[dropcap]In[/dropcap] the aftermath of an embarrassing 27-point home loss to Georgetown, Coach Greg McDermott told listeners on the 1620AM postgame that he had no answers for their offensive woes. That rubbed some people the wrong way — he’s the coach and he’s paid to have answers, some said! — but be honest. There are no answers with this roster.
They can’t shoot from outside with any consistency. They can’t make midrange jump shots with consistency. There’s only two players that can score by driving to the rim and forcing action, and they can’t do it consistently. Running offense inside-out by dumping the ball into the post doesn’t work because the centers can’t catch the ball consistently, and when they do catch it, they can’t score consistently — even from point blank range. The only thing they do consistently is be inconsistent.
When Coach Mac says he has no answers, that’s not a cop-out. It’s the brutal truth. I’d rather he admit as much than deliver some coach-speak about non-existant solutions. The fix lies on the recruiting trail, and that’s not something that helps them get better the rest of this season.
So about that. February begins against Xavier (14-8 overall and 5-5 in the Big East), a team ranked No. 26 in the latest NCAA Official Daily RPI. They received eight votes in this week’s Associated Press poll, good for No. 33 if the poll stretched that far. They lost 90-82 at Seton Hall on Saturday despite 19 points from freshman Trevon Bluiett on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and a career-high tying 17 points from sophomore Jalen Reynolds on 8-of-10 shooting. The Musketeers shot 1-19 from three-point range in the game (5.3%), but 29-39 on all other shots (74.4%).
They’re the top offensive team in the league in a whole host of categories: first in the Big East and 20th in the nation at 77.5 points per game, first in the Big East and 11th in the nation at 16.9 assists per game, second in the Big East and 11th in the nation with a 1.45 assist-to-turnover ratio, first in the Big East and 14th in the nation in field goal percentage at 49.0%, third in the Big East in free-throw percentage at 73.0%, third in the league in scoring margin at +8.6 ppg., and second in the league in rebound margin at +3.9 rebounds per game.
Pardon my French, but how the hell will Creighton score enough to keep up with this team?
It’s a balanced attack. Xavier has three players averaging in double figures in scoring and six that are at 8.9 ppg. or more. Senior Matt Stainbrook (tied for 12th in the Big East at 12.7 ppg.) leads the team followed by freshman Trevon Bluiett (15th overall and first among freshmen in the Big East at 12.5 ppg.), sophomore Myles Davis (11.2 ppg.), junior Remy Abell (9.0 ppg.), senior Dee Davis (9.0 ppg.) and sophomore Jalen Reynolds (8.9 ppg.). That’s a whole lotta scoring options.
Senior center Matt Stainbrook and senior point guard Dee Davis are their two returning starters from last season, and both have produced big numbers for the Musketeers so far this year. Stainbrook is first on the team in rebounding at 6.8 rpg. (sixth in the Big East), including a 10-rebound game on January 22 at Providence. In addition to his 12.7 points per game, he dishes out 2.4 assists per game, good for second on the team. The 6’10”, 270 pound center is shooting 64.6% (106-of-164) from the field, which ranks third in the BIG EAST.
Meanwhile, Davis leads Xavier in assists at 5.7 apg. (second in the Big East and 19th in the nation). He’s also third in the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.47:1. He’s been sensational all year, but particularly in the last week or so; he had eight assists and no turnovers against DePaul on January 24, and in the last three games, he has 18 assists and just two turnovers. He’s a big reason the Musketeers rank 11th in the nation for most assists with an average of 16.9 per game.
They’ve played six of the last nine games on the road, so the usually-rambunctious crowd at Cintas Center should be even rowdier than normal. This one could get ugly if Creighton comes with the effort they played with against Georgetown.
Quick Notes on the Musketeers:
- In Xavier’s 14 wins, they’ve outscored their opponents by 16.9 ppg. and have won every game by double digits except its four-point win on Jan. 17 over Marquette. Xavier is 13-2 in games decided by double digits and 1-6 in games decided by nine or fewer points.
- Xavier is 10-1 when it holds its opponent to less than 70 points. Its only loss in that category was the 69-66 overtime setback at Providence on Jan. 22.
- Xavier played six Big East road games in January; XU will play five of its seven Big East games in February at home. Tonight they’ll be going for their 200th all-time win at Cintas Center, where they’ve been nearly unbeatable. Since its 2000 opening, they’ve been 199-27 (.881) in the facility, including an 11-0 record this season.
