Hey NRopp...it's a polish middle to me. If he lays 4 on UAB and lays 1 on Creighton and the game lands UAB 1 or 2, he loses both.....anyway, always good to see you...had us all scared with the Jimmy Hoffa rumors that you had disappeared earlier this year and may not be with us anymore....glad you are ok...
Anyway, I think Creighton has talent but has possibly one of the worst head coaches in Division 1 basketball. McDermott is clueless and was the worst hire possible. he has no game plan, doesn't communicate with his players and is hated. When he was at Iowa State, 29 out of 33 players left his program withour graduating and many transferred. Creighton probably has the best talent in the MVC this year but the real enigma is Gregory Ecehenique, who I feel could easily be a second round draft pick, but McDermott has no clue how to use him. He was the leading rebounder in the Bog East as a freshman and had all sorts of potential but McDermott uses him just 20 minutes a game. When he gets the ball, he is extremely efficient. Doug McDermott is possibly the best player in the Valley. Antoine Young is a very solid PG. He's not the better shooter in the world but has a very solid assist to turnover ratio. Jahenns Manigat has really stepped up his game early on and the Bluejays have a lot of depth. The one thing that hurt Creighton the most last year was they don't pressure the ball on defense and I think they ranked 2nd worst in the country in creating turnovers. McDermott has athletes and depth and needs to pressure the ball more. In addition, McDermott is horrible at making halftime adjustments and the Bluejays often struggled to score in the second half in games last year. Tonight's an interesting matchup as UAB has size upfront to offset Echenique, who has struggled in his first two games and I understand he is overcoming a concussion. Overall, I expect them to be 1st or 2nd in the MVC but they must pressure the ball and learn to play on the road. I lean towards Creighton +3 tonight. Best of luck!