Xavier's men's basketball team, coming off its first home loss of the season to Villanova on Wednesday, will need to find the right response at Cintas Center on Saturday (12 p.m., Fox) against Creighton.
The Bluejays (10-4, 2-1) look a lot different than last season with a completely new starting lineup that's young, but Creighton's already shown the new pieces can work well together. Creighton has two wins over ranked opponents – a 20-point drubbing of Villanova at home, and a 12-point win over BYU on a neutral floor.
The Bluejays are built similar to past teams but they're also slightly different.
Xavier head coach Travis Steele said Friday in his pre-game press conference that Creighton doesn't shoot as many 3-pointers as it has in years past.
Analysis: Missed opportunities plagued Xavier against Villanova
A big reason for that is the Bluejays like to play through 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner and 6-foot-7 forward Ryan Hawkins, who combined for around 25 points per game.
Steele said with Hawkins' versatility, he's a matchup problem, and Kalkbrenner's someone Xavier has to account for.
"We have to be able to deal with Ryan Kalkbrenner," said Steele. "Kalkbrenner's a game-changer on the defensive end. A lot of times, he just hovers around in that paint and he does a great job of protecting the rim. That's why their two-point field-goal percentage is so good ... a big part of it's due to Ryan Kalkbrenner."
And true freshman point guard Ryan Nembhard does a nice job producing for himself and his teammates in Creighton's offense. Steele said Nembhard's playing like one of the best freshmen in the Big East.
Xavier has to protect its home floor. Road wins look like they're going to be extremely difficult to find this season in the Big East, so that puts a premium on winning games at home that you're supposed to win.
The Game
- Tipoff: 12 p.m. on Saturday at Cintas Center
- TV/Radio: Fox national, including Fox 19 in Cincinnati, with play-by-play from Aaron Goldsmith and analysis from Donny Marshall. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WKRC-AM (550). Broadcast is also available on Sirius (138), XM (201) and the SXM App. (964).
- Series info: Xavier leads the series 18-16. The two teams split the series last season with the home team winning both games.
Scouting Report
Xavier Musketeers (12-3, 2-2)
Coach: Travis Steele, fourth season (63-40 overall)
Offense: 75.3 ppg
Defense: 62.8 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Paul Scruggs (G, 6'5", 11.1 ppg)
Jerome Hunter (F, 6'8", 4.5 rpg)
Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 10.9 ppg)
Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 7.9 ppg)
Nate Johnson (G, 6'4", 12.9 ppg)
Science of the set play: A look at Xavier's offense through the mind of Travis Steele
Creighton Bluejays (10-4, 2-1)
Coach: Greg McDermott, 12th season (263-129 overall)
Offense: 70.4 ppg
Defense: 65.9 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Alex O'Connell (G, 6'6", 11.9 ppg)
Arthur Kaluma (F, 6'7", 8.1 ppg)
Ryan Nembhard (G, 6'0", 12.1 ppg)
Ryan Kalkbrenner (C, 7'1", 12.3 ppg)
Ryan Hawkins (F, 6'7", 13.4 ppg)
Players to watch
Ryan Hawkins
The Northwest Missouri State transfer has been a major factor this season. Hawkins leads the Bluejays in scoring (13.4), rebounding (7.4) and 3-pointers made (32). Hawkins and Nembhard are the only players on Creighton's roster averaging more than 30 minutes of playing time per game.
Jack Nunge
Winning the paint will be important on Saturday. Nunge has to be a factor in protecting the rim, rebounding and scoring inside. Xavier wants to play inside-out and Nunge's the best way to do that effectively.
Keys to the game
Efficiency, defensive intensity
After a game in which the Musketeers got a lot of good looks offensively and weren't able to convert, Xavier needs to get back on track at that end of the floor. It's one thing for shots on the perimeter to miss the mark, it's another thing entirely to miss so many shots around the basket.
There was a stretch in the first half against Villanova where Xavier tied its defense to its offense when the offense wasn't making shots, and the defense suffered because of a lack of efficiency at the other end. That can't happen against Creighton. Xavier needs a connected defense that commits to getting stops for 40 minutes.
Rankings
KenPom.com: Xavier (20); Creighton (55).
NET: Xavier (18); Creighton (63).
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