23-9; 14-6, Second in the Big East Conference
Last season, Creighton spent much of the winter lurching and stumbling towards March under the weight of tremendous expectations. Eventually, though, the Bluejays were able to get themselves on course and make a run to the Elite Eight.
This year, the expectations have remained despite a couple of changing faces. And though head coach Greg McDermott’s team has undoubtedly swayed, they’ve stayed much more upright upon their path to the postseason. Which, given the potential which they have flashed along the way, should be of considerable concern to the Bluejays’ upcoming opponents.
Creighton has boasted tremendous star power for much of McDermott’s tenure, and this team is no exception. Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Trey Alexander have become household names to college hoops fans over the past couple of years, and they form the backbone of the high-scoring Jays. To them, McDermott added Steven Ashworth – a 42-game starter and All-Mountain West star from Utah State – this spring. As a quartet, Creighton’s stars can hang with anyone; and it is upon their efforts that the Jays seem destined to again succeed.
Once the Summit League Player of the Year at South Dakota State, Scheierman offers a truly elite blend of talent and finely-honed skills. He has become a contender for both the Wooden and Naismith Awards, and is counted as one of the nation’s very best players. The fifth-year wing is a terrifyingly accurate, high-volume outside shooter who just a couple of weeks ago became the all-time leading defensive rebounder in NCAA history. There have only been so many players who bring as much versatility to the floor as Scheierman, who is also fast approaching 600 career assists. In fact, Scheierman is the only player in the history of college basketball to rack up more than 2,000 career points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists, and 300 made triples. If the Bluejays are on the verge of heroic things, Scheierman is going to be directly at the heart of it all.
Alexander and Kalkbrenner take care of a good bit of, well, just about everything else. The three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Kalkbrenner is one of the nation’s most feared shot blockers. He may not have the bruising swagger of a young Shaq, but Kalkbrenner makes outstanding use of his size and length at both ends of the floor. Mobile and made plenty savvy by four years of playing big minutes against some of the nation’s best post players, Kalkbrenner works to establish himself in the lane and there, he absolutely feasts. With 75 dunks and a preposterous 71.5% conversion rate on all two-point shots he’s attempted, Kalkbrenner is a go-to option inside. He’s only failed to score in double figures twice all year; and in those games, Kalkbrenner scored nine and eight points, respectively. He also moves the ball effectively away from danger and towards open teammates – witness the seven assists Kalkbrenner handed out at Providence in early February. A dangerous lead guard, Alexander can bury opponents as a scorer or by creatively coordinating buckets for his buddies. Last spring, NBA scouts said that they wanted to see more pure point skills from him this year. Thus, Alexander improved his overall game while also placing fifth in the Big East in helpers and posting a tidy 153:72 assists to turnover ratio. Though his jumper has been streaky at times, Alexander has never been better at using his drive game to attack the rim and open up opportunities for his whole team.
The new guy who took a bit to get completely comfortable, Ashworth had been the subject of some consternation among Creighton fans this year. Again: expectations in Omaha have been high, and they remain high. After the new year, though, Ashworth has started to find greater consistency. Across the first 13 games of the year, Ashworth had averaged 8.2 points and occasionally looked uncertain. An 0/3 FG, two-point, four-turnover performance from Ashworth during what became a 79-64 loss at UNLV did little to inspire the fans in Omaha towards confidence. Over the past two-plus months, though, Ashworth has been putting up 12.3 points and 4.8 assists – along with better than a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio. No surprise, the Bluejays have gone 14-4 over that stretch, locking up 2nd place in their stacked league along the way.
Secondary production of the type Ashworth has kicked in will be a major factor in Creighton reaching their ultimate potential. The Bluejays are a stout defensive team, but they don’t force many turnovers and don’t generally press or discomfort their foes – until someone drives it at Kalkbrenner, of course. The Jays would rather run a smooth offense and out-execute the opposition – and they’re very good at doing so. Between them, Scheierman, Alexander, Kalkbrenner, and Ashworth average nearly 65 points per game. Still, McDermott and Co will need timely contributions from the other guys in the rotation.
Mason Miller has been the team’s fifth starter all year, and he is yet another knockdown shooter. Creighton ranked sixth among all Division I teams during the regular season with 10.7 made triples each game, and with opposing defenses constantly worried about everyone else, Miller has stepped into some nice, clean looks this winter. McDermott needs Miller to continue splashing 45.9% of such opportunities when the lights are brightest. Whether they call him Fran, Bello, or Francisco Farabello, Bluejay fans have come to appreciate their 6th man’s efforts as well. Farabello’s ability to make important plays without needing to dominate the ball makes him a great fit for this crew. Last year, he struggled mightily to shoot the ball. This winter, Farabello has made 71.4% of his two’s and 42.9% of his three’s – remarkable efficiency for a guy who rarely takes more than a couple of shots per game. Creighton also has a couple of big, developing, talents to bring in off the bench up front. Fredrick King is a solid rim protector who fits well behind Kalkbrenner, while Isaac Traudt gives Creighton a different look as a floor-spacing power forward. He hasn’t quite played 10 minutes per game, but Traudt is just another talented scorer who must be guarded all over the halfcourt.
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