Creighton Basketball 2020: Takeaways from heartbreaking loss to Kansas

Outlook going forward

Let’s face it; Creighton did not play great basketball today. It wouldn’t even be all that crazy to say that Creighton didn’t even play good basketball today. Ballock and Mahoney missed some wide-open three-point attempts down the stretch and Zegarowski couldn’t get anything going until the second half.

Creighton turned it over at a rate we haven’t seen from a Greg McDermott coached team for quite some time. They let up 13 offensive rebounds while Kansas allowed just three. With all that being said, the fact that they were even competitive in this game is a great sign for Greg McDermott.

There are numerous positives to be taken from this game. Bishop and Jefferson were extremely efficient inside, and every single starter had a positive plus-minus. The depth of Jones, Kalkbrenner, and Mitchell proved not to work out quite how Creighton would have suspected. Between the three of them, Creighton saw a plus-minus of negative 29.

McDermott abandoned the bench for much of the second half, in which Creighton was fairy effective on both ends of the court. Creighton outscored KU in the second half by a score of 37-34.

In a game that will be legitimately one of the best games of the year, Creighton hung with Kansas every single step of the way. Creighton fans will likely be discouraged and heartbroken after a loss like that, but it really should be the other way around. This proves even on days without their best shining through, Creighton is one of the best teams in the country.

Imagine this game had Creighton just hit open shots, held onto the basketball, and hit their free throws. These are three things that the Bluejays generally do exceptionally well, and they didn’t tonight. Had they did, the tone in Omaha would be quite different right now.

It’s nice to win games like that, both internally and to build your resume. But losing them can be just as motivating and leaves something to be desired. Creighton won’t be backing down from anyone they meet in the NCAA tournament, no matter what round. Don’t lose the faith, Bluejay Nation.