Greg McDermott’s team heard their name called on Selection Sunday as No. 6 seed in the South region, with their first round opponent being No. 11 seed NC State on Friday afternoon in Denver.
“I’m really excited to have this experience with this group, and we’re hoping to make some noise,” senior Baylor Scheierman said.
The Jays got a good draw in their region and are the most talented six seed in the entire bracket. A deep run however, which many experts are projecting to perhaps be the program’s first ever Elite Eight or Final Four, will require all the individuals to come together to play as a team.
An example of this was Creighton’s first game of the Big East Tournament in New York on Thursday. The Jays came together to take down a very hot Villanova 87-74 as all five starters finished with double-digit points, collectively shooting over 50% from both the field and from 3.
An example of the other end of the spectrum, was the 82-60 loss the following day to Xavier. It was a game script similar to so many of the Bluejays other losses this season; the team shot a mere 37% from the field and 30% from 3 and couldn’t muster much of a fight once they found themselves down double digits.
Creighton’s biggest deficit overcome in a win this season is nine points on December 22nd against Butler, which goes to show that a key to it’s NCAA Tournament opener is to not let NC State’s shooters get hot.
The Wolfpack are led offensively by Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner, who both average over 17 points per game and feed off each other’s energy when they do get hot, especially in terms of shooting from behind the arc.
NC State’s big D.J. Burns Jr. could also be tough for Creighton to handle, but no task is too hard for the Jays’ seven-foot Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Another key is to limit turnovers, especially early in the game. In the loss to Xavier, the Jays had 11 first half turnovers compared to just one in the opening period against Villanova a day prior. NC State particularly is a team that will capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes and mishandling, of the ball.
With a win, the Bluejays will play either the winner of No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 UC Santa Barbara on Sunday. Baylor is ranked No. 11 overall in the AP Poll and have one of the most elite back courts in the nation, but are on a slight cold spell, having lost four of their last six in the Big 12. UC Santa Barbara could be a familiar foe for the Bluejays as they were nearly upset by the Gauchos in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
The favorites in the South region are No. 1 overall seed and SEC champ Alabama, who haven’t been the same since three players were involved in a capital murder. The No. 2 is Arizona, who the Jays fell two points shy of on Nov. 23 in Maui. The No. 4 is Virginia and the No. 5 San Diego State, who the Jays beat in the first round of last year’s tournament.
This marks the third straight year the Bluejays have earned a bid in the NCAA Tournament and the eighth time in 13 years under McDermott’s direction.
“It never gets old,” McDermott said. “You’re a fool if you take it for granted because there’s a lot of team’s whole season are over and to be able to play in this tournament is as good as it gets.”
Multiple Bluejays voiced Sunday that they feel like having experience in the NCAA Tournament gives them an upper hand. Four of the five starters, except for sophomore guard Ryan Nembhard who was injured in the 2022 postseason, have all started multiple March Madness games.
Tip-off for the Jays’ matchup with the Wolfpack Friday is set for 3:00 p.m. CT in Denver’s Ball Arena, with the game being broadcast on TNT. Coverage of each of Creighton’s game will also be provided online on Creightonian.com and live updates on Twitter @CUCreightonian.