The Butler Bulldogs and Creighton Bluejays will square off Monday night in the second game of the Big East Doubleheader on FOX Sports 1. Here are the three biggest storylines heading into the game.
How will Butler respond to the loss of Andrew Chrabascz?
Butler forward Andrew Chrabascz suffered a broken hand in the loss to Villanova, and will miss 2-4 weeks. It's a tough loss for the Bulldogs in multiple ways. First off, Monday will mark the first time this season Butler has changed it's starting lineup, so that sense of familiarity and continuity is gone. Secondly, Chrabascz was developing as the third option for scoring behind Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, a role that will now have to be filled by point guard Alex Barlow. Barlow had 19 in the loss to Villanova, but he's certainly not a volume scorer.
Will Creighton play spoiler?
The Bluejays aren't playing for much this season. An NCAA Tournament berth is almost certainly out the window. One thing they can, however, play for, is the title of "spoiler". They can win a couple games against teams ranked higher than them in the conference and ruin those teams' chances at better seeds in the Big East Tournament. It's obviously not the most ideal situation for Creighton to be in, but they are a young team and have to play the cards they were dealt.
Kellen Dunahm vs. Ricky Kreklow
This game features a battle of two of the best sharpshooters in the entire conference. Dunham and Kreklow are ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage. Dunham is at .416, while Kreklow is at .412. Creighton is one of the worst three point defending teams in the country, so this matchup might favor Dunham. It is, however, worth pointing out that Kreklow has a hot hand right now after hitting 6-7 three's against Marquette on Saturday.