Creighton vs. Yale: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
The Hall of Fame has some intriguing matchups to start off the season. If done right, the Yale Bulldogs could be the biggest winners of the opening weekend.
TV schedule: Friday, Nov. 10, Check Local Listings, 9:00 p.m. E.T.
Location: CenturyLink Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska
Although neither team is ranked, this could very well include one of the best player matchups of the opening weekend. Creighton comes into this season after losing star freshman Justin Patton to the first round of the NBA. There wasn’t much talk about him leaving at the start of last year, but his accelerated development opened the doors for his departure.
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Patton had the guards to thank for his success, including now graduated guard Maurice Watson. The point guard was one of the top distributors last season, averaging over eight a game. Even though he’s gone, senior guard Marcus Foster will take over as the leader of the team. The former Kansas State transfer has seen a resurrection in his career, averaging over 18 ppg and will attempt to carry this team back to the NCAA Tournament.
Yale did lose a couple of players, but the story for the 2017-18 season is the return of Makai Mason. After taking the Bulldogs to the tournament and pulling off the upset against Baylor two years ago, the preseason Ivy League Player of the Year missed all of last season with an injury. Yale still managed to finish third, thanks to the emergence of now-sophomore stud Miye Oni.
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While the matchup with the point guards will take center stage, the hidden battle between Oni and Khyri Thomas on the wings could have a major impact on who wins this game. The defending Big East Defensive Player of the Year will have his hands full with the 6’7 versatile forward.
This is a fairly even battle on paper with these two teams, and James Jones and Greg McDermott are two of the more underrated coaches of the last decade. Creighton should be gone in the tournament picture in the Big East, but Yale is desperate for quality wins for their slim at-large hopes. It might a cliché, but this could come down to who wants it more. In this case, Mason has his big return moment in a nail-biter victory.
Prediction: Yale 73 – Creighton 70