With a family that has been cooped up for the past several days due to the snow and cancellation of school, we took some time to get out of town and do some family things on Saturday. The roads were great and in central Nebraska, not many people follow the Bluejays. That was probably a good thing after yesterday.
We got home late last night and I fired up the DVR. I stayed away from the internet, twitter and everything (and everyone) else that I could have used to follow the game and wanted to see it fresh even though I missed it live. Even though I picked in our WBR Pick ‘Em for the Jays to win, I wasn’t very confident at all that they would be able to step up to the challenge–Playing in a harsh road environment, the memories of last season’s MVC tourney, and propensities to not play a full 40 minutes of basketball. What I saw was disappointing from the get go and the Bluejays were never really in the game with the 70-58 loss.
I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of Wichita St. It is mainly a Kansas thing with relatives that went to Kansas schools like Kansas St. and Kansas, and since Wichita is in the MVC, I guess that just is that way. However, watching them play, they know how to put all the pieces together right now. Something Creighton isn’t quite there with yet already 16 games into the season. I had a chance to watch the Shockers as I covered the CBE Classic for Rush the Court earlier this season. The difference between the Shockers then and now is the fact that they have Clevin Hannah running the offense.
Hannah was suspended for the first 3 games of the season due to some paperwork snafu on his amateur status with the NCAA. So the Shockers with their first lost coming against Pittsburgh in Hannah’s third game of his suspension in the CBE classic might have looked a little different with Hannah in the lineup and it might have made for an interesting final against a still undefeated Texas team. Hannah finished the day with 11 points, 3 assists and 2 steals.
And then you got a guy in Toure Murry who had 8 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and two steals. With Hannah and Murry, the Shockers have two guards who are able to distribute the ball and make shots when needed but also to get teammates involved.
This is just paining me to pile the praise on for a Wichita team on a Creighton site, but it is just an example of how much these two teams look so different this season. You have one team that has several good players that know their roles and do what they need to win games and you have another one that they all try to take the game one-on-one to win the game.
It is just as painful that the Missouri Valley Conference is getting a little bit more recognition this season on the national scene and again (like it was in 2006) Creighton is on the outside looking in. You had Bradley, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and even Missouri St. were all tough that year along with the Bluejays, but many of them rose to the occasion and the Bluejays went to the NIT. They may not even do that this season.
Kenny Lawson started out slow against the Shockers, but did get things going and finished with 15 points and Antoine Young hit a few shots late to finish with 10. The Bluejays did outrebound the Shockers. But that was about it. P’Allen Stinnett got his first technical of the season. And in the end the Shocker fans have anything and everything to crow about until next Saturday.
So I don’t know what it is, maybe it is the new road uniforms. Burn them up please. 1-8 on the road and not being able to win on the road is really becoming a bad trend. Bluejay teams of the past could win on the road. What happens next? I don’t know, but hopefully this team doesn’t pack it in now that it is obvious that there will not be any at-large possibilities and their early struggles in the conference will make it tough to get to 10 conference wins much less 20 total wins. There have to be different goals to strive for and if you can build things up enough to win 3 or 4 games in St. Louis, other things can be realized. I feel like this season is part of a 10 or 12 step program where I suffer from denial, then anger and now disappointment. I’m not sure what the next step is.
The next game at home against Southern Illinois Wednesdsay night will be interesting. SIU is sort of faltering themselves after faltering at home twice– last Wednesday against Northern Iowa and allowing Drake to come back and beat them Saturday night. Will the crowd be there? It is an 8PM start which may keep people away, however the students should be back. Which team will show up? Only the players and coaches know. What are we to expect? We will have to wait and see.
