#8 Creighton (21-11, 10-8, 3rd BE), #9 K-State, Fri, 5:50

[IStillLikeHarv]

I have spent a little time on the Creighton stats, and I have revised my opinion of this game. If KSU is healthy (a huge if, of course), then I think Creighton is in trouble.

Their primary big man, Hegner, is playing on a bad ankle, and his production and efficiency have dropped dramatically (think Kam) in the last five games. Their primary back-up big man, Krampelj (who is pretty good), is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. They pulled a medical redshirt off a highly-ranked freshman big , Epperson, who is now the back-up big man, but he appears to be pretty raw and has only played in 11 games.

Obviously KSU has to be able to defend against the Creighton small ball attack with both Makol and Dean in the game, but if KSU can do a decent job at that, I don't see how Creighton can defend against both Makol and Dean on the other end. It would appear to be a stretch to get 40 minutes out of Hegner and Epperson combined, and that is without any foul trouble issues. The only other big man, Suarez, rarely plays. Again, if KSU is healthy, I think Creighton will have major match-up issues with Makol and Dean. I am assuming that Makol will continue to play more like he has recently, of course. We'll see.

[AJcat7755]

The Creighton boards are calling KSU an extremely favorable matchup. That K-state is "a good warmup for the Virginia style of play". lol

I'd cringe if KSU fans were saying similar stuff. I like it when other teams see us as a warmup act.

guess we'll find out Friday.


question: how many times in the history of KSU basketball has our NCAA run fallen at the hands of the eventual champion?

6 times in 29 tournament appearances has KSU lost to the NC team. Another 6 losses were to the NC runner up.

So 41% chance if you beat K-State you play for a NC*

*don't pay any attention to the fact that the format has changed since a lot of those early days.


2017 - Lost to 6 seed Cincinnati in round of 64. Cincinnati lost in round of 32.
2014 - Lost to 8 seed Kentucky in round of 64. Kentucky lost in the NC game.
2013 - Lost to 13 seed La Salle in round of 64. La Salle lost in S16.
2012 - Lost to 1 seed Syracuse in round of 32. Syracuse lost in E8.
2011 - Lost to 4 seed Wisconsin in round of 32. Wisconsin lost in S16.
2010 - Lost to 5 seed Butler in E8. Butler lost in the NC game.
2008 - Lost to 3 seed Wisconsin in round of 32. Wisconsin lost in S16.
1996 - Lost to 7 seed New Mexico in round of 64. New Mexico lost in round of 32.
1993 - Lost to 11 seed Tulane in round of 64. Tulane lost in round of 32.
1990 - Lost to 6 seed Xavier in round of 64. Xavier lost in S16.
1989 - Lost to 11 seed Minnesota in round of 64. Minnesota lost in S16.
1988 - Lost to 6 seed Kansas in E8. Kansas won NC.
1987 - Lost to 1 seed UNLV in round of 32. UNLV lost in F4.
1982 - Lost to 8 seed Boston College in S16. Boston College lost in E8.
1981 - Lost to 2 seed North Carolina in E8. North Carolina lost in the NC game.
1980 - Lost to 2 seed Louisville in round of 32. Louisville won NC.
1977 - Lost to Marquette in S16. Marquette won NC.
1975 - Lost to Syracuse in E8. Syracuse lose in F4.
1973 - Lost to Memphis State in E8. Memphis State lost in NC game.
1972 - Lost to Louisville in E8. Louisville lost in F4.
1970 - Lost to New Mexico State in S16. New Mexico State lost in F4.
1968 - Lost to TCU in S16. TCU lose in E8.
1964 - Lost to UCLA in F4. UCLA won NC.
1961 - Lost to Cincinnati in E8. Cincinnati won NC.
1959 - Lost to Cincinnati in E8. Cincinnati lost in F4.
1958 - Lost to Seattle in F4. Seattle lost in NC game.
1956 - Lost to Oklahoma City in S16. Oklahoma City lost in E8.
1951 - Lost to Kentucky in NC game. Kentucky won NC as a result.
1948 - Lost to Baylor in F4. Baylor lost in NC game.

[KsJoey]

Who from Creighton guards Dean??? I'm assuming their gameplan will be to double him in the post every time.

[tmcats]

Who from Creighton guards Dean??? I'm assuming their gameplan will be to double him in the post every time.

mawien scores 30 if that happens. dean's strength is as much passing as scoring. the offensive triangle of barry, dean and a rapidly developing mak is going to be a task for any defense.

what's cu have a point guard?

