Creighton vs. (#4) Villanova: 3-Point Preview

How do the 'Cats bounce back?

Over the past season-and-a-half, the Villanova Wildcats have not experienced the feelings associated with losing very many times. On one obvious note, it's a positive because its directly linked to a positive record and almost a blemish free mark (only six losses the past two seasons) which has allowed this team to become a dominant force to be reckoned with both on a conference and national level. From a more pessimistic, a result of these winning ways is the fact that the 'Cats have not had to recover and overcome losses very much. Therefore, it'll be interesting to see how they respond after a loss, especially with how big of a blowout it was. They return home which should be a major advantage, which will help them move closer to mastering a key skill in responding after a loss.

Can Nova take advantage of upper hand inside?

After losing two good big men in Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge, it was a given that this Creighton team would struggle inside and the Bluejays have yet to disappoint. Will Artino has had no real effect inside for most of the season, and it's an area in which other teams can easily take advantage of it. Therefore this should fit right into the game-plan for the Wildcats of getting Daniel Ochefu and JayVaughn Pinkston the ball as often as possible. Last game both players were held pretty quiet, and as a result the offense struggled as a whole. In this one, the two behemoths inside must once again establish their dominance to help make this offense click.

Can Creighton pick up its first conference win?

Many saw a rough year coming for this Creighton Bluejays team, but, I don't think anyone actually imagined it would get this bad There was a ton of hope for this team after the win over Oklahoma which boosted the Bluejays into the top-25, but ever since then it's been all downhill, especially in Big East play. So far, the Jays are still seeking their first Big East win of the season after starting 0-7 in the conference.They've also struggled on the road, in conference play as well, so this will not, in any way, be the ideal situation or scenario in which to go for your first conference victory, but Creighton needs some type of momentum switching win to propel the team up from its current low-level location, but if there's any best team to win against for your first of a season, Jay Wright and the 'Cats would surely be a near perfect way to do it.