College Basketball Power 10: Duke Rises, North Carolina Falls
By Jeremy Karll
10. Creighton (10-0)
Creighton continues to roll over the teams it should beat with ease. Last week, the Bluejays beat Nebraska by 15 and scored a season-high 113 points to beat Longwood by 55. Creighton improved to 10-0 for the first time since they a 12-0 start in 2003-04.
The Bluejays’ only super impressive win to this point came in their second game against Wisconsin, however they still deserve respect for getting off to a better start than even Doug McDermott did during his four years.
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That being said, Creighton did have a scare against Nebraska on Wednesday after jumping out to a 14-2 lead.
The Cornhuskers clawed their way back and only trailed 31-30 at halftime, but Creighton went on a 20-7 run to start the second half to put Nebraska away for good.
Letting Nebraska back in the game is not what Greg McDermott wanted to see his team do, although crazier things have happened in rivalries on the road. Creighton showed their true colors to start and end the game, therefore a poor end to the first half doesn’t negate their great season thus far.
The Bluejays rank in the top five in scoring per game (91.6), field-goal percentage (54.3 percent) and three-point percentage (45 percent) in the nation.
Plus, all five starters are averaging at least 9.7 points per game, while Maurice Watson Jr is also chipping in an impressive 9.3 assists per game.
Defense might be a problem in Big East play; however, stopping Creighton’s offense is a bigger challenge for most opposing teams.
Creighton’s only game this week is at home against Oral Roberts.