Creighton recently delivered a stunner by defeating then-No. 1 Kansas.
Now the Bluejays get the opportunity to notch another top-10 victory when they face No. 7 Alabama on Saturday night at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Creighton (7-3) will be looking for its fourth straight victory following a stretch in which it lost three consecutive contests.
The wins over Notre Dame, Kansas and UNLV have changed the complexion of the squad entering the showdown with the Crimson Tide.
The Bluejays opened with four wins against light competition. When the quality of teams stiffened, Creighton’s competency dropped with double-digits loses to Nebraska and San Diego State and a four-point setback to then-No. 20 Texas A&M.
The Kansas victory erased part of the residue from the shaky stretch. Pop Isaacs scored a season-high 27 points in the takedown of the Jayhawks, but his surgically repaired hip flared up and he was ruled out for the season a few days later and will undergo another hip procedure.
Isaacs ranks second on the team in scoring (16.3 points per game) and 3-point baskets (23).
When the Bluejays defeated UNLV 83-65 three days after the Kansas win, a slew of players picked up the slack.
Five players scored in double digits with Jamiya Neal excelling the most with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
“We’ve had the challenge of people having to step up all year,” Neal said. “Guys knew, once again, we had to step up (in Isaacs’ absence). Unfortunately, it’s going to be for the rest of the season.
“I don’t think anybody is happy about that, but I know everybody’s prepared and mentally locked in to do what they need to do.”
Star big man Ryan Kalkbrenner leads Creighton with averages of 17.3 points and 8.4 rebounds. He also has a team-high 23 blocked shots.
Steven Ashworth is averaging 15.9 points with a team-leading 30 3-pointers, while Neal averages 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Alabama (7-2) is playing for the first time since recording an impressive 94-79 road win over then-No. 20 North Carolina on Dec. 4. It was a rematch of last season’s March Madness Sweet 16 game won by the Crimson Tide.
Mark Sears had 20 points and seven assists at Chapel Hill, and Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon added 15 apiece for Alabama.
“We felt like we had to come out and set the tone early and that is what we did in the first half,” Sears said of his team’s mindset.
The contest was Alabama’s first since losing guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. for the season with a ruptured Achilles. Wrightsell was averaging 11.5 points and shooting 42.2 percent (19 of 45) from 3-point range.
Holloway picked up the slack by going 5 of 9 from behind the arc against North Carolina.
“We’ve seen him shoot it like this in practice for a long time, so we know what he’s capable of shooting the ball,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said of Holloway. “… Wrightsell has been our best shooter all year so we need someone to step up and make some threes.”
Alabama also pulled a planned redshirt season from Pepperdine transfer Houston Mallette. He played nine minutes against North Carolina and had six points, three rebounds and two steals. Mallette made both of his 3-point attempts.
Mallette averaged at least 13 points per game in each of his three seasons with the Waves.
“I feel like what’s best for me in my life is what’s best for the team,” Mallette said of the change in plans.
Creighton has won all three meetings with Alabama, including an 85-82 victory last season in Omaha, Neb. Kalkbrenner scored 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and Sears had 19 for the Crimson Tide.
–Field Level Media
