Creighton Basketball: Has a weakness for the Bluejays been identified?

Creighton Basketball remains a top-10 caliber team but is there a chance that there’s a fatal flaw with them? Check out this closer look.

Weakness detected!  The Blue Jays bounced back after that embarrassing loss to Colorado State beating Oklahoma State with ease on Thursday night with a final score of 79-65.  After Utah State transfer Steven Ashworth struggled to begin the season, he came up big in the win. He was lights out from three going 4-5 and finished with 17 points and 5 assists.  Trey Alexander also had a bounce-back game after his recent struggles hitting beautiful mid-range fadeaways to finish with 20 points and 7 boards.

Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner have been steady eddy this season with Scheierman putting up 21 points and 8 rebounds while Kalkbrenner finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.  The Blue Jays were looking back to par on what they should be.  Everything sounds great, right?  Although they won, I noticed a huge weakness for the Blue Jays that worries me for when they get into the tournament.

The Jays are quick and versatile beating you with the three balls, pick and roll, and in transition.  However, one area they lack in is… physicality.  They are prone to get “bullied” but physical teams.  In the middle of Thursday night’s game against Oklahoma State the Blue Jays had a hefty lead until the Cowboys started to get physical.  The Cowboys started pushing, lowering the shoulder, and flat out bullied the Jays for a period and gained some of their deficit back.  This reminded me of the Elite Eight game against San Diego State last season.  The Aztecs were a very physical team and bullied the Jays, and as a result, the Jays lost.  The Blue Jays were clearly the better team but couldn’t get tough to defend themselves against the tenacious Aztecs.

Going forward Greg McDermott will need to implement a game plan against the bully teams.  They have plenty of time before the tournament starts to get their team in the weight room and teach them to be more physical.  Baylor is probably the toughest, most physical guy on the team, and we need everyone else to get on his level, especially Ryan Kalkbrenner.  Kalk has the size, but he is a nice guy who needs to get MEAN.  On one side, not being super physical is a big reason that the Jays are infrequently in foul trouble but when the going gets tough, it’s time to get tougher.

On the bright side, Ryan Kalkbrenner has started shooting the three balls more often and I am here for it.  Last season every open shot he had behind the arc; he was very timid and would pass the ball.  If Kalk continues shooting the three and is making them, the game changes.  Defenders will have to defend him on the three-point line instead of staying in the paint, which will open room for the others to make their cuts and score a lot in the paint.  If everyone on the court for the Blue Jays can make the three, how can you beat them?  You can’t.

To sum this up, the Blue Jays have a weakness, but they have identified it early into the season which gives them plenty of time to work on it.  Besides the lack of toughness, they are looking to make a deep run into the bracket.  With recent losses to UConn, Marquette, and Villanova, the Blue Jays will have an opportunity to go up in the rankings and win the Big East.  Creighton will have (as of now) three ranked matchups in a row in mid to late December with Alabama, Villanova, and Marquette, so the Blue Jays will be able to gain a nice lead in the Big East if they can pull out those wins.

Do you agree or disagree that Creighton lacks physical toughness, and will it be their downfall?