Creighton 82, Wichita State 68; Creighton 100, Chattanooga 68

As I sat at my table at D.J.’s Dugout last Wednesday, listening to T. Scott Marr and Kevin Sarver giddily signing off of the Creighton radio broadcast of the Bluejays’ dismantling of Wichita State, I didn’t know what to do. Should I go straight home and hop on the computer to write an article praising the Jays and their second-half effort against the former top team in the Missouri Valley Conference? Should I wake up and revisit the box score first thing Thursday morning, pointing out the gaudy statistics and praising Nate Funk’s career night? Or should I wait a couple of days to take as subjective approach as possible to highlighting the win against the Shockers.

So I waited. And I waited. By the time I felt comfortable enough to write about the Wichita sweep, it was 11 AM Saturday morning and the Bracket Buster was getting started on ESPN2. I’m glad I waited to write about our dismantling of the Shox, because Miami (OH) was intent on making Creighton’s sweep look like a modest accomplishment. Besides, I had Chattanooga on my mind (probably for the first and last time ever) and was getting geared up for the Jays game that afternoon.

The real reason I waited, though, was to wait and see if the Jays could string together two solid outings in a row. I was hoping that the win over Wichita wasn’t an illusion, that I wasn’t just another peak in the rollercoaster season this year has become. I was prepared about a flat-footed loss or a resounding win, but I didn’t honestly think we’d blow the roof of the Cardiac Q.

Win in Wichita

As I mentioned above, I got off work just in time to motor out to the Dugout and watch GoCreighton.com’s web cast of the Jays-Shockers game. Needless to say, after the first 20 minutes I was questioning my speeding on Dodge to get to the game on time. The video feed from the Wichita State scoreboards were used for the broadcast, and every time the Shockers would make a basket (which was a lot, since they shot 52% from the field in the first half) the scoreboard (and web cast) would show instant replays. Because of that, we missed play after play on the Jays end of the court. Little did anyone at the Dugout know that we wouldn’t be seeing much of the replays in the second half.

It was an almost perfect second half of basketball for the Jays, with Johnny Mathies and Funk leading the charge. Creighton missed three shots in the half. Three. Three! Wichita State didn’t know what hit them; well, actually they did. They wear #10 and #11, and they have been carrying this team for the past few weeks (and months). Funk and Mathies didn’t allow the Shockers back into the game after Mathies scored the first eight points of the second half to stake Creighton a one-point lead. Funk poured in a career-best 35 points, Mathies didn’t miss a shot, and Jeff Day added 14 points in 18 minutes of perfect shooting from the floor.

And the whole time, I was waiting for the game to get close. Call me paranoid, or experienced in the ways of this year’s Jays squad, but it just seemed too good to be true. That feeling would soar to a whole new level when the Jays took on Chattanooga.

Hunting Mocs

The first 12 minutes of Saturday’s contest was nip and tuck with a visiting Chattanooga Mocs team renowned for their physical play and rebounding prowess. And then the Jays lit into the Mocs, going on a 24-5 run to close out the last eight minutes of the first half and putting the Jays up 48-30 at the break. The Jays hit 7-10 three pointers in the half, while connecting on 66% of their shots and bringing the Qwest Center crowd to their feet on numerous occasions.

Things didn’t stop in the second half, as the Jays hit 13 more three pointers. They really couldn’t miss from outside, and in the process set the school and Valley records for most three pointers in a single game. They even out-rebounded one of the best boarding teams in the country, and in the meantime earned coach Dana Altman’s praise for hitting the boards hard and showing the effort they’ll need to make a push for a Valley tournament crown.

The Homestretch

And that brings us to the last week of the Valley regular season. A lot of Jays fans can see the gleam of the Arch from here, after the past week the Jays have had, and you can bet Altman’s players and coaches will have revenge on their minds in upcoming payback games at home against Evansville and Indiana State and at Illinois State. So while the rest of the top teams in the Valley slug it out against one another during the next seven days, Creighton will take on two of the more beatable teams in the conference at home and face a winnable road game to close out the regular season.

Here are five things to look for (actually, hope for) during the final week of the regular season:

1. Funk continuing his MVP-type play

He leads the league in scoring per game, hits 56% of his shots from the field, and connects on 46% of his three-point attempts, all while leading the Jays in rebounding per game and staking his claim as the best player in the league. If the Jays have any chance of winning out this week and making a run in St. Louis, they can’t afford Funk having a sub par game. Rodney Buford, Ryan Sears, Ben Walker, and Kyle Korver all finalized their legendary status in Bluejay basketball history by producing in the post season, and this is Funk’s first chance to be focal point of the team as the second season begins.

2. Mathies finishing the season strong

Johnny has hit his stride and looks the most comfortable he has been in the white and blue so far in his Creighton career. He has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 14 games (18 times total) and has asserted himself as the second scoring option for this Jays team. Mathies continues to be a tough match up for most defenders in the Valley, and he can make great things happen with his speed and quickness. Mathies looks in sync with his teammates, and plays tougher as each game goes by.

3. Bluejays making the extra pass

When Creighton is playing well and hitting open shots, players at every position are making the extra pass to spring open looks for their teammates. The best example of that was obviously the win over Chattanooga, but this team is dangerous anytime they get clear shot attempts from outside. Jimmy Motz, Dane Watts, and even Kellen Miliner can’t create their outside shots nearly as well as Funk and Mathies can, but any one of them are dangerous from long range if left open or coming off of a couple of screens and picks. The Jays have to make teams pay for leaving shooters open, and that challenge falls at the feet of Motz, Watts, and especially Miliner.

4. Jeff Day taking over the paint

Day has shown flashes of being a better than average center in the Valley, but it has been tough for him to put together strings of quality games. With Anthony Tolliver struggling to provide consistent offense and defense night after night, Day is going to have to continue altering shots, getting to the free throw line, and hitting face-up jumpers and baby-hook shots. The more consistency Day can play with, the better the chances of the Jays become.

5. The Valley standings shaking out right

So much of Creighton’s possible successes at Arch Madness rely on the right match ups and the right seeding heading into the tournament. While the Jays can arguably compete with any team in the Valley on any given night, there are obviously teams that the Jays match up better against than others. For my money, there is no way I want to have the Jays playing Southwest Missouri State down in St. Louis. But that being said, it is hard to beat a good team three times in one season.

Perhaps all we really know is that the next two weeks of Bluejay basketball are going to be decided by effort, hustle, and defense. And a guy named Funk.