While a challenging nonconference schedule did not go exactly to plan, Creighton will have a chance to extend a perfect start to Big East play when Butler visits Omaha, Neb., on Tuesday.
Creighton (8-5, 2-0 Big East) enters on a three-game winning streak, collecting the first two of those victories over Xavier and Marquette to open the conference schedule. The Bluejays also earned a 92-69 victory over Utah Tech on Dec. 22.
“We’re in such a better place than we were 10 days ago,” Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott said after the most recent victory. “I’m proud of the guys for that. I think they bought into each other a bit more and they bought into what we have asked them to do (by) keeping the game a little simpler than we were before.”
A powerhouse early schedule for the Bluejays included losses to the likes of Gonzaga, Iowa State and Nebraska, all of whom are now ranked 13th or better.
Only Josh Dix has started all 13 games for Creighton this season and has averaged a team-best 12.2 points. Nik Graves averages 9.5 points, while Blake Harper posts 9.3 points with 5.0 rebounds.
Butler (10-3, 1-1) has lost just once over the past four games, but that defeat was to then-No. 5 UConn 79-60 in a road conference game on Dec. 16. The Bulldogs are 0-2 in true road games after also losing at SMU on Nov. 15.
Butler’s final nonconference tuneup before fully jumping into Big East play came in a 101-52 blowout victory over NJIT at home on Dec. 22. Seven players scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Michael Ajayi, who added 12 rebounds. Drayton Jones scored 14 points.
All of that production came without third-leading scorer Jamie Kaiser Jr. (10.3 points), who sat out with an ankle injury. Ajayi, a Gonzaga transfer, leads the Bulldogs with 16.6 points and 12.2 rebounds.
“Butler means everything to me,” Ajayi said on the TNT broadcast after a Big East victory over Providence. “They welcomed me with open arms and I just love it here; they love me back. … They have our back.”
–Field Level Media
