Sleeping with the Enemy: The Bluejays of Creighton

Your Fighting Hoyas of Georgetown put its UNDEFEATED and FIRST PLACE Big East record on the line Tuesday night at Creighton and as usual we here at THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON are bringing you everything you need to know about Georgetown's next opponent.  Here with us to dish on all things Bluejays is our blog buddy White and Blue Review, your trusted source for all of your Creighton needs.  Let's do this!

White and Blue Review! How has your 2016 been so far? Any big New Year's resolutions?
2016 has gotten off to a rough start.  We were hoping for Villanova to not take what they wanted from Creighton to start off the year, but that happened on Saturday night.  

As far as any New Year's resolutions, here are what we have, in no particular order:

1.  No more losses at the CenturyLink this season.
2.  For Billy Bluejay to come flying down from the rafters (he is the most athletic mascot in the Big East)
3.  To have Creighton hit more three pointers than the timeout promotion contestants do.



Let's talk a bit about this varietal of the Blue Jays. Who are some of the guys that the Hoyas need to watch out for?

The first guy to watch out for is Maurice Watson Jr.  He has taken on the role as the team leader after sitting out last season as a transfer from Boston University.  It has taken him most of the non-conference to get comfortable with things, but he now has great control of the team dishing out a high percentage of assists and scoring when needed.  With him on the court, Creighton has a chance to make something happen.

Geoffrey Groselle is the second person to watch out for.  He has grown immensely over the past year and has been a go-to player in the post.  He is almost leading Creighton in scoring right now and has seemed to have pretty much complete control of the paint against opposing centers until he ran into Villanova's Daniel Ochefu on Saturday night.  Hopefully that is an anomaly if the Jays want to be successful the rest of this season.


The third player to watch out for is Khyri Thomas.  The true freshman has started every game this season and has been a jack-of-all-trades player including a leader on defense.  While he has seen limited playing time at the start of Big East season, look for him to grow as the season progresses.  



Where do you see Creighton finishing in the Big East this season?

I think the jury is still out on this one.  The opening of Big East play is a big factor here.  The Bluejays won the opener at St. John's which is a great sign if the Jays want to be in contention for the middle of the pack in the Big East--Win the games you need to on the road.  The hope after the first three games was to be at least 2-1 to start conference play.  Unfortunately, Creighton didn't get that 2nd conference win against Villanova on Saturday night, but the hope is to catch a 2-0 Georgetown team off guard at the CenturyLink Center and get a win.  There is a lot of optimism, but still the fear of finishing towards the bottom.  I really think Creighton could be that 5th team sitting on the bubble if everything goes like it should.



Do you think Creighton will ever return to the national prominence it enjoyed when Dougie McBuckets was in school?

I hope so.  Having Doug stick around for his senior year to initiate Creighton into the Big East was the best thing that could have happened.  The type of players Creighton needs to be a big player in the Big East isn't happening overnight.  Doug McDermott and that crew that carried Creighton that first season were a special group.  But the question now is whether Doug McDermott was just that special of a player or if Greg McDermott can get the recruiting done to be an every year contender in the Big East.  It think they are on their way with transfers as a stop-gap before some other talented players decide to come to Omaha.  Give it two more years and Creighton will be a mainstay at the top half of the conference.  



Let's say I'm a 4-star forward at a high school in Omaha. Convince me I should go to Creighton instead of Nebraska.

Can you tell me the last time Creighton lost to Nebraska?  Has Tim Miles really proven that he is doing anything different than the other 3-4 coaches since Danny Nee?  Tim Miles made the mistake of saying Nebraska was "the only game in the state." when he first set foot in Nebraska.  I think the rivalry speaks for itself and the history behind the programs is the biggest selling point.  Both have great facilities (practice and game).  Both have decent fanbases.  But right now, who might keep their job the longest?  I would have to say Greg McDermott.  The Big East is where it is at for basketball focused schools.

Omaha Steaks. Decent cuts of meat or you'd rather eat lead paint?

I don't eat them myself.  I hear good things, but you can get better steaks in town.  


Most Hoyas fans are terrified of Creighton's #LetItFly philosophy. What's the key to shutting the Jays down?

Some will say the #LetItFly mentality is a little blown out of proportion.  The fanbase wil easily mock it when the shots aren't going down.  However, the fact remains that being quick on offense and playing in transition is a staple of Creighton basketball and the way Greg McDermott wants his teams to play.  I think the key to shutting it down is to keep Creighton from getting easy baskets down low and making that an effective option.  With easy points in the paint, teams will continue to start sagging off of shooters and then the ball will start getting kicked out to Creighton wings.  The question remains whether it will actually go in the basket.  If everything is going as it should, they usually do.  But if it becomes tough scoring in the paint and the pressure is there to make the outside shots, right now I don't think this team can handle that pressure.  They have shown that time and time again his season. At least that is how I see it in my mind.  


Final score prediction?

Creighton rarely loses two games in a row at home, last season being an outlier.  Georgetown has always been a bad matchup with Creighton. Georgetown ran away with the game in Omaha last season.  That all being said, I think Creighton rebounds from the Villanova loss on Saturday, another big crowd at the CLink, and the Jays will find their shooting touch again.  It is time for Creighton to break their losing streak to Georgetown and escape with an 83-79 victory.