Kent State 67, Creighton 58

I guess this is what growing pains feel like. Depressed and discouraged, I waited for Dana Altman to share his side of the story on the post-game radio show as I drove home from the Qwest Center after Creighton’s first loss of the season. I knew Altman would use another ‘D’ word – disappointed – and I listened to him give a big I-told-you-so to all of the Jays players and fans that wouldn’t listen to his warnings that this year’s squad did not yet completely buy into rebounding and defense. Whenever a team allows an opponent to shoot about 50% from the field and hold a +9 rebounding advantage, you’re chances of winning are not good.

Dejectedly I checked other Missouri Valley Conference scores, quickly realizing it was not a good night for the Valley; Southern Illinois lost on the road and Northern Iowa put up a fight but ultimately lost to Iowa. I then called my girlfriend, who is a brilliant Creighton fan and more levelheaded about the Jays than I am.

Me: “Hi – they got killed.”

Her: “You didn’t think they would go undefeated, did you?”

And just like that, I was cured. No, I didn’t think they would go undefeated. In fact, my entire outlook coming into the season was one of nervous optimism with a twist of uncertainty. For most of the first seven games, the Jays played with increasing chemistry and desire. Some of those early games were close and some were not, but this loss to Kent State serves as the ultimate teaching tool for this year’s Jays: if the chemistry and desire is not there, the defense and rebounding will be absent, and the odds will shift against you.

These are idiosyncrasies and characteristics that Altman preaches relentlessly, and with so many new faces on the roster and seeing playing time, it will be up to them to take Coach’s instructions and apply them. Instead of baby steps early in this season, it seemed as though guys like Dane Watts, Anthony Tolliver, and Pierce Hibma were making giant strides. The loss to the Golden Flashes proved just how quickly one stride forward can lead to two steps back.

But the loss also serves as a reminder to Jays fans everywhere: when you watch or listen to this team play, check your psyche at the Qwest Center box office. These guys are young, and at times there are only two or three guys on the court that truly have experience scoring in bunches. They have talent and good fundamentals, but without solid effort and passion they’ll quickly fall in line with the rest of the Valley. Night in and night out, they need to want it more than the other team – end of story.

No, I didn’t think they would go undefeated. And no, they didn’t play a very good game. But in the first seven contests, we have seen this team play for each other, and they’ll take the same approach to learning from this defeat. They’ll take baby steps together, hopefully leading to bigger strides.

Thoughts (as I try to keep this positive)…

• The local newspaper, the Jumbotron operators at the Qwest Center, and even this column put this game on the shoulder of Nate Funk and whether or not he would be ready to play against Kent State. Funk did not disappoint, either, scoring 14 points on 4-10 shooting from the field, leading the team (again) with 7 rebounds, and adding 3 assists and 2 steals in 30 minutes. However, there were only a handful of times he drove to the basket and drew contact, which I’m sure is directly related to the soreness in his shoulder. Without the dribble penetration, the Kent State defenders were content with getting in his jersey (literally, on one possession, which was shockingly not called a foul) and forcing him into shots from the perimeter. He is a gutsy kid, and the younger Jays can learn a thing or two from him about desire.
  
  
• Kellen Miliner led the Jays in scoring for the second consecutive game, pouring in 21 points on 7-11 shooting. He was the only Jay hitting from the outside, as 12 of those points came off 4-7 shooting from behind the arc. However, Miliner committed 4 of the 18 Creighton turnovers, and was visibly frustrated by the physical defense played by Kent State. He was knocked around and shoved in the back, but as a senior leader he needs to take that frustration and turn it into positive energy. I sincerely believe he will take the reins over the next couple of games and couple with Tyler as the more vocal leaders of this squad.
  
  
• Jeffony Tolliday was reduced to just Jeff Day in this loss, as Anthony Tolliver logged a very difficult 10 minutes on the floor. Tolliver went 0-2 from the field, 1-6 from the free throw line, grabbed no rebounds and turned the ball over twice. Kent State tried to punish him physically and it worked, with Tolliver picking up 3 fouls in those 10 minutes of play. Day came off the bench to add 9 points on 3-6 shooting from the field, pulled down 6 boards, and added two monstrous blocked shots in 26 minutes on the floor. Tolliver needs to continue to grow in his role, as the game speed last night favored Day’s quickness and athleticism.

Next Game…

I’m going to write a separate piece previewing Saturday’s tilt with Nebraska. The Jays have a few factors on their side going into the Devaney Center this weekend.

1. They haven’t lost in Lincoln for a while.
2. They should respond well to a loss.
3. Saturdays haven’t necessarily treated Husker athletics well in the past few months.

Check back for more on Friday.