps, too, and allows Greg McDermott to stash Geoff Groselle away in a redshirt season.
Avery Dingman and Austin Chatman saw some time, too, coming off the bench to aide Creighton’s starters. With established vets in front of them, the coaching staff can avoid forcing either into action for which they may not be prepared right now. Talented newcomers riding the pine — what a great problem to have.
Through one-third of the season, how does the 2011-12 team (9-1) compare to some of the better Bluejays squads in recent memory?
2000-2001: The last true league champion, this Creighton squad opened the season 8-2. The non-conference slate was less than impressive; the Bluejays’ best win came against Providence team that would advance to the NCAA Tournament. The two losses occurred against Toledo in Kansas City in a tournament over Thanksgiving, and in Wyoming the following weekend. The 2000-2001 Jays won their last 10 regular season Valley games, giving them the league championship outright. They’d need it, as CU lost in the semifinals in St. Louis to Indiana State and would receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Jays lost to Iowa that season in the first round.
2001-2002: The 01-02 Bluejays are the last Creighton team to win an NCAA Tournament game. They were 6-4 through 10 games, including a win over #17 Western Kentucky and a blowout loss to that same Hilltoppers team on the road less than a month later. The Jays went 9-1 in their second 10 games of that season, pacing them to a shared Valley regular season championship one season after winning the title outright. An Arch Madness championship sent them to the NCAA Tournament, where they upset Florida before dropping a second round game to Illinois in Chicago.
2002-2003: Perhaps the best resemblance of the 2011-12 team through 10 games is the 2002-03 unit, arguably the best Creighton team in the last few decades. The Jays started the season in scorching fashion, scoring 106, 82, 99, and 80 points in four games to claim the Guardians Classic championship in Kansas City. Six more wins followed, including double-digit victories against Northern Iowa, BYU, Tennessee Tech, and Delaware State and an 8-point road win at Nebraska. The Bluejays entered the AP poll at #23 after starting 6-0, and they didn’t lose their first game until New Year’s Eve at Xavier in one of most exciting Creighton games no one in Omaha ever saw. The Jays would peak at #10 in the AP poll that season, win a school-record 29 games, and lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
2006-2007: The Bluejays began the season ranked in the AP top 25, thanks to the return of Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver. But a 6-4 start cooled the country’s voters on Creighton. CU lost at Nebraska, at Dayton, at Fresno State, and at Hawaii in the championship game of the Rainbow Classic. The Jays would qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but only by beating rival Southern Illinois in the MVC Tournament Championship game.
2008-2009: The Bluejays won 11 of their first 13 games en route to a 27-8 season. CU was 8-2 in their first 10 games. The tenth win came immediately before a trip to Las Vegas where CU beat Fresno State and DePaul for the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic championship. Dayton was their best win in that stretch; the Flyers advanced to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The Jays, even without 26 wins entering Selection Sunday, did not make the Big Dance.
