When the AP preseason poll came out the week of November 6, 2006, Creighton was ranked 19th, and during ESPN’s season preview show, they featured a segment on the Jays. Nice words from Rece Davis segued into verbal darts from Digger Phelps, leaving Jay Bilas to defend the Jays from his barbs.
In their second game, that team went down to Lincoln and lost to an inferior Husker squad, 73-61, and exited the court to chants of “Over-Rated!” They dropped out of the AP poll two days later, and haven’t been back since.
That was also the last time there was a Jays team with this much hype coming into a season. As they prepare to open the 2011-12 season, they’re 34th in the preseason AP poll, 33rd in the ESPN/USA Today poll, and got a visit from ESPN as part of their Midnight Marathon coverage. Much like in 2006, the Worldwide Leader’s pundits heavily criticized them for “having a weak schedule”, though this time it was courtesy of Digger’s cohort in crime, Hubert Davis. Some things never change, huh?
After that 2006 team stumbled out of the gate to a 6-4 start, the hype evaporated, ESPN stopped paying attention, and if not for an epic win over nemesis Southern Illinois in the MVC Championship game, they might not have made the NCAA Tournament. Will this team embrace the expectations and do what it takes to meet them, or will they be burdened by the weight of the expectations and struggle?
That’s one of the big early season questions a lot of people are wondering about. There are others of course; here’s three of the biggest in my mind:
1) Who will redshirt, if anyone?
Austin Chatman definitely won’t; Coach Mac has made that clear all along, and reiterated it on the postgame show last Sunday. As for the other three freshmen, the common belief is one of them will be redshirted. But which one?
Geoff Groselle gives the Jays a 7’0″ body inside to back up Gregory Echenique and/or Will Artino. Nevin Johnson is a long, athletic potential defensive stopper. Avery Dingman is a confident outside shooter who made three treys in the exhibition.
Coach Mac talked about the decision on Sunday’s postgame:
“You try to figure out where your needs are, and then you try to anticipate potential problems. Will Grant Gibbs’ knee hold up for 31 games? And if it doesn’t, who best fits if that happens? What if somebody else sprains an ankle? There’s a lot to think about and a lot to evaluate…
As I’ve explained to these young guys, redshirting is a good thing. I wouldn’t redshirt a scholarship player unless I thought they were going to be a really good player for us and an important player in our program moving forward. Part of what we did today, we put them out there with different people. Geoff was out there with Doug some, and he was out there with Ethan some. Same with Nevin and Avery. They played with different point guards, they played with different off guards, and we’re just trying to get a feel for what we need the most. Then we’ll sit down with them and their families, and in the end they’re going to make the final decision. I’ll just make a recommendation.”
I personally think all three of them can contribute this year, but I’m not sure there’s enough minutes for all of them to make using up the year worthwhile. Hence the conundrum.
2) Can the Jays win on the road?
In 2009-10, Creighton went 3-13 away from Omaha. Last year, they went 4-13 when donning the blue jerseys. They haven’t won a non-conference game away from Omaha since beating DePaul in Las Vegas on December 23, 2008. And they haven’t won a true road game in the non-conference since December 6, 2008, when they beat St. Joseph’s in Philly.
With a whopping five games on the road before MVC play starts, that’s a stat that needs to change in a big hurry or else the Jays will stumble into conference play with a subpar record — much like the 2006 team did.
3) Who will hit outside shots?
The inside is covered — Doug McDermott and Gregory Echenique are going to patrol the glass and the paint. Who will make shots from behind the arc to keep the defense honest? Certainly, Ethan Wragge being healthy will make a gigantic difference in this area. Jahenns Manigat has shown the ability to knock down the threeball. Josh Jones is tremendously streaky, but when he’s hot, he can be unstoppable. This might be where Avery Dingman can carve out a role for himself as a freshman — the sharpshooter off the bench.
The only thing that’s certain is that we’ll start to get the answers to these questions tonight at 7:05pm, when the 2011-12 season tips off.
