Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner and Fedor Žugić after win over DePaul
Creighton has stumbled ever since a nine-game winning streak that changed the complexion of this season. Two left wings have kept the Bluejays from taking flight when it matters most.
They let Liam McNeeley hang 38 points on them in a home loss to UConn, reeling at the time, after fending off Marquette in a marquee win. Days later, CU squandered one at St. John's with first place in the Big East up for grabs.
Still, things seemed fine when the Jays avenged an embarrassing early season loss to Georgetown.
But parts of last week's sub-standard win over DePaul were admittedly unacceptable, and Creighton nosedived in Saturday's 83-61 road loss to surging Xavier, fighting for its NCAA tournament life.
"We're not going to overreact to this loss whatsoever," coach Greg McDermott said. "I won't allow that to happen with my staff or with my team. We're gonna stay process-oriented. We're going to learn from it."
In the last week of the regular season, the Jays (20-9, 13-5 Big East) have two more chances to find their footing. After that, they're only guaranteed the 40 minutes in front of them.
CU heads to Newark on Tuesday to face struggling Seton Hall, which has been better, healthier over the past few weeks yet still sits at the bottom of the Big East. Out of 364 teams, the Pirates (7-22, 2-16) are still 195th in KenPom and 201st in the NET. They're nowhere near the team that barely missed the NCAA tournament a year ago and went on to win the NIT.
Even with Isaiah Coleman and Dylan Addae-Wusu, a duo averaging 25 points per game, now back from injuries.
But Creighton, a team built on shot-making, hasn't shot it well as of late -- making 28% of its 3-pointers over the past eight games -- and hasn't defended all too well, either.
Miscommunications and a lack of attention to detail, McDermott said, played a part in DePaul trimming a 20-point lead to a 10-point lead down the stretch.
And Xavier made some tough ones Saturday, sure, but those same self-inflicted mistakes went with the Jays to Cincinnati, where they allowed 80-plus for the first time since Dec. 18.
"We just weren't very sharp today," fifth-year center Ryan Kalkbrenner said. "We gotta clean that kind of stuff up in practice over the next few days because it'd be good for us to get that sharpness back."
CU didn't return to Omaha after the Xavier loss, so it'll have to find that edge, that sharpness away from home. There was no point in coming back with only two days between games in their final road trip of the regular season.
On Saturday, McDermott wasn't sure if that'd be a detriment or a benefit. He'd like to think the latter. Time will tell, though.
"I think it is what you make it," he said. "We can make this a grind of two or three days, where we don't feel like going to practice -- obviously, it's late in the season, guys are banged up -- or we can make it an amazing three days because we really come together as a group."
Creighton can't -- won't -- overlook Seton Hall. Not if it wants to start soaring with the postseason looming.
The Pirates beat UConn the same week the Huskies beat CU. The Hall got thrashed by Marquette right after, then hung with Xavier, Villanova and St. John's. They haven't looked like the team the Jays beat 79-54 at the end of January.
A loss Tuesday wouldn't end Creighton, safely in the NCAA tournament field, but that stumble would turn into a flat-out faceplant.
"You have to try to win the games you're supposed to win," McDermott said. "They're gonna get our full attention."
Creighton at Seton Hall
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Prudential Center -- Newark, New Jersey
TV: FS1 | Radio: 101.9 FM/1620 AM
Creighton (20-9, 13-5 Big East)
G -- Steven Ashworth 6-1 Sr. 16.8
G -- Jamiya Neal 6-5 Sr. 11.6
F -- Jasen Green 6-8 So. 4.3
F -- Jackson McAndrew 6-10 Fr. 7.1
C -- Ryan Kalkbrenner 7-1 Sr. 19.1
Seton Hall (7-22, 2-16 Big East)
G -- Dylan Addae-Wusu 6-4 Gr. 10.5
G -- Isaiah Coleman 6-5 So. 15.4
G -- Garway Dual 6-5 So. 5.1
F -- Prince Aligbe 6-7 Jr. 7.8
C -- Godswill Erheriene 6-9 Fr. 2.9
Photos: Creighton men's basketball hosts DePaul