What a difference five years makes. In the winter of 2007, if you mentioned “Southern Illinois” or “Salukis” to me I would dry heave on the spot. Convulse. Probably throw something at a wall. (True — and shameful — story: following Creighton’s home loss to SIU in 2007, I broke my cell phone on a table at O’Conner’s in the Old Market. I bought a new one the day before embarking for Arch Madness, but had to promise my fiancé not to hurl it from the upper level of the Scottrade Center if/when the Bluejays lost to the Salukis in the MVC Tournament finals. Luckily, I didn’t need to.)
I used to physically shake during Creighton-SIU games. The Qwest Center used to do the same, too, it seemed. There was no louder crowd for a Creighton home game all season than the one packed into the Q for a Jays-Salukis game. None. The stakes were high almost every season. The Bluejays were rarely the better team, but they weren’t too far behind. And it was infuriating, honestly.
The bad feelings culminated on a Saturday night in 2008, when ESPN’s “Gameday” featured Creighton’s visit to Carbondale. It was an ugly game on both sides, a 48-44 CU loss that no doubt left casual college basketball fans — and viewers of the Worldwide Leader that evening — less than impressed with the two dominant programs in the Missouri Valley Conference. Hell, the Bluejays had more turnovers (18) than made field goals (14) that night, and SIU didn’t do too much better (14 turnovers, 18 made field goals). Yuck.
A few weeks later, though, the Bluejays absolutely destroyed the Salukis in Omaha. The 19-point win featured 23 SIU turnovers, or, the same number of field goals CU made. It was only Creighton’s second win against Southern Illinois since the start of the 2003-2004 season, but it marked a major shift in the teams’ head-to-head battles.
Creighton hasn’t lost to SIU since that forgettable night on ESPN Gameday. Sunday, the Bluejays stretched their win streak against the ugly Dawgs to 8 straight, during which CU has outscored SIU on average 76.5 to 64.9. Southern Illinois won 29 games in 2006-2007; the past four seasons have seen their win totals decrease to 18, 13, 15, and then 13. After winning 22 or more games from 2001-2002 through 2006-2007, the Salukis haven’t won more than 18 since.
You won’t see me shedding a tear, of course. But man, Sunday afternoon bummed me out. The atmosphere around the CenturyLink Center bordered on calm; the Jays were 14-point favorites against SIU, and given how well Creighton’s played so far this season it didn’t seem possible that the Jays would drop a home game to the Salukis. For a rivalry that used to send thousands of people into fits of rage twice or three times a year, the matchup lacked fire. Southern Illinois never led Sunday, and Creighton’s lead reached 23 at one point. Aside from the fans heckling the refs (again) and cheering for their own players, the stands were more subdued for an SIU game than in any recent memory I have of the series. ‘
As for the game itself, the 40 minutes played out almost exactly how Creighton fans have become accustomed to through 18 games this season. Doug McDermott got his (25 points, 11 rebounds), even becoming one of the quickest players in program history to reach 1,000 career points. The Bluejays shot well from the field (55%), from 3-point range (44%), and from the free-throw line (82%). Antoine Young (14 points, 6 assists) and Grant Gibbs (10 points, 2 assists) facilitated the offense from the guard position. Gregory Echenique (9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks) controlled the boards with McDermott. Sharpshooters Ethan Wragge (3-4 from 3-point range), Avery Dingman (1-2), Josh Jones (2-4), and Jahenns Manigat (1-2) each hit shots from outside. Defensive lapses will end this team’s season in the long run, but the limited those stretches against the Salukis. The result was a no-doubter, something that I’m still not used to when it comes to a Creighton-Southern Illinois game.
A few other thoughts when wondering what time I can expect to head to the C-Link the night of the Creighton-St. Mary’s ESPN BracketBuster game on February 18.
Sitting behind the Saluki bench, the difference between Chris Lowery’s teams the last few years and their excellent predecessors is obvious. I could rattle off the names of the Salukis who ruined many of my nights in the last decade, but I spare you the time and me the boiled blood. But physically, Lowery’s teams in recent years have looked nothing like the squads that won so many games and went to so many NCAA Tournaments. SIU always controlled the physical aspect of every game they played against Creighton, from the perimeter to the paint. Their guards were tremendous defenders, willing to beat up on other ball-handlers and not look the wearier for their efforts. And their post players routinely gobbled up rebounds and scored second-chance points against CU. They were stronger and tougher, especially on defense.
Watching Lowery’s team saunter out of the locker room these past few CU-SIU games, there really aren’t a number of kids on his roster who look like they would have played on those other Saluki teams. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a few kids I wouldn’t take at CU. I *heart* Mamadou Seck’s game, as well as his attitude on the court. And freshman Dantiel Daniels looks like he could be a player in the Valley during the next few years. But most of Lowery’s best recruits from the past few years are playing for other schools. Recruiting misses, defections, and problems have plagued Lowery’s personnel. He’s seemed on the hot seat for years, but you have to wonder how much is too much for him to take.
Just how striking is the change in Creighton’s game offensively compared to last season?
Statistically stunning. The Bluejays are tops in the country in field goal percentage (51.6%) and 3-point shooting (45.7%). Creighton’s second in the country in assists per game (19.6), third in efficiency (118.7), third in points per possession (1.19), third in total assists (352), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52), and fifth in points per game (82.7).
They are averaging 13.9 points per game more this season than last. That’s ludicrous. They are shooting almost ten percentage points better from behind the arc now than last season. Remember, this is almost the exact same roster, in terms of the team’s primary players, aside from the addition of Grant Gibbs.
Soon, every Creighton fan will start channeling his or her inner-Bracketologist.
We are two months from NCAA Tournament games tipping off. Much work remains, but you’d have to think that the Bluejays are in a good position for a bid to the Big Dance. Their computer numbers are impressive (a league-best 21 in the NCAA RPI rankings Monday), they’ve spent nine weeks in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, and they’ve been ranked in six of the last seven Associated Press polls. They are a top 20 team nationally, by all accounts. They have a two-game lead in the Missouri Valley Conference standings through seven games, and they are tied atop the league with a Wichita State Shockers team Creighton beat on the road on New Year’s Eve. If CU can find a way to revenge a league play-opening loss to Missouri State Wednesday, that would leave the Bluejays three-up on the Bears nearing the halfway point of the conference schedule.
Omaha hosts second and third round NCAA Tournament games Friday, March 16, and Sunday, March 18. So, Creighton wouldn’t play at the C-Link, nor would the Jays play in another city on those days. If CU advances to the Big Dance, the Bluejays will fly to Portland, Albuquerque, Pittsburgh, or Louisville, and begin play on March 15. It is too early to discuss potential seeds, but Joe Lunardi at ESPN had the Bluejays a #4 in his latest Bracketology projections Monday. For comparisons, the 2002-2003 Creighton team earned a #6 and subsequently lost as the favorite, to #11 Central Michigan in Salt Lake City.
My intent isn’t to jinx this team. I firmly believe the Missouri Valley Conference will get no less than two bids, with the frontrunners at this point clearly Wichita State and Creighton. A lot can happen in the next two months, sure. I’m just excited that we’re mentioned in the (early) conversation about returning to the NCAA Tournament; it’s been too long since CU played a meaningful game in March.