Alabama vs. Creighton: Can Creighton Pull Off the Upset Again?
The Blue Jays come into this game with a 7-3 record and a three-game winning streak, which includes a win against top-ranked Kansas at home. They are led by a seven-foot-one senior center out of Missouri, Ryan Kalkbrenner. The big man averages 17.9 points per game to lead the team. He also leads the team in rebounds per game, averaging 8.4. However, it's not only a one-man show. A senior guard out of Utah, Steven Ashworth, who returned to Creighton after using his extra year of eligibility, leads the team in assists at 5.3 per game. Ashworth also averages 15.9 points per game.
The two-headed monster of Ashworth and Kalkbrenner provides the majority of the points for the Jays. They only average about 68 points per game, which is good for 134th in the nation. It will be interesting to see if Creighton can score enough to keep this game close. Alabama is fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 89.2 points per game.
The Crimson Tide has several players who star on the offensive side. One of them is senior guard Mark Sears out of Alabama. He averages 16.4 points per game, which leads the team. Another offensive force for Alabama is senior forward out of North Dakota, Grant Nelson, who averages 13.1 points per game and hauls in 7.8 rebounds per game. A newcomer to college basketball, freshman Labaron Philon out of Alabama averages 11 points per game.
The defense is where Alabama needs to step up. They allow 78.2 points per game, which is good for 322nd in the nation. However, they are an outstanding rebounding team; they average 46.8 boards a game, which puts them at 12th in the nation in that category. This game could come down to free throws. Creighton is looking to pull off the upset again. Hypothetically, if the game does come down to free throws, the Blue Jays have a massive advantage. The Jays average nearly 80 percent from the line at 79.2%, which puts them at 19th in the nation, whereas the Crimson Tide average closer to 70 percent at 72.8%, which puts them at 139th in the nation.
The question is whether Alabama will assert its dominance on the offensive end or will Creighton drag this one out and slow it down. Alabama wants to speed it up and get as many possessions as they can. Will Creighton pull off another shocker, or will Bama put them in their place? We will see at 7:30 p.m. CST tonight at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.
