AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz
Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, left, drives towards Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson through the first half of an NCAA school basketball recreation Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Omaha, Neb.
Omaha, Neb. — Kansas coach Bill Self knew Creighton wasn’t taking pictures from past the arc in addition to it might. He stated as a lot earlier than the Jayhawks left Lawrence to tackle the Bluejays on Wednesday night time.
Almost as quickly as the sport tipped off, Self was confirmed proper.
Creighton made 5 of its first eight pictures from deep and was 7-for-14 by halftime, permitting it to outpace a KU offense that wasn’t working at peak type to start with. Pop Isaacs went 10-for-15 from the sector on the night time and scored a game-high 27 factors, and the Jayhawks fell behind by double digits early and by no means led. Top-ranked KU sustained its first lack of the season, 76-63 on the CHI Health Center, and fell to 7-1 on the 12 months.
“Our power wasn’t there, our depth wasn’t there, our id wasn’t there,” guard David Coit stated.
It was the second victory over a No. 1 crew for Creighton within the final calendar 12 months as they beat UConn in Omaha final February between the Huskies’ two nationwide titles.
“I simply didn’t assume we got here out able to play,” Coit added. “Credit to them, they got here able to play, they made powerful pictures, they bought nice appears. I feel we didn’t talk effectively, we didn’t do quite a lot of issues on the defensive finish, we didn’t simply stick by our ideas.”
The Bluejays and their very own 7-foot-1 middle Ryan Kalkbrenner (17 factors, 10 rebounds), again after lacking a recreation because of harm, made Hunter Dickinson (six factors, six rebounds) a nonfactor as he tried simply 4 pictures. They as a substitute compelled Dajuan Harris Jr. to grow to be the focus of the Jayhawks’ offense, and he didn’t deal with that duty in addition to he normally does, going 6-for-21 from the sector.
He was nonetheless KU’s main scorer with 15 factors as Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr added 12 apiece. Fellow off-ball guard Rylan Griffen missed the sport as a result of flu.
“We’ll follow once more on Friday and we anticipate him being on the market,” Self stated.
The Jayhawks began poorly with Storr getting crushed for a pair of early buckets and Isaacs (twice) and Jackson McAndrew draining Creighton’s first three makes an attempt from lengthy vary. Harris countered with a 3-pointer for KU, however Isaacs linked once more and Steven Ashworth (17 factors on the night time) made one other to place the Bluejays up 21-11 on the under-12 timeout.
KU settled into the circulate of the sport a bit, aided by a three-minute scoring drought for Creighton, however couldn’t lower a lot into the lead. After Coit went all the best way for a transition layup to cut back the Jayhawks’ deficit to 27-20, Isaacs instantly fought his manner by means of defenders for a three-point play. Then, with 4 minutes to go, Ashworth lofted a 3 over the outstretched arms of KJ Adams and Dickinson, largely excluded from the sport by Creighton’s protection, bought referred to as for his second foul for an unlawful display.
After Harris opened 2-for-10 taking pictures with the Bluejays largely daring him to attain, he hit an uncovered 3 from the nook with two minutes left. But Ashworth cruised in for a layup in response, and Creighton ran in transition after a miss by Adams to arrange a behind-the-break 3 for Mason Miller that made it 41-28 with a minute left within the first half. Mayo, by far KU’s greatest participant within the first half, pulled up from deep to chop the margin to 10 factors at halftime.
The Jayhawks got here out of the break with a 7-0 run to attract them the closest that they had been since 4-2 and power an instantaneous timeout by Creighton coach Greg McDermott.
“I feel we bought three stops in a row,” Storr stated. “I feel all of it begins with protection, that’s what finally wins video games. So I feel if we simply come out targeted on protection, that no crew can beat us, actually.”
They even made it a 41-40 recreation for a fleeting second, earlier than back-to-back 3s by Isaacs, a string of three fouls referred to as towards Adams in fast succession after which a technical foul on Self helped the Bluejays stretch their lead again out to 11 factors.
“I assumed we might have put some actual recreation strain on them and we simply by no means did that,” Self stated. “That was disappointing.”
Once once more, not like within the first half, KU had a response. Storr scored twice in a row, then responded to Isaacs’ sixth 3 with one in every of his personal. But the Jayhawks’ poor taking pictures down the stretch allowed Creighton to take its greatest lead of the night time (on the time) at 14 factors with six minutes to go.
KU will journey to Columbia, Missouri, for the Border Showdown on Sunday at midday.
“Everybody simply wants to remain on the identical web page by means of powerful occasions like this,” Storr stated.
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Written By Henry Greenstein