Meet North Carolina A&T:
The Aggies finished last season at 15-17, and 9-7 in the MEAC, and return four starters. Their biggest task early in the 2011 season will be replacing the lone departing starter — Thomas Coleman, a 6’9″ 220 behemoth who averaged 17 points, 10.5 rebounds and nearly 3 blocks a game last year. They don’t have anyone his size this year, but have a multitude of 6’6″ and 6’7″ guys they will run out on the floor — and will try to play at a faster pace, according to quotes from head coach Jerry Eaves in the NCAT media guide.
6’3″ senior guard Nic Simpson is their leading returning scorer, after averaging 13.3 points a year ago. He’s joined in the backcourt by Marc Hill, who averaged 10.8 points and 3.1 assists last year. Both starting guards can shoot well from behind the arc — Simpson was 58-189 (30%), while Hill was 50-129 (38%).
The Aggies are picked seventh of 13 teams in the preseason MEAC poll, after finishing fifth a year ago. A historically-black college located in Greensboro, North Carolina A&T has 12,000 students and is the alma mater of Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr., and Terrance J (the host of BET’s 106 & Park).
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™:
Tonight’s game is part of the Dale Howard Classic, a five-team event that includes Creighton, North Carolina A&T, Iowa, Chicago State and Campbell, culminating with the Creighton-Iowa game next Sunday in Des Moines … Creighton owns a 78-15 record (.839) on opening day, including wins in 13 of its last 14, and is 82-11 (.882) in home openers … Creighton has won 35 straight regular-season November home games, with the last home loss in November coming in 1989, when they fell to Coppin State … has won each of the Greg McDermott has won the last nine season openers he’s coached in, and he is 9-1 at the Division I level in season-openers … When Doug McDermott started last season’s opening game, he became the first Bluejay to do so since Ryan Sears in 1997. No freshmen are expected to start tonight.
The Last Time They Played:
Creighton opened up the 2001-02 season against North Carolina A&T, winning 72-51. The Aggies jumped out to a 10-3 lead to quiet the Civic Auditorium crowd, but after a Dana Altman timeout, Brody Deren and Joe Dabbert had massive dunks on consecutive possessions to get the noise level back up, part of an 8-0 run that gave them a lead they’d never relinquish. The Aggies were able to cut the lead to 44-39 midway through the second half, but Terrell Taylor responded with three straight three-pointers on three straight possessions, part of a game-deciding 13-0 run.
The Series:
Creighton leads 1-0, and Greg McDermott has never faced the Aggies.
Gratuitous Linkage:
As you might have guessed from the numerous historical articles I’ve researched and written for WBR, I’m a bit of a history buff. So imagine my excitement when I discovered yesterday afternoon that the statistics section on GoCreighton.com now includes PDFs of stat sheets going back to the 1950-51 season. Hand-written box scores, typewriter stat sheets…it’s a treasure trove.
Out Of Context Seinfeld Quote:
“I’m at the corner of 1st and 1st…How can the same street intersect with itself? It must be at the nexus of the universe!” – Cosmo Kramer
This Date in Creighton Hoops History:
On November 11, 1996, Creighton defeated Hungary Select 75-60 in an exhibition game at the Civic. Rodney Buford was 10-23 from the floor, scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out two assists. He also had dunks on consecutive possessions late in the first half — the first coming on a fast break, as he raced down the right sideline for a one-handed flush, while the second came on a drive to the lane for a two-handed dunk over a defender.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day:
I was all set to play Tina Turner’s “We Don’t Need Another Hero” here — the theme song to Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome — as part of WBR’s attempt to get people to refer to CenturyLink Center as the “CLC THUNDERDOME.” Then I had the privilege of being invited to sit in a skybox Tuesday night for the Guns n’Roses concert Tuesday night, and I’ve been in a hard rock/heavy metal mood ever since. So that will get saved for another day.
Incidentally: There’s no Slash, Izzy or Duff in GNR anymore, so I understand the argument that the band I loved in middle and high school doesn’t exist anymore. I find it hard to reconcile that with the three-hour rock fest that took place Tuesday night, however. The new version of GNR may not have those names, but they rock all the same. Oh, and Axl still has that unbelievable voice. Definitely a highlight of my concert-going year — and it has officially taken over as the best show I’ve ever had free tickets to.
The Bottom Line:
Creighton has won seven of the last 11 season-openers by 20 or more points. Tonight will be eight of 12.
Jays 84, North Carolina A&T 62