Bluejay Bytes:
- Nine of Creighton’s 10 Big East opponents this year have lost the game prior to facing the Bluejays, including Xavier tonight, who is coming off a loss to Seton Hall.
- When Greg McDermott started Austin Chatman, Devin Brooks, Rick Kreklow, Avery Dingman and Will Artino last Wednesday, it marked the first time that Creighton started five seniors in the same game since at least 1977-78 (records before that are inconclusive). Creighton has used eight different starting line-up combinations this season.
- Avery Dingman had a team-high eight points on Saturday vs. Georgetown, becoming the 10th different leading scorer this season for the Bluejays. Creighton’s top two scorers in non-conference play, Austin Chatman and Isaiah Zierden, currently rank fourth and eighth on the team in points per game in league action, while their top two scorers in Big East action, James Milliken and Rick Kreklow, were sixth and eighth, respectively, on the team in scoring in non-conference play.
The Series:
Xavier owns a 10-8 lead in the series with Creighton, including a 6-4 mark in Cincinnati. Creighton won two of three games last season against the Musketeers, including a victory in the Big East Tournament semifinals.
It’s worth noting that three of Creighton’s past five trips to Cincinnati have been decided by two points or less, including game-winners in the last 25 seconds by XU’s David West (2002) and CU’s Tyler McKinney (2004).
Greg McDermott is 2-1 against Xavier and Chris Mack. Mack is 2-2 against Creighton.
The Last Time They Played:
Creighton won 86-78 on March 14, 2014 at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament. Ethan Wragge made four of six from 3-point range in the first half, and combined with Doug McDermott to score 35 first-half points — two more than Xavier as a team. CU eventually built a 19 point lead with eight minutes left but couldn’t put the game away, and the Musketeers cut the lead to five thanks to a 20-6 run. In the midst of the run, Cox dropped the feed and switched to the Pac12 Tourney, leaving Jays fans in Omaha to listen to the final climatic minutes on the radio.
Gratuitous Linkage:
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Shannon Russell profiles Trevon Bluiett and his newfound defensive prowess.
What the Other Side is Saying:
“In conference play there is no worse offense than Creighton’s. A 94.2 offensive efficiency comes from a 42% shooting mark from inside the arc and and having 16.3% of their shots blocked. The Bluejays add to that by turning the ball over on nearly 20% of their possessions and rarely getting to the free throw line. A 30% mark from behind the arc isn’t stellar, but it doesn’t always take stellar to trouble the Musketeers.
Creighton doesn’t exactly make up for their offensive failings on the defensive end. The Bluejays are the penultimate team in the Big East in defensive efficiency rating, trailing only the Red Storm of St. John’s. No team in conference play allows a higher effective field goal percentage or three point percentage, or turns opponents over fewer times. Creighton is only allowing 29% of opponent’s shots to be turned into offensive rebounds, slightly better than average in the conference.”
All true, but man does it sting to read it from the other side.
-Xavier vs Creighton Preview, Banners on the Parkway
This Date in Creighton Hoops History:
On February 4, 1988, Creighton upended Tulsa 94-92 in double overtime. Backed by 33 points from senior guard Rod Mason, the Jays won their seventh straight game and catapulted into a tie for first place at the midway point of the conference schedule. They rallied from down five points with 1:30 to play, after a bucket from Chad Gallagher and a tip-in of a missed shot from Bob Harstad. Then Mason drilled a 25-footer to tie it and force overtime. In the extra period, CU led 81-79 but James Farr missed the front end of a one-and-one with seven seconds left, and then Farr compounded the miss by fouling Tulsa’s leading scorer, Tracy Moore, with one second left as he attempted a three-pointer. Moore made two free throws to send it to a second OT.
The wild game continued in the second extra period. Creighton raced out to a lead, but in the waning seconds, Tulsa cut the Bluejay advantage to 90-89 with seven seconds left, and immediately called a timeout. Only problem: they didn’t have any timeouts left. Mason hit both technical foul shots, and then Duan Cole was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass. He made both shots, which proved important when Moore hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the final 94-92 Bluejays.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day:
This season depresses me.
The Bottom Line:
Creighton hangs tough for awhile, but ultimately just can’t make enough baskets to keep up with the high-powered Musketeers and get blown out for a second straight game.
Musketeers 77, Bluejays 58