Key Stats: Creighton shoots 13-25 from three-point range, 10-16 in the first half alone. Jays outrebound the Redbirds 21-14 in the second half, and 35-32 for the game.
Favorite Moment: At the 15:01 mark of the first half, Ethan Wragge buried his first three of the game (or as the Twitterverse has taken to calling them, “WRAGGEBOMBS”). On each of the next two possessions, he also made a three — a 90-second span where the Jays ran their lead from 11-8 to 20-8.
500(ish) Word Recap: Doug McDermott and Gregory Echenique were battling dual threats to their performance on Wednesday night — strep throat and an Illinois State defense determined to make it difficult for them to score. At halftime, McDermott had four points on 1-4 shooting, while Echenique had three points thanks to making the only shot he took, along with going 1-2 from the line. The beneficiary of that defensive strategy? Grant Gibbs. The senior guard was left wide open — seriously, there were possessions where you could have driven a small car through the gap between Gibbs and the nearest defender — and he took advantage, going 5-8 from the floor and 2-4 from behind the arc in the first half, scoring 12 points.
With the Redbird defense keyed on denying touches for Echenique in the paint, Greg McDermott decided to try and create a mismatch. He subbed in Ethan Wragge at the “5”, and the Redbird post players — most notably Jackie Carmichael — had a devil of a time chasing him around the perimeter. Wragge made the aforementioned three straight longballs, and went 5-7 in the first half for 15 points. The Jays sank 10-of-16 three-pointers in the opening half — which is amazing in its own right, even before you realize it’s double the number of non-three-pointers made in the half! True story: they made only five two-point baskets and two free throws in building a 42-39 edge at the break.
At halftime, Illinois State switched up which poison they picked, and played a zone to try and take away those long threes. That left the middle a bit more open, and the Jays made them pay — driving into the middle of the zone, then kicking it out to open shooters either in the post or on the wing. The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with two ties and four lead changes. With the Jays up 71-68 and 1:24 to go, Austin Chatman found McDermott late in the shot clock for an easy layup, but then they allowed Carmichael to bust through the lane for a dunk with 54 seconds left to cut the lead to three. A turnover in the backcourt gave the ball back to ISU Red, but the most harassing defensive series of the game followed, forcing Carmichael — no one’s idea of a three-point shooter — to take a long bomb with the shot clock winding down. From there it was a free throw contest, and the Jays didn’t miss.
Quotables: “We all had faith in Grant, he’s been in the gym the past couple of weeks working on his shot ever since Boise State left him open. We knew he would knock down the shots when the next time came.” -Austin Chatman on AM590 postgame
“I never worry if I shoot a bad shot that (Coach McDermott) will take me out. He’s got confidence in me which me gives me more confidence in myself. The last four or five games I have not been shooting like I know I can, so it was good to know that he was still confident that something like this would happen.” -Ethan Wragge on AM590 postgame
“Teams treat Gibbs like he’s some old guy at the park, like he can’t shoot it, can’t make a shot. If they want to guard him like that, go right ahead.” -Ethan Wragge on AM590 postgame
“It wasn’t easy. I don’t know how many people are going to come in here and win, especially with the big crowd like we had to face tonight. I’m really proud of our guys, because that was not our best effort.” -Greg McDermott on AM590 postgame
(On close games) “This group has been there and done that. It’s important for me, with this group, not to press the panic button. These guys don’t panic, they believe in each other. They know what they’re supposed to do, they’ve been around long enough that they understand.” – Greg McDermott on AM590 postgame
And now, here’s what you had to say on Twitter during and after the game:
Bryant Allen is super rude. He’s the new Brad Korn. Just when you think things are going well…BOOM BRYANT ALLEN. #ugh
— Bluejay Buff (@BluejayBuff) January 3, 2013
Creighton used to outscore you. Now they out play you on both ends. #defense
— Mark Adams (@EnthusiAdams) January 3, 2013
Grant Gibbs and his YMCA game is so much fun to watch. Really, really knows how to play.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) January 3, 2013
That’s a very solid road win for the Jays! GO JAYS! — Tyler Anderson (@millionthfan) January 3, 2013
VICTORY! Pass the aspirin, tylenol and alleve. #gojays! — Martin Swanson (@bigredtank72) January 3, 2013
You can go ahead and Sharpie Creighton. Final is 79-72. Solid solid road win for these Bluejays, and w/o big scoring night from McDermott
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) January 3, 2013
That was one hell of a team win for the Jays. What a class group. Toughed it out. Should pay dividends in March seeding. #gojays
— Thomas McCarthy (@TMacadoo) January 3, 2013
Could you imagine Gus Johnson doing this game? #Gusgasim #GoJays
— Martin Swanson (@bigredtank72) January 3, 2013