Tidbits on Creighton.......

[BigEastPhil]

- To date, Creighton is 2-1. The defeated Texas Southern and UTSA by 23 and 25 points respectively and scored in the 90's in both games.

- They lost to Indiana in Bloomington by 21.

- No more Doug McDermott however his father is still the HC.

- In preseason predictions, Creighton was predicted 7th in the Big East behind Seton Hall; DePaul and St Johns.

- I looked over roster and did not recognize anyone as I casually saw a few Creighton games last year.

My thought: Game should be competitive and though not seeing the line - I would think Creighton would be slightly favored.

 

[bac2therac]

this is a tough test for a young team like RU on the road. RU did not look sharp at all against a terrible Central Arkansas where our bad defense made them look good. This is the best team that RU has played this year. Its going to take a better and more focused defensive effort. I would assume Creighton likes to shoot the 3. I expect a loss here but will be satisified with a solid defensive effort and a game that is at least within reach in the later parts of the 2nd half. Its all about getting better and working towards eliminating the mistakes from the first 4 games

 

[OntheBanks]

- To date, Creighton is 2-1. The defeated Texas Southern and UTSA by 23 and 25 points respectively and scored in the 90's in both games.

- They lost to Indiana in Bloomington by 21.

- No more Doug McDermott however his father is still the HC.

- In preseason predictions, Creighton was predicted 7th in the Big East behind Seton Hall; DePaul and St Johns.

- I looked over roster and did not recognize anyone as I casually saw a few Creighton games last year.

My thought: Game should be competitive and though not seeing the line - I would think Creighton would be slightly favored.

Creighton was tied for 9th the Big East last year with a 4-14 league record.
They have 1 returning starter from that team.
http://www.gocreighton.com/news/2015/11/22/MBB_1122154535.aspx

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Bad news...

Opponents have shot 56.8% FT against them. They are good at that.

 

[RU MAN]

This will be a tough test for RU, but we are playing them in Vegas right? So it's on a neutral floor. If so, then this game should be close enough that it could go either way.

 

[OntheBanks]

This will be a tough test for RU, but we are playing them in Vegas right? So it's on a neutral floor. If so, then this game should be close enough that it could go either way.

Did you read the part in the link I provided about the Creighton Alum that owns a Vegas hotel is allowing
Creighton fans to stay there for free. And they have a lot of fans and avg. over 17,000 for home games.
I'm not so sure you would call this a neutral floor.
Here's the info.
"What's With The Fans?
Don't be surprised at the contingent that heads westward to support Creighton this week in Las Vegas.
Last season, Creighton ranked sixth nationally by averaging 17,048 fans per home game.
In addition, Michael Gaughan's South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa offered complimentary three-night stays between to Creighton alums, fans and friends at his property during this tournament.
Gaughan is a 1965 Creighton graduate and a 2004 recipient of Creighton's College of Business Administration Alumni Merit Award. In 2009 he entered The Gaming Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Vegas legends Don King, Frank Sinatra, Steve Wynn, Don Rickles and Wayne Newton.
Creighton's 289,808 home fans last season (an average of 17,048 fans per home game) is especially magnified when you consider that its three possible opponents in Las Vegas combined for 290,406 home fans last year."

 

[RutgersJoe]

Creighton is favored by 11.5. Seems kind of high on a neutral court.

 

[bac2therac]

maybe a little high but based on our body of work...we beat Central Arky by 3 in a life death struggle...a team who lost by 27 and 21 and was 2-27 last year, plus we struggled against Rutgers Newark and blew a game against a pretty poor SJU. Objectively Creighton should be a solid fave because in their two creampuff games they won easily

 

[RU MAN]

Did you read the part in the link I provided about the Creighton Alum that owns a Vegas hotel is allowing
Creighton fans to stay there for free. And they have a lot of fans and avg. over 17,000 for home games.
I'm not so sure you would call this a neutral floor.

Onthebanks, no, I didn't read it. Thanks for filling me in. You're right. This will not be a neutral floor game. This will be even more of a challenge than I first thought. In the past, with McDermott's son Creighton was a power house. I was basing my thoughts on what the prognosticators thought their team would rank in the BE.

 

[RocktheRac]

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

 

[BigEastPhil]

Yes, Creighton fans travel well and to have a few days in Vegas - I'm sure they'll have a nice contingent.....

