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Men's Basketball

Morning After: Creighton 79, Xavier 72 (OT)

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[Box Score]

Key Stats:

Creighton outrebounds Xavier by nine, 41-32. Creighton shoots 5-8 from three-point range in the first half and 10-24 for the game.

Standout Performance:

Devin Brooks had his first career double-double, scoring 13 points with 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in 38 minutes. It was a monster game that saw him take over point guard duties for portions of the game, which allowed Austin Chatman to slide into the ‘two’ spot and play on the wing. He responded with one of his better games in conference play, scoring 12 points with five rebounds and four assists.

Recap & Analysis:

Coming off of a 1-19 shooting display from three point range, Xavier continued their struggles by going 1-7 from deep in the first half Wednesday night. Whether it was the Musketeers being in a slump, Creighton played exemplary defense, or some combination of the two is no matter — the Jays gladly took it and built a 10-point lead in the opening half. Free throw shooting kept the Musketeers in the game, as they scored 12 of their 29 first half points from the line.

That 10-point lead came courtesy of Rick Kreklow, who scored nine of the team’s 12 points during a 12-2 run that turned an 11-11- tie into a 23-13 Bluejay lead. He started off the run with back-to-back three-pointers, and then Devin Brooks converted a steal into a breakaway layup to make it 19-11. After a free throw from Avery Dingman, Kreklow hit another three to move the lead to double-figures.

Xavier responded with an 11-3 run of their own to trim the lead to 26-24, and later cut it to a single point before Brooks scored in the final seconds to give Creighton a 32-29 lead at the break. All things considered it was one of the better halves of basketball they’ve played in conference action — they shot 42.9% overall, made 5-8 from three-point range, held their opponent to just 8-22 from the floor and 1-7 from three, and were +6 on the glass.

Of course, you knew the league’s highest-scoring team wouldn’t continue to shoot that poorly, and they didn’t. Xavier began the second half on a 15-5 run that gave them a 44-37 lead six-and-a-half minutes into the half. It was another in a long line of poor starts to halves for the Jays, but for once, it didn’t spell doom. They called timeout to regroup, and scored the next seven points — including five straight from Geoff Groselle — and tied the game at 44. Creighton continued to roll, and eventually stretched the run into a 14-2 spurt. The teams spent the next few minutes trading baskets, setting up a frantic final four minutes.

Coming out of the final media timeout, it was 60-58 Xavier. Creighton worked the ball around the perimeter and found Austin Chatman open for three; his shot missed, but it was corralled by Brooks. They again worked it around, and got a a look for Kreklow. His shot missed, but Chatman secured the rebound. Ten seconds later, Kreklow drained a three to give the Jays a 61-60 lead. You’d have figured a 51-second, two offensive rebound possession that resulted in surrendering the lead on a three would be a backbreaker.

Instead, Matt Stainbrook almost immediately put Xavier back atop with a layup, and then they extended the lead after a Brooks turnover and a jumper from Jalen Reynolds. The Jays drew back within one on the next possession when Kreklow made two free throws, and took the lead with 45 seconds to play after a defensive stop and a big-time shot by Groselle. Dee Davis was fouled on the other end, but could make just one of two free throws, leaving the game tied at 65. Creighton held for the last shot, and was intent on either winning or going to overtime as they waited until just seven seconds remained before even looking for a shot. The shot they got was a drive at the rim from Brooks; it was viciously blocked out of bounds by Reynolds. Taking the ball out under his own basket, Dingman appeared to panic when the count got to ‘four’ and threw it to Kreklow who was standing right in front of him — the pass was deflected by Stainbrook and forced Kreklow out of bounds as he attempted to corral it.

Xavier fared no better, as their inbounds pass sailed the length of the court without being touched, giving the Jays back the ball under their own hoop, still with 1.8 seconds left. This time, they got it in, but Chatman’s three at the horn was off.

In the extra period, James Milliken drained two straight three-pointers in the first 71 seconds, giving Creighton a 71-67 lead. Still, Xavier wouldn’t go away. Four free throws and a three-pointer from Dee Davis, sandwiched around a basket from Groselle, made it 73-72 Creighton. That would be their last gasp, though, as the Jays iced the game by going 6-6 at the free throw line — two each from Chatman, Milliken, and Brooks.

Was it their best game of the year, as some called it afterward? I dunno. It feels like they played better against Seton Hall, even though they lost. But they played well, and when you’re 1-9, playing well — and winning — is pretty damn fantastic.

