Creighton Bluejays
Missouri Valley (27-7, 13-5)
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A year ago Creighton reached the Round of 32, where they lost to North Carolina. The expectations this year are higher and it is all because of junior forward Doug McDermott. At 6-7, McDermott is a matchup nightmare for any defender. He can use that size to get to the basket or shoot over his defender. And he shoots amazingly well. McDermott, who averaged 23.1 points per game during the regular season, connected on 49.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and 56.1 percent of his total attempts from the floor.
Big Wins: 11/23 vs Wisconsin (84-74), 12/15 at California (74-64), 3/10 vs Wichita State (68-65)
Bad Losses: 1/23 at Drake (69-74), 2/9 Illinois State (72-75), 2/13 at Northern Iowa (54-61)
Coach: Greg McDermott (3 seasons at Creighton)
Why They Can Surprise:
McDermott is a huge reason why the Bluejays rank second in the nation in field-goal percentage. But this is a team that also makes more three-point shots than all but five other teams in the nation. It is extremely rare for a team that takes so many long balls to shoot so efficiently from the floor. It has to be a team effort to put up numbers like that. Ethan Wragge, a 6-7 forward and one of the best sixth-men in the nation, knocks down 43.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Austin Chatman, Jahenns Manigat and Avery Dingman are all dangerous shooting threats as well. With so many shooters on the floor, Creighton can work their offense and get a very good look most trips down the floor.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Gregory Echenique is the big body in the paint. While the rest of the traditional interior players are stepping out on the perimeter, it is Echenique who is banging around inside. With help from McDermott, Creighton will hold their own on the glass and Echenique is a good scorer and most efficient shooter on the team. However, there is not much depth in the frontcourt. Sophomore Will Artino is having a bit of a sophomore slump and if Echenique gets into foul trouble, the Bluejays do not have a traditional interior scorer. More importantly, they do not have a shot blocker either. Creighton can allow quite a few points and the opposition has a much easier time scoring inside when Echenique is sitting on the bench.
Probable Starters:
Jahenns Manigat, Junior, Guard, 6.1 ppg, 2.1 apg
Austin Chatman, Sophomore, Guard, 7.4 ppg, 4.3 apg
Grant Gibbs, Senior, Guard, 8.6 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4.1 rpg
Doug McDermott, Junior, Forward, 23.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Gregory Echenique, Senior, Center, 9.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.7 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Avery Dingman, Sophomore, Guard, 3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Ethan Wragge, Junior, Forward, 7.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.4 (24th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.1 (85, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 50.8 (2, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.7 (82, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.8 (6, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 42.1 (2, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.0 (21, 2)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (41, 2)
Assists Per Game: 17.2 (5, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (90, 5)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Alabama
2012 NCAA Round of 32 loss to North Carolina
2011 CBI First Round win over San Jose State
2011 CBI Second Round win over Davidson
2011 CBI Semifinal win over UCF
2011 CBI Final win over Oregon
2010 CIT First Round win over South Dakota
2010 CIT Second Round win over Fairfield
2010 CIT Semifinal loss to Missouri State
2009 NIT First Round win over Bowling Green
2009 NIT Second Round loss to Kentucky
2008 NIT First Round win over Rhode Island
2008 NIT Second Round loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
