A year ago, Creighton Bluejays fans were flocking to St. Louis for what would be the men’s basketball program’s final trip to Arch Madness. No one knew for sure, but the general sense around Laclede’s Landing and the Scottrade Center was a unified one: that Creighton was about to make the leap from the Missouri Valley Conference to a reconfigured Big East.
Fast forward 12 months, and those same fans who traveled to the Gateway City are biding their time for another week. That’s when CU will head to the Big Apple for their first taste of the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament, arguably the country’s most history-rich conference tournament.
Be honest Bluejays fans: a year ago, did you think it seemed likely that the Jays would be 13-4 in a new conference, a lock to make a third straight NCAA Tournament, with All-American Doug McDermott and sixth-year senior Grant Gibbs leading the way? Me either.
Creighton, by the Computers
- #8 NCAA Official RPI (no update from 03/05)
- #7 Warren Nolan RPI (+1 from 03/05)
- #9 KenPom (no change from 03/05)
- #14 ESPN BPI (no change from 03/05)
Bracketing the Bluejays
- #3 via Tim Krueger’s Bracket
- #3 (3.02 average) via Bracket Matrix
The Race for the Prize
Creighton 13-4 Big East
Remaining game: Saturday vs. Providence (10-7)
Villanova 14-2 Big East
Remaining games: Tonight @ Xavier (10-7), Saturday vs. Georgetown (8-9)
As I wrote yesterday, Creighton can still claim a share of the Big East title. But the first piece of the puzzle that must fall into place happens tonight, when Villanova heads to Xavier for senior night at Cintas Center. If the Musketeers can manage a victory, then the Jays still have a shot. If not, nothing CU does the rest of this week keeps them from finishing in second place in the program’s first season in the Big East.
CU Stat o’ the Day
#102
That’s Creighton’s AdjD, or adjusted defensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com. It’s the advanced stat that estimates the defensive efficiency (based on points allowed per 100 possessions) a team would have against the average Division I offense.
Creighton enters Thursday #9 in Kenpom.com’s overall ratings. The Bluejays are buoyed by the nation’s highest AdjO, or adjusted offensive efficiency. Just how much? CU is one of only two teams in the Kenpom.com top 50 with an AdjD of 100 or more (BYU is #48 overall, with #105 AdjD).
What to Watch Today
Villanova @ Xavier (6:00 p.m. CT, Fox Sports 1)
Read above. CU fans should be pulling for their Jesuit peers in this one.
Bonus: More Championship “Week” action! Check here for TV listings.
Today in Bluejays Basketball History
March 6, 2009 — Creighton 63, Wichita State 62
Two words: Booker Woodfox.
Creighton Hoops Photo of the Day
Jahenns Manigat takes a charge against Xavier (WBR/Mike Spomer)