Creighton Bluejays
Missouri Valley (28-5, 14-4)
What happens when you add a flashy passer to a lineup that already has the Missouri Valley’s most consistent ball handler? For Creighton it has resulted in one of the best assist-to-turnover ratios in the nation. Antoine Young has been asked to do a lot of scoring during his time with the Bluejays and he has done just that. But he also has been a great ball handler who can find his teammates and not turn the ball over. He has done that again this season, but now he has Gonzaga transfer Grant Gibbs to help him out.
Big Wins: 11/30 at San Diego State (85-85), 12/22 Northwestern (87-79), 12/31 at Wichita State (68-61)
Bad Losses: 12/28 Missouri State (65-77), 2/4 at Northern Iowa (62-65), 2/7 at Evansville (57-65)
Coach: Greg McDermott (2 seasons at Creighton)
Why They Can Surprise:
The backcourt may be dangerous, but the frontcourt duo of Doug McDermott and Gregory Echenique wins games. McDermott, a 6-7 sophomore and son of the head coach, is an amazing scorer from everywhere on the floor. On the year he averaged 23.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and shot 49.5 percent from beyond the arc. And it is not like he only took a few shots from long range; McDermott will shoot from anywhere if he is open. McDermott’s amazing consistency is one reason why this team ranks among the best shooting teams in the country. Echenique shoots around 60 percent from the floor, but that is because he rarely leaves the paint. Echenique is the big 6-9, 270 pound bruiser under the basket. He can score, he can rebound and he can block shots.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The concern in the frontcourt is the total lack of depth. McDermott can play 35 minutes a game, but that will not cut it for Echenique. The only other forward who sees significant playing time is Ethan Wragge. He is not your typical forward. Wragge is a shooter, and a very good one, but he is not going to mix it up in the paint very effectively. Oddly, Creighton’s losses have come when they have had some major scoring droughts. This is a team that rarely turns the ball over, but they also rarely create turnovers, and shoots extremely well, so those droughts are few and far between. Yet, when they happen, the Bluejays tend to struggle to overcome them. The lack of scoring prowess on the bench is one reason they have trouble getting out of their funk. If McDermott and Jahenns Manigat are failing to hit from long range, Wragge is the only option available to come in and provide a spark off of the bench. And if they need somebody to come in and create their own shot, it probably is not going to happen.
Probable Starters:
Grant Gibbs, Junior, Guard, 7.1 ppg, 5.1 apg, 4.3 rpg
Antoine Young, Senior, Guard, 12.5 ppg, 4.5 apg
Jahenns Manigat, Sophomore, Guard, 6.6 ppg, 1.5 apg
Doug McDermott, Sophomore, Forward, 23.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg
Gregory Echenique, Junior, Center, 9.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Austin Chatman, Freshman, Guard, 2.5 ppg, 1.9 apg
Josh Jones, Junior, Guard, 5.0 ppg, 1.8 apg
Ethan Wragge, Sophomore, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 80.0 (6th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.5 (238, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 50.9 (1, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.8 (215, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.2 (27, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 42.5 (3, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.2 (50, 4)
Rebound Margin: 6.1 (22, 2)
Assists Per Game: 17.9 (3, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (66, 6)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
Creighton 2011 CBI First Round win over San Jose State
Creighton 2011 CBI Second Round win over Davidson
Creighton 2011 CBI Semifinal win over UCF
Creighton 2011 CBI Final win over Oregon
Creighton 2010 CIT First Round win over South Dakota
Creighton 2010 CIT Second Round win over Fairfield
Creighton 2010 CIT Semifinal loss to Missouri State
Creighton 2009 NIT First Round win over Bowling Green
Creighton 2009 NIT Second Round loss to Kentucky
Creighton 2008 NIT First Round win over Rhode Island
Creighton 2008 NIT Second Round loss to Florida
Creighton 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Nevada
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
