OMAHA, Neb. – Coming off two straight losses against Marquette and Providence, both highlighted by slow starts and shots not falling, Xavier's men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday (2 p.m., Fox Sports 1) at Creighton.
The Musketeers (14-5, 4-4 Big East) won the first meeting against Creighton two weeks ago at Cintas Center, but the CHI Health Center is a tough venue for any visitor.
During his pre-game press conference on Friday, Xavier head coach Travis Steele said he told his guys, "As much as you want the season to just be linear, go in a straight line, just continue to get better, there's gonna be peaks and valleys, and you gotta embrace those valleys when they do happen. And you gotta work your way out of it, and that's what we're doing."
Steele said his team's had a couple of really good practices leading up to Creighton and he's loved the energy from his team.
The Musketeers will need that energy at Creighton from the opening tip.
'There's no panic button': Xavier confident current slump won't spiral out of control
Xavier's trailed at halftime in five straight games and the Musketeers have to get that fixed. Steele said in the first half when Xavier's offense is at the other end of the floor, away from its bench, they have to be more efficient with the offense they're running.
"I think that's where it starts so that we can get our defense set," said Steele. "Our defense has been pretty good overall in the half-court, but if you take a tough shot or if you turn the ball over, a live-ball turnover, it makes it really, really difficult to get your defense set."
More:Analysis: After losing at Marquette, Xavier's arrived at an important juncture
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott recently returned to the team after missing a couple of games due to COVID-19. The Bluejays (12-6, 4-3) are coming off a loss at Butler, and prior to that, they blew out St. John's and DePaul at home.
This is a big game for the Musketeers. It's a Quad 1 opportunity on the road and it would be a great time for Xavier to bust out of its current slump in Big East play.
The Game
- Tipoff: 2 p.m. on Saturday at the CHI Health Center Omaha
- TV/Radio: FS1 with play-by-play from Vince Welch and analysis from Nick Bahe. Byron Larkin and Joe Sunderman will have the radio call on WLW-AM (700). Broadcast is also available on Sirius (134), XM (201) and the SXM App (964).
- Series info: Xavier leads the series 19-16 but the Musketeers are looking for their first road win at Creighton since the 2017-18 season.
Xavier Musketeers (14-5, 4-4)
Coach: Travis Steele, fourth season (65-42 overall)
Offense: 73.8 ppg
Defense: 64.3 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Paul Scruggs (G, 6'5", 11.4 ppg)
Jack Nunge (F, 7'0", 12.5 ppg)
Colby Jones (G, 6'6", 11.2 ppg)
Zach Freemantle (F, 6'9", 8.5 ppg)
Nate Johnson (G, 6'4", 10.7 ppg)
Creighton Bluejays (12-6, 4-3)
Coach: Greg McDermott, 12th season (265-131 overall)
Offense: 70.4 ppg
Defense: 65.9 ppg
Projected lineup
Player (Position, Height, Key Stat)
Alex O'Connell (G, 6'6", 12.9 ppg)
Arthur Kaluma (F, 6'7", 9.1 ppg)
Ryan Nembhard (G, 6'0", 11.2 ppg)
Ryan Kalkbrenner (C, 7'1", 12.1 ppg)
Ryan Hawkins (F, 6'7", 12.9 ppg)
Players to watch
Ryan Kalkbrenner
"There's a reason why their two-point field-goal percentage is so good, it's because he's the human eraser, he erases a lot of shots around that rim," said Steele. Kalkbrenner's also really difficult in the pick-and-roll offensively. The Musketeers can't let him control the paint and the rim at both ends.
Colby Jones
Xavier needs Jones to defend on the perimeter, help with rebounding, and the Musketeers need him to be assertive offensively. Jones is at his best when he's involved at both ends and that's what Xavier needs from him.
Keys to the game
A good start
Winning on the road requires a complete performance and it starts with getting off to a good start. Xavier can't continue to dig itself a hole. The Musketeers have shown the ability to play their way back into games, but it's too difficult to play from behind and not get off to a good start. Take care of the ball, run solid offense, take good shots and stay connected defensively so Creighton can't get out to an early lead.
Rankings
KenPom.com: Xavier (24); Creighton (56).
NET: Xavier (21); Creighton (67).
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