Creighton Bluejays
Big East (26-7, 14-4)
Creighton has turned into a good example of what a very, very good so-called Mid-Major can do in a major conference. After losses to San Diego State and George Washington early in the season, it appeared that this Bluejays squad may not live up to expectations. However, it turned out that neither of those were bad losses. And then Coach Greg McDermott pulled his team together for a great finish.
Big Wins: 11/16 at St. Joseph’s (83-79), 1/20 at Villanova (96-68), 2/16 Villanova (101-80)
Bad Losses: 1/18 at Providence (68-81), 2/9 at St. John’s (65-70), 3/4 at Georgetown (63-75)
Coach: Greg McDermott (4 seasons at Creighton)
Why They Can Surprise:
This team is all about Doug McDermott. The 6-8 senior forward averages 26.9 points, hits 45.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and leads the team with 7.0 rebounds. Few teams have had any luck slowing down McDermott. McDermott can only slow down himself with a bad shooting day. In the loss to George Washington, he shot just 2-for-12 and finished with a mere seven points. The odds of something like that happening again are slim. Even if McDermott is struggling from long range, he can still finish around the basket and at least get to the line.
Why They Can Disappoint:
While McDermott can make things happen even without his outside shot falling, that is not the case for the rest of the team. Creighton loves to shoot from long range. Ethan Wragge rarely ventures inside the arc and is the second best scorer on the team. Jahenns Manigat and Austin Chatman both have more versatility to their offensive attack, but the long ball is an important piece to their game. If shots are not falling, which can happen more often in the NCAA Tournament due to the poor shooting backgrounds of larger stadiums, Creighton will be in trouble.
Probable Starters:
Austin Chatman, Junior, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 4.5 apg
Jahenns Manigat, Senior, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 2.9 apg
Grant Gibbs, Senior, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 3.8 apg
Ethan Wragge, Senior, Forward, 10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg
Doug McDermott, Senior, Forward, 26.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Will Artino, Junior, Center, 5.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg
Devin Brooks, Junior, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 2.8 apg
Avery Dingman, Junior, Guard, 3.2 ppg
Isaiah Zierden, Freshman, Guard, 3.2 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 79.9 (19th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.3 (100, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 49.6 (7, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.1 (98, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 10.3 (2, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 42.0 (1, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.8 (19, 2)
Rebound Margin: 2.9 (97, 5)
Assists Per Game: 17.9 (2, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.0 (17, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Cincinnati
2013 NCAA Third Round loss to Duke
2012 NCAA Second Round win over Alabama
2012 NCAA Third Round 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
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Nevada
*all team stats through 3/9
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
