| Creighton (10-12) |
Coach:
Greg McDermott
(N. Iowa '88)
5th season, 117-50
Career: 397-245
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| Expected Starters |
| Name |
Ht. |
Pts. |
| Austin Chatman |
6-0 |
10.9 |
| Devin Brooks |
6-2 |
7.0 |
| Avery Dingman |
6-6 |
3.9 |
| Rick Kreklow |
6-7 |
6.5 |
| Will Artino |
6-11 |
6.4 |
| Team Stats: |
| Points/Game: |
67.0 |
| Points Allowed: |
65.7 |
| FG Shooting: |
41.5 |
| FG Defense |
42.8 |
| 3FG Shooting: |
33.0 |
| FT Shooting: |
74.6 |
| Rebounds/Game |
34.6 |
| Assists/Game |
13.6 |
| Turnovers/Game |
12.2 |
| Last 5 Games (1-4) |
01/10: S. Hall 68, CU 67
01/14: Marq. 53, CU 52
01/17: PC 74, CU 65
01/25: V'nova 71, CU 50
01/28: CU 77, St.John's 74
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| Quick Facts |
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Game 21: Creighton University
Jan. 31, 2:00 pm (EDT), CenturyLink Center
Tickets? Limited
TV: CBS Sports Network
GU Radio: WTEM-980
CU Radio: KOZN-1620
About the Bluejays:
Location: Omaha, NE
Enrollment: 4,153
Conference: Big East
Record vs. Georgetown: 2-2
|
| Conference Rankings |
| Out of 10 Teams: |
Creighton |
Georgetown |
| Scoring |
10th |
6th |
| Defense |
7th |
1st |
| FG % |
10th |
3rd |
| 3FG% |
7th |
6th |
| FT% |
1st |
4th |
| Rebounds |
7th |
6th |
| Rebound Margin |
5th |
3rd |
| Assists |
5th |
7th |
| Turnover Margin |
10th |
8th |
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| Preview |
|
Four weeks ago, Georgetown shook off a poor performance versus Xavier with a win over Creighton. Can it happen again?
Times have been tough in Omaha in the year after Doug McDermott and the Bluejays lost nine straight before rallying to defeat St. John's Wednesday night, 77-74. The story to the game was outside shooting, where the Bluejays put up 30 attempts from behind the arc and sank 13 of them. With a depleted lineup, it is a formula that it may want to try again Saturday.
Creighton's losing streak was the cumulative effect of the loss of four starters from Big East play last season and a noticeable lack of shooting consistency in its backcourt. Senior guard Austin Chatman has slumped considerably this season from outside the three point arc at just 26 percent but remains a good shooter waiting for a big game to turn it around. Leading the Jays in assists, he's likely to work across a rotation of upperclassmen who have not given Creighton the right touch at shooting guard to date: senior Avery Dingman (3.0 ppg), senior Devin Brooks (6.5 ppg), and junior James Milliken (7.8 ppg). Milliken was 5-10 against St. Johns, while Chatman, Brooks, and Dingman were a combined 7 for 23. The loss of sophomore Isaiah Zierden to injury has been a tough one but CU still has some talent to build around.
Senior Rick Kreklow has moved into the starting lineup with some recent success, with a 10 point effort against St. John's and a 10.2 ppg average over his last four. Creighton got a big effort off the bench from 6-11 freshmen Toby Hegner (21 points, 27 minutes) with five three pointers. If Georgetown can be more attentive from outside, Hegner's impact may be reduced. Inside, Will Artino figures to challenge Josh Smith early but his rebounding numbers (4.4) are modest).
Last month we noted that "the Hoyas own a height advantage across the point, shooting guard, and small forward positions, and Creighton ranks last in the Big East at defending the three...the Bluejays have given up on average over seven threes a game, and if they played to that form the Hoyas would be a very happy team." Georgetown is past due for some better effort from outside and this matchup may be their best opportunity over the next four games to do just that.
Some other keys to the game:
- A Good Start: Georgetown simply could not answer the bell against Xavier when falling behind. Given Creighton's home court advantage, GU needs an early lead and to keep it there.
- White's Comeback: Paul White's slump does not go unnoticed. The Hoyas need him to be more effective on both sides of the court.
- First Half Turnovers: The worst stat of the Xavier game: 13 turnovers in the first half alone. A major point of emphasis in this one.
- Toby Hegner: Hegner's 27 points was the difference vs. St. John's.
In early January, we also noted that "A successful Big East team will... pick off a few road wins to get to the 11-7 mark that will bode well at tournament time. Creighton is a good opponent to get things realigned following a poor effort versus Xavier." It bears repeating.
|
|
| Georgetown (14-6) |
Coach: John Thompson III
(Princeton '88)
11th season, 241-109
Career: 309-151
|
| Expected Starters |
| Name |
Ht. |
Pts. |
| D. Smith-Rivera |
6-4 |
15.2 |
| L.J. Peak |
6-4 |
9.1 |
| Jabril Trawick |
6-5 |
7.9 |
| Mikael Hopkins |
6-9 |
4.6 |
| Josh Smith |
6-10 |
12.5 |
Team Stats:
|
| Points/Game: |
72.1 |
| Points Allowed |
65.6 |
| FG Shooting: |
46.6 |
| FG Defense: |
40.1 |
| 3FG Shooting: |
34.8 |
| FT Shooting: |
70.5 |
| Rebounds/Game |
35.2 |
| Assists/Game |
13.2 |
| Turnovers/Game |
13.3 |
| Last 5 Games (4-1) |
01/13: GU 78, DePaul 72
01/17: GU 61, Butler 59
01/19: GU 78, V'nova 58
01/24: GU 95, Marq. 85
01/27: Xavier 66, GU 53
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