My first thought Wednesday night, say around 9 p.m.? I picked the wrong day to give up cursing for Lent.
Most every college basketball team suffers hiccups during even the most promising of seasons. I thought as highly of this year’s Creighton team following a loss to Boise State as I had flying home from Las Vegas after watching CU take games from tournament bubble team Arizona State and tournament lock Wisconsin.
I didn’t think the Jays would pull out a win at Wichita State. And they didn’t. I didn’t think the Jays would win at Northern Iowa, either; I circled that as a “L” in September, when I hung my season schedule on the wall at work and guesstimated Creighton’s fortunes a few months before the start of the season.
I didn’t see losses at Drake and Indiana State coming, though. Oh well; the Valley is always good for a few head-scratchers. And the Sycamores aren’t as poor as many people thought they might be back in the said months before the season began.
And rolling up to the CenturyLink Center late last Saturday, I didn’t consider that Creighton would lose to a talented but tumultuous Illinois State squad. Still, tell me a CU team that went without a blemish at home during the conference season. I dare you.
So before I unleashed some choice words after the Bluejays blew a late lead against the UNI Panthers in Cedar Falls, I tried to consult a calming force. A mantra, if you will.
They won’t lose four in a row.
No Creighton’s men’s basketball team has dropped four consecutive conference games since 1995. Heck, the Jays haven’t lost four straight games of any kind since the 1999-2000 season (a season, mind you, that ended with an Arch Madness championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament).
Plus the Evansville Purple Aces, aside from Colt Ryan (23.5 ppg career average against CU), don’t scare me. Not sure why.
Oh, yeah, wait. I do know why. Creighton’s lost to the Aces just three times since the 2004-2005 season started. The Jays crushed UE to start league play this season, beating the Aces 87-70 the last week of December.
Plus, the Purple Aces are reeling, having lost four of their past six games. Sure, none of those losses came at the Ford Center, where Saturday’s game takes place. Stop talking me out of my positive mindset for this weekend’s game!
Also giving me hope for a Bluejay slump buster on Saturday? Creighton is due for a breakout offensive performance (right?!). Creighton SID Rob Anderson points out that during the three-game skid, the Jays are shooting just 40.7% from the field and 25% from behind the arc. Those are far below their averages during the first 23 games of the season in both categories (52% from the field, 44.9% from 3).
Also, Creighton’s hit double-figure three-pointers in the last three meetings against the Aces. Sure, the Jays hit just 4-22 three-point attempts last season in a loss at the Ford Center. Again, stop trying to bring me down!
I’m not dismissing Evansville or the challenge the Aces are sure to present Saturday afternoon on ESPNU. Trust me, if the past month has taught me anything, it is to take every game one at a time (Yay for coachspeak!). But the Bluejays need this game. It is vital to accomplishing the goal of winning a league championship outright, if by vital you mean “almost 100% statistically necessary.” And, with their proverbial backs against the proverbial wall, I think the Jays find a way to get it done.
But this isn’t a meaningless game for the home team by any stretch, either. Sure, at 7-7 the Aces aren’t well positioned for a Valley title. But this might be Marty Simmons’ team’s best chance for a win in the Aces’ final four MVC games. Evansville faces a nasty gauntlet to end their Valley slate. The home game against Creighton is followed by a home game against (underachieving and uber-athletic) Illinois State, a roadie at revenge-minded Wichita State, and a Senior Day sendoff for Colt against Indiana State.
I’ll watch Saturday, hand over my mouth, trying hard to not slip up on my Lenten promise. But the positivity in me thinks I won’t have reason to. Here’s to the Jays not proving me wrong.