Download and Print the Men’s Basketball Schedule
When you glance at the 2009-10 Creighton men’s hoops schedule, two things immediately jump out at you. One, that it’s likely the toughest slate of non-conference games the Jays have faced in six or seven years. And Two, couldn’t just one of those tough games be at home?
Road battles against perennial postseason teams Dayton, New Mexico, and George Mason await the Jays, as do neutral site games against preseason Top 15 Michigan and either Marquette or Xavier. Add a home game with Nebraska and the Bracket Buster in February, and that’s a non-conference schedule that leaves very little room for a team to walk before they run, so to speak. The Jays have to be ready to answer the bell from the get-go this year.
Its the kind of schedule that leaves Jaybackers watching the most compelling matchups on TV, because unfortunately they’re almost all on the road.
Its also the kind of schedule that, should they survive, will put them in great position for an NCAA bid come March. Given that the NCAA’s is the goal of every Creighton fan, if the Jays are able to get there — particularly if its on the strength of their road wins — a December home schedule filled with cupcakes will not only be forgiven, it will be forgotten.
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Two exhibition games begin the slate, including a chance for Nebraska-Omaha to prove on the court they’re more deserving of the “Omaha’s Team” moniker than the Jays. The only prediction I will make on this game is that the “crying young Bluejay fan” from UNO’s Valpak Coupon marketing campaign will not be shedding any tears on this night.
Then its off to Ohio, for the first season-opener on the road in almost a decade. Its a doozy, too: many prognosticator’s preseason A10 favorite, the Dayton Flyers. Dayton hasn’t lost at home in 20 games and is upset after losing to the Jays in Omaha last year (a loss that dropped them from the Top 25). In other words, this is one heckuva challenge on opening night.
Next up are two home games against lesser competition (Florida A&M, Arkansas Little-Rock) that should allow the Jays to head to Orlando no worse than 2-1.
In Orlando, the Jays will face the Michigan Wolverines, a preseason Top 15 squad favored by some folks to win the Big Ten. White & Blue Review published a full breakdown of this matchup in August, so we won’t rehash it here. Suffice it to say, this will be a game the Jays (and national pundits) will look back on come March, regardless of the outcome. The second game pits the Jays against either Xavier or Marquette, both solid opponents that will provide stiff tests.
Upon returning to campus, Kenneth Sadler’s Nebraska team awaits them. If I may be allowed a slight digression, have you seen Sadler’s Twitter feed? It was hilarious BEFORE he started talking about peaches everyday. I won’t pick on the misspellings because, hey, that’s par for the course on Twitter. This one did crack me up, though: “Fair foof f the day corn dogs. Doc Sadler”. It slays me that he signs every tweet with his name. Also, I had a corn dog at the Nebraska Fair last week, and it treated me about as well as you’d expect…that is, not very well. Now back to the schedule…
After the Huskers, road games against George Mason and New Mexico are sandwiched around two dreadful home games. Remember Houston Baptist? They’re back for a return engagement, to the anticipation of almost no one. Savannah State is, too, and the best thing you can say about them is that at least they’re not Houston Baptist.
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The MVC schedule kicks off with tournament champion Northern Iowa coming to Omaha on December 29. A road swing through Indiana is next, featuring a New Years Day game against the Indiana State Sycamores and one against Evansville two days later. The Jays spent New Years Eve in Terre Haute last year as well, so Jays fans should be well-acquainted with where to have a good time in that fine city.
Drake comes to Omaha on January 6, and then the unthinkable happens: two meetings with Double G in one week! Gregg Marshall and his Wichita State Shockers will host the Jays on January 10, and Extraneous G will bring his team to Qwest Center Omaha six days later for a nationally televised rematch on ESPN2. Given his penchant for inventing non-existent slights and perceived insults during Jays-Shockers games, meeting twice in six days could be…interesting.
Other thoughts on the MVC slate:
- I’m glad to see the return of the Drake-Creighton game in Des Moines to a Saturday night. The number of Jays fans who make the two-hour road trip increases exponentially when its a weekend game, making for a fun atmosphere. The last two years’ midweek tilts were not as much fun.
- The conference schedule begins favorably, and ends favorably. A foursome of Northern Iowa and Drake at home and Indiana State/Evansville on the road begins the schedule — games the Jays should be favored to win. And it ends with home games against Indiana State/Illinois State, road games at UNI and SIU, and senior night against Bradley. After ruining Valentine’s Day for the Salukis last year, potentially ruining Senior Night this year amuses me highly; the Jays should be favored in the two home games, and have traditionally played very well against UNI. If a good start and a good finish are key to winning titles, the Jays are well positioned.
- Bummer that the Northern Iowa is a midweek game, as I know many fans were hoping to make the trek to Cedar Falls this year. Alas.
The Bracketbuster will be at home this year again, which while it may cost the Jays from playing the best possible opponent, will afford the fans an additional chance to watch the team in person. And with the existing non-conference slate, hopefully the Jays won’t need the late season boost this game has sometimes provided.
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Overall, I would call the schedule a good one. No one can claim the Jays aren’t playing quality teams this year — Michigan and Dayton could well be two of the top 20 teams in America by seasons end, New Mexico and George Mason are postseason likelies, and the Bracket Buster will bring a good team to Omaha in all likelihood. Add in an improved Missouri Valley Conference, and this year’s slate rivals any in the Dana Altman era.
Just 71 days until the opener in Dayton. You bet.