Tennessee basketball is back in the Sweet 16 for the second straight season as they look to get over the hump and make the Elite Eight for the second time in program history.
Standing in the Vols’ way is a Creighton team that made it to the Elite Eight last season and is looking to make it to the Final Four for the first time in program history.
Let’s take a quick look at Creighton.
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How Creighton Got Here
The Blue Jays earned an at large bid and No. 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament after posting a 25-7 (14-6 Big East) record ahead.
Creighton cruised past 14-seed Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before outlasting 11-seed Oregon 86-73 in double overtime in the Round of 32.
Greg McDermott’s 14th Creighton team won five games against KenPom top 30 teams this season including home wins over UConn and Marquette.
There’s only one common opponent between Tennessee and Creighton this season— Alabama. The Blue Jays defeated the Crimson Tide by three points in Omaha while the Vols swept Alabama in the regular season.
Where Creighton Thrives
The Blue Jays are extremely balanced on each side of the court. Creighton ranks 11th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 23rd in adjusted defensive efficiency.
On the offensive end, Creighton shoots incredibly well from the field. The Blue Jays make 57% of their field goal attempts— a mark that ranks third nationally.
Creighton shoots an impressive 36.6% from three-point range and shoots more threes than nearly every team in the country. The Vols have experience facing a team like that and had success slowing down Alabama this season.
The Blue Jays won’t beat themselves. They don’t turn the ball over and are stout on the defensive glass where they rank 25th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage.
On the defensive end, everything starts with three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner. The 7-foot-1 center blocks just over three blocks per game. Just like Creighton is one of the best field goal offensive teams, they’re also one of the best defensive field goal teams.
Creighton opponents shoot 46.2% from the field and 31.7% from three-point range. The Blue Jays are also elite at defending without fouling.
Where Creighton Struggles
Creighton is overall very good but have a few massive deficiencies. They don’t force turnovers at all. In fact, they force fewer turnovers than any other team in the country.
Despite having an effective 7-foot-1 big man, Creighton isn’t effective on the offensive glass where they rebound just 26% of its misses.
It’s largely a six-man rotation for Creighton. Isaac Traudt is the seventh man in the rotation and he plays just nine minutes per game. The Blue Jays are reliant on four players offensively, with everyone else averaging less than six points per game.
Creighton also has a slight tendency to struggle with physicality. The Blue Jays lost physical, gritty games against Providence, Connecticut, Villanova and Colorado State this season. That’s also how their season ended last season in the Elite Eight against San Diego State.
That could be a recipe for Tennessee to earn a victory in this Sweet 16 matchup.
Standout Blue Jays
While Creighton doesn’t have a ton of depth, they have perhaps the top three-headed monster remaining in the NCAA Tournament.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander all average over 17 points per game. Alexander and Scheierman both are off ball guards but they’re great facilitators too.
The 6-foot-7 Scheierman averages 18.3 points and four assists per game while leading the team with 9.1 rebounds per game. The left-handed sharpshooter makes 38% of his attempts from three-point range.
Alexander is a capable shooter (33.5 3PT%) but is more effective getting down hill and driving to the basket. He averages 17.7 points and 4.7 assists per game.
Alexander is 6-foot-4 and a prime candidate for Santiago Vescovi and Jahmai Mashack to guard. Josiah-Jordan James is the likely candidate to guard Scheierman.
Kalkbrenner is the third head of the monster, averaging 17.4 points on 65.1% shooting from the field. It’ll be a tough matchup for Jonas Aidoo.
Zakai Zeigler will likely spend his night defending 6-foot-1 point guard Steven Ashworth. He’s the only other true offensive option for Creighton, averaging 11 points and 4.2 assists per game.
