[dropcap]Western[/dropcap] Illinois took down #17 Wisconsin 69-67 in the season opener, which made national headlines because they were picked to finish at the bottom of the Summit League and, well, because it was a Summit League team winning at a perennial Big Ten and national power on the night they raised their Final Four banner. That win has propelled them to a 5-0 start, tying their best start since becoming a D-1 program. They also started 5-0 in 1986-87, but lost their next game; they’ve not started 6-0 since 1957-58 when they won — seriously — their first 27 games en route to something called the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
While two of those wins have come against non-D1 opponents, they do have that marquee win over Wisconsin and they do shoot ridiculously well from three-point range. In fact, they’re the top-three-point shooting team in D1 so far this season, making 34-58 (58.6%), far ahead of next-best Kansas (46.8%). The Leathernecks also rank in the top 50 in field goal percentage (52.8%, 12th), and they’re no slouch defensively either — they rank #15 in field goal percentage defense (32.8%), #29 total blocks (22), #32 in scoring margin (21.5 points per game) and #43 in scoring defense (61.0 points allowed).
As you’d expect with percentages that high, they don’t turn it over very often (just under 10 times a game, on average) and they take smart shots (they’ve assisted on over half of their made baskets). They’re a solidly coached team, from a fundamentals standpoint, and they have two, potentially three, very good players. And they’ve got the Bluejays’ attention.
Individually, they’re led by a potent one-two punch of J.C. Fuller, a 6’4″ senior guard, and Garret Covington, a 6’5″ junior guard. They average a combined 39.4 points, 4.8 3-pointers, 11.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game as a duo, and their 39.4 points per game make up nearly 50 percent (48.2) of WIU’s scoring.
Fuller averages 20 points, seven rebounds and 2.6 assists a game, while shooting a ridiculous 35-59 (59.3%) from the floor and 10-13 (76.9%) from long range. In that upset of Wisconsin, Fuller had 20 points on 4-4 shooting from three-point range, and shot 8-13 overall. That’s nothing new; in the teams’ last 17 games dating back to last season Fuller has made 50.4% (113-of-224) of his shots from the field, shot 48.0% (36-of-75) from the 3-point line, and 81.5% (44-of-54) from the free throw line. Interestingly, Jeff Vanderloo, Creighton’s director of basketball operations, coached Fuller in high school at Sioux City East.
Covington is right behind him at 19.4 points per game, with four rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He’s nearly as efficient in nearly the exact same number of attempts, making 56.7% of his shots (34-60). From three-point range, he’s a more down-to-earth (relatively speaking) 12-24, for “just” 50%.
Their fellow starting guard, 6’1″ junior Jabari Sandifer, averages 11.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. The three guards make up 62.1% of Western’s scoring, 41.4% of its rebounds, and 56.3% of its assists. If there’s any solace, it’s that there isn’t a lot of depth behind them.
It’s no surprise with three players shouldering that big of an offensive load, but their backups don’t play very much. Sandifer, Fuller, and Covington all average around 31 minutes a game, and their backups — Jamie Batish (5 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.3 assists per game in 15 minutes), Daian Ancrum (3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists in 13.2 minutes per game) and Delo Bruster (3.5 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists in 11.0 minutes) — are a definitive drop-off.
Tate Stensgaard, a 6’9″, 200 pound senior, starts at the forward spot and averages 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds a game. Inside, 6’11”, 250-pound freshman Brandon Gilbeck starts at center. He’s a huge body, especially for a Summit League team, but he’s played just 14.4 minutes per game as he’s been in foul trouble in four of their five games. Gilbeck did manage six points and six rebounds — three of them offensive — in the win over Wisconsin, shooting 3-5 from the floor, but had four fouls limiting his time on the court.
Granted, they’ve played (and beaten) Hannibal-LaGrange and Trinity Christian among their five wins, but it’s still instructive to note the Leathernecks have averaged 81.8 points per game while allowing 57.6 per contest. And they do own wins over Eastern Illinois (83-63) and Wisconsin (67-63). This is a pretty good team with two VERY good shooters, and if the Jays don’t come out with the same defensive intensity they had against UMass, they might be in trouble. Fuller and Covington are dynamite from pretty much anywhere on the court, and counting on them to have an off-night seems like fools gold.
