After a one-game absence thanks to a rather nasty case of the stomach flu that knocked Max out of any and all awesomeness for 48 hours mid-week (and relegated him to listening to the ISU Red game from the bathroom rather than watching from Section 113), the Polyfro Primer returns to get you ready for tomorrow’s big game with Northern Iowa! -THE MGMT
Creighton hasn’t been held down offensively very often this year. In 23 games, they’ve scored fewer than 70 points just four times — at Wichita State (68), against UNI at home (63), and in both matchups with Missouri State (65 and 66). But while Wichita State and Missouri State clamped down defensively by simply playing good old-fashioned tough-nosed defense, UNI did it by shortening the game.
In going more up-tempo this year, the Jays have averaged 68 offensive possessions a game. Just once in 23 games have they had fewer than 60 possessions in a game — against UNI on January 10, when they had only 57 possessions. That’s a big reason why, despite turning it over only nine times and shooting a respectable 48% from the floor, they managed just 63 points. UNI gave Creighton ELEVEN fewer possessions than their average game. Talk about dictating tempo!
It goes beyond just taking the shot clock deep on every offensive possession and playing the kind of tough defense that forces opponents to use large chunks of the shot clock themselves. Watch them closely, and you’ll notice they almost always make the official hand them the ball after a made basket before they inbound it, trimming 1-3 seconds off the clock every time. Often, they’ll take another 1-2 seconds to actually throw it in, trimming more time off the clock. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it adds up. UNI’s opponents make an average of 22 field goals a game; trimming just three seconds off the clock following each one effectively shortens the game by a full minute. Combined with milking the shot clock, they can practically slow games down to a halt. It’s genius strategy for a team not blessed with an abundance of great shooters — the fewer possessions in a game, the fewer times they have to try and stop the other team on defense, and the fewer points they need to score in order to win.
That latter point is important when UNI takes on teams like Creighton. The Jays average 80.1 points a game this year, while UNI has scored more than 70 just five times all season and averages only 66 a game. It’s about as extreme a contrast in styles as you’ll ever see, and luckily for Creighton, they’re better suited to play UNI’s style than vice-versa.
Making it doubly important that the Panthers keep this game in the mid-60s is the fact that Anthony James, their junior guard and only player averaging in double-figures at 13.4 a game, is banged up with various ailments. Two hard falls to the court have resulted in shoulder and tailbone injuries, his ankle has bothered him somewhat, and as the injuries have mounted and his offensive production fell off a cliff (scoring 9, 2 and 7 points in consecutive games after being in double figures in all but one game since November 22), he didn’t even dress for Tuesday’s game against SIU. Carson Tigges of the Cedar Falls Courier told us in our “From the Other Side” interview that he expects James to play Saturday, but how effective he can be is anybody’s guess.
If he doesn’t play, or isn’t able to score, the Panthers will have to rely on a bevy of underclassmen to shoulder the scoring load, a group which has been inconsistent at best. Creighton has proven they can win games played in the trenches, including the first matchup with the Panthers this year, while UNI’s problems scoring limit the ways they can win against the Jays. In a low-scoring defensive battle, it could go either way. In a shootout, it would take nothing short of the Panthers best game of the year to win.
Catching Up with the Panthers: Since the 2001-02 season, UNI is 6-2 at home against ranked opponents, a fact that is played up quite prominently in their game notes. Amusingly, they don’t mention that all six of those wins came with Greg McDermott as their head coach … UNI freshman point guard Deon Mitchell scored a career-high 17 points in leading UNI to a 58-49 win over Southern Illinois on Tuesday … That win moved the Panthers to 5-7 in the league and 15-9 overall, and with a road trip to Wichita State still to come, the possibility of having to play on Thursday in St. Louis looks more and more likely … UNI senior guard Johnny Moran enters Saturday’s game needing 39 points to become the 34th UNI Panther to join the 1,000 Point Club. Moran ranks No. 36 on the Panthers’ all-time scoring list with 961 points … When UNI holds the opposition to a lower shooting percentage than their own, the Panthers are 13-1 this year. However, when the opposition shoots a higher percentage, the Panthers are only 2-8 … When UNI outrebounds its opponent, the Panthers are 9-2 this season. However, when the opponent wins the rebounding battle, the Panthers are only 6-6.
One Big Paragraph with Lots O’Dots™: Creighton scored 102 points on Wednesday night vs. Illinois State, its second time this season over the century mark and the first time since 1990 that Illinois State had yielded 100 points or more in a game. The Jays have not scored 100 points in consecutive games since February of 1966, and have never scored more than 95 points against UNI … Saturday’s meeting features seven of the last 10 champions of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Remember when it used to be SIU and Creighton that you used to be able to say that about? … Creighton brings a No. 13 ranking into the McLeod Center, the best for any basketball team in the venue’s six-year history. The previous best was No. 14 Drake on Feb. 16, 2008, a game the Panthers lost … Creighton’s 11 straight MVC wins are the program’s longest streak in league action since winning 11 in a row spanning the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. The Bluejays have never won 12 straight MVC games in the same season, something they’ll seek on Saturday … Creighton has won six straight road games for the first time since 1975. Creighton will seek seven straight wins on the road for the first time since 1962 on Saturday … Through games of February 1st, Creighton (8), Wichita State (7) and Missouri State (6) each own six or more road wins. The only BCS-member school with six road wins is Baylor (6).
The RUN-DMD Show: In nine true road games this season, Doug McDermott is averaging 26.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, making 21-of-34 shots from three-point range (61.8%).
The Last Time They Played: On January 10 of this year, UNI made 7-of-9 three-pointers in the opening 12 minutes to take an early 28-18 lead. Marc Sonnen led the way, sinking his first five attempts from behind the arc. A 12-0 run by the Jays erased that lead, and their defense held Sonnen scoreless the final 29 minutes of the game as they held on for a 63-60 victory. Antoine Young led the Bluejays with 21 points on 9-14 shooting and 2-3 from three-point range.
The Series: Creighton leads the all-time series with Northern Iowa by a 29-15 margin, but are just 9-11 in Cedar Falls (3-2 at the McLeod Center and 6-9 at the UNI-Dome).
Greg McDermott is 4-4 all-time against his alma mater.
Gratuitous Linkage: ESPN’s Jason King published an excellent interview with Grant Gibbs today that features Gibbs’ usual frank hilarity. It’s a must-read.
This Date in Creighton Hoops History: On February 4, 2003, 13th ranked Creighton beat Northern Iowa 84-75 at the Civic. Trailing by one at the half, Michael Lindeman scored 15 second-half points to lead the Jays comeback. Never able to put an inferior UNI squad (6-13, 3-8 in the MVC) away, the Jays’ Kyle Korver took responsibility in his comments to the media following the game:
“I’m just really embarrassed what happened tonight, personally and as a team. That was not good basketball. UNI played real well and (Ben) Jacobson played real well, but that guy has no business getting his points or whatever. He is going to make a very good player. He is a very good player. But it is really frustrating and it isn’t going to happen again. It’s on me. I’m not going to let it happen again. This team is going to be ready to play on Saturday.”
The Jays blew out Bradley 88-65 three nights later.
Completely Random, Totally Rad Music Video of the Day:
The Bottom Line: UNI once again dictates the tempo, keeping the game in the mid-60s. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the Panthers sneak out a win, but who am I to predict the demise of the Jays’ 11-game winning streak? No one, that’s who.
Creighton 67, UNI 63