Creighton Basketball: Bluejays ready to challenge for Big East title

Creighton basketball’s offensive explosion helped them win the Paradise Jam.

Villanova and Xavier are the class of the Big East and are expected to finish first and second in the conference standings. But what about the Creighton Bluejays?

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Greg McDermott has his best team in Omaha since his son Doug graduated back in 2013-14. The Bluejays are athletic, tough, fast, fearless and boy can they score.

So far this year, the Bluejays haven’t lost a game (5-0), defeating Wisconsin at the CenturyLink Center and winning three straight games in the Paradise Jam (Washington State, North Carolina State and Ole Miss).

It’s tough to earn a better early season resume as that. Most importantly though, Creighton has looked impressive while doing so, especially on the offensive end of the floor.

Through five games, the Bluejays are averaging a whopping 94 points (!) with five players averaging double figures and the team as a whole shooting an absurd 54 percent from the field and 51 percent from beyond the arc. On top of that, Creighton is averaging 20 assists per outing.

The face of the offensive attack revolves around the two main guys in the backcourt, Maurice Watson Jr. and Marcus Foster. Foster is leading the team with 18 points per game, while Watson is putting up 12.6 points and has dished out 9.2 assists per outing. Watson is averaging 4.6 turnovers per game, but he is elite in transition and is the perfect compliment to the former Kansas State Wildcat.

The backcourt also consists of sophomore Khyri Thomas, who has taken a major leap so far this season. In his freshman campaign, Thomas was just a strong defender and an occasional scorer. Now in his second season, Thomas has suddenly molded into a dangerous factor on the offensive end of the floor.

Through five games, Thomas is averaging 14.2 points, while shooting 68 percent from the field and 63 percent from beyond the arc. His shooting stroke looks much smoother and he is suddenly hitting 92 percent of his free throws.

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If Thomas can continue to shoot like this throughout the season, Creighton’s backcourt is going to be nearly impossible to stop. Between Watson’s speed and playmaking ability, Foster’s creativity and Thomas’ shot making, the Bluejays are going to be awfully difficult to defend.

This is without mentioning the front court. When consistent, Cole Huff (11.4 points) is a stretch four who can put up points in a hurry. He scored 20 points against North Carolina State in the Paradise Jam and dropped 35 points on a bad knee in their opening round Big East Tournament game against Seton Hall.

Then there’s Justin Patton, a 7’0″ center who gives Creighton a different dimension on both ends of the floor. Patton is obviously inexperienced, but he is shooting 72 percent from the field, is averaging 10.6 points a game and is blocking 0.8 shots a game.

The Bluejays extend beyond their four leading scorers though, as their bench consists of veterans who are capable of keeping the energy level high when they hit the floor.

Toby Hegner can knock down threes, Zach Hanson is a big body in the post, Isaiah Zierden can shoot it and Tyler Clement can run the show with Watson out of the game. Creighton is currently ranked 12th in the latest AP Poll, but they have the makings of a top-10 team if they solve their turnover and defensive issues.

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Villanova is still the favorite and are likely to win the Big East for the fourth year in a row. However, I wouldn’t count out Creighton in terms of making the regular season title competitive. They could certainly pass Xavier in the standings and will make a long run in the NCAA Tournament if they continue to play this well offensively.