Jays been playin UNI Ball…Time to let it Fly!
Jays/Dec 8, 2025
Hmmm. Gtmo here. I was very optimistic going into the Players Era Tounrament (PET) in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving Week. The slate was pretty promising – 2 good teams to match up with and a potential big game to end the slate. Jays did not perform well, did not meet the expectations, and lost to both Baylor and Iowa State. The team managed to beat Oregon to exit the PET at 1-2 on the week. They rebounded with a win over Nichols State, then got out shot/played @Nebraska yesterday (7Dec2025).
Two weeks ago on either X or WBR folks were saying the team was not yet comfortable within the system. The knowledgable notion was that the players were not yet adept in knowing their place/spots/ role(s) within the system…as well as not knowing where their teammates would/should be in the flow of the offense. I thought that was an very insightful observation, as it addresses pace, flow, and tempo – as such that lack of a systemic overview of the floor contributes to poor timing of passes, a disjointed tempo, and a general appearance of confusion overall.
Jays have taken 60 or more shots in 3 games, SDak State (74), UMES (67), UNDak (63). Creighton put up 49 shots & 36.7% vs the Zags.
WHAT THE HELL!???
In the past handful of games, the Jays have exhibited general shooting woes. Whether a stout defense, as in the case of Iowa State or missing open looks, as in the case versus Nebraska, or BOTH! Our shooting has been abysmal.
- Game Shooting 3Pt Shooting FT TO
- Baylor (L) (31-72) 46.6 (27-58) 37.9 (11-29) 90 (9-10) 13
- ISU (L) (32-65) 37.9 (22-58) 35.7 (10-28) 54.5 (6-11) 17
- Oregon
(29-69) 44.1 (26-59) 29.4 (5-17) 90.5 (19-21) 5
Nich St (28-61) 61 (36-59) 50 (17-34) 100 (7-7) 12 - @Nebr (L) (24-55) 30 (16-52)* 24 (8-33) 58.8 (10-17) 12
- *(Starters 4-21 shots, bench 12-31 shots.)
The PROBLEM is structure! Too much structure and not enough fun. The players, especially the newbies are overwhelmed…too much focus on structure and ‘learning the system’ going on. Coach is absolutely correct in his assessment. He’s accountable…change the approach for this new team. He is the all-time winningest coach in CU History. There’s nuthin’ to prove anymore! The coaches & the team need to take 3 deep breaths…and “Have some fun this season!” This is reminiscent of his 1styear…that team wanted to run…he didn’t see it until the CBI.
It’s time for some fun! Run! Git up & down the damn court…Run! They’ll learn over the course of the season! In my old Blogger post for 2009 (See the Case for 80), I make the argument for running n gunning. Creighton has historically been strong when breaching the 80 pt, 90 pt, & 100 pt thresholds. Jays are 66-3 alltime when they score 100 points (CU Media Guide).
In the McDermott Era, lil’ Creighton is 170-16* (Rough count) when reaching the 80 ppg threshold or better (manual count/Creighton Media Guide). Run darnit, run!
Let’em just play damnit. Let’em have some fun! Run. Let if Fly.
This team has talent but needs a different approach, Coach. Let it Fly! This team needs to cut loose…2 shots/minute. Ball should be up by 15 seconds each posession. Run, damnit, run! 80 shots/game. Who the hell are we, grinding out UNI style/52-59 shots per game…that’s the old Mac from UNI/Iowa St… that’s Ben Jacobsen ball. C’mon…
Or start the Bench team…!
This is Creighton…Run damnit!
Hell, it’s still early season-wise. Time enough to make some adjustments and get ready for the BE grind. I’m still very optimistic for the season. 20+ w’s and 15-5 BE conference run.
Jim Harvey, aka @gtmoblue
https://gocreighton.com/news/2025/12/7/mens-basketball-at-nebraska-recap
Bluenotes 