Go ahead, print the box score from yesterday afternoon’s 93-77 win over UNO, the supposed “Omaha’s Team”. You won’t find the most important part of the game — and perhaps the most influential event of Creighton’s early season fortunes — documented in the statistics compiled from 40 minutes of basketball.
Justin Carter played 21 minutes Sunday against the Mavs, scoring 8 points and grabbing 2 rebounds and swiping 2 steals. But it was the 21st minute that caused Creighton fans throughout the Qwest Center to rise to their feet, their hearts in their throats, to silently observe Carter laying on the court, doing nothing.
With 8 minutes left in the Bluejays win, Carter slipped on a wet spot on the Phone Booth court. It happened directly diagonal from us in Section 123, and we couldn’t see much. But it was what we heard … and then didn’t hear … that caused flashbacks to Nate Funk at DePaul and Josh Dotzler versus Southern Illinois. The first sound came from 200 pounds of muscle hitting the court; the second sound was a collective gasp coming from CU faithful in the southeast seats.
Early reports/speculation indicate Carter trashed his left knee. The senior leader is trying to be positive, but we’ll likely hear more about the injury later today. But even if the prognosis is better than worse, an already difficult non-conference road schedule becomes more daunting. The margin of error for Dana Altman and the Bluejays is thin each and every year; any injury to Carter or the other key Creighton veterans renders that margin microscopic.
CU's Justin Carter suffered a scary injury Sunday vs. UNO
Creighton’s season starts Saturday at Dayton, a preseason Top 25 team full of strong athletes poised to push through the Atlantic 10 conference toward another NCAA Tournament appearance. The assignment begs the question: based on what the Bluejays exhibited in two exhibition games, minus what they might lose from Carter’s production and the potential that Casey Harriman (H1N1 flu) may not play, does Creighton have what it takes to take advantage of a non-conference schedule suddenly full of RPI-boosting opportunities?
Which Kenny Lawson will show up against Dayton? Will his output resemble the 20 points and 7 rebounds he recorded in 20 minutes against UNO, or the 4 points and 4 rebounds in the 13 minutes he played against Missouri Western State?
Will Antoine Young continue to carve up defenses? He dished 9 assists Sunday without committing a turnover, and he finished the exhibition week with 13 dimes and zero turnovers in 39 minutes of action. How will he hold up against the intense defensive pressure applied by Dayton’s guards?
Will Cavel Witter, likely to offer Young a break every once and awhile running the point, be able to protect the basketball better than he did in the two meaningless games against MWSU and UNO? He had 3 turnovers and zero assists against the Mavs, following a 2 assit-3 turnover performance a few days earlier. Everyone following this program knows he can score; can he make his teammates better?
Will Wayne Runnels continue to impress early in his Creighton career? After scoring 12 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in 22 minutes against UNO, he finished the exhibition week shooting a scorching 78.5% from the field and leading the Bluejays on the boards in both games. Runnels looks to be efficient both offensively and defensively, but how will he react as the quality of opponent is ratcheted up a few notches?
Will P’Allen Stinnett make the leap from good (and sometimes outstanding) to consistently great? Stinnett didn’t start the exhibition opener versus the Griffons, but came off the bench to score 20 points, dish 5 assists, and commit zero turnovers in 20 minutes of action. Against UNO he committed a few turnovers early but put in a better effort on the boards: his 6 rebounds were two off his career high (8, set as a freshman), and his 4 offensive rebounds tied a career high. Last season, Stinnett didn’t grab more than 5 rebounds in any single game. Everyone knows he can score, sometimes at will. But the man who wore #10 before him, one of the most popular Bluejays in recent history, did all the little things to win. Nate Funk led the team in rebounding (5.1 rpg) in addition to scoring (17.8 ppg) during the NCAA Tournament season of 2004-2005. Can Stinnett combine his natural talent and abilities with the desire to do the dirty work — the work often taken care of last season by Carter — and elevate his game to a transcendent level?
We would likely be asking these questions regardless of Carter’s injury. That’s what comes from these exhibition games, from a fan’s perspective — more questions than answers. And while the answer Bluejays fans receive today regarding Carter’s knee is vital to Creighton’s immediate fortunes as a team, the level of success these Bluejays can achieve this season relies completely on the answers to the aforementioned queries.
Jays fans will get some answers Saturday at Dayton. Here’s hoping the responses are as positive as Carter’s attitude following his ill-timed tumbled to the Qwest Center hardwood.