After predicting an 84-62 win in the primer for the NCAT game, I later mused in a thread on the Bluejay Underground that my prediction was a little low. Specifically, I referred to the 2002 opener when Creighton destroyed Texas Arlington 106-50, and said I wondered if the final score would more closely resemble that than the (relatively) closer score I officially predicted.
With 4:30 to play, Greg McDermott emptied his bench and put the walk-ons into the game with the score 92-54. Had he played out the string with scholarship players on the floor, the final score might well have come very close to that 106-50 whupping of nine years ago; as it was, the final score represented the most points scored in a season opener since that 2002 win. It was a thorough, old-school blowout, and it was completely enjoyable.
Some of my favorite stats on a night of great statistical achievements:
- Six players scored in double figures, the first time that had happened in ten years. The last time? December 29 of 2001, when the Jays beat Mississippi Valley State 90-65.
- Creighton’s bench scored 41 points, including 13 from Will Artino, 11 from Avery Dingman, and 9 from Ethan Wragge. They went all of last season without a single game where their bench scored 40+ in a game; the last time it happened was against South Dakota in the 2010 CIT.
- Creighton out-rebounded NCAT 50-34, and had 28 assists on 33 made buckets.
- They attempted 35 three-pointers, which ties the school record for most ever, and they made 14 which ties their record during the Greg McDermott Era.
A running gripe of mine (and others) during the last two seasons was the Jays maddening ability to get a huge lead, then allow teams to come back and make it more interesting in the end than it should have been. This year, first in the exhibition and now the season opener, Creighton has jumped out to a big lead, then extended the lead, and ultimately blown their opponent out of the gym. No one’s ready to declare that they’ve found that elusive “killer instinct” they lacked the last two years, given the quality of the opponents so far, but it’s encouraging nonetheless.
The blowout win also provided answers — or at least hints — to a couple of the questions I wondered about on Friday.
Who will redshirt? Turns out it won’t just be one player, as many speculated. Two players, Geoff Groselle and Nevin Johnson, did not suit up on Friday and will sit out the season barring an unforeseen disaster.
Who will hit outside shots? Jahenns Manigat was 5-7 from behind the arc. Avery Dingman was 3-6. Ethan Wragge was 3-8. Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs and Antoine Young all hit at least one shot from long range. If any two of those guys can be hot every night, the Jays will have an awfully tough inside-outside game that defenders will have nightmares about. And on nights when three or more of them are hot — or others like Josh Jones is feeling it — well, good luck to their opponent.
Next up is Chicago State, a team that’s better than DII Rockhurst (Creighton’s exhibition opponent) only by virtue of playing in DI. They lost NINE games by 40 or more points last year, and gave up an absolutely staggering 1.2 points per possession a year ago, which was the worst in all of Division 1. Luckily (I guess), they lost all five of last year’s starters, 90.6% of last season’s scoring and 91.6% of last season’s rebounds, forcing them to completely rebuild with eight newcomers. That means their talent level has to be better almost by default, but it also means they’re ridiculously inexperienced at every position.
In their first game, they lost 96-53 in Iowa City to a Hawkeye team picked to finish in the lower tier of the Big Ten. Says here that Sunday is going to be a great chance for Creighton’s walk-ons to get quality minutes, because this game will be all but over by halftime.
Meet Chicago State: An independent since joining Division 1 in 1984, the Cougars joined the Great West Conference in 2008. Like many teams in the lower rungs of D1, they go on an extended road trip to open their season — this year, Chicago State will play 13 of its first 16 games away from home to start the season. Three of those come against MVC foes (Illinois State on Nov. 30, Wichita State on Dec. 14, plus Sunday against the Jays).
They return three reserves from last year’s team that finished 6-26. The returning trio of Jamill Harris (3.3 ppg.), Ardarius Simmons (3.1 ppg.) and Quincy Ukaigwe (1.0 ppg.) combined for just 10 percent of CSU’s scoring and rebounding from a year ago.
Chris Burrows of HorizonLeagueHoops.com talked to WBR’s Patrick Marshall yesterday, and gave us an excellent scouting report on them.
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™: Jahenns Manigat’s 18 points on Friday were a career-high, and the most ever for a Canadian-native in a Bluejay uniform. Incidentally, Manigat is the first Jay from north of the border … Friday’s win was Creighton’s 11th straight home victory dating to a Jan. 12, 2011 loss vs. Wichita State; the wins have been by an average of 19.4 points, and eight of those 11 victories have been by double-digits … Austin Chatman fouled out in his Bluejay debut, the first Creighton player to do so since Donnie Johnson in 1997 … Creighton’s last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27, a string of 36 straight wins.
The Last Time They Played: Creighton defeated Chicago State 74-65 on January 18, 1988 at the Civic Auditorium. Chad Gallagher struggled mightily in the first half, missing his first seven shots but came alive in the second half, when he had dunks on the first two possessions en route to 14 points. Rod Mason offset Gallagher’s struggles by hitting on 5 of 6 attempts from behind the arc for 21 points. And James Farr, a Chicago native who grew up ten minutes from their campus, added 15 points, 6 assists and 4 steals. Farr is now on the Chicago State staff, in his second year as an assistant coach.
The Series: Creighton leads 1-0, and Greg McDermott is 2-1 in his career against Chicago State (1-1 at UNI, and 1-0 at Iowa State).
Gratuitous Linkage: No link today, but instead a plug — former Bluejay Darryl Ashford is organizing a food drive for the Siena/Francis House at Sunday’s MVC men’s soccer championship game. They will be collecting canned fruits and vegetables before the game, and in lieu of that, donations are also welcome.
Out of Context Seinfeld Quote: “So let me get this straight. You find yourself in the kitchen, you see an eclair in the receptacle, and you think to yourself, ‘What the hell, I’ll just eat some trash.'” – Jerry Seinfeld
This Date in Creighton Hoops History: Creighton has played only one game on November 13 in its’ history. In 2006, they defeated Mississippi Valley State 78-42, as the 20th ranked Jays opened up the season with a win. The Jays had four players in double-figures: 14 each from Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, 13 from Nate Funk, and 10 from freshman Isacc Miles off the bench in his debut.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day: As promised on Friday, it’s time to enter the CLC Thunderdome.
The Bottom Line: Get ready for another old-fashioned blowout, but this time, it will be even larger than Friday night. Quality minutes coming up for Taylor Stormberg, Derek Sebastian, Ross Ferrarini, and Matt Dorwart.
Jays 102, Chicago State 61