Saturday night, Creighton will host their 16th annual Pink Out game. But this one hits a little closer to home for pair of Bluejays, and by extension the entire locker room.
Blake Harper’s mom Linda Harllee Harper died of breast cancer when he was 17. Josh Dix’ mom Kelly is currently, and has been for awhile, battling breast cancer. And Harper said the two of them have bonded over their shared experience and confided in each other.
“I feel for Josh because I was just in the same predicament. I mean, that’s my boy,” Harper said. “We’re so vulnerable with each other. And just in this past year, we became so close that I feel like I can talk to him about anything. He can talk to me about anything. We’ve got that brotherhood relationship. I love Josh. It’s going to be a big game for both of us.”
The Pink Out game is one of the reasons Harper picked Creighton over offers from other high major schools last spring when he entered the transfer portal.
“On my visit, I recall going in the locker room at CHI and they played the little hype video for me,” Harper recalled on Friday. “Seeing all the pink, I mean there’s just nothing like it. And I think the pink jersey is the best in the country.”
As for Dix, one of the big reasons the Council Bluffs native transferred to Creighton was to be close to home as him mom goes through treatment.
“Mac’s been great about it. You know, if there’s something going on that I need to go to with my mom, he always lets me,” Dix said on Friday. “They know that that’s bigger and more important than basketball right now. They all help me through it. My teammates are super supportive, always asking like how she’s doing and stuff. So, yeah, it’s awesome.”
Dix said his mom’s battle has changed his perspective on life, and the Pink Out means a lot to him. He said he has a new appreciation for how lucky he is to be on the court playing the game he loves.
“It’s going to be a super fun game to be in. I’ll have a lot of family there,” he said. “But, you know, a lot of people go through the same situation dealing with cancer and stuff like that. It affects a lot of people and I think that this basketball game just brings a lot of people together.”
Harper knows it will be an emotional moment the first time he sees 18,000 fans blanketing the arena in pink. Jays fans — anyone, really — who’s experienced it first hand knows the feeling. The visual pop of the pink is bright enough on its own to change the feel of the arena, and the message behind it makes the scene overpowering.
“For it to be all all around me, it’s definitely going to hit something different in my heart,” Harper said. “And I know I’m not the only one. And that’s kind of the beautiful thing about it. Everybody is going through something, some struggle, and they’re all just kind of coming all together and just supporting each other through basketball.”
Greg McDermott said while the Pink Out is always a special day, the message has really hit home for his players this year.
“I mean obviously that’s tough. You know, Blake was young. He’s an only child,” McDermott said. “We talked about the impacts that cancer can have on families. Our guys are experiencing it, understanding it from knowing Blake’s story and seeing what Josh’s mom is going through right now. I think it hits home a little bit more. I think tomorrow will be a little bit more meaningful in our locker room because of those stories. Because it’s, you know…it’s easy to talk about it when it’s somewhere else. But when it hits home like it has from those two frameworks, obviously it carries a little bit more weight.”
Into that environment steps #2 UConn, winners of 16 straight game all 10 games so far in Big East play. Their only blemish is a four-point loss to Arizona two months ago, a team ranked #2 by KenPom.
Creighton has played some really good defensive teams, and had their share of inconsistencies and struggles against those clubs. UConn presents the biggest challenge yet, with an adjusted defensive efficiency that ranks 5th, nearly 17 points lower per 100 possessions than that D1 average. They turn teams over on 19.1% of possessions and get a steal on 11.2% of possessions. And they block 15.4% of the shots opponents take when they manage to keep the ball. No wonder their opponents have made just 44.6% of their two-pointers (8th best nationally) and 28.5% from three (7th best).
Their offense isn’t quite as good, but it’s plenty good when paired with their elite defense. Their effective field goal percentage is 54.8% (53rd nationally). They grab an offensive rebound on 35.1% of missed shots (61st) and they assist on 64% of made baskets (12th most).
“We’ve got to rebound, that’s where it starts, and then you try to get out in transition and create some opportunities before the defense is set, because once it’s set, it’s really, really good,” McDermott said. “There’s a reason they have the record that they have. They played a gauntlet of a nonconference schedule and played a lot of it with some guys out. The fact that they are where they are — they’ve dealt with some injuries, although it hasn’t been long-term injuries, but guys have missed a game here there, and they found a way to continue to win.”
The big man duo of 6’11 Tarris Reed and 7’1” Eric Riebe is top of the scouting report for the Jays because of their struggles to contain teams with great post play — especially with the 6’8” Jasen Green, playing with an injured shoulder, often guarding the post.
“Obviously they’re a really good combo. Reed’s been there a few years now and and really understands their system, and Riebe was someone we recruited, so we understand his skill set and things that he can do,” McDermott said. “They actually bring different things to the table. But the physicality of Reed offensively, defensively and on the glass obviously has our attention.”
The 6’11”, 265-pound Reed averages 14.5 points on 62.3% shooting to go along with 7.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Reibe adds 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game off the bench as Reed’s backup.
