After the Bluejays knocked off No. 10 Louisville (9-seed) in the Round of 64 of Thursday, they are met with a mountain of a challenge in facing the overall No. 1 seed Auburn Tigers tonight.
Auburn enters with a 29-5 record, but three of those losses came in their final four games against elite teams—No. 3 seed Texas A&M, No. 2 seed Alabama, and No. 2 seed Tennessee—showcasing a tough late-season schedule.
The Tigers’ defense has held opponents to 34.49% from beyond the arc, with only 29% shooting success. Their top scorer, Johni Broome, averages 18.9 points per game, with key contributions from Chad Baker-Mazara (12.4), Miles Kelly (11.9), Tahaad Pettiford (11.2), and Denver Jones (10.6).
On paper and on the court, the Tigers boast impressive statistics, making them a team that anyone in the country should be wary of.
However, the Bluejays should not be counted out. If the threes are falling, the veterans are making impact plays and the unselfish basketball shines through, Creighton can beat even the toughest of teams.
With the stakes high in this 9-seed versus 1-seed showdown, here are three critical things the Bluejays must execute to topple Auburn and advance to their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
#1- Play Creighton-style unselfish basketball
Creighton has preached unselfish basketball all season, and when it mattered most, they put that philosophy into action—not just to make the tournament, but to power their way through the first round.
That team-first mentality is exactly what gives them their best shot against an Auburn squad loaded with talent. As Creighton Head Coach Greg McDermott put it, the Bluejays’ strength isn’t in individual stars, but in their collective unity and trust in one another.
“I just think our guys really have a tremendous amount of belief in one another. They’re extremely connected, and that unity is why we are here… It’s one of the more gratifying seasons I’ve ever had because the sum of our parts is really, really good, and it’s because of how connected we are,” McDermott said.
That selfless play isn’t just a mindset—it’s a measurable advantage. Creighton thrives on ball movement, and their assist numbers prove it. In their first-round win over Louisville, they dominated in assists, 17-10, refusing to let the ball stagnate. Every player looks for the best shot—not for themselves, but for whoever has the best opportunity to score.
And this isn’t just a one-game trend. Throughout the Big East Tournament, Creighton’s assist numbers reflected their ability to break down defenses with crisp passing. In their double-overtime battle with DePaul, both teams finished with 16 assists, but against UConn, the Bluejays took a 17-12 edge to push into the championship game. Even in their final matchup against St. John’s, Creighton matched their opponent with 16 assists, underscoring how crucial their ball movement is to their identity.
With an average of 17.1 assists per game, Creighton’s success is built on feeding off each other’s strengths. It is this type of mentality that builds March-ready teams, and if the Bluejays can stick by this in their game against the Tigers, it will be difficult to stop them.
#2- Pay attention to detail on defense
Facing a high-caliber team means rising to their level, shutting down the key elements that fuel their success on offense, while executing the strategies that make your own team effective on the other end.
It all comes down to the details on defense. Auburn’s offensive weapons have made teams pay for their mistakes in the past, so the Bluejays will need to execute their defensive game plan to perfection. As a team that doesn’t rely on forcing turnovers, Creighton makes its mark by drastically limiting opponents’ free-throw opportunities, effectively counting forced or bad shots as turnovers instead.
“Where Coach Pearl is teaching them to poke and grab and rake and force turnovers, we’re not going to foul. We’re not going to take chances… It’s a must for us to be successful,” McDermott said. “If we have 22 fouls tomorrow we’re done. Start the engines, we’re out of here. We’ve got to be disciplined in that regard, but it’s something that we work on.”
When Creighton faces the Tigers, avoiding unnecessary fouls and staying true to their disciplined defensive strategy will be crucial. This approach helped them defeat UConn in Storrs, St. John’s in Omaha, and push past Louisville in their first-round battle.
Beyond staying foul-free, Creighton’s defensive intensity and precision will be vital. With a player like Broom, who McDermott called one of the best offensive players at his position, and a talented Auburn roster overall, the Bluejays must execute every possession with urgency.
Much of Creighton’s defensive success will hinge on their ability to limit Broom’s impact in multiple ways, forcing him to score while preventing him from distributing and creating opportunities for others.
“If [Broom is] going to score some points, then we have to take away his passing. If we’re going to take away his points and double team him, then he can’t get points. He’s just got to be able to get assists. So we can’t be in a situation where he’s beating us every which way. That maybe sounds easy. It’s very difficult to do,” McDermott said.
The same philosophy applies to the rest of Auburn’s talented roster. Limiting their collective impact—not necessarily shutting them down entirely, but disrupting their rhythm—will be key to staying competitive. By staying intentional in their defensive strategy and focusing on the details, Creighton has a chance to break Auburn’s flow.
This won’t be easy, but it’s a crucial task if the Bluejays want to stay in control and remain in the game.
#3- Step up when the game demands it
Against the Louisville Cardinals, the Bluejays demonstrated that any one of the five men on the floor, or any player called off the bench, could be impact players if the game demands it of them. Being able to recognize it and execute it has been crucial to Creighton’s success all season, but especially against the Cardinals.
One of the most threatening parts of the Creighton offense comes when defenses have to make a decision about how to guard Ryan Kalkbrenner in the paint, which is no easy task. Collapsing defenders into the paint to guard the center, Kalkbrenner allows the other four Bluejays a perfect opportunity to make their mark from beyond the arc.
Jamiya Neal, whose 29-point, 12-rebound, and six-assist performance was instrumental in Creighton’s victory over the Cardinals, perfectly explained how having Ryan Kalkbrenner in the paint opens up opportunities for the other four shooters. With the 7’1″ center drawing the defense’s focus, Neal and his teammates are able to capitalize on the space left open and take advantage of the shots the defense gives them, giving them a chance to step up when the game demands it.
“Kalk[brenner] demands a lot of attention down in the post. We have a lot of shooters around and we have guys who can make plays off the ball like me… So I feel like game by game, it’s picking your poison,” Neal said. “Yesterday they [Louisville] didn’t want to leave off Kalk and they didn’t want to leave off the shooters, which left a lot of space to one-on-one to iso. I’m going to take advantage of it, that’s what I like to do. When those moments happen, I have to take advantage of it.”
This same mentality is exactly what Creighton must bring to their game against Auburn. Every player needs to be prepared to capitalize on the shots the defense gives them, whether it’s stepping up for an open jumper or taking advantage of the space created by Kalkbrenner’s presence in the paint.
Just as Louisville was forced to choose between defending Kalkbrenner or the shooters, Auburn will present similar opportunities for Creighton. It’s the ability to recognize and exploit these moments, taking what the defense offers with precision and poise, that will give Creighton their best chance to gain an edge over Auburn.
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By embracing their unselfish team-first mentality, staying disciplined and seizing key moments when the game calls for it, Creighton can put themselves in a strong position to upset Auburn and punch their ticket to the Sweet 16.