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Big East Basketball: Creighton shows mental toughness in road win versus Xavier

By Carmine Carcieri

Jan 11, 2017; Omaha, NE, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) reacts after a play against the Butler Bulldogs at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Creighton defeated Butler 75-64. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2017; Omaha, NE, USA; Creighton Bluejays center Justin Patton (23) reacts after a play against the Butler Bulldogs at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Creighton defeated Butler 75-64. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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In a top 25 Big East basketball showdown, Creighton held off Xavier despite losing Maurice Watson Jr. to injury.

In the game of the day in the Big East, the No. 7 Creighton Bluejays held off the No. 22 Xavier Musketeers, 72-67, despite losing Maurice Watson Jr. to a knee injury in the 1st half.

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The Musketeers, whose best win comes against the Clemson Tigers on a neutral court, had a crystal clear chance to steal one at home. Down 68-67 with less than 30 seconds left, the Musketeers had four open shots (including two layups) to take the lead. They missed all four and failed to convert key free throws down the stretch, throwing away a shot to remain on par with the top three teams in the Big East.

The Bluejays were led by Marcus Foster, who scored 15 points on 7-of-20 shooting, and Khyri Thomas, who recorded 11 points. Toby Hegner and Justin Patton also scored in double figures, with 12 and 10 points respectively.

But the biggest story to come out of this game was the loss of Watson. The point guard only played nine minutes, scoring four points on 2-of-4 shooting. He initially banged knees with his opponent before limping to the bench. Greg McDermott re-inserted Watson minutes later and then this happened:

It didn’t look good as Watson had to be helped to the locker room and told McDermott that he heard his knee “pop.” While McDemott told FOX Sports after the game that all his ligaments are intact, the Bluejays are concerned about the status of his meniscus.

Obviously they can ill afford to lose their starting point guard and table setter, but it was awfully promising to see them win a road game in a hostile environment against a very good Xavier basketball team without Watson.

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And on top of the loss of Watson, Creighton only shot only 26 percent from three, Justin Patton battled foul trouble and they turned the ball over 14 times. They came into Monday averaging 87.6 points per game, however, they fell well short of that against Xavier.

We already knew the Bluejays were for real before today, but this victory only confirms how great this roster is and how mentally tough they are.

With Watson out, senior guard Isaiah Zierden stepped into a ball handling role and while he only scored five points, he recorded only two turnovers and played 31 minutes. The Bluejays battled, defended with excellence and received enough from their bench to leave Cincinnati with a victory.

Meanwhile, for Xavier, they are still searching for their first true “quality win.” Xavier has won just one true road game this season (Georgetown) and have yet to beat a top 25 opponent.

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Don’t get me wrong, Xavier is still a very quality basketball team and they pass the “eye test.” However, if they want to be considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament they must beef up their resume rather quickly. They still have Cincinnati, Creighton, Villanova, Butler and Seton Hall (twice), but they are running out of chances rapidly. This is a game they could’ve won.

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