NCAA Basketball: 10 most compelling 1st round 2023 NCAA Tournament matchups
Creighton (6) vs. NC State (11)
The 6/11 matchup has replaced the 5/12 as the fashionable upset. According to ESPN, 11-seeds own a 14-10 record against 6-seeds since 2014. With that in mind, the best 6/11 matchup this year is between Creighton and NC State.
The Bluejays have shaken off an early season six-game losing streak to find the form that gave AP voters the faith to vote them ninth in the country to start the year. Junior center Ryan Kalkbrenner is the back-to-back Big East Defensive Player of the Year, and he also leads the team in scoring on an incredible 71.4% shooting.
Kalkbrenner has plenty of help. Sophomore point guard Ryan Nembhard is one of five Bluejays that score in double figures, and he also averages almost five assists per game. South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman can score from anywhere on the floor, plus he leads the team with 8.4 rebounds per game.
Creighton will need Kalkbrenner to hold up against a post presence the likes of which he hasn’t seen before in the Wolfpack’s DJ Burns. Burns is an old-school big, using his size and strength to methodically back his man down before putting up a feathery soft jump hook. He’s complemented by an electric trio of guards that love to get out and run in Terquavion Smith, Jarkel Joiner, and Casey Morsell.
In some ways, these teams play right into each other’s hands. NC State doesn’t turn the ball over, and Creighton won’t force them to. NC State also doesn’t get to the free throw line, which is good because Creighton doesn’t allow free throws.
There’s no telling which Wolfpack team will show up for head coach Kevin Keatts. When State is on, they can play with anyone, such as when they blew out Duke by 24 early in conference play. When they’re off, though, it can get ugly, like when Clemson whomped them three times by a combined 65 points. If they get a locked-in effort against this talented Creighton team, this will be one of the best games of the early rounds.