2009-2010 Missouri Valley Conference Basketball

Wichita State vs Creighton Basketball Recap

Creighton 57, Wichita State 56

In a nationally-televised showcase for Missouri Valley basketball, ESPN2 viewers were reminded that backyard battles typically lean to the team that plays better defense for a longer period of time.

The action wasn't artistic at the Qwest Center in Omaha, but in a border-state battle between Nebraska-based Creighton and Kansas-based Wichita State, elegance never should have been expected. In the end, the homestanding Bluejays had just enough elbow grease to fend off the hard-working but ultimately deficient Shockers.

Coach Dana Altman didn't get a big offensive outing from his Creighton crew on Saturday afternoon. The Bluejays hit only 33 percent of their field goal attempts (15 of 45) and nailed only 29 percent of their 3-point shots (5 of 17). How, then, did they manage to win against an opponent that entered Omaha with a 16-2 record and a 5-1 mark in the Valley? Simple: a very big dose of defense.

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Creighton's conquest wasn't just the product of Wichita State's 36 percent shooting. What really stood out in this game was the fact that even the most efficient and reliable Shockers were jolted by the activity and hustle the Bluejays threw at them. Consider the case of Clevin Hannah.

A senior starter for WSU coach Gregg Marshall, Hannah entered Saturday's game as a 46 percent field goal shooter and Wichita's leading assist man. Along with backcourt mate Toure' Murry, Hannah has been centrally responsible for leading his team to the top tier of the Valley. Precisely because guards will take more long-range shots, it's phenomenal that anyone who bears a substantial portion of the ballhandling load for his team can be as efficient a shooter as Hannah has been. Crisp offensive execution is one of Wichita State's foremost characteristics, so on a day when Creighton struggled to put the ball in the bucket, the Shockers had to like their chances.

Instead, Hannah got hogtied by Altman's athletes in home white jerseys.

Hannah hit only 2 of 9 field goals on the afternoon, and he also handed out a single assist pass. Creighton's ability to rotate off screens, switch, and collapse in the paint clearly unsettled the Shockers. No one in a black shirt felt comfortable at the offensive end of the court, largely because the Bluejays were able to fill passing lanes and bother Shocker shooters.

Creighton regularly got a hand in the face of a WSU ballhandler, and found itself one step ahead of the kids from Kansas. When Creighton's P'Allen Stinnett picked off a pass by Wichita's J.T. Durley with 1:22 left, the Jays - up 55-51 at the time - were able to drain some precious seconds and add a free throw that loomed large at the end of a contest that was decided by a lonely point. Just as significantly, the Stinnett steal exemplified the hustle of the home team, combined with the discomfort displayed by Wichita State.

To underscore WSU's lack of comfort and composure in this game, the Shockers - down by one with 9.4 seconds left - were unable to foul Creighton while the Jays passed the pill around the Qwest Center court. Marshall - who will not sleep well tonight - hastily made his way through the handshake line. At the end of a day when Creighton competed with more clarity, Wichita's coach lamented his team's endgame meltdown, but the bigger takeaway from this tussle is that the Bluejays did enough to make the Shockers flinch.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer