San Diego 82, Creighton 70

After two straight weeks of grazing in the kitchen, watching hours and hours of football and basketball, and catching up on lost sleep, I shook off the holiday doldrums to plan my New Year's Eve around Creighton's visit to The Golden State. There wasn't much to cheer for as the Jays dropped their fourth contest in six games. Needless to say, I wish I would have stayed asleep.

It was a classic case of taking one step forward (effort-driven victory over Bradley) and two steps back (lackluster showing against a middle-of-the-pack mid-major from a weak conference). Nate Funk provided Creighton's only constant offensive threat, but only scored two points in the first half. Tyler McKinney continues to remain one-dimensional, looking only to pass, not convincing his defenders that he will shoot when open. In fact, McKinney committed six turnovers and had San Diego guards dribble-drive past him relentlessly.

Life in the low post didn't treat the Jays any better, with Jeffony Tolliday adding only eight points and eight rebounds in 36 minutes of play. Conversely, Dane Watts added seven points and six rebounds in only 19 minutes of action. Jimmy Motz continues to be gradually phased out of the offense, logging only 11 minutes against the Toreros. Dennis Howard took some of Motz's playing time and didn't do much with it, going 0-2 from the field with one rebound in 10 minutes.

Kellen Miliner, Johnny Mathies, and Funk provided the only true sparks against San Diego. Miliner finally seemed to get his shooting stroke back, hitting a couple long-range shots and trying to penetrate the lane and draw some fouls. The same can be said for Mathies, who failed to contribute the same production from the Bradley game but still hit some open shots and made things happen with his speed and quickness at both ends of the court. And then there was Funk.

Not only did he lead the team in scoring (17 points), but Funk single-handedly kept the Jays from losing by 20 points or more. He scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, hit three more three-pointers, and continued to display grit and toughness on a team with too many polite players. Through last night's game, Funk is averaging 16 points per contest while shooting 49% from the field and 46% from three-point range. He also pulls down six rebounds a game and shoots 80% from the charity stripe. Along with Southern Illinois' Darren Brooks and Northern Iowa's Ben Jacobsen, Funk has to be considered one of the best all-around guards in the Missouri Valley Conference. Now if only his teammates could catch up.

Now for my New Year's resolution:

I resolve to remember that this is a young Creighton team, with a lot of kids still catching up to the speed of the college game and trying to find their way in Dana Altman's system. I resolve to remember that the parity in college basketball is at an all-time high, where the adage "any given night" is proven day after day in mid- and high-major basketball action. I also resolve to take more pleasure in the baby steps these Jays display, rather than get too negative when the team doesn't fulfill my elevated expectations.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you. Thanks for reading this Jays fan's obsessed and slightly biased views of Creighton hoops. I hope 2005 treats all of you well, and I look forward to writing more about the successes of Bluejay basketball.