Creighton Bluejays: 25-9, 10-8 in the Big East
Head coach: Greg McDermott (7th season)
Players to watch: Marcus Foster (18.4 PPG, 46.6 FG%); Justin Patton (13.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG); Khyri Thomas (12.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG)
Season recap: Creighton had its best start in program history this year, rolling through nonconference play undefeated with six wins against Power-5 teams, highlighted by a 79-67 victory against then-No. 9 Wisconsin. The Bluejays started out 18-1, peaking at No. 7 in the rankings, but their season changed course when senior point guard Maurice Watson Jr. tore his ACL in a road win at Xavier Jan. 16.
Without Watson on the floor, Creighton dropped eight of its last 15 games with three home losses against unranked opponents. The Bluejays still haven't found an effective replacement for him in the starting lineup, with only four active players averaging more than 5.1 points per game. Although Creighton made a run to the Big East championship Saturday, it was routed by No. 2 Villanova 74-60.
Foster is the second-leading scorer in the Big East, and Patton—a 7-foot freshman—is fourth in the nation in field-goal percentage, doing enough to get the Blue Jays into the Big Dance. Creighton made the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years and has a bright future, but its chances to make a deep run this season likely went out the window when Watson went down.
How they make a run: Patton takes his game to another level with a pair of double-doubles and the Bluejays pull off a second-round upset to salvage their season and get to the second weekend.
How they falter: Creighton's offense stagnates with no clear point guard anymore and its young players overwhelmed by their first NCAA tournament, leading to a first-round exit to end a season that started with so much promise.
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