Matchup Preview: Top-ranked Huskies face big home test vs. No. 18 Creighton

Even after winning the national championship last season, Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies are breaking new ground. On Monday, they were named the No. 1 team in the AP and Coaches Polls for the first time since 2009. That accomplishment on its own may not be the primary objective for Hurley, the players, or the fans, but some other notable goals are coming within reach.

This year, UConn has its sight set on some Big East hardware, looking to win its first conference regular-season title since 2006. The Huskies’ last conference crown was in 2016 when they won the AAC Tournament; they haven’t won a Big East Tournament since 2011 and have yet to make a BET championship game since joining the new version of the league.

Right now the Huskies are in good shape, tied for first at 5-1 with Seton Hall, the team that beat them to open conference play. Marquette, picked to finish first in the league’s preseason poll, has already lost three games in-conference, and on Wednesday night UConn hosts Creighton, tied for third with St. John’s and Villanova with a 4-2 Big East record.

Since losing to Seton Hall in their Big East opener, UConn has put together one of college basketball's quieter five-game winning streaks. Although this stretch hasn’t been marked by high-level matchups, the Huskies beat some solid teams and won two tough games on the road. In this year’s college basketball landscape, that’s a feat.

And they’ve been doing it without Donovan Clingan, the 7-foot-2 defensive force who is being projected in the first round of the NBA Draft, since that Seton Hall game.

Many players have had to step up for the Huskies to maintain their winning ways, but sophomore forward Alex Karaban has been leading the charge, averaging 17.2 pts and 4.8 rebs per game and shooting 61.9% on three-point attempts over the last five games.

Defensively Karaban has been playing in the post more, as part of a lineup with four guards that has seen some success. Karaban’s defense was crucial in escaping the Cintas Center with a victory over Sean Miller’s Xavier Musketeers. Karaban also demonstrated his toughness, returning to the game with a cut over his eye that would need 10 stitches later that night.

UConn vs Creighton Preview

When: Wednesday, January 17, 7:00 PM ET

Where: Gampel Pavilion – Storrs, CT

TV: FS1

Radio: UConn Sports Network — 97.9 FM — (Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman)

KenPom Prediction: UConn 74, Creighton 69

Pre-Game Notes

• UConn is 1-6 all-time against Creighton. The Huskies earned their first victory in the series last season, 69-60, but lost in their return visit one month later, 56-53. Adama Sanogo scored 26 points in the last meeting in Connecticut as the Huskies shook off two tough road losses to grab the win at Gampel Pavilion.

• Donovan Clingan’s status is unknown, though Hurley said it’s not likely that we see him. Clingan participated in warm-ups before the Georgetown game but did not play. If he’s out, all eyes will be on the matchup against Creighton’s 7-foot-2 center, Ryan Kalkbrenner.

• UConn freshman Jaylin Stewart has averaged 12 minutes per game over the last four contests, up from 3.8 in the five games before Clingan’s injury. Stewart has played alongside Karaban in the smaller lineup and has also given Karaban a bit of a breather at times at the five himself.

• Cam Spencer continues to lead the Huskies in scoring, averaging 15.6 points per game. Spencer has stepped it up since the start of Big East play, averaging 17.6 points over the previous five games. He’s closely followed by Karaban (15.4 PPG) and Tristen Newton (14.8 PPG) for the season scoring lead.

• Tristen Newton is likely to line up across from Creighton’s junior guard Trey Alexander. Alexander is one of the better on-ball defenders in the Big East and McDermott is likely to use him to try to slow down UConn’s point guard.

Creighton Bluejays Scouting Report

It’s been an up-and-down year for the Bluejays. Coming off an Elite Eight run, Creighton was ranked No. 8 in the country before the season and second in the Big East preseason poll, with many analysts projecting another deep NCAA Tournament run. Then came the mid-season skid, the Bluejays lost 3 out of 4 games through a stretch in December and fell out of the top 25.

Since that point, Greg McDermott’s squad put together a four-game winning streak of its own. They earned their most recent victory on Saturday over Rick Pitino’s St John’s in a 66-65 nailbiter that came down to a controversial no-call as time expired.

Creighton sits 15th in KenPom, 25th on offense and 13th defensively. It’s one of the top teams in the country in shooting defense and offensive rebounding, and first in the nation in defensive free-throw rate.

The Big Three

The Bluejays are led by a trio of upperclassmen:

• C Ryan Kalkbrenner - The reigning back-to-back Big East Defensive Player of the Year, Kalkbrenner is once again the giant in the middle for Creighton this season. He leads the Big East in blocks, but his impact goes much deeper than that. McDermott will keep Kalkbrenner in drop-coverage on screens, forcing UConn guards to settle for mid-range jumpers or attempt to finish over him.

• G Trey Alexander - Following a breakout year last season, there was speculation that Alexander might declare for the NBA Draft. To the Big East’s chagrin, Alexander decided to return and immediately became one of the top guards in the conference. The 6-foot-4 junior is Creighton’s best perimeter defender, he’ll also take turns running the point and is one of the better midrange shooters in the country.

• F Baylor Scheierman - The last member of the trio, Scheierman is more of a jack-of-all-trades. The 6-foot-6 wing began his career at South Dakota St for three years before transferring to the Bluejays last season. Originally considered a ‘shooter,’ he’s got a lot more to offer as well. Scheierman has great court vision, is Creighton’s best rebounder, and has improved his ability to score at the basket. The senior was rewarded for his efforts this season by being named to the Wooden Award Midseason Watchlist.

Depth a Concern

One thing that stands out immediately about this Creighton team is the lack of depth at every position. Creighton ranks 345th (out of 362 teams) in percentage of bench minutes on KenPom. Excluding their game against DePaul (which skewed because of “garbage time”), the entire Creighton bench has combined to score just 12 points over the last 3 games. The Kalkbrenner, Alexander, Scheierman trio played- 40, 38 & 38 minutes in the game, respectively, against St John’s.

Hotshots, or not?

McDermott’s Bluejay squads are famous for their willingness to ‘let it fly,’ as the unofficial Creighton motto goes. However this season, the Jays are shooting a more pedestrian 36.0 percent from 3 as a team, ranking 70th in the country. Since the start of Big East play, that number has dipped to 30.7 percent.

They are still getting up as many 3-point attempts as anybody in the country, ranking 7th in that stat, but the cold shooting streak explains a lot of their offensive struggles this season.

Half-Court Defense

McDermott’s Creighton teams used to have an “offense first” reputation. Since Kalkbrenner’s been on campus, Creighton’s defense has outplayed the offense every season, and this year is no exception.

Creighton currently ranks 13th in the country in defensive efficiency. The defense is built around Kalkbrenner and is tailor-made to his strengths. The Bluejays want to slow the game down, chase guards off the 3-point line, and funnel them toward their 2x Defensive Player of the Year. UConn will want to score a few easy baskets in transition, as scoring on Creighton’s set defense is a tough task.

Not So Foul

The Bluejays are committing just 10.8 personal fouls per game, which is currently first in the country. If the season ended today, that would be the lowest mark of any college basketball team in 25 years. Creighton de-emphasizes physicality on drivers in favor of forcing them to finish around their giant center, and Kalkbrenner is a master at contesting shots without fouling. The Huskies are unlikely to spend much time at the free-throw line in this one.