How to Watch, Stream, Listen, Follow

Game Time: 7:30pm CT

Location: U.S Virgin Islands - St. Thomas

TV: CBS Sports Network

Radio: 1620AM the Zone / 93.7FM in Oxford

Other Blogs: Red Cup Rebellion - Ole Miss / White & Blue Review - Creighton

Tweeters: Rob Anderson / Creighton MBB / Tom Nemitz / “Patrick Marshall” / Matt DeMarinis / Jon Nyatawa

Odds & Ends

Creighton is favored by 9 points according to Oddshark.

Over/Under: 167

KenPom predicts a score of 88-79 in favor of the Bluejays.

If you want to save money but you have a tendency to throw your money away by betting on games played by young human beings, please don’t hesitate to call the Gambler’s Anonymous hotline at 402-978-7557 or visit their website.

Verba de Ludis

For the second time since this tournament started, the Bluejays are seeking

REEEEEEEEVVEEEEEEEEENNNNNNGGGGGGGEEEEEEEE

as the Ole Miss Old White Guys beat Creighton 75-68 in the Emerald Coast Classic in November of 2014 in the first round of a non-conference tournament just like this one!

The Old White Guys are 4-0 on the season so far, with wins over Tennessee-Martin (86-83), UMass (90-88), Oral Roberts (Paradise Jam 1st round, in OT - 95-88), and St. Joe’s (Paradise Jam 2nd round, 81-68).

Those are a lot of close wins with a lot of points scored. KenPom has Ole Miss ranked 101st in adjusted defense, so perhaps defending the ball isn’t their strongest suit. A majority of their offense is run through Deandre Burnett, who is a prolific shooter.

Impact Players:

Deandre Burnett - 6’2, 192lbs - 24.0PPG, 55% 3FG, 10AST (40pts v ORU - 20pts v St. Joe’s)

Sebastian Saiz - 6’9, 240lbs - 16PPG, 10RPG, 58% FG (11pts, 5 REB v ORU, 26pts, 12 REB v St. Joe’s)

Cullen Neal - 6’4 191lbs - 12.5PPG, 45% 3FG, 11AST (14pts, 4AST v ORU, 11pts, 4 AST v St. Joe’s)

Deandre Burnett buried 9 three pointers against Oral Roberts. He’s clearly the sparkplug the Old White Guys will go to on the offensive end. With his size and speed it’s probably a safe bet that Khyri Thomas will likely go toe to toe with the electric guard.

Sebastian Saiz is a very talented big man that scores at a high clip. He always happens to be in the right place at the right time for rebounds and has nabbed 14 offensive boards on the year. He’s extremely versatile, with phenomenal footwork, so expect Cole Huff to take on the challenge.

Cullen Neal’s first name is Cullen, which is a strange name, but he’s a decent wing player for the Old White Guys. He’s 10-22 on the year from beyond the arc, and will be waiting on the perimeter to receive a pass, as he’s only made 4 2pt field goals so far this year. Expect Marcus Foster to take on Neal.

The Ole Miss Old White Guys turn the ball over quite often. So far through the season they’re averaging 17 turnovers per game - a statistic that the Bluejays should be salivating over.

They’re also prone to keeping games close, playing down to the team that they’re facing. This lead to close wins over UT-Martin and the OT game against ORU. They were able to break this spell against St. Joe’s, but if their recent performances are any indication, they may not be able to mount comebacks if the deficit continues to grow.

Ole Miss has a very guard and forward heavy lineup, without any authentic big men that will log a breadth of the minutes. They tend to play with a good pace, shoot well from beyond the arc, but besides the three aforementioned players it’s a bit of a melting pot of who they’ll throw out there. From a scouting standpoint, that’s difficult to properly gauge game to game, but that also means that the Old White Guys are still experimenting with their roster and trying to see who fits where. That sort of uncertainty can be a huge set back against a highly experienced team.

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A bad Poem About Trophies

O Trophy, so glowing, so shiny and warm

Immortal from the time you’re embraced in these hands

It shows the grind from when you weathered the storm

The fans will swoon as will the kids in the band

Tired are the legs that achieved this great task

A tournament won, foes laying lifeless in your wake

An unforgettable moment, celebrate with beer from a cask

Maybe pair it with potatoes, green beans, and steak

It will look good in that case for the students to see

Maybe win a recruit much to a fan’s pleasure

But the best thing about that trophy to be

Is you can sell it on eBay to be some weirdo’s treasure

O Trophy, so glowing, so shiny and warm

Raise it up high for the world to peer upon

Maybe 9 months from now a baby will be born

All because of that trophy you won

Song of the Day - ‘What’s Golden’ - Jurassic 5