The Creighton Bluejays are becoming March Madness regulars. They seek a win in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. No. 3 Creighton is a double-digit favorite against 14-seeded Akron.
Akron snuck into the NCAA Tournament by beating Kent State in the MAC Championship game, thanks to an unfortunate brain fart from a Kent State player. The Zips are making their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010, but are winless in those three previous appearances.
If you’re looking for a team with many big wins, Greg McDermott’s team had those this year. The Bluejays took down No. 1 UConn 85-66 in late February and beat No. 5 Marquette in early March.
No. 14 Akron Zips
Outlook: The Zips have length, experience and defense. They block shots, defend the 3-point line (12th nationally per KenPom) and aren’t overly reliant on one player at the offensive end. They have a senior star in Enrique Freeman, who’s improving offensively and routinely dominates the glass, but he’s just one of six upperclassmen who won’t be fazed by the big moment.
However, their shot selection is often questionable, and the offense can go stale for long stretches. The Zips are still playing in spite of a late-season offensive slump that saw them drop a series of head-scratching games and lose their grip on the MAC regular-season title. Akron wants to play a half-court game, but when shots don’t drop, it’s hard to keep up with quality opposition.
Freeman and 6-foot-8 senior guard Ali Ali have played in the NCAA Tournament before, and both are gifted enough to dominate in stretches. The defense sets up the offense, and Freeman was a load in the post against MAC competition. Can a bottom-100 team in 3-point shooting make enough treys to advance a game or two? If a few shots drop and Akron gets its tempo, it can hang with most of the field.
—Zac Jackson
No. 3 Creighton Bluejays
Strengths: It starts with Ryan Kalkbrenner, a 7-foot-1 anchor who is a three-time reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year. The Jays are exceptional at running opposing shooters off the 3-point line and funneling them into the big fella at the rim. Their opponents had the highest percentage of shots from 2-point range in college hoops this season — and the Jays are elite at defending from that range. Greg McDermott has shooters galore, from Steven Ashworth to Baylor Scheierman to Trey Alexander. All three are elite catch-and-shoot threats.
Weaknesses: There are two major concerns with this team. The first is that they lack a truly explosive creator. There aren’t many coaches better than McDermott at scheming his team shots with the sets that he runs, but on nights when a defense can take the Bluejays out of what they want to run, they don’t have a guy who can go get a shot on his own. The other issue is that Creighton really goes about four deep. Francisco Farabello, Mason Miller and Isaac Traudt are fine when it comes to being shooters and floor-spacers, but there’s not much else that they bring.
Outlook: I am higher than the field on this Creighton team. I’m less concerned with their lack of depth than others because Creighton is sensational when it comes to avoiding fouls. That, combined with the longer TV timeouts in the NCAA Tournament, makes the depth issues far less of a concern. They have one of the five best big men in America, Scheierman has been on an incredible run the last six weeks and the Jays are a nightmare to prepare for on short notice.
—Rob Dauster
How to watch Creighton vs. Akron
What: Midwest Region, First Round
Tipoff time: 1:30 p.m. ET Thursday
TV: TNT
Location: Pittsburgh
Creighton vs. Akron odds
Odds are from BetMGM and update live. Find the best ticket deals on StubHub to see your favorite team.
Expert picks
Model projection: Creighton by 9.5 points, total 141.9
See Austin Mock’s best futures bets
Players to watch
Creighton
- Baylor Scheierman, senior guard, first-team All-Big East
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, senior center, Big East Defensive Player of the Year, second-team All-Big East
- Trey Alexander, junior guard, second-team All-Big East
Akron
- Enrique Freeman, MAC Player of the Year
More NCAA men’s basketball tournament coverage
(Photo of Baylor Scheierman: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
