Creighton Basketball: How do the Bluejays matchup with Kansas State?

Creighton has a difficult opening game against the Kansas State Wildcats. How do the Bluejays matchup to their first-round foe?

Tip Time: Friday, March 16^th, 6:50 PM ET, TNT

Arena: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

Creighton’s matchup against Kansas State has an interesting wrinkle, but the game itself is just as intriguing.

Star guard Marcus Foster started his career at Kansas State where he played two seasons before transferring to the Bluejays. While that is a great anecdote, it is likely to have little impact on the game, besides some awkwardness for Foster.

8-9 games are usually toss-ups, but Kansas State is dealing with multiple injuries to key players which could give Creighton an edge. The Wildcats star guard Barry Brown has been cleared to play, but Dean Wade’s status remains uncertain. Wade and Brown are Kansas State’s two best players so it is imperative that they play for both viewing enjoyment (for non-Creighton fans) and for the Wildcats’ chances.

Kansas State guard Kamau Stokes has also struggled with injuries this year and has not been the same player since returning from an extended mid-season absence. Stokes averaged 11.7ppg last season, but since his return on February 3^rd, he has averaged a meager 3.2ppg coming off the bench.

The Bluejays have not avoided the injury bug themselves. Their starting center Martin Krampejl is lost for the year and their starting PF Ronnie Harrell has seen limited minutes since his return from a late-season injury.

Harrell is a crucial piece to matchup up with Dean Wade who is a skilled 6’10’’ PF. Freshman Mitch Ballock replaced Harrell in the starting lineup as a make-shift PF, but he would likely get torched trying to defend Wade. Ballock is known for his offense and three-point shooting and struggled to match Alpha Diallo’s physicality in their most recent game against Providence.

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The weak link in the Kansas State lineup is at the center position where the two-headed monster of Makol Mawien and Levi Stockard are relied on more for their defense and rebounding. It’s unusual to say a guy (Mawien) who scored 29 points in his most recent game isn’t a main offensive contributor, but he scores more off dump offs and putbacks then he does create for himself.

The Wildcats can address this offensive weakness by sliding Wade to the center position and going with a small lineup. Obviously, if Wade is out, Kansas State does not have the pieces to pull this off which is another reason why his health is imperative.

Creighton has never been opposed to going small, so both sides may ditch their big men for a majority of the game. On the other hand, freshman center Jacob Epperson has played so well of late that he could be tough to leave off the floor. Either way, this has the potential to be a really fun, up and down, offensive centric matchup.

The Kansas State guards will have their hands full with the pesky Bluejay perimeter defense. Unfortunately for Barry Brown, he will likely draw the defensive assignment from Kyhri Thomas who is one of the best defenders in the nation and is a future NBA first-round draft pick.

Thomas is notorious for taking the opposing team’s best guard out of the game, but can also make a major impact on the offensive end. Marcus Foster and Thomas are Creighton’s two go-to offensive players and they will need contributions from the supporting cast if they are to advance.

The aforementioned Ballock and Toby Hegner need to space the floor with their perimeter shooting. Hegner is a true stretch five who prefers to hang around the three-point line. Starting PG Davion Mintz also needs to be an offensive threat while he is on the court as his usual stability may not be enough in this do-or-die game.

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Overall, Creighton has an excellent chance to prevail, even if Kansas State is fully healthy. Limiting their two stars, Wade and Brown, will be the defensive focus for Creighton. Offensively, they need contributions outside of their own top two (Foster and Thomas) which has been an issue all season long. The Creighton offense can become stagnant when Foster and Thomas are forced to defer to their teammates.

Prediction: Creighton 78 Kansas State 71