Forgive Creighton fans if they seemed fearful of a letdown Friday night. With the levels of hype surrounding this team reaching a stratosphere few around the program can remember experiencing, it would have been natural to see a tight and tense team struggle with an athletic and talented North Texas on opening night.
As I walked up to the CenturyLink Center for the game, I couldn’t help but harken back to 2009. With the Bluejays coming off an NCAA Tournament snub the season before, the majority of that team’s playmakers returned and expectations were high: MVC regular season championship (they split the title with Northern Iowa the previous year) and trip to the Big Dance. P’Allen Stinnett and the rest of the Jays imploded, thanks in part to a frustrating November and December. Things with Stinnett boiled over one too many times, and at the end of the most frustrating season in recent CU history, Dana Altman bolted to Oregon.
Forgive me if I can guarantee a similar saga won’t play out with this season’s Bluejays. Creighton boasts an experienced roster that shares a noticeably great chemistry. And the roster overhaul Greg McDermott has led, starting with his All-American son Doug, has the Bluejays able to compete with a team like the Mean Green.
Scratch that. Compete isn’t the right word. Manhandle is more suitable.
I thought Vegas was completely wrong heading into last night. On paper, Creighton-North Texas (and McDermott-Tony Mitchell) had all the makings of a classic Cardiac Q (or, I guess, now Cardiac Clink) game; Jays trail at half, hit a surge midway through the second half, and pull out just enough plays on both ends of the court late to leave the home floor with a victory.
The Mean Green led by a bucket with 11:28 to play in the first half. The Jays would string a quick run together, and then spend the next 10 minutes pulling away thanks to a combination of solid defense and the usual efficient offense. By the time Grant Gibbs hit a 30-foot three-pointer as time expired, the Bluejays had built a 42-25 lead heading into halftime. A minute later the referees waved off Gibbs’ shot, but that didn’t change the mood in the concourse (or even the locker rooms): the rout was on.
With about 15 minutes to play in the game, Creighton’s lead was 23 points and fans were able to kick back and revel in something that rarely happens: a home game against an extremely athletic and tall team that the Bluejays controlled for the majority of the time. Make no mistake; UNT will give their fair share of opponents trouble this year. But thanks to a great defensive strategy and some solid execution on that end, the Bluejays bottled up the Mean Green and posted a 20-point win that looked mighty tasty as it scrolled across the scores ticker on ESPN Friday night and Saturday morning.
Coach McDermott talked after the game about wanting to limit UNT’s shot selection to jumpers from midrange and farther away. He cited the Mean Green’s athleticism and size as allowing them to convert so many opportunities inside the paint. If the Jays could limit those chances and make Mitchell and others beat CU from the perimeter, McDermott liked Creighton’s chances.
That’s exactly what happened. Mitchell got his (18 points to go along with 7 rebounds and a couple of blocks and steals), but he was the only UNT player in double figures. The Mean Green shot a paltry 32% from the field and a nasty 12.5% from three-point range. They’re a team capable of putting up 50 in a half; they scored 51 for the night.
Credit great defense, especially by Gregory Echenique (on Mitchell and Keith Coleman). He was resolute in his 22 minutes, blocking a few shots and grabbing some rebounds but ultimately using his strength and quickness to neutralize much of UNT’s ability in the paint. Echenique also displayed the rumored midrange touch he’s worked on, knocking down a few baseline jumpers.
And while North Texas was settling for fadeaway jumpers thanks to effective help-side defense and rotation by the Bluejays, Creighton’s offense was working well. The Jays shot 58% in the first half and 50% for the game, but it wasn’t the type of offensive performance that would rank among their best last season. Surely, Creighton fans are spoiled; had last night’s offense been on display a few seasons ago, Jays fans would have felt like they’d watched an NBA team or something.
No one could really get going from long range Friday evening. Creighton shot just 28% from three-point land for the night, with just four Jays hitting a shot from three.
Josh Jones (0-2), Jahenns Manigat (0-4), and Ethan Wragge (1-3) struggled to sink their three-point opportunities. Avery Dingman didn’t, though; he scored 10 points in 11 minutes. But it wasn’t only from long range (2-3): he showed the athleticism to get to the basket and scored 4 of his points in the paint.
Wragge stood out for more than just his shooting touch. Coaches and players alike have raved about the improvements to all parts of his game entering his redshirt junior season. And Wragge made the most of his minutes Friday evening; recording 3 blocked shots and 7 rebounds in addition to his one made three-pointer and one free throw. Coach McDermott mentioned in the postgame radio interview that Wragge didn’t play as much Friday as he would most nights, since Echenique’s strength and athleticism were needed against the UNT frontcourt. But he legitimately blocked three shots, something that Coach Mac and Wragge joked about last night.
In many ways, though, it was still the opening game of the season. Austin Chatman looked right at home running the point, even chipping in 11 points (second-highest among the Jays). But he committed 4 turnovers to just 2 assists, and his sub Andre Yates matched Chatman with 4 turnovers too. Still, thanks to the steady play of Gibbs (6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, zero turnovers), the backcourt was hardly a negative Friday night.
And let’s face it, Doug was Doug. He posted yet another double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in 31 minutes. He was perfect from the free throw line (8-8), a spot he will end up quite frequently this season. Frankly, he could have gone to the line more often against UNT; it baffles me how an All-American can get so few borderline calls to go his way. Baffling.
I think that’s how the night ended for me. I was perplexed — happily, I might add — at just how easy Friday night seemed. Coach Mac summed it up; we beat UNT by 20 points even without some of our best shooters hitting from outside, and they’re the most athletic team the Jays will see until Creighton plays Wisconsin and Arkansas/Arizona State in Las Vegas. I thought last night’s win would be harder than that. I’m glad it wasn’t.