Once again, White & Blue Review caught up with some of the talented broadcasters that bring Creighton athletics into your cars, homes, and offices via local media. For women’s basketball, that means learning about the Bluejays’ season through the eyes of Brad Burwell and Sara Cizek Going, who call CU games for KOIL 1180 AM (www.koilam1180.com).
WBR talked with Burwell about the Bluejays’ current 3-game winning streak and their upcoming games in this week’s MVC Tournament in St. Charles, Missouri.
White & Blue Review: The Bluejays bounced back from two road losses by beating Drake in Des Moines and then Illinois State and Indiana State at home. What were the keys to CU’s efforts in those wins?
Brad Burwell: It started with defense and taking care of the basketball. The Jays kept their turnovers down and they held some very good scoring teams in check with good help defense, switching screens, and just hard-nosed defense.
WBR: Just like last season, Creighton finished the regular season with home wins against the Redbirds and Sycamores. And just like last season, CU will be the #2 seed in St. Charles. How do the Jays look as a team, compared to this time last year? Do you like their draw in the bracket? Are they poised for a run?
BB: Interestingly, it is all about match-ups. We have matched up very well with Illinois State and Drake this year but not against Bradley and Missouri State. If the Bluejays meet one of the latter two, we need to adjust from previous games to match up better.
WBR: If you had to choose one, who is Flanery’s most valuable player? What Bluejays do you think we’ll see on the various All-Valley teams?
BB: No doubt Megan Neuvirth. She is one of the best to ever play for Creighton. She is a talented player who got better every year. But Sam Schuett is not far behind. She always guards the opponent’s toughest player, and she is a pure shooter.
WBR: The Jays enter the MVC Tournament leading the league in scoring defense (58.3 ppg), but in their three most recent losses they gave up 70 points or more. What makes Flanery’s team’s defense so tough when they are “on”? In what areas do they struggle when the Jays’ defense is “off”?
BB: To me it is all about communication and awareness of who is on the floor for the opponent. The Bluejays have to give Neuvirth a chance to help on defense and steal the ball, because those plays lead to easy baskets for the Bluejays. Also, it is critical to get on the defensive glass and limit opponents’ second chance points.
WBR: Previous Bluejays teams have struggled to shoot the ball in Family Arena in St. Charles. Sure, the sample size is just 5 games, but CU scores an average of 52.6 ppg and shoots an average of 31.5% from the field. And Creighton’s opponents struggle to score there, too (48 ppg). Are these low scores due to the building and atmosphere at the arena, or because the teams are seeing each other for a third time and are familiar with each other? Both? Neither?
BB: The sight lines appear good and while the arena is large, the building itself should not cause problems. I think each team digs in a little more on defense during the tournament. But I would hope our veteran team would be loose.
WBR: Other than the top two seeds in the tournament (Illinois State and Creighton), what teams could you realistically see putting together a strong run in St. Charles?
BB: To me #3 seed Missouri State with Casey Garrison and #5 seed Northern Iowa with Jacqui Kalin present a challenge. Both are very talented and well coached teams.
WBR: Creighton was a few seconds away from securing the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three seasons. Is experience the biggest factor to avoiding another close loss late in the MVC Tournament?
BB: You would think experience would help, but it really comes down to talent. Both Creighton and Illinois State got upset by a #9 seed last year. Don’t look for that to happen this year. I think any of the top 5 seeds could win, but think there is a drop off from there.
WBR: The Jays have a couple of 3-game winning streaks this season, including one to end the regular season. What will it take for Creighton to put together three more wins in St. Charles?
BB: The Bluejays have to play the kind of tough defense they’ve shown during the current 3-game win streak. They need to keep their own turnovers to a minimum. And they need to command the boards.