Creighton Faces Must Win Game Against Butler
The Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team (14-16, 8-11 Big East) will play its final regular-season game against the Butler Bulldogs (15-14, 6-12 Big East) at 6 pm at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Creighton is 21-12 all-time vs. Butler.
The Bluejays are looking to end the season on a positive note. It's been a bad funk for them lately as they have lost five of their last six games. The silver lining is that they secured a big road victory against the No. 5 Connecticut Huskies. To beat Butler, the Bluejays have to give the same effort that they did against UConn. It's been almost a month since Creighton won a game.
In fairness to the Bluejays, the team has dealt with injuries, and if it weren't for key missing players such as Jackson McDrew, the record might have been different. McAndrew went down with a season-ending foot injury in November.
Creighton hasn't been a great three-point shooting team this year. McAndrew was one of the best shooters in the Big East last season. In today's game, three-point shooting is necessary, and the team is averaging 35 percent. Creighton has also struggled from the free-throw line, averaging 75 percent in the season.
Nik Graves is averaging 10 points a game to go with four assists. He leads the team in assists and steals. Graves is two steals away from reaching 100 career steals. He's not the only one who has a chance to reach a milestone. Austin Swartz has the chance to do something big, but he needs to have a big game to pull it off tonight. Swartz must make six threes to secure No. 100 in his career and 25 points from 500.
The Bulldogs are coming into this game with a solid win over Virginia. Creighton must keep an eye on and have a defensive game plan for two Bulldogs: Michael Ajayi and Finley Bizjack.
Ajayi is having an outstanding season. He's a double-double machine, leading the Big East in that category. He can impact the game with his rebounding ability. Bizjack is one of the most improved players in the nation. Bizjack is a player you don't want to leave wide open in the perimeter, and you don't want to foul him. He's a great three-point shooter and an exceptional free-throw shooter.
When Creighton scores more than 75 points, it's rare for them to lose. Creighton is more successful when they score a lot of points.
Tonight's game is a must-win for Creighton, and the Bluejays are hoping that other teams, such as Seton Hall and DePaul, lose so they can secure a solid spot in the Big East tournament. The Bluejays still have a chance to finish in the top four in the Big East standings.
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Miguel Mike Medina is a Writer and Freelance Sports Journalist who contributes to Creighton On SI. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and a Minor in Journalism in 2014 from City College of New York.