NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Iowa State, Houston rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
16. Creighton (17-7)
The Big East has become quite a slugfest in recent seasons and nobody knows that more than Creighton. The Bluejays have looked the part of a contender yet again this season, though nothing comes easy in a league that seems to get stronger with each passing season. Greg McDermott’s squad boasts one of the strongest lineups in the conference, but that doesn’t mean their immune against their conference rivals by any means.
Creighton dropped a second straight contest back on Wednesday, falling 91-87 in an overtime thriller at Providence. Baylor Scheierman was awesome with 27 points and 12 rebounds, but the Bluejays fell just short of sweeping the Friars and had another questionable defensive performance. Saturday’s road trip was more successful, as Creighton won 78-71 at Xavier. Ryan Kalkbrenner led the charge with 28 points while Scheierman (16 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists) had himself another really great game.
Road wins in the Big East are currency, especially over teams competing for NCAA Tournament bids. The Bluejays have had some down performances in recent weeks, but came on strong to finish a recent sweep of the Musketeers to get back on track. Creighton has been strong on offense but will need their defense to be better. They’ll hope to avenge a recent home loss next weekend as they head to Butler.