Creighton began a season-best four-game winning streak with a 41-point romp over Xavier last month.
After losing three of five games following the completion of that streak, the Bluejays (11-8, 5-3 Big East) will bid to get back on track Wednesday when they host the Musketeers (11-7, 3-4) in Omaha, Neb.
Austin Swartz collected 27 points and seven rebounds in Creighton’s decisive 98-57 victory over Xavier on Dec. 17 in Cincinnati. He erupted for 33 points in the Bluejays’ 86-83 overtime win over visiting Georgetown on Jan. 13 before being limited to just six on 1-of-13 shooting (0-for-8 from 3-point range) in a 93-88 setback at Providence on Friday.
“Austin Swartz has been incredibly consistent for us, but obviously he had a rough night,” Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott said. “(He) didn’t shoot it well and turned it over, and he hasn’t been doing that. So we obviously had to get it from somewhere else.”
That “somewhere else” proved to be Jasen Green, who sank eight of 10 shots from the floor en route to scoring a career-high 26 points versus the Friars. Josh Dix made three 3-pointers to highlight his 17-point performance, while Blake Harper added 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Xavier’s initial setback to Creighton ignited a 1-4 stretch, but the Musketeers have rebounded with five players registering double-digit scoring performances in each of their last two games (both wins).
Tre Carroll collected 29 points, nine rebounds and five blocks as Xavier recorded a wire-to-wire 89-75 home victory over Butler last Wednesday. He averages a team-best 16.7 points per game this season.
“Our spacing is good. It opens up the lane for a guy like him (Carroll),” Musketeers head coach Richard Pitino said. “When you’re playing five guys that can shoot, it can put teams in a bind a little bit and it opens it up for him.”
Malik Messina-Moore added 15 points and a career-best nine assists. He is averaging 16.9 points per game in conference play.
“We had 30 assists and only nine turnovers,” Messina-Moore said of last Wednesday’s game, per the Cincinnati Enquirer. “If we’re doing that, it’s gonna be hard to beat us.”
–Field Level Media
