The Creighton women’s basketball team can make one claim that the men’s basketball team cannot—they played a team that played in the NCAA championship game.
On April 3, Notre Dame fell to Baylor in the NCAA women’s basketball championship game. The loss marked the second straight year Notre Dame has lost in the title game.
Almost four months earlier on December 4, Notre Dame came to D.J. Sokol Arena to take on Creighton. The Fighting Irish, who were ranked third in the nation that day, routed the Bluejays 76-48.
“They (Notre Dame) have phenomenal athletes at every spot,” sophomore forward Sarah Nelson said following the loss.
The game against Notre Dame reflects the effort by Bluejays head coach Jim Flanery to schedule tough nonconference opponents to open the regular season.
“You want your players to have to overcome barriers and hit bumps in the road,” Flanery said. “That’s what makes you stronger and what makes you better.”
This past season, Creighton played three teams that appeared in the NCAA tournament. Besides hosting Notre Dame, the Bluejays played at Kansas and at Nebraska. Kansas made it to the Sweet 16 of the women’s tournament, beating Nebraska in the first round and 3-seed Delaware in the second round.
In addition, the Bluejays defeated two strong nonconference opponents in home games against North Carolina State and Bowling Green.
The toughest nonconference schedule in the Missouri Valley Conference helped Creighton to not only win the conference tournament and an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament but also to play well against the Big East opponent they played in the opening round. The Bluejays came up just short of knocking off 3-seed St. John’s (NY) on March 18. Creighton lost on a last-second layup 69-67.
Flanery sees the tough nonconference schedule as a draw for recruits. The Bluejays currently have two recruits signed to play for Creighton next season. Brianna Rollerson is a 6’0” forward from Omaha Central High School and Marissa Janning is a 5’8” guard from Watertown-Mayer High School in Minnesota.
Janning is rated as a four-star recruit and has a rating of 91 out of 100 on ESPN.com. In her senior year, she was selected Minnesota Associated Press Player of the Year. Flanery said in a phone interview that Janning brings a skillset on defense and at the point guard position that the Bluejays will need in the wake of senior DaNae Moore’s departure from the team.
Flanery is very excited about the teams he has scheduled for next season’s nonconference schedule. Creighton will play Oklahoma, who played in the same region as the Bluejays in this year’s NCAA tournament, for its home opener on November 10. Creighton will also host Kansas and in-state rival Nebraska. In addition, the Bluejays will play on the road at South Dakota State, champions of the Summit League and another team that played in the 2012 NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
In all, Creighton will face at least four teams that played in this year’s NCAA tournament. Flanery can still make the nonconference schedule even stronger. When contacted by phone, Flanery said two games have yet to be scheduled for the upcoming season.