USA Today via Reuters
Dec 4, 2020; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Creighton Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott talks with the team during a break in the game against the Kennesaw State Owls in the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 4, 2020; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Creighton Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott talks with the team during a break in the game against the Kennesaw State Owls in the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Men’s Basketball has been rolling since their late-November start. Despite cancelations across the board because of positive COVID-19 tests, the institution of college basketball is somehow managing. If nothing goes awry in the next few days, we will see a ranked matchup between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Creighton Bluejays.
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Both teams are ranked in the top 10 right now and this will be a massive clash. The last clash between two top-ranked competitors was between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears. However, the number one and two team in the country never made it to the court after positive cases in Gonzaga’s traveling party.
Creighton MBB has won each of its last 4 games against a team ranked in the top-10, tied with Ohio State for the nation’s longest active streak.
3/3/19 at #10 Marquette W 66-60
2/1/20 at #8 Villanova W 76-61
2/12/20 at #10 Seton Hall W 87-82
3/7/20 #8 Seton Hall W 77-60 pic.twitter.com/iu37aYWn7x— Rob Anderson (@_robanderson) December 6, 2020
The Jayhawks are 4-1 this season. After losing their opener, the team has strung together four consecutive wins and sit as the seventh best team in the country. However, the momentum is really with the Bluejays. They are 3-0 and are off a massive win over Kennesaw State.
But who will win this non-conference tie between two teams with Final Four aspirations?
NCAA Men’s Basketball: The Bluejays announce themselves as genuine contenders
This game is massive for Creighton, who get to test themselves against a top team this country. The opposition that the Bluejays have gone up against till now haven’t really tested them to their full abilities. That won’t be the case with the Jayhawks, who themselves are trying to remind everyone that they are a powerhouse as well.
USA Today via Reuters
Dec 4, 2020; Omaha, Nebraska, USA;A shot from Kennesaw State Owls guard Terrell Burden (1) is blocked by Creighton Bluejays guard Antwann Jones (0) and guard Marcus Zegarowski (11) in the second half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
The Bluejays will start the game with Denzel Mahoney, Mitch Ballock, Marcus Zegarowski, Damien Jefferson, and Christian Bishop. Bishop is really proving himself to be the X-Factor of this team. Despite playing limited minutes against Kennesaw, Bishop went perfect from the field in an 11-point performance.
The only Kansas loss this season came at the hand of the number one ranked Gonzaga team. Their starting lineup is expected to comprise of Jalen Wilson, Marcus Garrett, Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun, and David McCormack. The team operated through Agbaji, who plays the most minutes and is the primary offensive option for the Jayhawks.
As for a winner, we expect the Jayhawks to be too big a jump in talent for the rolling Bluejays, who may struggle to get this win away from home.
