Jahii Carson got a lot of praise, here and elsewhere, before Thursday night’s meeting. But he was overshadowed by two of Creighton’s guards in the actual game — rendered almost entirely ineffective offensively by Austin Chatman’s brilliant defensive effort, while his own defense was no match for Devin Brooks’ explosiveness.
Combined with big man Jordan Bachynski being limited by foul trouble, Arizona State was taken out of nearly everything they wanted to do offensively thanks to perhaps one of the finest defensive efforts of the Greg McDermott Era. Chatman held Carson to just 5-12 shooting and into five turnovers — and that was when he actually had opportunities to do something with the ball, which wasn’t often. More often, he was forced to give up the ball, and then couldn’t get it back.
Meanwhile, Jahenns Manigat harassed Jermaine Marshall, keeping him in check and to just 4-7 shooting. For a team maligned for their defensive struggles, it was a total team effort — there were few open looks for anyone, and with their superstar unable to create, the Sun Devils were completely out of sync.
On offense, the Jays took turns in the spotlight. Early on, Doug McDermott carried the team, scoring 10 points in a four-minute stretch as the Jays built a 20-9 lead. Then after a 9-0 run for ASU, Brooks countered with a personal 8-0 run to stretch the lead back to double-digits.
In the second half, Ethan Wragge and Jahenns Manigat helped run the lead out to a ridiculous 52-31 less than two minutes into the period — the latter scoring on a reverse layup from the Jahii Carson playbook. A last-gasp effort from the Sun Devils trimmed ten points off the lead in just under two minutes, but then it was time for Brooks to once again take over. He ran off seven straight points and the game was never as close again.
The defensive effort and offensive variety showcased by the Jays had to give San Diego State coach Steve Fisher nightmares. The Aztecs played well in their game, as well, beating Charleston 72-52, but how do you defend a team that can score at the rim, from the perimeter, and has a versatile All-American to create shots for, combined with a menacing defense that completely shut down one of the best guards in America? If Creighton brings a similar effort Friday night, SDSU will need to play their best just to be in the game.
About the San Diego State Aztecs: San Diego State only played three games prior to the tournament, beating UC Riverside and NAIA San Diego Christian, while losing to Arizona … The Aztecs jumped out to a 17-1 lead over Charleston six minutes into Thursday’s game, and coasted the rest of the way … Senior Josh Davis, a graduate transfer from Tulane, was tabbed preseason Mountain West Conference Newcomer of the Year and currently leads the team in rebounding (8.3 rpg) … San Diego State was picked to finish fourth in the league behind New Mexico, UNLV and Boise State … The Aztecs have made four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Steve Fisher, who previously led Michigan to the 1989 national title.
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™: Creighton has now made a three-pointer in 650 straight games after doing so in the first three minutes on Thursday, a streak dating back to February of 1993 … Creighton’s 88 points last night were 10 more than any team scored in any Wooden Legacy contest a year ago … Coach Greg McDermott improved to 21-3 in November games since arriving at Creighton, and is now 13-4 in neutral-site games on the Bluejay sideline … Creighton outscored Arizona State 38-18 in the 11:55 when both Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge were on the floor last night.
The RUN-DMD Show: Doug McDermott opened his senior season with 20 points vs. Alcorn State, 37 points vs. UMKC, 20 points at Saint Joseph’s and 33 points vs. Tulsa, becoming the first Bluejay to start a season with four consecutive games of 20 or more points since Cyril Baptiste opened with four straight games in 1969-70.
When he scored 27 last night, he became the first Creighton player with five straight games of 20 points or more to open the season since Bob Portman in 1968-69.
The Last Time They Played: Creighton last played San Diego State on November 30, 2011, a game they won 85-83 after trailing by as many as 17 points. A 12-0 SDSU run spanning 105 seconds in the first half gave them a 31-14 run; with both Gregory Echenique and Grant Gibbs on the bench in foul trouble, things looked very bad. Ethan Wragge nailed a pair of threes, and Doug McDermott scored eight straight to end the half, cutting the lead to 39-35. A back-and-forth second half was capped by a rare two-point bucket from Ethan Wragge, and the Jays emerged victorious.
The Series: Creighton is 4-1 all-time against the Aztecs; prior to the 2011 win, the previous meeting was in 1974.
Greg McDermott is 1-1 vs. Steve Fisher.
Gratuitous Linkage: Doug McDermott gets a ton of national press; articles in national pubs on one of his teammates are more rare. This one from ESPN.com on Austin Chatman is superb, especially in light of his tremendous defensive performance Thursday night.
This Date in Creighton Hoops History: On November 29, 1996, Creighton toppled Florida in the first round of the San Juan Shootout. With the score tied 73-all and nine seconds remaining, the Jays opted to inbound the ball right away rather than call timeout to set up a play; it resulted in mass confusion for Florida’s defense. Chris Chestnut managed to sneak behind the defense, and caught a pass from Edward St. Fleur at midcourt where he was all alone. As he drove to the rim uncontested, a Florida defended chased him down from behind and fouled him out of desperation. Chestnut sank one of two free throws, giving the Jays a 74-73 win. CU would go on to drop one-possession games each of the next two days, losing 64-63 to #24 Minnesota and 73-71 in overtime to Missouri.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day:
The Bottom Line: Creighton brings another solid defensive effort, and advances to Sunday’s championship game.
Jays 81, San Diego State 70
