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How to Watch, Stream, Listen, Follow
Game Time: 1:30pm CT
Location: CenturyLink Center, Omaha, NE
TV: FS1
Stream: FSGO
Radio: 1620AM the Zone & 101.9FM the Keg in Omaha / 670AM in Chicago
Other Blogs: White & Blue Review - Creighton / Blue Demons Nation - DePaul
Tweeters:
Creighton - Rob Anderson / Creighton MBB / Tom Nemitz / “Patrick Marshall” / Matt DeMarinis / Corey Lathrop / Jon Nyatawa / Fake Blue Crew
Odds & Ends
Creighton opened as a 18.5 point favorite in this one, yet the line has moved as low as 15.5 according to OddShark.
Over/Under is set at 149.
If you have a problem gambling on college sports may I suggest a purchase of a tin bucket and a tube of super glue, affixing the tin bucket over your head after dispensing of the tube of super glue inside of said tin bucket, then running around a vacant warehouse with lots of exposed steel beams to fully immerse yourself in a fleeting feeling of misappropriated funds.
Series History
DePaul and Creighton have played 30 times in their history, with the Blue Demons leading the series 16-14. Creighton took 9 consecutive losses to DePaul between 1978 and 1984, yet made up some ground in the modern era as they’ve won 9 of the last 10 meetings since 2007.
The two teams met for the first time in Chicago on December 21st, 1937. On that same day Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - the first ever hand-drawn full-length animated film - premiered in theaters. There’s little doubt that the Blue Demons and Bluejays cordially met post-game for an eye-opening experience at a cinema in the Windy City.
Verba de Ludis
I have no idea who is going to start at point guard for Creighton today. It could be Zierden, it could be Mintz, it could be Clement. Coach McDermott spoke about how, after the Georgetown game, there were multiple discussions had on what to do going forward. Clement looked fine against the Hoyas and has put in the work to get a share of playing time. Mintz, though he appears to have the potential to one day be a starting point guard, has made some highly questionable decisions that have led to a complete stagnation on offense. Zierden is a two guard - he certainly isn’t a point guard.
Perhaps in a game against the Blue Demons starting or playing Clement isn’t a bad choice. He makes good decisions and as long as Dave Leitao doesn’t double team him or run a pressure zone then he’ll be fine. It’s only when he starts to get cooked that he turns into a proverbial pumpkin.
Regardless, Creighton basketball is in turmoil. It’s kind of like how your marriage would look after you drove your wife’s car into a lake on her birthday. Nothing will be the same and any ground that’s made up in the relationship will eventually be exploited when she reminds you of your stupidity.
The defense as a whole has been a pretty weighty disappointment, yet that’s always been the case with the Jays. What’s more troubling is the inefficiency on offense. Even in his best moments Justin Patton can’t carry the entire team on his back. When Toby Hegner and Cole Huff can’t produce and are liabilities due to injury it’s hard to rationally think that they can take a lion’s share of the offense. When Marcus Foster forces up contested jumpers he reeks of desperation to get something going.
Getting Zach Hanson back is excellent, but his presence alone won’t fix all that’s wrong with this team. He’s a true-to-form big man and he’ll likely have a break out game against the Blue Demons, but his mobility is missing a gear and his rust will show until the Bondo shows up in the mail.
So how do the Jays do against a cellar dweller in DePaul? I’m afraid to even answer that.
DePaul likes to play close games against the BIG EAST juggernauts and lose by 30 to middle of the pack teams. They took Villanova and Butler down to the wire while getting stomped by Seton Hall and Marquette. The fact that they beat Providence, albeit a banged up Providence, is a testament to their schizophrenic style of play.
Billy Garrett Jr. is one of the top point guards in the league when he plays to his ceiling, but his decision making will remind you that his floor is 100-stories deep. You could survive the impending nuclear winter solely by existing in the worst decisions he’s ever made.
Eli Cain can be really good or just awful. He’s the best player on this DePaul squad and can hurt you from anywhere on the court, except he has a point guard that routinely passes it to players not named Eli Cain. He’s a prolific shooter that can get to the rim, yet his misfortune is that, if the opposing team has a dynamite defender that can match up, he essentially becomes neutralized. With the advent of Khyri Thomas, it’s hard to imagine Cain getting a whole lot of space and run against the Bluejays.
The rest of the roster features Tre’Darius McCallum, Brandon Cyrus, and Joe Hanel. McCallum scores in flashes, Cyrus can bang down low, and Hanel belongs on a Missouri Valley roster. That’s not to say Joe isn’t any good, it’s just that he’d probably be a featured player on Bradley, racking up the occasional weekly award, as opposed to sitting at the ‘5’ for a cellar dwelling BIG EAST team.
Last game I gave you an estimate on how many points Georgetown and Creighton would score, noting that they’d both finish with 50+. I was right by one point thanks to Martin Krampelj, so this time around I’m going to say that both teams score more than 25 points.
Enjoy the rock fight.