“They’ve got Reed in the post; he’s going to present a lot of challenges for us, but then also him being surrounded by a bunch of shooters, that’ll be tough,” Dix said. “They run a bunch of good actions on offense, coming off pin-downs, staggers, all that, so just staying attached to their shooters and helping in the post is kind of what we need to do.”
Point guard Silas Demary, who transferred from Georgia, has proved to be a great fit for UConn’s system. The engine of the offense, he leads the Big East in assists (6.1) and is the primary point of attack on defense. If he shuts down Creighton’s ball movement, it’s probably going to be a long night for the Jays.
“You go back to Tristan Bloom, I think Silas is doing a lot of similar things the way he impacts the game defensively,” McDermott said. “He distributes, yet he can make enough shots. You certainly have to keep him honest that way. Coach Hurley found the perfect fit for what their team needed from a point guard perspective.”
And they surround Reed and Reibe with great shooters. Solo Ball leads the team with 14.8 points per game, and though he’s made just 28.5% from three, the player who was at 41.4% a year ago is still there — he made five 3’s against Villanova a week ago. Senior forward Alex Karaban averages 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and makes 41.7% from three. And five star freshman Braylon Mullins is shooting 36.7% from three and scoring 11.4 points per game.
“UConn is so tough-minded when the game’s being decided,” McDermott said. “When you think about how much Silas has played college basketball, Solo Ball, Karaban, Reed, these are guys that have played four or five years in college basketball at a high, high level, so they don’t get shook and their execution in late game situations, because of that experience, has been outstanding on both ends. They had no business winning at Providence. They were down 11 with three minutes to go, and they came back and found a way to get it done. I think that experience and understanding of exactly what Danny wants him to do is really, really impressive.”
Tip: 7:00pm
Venue: CHI Health Center Omaha
TV: FOX
Announcers: Tim Brando and Donny Marshall
In Omaha: Cox channel 10 (SD), 1010 (HD); CenturyLink Prism channel 42 (SD), 1042 (HD); DirecTV 42; Dish Network 42 or 5203
Outside Omaha: Your local FOX affiliate
Streaming Fox Sports app and website
Radio: 1620AM, 101.9FM
Announcers: John Bishop and Tyler Clement
Streaming on 1620TheZone.com and the 1620 The Zone mobile app
Simulcast on SiriusXM channel 389 as well as on the SiriusXM App
Live Stats:
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UConn stormed through one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the nation this season and has wins against foes currently ranked 5, 12, 14 and 15 in the NCAA NET. The lone setback was to #1 Arizona. UConn is second in the country with 12 Q1+Q2 wins.
Alex Karaban is one of three active players in D1 (Robbie Avila and Tucker DeVries) with 1,600 points, 650 rebounds and 250 assists. That line has been hit only two other times in UConn history, with Karaban joining Tony Hanson and Christian Vital.
Silas Demary Jr. and Tarris Reed Jr. were both named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. The duo make UConn one of six programs with multiple representatives on the 25-man list. Demary Jr. is the ‘head of the snake’ of UConn’s defense and leads the Huskies with 1.9 steals per game, while Reed Jr. is the anchor and is among the national leaders wth 2.1 blocks per game. UConn has had a National DPOY recipient four times in program history, with Emeka Okafor and Hasheem Thabeet each winning it twice.
This year will mark Creighton’s 16th Pink Out, which coincides with the arrival of head coach Greg McDermott. The Bluejays are 11-4 in the first 15 Pink Out games. This year’s jersey auction raised $43,535.28, the third-highest total ever behind last year ($43,995.92) and 2013-14 ($48,247.11).
Last year, the Washington Post published a fantastic piece on Harper’s family. One part that has stuck out since reading it is this quote:
“I just feel like my mom’s on vacation. I just feel like she’s out by the beach. She used to love the water, going to Delaware,” said Harper, comforting himself with this thought. “I cry, but I never really feel like she’s not here anymore. I just feel like she’s doing something that she loves.” His mother served as the District’s first gun violence prevention director, which inspired Harper to study criminology in college.
Creighton is 9-3 all-time against UConn, with the 12 meetings taking place in four different cities since 2020. The 12 games have been decided by a total of 82 points, with 10 of those decided by single-digits.
On January 31, 1998, Creighton defeated SIU 63-61 in a game they nearly lost after blowing a 22-point first half lead. The Salukis made five straight 3-pointers midway through the second half to cut that 22-point lead to a single point, then got a bucket from Monte Jenkins to take the lead.
Freshman Ryan Sears countered with three pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Jays back the lead, 59-54, with five minutes left. SIU fought back again, and tied the game at 61 with under a minute to go. Following a timeout, Rodney Buford took the inbounds pass, used a screen to roll to the basket, and drove to the rim for a layup to win the game. Sears finished with 18 points, all on three pointers, three assists and four steals — not bad for a freshman playing on the road in the not-so-friendly confines of SIU Arena.
UConn is favored by 7.5 in Vegas, and ESPN’s BPI gives them 72.1% odds of victory. KenPom concurs, favoring them by seven with 72% odds. As much as you’d like to think the Jays can pull the upset, with Harper and Dix playing the games of their lives, the combination of Creighton’s weaknesses and this specific UConn team’s strengths is probably too much to overcome.
UConn 77, Creighton 71