In the battle between my heart and my head, the cement dome is winning.
I get pretty emotional during Creighton basketball games. Too much so, according to a lot of people. But every time I try to unplug the switch that connects my CU fandom to the analytical segment of the basketball part of my mind, I can’t fully detach.
That’s what makes a fan a fan, I guess. No matter how poorly my favorite teams play, or how many figurative cards are stacked against them, I always start my day thinking the good guys are going to win. I guess that explains why I’m still a Cubs fan after all these years.
ANYWAY, because during the better part of the past decade Dana Altman’s teams have ended each season playing in the NCAA or NIT tournaments, the Creighton Bluejays have done little to discourage the “heart” part of my fandom from taking over the “head” part. Can’t beat Southern Illinois during the regular season, even though they’re the only team standing between you and a regular season title for a few years? That’s no problem; we’ll get ‘em in the MVC Tournament championship game! Only have a few scholarship players heading into tough home non-conference games against Nebraska and Xavier? No worries; we’ll get contributions from everyone, play some solid defense, and pick up sorely needed wins.
So even though logic and reason implored me to chalk Creighton’s trip to Wichita in the “L” column even before tip-off Saturday, the segment of my heart still inebriated from a decade full of random road wins clung to the hope that the Bluejays could make this game the game when the tide would turn. Head 1, Heart 0.
The Shockers were ready for the Bluejays’ visit, as were their fans. The Shox and their faithful didn’t seem over the way their team’s season ended last year (See: Booker Woodfox’s legit game-ending bucket at Arch Madness), but whether they used that loss as fuel for their 70-58 victory Saturday is debatable. The sad fact: no amount of motivation was likely needed to pounce on the Jays early and then keep them at arm’s length like a frustrated-yet-helpless brother.
Creighton can’t score. And Creighton can’t really play great defense. Well, maybe “can’t” isn’t the correct word. “Hasn’t” might be more appropriate. A team many have said would have no problem logging large scoring outputs (Dana Altman (too many times to count) and Michigan coach John Beilein included) hasn’t really done so; contrarily, many times the Jays look frustrated after a few early misses. And on the defensive end, where do you start? Layups. Open looks from 3-point range. Less-than-clear communication around the perimeter and throughout the paint. Whether the rest of the Valley knows what Altman’s teams are going to do defensively and can combat it, or Altman’s players just don’t have the will power to commit on the defensive end, the outcome is the same: losses.
I could go through the box score and try to highlight the positives: Kenny Lawson led the Jays again in the scoring column and on the boards; the Bluejays won the rebounding battle by a carom; CU stayed even with the Shox following the first 10 minutes, more or less. But spending too much time on these might cloud my rational context and leave me fading toward the “heart” part of my fandom again. It is too, too late for that right now.
Something needs to change. The status quo isn’t working, and Creighton faces a critical stretch of games against Southern Illinois, Wichita State again, Illinois State, and Missouri State. The good news? Three of those four games occur in Omaha. The bad news? The Bluejays, going the way they are right now, will likely struggle to be more physical than their opponent (SIU and WSU), score more than their opponent (WSU, ISU), or play as good a defense as their opponent (WSU, ISU, and MSU). That is, unless they can find a lineup or even just a player or two to take things into their own hands and try to force a turnaround of dramatic proportions.
My heart thinks the Bluejays have it in them. My head? Shaking back and forth in frustration.