Creighton finished 1-2 at the Players Era men’s tournament in Las Vegas last week, but coach Greg McDermott was proud that the Bluejays finished the week with a win against Oregon.
“You grow in a lot of ways. You can grow and be successful, but you learn a lot about your team when you lose,” McDermott said. “How do they respond? Is it a selfless approach to their response? Are they taking ownership themselves? We have to be a team that gives everything we have, regardless of the impact it might have on us individually.”
Creighton returns to Omaha, Neb., to resume its nonconference schedule Tuesday night against winless but pesky Nicholls.
Creighton (4-3) lost its two scheduled games of the Players Era, 81-74 to Baylor and 78-60 to then No. 15 Iowa State. That sent the Bluejays to the Thanksgiving consolation round to face Oregon, who also started 0-2.
Blake Harper had a team-high 18 points and nine rebounds and Owen Freeman had 14 points in 17 minutes in Creighton’s 76-66 victory.
“I felt like they came back and punched us in the mouth in the second half. And, to be honest, it’s like the first time this season we got up, rolled together and fell back down,” Harper said. “So just seeing that definitely makes me a lot more optimistic. It’s a long season. We’re going to play a lot of great opponents. I feel like it’s a great springboard for the whole season.”
Creighton is led in scoring by Josh Dix (11.7 points per game) and Harper (11.3). The Bluejays recently lost Jackson McAndrew for the season due to a foot injury.
Nicholls (0-6) is one of six winless teams remaining in Division I, but it is by far the highest rated of them on KenPom.com at No. 263. That’s partly because the Colonels, who won 20 games in each of Tevon Saddler’s first two seasons as coach, lost to strong opponents like Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Murray State and Tulane.
The trip to Omaha marks the end of a seven-game road stretch to open Nicholls’ season ahead of its home opener Saturday against Incarnate Word.
Three of Nicholls’ four double-digit scorers – Trae English (13.5), Jaylen Searles (13.4) and Sincere Malone (11.8) – are the only three players returning from last year’s team.
“All three started in the conference semifinals last year, they played significant minutes,” Saddler said before the season. “Just that leadership, they understand who I am as a person, they understand how we’re going to operate, it’s been really good to have those guys back. They’re doing a really good job leading the group.”
–Field level media
