After a 2-0 start, the Creighton Bluejays will hit the road for the first time this season when they make the trip to Manhattan, Kansas to play the Kansas State Wildcats. Both programs have new leadership, as CU’s Greg McDermott retired after last year and was replaced by High Point’s Alan Huss. Meanwhile, Belmont’s Casey Alexander took over KSU’s Jerome Tang.
Alexander’s squads typically are infatuated with the three-point line, and that seems to be the case again this year with the Wildcats shooting almost 60% of their shots from the perimeter through two games (11th nationally per KenPom). They’ve connected on just over 36% of those attempts, mostly through Brandon Rechsteiner and Jaden Schutt – both of whom shot 38% or better last year at Colorado State and Virginia Tech, respectively. Moreover, Alexander’s teams love to push pace, and that also has remained true this year, as the Wildcats are top-60 in adjusted tempo and top-80 in average possession length.
Creighton’s defensive numbers are solid through two games, but Kansas State represents a decent step up in class from Kansas City and Le Moyne. On the other end, the Bluejays are playing with decent pace, sitting 72nd in average possession length, while they shoot close to 49% of their shots from range. That’s 10% less than Kansas State, but it’s still a top-65 mark in Division I. Wes Enis is the main sharpshooter, though he’s just 8-of-27 thus far, weighing the team average down. He made over 100 threes last year on over 300 attempts, while he connected on nearly 40% of attempts in conference play at USF. Outside of him, BJ Davis, Austin Swartz and Jackson McAndrew are shooting north of 40% from distance, so there’s firepower on this end of the floor.
Creighton playing their first true road game is a concern in regards to offensive output from the Bluejays, but a vast majority of CU’s rotation are juniors or seniors, and Bramlage Coliseum wasn’t exactly a house of horrors for opposition last year. Heck, KSU lost to South Dakota State at home to start the year, so how intimidating of an environment is it really? The juice will likely be turned up in this one given Creighton’s proximity and Big East stature, but at the end of the day, I see both offenses getting what they want here – three-point attempts and fast-break points – so I like the over here more than any other market on this game.
Creighton vs Kansas State prediction: Over 157.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 158.5.
