Creighton 83, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 58
It should never have been that close. I hate to sound like a stick in the mud, but the Jays should have won this game by 40 points. All 9,000-plus in attendance at the Q yesterday knew the Jays would win handily, and apparently so did the roughly 2,000 other fans who paid for tickets but decided against going. There must have been a good Husker game on television.
Okay, the crowd wasn’t the best and they were silent most of the game, but can you blame them? It is harder for a crowd to "get up" for a game against an inferior opponent than it is for the Jays. That being said, some of the Jays took some steps yesterday (literally, as there were more than a handful of traveling violations whistled against both teams) in the right direction, which will serve Dana well as we hit a difficult stretch of the season.
Thoughts...
First of all, the Missouri Valley Conference officials can just get Nate Funk’s all-conference paperwork ready right now. Eighteen points on 7-8 shooting from the field, with another team-lead in rebounds (8), four assists, and a steal. The most impressive part of Nate’s game, though, was that he only shot one three-pointer (he made it, of course). Twelve of his 18 points came off strong drives to the basket, offensive put-backs, and serene pull-up jumpers that just float through the nets. Only 3 of 5 from the free throw line, though, so there is always room for improvement.
(I think Jimmy Motz just hit another 3.)
Jeff Day sees the floor well for a big man (four assists against the Golden Lions), finishes well in the paint with a deft, short-armed hook shot and a decent drop step, and changes the game defensively with his athleticism and length (in other words, the guy jumps OUT OF THE GYM). I know I’m a stickler for details, but only one rebound in 18 minutes of play? From our 6'9" jumping jack? It is hard to reach consistency in game where you are being subed in and out repeatedly, but Jeff will need to pull down his fair share of boards against Mizzou in the Guardians Classic semifinal. Great job offensively today, and we finally won the opening tip!
In the first half, A-PB shot well (50%) but Creighton shot better (60%). Obviously, Dana was not happy with the defensive intensity shown by the Jays in the first 20 minutes, and the Jays responded by holding A-PB to just under 26% shooting from the field in the second half. However, the Jays also struggled at times offensively in the second 20 minutes, shooting just 38% from the field and connecting on only one of five three-point shots (Motz’s final trifecta). What does all this mean? Not much, other than the Jays started hot AGAIN from behind the arc (7-10 in the first half) and they really clamped down on defense in the second half. But, Dana had some very interesting lineups on the floor in the final 15 minutes of the game, including Anthony Tolliver, Dane Watts, Steve Smith, Dennis Howard, and Johnny Mathies all in at the same time. A-PB had some easy baskets at the end of the game, but overall the Jays played good defense.
Speaking of Tolliver, he had his best 16 minutes in his Bluejay career. 3-7 shooting from the floor, with a couple of free throws, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. He finally finished some shots, and he showed good instincts a couple times on defense. I REALLY hope he stays healthy and cuts down on his routine of posting up with good position and then fading away with a jumper – he is very talented and just needs to keep gaining experience.
(I think Jimmy just hit another three-point bomb)
On the subject of experience, it was really a breakout day for Pierce Hibma. Many Jays fans have heard about Pierce’s ability to play lock-down defense and create for himself with a slashing-style of play on offense, and we saw glimpses of both those traits against A-PB. Pierce logged 20 quality minutes, going 4-5 from the field and getting a couple boards. He has very good instincts defensively about where plays are going, and he is only going to gain more confidence offensively. He plays with an incredible amount of effort and hustle, which is the best part about watching him – he never slows down.
Another frustrating day for Dennis Howard, Dane Watts, and Steve Smith, although they each had their chances. Dennis was one of the first guys off the pine in the beginning of the game when Dana went to the bench after a couple easy baskets by A-PB, and he immediately picked up a couple of fouls. He just gets himself sped up, and the fouls are byproducts of his aggressive play. He got a couple of rebounds and is getting better looks at the hoop. However, the sweet stroke he displays in warm-ups has yet to find its way on the court during a game. Just keep firing away, Dennis!
Dane went 0-5 from the field, and he couldn’t convert on the backdoor alley-oop in the final couple of minutes. However, he contributed a couple rebounds and a few solid defensive plays in the 14 minutes of action. Steve Smith is still learning his way around, but he has really solid instincts around the basket offensively. Steve made a couple of free-throws, and he has a really nice shooting touch. I think he will have a couple of Joe Dabbert Days, when he goes for 14 or 16 points on nearly-perfect shooting from the floor, but those days may be a month or so away.
Finally, the guy holding the short end of the stick again was Quincy Henderson. He played the lowest amount of minutes of any returning Jay (8), went 0-3 from the field, and missed three of his four free throw attempts. Q plays solid defense, but I wonder if it is enough to play serious minutes in any rotation Dana sets up for the meat of the non-conference schedule and Valley play. I hope Q keeps plugging away and pouring in good effort.
(Motz with another 3...oh my!)
Next Game
The Guardians Classic wraps up, and the smorgasbord of Jays games this week serves as a nice transition into the gorging holiday season. Mizzou lost their non-Guardians home opener this weekend to Davidson, and you can bet Quin (the Eskimo) Snyder will have his guys primed to play in the old Muni in K.C. on Tuesday. I think the Jays win (of course I do, I think the Jays will win every game), but I don’t think you’ll see as many of the new young guys playing significant minutes. We need Nate to keep up his red-hot shooting and rebounding, we need our point guards to play smart (especially Johnny, who will have to play a lot to neutralize some of the speed Mizzou has at the guard position), and we need Jeff Day to have a MONSTER game.