[KsJoey]

Who from Creighton guards Dean??? I'm assuming their gameplan will be to double him in the post every time.

mawien scores 30 if that happens. dean's strength is as much passing as scoring. the offensive triangle of barry, dean and a rapidly developing mak is going to be a task for any defense.

what's cu have a point guard?

True, but if you have an undersized guy guarding Dean in the paint, without help, Dean is going to make them pay over and over until they're forced to double. You have to be a legit bigman to hold your own, one on one with Dean. I just see a huge advantage in the front court that we need to exploit from the get-go. Let them live and die by contested 3's. I'll be happy with high % 2's. Let's take advantage of the matchup when we have it.

[learnin]

Texas and Oklahoma got much better draws as the 10 seeds imo - 8/9 matchups are horrible rather have a big underdog mentality going into game 1

Are you surprised? The ncaa wants both to advance. KState? Not so much.

You are exactly right.

[Gorhoops]

Who from Creighton guards Dean??? I'm assuming their gameplan will be to double him in the post every time.

mawien scores 30 if that happens. dean's strength is as much passing as scoring. the offensive triangle of barry, dean and a rapidly developing mak is going to be a task for any defense.

what's cu have a point guard?

That Thomas kid is their PG, good player, very, very good defender. Not a great shooter though, although can knock them down on occasion from what I've seen.

[TarHeel]

The Creighton boards are calling KSU an extremely favorable matchup. That K-state is "a good warmup for the Virginia style of play". lol

Should be a home game for KSU. You'll have plenty of fans in the stands booing on the Blue Jays as UNC fans HATE Creighton!

Go Wildcats!

[BlueJayVisitor]

Hey K-State Fans!

Creighton fan here. Thought I'd shed a little light on the Jays for you.

Enough has been said about Marcus so I won't go into to much detail. He has gotten a lot more mature, his shot selection has gotten much better as well. He's 1st Team Big East for a reason.

Khyri Thomas is the X-Factor for the Jays. Khyri is the two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, a projected 1st round pick, and one of (if not the best) defenders in the country. He also shoots 47% from the field and can shoot the three ball. Many notable players (including Jalen Brunson and Trevon Blueiett to name a few) had their worst games against #Kyrifense. The one-two punch at the guard position is what drives the Jays.

The point guard position is split between sophomore Davion Mintz and (top 50 recruit) freshman Ty-Shon Alexander. Both are not natural point guards, more scoring guards but have adapted well to the system. This is the most inconsistent position on the team. Mintz and Alexander can fill the role well but if one of them has the hot hand, Mac will go with it. Important to note: Both Davion and Ty-Shon are Charlotte natives and going home will be huge for them.

Ronnie Harrell is the glue man for the Jays. He was our 6th man fore Martin Krampelj got hurt. His stat lines often go 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 asissts, 2 steals, etc. He's the best natural rebounder on the team and has played every position for the jays this season from PG to C. He has a great basketball IQ thanks to his off-season workouts with his cousin, Chauncey Billups.

Toby Hegner is the last of the Missouri Valley recruits. Stretches the floor and shoots the 3 really well. He's been dealing with ankle injuries all season and the effect is shown in his limited athleticism.

Other folks to note: Mitch Ballock (freshman standout who spurned KU to play for the Creighton up-tempo style) who has a great shot and great court vision. He hit a freshman wall but snapped out of it in the last two weeks. Jacob Epperson is RAW but you can see flashes of why he was a top-75 recruit. He's a 7 footer who can run the floor well and play the high pick and roll too. There's no doubt the Creighton offense runs better with him on the floor. He's just rail thin and gets gassed easily.

Creighton's defensive style is man-to-man help defense that often double-teams the post. We are not a great (or even good) rebounding team and don't like to slow the game down.

Overall, I think this game comes down to one thing - pace. Creighton is one of the fastest teams in the country. We love to push the tempo and if the Jays force the Wildcats to run, I really like our chances. If K State can manage to slow the game down, the odds drastically favor you guys.

Best of luck this Friday! Here's to a great game with no injuries on either side.

EDIT: Grammar

[tmcats]

that was a nice and helpful summary.

having grown up in sioux city and attended bishop heelan, i've always had a soft spot for creighton. our legendary football coach from back then, don fleming, coached at creighton and his son, creighton, yes, that name, coached nebraska high school hoops before death took him, like his dad, at a young age.

this should be a good matchup with a nice storyline, marcus foster. no hard feelings here. good luck to the jays.