Quick Notes on the Leathernecks:
- Western Illinois is 2-0 so far this season on the road. Prior to this season WIU was 14-42 (.250) on the road since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, and 1-26 (.037) in the last two seasons.
- After the first week of basketball Western Illinois debuted at No. 24 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. This week, after remaining undefeated and starting the year 4-0, the Leathernecks jumped up seven spots and sit No. 17. The No. 17 rating is the program’s best-ever.
- Billy Wright (Bradley, 1996) is 13-20 in his second year at Western Illinois, which doubles as his career record. He was an All-Conference and All-Defense selection as an undergrad at Bradley, and he’s in the Bradley Athletic Hall of Fame.
- Western Illinois holds the distinction of being the only non-military institution to officially have its nickname derived from a branch of the military service. The school began use of the Marine Corps’ official nickname, “The Fighting Leathernecks”, in 1927 when then-athletic director and head baseball, basketball and football coach Ray “Rock” Hanson was granted permission by the U.S. Navy, based on his status as a Marine hero, to use the Marine’s official seal, bulldog mascot and nickname.
Bluejay Bytes:
- Nevada transfer Cole Huff returned to the Silver State and picked up MVP honors of the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event after averaging 19.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the two wins. Huff made 13-of-25 field goal attempts, including 7-of-15 three-pointers. He scored 26 points in the victory over Rutgers before a 12-point effort over UMass in the title game.
- Geoffrey Groselle finished with career-highs in points (20) and rebounds (9) while tying his high in blocked shots (2) Wednesday against UMass. It came exactly one year to the day of another big game last year vs. Eastern Illinois, when he had 15 points in 12 minutes off the bench. That day, November 25th, also happens to be the birthday of his head coach, Greg McDermott.
- Creighton has played five games this season, and had a different leading scorer in each contest. Creighton had the exact same thing happen last season, with five different scoring leaders in the first five games. Before these past two seasons, it hadn’t happened in the previous 30 years.
The Series / The Last Time They Played:
Creighton leads the all-time series 3-0 over Western Illinois. The Jays won the first-ever meeting 76-72 in Honolulu at the Nike Classic in December of 1999, and then beat them 96-50 in Omaha the following November. The most recent meeting came in December of 2010, when the Jays dispatched the Leathernecks 60-47 in Omaha.
It’s a game most memorable for a wrestling match between Gregory Echenique (in his second-ever game for CU) and WIU’s Matt Lander. My recap from the day after sums up the emotion of that moment, and the evening, and is a fun little time capsule from the early days of the Greg McDermott Era. Patrick Marshall shared his thoughts on it, too.
This Date in Creighton Hoops History:
On November 28, 2013, Creighton rolled past Arizona State 88-60 in the first game of the Wooden Legacy. It was a game many had a bad feeling about, as the Sun Devils had dispatched fellow Big East favorite Marquette 79-77 earlier in the week. But the Bluejays took command early and never looked back, taking a 14-5 lead at the first media timeout thanks to six points from Doug McDermott, and three-pointers from Grant Gibbs and Jahenns Manigat. By the second media timeout, it was 24-9, and it looked like the rout was on.
ASU stormed back to make it 30-24 after three straight three-pointers, but Devin Brooks answered with a personal 8-0 run (two three-pointers bracketing a nifty dribble-drive to the rim) to take the wind out of their sails, and send the Jays into the half up 45-31. Brooks would have another six-point run in the second half to answer the Sun Devils’ last gasp comeback attempt, capping one of his finest games in a Bluejay uniform. He finished with 23 points, going 4-4 from three-point range and 9-11 from the field.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day:
The Bottom Line:
Much closer game than people probably expect from a buy game in November. Creighton will defend well enough, and shoot well enough, to pull away.
KenPom: Creighton 80, Western Illinois 70
WBR: Creighton 83, Western Illinois 69
