Funny. Yesterday, I mentioned the anniversary of Booker Woodfox’s amazing shot to defeat Wichita State in the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Last night at Scottrade Center, Milton Doyle of Loyola — Creighton’s replacement in the Valley — beat Bradley with a three-pointer with 1 second left on the clock. Amazing.
ANYWAY. Last night saw the Jays get locked into the #2 seed in New York City next week.
Creighton, by the Computers
- #7 NCAA Official RPI (+1 from 03/04)
- #7 Warren Nolan RPI (no change from 03/06)
- #9 KenPom (no change from 03/06)
- #13 ESPN BPI (+1 from 03/06)
Bracketing the Bluejays
- #3 via Tim Krueger’s Bracket
- #3 (3.08 average) via Bracket Matrix
The Race for the Prize
Creighton 13-4 Big East
Remaining game: Saturday vs. Providence (10-7)
Villanova 15-2 Big East
Remaining games: Saturday vs. Georgetown (8-9)
It is official: Creighton will be the #2 seed in next week’s Big East Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The Jays needed help last night from Xavier, and the Musketeers couldn’t oblige. So Villanova heads to Manhattan with the tournament’s top seed, a regular season championship, and a very real shot at securing a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks.
Creighton? They’re safely in the Big Dance. But if you believe Bracket Matrix and our friend Tim Krueger at Bluejay Banter, the Jays need a win versus Providence tomorrow to protect their #3 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
CU Stat o’ the Day
21
That’s Creighton’s Strength of Schedule ranking, according to Kenpom.com. Here’s the season-ending SoS for the Bluejays in every season since 2002-2003:
- 2013 – 70
- 2012 – 84
- 2011 – 158
- 2010 – 110
- 2009 – 156
- 2008 – 78
- 2007 – 26
- 2006 – 70
- 2005 – 96
- 2004 – 149
- 2003 – 157
Completely random thing I love about the current #21 SoS: among to top 10 teams in Kenpom.com’s overall ratings, the Bluejays have the fifth-best SoS. For comparison, Wichita State’s SoS is 136.
What to Watch Today
ALL THE CHAMPIONSHIP BASKETBALL!
Seriously. Starting at 10 a.m. CT and stretching to nearly 11:30 p.m. CT, there’s plenty of early round action in a number of conference tournaments around the nation. ESPN3 has most of them.
But, let’s be honest, you’ll tune into Arch Madness out of habit. You miss the trip to St. Louis. You long for Sundeckers. Your biological clock tells you you’re not where you should be this time of year. And that’s OK. To quote Garth Algar, “We fear change.” So instead of soaking in fresh Bud from the brewery in Soulard, soak in some televised action on MVC TV.
Today in Bluejays Basketball History
March 7, 2005 — Creighton 75, Missouri State 57
The Bluejays snapped a four-game losing streak against the Bears, pulling away late to earn another trip to the NCAA Tournament. Jimmy Motz came off the bench to hit four three-pointers, capping a Missouri Valley Conference tournament run that saw him earn all-tournament team honors.
Creighton Hoops Photo of the Day
Jahenns Manigat will lead the hype circle at CenturyLink Center Omaha one last time tomorrow during senior night against Providence (WBR/Adam Streur)