Creighton 79, Evansville 57

A Snapshot of Selflessness

Following Creighton’s road win at Bradley a few weeks ago, newspapers in Omaha and Peoria reported that Dana Altman had prepared his team for the victory by unleashing a rousing pregame speech intent on inspiring his players with images of playing to win for each other, and for the university and its fans.

Following a convincing win against the Braves and a close-yet-victorious contest at home against SIU, the effects of Altman’s speech must have been wearing off as the team approached Wichita. The final against the Shox wasn’t pretty, but it looked a lot better than the majority of play on the court. Still, CU is a solid squad and was still just 6 points down midway through the second half against the Shockers.

So Dana apparently reached into the same bag of tricks that helped the Jays focus against Bradley and pulled out a similar sermon before CU took the court in Evansville last night. Watching the team play 20 games already this year, I sometimes get the feeling that there are long lulls of communication between the players, which directly affects the play on the court. But between Altman’s address and the players-only meeting that also took place before the game against the Purple Aces, conversation seemed to be in order to avoid a 2-game losing streak. Those conversations not only paid off, but seemed to carry over directly into the Jays’ effort against Evansville.

Against Wichita, the Jays dished only 8 assists (their third-worst performance of the season in that category). Versus Evansville, CU spread the ball around to the tune of 21 assists (their second-highest total of the year). P’Allen Stinnett might not have had one of his amazing scoring nights, but that mattered none; he had 4 assists and ZERO turnovers. Cavel Witter (4) and Antoine Young (3) each made some great plays to find open teammates (they also each had their fair share of problems, with 4 turnovers apiece).

But the player whose evening most resembled what this year’s team is searching for on a regular basis was Casey Harriman. The Lion King plays about 15 minutes per game and is good for just a little more than 3 points per contest. But during those precious 900 seconds of playing time, Harriman gives what seems to be 900% effort. Again, it doesn’t always translate to great stat lines (see: WSU game), but he does what he is asked to do and does it with energy and passion. Plus, the kid is tough.

Harriman had a great night against UE

He hadn’t played more than 20 minutes in a game since December 13, yet he got 22 minutes last night and made the most of them. 11 points (career high). 4 rebounds. 2 blocked shots (doubling his season total). A couple dives to the floor. A knock down on a screen. Oh, and 5 assists (also a career high). His shot looked a bit more lofty, his step a bit more smooth. Last year he hit nearly 43% of his 3-pointers; this year, just 33% through 20 games. He played his way onto the court through hustle and doing the little things, and he found his shot and a rhythm.

And the Jays found theirs, too. CU shot 57% from the floor (their best mark this season) and 56% from 3-point range (their second-best effort of the year). They won the battle of the boards, for goodness sake (39-27), with everyone besides Booker Woodfox (1) and Dustin Sitzmann (0) pulling down 2 or more rebounds. And our front line got involved, to the tune of Kenny Lawson’s 16 points and 5 rebounds and Justin Carter’s 14 points and 6 rebounds.

I hope the Jays don’t continue to need Altman’s rousing pregame speeches to remind them what they’re playing for. This team can beat anyone in this league, and a lot of teams outside it. If they want a constant reminder, they can print the two box scores that are most impressive to me so far this season (at Bradley, at Evansville) and hang them on their dorm room walls or inside the posh Qwest Center lockers. They are snapshots into selfless play, something that when coupled with offensive execution and defensive intensity can propel this team to the top of the Missouri Valley and beyond.