Creighton will aim to build on Wednesday’s shocking upset of No. 1 Kansas, taking on a visiting UNLV team hoping to avoid its third straight loss on Saturday in Omaha.
UNLV (4-3) knows something about upsets, especially regarding Creighton (6-3). The Runnin’ Rebels beat then-No. 8 Creighton 79-64 in December 2023 at the Jack Jones Classic in Henderson, Nev.
Creighton stunned the Jayhawks with a decisive 76-63 win, led by Pop Isaacs’ 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including six threes. Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth each added 17 points, helping the Bluejays to a second straight win after a three-game skid knocked them out of the AP Top 25 poll.
“It’s an incredible win because of who we beat,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said after his team held Kansas to just 35.7 percent shooting from the field (25-for-70). “It’s not just a great team, it’s a great program. It’s a historic program.”
Creighton’s first slip-up came in a 74-63 home loss to Nebraska on Nov. 22. The Bluejays then lost their first two games at the Player’s Era tournament in Las Vegas before closing with a win.
Kalkbrenner leads Creighton in scoring (18.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg). Isaacs averages 16.3 points, while Ashworth adds 15.8 points and a team-high 5.6 assists.
UNLV started 4-1 but lost its first major test of the season against Memphis, blowing a 12-point first-half lead in an 80-74 home loss on Nov. 9.
The Runnin’ Rebels are coming off consecutive losses at the Arizona Tip-Off in Tempe last week and are 0-3 against power-conference opponents this season.
“We’ve just got to keep problem-solving,” coach Kevin Kruger told UNLV All-Access. “It’s something where we’ve just got to have a much more consistent approach. Physicality, offensively, defensively. Just understanding and valuing the importance of each possession on both sides. When you go against a really good team, you have to string a lot of really good possessions together.”
UNLV is led by 2023-24 Mountain West co-freshman of the year Dedan Thomas Jr., who is averaging a team-high 16.6 points and 3.9 assists. UNLV has also received a sizable boost from Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry, who is averaging 12.9 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds.
Cherry ranks third nationally in field-goal percentage, making 36 of his 50 shot attempts (72 percent). He trails Kalkbrenner, who is second at 73.3 percent (55-of-75).
–Field Level Media
