The Bluejays will get a chance to turn an even split into a best two-out-of-three competition this weekend. They play Missouri State at the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Friday, just one week after losing to the Bears in the last game of the regular season.

“I think it’s a good thing,” head coach Jim Flanery said. “Our players ought to be confident and highly motivated. I don’t see a negative about it at all.”

The loss may give the Jays more determination coming into the tournament than they would have already had.

“I know that our loss to them only makes us want to play them more,” freshman guard Kelsey Woodard said. “We know it is going to be tough but we are pretty excited and up for the challenge.”

The Jays are going into the tournament hoping to improve on last year’s run, setting their sights on winning the championship.

“We’re going in hoping to win – that’s been our goal all season,” sophomore forward Sam Schuett said.

Creighton takes a No. 4 seed into the tournament in St. Charles, Mo. that could be anybody’s to win. The tournament is at a neutral site for the first time. It was previously played on member campuses.

“The tournament is totally up in the air this year and could go anybody’s way,” Woodard said.

Had things turned out differently, the Bluejays could have had as high as the No. 1 seed at the tournament.

On Feb. 29, they beat league-leading Illinois State 80-77 in overtime for a regular-season sweep. Senior forward Sara Cain recorded her first career double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, and senior point guard Ally Thrall put up 26 points to help the Bluejays overcome a 12-point deficit.

Two days later, on Senior Night, Cain scored a career-high 22 points to send the Jays past Indiana State 84-74. The win gave the Jays an 11-1 home record, their best since 2004.

“The energy in the Civic was great,” Flanery said. “It’s not just your seniors who were excited, but the underclassmen wanted to be at the top of their game, too.”

The Jays started their last road trip on March 6 at Wichita State, where they pulled out a tough 56-53 win. Creighton shot just 57.1 percent from the free throw line while being out-rebounded for only the second time in the last 15 games.

Then, on March 8 came the 79-73 loss to Missouri State. Despite Thrall’s 22 points, the Jays shot only 32.9 percent from the field and a season-low 55 percent of their free throws.

“I just think maybe we were too caught up in what was at stake,” Flanery said. “It was understandable, but maybe we were just a little too nervous and tight.”

The Jays will go back to work on the things they struggled with against Missouri State as they prepare to play a maximum of three games in three days.

“We need to pay attention to scout, rebound and defend in the half and full court,” Woodard said. “If we can do all those things, I think we can make a title run.”

If the Jays win, they will play in the semifinals at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday and in the championship on Sunday at 2:05. Both games will be televised on Fox Sports Net.

Flanery has high expectations for his team this weekend.

“We are one of the more balanced teams in the league,” he said. “We’re also fairly deep, which is important. We have experience and leadership, but we have youth, which is good too, because they get excited to play.”