Illinois State has won five of its last six games after starting 0-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference. It’s been an impressive rebound for Dan Muller’s squad, who were picked to be among the contenders for the league crown but, ahem, struggled mightily out of the gate. Rather than pack it in, they’ve battled back, and are one of the most dangerous teams in the league coming down the home stretch as a result.
Their conference play was perfectly encapsulated on Wednesday night in Des Moines, where they got off to a horrible start and trailed 51-40 at halftime. That’s been a trend even in their recent streak, giving up explosive offensive halves to their opponent, but on this night they roared back to score 54 points of their own in the second half and won 94-86. They ended the game on a 23-7 run, including a 13-0 run that gave them the lead. Of most concern to the Jays is perhaps the fact that they made 32 free throws in the game; the Redbirds were able to penetrate Drake’s defense and get to the line, a trait the Jays have struggled with recently.
Even in their downturn in the first half of MVC play, Illinois State remained an explosive offensive team, perhaps second only to Creighton in the league. Indeed, at an average of 76 points a game, they rank second in the MVC in scoring. It’s no secret how they do it: Illinois State’s Jackie Carmichael (18.1) and Tyler Brown (16.0) combine to average 34.1 points per contest, the highest-scoring duo in the league. By comparison, Creighton’s Doug McDermott (23.3) and Gregory Echenique (9.9) score 33.2 per game, which ranks them the second highest-scoring duo in the MVC.
That Carmichael and Brown have excelled is no surprise. The play of Johnny Hill has been the shock, and perhaps even one of the big keys to their comeback. Asked to take over the reigns at point guard after Nic Moore’s transfer in the offseason, the natural two-guard took some time to grow into the role but has played really well over the last month. Over his last five games, coincidentally coinciding with the Redbirds resurgence, he has a total of four turnovers including three games with zero.
Improved defense, especially since these team’s first meeting in early January, has also helped. In ISU’s five Valley victories, the Redbirds have held the opposition to 61.8 points per game, compared to the 75.3 points per game averaged during ISU’s Valley losses (a massive difference of 13.5 points). Percentage-wise, Illinois State has held the opposition to 39.8 percent shooting in league wins, compared with a 47.4 percent clip allowed in conference losses (a 7.6 percent difference).
One of the most interesting matchups, as it always is between these two squads, will be the battle of Jackie Carmichael and Gregory Echenique. It’s a rare MVC game with an opponent that can match the size and strength of Echenique, and they’ve played well against one another. Carmichael owns 59 points and 29 total rebounds in seven career games vs. Creighton, while Echenique owns 50 points and 36 rebounds in six battles with the Redbirds.
It should be an up-tempo game with both teams scoring points in bunches, and combined with a party atmosphere given the 9PM Saturday tip, ESPN’s national television audience is in for a rowdy show. The loss to Indiana State will re-focus the Jays, and they’ll come out angry Saturday night. If ISU isn’t ready to go defensively, this could turn into a blowout akin to the game in Omaha a year ago, when the Jays won 102-74.
Catching up with the Redbirds: The Redbirds have limited the opposition to an average of 39.8 percent from the field during their last five wins … The last ranked opponent Illinois State beat was No. 15 Wichita State, 65-54, on Mar. 3, 2012, in the MVC semifinal, but ISU’s last true road win over a ranked team was at No. 17 Tulsa, 73-72, on February 6, 1985 … The Redbirds are 7-2 this season when they shoot 50 percent or better, which has not yet happened in Valley play … Illinois State features the second-highest scoring offense in the Valley, and 29th nationally, averaging 76.0 points … The Redbirds’ field goal percentage (46.4 percent) ranks second in the Valley and 44th in the country … Jackie Carmichael is five points away from tying Dan Muller’s career-points total of 1,445, which ranks 10th … Carmichael leads the Valley with 9.3 rebounds per contest overall this season, and his 11 double-doubles ranks 13th in the nation … Illinois State yielded just 66.0 points per game last season, but that average would have been 63.7 per contest if you hadn’t counted three meetings with Creighton in which it allowed 87, 102 and 83 points. In the first meeting this season, Creighton scored 79 points against an ISU team that’s been allowing 68.6 points per game … ISU has recorded its top three Valley shooting percentages over the last three games (45.8 percent versus Bradley, 46.2 percent against Southern Illinois and 48.3 percent at Drake).
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™: Creighton is 16-0 when leading at half this season, while Illinois State is 2-5 when trailing at half … Creighton has 13 straight wins vs. teams from Illinois and 19 straight wins vs. teams that have a shade of red in its official colors … Will Artino tied a career-high with 13 points in Wednesday’s loss, making all five of his field goal attempts and adding three free throws, two rebounds and a steal … Artino is now shooting 32-for-49 on the year (65.3 percent) from the field, and has made 18 of his last 19 attempts from the floor in his past 10 games … Saturday’s scheduled 9:05 pm tip will ensure a ninth straight season that Creighton has played a home game that tips off at 8 pm or later. The Jays are 12-2 in such games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, including 10 straight victories.
The RUN-DMD Show: A pair of MVC players could eclipse the 2,000 career points milestone this month. Evansville’s Colt Ryan has 1,994 career points (in 116 games) and Creighton’s Doug McDermott (in 98 games) isn’t far behind at 1,941. Should both Colt Ryan and McDermot reach 2,000 points this season, it’ll be just the third time that the MVC has had two men join the 2,000 point club in the same season. It happened in 1984-85 (Steve Harris & Xavier McDaniel), then again in 1998-99 (Rodney Buford & Marcus Wilson).
The Last Time They Played: Illinois State led twice in the second half and battled back to even the score two other times, but Creighton held on for a 79-72 conference victory on January 2 at Redbird Arena. A Bryant Allen three-pointer with 9:21 left in the second half gave the Redbirds their first lead since the 18:20 mark of the first half at 63-61. After a three-point play from Creighton’s Gregory Echenique, Jon Ekey cored his only two points of the game on a driving floater in the lane to give ISU a 65-64 lead with 7:17 remaining. However, the Bluejays responded with five-straight points to regain the lead for good.
The Series: Illinois State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 40-30 margin but the Bluejays have won 22 of the last 32 meetings. The Bluejays own a 17-15 lead in Omaha, including a 6-3 mark at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Greg McDermott has won 11 straight meetings to improve to 13-4 all-time against Illinois State (6-0 since coming to Creighton) and is 1-0 against Dan Muller.
Gratuitous Linkage: Illinois State trailed by 13 with seven minutes to play on Wednesday, but rallied to beat Drake 94-86.
This Date in Creighton Hoops History: On February 9, 2005, the Jays beat Northern Iowa 83-82 in Omaha — their second one-point win over Greg McDermott’s Panthers on the season. Creighton hit 6-of-7 shots to open the game while taking a 14-3 lead. Junior guard Nate Funk had four of those points while also assisting on a pair of three-point baskets. The game tightened, though, with five ties and nine lead changes in the second half. Tied at 60-60 with 5:31 to play, the Jays went on a 9-0 run to take the lead, but a late flurry of threes by UNI — three in the final 20 seconds — made the score close.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day: LEGGO.
The Bottom Line: Creighton comes out an angry team following Wednesday’s loss. Pity the Redbirds.
Jays 85, Illinois State 70