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How to Watch, Stream, Listen, Follow
Game Time: 3:30pm CT
Location: CenturyLink Center, Omaha, NE
TV: FS2 / FoxSportsGo
Radio: 1620AM the Zone & 101.9FM the KEG in Omaha / 1620AM WLOY in Baltimore
Other Blogs: White & Blue Review - Creighton / Omaha World-Herald - Creighton
Tweeters: Rob Anderson / Creighton MBB / Tom Nemitz / “Patrick Marshall” / Matt DeMarinis / Jon Nyatawa
Odds & Ends
Creighton comes into the game as a 25 point favorite according to OddShark.
Over/Under set at 151.5
If you love to gamble but you also love your family, maybe it’s time to watch this episode of The Simpsons.
Verba de Ludis
Loyola Maryland and Creighton have only met once in their entire history, in January of 1959, with the Greyhounds winning 69-65 which means this game will be a tale of
REEEEEEVVVVEEEEENNNNNGGGGEEEE
for the Bluejays.
Loyola Maryland comes into the game with a 2-3 record, with wins over Millersville (79-66) and Fairfield (81-66) as well as losses to Duquesne (65-60), LIU Brooklyn (65-61), and Notre Dame (83-48). The Greyhounds check in at #280 in Kenpom rankings, which is a full 256 spots lower than Creighton
Impact Players:
Jarred Jones - 6’6, 205lbs - 15PPG, 42%FG, 6.6RPG
Andre Walker - 6’, 170lbs - 12.6PPG, +2 AST/TO, 35.6%FG
Chancellor Barnard - 6’4, 187lbs - 4.2PPG, 3.8 RBP, 40%FG
Loyola Maryland’s head coach is G.G Smith, who happens to be Tubby Smith’s son.
Jarred Jones will the the Greyhound’s impact player, as he can mix it up from mid range and beneath the basket, though he is not a prolific three point shooter. The lion’s share of the offense will run through him, with Andre Walker feeding him in the paint.
Andre Walker is a small, fast, but doesn’t carry a deft touch when it comes to feeding his teammates. He’s prone to turning the ball over carelessly, and takes a pretty generous amount of three pointers, as he leads his team in that category (shooting a pretty dismal 31% from beyond the arc.)
Chancellor Barnard is third on the team in minutes played but doesn’t lead in any statistical category, but does have a bit of size. He’s 9-22 on the year from inside the three point line, and 0-fer from beyond it.
The Greyhounds tend to play a slower pace, holding the ball for roughly 19 seconds per possession on offense. They also allow their opponents to shoot at roughly 50% from inside the three point line, primarily because they don’t have a true center (they do have a freshman center who stands at 7’ but he has yet to play) and instead employ either 6’8 214lb Cam Gregory (18.6MPG / 3PPG) or 6’9 245lb Nick Gorski (averages 6.3MPG / 3.3PPG).
It’s a very guard-heavy lineup, so they’ll be sure to get quite the workout tonight.
What a great year to be a Bluejay.
Creighton will take on Xavier today at 1:30pm(CT) for the BIG EAST volleyball championship, a game you can see live on FS2 right before the Jays hoop squad takes on Loyola-MD. This would be three consecutive conference championships for Creighton, a team who visited the Sweet-16 last year, a team laden with unforgiving Midwestern talent that can destroy their opponent both mentally and physically.
REPLAY | Jess Bird with another huge swing. Creighton moves ahead, 12-11. Jays lead match, 2-0. https://t.co/Z3jnMTwObs
— Creighton Volleyball (@CreightonVB) November 25, 2016
They’ve got this swagger, this unyielding confidence, that strikes a great bit of fear in all who dare peer upon their athletic feats.
After the Bluejays take on the Greyhounds, the bright lights at Morrison Stadium will shine down upon two BIG EAST foes in the NCAA Tournament - with the Providence Friars visiting Omaha for a one game, no bullshit, kill or be killed match. This is quite literally for all the marbles and though I have never been much a fan of futbol, the fact that the namesake of this site has two clubs going at it in the tourney is something amazing. The game can be seen in its entirety at 6pm(CT) on FSGO.
Speaking of such amazing feats with the Jays on the Hilltop, there’s an exceedingly great chance that Creighton can crack the top 10 in college hoops - as long as they beat the Greyhounds tonight. I don’t put a lot of stock into basketball rankings this early in the year, as they can be increasingly volatile as time churns on, but that’s a pretty neat thing to happen to our Bluejay hoopsquad.
Have fun, eat leftovers, and be wary that winter is coming.