Creighton Basketball: Can Bluejays shoot their way through March?

Reasoning for an early exit

Granted the aforementioned proverb was not referring to the fact that out of the five losses the Bluejays have suffered this season, in four of those games they connected on ten or fewer three-pointers. There has become a very clear and defined method to defeat them.

Granted, hitting open shots is one of the skills that transcend opponents effectively. Whether you are playing a mid-major or a top-25 team, if you can hit an open shot you can hit an open shot. The time and space the shooter has will differ against the higher caliber teams, but to what extent is unknown.

The bottom line is, Creighton is known to miss three-pointers and they have been known to lose the games that they do. At best Creighton will be a three seed and have to face a team like Arkansas, Kansas, or LSU as a six seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, all teams they can beat if they are hitting their three-pointers.

If the Bluejays do not connect from deep early and fall behind versus a higher octane offense than they have faced in Big East play, the only way they know how to dig themselves out of a hole is by taking three-pointers and their key to success becomes a slippery slope.

The Bluejays’ two-point percentage stands out, however, for it is top-10 in the nation at 58 percent, but their two-point attempts are No. 269 per game. There are too many ‘what ifs’ to have in a field of so many good teams to put your confidence in a team that will win if they make shots. There are way too many teams with that profile that ends up losing.