No. 8 Marquette and Creighton are coming off of the opposite sides of the spectrum of victory with their wins on New Year’s Eve. The Golden Eagles convincingly defeated Providence 78-50 at Amica Mutual Pavilion, while the Bluejays snuck by St. John’s at home, 57-56, in a game that came down to the final possession.
Marquette (12-2, 3-0 Big East) will take on Creighton (9-5, 2-1 Big East) on Jan. 3 at Fiserv Forum. The two teams split last year’s season series, with both sides winning on their respective home floor.
In the Shaka Smart era, the Golden Eagles have gone 3-4 against the Bluejays in the schools’ seven matchups since Smart took-over in 2021.
Marquette looking to continue red-hot start
Despite a couple of road losses to Iowa State and Dayton in the first half of December, the Golden Eagles have won every other game on their schedule so far. Marquette beat Wisconsin and trounced Providence before the new year, both being the first time it has done so in the Shaka Smart era.
Senior guard Kam Jones is the offensive engine for Marquette, already posting two 32-point games. He currently averages 20.1 points per game, amassing three double-doubles this season, while also making history with a triple-double against Purdue on Nov. 19.
He’s not just a just a scorer though, he also averages 6.6 assists per game in addition to his shot-making ability.
Senior guard Stevie Mitchell had five steals in the Golden Eagles’ win over the Friars, while Marquette forced 22 turnovers and only had five themselves. The Golden Eagles look to utilize the momentum and morale from that game to propel them through the next stretch of conference play as the calendar flips to 2025.
Isaacs’ injury looms large on Creighton offense, senior duo carrying the load
With Baylor Scheierman selected by the Boston Celtics with the last pick in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Bluejays’ production this season has been led by some familiar faces, senior 7-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner, and senior guard Steven Ashworth.
Both players average just over 17 points a game, with Ashworth shooting .400 from downtown (44-of-110) and leading the Bluejays with 6.2 assists per game. Kalkbrenner tops the Bluejays with north of seven rebounds and two blocks.
Outside of the senior scoring and size combination of Ashworth and Kalkbrenner, Texas Tech transfer junior guard Pop Isaacs helped power the Bluejays to upset then-No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 4, behind a 27-point performance. It was announced shortly after that he would miss the rest of the season with a hip injury and would be seeking a medical redshirt.
Isaacs was the Bluejays’ second-leading scorer before the injury, as they look for an additional offensive dynamic beyond the duo of Ashworth and Kalkbrenner.
The Bluejays are 1-4 away from CHI Health Center Arena this season, with their only win coming against Notre Dame, 80-76 on Nov. 30. Creighton has been inconsistent this season, with beating Kansas 76-63 at home, but suffering ugly losses at Georgetown on Dec. 18, 81-57, and to San Diego State, 71-53, on Nov. 26.
How to follow
The game will be broadcast on FS1, Jeff Levering (play-by-play), and Stephen Bardo (color commentator) will call the game. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CST.
Live coverage: @KaylynnWrightMU and @MUWireSports on Twitter/X.
Listen: 94.5 ESPN Milwaukee
This article was written by Mikey Severson. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @MikeySeversonMU
