Joe Brown
The men’s basketball team is flying high at just right time. With only five more conference games and the bracketbuster game against George Mason remaining, the Jays are riding a four-game winning streak back to the Quest Center for a matchup against the Bradley Braves (13-11; 7-6 MVC) on Wednesday.
In a 77-71 road win over Northern Iowa on Sunday, the Jays (19-6; 9-4 MVC) displayed what it takes to win: scoring in the paint and teamwork.
The first 10 points scored by the Jays came from inside the paint and ended up outscoring Northern Iowa 30-20 for the game. By keeping everyone involved, Creighton showed good teamwork against Northern Iowa, as they had assists on eight of their first nine field goals and finished the game with 18 assists.
The Jays have been following the gritty play of Justin Carter during their current win streak. He has ignited the team with high-quality defense and energy on the floor. In the last four games, Carter is averaging 13.8 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds.
This team is going to need more of the same output from Carter on Wednesday as well as consistency from the rest of the team.
During the 73-64 win against the Braves in their last meeting on Jan. 10, four Bluejays scored in double figures while shooting 48.9 percent from the field including 8-17 from beyond the arc.
The Braves, who are currently on a three-game losing streak, were in first place before the last meeting and are currently going down a different path.
The main reason they may be losing games is due to poor shooting. The last three games combined, they have shot an abysmal 38 percent from the field and 27 percent from three-point range. They are going to need a veteran to step up and show this young team how to win.
Bradley is led by senior forward Theron Wilson, who is averaging 13.2 points and 7.1 rebounds on the season.
The Jays are now in sole possession of second place in the Missouri Valley Conference due to Indiana State upsetting Illinois State on Sunday. Being only two games behind Northern Iowa, the Jays are soaring and are still in contention to win the regular season title.
The game will tip off at 7:35 p.m., be televised on Fox Sports Net Midwest and be broadcast on KXSP (Big Sports 590 AM).