 

[toby83]

near VERY bottom of NCAA rankings for % pts from the line (12.6% compared to RU 26.8%) so they must be living outside.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

S.I. declared us the worst D1 program in the country. 11.5 is just about right . Does it really matter? Creighton may be inexperienced but they are a historically strong program going back to Bob Gibson in the 50's with a damned good coach and their fans are rabid. Not about talent at this point . Its about structure and discipline and a proven system. .R.U . by 5 :sunglasses:

 

[Scarlet Knut]

I would have been going to Vegas for the games, but can't get away. You can get rooms there for $30 to $59 at just about any of the hotels on the strip.

 

[goru7]

this is a tough test for a young team like RU on the road. RU did not look sharp at all against a terrible Central Arkansas where our bad defense made them look good. This is the best team that RU has played this year. Its going to take a better and more focused defensive effort. I would assume Creighton likes to shoot the 3. I expect a loss here but will be satisified with a solid defensive effort and a game that is at least within reach in the later parts of the 2nd half. Its all about getting better and working towards eliminating the mistakes from the first 4 games

You must be blind if you thought Central Arkansas was a terrible team. What a team did last year means nothing if there is turnover of the roster. If you watched the game, you would have noticed that they ran great offensive sets with good picks and sharp cuts and they shot well. Don't make a general stupid statement. We gutted out the win in a game we would have easily lost last year.

 

[Rutgers25]

You must be blind if you thought Central Arkansas was a terrible team. What a team did last year means nothing if there is turnover of the roster. If you watched the game, you would have noticed that they ran great offensive sets with good picks and sharp cuts and they shot well. Don't make a general stupid statement. We gutted out the win in a game we would have easily lost last year.

Ha...the "we easily would have lost last year has been used for every year of RU basketball's existence..lol. At this point, you'd think we were #1 in the country.

 

[willisneverrana43]

You must be blind if you thought Central Arkansas was a terrible team. . . .

Central Arkansas has lost 30 of its last 32 games and all its games this year. Let that sink in for a moment.

 

[bac2therac]

Willis is right. The reason their sets were successful is our defense was terrible. Look we won but we nearly lost and it would have been one of the worst losses in program history. I know its about getting better and the team is young but lets at least set the bar higher without going gaga over wins over Newark and C Arky. Last years teams would have beat them too

A truer test of progress is the Vegas tourney

 

[Trekology]

Bad news...

Opponents have shot 56.8% FT against them. They are good at that.

Why can't we defend the free throw line like that?

 

[RutgersJoe]

MGM Grand billing this tourney as "8 of the nation's top college basketball programs." I like the sound of that :sunglasses:

https://www.mgmgrand.com/en/entertainment/mens-college-basketball.html

 

[knights1212]

I didn't realize that all 8 teams are playing in Las Vegas. I think that is great. I hope we can pull out a win tonight and play very well.

 

[higgins3]

Creighton will test how our three point defense is doing. Also, they make their foul shots. They don't seem to play a ton of defense and let a 0-2 team score 78 on them. They pass well.

Should be a good game. Would be big if RU could get a win.

 

[higgins3]

Creighton will test how our three point defense is doing. Also, they make their foul shots. They don't seem to play a ton of defense and let a 0-2 team score 78 on them. They pass well.

Should be a good game. Would be big if RU could get a win.

To add one more thing, they utilize their roster very well. No one seems to play over 25 minutes a game.

 

[RutgHoops]

To add one more thing, they utilize their roster very well. No one seems to play over 25 minutes a game.

Saw that also, but wonder if that is because they have played in three blowouts thus far. Easier to limit/divide minutes when you are up/down 20.

 

[Seton75]

They have not really been good since Jr graduated.

 

[higgins3]

Saw that also, but wonder if that is because they have played in three blowouts thus far. Easier to limit/divide minutes when you are up/down 20.

Great point. They do pass the ball well though. Seem to struggle on defense. I thought Sanders and Williams played decent defense last game. I hesitate to call Freeman or Foreman out because they had decent games. They just need to shuffle a little more. In general, I am surprised to see our players feet not forcing baseline/sideline.

Just an easy move to make your defense better.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Central Arkansas has lost 30 of its last 32 games and all its games this year. Let that sink in for a moment.

Willis...you still miss that PF that went to the NBA ? How do you like his replacement ? Offense, defense, hustle and hard work.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Creighton will test how our three point defense is doing. Also, they make their foul shots. They don't seem to play a ton of defense and let a 0-2 team score 78 on them. They pass well.

Should be a good game. Would be big if RU could get a win.

Higgins, I like how Jordan mixes up his defenses. I think we may see some pressure and then fall back into man or the 2-3 zone with Sanders and Williams extended out. We may see more Laurent as opposed to Lewis if they are jump shooters. Just need to protect the wing and corner and Laurent's athleticism would be better suited for that task. .

