Creighton Basketball have struggled to a 1-3 start in Big East play. They travel to St. John’s on Thursday in need of a win. What are the keys to getting a big road win?
A couple of struggling Big East teams will look to get headed in the right direction when the St. John’s Red Storm (14-3, 2-3) welcomes the Creighton Bluejays (10-7, 1-3) to Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday night.
Both teams enter this game hoping to end losing streaks. Head Coach Greg Mcdermott’s Bluejays have lost three straight to Butler, a heartbreaking overtime decision to Marquette, and most recently to Villanova. Chris Mullin had his Red Storm on a roll heading into league play with a 12-0 record, but since then they have run into a bit of tough luck, losing their league opener to Seton Hall on a three-pointer at the buzzer. They followed that up with wins over No. 16 Marquette and Georgetown, sitting at 2-1 the Johnnies moved into the top 25 but have since have fallen to Villanova and Depaul, although the latter came without leading scorer Shamorie Ponds.
It’s early, but this a key game for both teams as neither wants to fall further behind the league leaders. It may be more important for Creighton, as five of the next eight for the Bluejays come on the road. They have struggled away from home so far this season, going 1-3, with the only win coming at Providence 79-68. In their road losses to Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Butler, they haven’t been competitive, losing by an average of 15.6 points.
Creighton could use a win, and more importantly a road win to gain some confidence and join the rest of the pack trying to stay within striking distance of the frontrunners. Here are some key factors to a Creighton win.