Earlier today, Creighton released their 2016-17 non-conference basketball schedule on Twitter. Though it looks unspectacular on the surface, it’s a very sneakily solid schedule that gives the Bluejays the opportunity to compile the type of resume that will help them — not hurt — in March. That’s a big contrast to last year, where their non-conference slate was cited as a huge red flag in February when they were on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.
This year, they’ve limited the schedule-strength anchors, with just three games against teams ranked 250+ according to KenPom a year ago, while filling out the rest with a mix of sure-fire tourney teams and postseason hopefuls. On paper, it’s a good schedule from a philosophical standpoint — a couple of chances at marquee wins, a lot of chances for wins against teams that should have winning records, and no horrendously terrible teams that hurt you before the game ever starts.
A lot can change between now and November, and if some of these teams turn out to be terrible, the analysis could change. But as of the schedule’s release, here’s our quick game-by-game breakdown.
Wayne State (Exhibition): November 4
Creighton’s lone exhibition game comes on November 4, when they play host to Wayne State. The Wildcats are led by new coach Jeff Kaminsky, who was hired three weeks ago (crazy!), but this game is notable for another reason: Greg McDermott started his head coaching career at Wayne State, compiling 116 victories from 1994-2000.
Otherwise, it’s pretty standard exhibition game fare: a decent regionally-close DII team that the Bluejays should be able to play their full roster against.
UMKC: November 11, Omaha
The regular season tips with UMKC, a team that finished 12-19 a year ago with a 4-10 mark in the WAC. They return nearly their entire team, including prolific scorer Martez Harrison (15.4 points per game, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds) who averaged 17.2 and 17.5 points per game his first two years before a slight drop last year. He was the WAC Player of the Year after his sophomore season, and returns for his senior campaign hungry for a postseason bid.
The Bluejays defeated UMKC 96-70 in their last trip to Omaha — ironically, also on November 11 (of 2013).
Wisconsin (Gavitt Games): November 15, Omaha
Undoubtedly the marquee game of the non-conference slate, the Badgers will come to Omaha likely ranked inside the Top 15. Part of the Gavitt Games, an event held annually through 2022 which will include each Big East team a minimum of six times and each Big Ten program a minimum of four times, it’s an unexpected boon to the Jays: Creighton was not initially expected to take part in the Gavitt Games this year. Then in mid-April, reports surfaced that the Jays were in fact going to be in the event — and hosting one of the Big Ten’s best programs, at that.
Wisconsin went 22-13 a year ago, advanced to the Sweet 16, and returns every player of consequence from that team — including Nigel Hayes, who led them in scoring (15.7 points per game) and assists (3.0). Their other four starters also return: Ethan Happ, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year who averaged 12.4 points and 7.9 rebounds; junior guard Bronson Koenig, who was second on the team in scoring (13.1 points per game); junior forward Vitto Brown, who averaged 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds and was one of their most consistent players by the end of the season; and Zak Showalter, who had also solid numbers (7.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, nearly 2.0 assists a game).
Washington State (Paradise Jam): November 18, U.S. Virgin Islands
The Cougars are coached by former Oregon coach Ernie Kent, and they went 9-22 a year ago — including a hideous 1-17 in Pac-12 play that featured 16 consecutive losses in conference action and a first-round exit in the Pac-12 tournament to end their season on a 17-game losing streak. They almost can’t help but be better than that this year, and got a bit of a boost when all three Cougar players who declared early for the NBA Draft without hiring an agent (Josh Hawkinson, Conor Clifford, and Ike Iroegbu) were not invited to the combine and will return. Hawkinson averaged 15.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game last season as a junior, ranking 11th in the nation in rebounding. Iroegbu averaged 3.6 assists a game to lead the team, and Clifford (7’0″, 269 pounds) gave them a formidable space-eater in the paint who shot a Geoff Groselle-like 65% from the floor (82-128).
Other possible opponents in the tourney are N.C. State, Montana, Loyola (Chicago), Ole Miss, Oral Roberts, and Saint Joseph’s; we broke down those teams earlier this summer when they were announced.
Loyola (Maryland): November 26, Omaha
Loyola MD finished with a KenPom rank of 286 a year ago, going 9-21 overall (though strangely, they finished 8-10 in the Patriot League). Their only non-conference win came against 331st ranked UMBC, and their schedule wasn’t exactly littered with top-flight competition — among their losses were Tennessee State, LIU Brooklyn, Mount Saint Mary’s, Towson, and Fairfield, all ranked 150 or worse by KenPom. Ouch.
They lose three seniors from that squad, but do return two major contributors: Andre Walker, who averaged 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists a game; and Jarred Jones, who averaged 13.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a game.
Buffalo: November 29, Omaha
The Buffalo Bulls finished 20-15 a year ago, went 10-8 in the MAC, and earned their second straight NCAA Tournament berth after winning the MAC tourney. They dropped a 79-72 game to Miami in the big dance, going toe-to-toe with the Hurricanes the entire game. First-year coach Nate Oats, replacing the departing Bobby Hurley (whose Arizona State team the Jays will face later in the non-conference slate, incidentally), steered a young team back to the tourney and looks poised to build on that success this year as they return nearly their entire starting lineup.
