Gameday Pick ‘em #19: Wichita State (6-11; 0-6)
The Pundits
“Jays can’t look past struggling Shockers” (OWH)
“Witter apologizes for words with Saluki” (OWH)
“Ankle sprain sidelines Millard for 4 to 6 weeks” (OWH)
“Shatel: What’s Next? Altman at a loss” (OWH)
“Shockers alone in last place” (Wichita Eagle)
The Picks
How do I put this kindly? I don’t care much for anything Black and Gold. Since childhood, I’ve been seemingly allergic to color combinations like those sported on the uniforms of Wichita State’s baseball and basketball teams. I have a similar aversion to combinations of maroon and grey/black, thanks to my early experiences as a Jays fan with Southwest Missouri State and then more recently because of the Salukis of Southern Illinois.
Why bring up color? Because “BLANK-outs” are all the rage these days, especially in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton won an incredible overtime game against SIU a few nights ago, the same evening 15,000-plus Jays fans donned white clothing and braved the cold January evening. Those are the same Salukis who will host a similar “white-out” Sunday night on ESPNU as they host the Bradley Braves.
Today is a “black-out” in Wichita. The folks at Wichita State will have electricity; they’ll also have black jerseys with gold trim out on the Koch Arena floor. Subsequently, the Jays are packing their home white uniforms for their trip to Kansas. Here’s to hoping CU beats WSU just as they did in the MVC opener for both schools, at home in the Qwest Center.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and a 0-6 team with motivational issues might need something like an arena gimmick to get revved up for a midseason tilt against the MVC’s preseason pick for a league title. The Jays will need to stay the course and absorb what will most likely be a boisterous and fury-fueled fan base, one that is falling over itself to get into the win column.
This games has “TRAP” written all over it. With Chad Millard out with an ankle injury and Booker Woodfox unlikely to be at 100% the rest of the season because of an ankle problem, as well, Creighton will need to bear down and play within Dana Altman’s system to pull out a win in this hostile situation. P’Allen Stinnett and the other Jays can’t allow themselves to become unraveled, even as Head Shocker Gregggggg Marshall will probably be spitting fire from the opening tip trying to get his guys intent on slaying the Bluejays.
Regardless of what happens, though, I hope Altman and the Jays can connect on one of their familiar backdoor alley-oop or pick dunk plays. I’m sure Marshall would appreciate it, too. That is, as long as it comes at the right time in the game for CU.
I really hope the Jays win this one. There’s only one set of colors that will look good tomorrow, and that’s the White and Blue.
Leading Scorer
Creighton Otter: Kenny Lawson (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (19)
Panon: Cavel Witter (15)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: P’Allen Stinnett (18)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Antoine Young (19)
Margin
Creighton Otter: Jays by 2
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15
Panon: Jays by 8
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 5
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 6
“Jays can’t look past struggling Shockers” (OWH)
“Witter apologizes for words with Saluki” (OWH)
“Ankle sprain sidelines Millard for 4 to 6 weeks” (OWH)
“Shatel: What’s Next? Altman at a loss” (OWH)
“Shockers alone in last place” (Wichita Eagle)
The Picks
How do I put this kindly? I don’t care much for anything Black and Gold. Since childhood, I’ve been seemingly allergic to color combinations like those sported on the uniforms of Wichita State’s baseball and basketball teams. I have a similar aversion to combinations of maroon and grey/black, thanks to my early experiences as a Jays fan with Southwest Missouri State and then more recently because of the Salukis of Southern Illinois.
Why bring up color? Because “BLANK-outs” are all the rage these days, especially in the Missouri Valley Conference. Creighton won an incredible overtime game against SIU a few nights ago, the same evening 15,000-plus Jays fans donned white clothing and braved the cold January evening. Those are the same Salukis who will host a similar “white-out” Sunday night on ESPNU as they host the Bradley Braves.
Today is a “black-out” in Wichita. The folks at Wichita State will have electricity; they’ll also have black jerseys with gold trim out on the Koch Arena floor. Subsequently, the Jays are packing their home white uniforms for their trip to Kansas. Here’s to hoping CU beats WSU just as they did in the MVC opener for both schools, at home in the Qwest Center.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and a 0-6 team with motivational issues might need something like an arena gimmick to get revved up for a midseason tilt against the MVC’s preseason pick for a league title. The Jays will need to stay the course and absorb what will most likely be a boisterous and fury-fueled fan base, one that is falling over itself to get into the win column.
This games has “TRAP” written all over it. With Chad Millard out with an ankle injury and Booker Woodfox unlikely to be at 100% the rest of the season because of an ankle problem, as well, Creighton will need to bear down and play within Dana Altman’s system to pull out a win in this hostile situation. P’Allen Stinnett and the other Jays can’t allow themselves to become unraveled, even as Head Shocker Gregggggg Marshall will probably be spitting fire from the opening tip trying to get his guys intent on slaying the Bluejays.
Regardless of what happens, though, I hope Altman and the Jays can connect on one of their familiar backdoor alley-oop or pick dunk plays. I’m sure Marshall would appreciate it, too. That is, as long as it comes at the right time in the game for CU.
I really hope the Jays win this one. There’s only one set of colors that will look good tomorrow, and that’s the White and Blue.
Leading Scorer
Creighton Otter: Kenny Lawson (14)
Dance Cam Guy: Justin Carter (19)
Panon: Cavel Witter (15)
Mrs. Creighton Otter: P’Allen Stinnett (18)
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Antoine Young (19)
Margin
Creighton Otter: Jays by 2
Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 15
Panon: Jays by 8
Mrs. Creighton Otter: Jays by 5
Mrs. Dance Cam Guy: Jays by 6
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