No. 16 Creighton looks to get back on track vs. DePaul (Jan 28, 2017)
OMAHA, Neb. -- Still stinging from a pair of upsets that could cost Creighton its spot in The Associated Press Top 25, the No. 16-ranked Bluejays have another shot Saturday to prove they belong among the country's elite teams before Monday's ratings are published.
Creighton (18-3, 5-3) will host DePaul in a Big East Conference showdown at CenturyLink Center. The Blue Demons (8-12, 1-6 Big East) are dealing with their own struggles, including an 0-7 record in road games.
"They've had some games where they've been really close," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "At Villanova they've come as close as anybody has, and they had Butler down 20 the other day and lost in overtime."
Despite the sub-.500 record, Creighton players and coaches understand they can't take any opponent lightly, especially since the loss of point guard and floor leader Maurice Watson to a season-ending knee injury at Xavier on Jan. 16.
"They've been sitting there a week preparing for us," McDermott said. "They're probably licking their chops after watching us play (Wednesday)."
The Bluejays are 0-2 since Watson tore the ACL in his left knee, losing 102-94 at home against Marquette Jan. 21 before a 71-51 rout Wednesday at Georgetown.
While there have been stretches when the Bluejays have stepped up their defensive play in those two games, the offense has struggled, especially against the Hoyas. Creighton's 51-point effort was its lowest output by 15 points (against Oral Roberts).
The Georgetown loss also resulted in Creighton's worst shooting night of the season as the Bluejays were just 20 of 58 (.345) from the field, including a 1 of 18 (.056) performance from 3-point range.
DePaul coach Dave Leitao told the Chicago Tribune that he expects nothing but the Bluejays' best once the game begins.
"Psychologically first, we know that they lost big and we are going to get their best effort," Leitao said. "The structured part of it is that they are still very offensive-minded. Our transition defense has to be really, really good, and our half-court offense has to follow that."
DePaul has three players averaging in double figures, led by sophomore guard Eli Cain and his 17.1 points per outing. Cain also is DePaul's leading 3-point shooter who McDermott said is "one of the more improved players in the league."
Running the show for the Blue Demons on offense is 6-foot-6 guard Billy Garrett. The senior from Chicago is averaging 15.0 points and 3.2 assists per game.
"Billy Garrett does such a great job at the point guard position," McDermott said. "He plays with such great pace and he's got size. He can see over the top of you. He makes a lot of the right decisions.'
Junior forward Tre'Darius McCallum is the third DePaul player with a double-digit scoring average at 10.1 points per game. McCallum also is averaging 7.4 rebounds per game.
Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster continues to lead all Creighton scorers with an average of 18.3 per game. Foster finished with 30 points in the loss to Marquette, but scored just 12 against Georgetown.
One player that McDermott said will need to shoulder a bigger on-court load is redshirt freshman center Justin Patton, who is averaging 14.0 points and 6.5 points per game. That might mean Patton, who is shooting 71.8 percent this season, might not be able to roam the perimeter as much.
"We've got to get him more touches," McDermott said. "When we're struggling, he's got to get down there, he likes to float once in a while. Then we've got to make sure he gets a touch and then get a play out of it once he gets down on the block.
"He's crafty down there. Besides being able to score, over both shoulders he's a very gifted passer. He has to become a more focal point of our offense."
The 7-footer from Omaha North was 9 of 13 from the field in a 20-point performance against Georgetown. He and fellow Omaha native Khyri Thomas both pulled down seven rebounds against the Hoyas.
To get back in the win column, McDermott said the Bluejays need to regain the energy that carried them through the first 19 games of the season.
"We're going to have to be ready, we're going to have to get our crowd in the game," McDermott said. "To do that we've got to play with a little more enthusiasm than we did (Wednesday) night."