Though the Bulls aren’t a household name, this is exactly the type of game Creighton should be scheduling: an opponent from a solid mid-major league who will likely finish with an RPI/KenPom in the Top 100.
Akron: December 3, Omaha
Speaking of those types of games, the Bluejays next opponent checks the same boxes: Akron finished 26-9 overall a year ago, with a 13-5 record in the MAC. They were ranked in the top-five teams in the country in three-point shooting, and return almost their entire team: among them are Antino Jackson and Noah Robotham, who both averaged in double figures a year ago, and Josh Williams, who emerged as a scoring threat late in his freshman season. Also back: center Isaiah Johnson, who averaged 13 points and seven rebounds a year ago.
With an intriguing mix of newcomers, the Zips should once again be at or near the top of the MAC, and once again finish in the Top 100 of most computer models.
at Nebraska: December 7, Lincoln
Tim Miles’ program isn’t exactly in disarray, but it’s not in great shape either. Leading scorer Andrew White III left the program in late June after leading the team with 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.6 3-pointers per game while shooting 41.2 percent from deep a year ago. His departure leaves the program without its best returning player and one of its two seniors-to-be — and at such a late point that odds are great they won’t be able to fill his scholarship for the coming season, much less replace his production.
They’ll have just 11 scholarship players, and an inexperienced roster comprised of three upperclassmen. Their top two scorers (White and Shavon Shields) are gone, and the Huskers are in full-on rebuilding mode as friend of WBR Jacob Padilla wrote for Hail Varsity. Creighton will seek their sixth straight win in the intra-state rivalry.
Longwood: December 10, Omaha
The Big South’s Longwood Lancers return to the CenturyLink Center in December. The last time they visited Omaha in 2012, Creighton was ranked 14th and ripped them to shreds, 105-57. This year’s result might be similar; Longwood finished 10-23 a year ago, including a 5-13 mark in the Big South, and loses four senior starters off that team.
Ouch.
Oral Roberts: December 17, Omaha
The Golden Eagles were picked third in the Summit League a year ago, but inconsistency led them to a middling 14-17 record (and 6-10 in the league). Big man Albert Owens returns on the post after averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds a year ago, as are sophomores Kris Martin (7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds) and DaQuan Jeffries (6.7 points, 4.4 rebounds).
Depending on how the Paradise Jam bracket shakes out, this could be the second meeting in less than three weeks for the teams. That’s not the worst thing; Oral Roberts finished 172 in KenPom’s final rankings and projects to be slightly better this year, so while they’re far from a marquee win, they’re also far from a drag on the resume.
at Arizona State: December 20, Tempe
The Sun Devils escaped Omaha with a 79-77 win a year ago, as the Jays snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. You can relive the horror if you want, but I’m choosing to look ahead to this year’s rematch instead! ASU finished 15-17 with a first round exit from the Pac-12 tournament in Bobby Hurley’s first season on the bench, and they lose three seniors starters from that team: Center Eric Jacobsen (7.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game), forward Willie Atwood (8.4 ppg) and guard Gerry Blakes (11.0 ppg).
They’ve got some intriguing returning players, though, and their incoming recruiting class features a plethora of Top 100 guys ready to contribute immediately. ESPN.com wrote in June:
Romello White and Jethro Tshisumpa are ESPN 100 players. White is a power forward and crafty scorer, while Tshisumpa is already a defensive stalwart with a big, college-ready body. The third, Vitaliy Shibel, is a very good, lefty stretch 4 who came to the U.S. (from Ukraine) only a year ago.
As for the fourth guy, he’s smaller than 6-foot-7 but is arguably the best of the bunch. Small forward Sam Cunliffe, ranked 41st in his class, is a terrific scorer with very good long-distance range.
In other words, Arizona State should be a terrific test for the Bluejays in the final non-conference game before Big East play starts. However, there’s one more non-conference game to go…
Truman State (DII): January 14, Omaha
…and that’s against Truman State, almost a month later. This one is, on the surface, a head-scratcher. A Division II opponent in the middle of Big East play? However, it’s a good game in several respects.
There’s not a ton of difference, competition wise, between a good DII team (which Truman State is, going 21-9 a year ago) and a 300+ RPI team like Longwood. However, Longwood is a drag on your resume, on your RPI (inasmuch as national pundits and the NCAA Tournament committee pay attention to RPI), and your strength of schedule. A DII opponent counts in your won-loss record and season statistics, but not in RPI, KenPom, schedule strength, or other metrics — it’s a glorified exhibition game.
And in a conference like the Big East with no off nights, sandwiching a game like this in the middle of conference play could be a shrewd move. All things being equal, playing one more Top 50 or Top 100 opponent is a better option, but since all things are not equal and the alternative was likely another Longwood-type game, I’ll take the DII matchup every time.