Creighton 82, Drake 69
Driving to the game Sunday, I resigned myself to the fact that I will inevitably find ways for Creighton to lose the rest of their games the rest of the season. I am a very positive person, but after getting my hopes up so high for this season, I feel like a correction is in order.
Don’t get me wrong, I still want Dana Altman’s team to win every game. And deep down inside, I’m still expecting them to win every game; I will still get that piercing pain in my stomach after losses. But the Valley is tough this year – I mean, really tough. And Nate Funk is injured. These Bluejays, inexperienced for the most part at the Division I level, can’t overcome losing arguably their best basketball player to injury, can they?
These are the arguments I have with myself – scary, I know. But then again, this season has been overcome with conflict: Funk’s injury, Pierce Hibma and Jimmy Motz missing games because they’re hurt, Manny Gakou missing games because of NCAA infractions suffered in high school, and a tougher-than-usual non-conference schedule.
So there I was, in my Bluejay-blue car, with my Bluejay sticker in the window and my Creighton baseball hat in the rear window, making my way to the Qwest Center and racking my brain, trying to convince myself of ways the Jays could lose to Drake. There were plenty; Drake’s ability to press a Jays team that has committed its fair share of turnovers and the sheer number of players Dr. Tom Davis could throw at Altman’s game plan, which was still trying to get quality minutes from newly-activated players like Hibma, Motz, and Gakou. Yep, those seem like two pretty good reasons.
I even called Matt Perrault’s Bluejay Pregame radio show, to discuss how I thought this season’s Jays squad would have to rely on three or four guys scoring in double figures each night to carry the bulk of the offense. I figured that this might be our best chance of winning close games – not depending on one person to save us in games (ala Funk last year).
And then Johnny Mathies exploded. He did so to the tune of 32 points, hitting 6 of 10 three-point shots and elevating his offensive game just when Altman – not to mention the 14,000-plus fans at the Q – needed him to.
Poor Dr. Tom. For all intents and purposes, his team didn’t have a chance when Mathies started to catch fire. Plus, he wasn’t even the most popular Dr. Tom in the building – Dr. Tom Osborne and his Teammates program were the guests of honor at the Q that afternoon. The Jays stretched the lead to 28 points at one time, and they coasted to a double-digit win.
Most Jays fans, including Altman and his staff, could have done without the second half, when the Jays started playing carelessly and lost the huge lead. However, it is the second half of the Illinois State game and the first half against the Bulldogs that take away my ability to try and lower my expectations for this season at all.
Sure, those halves came against teams that generally finish no higher than middle of the pack in the Valley, but when the Jays are on their game they can beat anyone in this conference. End of story.
So don’t lower your expectations. Every player on Altman’s squad knows exactly just how good this team can be, when everything is clicking and everyone gives superior effort.
Their expectations won’t change, and hopefully neither will Mathies’ midrange jump shot or his cross-over, behind-the-back dribble.
Behind the Box Score
Don’t get me wrong, I still want Dana Altman’s team to win every game. And deep down inside, I’m still expecting them to win every game; I will still get that piercing pain in my stomach after losses. But the Valley is tough this year – I mean, really tough. And Nate Funk is injured. These Bluejays, inexperienced for the most part at the Division I level, can’t overcome losing arguably their best basketball player to injury, can they?
These are the arguments I have with myself – scary, I know. But then again, this season has been overcome with conflict: Funk’s injury, Pierce Hibma and Jimmy Motz missing games because they’re hurt, Manny Gakou missing games because of NCAA infractions suffered in high school, and a tougher-than-usual non-conference schedule.
So there I was, in my Bluejay-blue car, with my Bluejay sticker in the window and my Creighton baseball hat in the rear window, making my way to the Qwest Center and racking my brain, trying to convince myself of ways the Jays could lose to Drake. There were plenty; Drake’s ability to press a Jays team that has committed its fair share of turnovers and the sheer number of players Dr. Tom Davis could throw at Altman’s game plan, which was still trying to get quality minutes from newly-activated players like Hibma, Motz, and Gakou. Yep, those seem like two pretty good reasons.
I even called Matt Perrault’s Bluejay Pregame radio show, to discuss how I thought this season’s Jays squad would have to rely on three or four guys scoring in double figures each night to carry the bulk of the offense. I figured that this might be our best chance of winning close games – not depending on one person to save us in games (ala Funk last year).
And then Johnny Mathies exploded. He did so to the tune of 32 points, hitting 6 of 10 three-point shots and elevating his offensive game just when Altman – not to mention the 14,000-plus fans at the Q – needed him to.
Poor Dr. Tom. For all intents and purposes, his team didn’t have a chance when Mathies started to catch fire. Plus, he wasn’t even the most popular Dr. Tom in the building – Dr. Tom Osborne and his Teammates program were the guests of honor at the Q that afternoon. The Jays stretched the lead to 28 points at one time, and they coasted to a double-digit win.
Most Jays fans, including Altman and his staff, could have done without the second half, when the Jays started playing carelessly and lost the huge lead. However, it is the second half of the Illinois State game and the first half against the Bulldogs that take away my ability to try and lower my expectations for this season at all.
Sure, those halves came against teams that generally finish no higher than middle of the pack in the Valley, but when the Jays are on their game they can beat anyone in this conference. End of story.
So don’t lower your expectations. Every player on Altman’s squad knows exactly just how good this team can be, when everything is clicking and everyone gives superior effort.
Their expectations won’t change, and hopefully neither will Mathies’ midrange jump shot or his cross-over, behind-the-back dribble.
Behind the Box Score
- Ladies and Gentleman, I’d like to introduce you to Nick Porter. No, not the Porter who looked lost at times early in the season, who threw balls to phantom teammates and couldn’t get things to click on defense. I’m talking about the Porter everyone was raving about last season, when he had his Bluejay debut delayed by a year due to a knee injury.
Porter scored 12 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, hit 50% of his three-point shots, and dished out 6 assists for the second straight game. What’s better than that? How about ONE turnover in 28 minutes of action? If Dane Watts gets on track and starts adding consistent scoring to his improved rebounding and defensive effort, he and Porter will join Mathies and Anthony Tolliver as four possible go-to guys when Altman needs points.
posted by Creighton Otter at 10:43 PM
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