Quotables:

“We knew that Stainbrook was a very efficient player, and that he’s one of the best big men in the Big East. I have to give him props. But we just had a gameplan to keep it out of his hands. That’s what I tried to do most of the game and it worked.” -Geoff Groselle on 1620AM Postgame

“To start off the game, they weren’t switching the ball screens, so I was just running in and out of ball screens as much as I could just to get Stainbrook tired. Every once in awhile I’d get a wide-open layup, because he was up guarding the ball screen. In the second half, they decided to switch, and that opened up some opportunities for easy layups for other guys as Stainbrook was matched up on Devin or Ricky.” -Geoff Groselle on 1620AM Postgame

“We try to prepare for every game as hard as possible. And that loss to Georgetown really hurt. That was one of the worst losses this season, because it just felt like we didn’t give enough effort. This game, we really brought it hard.” -Geoff Groselle on 1620AM Postgame

(On whether it’s hard to deal with not playing as much some games as opposed to others) “Yeah, it’s hard, but I just have to bring it every day in practice and bring it every day in games. Coach is really lucky to have three big men, because if one of us isn’t playing well the other guys can step up. And that’s no excuse to not play well in a game, but that’s the reality of the situation.” -Geoff Groselle on 1620AM Postgame

“I just try to use what I have to my advantage. I try to use the ball screens and do what Coach taught me, which is to put them on my back and use the ballscreens the best that I can. It worked tonight. Tonight was all about pace and poising myself to not be rushed so much, and getting my teammates involved. It was a good win, so I need to keep doing that more often.” -Devin Brooks on 1620AM Postgame

(On Coach Mac telling him to slow down in the first half) “No, no, Coach knows how hot I can get sometimes, and there were a couple of plays where I had to slow myself down because I was trying to be poised and put the team on my shoulders. I can’t be erratic if I want to control the team, I need to be smooth and calm. I thought I did that today. I put the team on my back. I listened to Coach and he said you know what, we came out with the ‘W’ so whatever you’re doing is working.” -Devin Brooks on 1620AM Postgame

(Has he always been a good rebounder?) “My mom, I should thank God for her, because when I was young she saw something I didn’t see. She’s a coach. She would always tell me, ‘Go down inside, you have good timing to be a rebounder.’ I wanted to leak out and be running on a fastbreak, I always wanted to sneak out and run. But my mom was right. I have the timing, I just have a hunger for the ball. In my mind, I’m saying ‘I’m getting this ball!’ And I just time it well. I just jump and get it like a tiger jumping up for meat — like how they throw the meat up the air and tell them to go get it? That’s how I see the ball.” -Devin Brooks on 1620AM Postgame

(On his blocked shot) “Oooooh man, I got it good! You know, the crazy thing about it is, on that defensive play I was late on the runout. And I had to do something like that to make it up. So I timed it well, I got the block, and Coach was like, ‘You were late!’. I said, ‘I know, but I got the block!’ (laughs) So, you know, I was late but I made up for it with the block.” -Devin Brooks on 1620AM Postgame

“Last year, the same thing happened with Stainbrook. He’s a good player but the advantage I have is my quickness. So I used my quickness to the best of my ability, like I did last year, and I was getting to the basket easily. Every time he was in the game, I tried to put in as many ball screens as possible. The lane was open a lot, and there were open dishouts to the corner for Ricky. He was strokin’ today. Ricky had a really good game today. Everybody else had a good game today as well. If we keep playing like that…well, we’ll see what happens!” -Devin Brooks on 1620AM Postgame

(On the depleted guard corps) “I’m trying to work on my leadership. I’m trying to keep the team spirit alive. You know, usually when somebody’s down the team’s like ‘Oh, he’s down.’ So I try to be more vocal in practice, telling people where to go, I try to fill that role as a captain. And guys listen. I try to be their leader since I’m a senior. We had a decent practice this week even though Chatman and James were out. Even though I have an outgoing personality, we have a good chemistry and we work hard, and I just try to bring that out.” -Devin Brooks on 1620AM Postgame

“This was the best game we’ve played all year. And you know what? It was the new song we did! Usually we try different things, because our team is very superstitious, and today we was doing the song (hums the melody) — the Drake song. You know Drake? We were singing that, and we were getting hyped before the game, and we came out with a spark. So we have to do that one again. It’s all about Drake. It was no one’s idea in particular, we were just singing it as a group, acapella (hums the melody again). Guys were humming around. That song right there, even though it seems little, but it sparked us. It put everybody on the same page, it made everybody focus in what they needed to do, it made everybody know that even though we’re down and we’re losing, we still gotta fight. Today was a good win. I’m very proud of all my teammates and my coaches.” -Devin Brooks on 1620AM Postgame

