Illinois State 86, Creighton 64
Paint It Red
Creighton’s coach Dana Altman isn’t a big fan of the Redbirds. No, not in a Greggggg Marshall “I’m-going-to-get-you-for-this” sort of way. Rather, Illinois State for much of Altman’s early years in the MVC proved to be too much for his teams to handle. He lost his first 9 meetings with the Redbirds, a problem that plagued his squads until January 1999. During his first few years in the Valley, Altman watched ISU go to the Big Dance in 1997 and 1998 (and he just missed them winning conference regular season titles in 92 and 93, too).
And then just like that, the problem was gone. The ascension of CU hoops to the top of the MVC standings coincided with a precipitous decline of similar pace by the Illinois State program. In fact, it was in the same year that he beat the Redbirds for the first time (99) that he led the Jays to the NCAA Tournament after winning Arch Madness. And starting in the last January of the millennium and stretching to the same time in 2007, Altman’s Jays lost just four times to ISU (compared with 16 wins).
I’ve been present at many of those recent wins in Omaha, and my buddies Panon and Peter even made a trek to Normal our senior year in college to watch Kyle Korver and Mike Lindeman beat up ISU at Redbird Arena. And in recent years, many Jays fans like myself started to take a win or two each year against Illinois State for granted. Those days are gone, my friends. As if you needed any explanation now.
Beginning with a 10-point brain cramp suffered by Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver’s 06-07 team on the road a week or two before they started an NCAA Tournament run and continuing to two double-digit losses last season, Altman and Creighton had dropped their previous three games against ISU going into Saturday night’s roadie at sold-out Redbird Arena. And boy did it get worse in a hurry.
Sure, the Jays trailed by only 4 at halftime. Booker Woodfox hadn’t gotten on track just yet, but he was sure to better his shooting in the second half, right? (Wrong.) And sure CU was getting outrebounded 26-16 at half, but they could pick up the intensity on the boards in the second stanza, right? (Oh, so wrong.) And my (least) favorite cheesy 70s buddy cop show, “Osiris and Champ,” would come back down to earth a bit and allow the Jays to stay close, right? (Like you had to ask.)
Osiris Eldridge had 20 points and 9 rebounds (plus 4 steals, 3 assists, and just 1 turnover) and Champ Oguchi snagged 14 points and 6 rebounds (while having a tougher time battling foul trouble than Bluejay defenders). ISU shot 50% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and were plus-18 on the boards. All in all, it probably looked a lot like the performances levied upon CU by Illinois State teams of the 1990s.
But it is not overstating to say that Creighton played far and away its worst basketball of the season in Normal. A team heavily reliant on long range shooting accuracy and performance made just 28% of their 3-pointers (5-18). A team that is among the nation’s leaders at stealing the basketball swiped just 4 from the Redbirds. And a team that must be crisp offensively and vocal defensively were neither, causing a quick meltdown in the second half reminiscent of many a road game in any of the Valley pit-stops in Illinois.
The Redbirds remain undefeated, and the Jays left Normal feeling anything but. There will be a chance for retribution (not the Gregggggg Marshall kind) during Senior Day at the Qwest Center, but for now the Jays must turn their attention to the other 8 teams in the MVC. Take care of business against the rest of the Valley, as the Redbirds will be awaiting a season-ending showdown on February 28.
In fact, they probably aren’t going anywhere else but the top of the league for the near future. Gone for a few years, the Redbirds are back.
Creighton’s coach Dana Altman isn’t a big fan of the Redbirds. No, not in a Greggggg Marshall “I’m-going-to-get-you-for-this” sort of way. Rather, Illinois State for much of Altman’s early years in the MVC proved to be too much for his teams to handle. He lost his first 9 meetings with the Redbirds, a problem that plagued his squads until January 1999. During his first few years in the Valley, Altman watched ISU go to the Big Dance in 1997 and 1998 (and he just missed them winning conference regular season titles in 92 and 93, too).
And then just like that, the problem was gone. The ascension of CU hoops to the top of the MVC standings coincided with a precipitous decline of similar pace by the Illinois State program. In fact, it was in the same year that he beat the Redbirds for the first time (99) that he led the Jays to the NCAA Tournament after winning Arch Madness. And starting in the last January of the millennium and stretching to the same time in 2007, Altman’s Jays lost just four times to ISU (compared with 16 wins).
I’ve been present at many of those recent wins in Omaha, and my buddies Panon and Peter even made a trek to Normal our senior year in college to watch Kyle Korver and Mike Lindeman beat up ISU at Redbird Arena. And in recent years, many Jays fans like myself started to take a win or two each year against Illinois State for granted. Those days are gone, my friends. As if you needed any explanation now.
Beginning with a 10-point brain cramp suffered by Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver’s 06-07 team on the road a week or two before they started an NCAA Tournament run and continuing to two double-digit losses last season, Altman and Creighton had dropped their previous three games against ISU going into Saturday night’s roadie at sold-out Redbird Arena. And boy did it get worse in a hurry.
Sure, the Jays trailed by only 4 at halftime. Booker Woodfox hadn’t gotten on track just yet, but he was sure to better his shooting in the second half, right? (Wrong.) And sure CU was getting outrebounded 26-16 at half, but they could pick up the intensity on the boards in the second stanza, right? (Oh, so wrong.) And my (least) favorite cheesy 70s buddy cop show, “Osiris and Champ,” would come back down to earth a bit and allow the Jays to stay close, right? (Like you had to ask.)
Osiris Eldridge had 20 points and 9 rebounds (plus 4 steals, 3 assists, and just 1 turnover) and Champ Oguchi snagged 14 points and 6 rebounds (while having a tougher time battling foul trouble than Bluejay defenders). ISU shot 50% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and were plus-18 on the boards. All in all, it probably looked a lot like the performances levied upon CU by Illinois State teams of the 1990s.
But it is not overstating to say that Creighton played far and away its worst basketball of the season in Normal. A team heavily reliant on long range shooting accuracy and performance made just 28% of their 3-pointers (5-18). A team that is among the nation’s leaders at stealing the basketball swiped just 4 from the Redbirds. And a team that must be crisp offensively and vocal defensively were neither, causing a quick meltdown in the second half reminiscent of many a road game in any of the Valley pit-stops in Illinois.
The Redbirds remain undefeated, and the Jays left Normal feeling anything but. There will be a chance for retribution (not the Gregggggg Marshall kind) during Senior Day at the Qwest Center, but for now the Jays must turn their attention to the other 8 teams in the MVC. Take care of business against the rest of the Valley, as the Redbirds will be awaiting a season-ending showdown on February 28.
In fact, they probably aren’t going anywhere else but the top of the league for the near future. Gone for a few years, the Redbirds are back.
posted by Creighton Otter at 11:58 PM
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