Scouting Report For Serious Tennessee Basketball Fans

Creighton is essentially a 3.5-player team. What I mean by that is Creighton’s core trio of Scheierman, Alexander, and Kalkbrenner ARE the team, but guard Steven Ashworth can cause trouble for opponents on offense if he’s given time outside of the arc. The fifth man, Mason Miller, is not flashy in any way, but when he shoots from long range, he often makes it; he’s one of the best in the Big East at 3-pointer FG percentage. The bench is not deep at all, but Jasen Green is coming into his own as a rebounder and Francisco Farabello is an under-the-radar trey threat. Kalkbrenner is the three-time Big East Defensive Player Of The Year and averages three blocks a game. He also scores a lot of points at the rim. One mistake Tennessee cannot afford to make is to ignore him when he has the ball outside of the arc. He’s only attempted 53 treys this year, but he went three-for-three against Marquette (10/10 overall) and helped put the game away against Oregon in 2OT. Scheierman, a third-team All-American and finalist for the Julius Erving Award, is a menace all over the court. He leads the team in three-pointers and overall PPG. Alexander is a jack-of-all-trades who can rain hell down from long-range, but it’s his ball skills and his killer fadeaway that makes him a threat close to the bucket. He also is a master passer who gets a lot of assists to Kalkbrenner.

The Bluejays excel in the following specific areas:

Three-point shooting. Averaging over 10 treys per game, Creighton is one of the best in the country from long range. Double-teaming doesn’t help, because Creighton has three players who can bomb a team out if left open.

Fouls. Creighton is as clean as they come; a Bluejay has not fouled out in any of Creighton's last 53 games. Creighton almost always has the advantage in terms of opportunities at the charity stripe.

Experience. Creighton is one of the most experienced teams in the tournament, and like the grizzled veterans they are, they don’t make rookie mistakes and they play with the understanding that the game is 40 minutes long.

Creighton struggles in the following areas:

Turnovers. Creighton is atrocious at forcing turnovers; in fact, they are last in the country. Although they don’t turn over the ball a lot, they almost always end up with a significant negative turnover margin. This is a problem because it not only wastes an opportunity to score but also gives the opponent a chance to score a quick bucket on a fast break.

Rebounding. Despite their size, Creighton seriously struggles to earn second chances at the board. They are solid in defensive rebounding, however.

Keys to the game for Tennessee:

Slow the game down. Creighton plays best when they work at a high tempo and force the opponent to play faster than they’re used to. Creighton’s starting five has played nearly every minute of every game this year, and their exceptional stamina allows them to wear down teams who aren’t used to the high level of play. Tennessee needs to limit their shots and play at a slower pace to negate Creighton’s high-powered offense. Tennessee’s strength is its defense; they need to force Creighton to play their game, not the game the Bluejays want to play.

Hassle the grenade launchers outside the arc. Creighton is decent at converting treys when they are contested, but they are lethal when they have time to set up. The Vols cannot allow Creighton to sit back and bomb them, like UConn did, or this will be a long evening for Barnes and Co.

Play a physical game. Creighton’s style is speed, not strength. If Tennessee can push the Bluejays around without fouling too often, their chances of winning will be greatly improved.

Stifle Kalkbrenner. The Incredible Kalk (I did not make that up) is the defensive rock of the team, but he’s also their primary scorer inside the paint. Tennessee needs to find a way to limit his touches, which will be a struggle because double-teaming him leaves one of the long-range specialists open.