Creighton takes down Villanova in Omaha

The #19 Creighton Bluejays pulled off a huge victory Saturday in Omaha, with an 86-70 victory over the #5 Villanova Wildcats.

The win, Creighton’s second-largest ever over a top 5 team, with the 2014 Martin Luther King 26-point barrage against Villanova still topping the list, propels the Bluejays right back into the Big East regular season title race. Their 12-4 conference record gives them a .750 winning percentage, right behind Villanova’s 8-2 record making an .800 winning percentage.

In typical Creighton fashion, the Bluejays were propelled by a cohesive scoring effort from a group of players, with two Bluejays, Marcus Zegarowski and Mitch Ballock recording 20+ points and Christian Bishop adding 16 of his own.

It’s not often you see a team shoot almost 60% against Villanova, but that’s exactly what Creighton did Saturday. The Bluejays also did a great job keeping Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in check, holding the sophomore center to just eight points (3-13 FG) and seven rebounds, following a game where Robinson-Earl had 27 points on 11-12 shooting.

It feels like this is the sort of game we’ve seen so often from Creighton over the years. Villanova stuck with them a bit early on, but once the ‘Jays got rolling there was no turning back. It’s rare that they do it to a top 5 team, but it’s the blueprint they’ve continually followed since joining the Big East.

Justin Moore led Villanova with 21 points.

Creighton improves to 16-5 on the season and 12-4 in Big East play. They’ll host DePaul Wednesday evening. Villanova falls to 13-3 on the year, and 8-2 in Big East play. They’ll host UConn on Saturday.