Before the season began, if you asked people in Big East Conference media what the biggest game of the season might be, many would point to either of the two matchups between UConn and Creighton.
Coming off back-to-back titles, the UConn Huskies were tabbed as the top team in the conference – in spite of all the players they lost to the NBA.
Just behind them were the Bluejays of Creighton – a team anchored by a monstrous presence in the paint and featuring shooters and playmakers around the perimeter.
Unfortunately, both teams have struggled throughout the season, meaning that prior to this afternoon, neither team was exactly meeting their lofty expectations.Â
But in a sport like college basketball, even teams that are punching below their weight are able to provide fireworks.
A back-and-forth affair resulted in a tighter result than expected – with Creighton shocking the defending champions at their home of Gampel Pavilion. It’s their first defeat at Gampel since January 2023 and will cause many to wonder if a three-peat is a long shot for the Huskies.
Jamiya Neal (5) of Creighton dribbles into the paint against Jaylin Stewart (3) of UConn
These teams began the season one and two in the Big East’s preseason coaches poll. The expectation was that these two teams would be at the top of the college basketball world and would easily walk into spots in March Madness.
With a month-and-a-half to go, that prospect seemed dubious for the visitors for tonight, the Creighton Bluejays of Omaha, Nebraska prior to Saturday.
Last season, the Bluejays were anchored by guard play from the likes of Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander. With both those players gone to the NBA Draft (Scheierman to the Boston Celtics, Alexander to the Denver Nuggets), a lot of the burden of success would lie on the shoulders of the 7-foot-1 interior presence of Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Kalkbrenner could have easily decided to go to the Draft as well. But the three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year decided his time wasn’t up and returned for his senior campaign.
He wasn’t alone on offense – with Texas Tech transfer Pop Isaacs and sixth-man guard Steven Ashworth expected to play significant roles in the Bluejays system.
But Isaacs went down with a season-ending injury in December, Ashworth has been scoring inefficiently, and Kalkbrenner hasn’t been the defensive presence many in Omaha had hoped.
That puts them in a troublesome spot. Many so-called ‘bracketologists’, those who predict who will make March Madness, either have Creighton out as of now or just barely in the tournament as a ten seed.
Needless to say, their expectations demanded much better. The same could be said for their opponents and hosts on this Saturday afternoon, the UConn Huskies.
After struggling to start the season, coach Greg McDermott’s Bluejays are righting the ship
Creighton relies heavily on the paint presence of 7-foot center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11)
Steven Ashworth (1) has also been a reliable, but occasionally inefficient, shooting guard
Connecticut knew the team they fielded this year wasn’t going to be the same as last year’s – a unit that set a school record for wins and captured a sixth national title.
Their disastrous trip to Hawaii ended with three losses in three days, but the Huskies rebounded with a win at home over Baylor, a win over Texas on the road, and a victory over highly-ranked Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden.
It appeared the issues of the past were managed – but not exactly fixed. Health would have to be paramount if the Huskies couldn’t solve their defensive issues.
Then, their top freshman – Liam McNeeley – went down with an injury against DePaul on New Year’s Day. He hasn’t returned since, leaving UConn dealing with contests that were much closer than expected.
That included a three-point win at home against archrivals Providence followed up by a two-point loss on the road against a Villanova team that is trying to return to past glories.
They responded with an eight-point win over Georgetown, but issues with the team still remain. For one, they’re one of the worst defensive 3-point teams in the nation – in the bottom 15 according to basketball analytics site KenPom. Additionally, they’re bottom 20 in giving up free throw attempts. Both these issues have been addressed by UConn’s Dan Hurley in the past.
Connecticut coach Dan Hurley reacts during a game against Creighton on Saturday
But still, halfway through the season, the Huskies remain one of the more lopsided teams in the nation in offense vs. defense. KenPom has them as the fifth most efficient offense in the country, but 110th in defensive efficiency.
That 3-point defense was a particular issue in the first-half. Arizona State transfer Jamiya Neal killed Connecticut by going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and shooting 7-for-8 from the field to give the Bluejays a 35-28 lead at the half. After the game, coach Greg McDermott highlighted Neal’s growth as critical for the team.
Inefficiency remained the further the clock ticked down as the Huskies fell into a nine-point hole with under seven minutes remaining. Creighton was shooting a tidy 9-for-10 up to that point but had yet to find a kill-shot.
Down one with a minute to go, Connecticut required a defensive stop, but watched Ashworth sink two foul shots. Karaban sank a floater to make it a 64-63 game with 22 seconds to go.
Ashworth was fouled on the inbound and the career 89 percent free throw shooter sank both with 17.3 to go. A mess of plays led to the Huskies inbounding the ball with 7.8 seconds to go. Karaban chucked up a rushed shot that missed. Kalkbrenner rebounded and was fouled, sank both free throws, and the Bluejays knocked off the Huskies at home.
Senior guard Hassan Diarra (10) shoots a basket against Steven Ashworth and Creighton
A great first half from Jamiya Neal resulted in him leading Creighton to a win with his 24 points
After the game, Creighton coach Greg McDermott said their plan was to stifle Karaban and called it a crucial win for the program.
As for Hurley, the coach said his team was ‘a shell of ourselves, from a defensive standpoint’ adding that the Huskies right now are ‘not a tenacious enough team’.
A parallel was drawn to the 2023 national championship team – which also went through a troublesome January before dominating in February and March.
But Hurley swatted that comparison aside – saying that the team he has now is lacking the same ‘aura’ they had in years past.
‘My fear is that we’re such a… soft team. Now the teams that take the court with us, we’ve lost that aura that we’ve had when we’ve taken the court the last couple of years. They see a little bit of it on film when they prepare for us, they say “these guys aren’t as vicious and nasty” and then they share the court with us and they feel it as well. And that’s become a problem.’