“You know what’s on the horizon: MSG and NYC! We’re going to the Big Apple baby! We gotta get that win, though, man. This ain’t a vacation. We gotta go there, play the same way we did tonight, and come out with another victory. 2-0 on the road trip, get back, and handle our business. (Coach Mac gives him the cut sign) Oh, don’t worry, Coach Mac loves me! (laughs). (John Bishop asks to see the victory dance) You know, it’s very special. Coach Mac says you have to be in the locker room to see it. That’s the only way you get to see that dance. I’ll just give the flow to coach now. I’m passing it off to him. (laughs)” -Devin Brooks on 1620AM Postgame

(John Bishop says this is what you get when you’re late getting out to the table — more of Devin Brooks) “And I’m sure our fans are thankful for that. No, he’s great though. And he was awesome tonight. He and Austin and James, all of three of them benefit from ball screens on Stainbrook but obviously Devin can get into seams a little quicker. And as long as he makes good decisions when he gets there, and tonight he made far more good ones than bad ones. He had a couple that were crazy decisions but we’ve learned to live with those. And besides that, I thought Devin made some plays on the defensive end that were great, and his rebounds were huge. In traffic, going to get the basketball, I’m really proud of him.” -Coach Greg McDermott on 1620AM Postgame

“I’m proud of my team. We hit rock bottom on Saturday. For them to bounce back and execute a defensive game plan the way they did today was great. In the first half I thought we really kept Stainbrook out of rhythm with the double-team coming from the baseline. And our guys rotated behind him and made it tough. And we rebounded the basketball. I was pleased with where we were at halftime, and then we got behind, we took their best shot, and then we took that timeout and scored on three straight possessions. We took the lead with some really good execution. But that doesn’t happen if you don’t get stops at the same time. I’m extremely pleased with my team.” -Coach Greg McDermott on 1620AM Postgame

“I think what they decided to do was play Reynolds and went small with us. They had a hard time getting out on Ricky with their two bigs on the floor. So Reynolds probably played a little more than he’s been playing. He’s a hard guy to play against, a hard guy to guard, because he’s so athletic and so long. We fouled tonight more than we’ve ever fouled in our lives, it seemed like. In the first half, that’s the reason they were in the game. 12 of their 29 points were from the line. We cleaned that up a little bit in the second half, which was good to see.” -Coach Greg McDermott on 1620AM Postgame

“All the way down the line, Austin played great, Devin, James hits the two big shots in overtime, Avery — the decisions on inbounding the ball aren’t easy when you’re stuck under your basket. You’re trying to run something to the rim to get a quick one, and Avery’s got to make a decision. But he played some great defense. And then Geoff Groselle. He was outstanding on both ends. And of course Ricky got us going, and played with a lot of energy and a lot of fight the whole game.” -Coach Greg McDermott on 1620AM Postgame

“Obviously, Geoff’s strength and length and size is a better matchup defensively in a situation like tonight. And then Geoff really made them pay when they tried to switch the ball screens. We ran him to the box and he made a great little duck-around Stainbrook at a critical time of the game. Geoff played with a lot of confidence and a lot of energy. I thought he moved well defensively. Our message to him and Zach and Will was, when you’re in there, let’s work as hard as we can to stop Stainbrook. There’s three of you and one of him. You’re going to get tired, but we’ll keep running you in and out. Geoff was the guy that played the best tonight so we went with him a little bit more.” -Coach Greg McDermott on 1620AM Postgame

“I thought our turnovers were foolish at times. We had some that were just kind of goofy ones, that bounced the wrong way, but I think we had eight at halftime. Some of those were just getting too deep, leaving your feet and making a poor decision. Ricky had a couple on ball screens where he made a poor read. But they really stuck to it tonight. In recent games, the belief in the huddle and the look in their eye was like, ‘We got this. We got this one tonight.’ I couldn’t be more pleased, I’m really, really proud of my team to bounce back from what was the most devastating game of their career. To do that at home in front of a full house and then to come into a place where they haven’t lost a game all year and won 10 of 11 by double figures, to come in here and win and lead for a good portion of the game was a credit to the guys in that locker room.” -Coach Greg McDermott on 1620AM Postgame

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