And we need Jimmy to keep hitting those threes.
Okay, the crowd wasn’t the best and they were silent most of the game, but can you blame them? It is harder for a crowd to "get up" for a game against an inferior opponent than it is for the Jays. That being said, some of the Jays took some steps yesterday (literally, as there were more than a handful of traveling violations whistled against both teams) in the right direction, which will serve Dana well as we hit a difficult stretch of the season.
Thoughts...
First of all, the Missouri Valley Conference officials can just get Nate Funk’s all-conference paperwork ready right now. Eighteen points on 7-8 shooting from the field, with another team-lead in rebounds (8), four assists, and a steal. The most impressive part of Nate’s game, though, was that he only shot one three-pointer (he made it, of course). Twelve of his 18 points came off strong drives to the basket, offensive put-backs, and serene pull-up jumpers that just float through the nets. Only 3 of 5 from the free throw line, though, so there is always room for improvement.
(I think Jimmy Motz just hit another 3.)
Jeff Day sees the floor well for a big man (four assists against the Golden Lions), finishes well in the paint with a deft, short-armed hook shot and a decent drop step, and changes the game defensively with his athleticism and length (in other words, the guy jumps OUT OF THE GYM). I know I’m a stickler for details, but only one rebound in 18 minutes of play? From our 6'9" jumping jack? It is hard to reach consistency in game where you are being subed in and out repeatedly, but Jeff will need to pull down his fair share of boards against Mizzou in the Guardians Classic semifinal. Great job offensively today, and we finally won the opening tip!
In the first half, A-PB shot well (50%) but Creighton shot better (60%). Obviously, Dana was not happy with the defensive intensity shown by the Jays in the first 20 minutes, and the Jays responded by holding A-PB to just under 26% shooting from the field in the second half. However, the Jays also struggled at times offensively in the second 20 minutes, shooting just 38% from the field and connecting on only one of five three-point shots (Motz’s final trifecta). What does all this mean? Not much, other than the Jays started hot AGAIN from behind the arc (7-10 in the first half) and they really clamped down on defense in the second half. But, Dana had some very interesting lineups on the floor in the final 15 minutes of the game, including Anthony Tolliver, Dane Watts, Steve Smith, Dennis Howard, and Johnny Mathies all in at the same time. A-PB had some easy baskets at the end of the game, but overall the Jays played good defense.
Speaking of Tolliver, he had his best 16 minutes in his Bluejay career. 3-7 shooting from the floor, with a couple of free throws, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. He finally finished some shots, and he showed good instincts a couple times on defense. I REALLY hope he stays healthy and cuts down on his routine of posting up with good position and then fading away with a jumper – he is very talented and just needs to keep gaining experience.
(I think Jimmy just hit another three-point bomb)
On the subject of experience, it was really a breakout day for Pierce Hibma. Many Jays fans have heard about Pierce’s ability to play lock-down defense and create for himself with a slashing-style of play on offense, and we saw glimpses of both those traits against A-PB. Pierce logged 20 quality minutes, going 4-5 from the field and getting a couple boards. He has very good instincts defensively about where plays are going, and he is only going to gain more confidence offensively. He plays with an incredible amount of effort and hustle, which is the best part about watching him – he never slows down.
Another frustrating day for Dennis Howard, Dane Watts, and Steve Smith, although they each had their chances. Dennis was one of the first guys off the pine in the beginning of the game when Dana went to the bench after a couple easy baskets by A-PB, and he immediately picked up a couple of fouls. He just gets himself sped up, and the fouls are byproducts of his aggressive play. He got a couple of rebounds and is getting better looks at the hoop. However, the sweet stroke he displays in warm-ups has yet to find its way on the court during a game. Just keep firing away, Dennis!
Dane went 0-5 from the field, and he couldn’t convert on the backdoor alley-oop in the final couple of minutes. However, he contributed a couple rebounds and a few solid defensive plays in the 14 minutes of action. Steve Smith is still learning his way around, but he has really solid instincts around the basket offensively. Steve made a couple of free-throws, and he has a really nice shooting touch. I think he will have a couple of Joe Dabbert Days, when he goes for 14 or 16 points on nearly-perfect shooting from the floor, but those days may be a month or so away.
Finally, the guy holding the short end of the stick again was Quincy Henderson. He played the lowest amount of minutes of any returning Jay (8), went 0-3 from the field, and missed three of his four free throw attempts. Q plays solid defense, but I wonder if it is enough to play serious minutes in any rotation Dana sets up for the meat of the non-conference schedule and Valley play. I hope Q keeps plugging away and pouring in good effort.
(Motz with another 3...oh my!)
Next Game
The Guardians Classic wraps up, and the smorgasbord of Jays games this week serves as a nice transition into the gorging holiday season. Mizzou lost their non-Guardians home opener this weekend to Davidson, and you can bet Quin (the Eskimo) Snyder will have his guys primed to play in the old Muni in K.C. on Tuesday. I think the Jays win (of course I do, I think the Jays will win every game), but I don’t think you’ll see as many of the new young guys playing significant minutes. We need Nate to keep up his red-hot shooting and rebounding, we need our point guards to play smart (especially Johnny, who will have to play a lot to neutralize some of the speed Mizzou has at the guard position), and we need Jeff Day to have a MONSTER game.
And we need Jimmy to keep hitting those threes.
posted by Creighton Otter at 11:34 AM
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