When looking at the Creighton men’s basketball non-conference schedule, many were looking for the marquee matchup against a team that would make a visit to the always tough CenturyLink Center. Getting teams to come to Omaha to play Creighton isn’t easy.
Luckily, a few seasons ago, Creighton rekindled a series with their Jesuit counterpart St. Joseph’s. The connection grew even more when the school’s president, Father Timothy Lannon, left to come back home to Omaha to take over the Presidency of Creighton University. On Saturday afternoon, the Bluejays will welcome the Hawks back to Omaha as both teams will be playing each other for the fifth time in six years. In addition the Bluejays are starting a new four year series to keep this matchup one fans can get excited about year to year.
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott has said St. Joseph’s will be the toughest non-conference opponent the Bluejays will face. Even with the A-10 now beefed up even more with the addition of Butler and VCU, the Hawks are expected to win the conference this season.
To give us a little more information on the St. Joseph’s we welcome Aaron Bracy and Joe Fedorowicz from Philahoops, a site that covers college hoops in Philadelphia. They will help get Bluejay fans prepared for the 2:00 p.m. tip Saturday against the Hawks. (Click here to read the Q & A we did with Philahoops)
White & Blue Review: St. Joseph’s is predicted to win the A-10 this season. Is this an accurate expectation and what are the expectations from the fanbase this season?
Joe Fedorowicz: I feel that the prediction is accurate based on their talent and experience. Having returned their entire team from last season, they avoided the bumps that usually come with losing the contributors. On paper, they have all the tools on both sides of the court. Defensively, C.J. Aiken and Ron Roberts are both top shot blockers and guards Chris Wilson and Langston Galloway are sufficient defenders. Offensively, this team can score from anywhere on the court and with the threat of their big men, teams cannot just press their guards. Galloway is a sharpshooter and Carl Jones can score both deep and at the basket.
So clearly, all of the tools are there to be a top A-10 team and fans’ expectations are a league championship and an NCAA berth at a minimum. The only thing that will stop the Hawks is that they sometimes go quiet offensively. Phil Martelli and Joe’s fans definitely hope that with another year under their belt, their team will avoid that downswing.
WBR: Starting forward Halil Kanacevic has been sidelined with a back injury. How did he injure himself and is he expected back for the game against Creighton on Saturday?
Aaron Bracy: Kanacevic first tweaked his back in St. Joe’s season-opening win over Yale, but came back to play in the second half of that game and the Hawks’ following three games. He said the most recent injury, which occurred last weekend during a noncontact drill in practice, is unrelated. He is day-to-day but expect him to play on Saturday.
WBR: Through the first five games of the season, it appears the majority of minutes is distributed between only six players. What kind of depth issues could the Hawks run into on Saturday when Creighton regularly plays 10 to 11 players?
AB: Depth, definitely, is a concern for St. Joe’s. The Hawks must avoid foul trouble, something they couldn’t in the final of the CVC Classic against Florida State, when Galloway sat for much of the first half and Kanacevic fouled out. The Hawks go just eight deep, with Nos. 7 and 8 little-used Papa Ndao and talented freshman Isaiah Miles.
WBR: Carl Jones torched the Bluejays in last season’s game with 29 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. How has he been playing this season? Is there a reason why he has only started one game so far?
JF: Jones was suspended for three games (one of them an exhibition) for violating University standards. In his first two games back, he did not start but did played well. He started against American and will probably do so going forward.
WBR: Who do Creighton fans need to be aware of from St. Joseph’s that they may not know much about?
JF: If they don’t know about Ron Roberts (and they should, he was explosive against Creighton last year…remember the dunk?), that would be my guess. For my money, Roberts is one of the best dunkers in the country and can dominate the paint on the offensive end. The only player who didn’t see significant time last year who will play on Saturday is freshman Isaiah Miles. He has shown a really good shot early on. He’s a big guy who can spot up and shoot from 15 feet on out.
WBR: So far this season, Creighton opponents have packed in the defense to try to stop the frontcourt play of Doug McDermott and Gregory Echenique. Do you see the Hawks doing the same sort of thing on defense, or will they try to play everyone straight up man to man?
JF: Since McDermott can hurt a team from the entire court, I expect the Hawks to throw a lot of different looks at him. I would think they would make him work them inside as opposed to deep, where he can be deadly. If they can get the ball out of his hands, they will be happy to let the other guys try to beat them. Martelli generally plays man-to-man but has shown some interesting zone looks this year, including 2-3 and 1-3-1 looks.
WBR: This season’s game starts a new four-year series between the two schools. After this series, they will have played each other five out of the last six seasons. Do you think this is a good series and should it continue for the long-term as a sort of Jesuit rivalry?
JF: I think it is a good rivalry because both teams are similar and excellent mid-major programs. I personally love the category games and hope they continue them going forward.
WBR: Since conference realignment is a hot topic, do you think St. Joseph’s would ever break away from the A-10? Does it make sense to have Creighton and St. Joe’s in the same conference if the opportunity arises?
JF: Without a football team, St. Joe’s is in a similar position as many other A-10 schools. The Atlantic 10 is powerful right now, however, with the insertion of VCU and Butler. I doubt the Atlantic 10 would add a school from Nebraska, but if the Big East raids other schools from the local leagues, I could see a basketball only conference forming.
WBR: What is your final prediction? What will the Hawks need to do to leave Omaha with a win?
JF: Creighton is ranked #11, but their loss to Boise State will probably drop them tremendously. What tough losses do is energize teams, so I expect the Hawks to get the best from the Bluejays. I think the teams are similar, but I’ll give the nod to the Hawks based upon last year’s result and the overall talent of the Hawks starting five.