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The Providence Friars continued Creighton's downward spiral on Saturday night with their 74-65 victory in Omaha.
The Bluejays have now lost seven in a row, and unlike their last two matchups, Creighton wasn't heartbroken at the end by a last second shot. Instead, the Jays never quite got into the game despite narrowing leads at times. Each time CU got close, Providence distanced themselves with a huge run. Kris Dunn engineered the win with a few big buckets down the stretch run, helping to cap off a stupendous performance on the road.
Here are three things we learned from this game.
1. Creighton's lack of offensive firepower is still stymying them
It seemed like each time the Bluejays got close, Providence would surge back ahead to get into a comfort zone. Playing from behind is simply not something this CU team can do with effectiveness, and that proved to be true yet again on Saturday night. Their largest lead of the entire game was just two, coming at the 19:13 mark of the first half. From there, it was an uphill battle. They scratched, they clawed, but they simply could not vault themselves back ahead. This season continues to slip slide away from them, and with their toughest stretch ahead of them, no end appears in sight.
2. Kris Dunn is really, really good
Three Friars were in double figures Saturday night, and Kris Dunn was absolutely terrific down the stretch. The guard scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out seven assists and had a grand total of just two turnovers while playing over 35 minutes. As the leading scorer in the conference, While LaDontae Henton might be the star of this team, if Dunn keeps putting up performances like these, and if the Friars keep winning, you might have to start wondering if Dunn, also, can put his name in the hat.
3. The Friars are going to be a tough out in March
While nothing's really for certain, if Providence continues their winning ways they'll likely find themselves in the NCAA Tournament. And should they get there, with Henton, Tyler Harris, Kris Dunn & Co., they will serve as one of the toughest teams to put away. They've got a big win on a neutral floor this year over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who might find themselves in the Top 10 sooner rather than later, and another win on a neutral floor over the Miami Hurricanes, who of course dismantled Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium recently. At this point, they'll likely have a lower seed. So beware, 2-seeds everywhere. This Friars team is legit.