I have not checked, but, do you know anything about their inside presence?

 

[higgins3]

Higgins, I like how Jordan mixes up his defenses. I think we may see some pressure and then fall back into man or the 2-3 zone with Sanders and Williams extended out. We may see more Laurent as opposed to Lewis if they are jump shooters. Just need to protect the wing and corner and Laurent's athleticism would be better suited for that task. .

I have not checked, but, do you know anything about their inside presence?

Absolutely. I like the changes in defense,too. I just want to see one small thing.

I think the progression of Laurent is very important to how this team does this year. Like you said, if Lewis doesn't find his groove, Foreman and Freeman would likely be seeing time. This team has a bigneed for Lewis.

Laurent though could be the guy to defend when Coach Jordan stops running his three guards.

I like the pressure. You keep mentioning the teams athleticism, and pressure suits them. It's a gamble for sure, but one the team I think has to make given how their transition play shines.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

The pressure is not the high risk , high reward variety. It eats clock and has not resulted in many breakaways by the offense that you see in some other full court pressure defenses.

 

[higgins3]

The pressure is not the high risk , high reward variety. It eats clock and has not resulted in many breakaways by the offense that you see in some other full court pressure defenses.

Can you specify what teams clock it eats, and who breaks out?Just curious us or them.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

if we press we must use 9-10 players....in both halves.

Speeding up play of pace definitely suits Sanders and Freeman.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Can you specify what teams clock it eats, and who breaks out?Just curious us or them.

I think the Rutgers pressure is designed to force the offense to use 8 seconds of the time clock, which leaves them with less time for their half court sets. It is not all out pressure that can sometimes result in easy shots by the offense if they break it.

the high risk, high reward variety is like Louisville and now Minnesota with little Pitino. Pitino at Minnesota talks about getting 35 deflections per game. They are looking for steals and easy baskets. BUT, when you miss...the offense can get easy breakaway baskets on the other end. It is designed for steals and wearing down your opponents.

 

[RutgHoops]

It is not only "the 8 seconds" it eats up that is the benefit of the press. Most teams who bring the ball up against no pressure take 6 or more seconds. The advantage to the press (beyond the ability to turn your opponent over) is the fact that after you cross half court having used 6 or 7 or 8 seconds you are not in your offense once the ball crosses half court.

Ideally with the press you get the offense expending time and energy getting across the mid court stripe and once they cross mid court the ball is in the hands of a non-guard not used to initiating the offense. If the opponent then uses another 4/5/6 seconds to get it back to a guard to "start it up" the opponent then first starts their offense with under 20 seconds left to shoot.

 

[PatrickRU92]

I think the Rutgers pressure is designed to force the offense to use 8 seconds of the time clock, which leaves them with less time for their half court sets. It is not all out pressure that can sometimes result in easy shots by the offense if they break it.

the high risk, high reward variety is like Louisville and now Minnesota with little Pitino. Pitino at Minnesota talks about getting 35 deflections per game. They are looking for steals and easy baskets. BUT, when you miss...the offense can get easy breakaway baskets on the other end. It is designed for steals and wearing down your opponents.

Was just going to post this same point but you did it earlier and better than I would have. We do not play pressure defense (at least so far) but we play more "full court" defense.

Personally I don't see the point in that philosophy. Pressure the ball or just play half court. Is taking a few seconds off the shot clock that much of an advantage?

 

[higgins3]

Was just going to post this same point but you did it earlier and better than I would have. We do not play pressure defense (at least so far) but we play more "full court" defense.

Personally I don't see the point in that philosophy. Pressure the ball or just play half court. Is taking a few seconds off the shot clock that much of an advantage?

Like Rutgerhoops said, it is also so you aren't in your offense when you cross the court. I keep saying this, and darn it, I hope to see more of the team facing the opponent sideline and baseline. It is such a simple change that can result in much better defense.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

A bit off topic....I hate the 30 second shot clock! NCAA hoops is starting to have the NBA feel. At least that's what i feel.

Why should a team only get 22 seconds to attack a zone?

 

[RUforJERSEY]

Central Arkansas has lost 30 of its last 32 games and all its games this year. Let that sink in for a moment.

They must need another Scottie Pippen to come along.

 

[RURM85]

Watched the Indiana - Creighton game last week. Creighton was never in the game. Not for 1 second. Maurice Watson was their best player on that night. Good shooter and can penetrate. Looked tough to guard. Cole Huff also stuck out to me as being a good player although he did not get his first bucket until the second half IIRC.

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

FYI, Vandy just beat the Johnnies by 37