The piece de resistance of a non-conference gauntlet is on deck for Jim Flanery’s Creighton Bluejays.
2nd-ranked Stanford.
Maples Pavilion.
Tuesday night.
The Bluejays are up for the challenge against Stanford (Williams / WBR)
The Cardinal are off to an 11-1 start to the season. They won a national championship in 2021, went to the Final Four in 2022, and are heavily favored to be one of the last teams standing on the final weekend of the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season. Their place in college basketball’s pecking order is earned and unquestioned.
All Creighton wants for Christmas is to get some respect of their own and to prove that last year’s run to the Elite Eight wasn’t a flash in a pan from a plucky underdog that got hot at the right time. Proving that wasn’t a fluke has been a major motivating factor for the nine returning players ever seen the clock hit 0.0 against eventual national champion South Carolina. It’s the reason they got right back in the gym when they returned to Omaha. It’s the reason they organized their own workout at The Ruth instead of going home this summer. It’s the reason they got shots up in the dark instead of turning around and going back to the dorm when no one was around to turn on the lights.
To a large degree, that mission has already been accomplished. They went to Frost Arena on opening night and won relatively comfortably against a South Dakota State team that has since beaten No. 10 Louisville and No. 24 Kansas State. They throttled in-state rival Nebraska three weeks before the Huskers ran No. 20 Maryland out of their own gym. They tore up a Northern Iowa team that No. 13 Iowa and No. 14 Iowa State struggled to put away. They went out east and spoiled No. 25 Villanova’s home-opener by holding reigning Big East Player of the Year Maddy Siegrist to 25 points on 26 shooting possessions in a 21-point win. They sport an 8-2 overall record. Six of those wins came away from D.J. Sokol Arena. The two setbacks — both by single digits — were to No. 17 Arkansas and No. 25 St. John’s, who are a combined 24-0 on the season. This Creighton team is a battle-tested group. They also know that it’ll be hard to find many people outside their locker room who believe they can win on Tuesday.
For Lauren Jensen and the returning Bluejays, they are not backing down from anyone (Williams / WBR)
They also do not care.
“It’s just like last year, right,” third-year forward Morgan Maly said. “What’s the difference?”
Since 2018, Stanford is 66-5 at Maples Pavilion. Four of those losses were to Oregon (twice), UCLA, and Texas teams that all finished the season ranked in the Top 10 in the final Coaches’ Poll the year they upended the Cardinal in their own gym. The fifth came on November 20th this season when reigning national champion and top-ranked South Carolina beat them by five in overtime. Only the best of the best win in that building, especially when Stanford is as loaded with talent and experience as they are this season. Even UConn — the greatest program in the history of the sport — has only been successful one time in five games out there all-time.
But Jim Flanery didn’t agree to play the game just so the Cardinal could pad their record before the holiday break. He scheduled it, in part, because of how much belief he has in his team.
“One of our goals is to get to the NCAA Tournament, but that’s not the baseline goal,” Flanery said. “We’re going to play a team on Tuesday that expects to be in the Final Four. That’s great for us because we are going to be able to measure where we are compared to a team that expects to be in the Final Four, and probably has a better than 50% chance, maybe even better than 70% chance to get there.
“I think it’s a great opportunity and when I scheduled the game it was partly a message to the team that I think you guys are good enough to go out there and compete and give yourselves a chance. I would hope that they are super excited about the opportunity.”
Her Hoop Stats Tale of the Tape
Projected Score: Stanford 77, Creighton 59
Offensive Rating: Stanford – 118.8 (1st), Creighton – 108.6 (19th)
Defensive Rating: Stanford – 70.6 (2nd), Creighton – 81.1 (42nd)
Points Per Possession: Stanford – 1.00 (7th), Creighton – 0.92 (31st)
Assisted Shot Rate: Creighton – 58.8% (97th), Stanford – 58.1% (109th)
Turnovers Per Game: Creighton – 12.3 (12th), Stanford – 12.8 (16th)
2-Point FG%: Stanford – 55.4% (10th), Creighton – 49.5% (73rd)
3-Point FG%: Stanford – 38.2% (16th), Creighton – 35.4% (48th)
Free Throw Percentage: Creighton – 77.6% (27th), Stanford – 73.3% (90th)
Resume Breakdown
NET: Stanford – 3, Creighton – 20
KPI: Creighton – 8, Stanford – 16
HHS: Stanford – 2, Creighton – 24
RPI: Creighton – 7, Stanford – 20
Projected Starting Lineups
Stanford (11-1, 0-0 Pac-12):
10 Telana Lepolo (Fr., 5-7, 4.1 points, 5.3 assists, 53.6% 2FG, 30.8% 3FG, 87.5% FT)
33 Hannah Jump (Sr. 6-0, 12.9 points, 3.3 3FG/game, 63.6% 2FG, 51.3% 3FG, 100.0% FT)
30 Haley Jones (Sr., 6-1, 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 50.0% 2FG, 13.3% 3FG, 78.1% FT)
44 Kiki Iriafen (So., 6-3, 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 58.6% 2FG, 65.6% FT)
22 Cameron Brink (Jr., 6-4, 13.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, 66.2% 2FG, 35.0% 3FG, 74.2% FT)
Creighton (8-2, 2-1 Big East):
21 Molly Mogensen (Jr., 5-7, 9.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 40.8% 2FG, 44.1% 3FG, 81.3% FT)
15 Lauren Jensen (Jr., 5-10, 16.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 52.7% 2FG, 31.7% 3FG, 71.4% FT)
13 Rachael Saunders (Sr., 5-9, 6.3 points, 2.8 assists, 2.0 steals, 66.7% 2FG, 100.0% 3FG, 87.5% FT)
30 Morgan Maly (Jr., 6-1, 17.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 61.6% 2FG, 32.8% 3FG, 90.0% FT)
31 Emma Ronsiek (Jr., 6-1, 12.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 40.3% 2FG, 35.9% 3FG, 81.3% FT)
