Thank you for following along tonight. I'm Josh Eastern signing off for the night. Stay tuned to VAVEL for more NCAA College Basketball action and postgame reaction from Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN.
Creighton falls to 2-1 while Indiana moves to 3-0
Creighton was led by Watson who finished with 21 to lead all scorers
IU had five players in double digits led by Blackmon Jr. with 19
FINAL: Indiana 86, Creighton 65
2nd (28.2): Milliken shoots 2. Makes the first and the second
2nd (1): Clement scores a fast break lay in for CU
2nd (1): All starters out for IU
2nd (1): Hanson on the put back for CU
2nd (2): Williams with an emphatic put back dunk after a missed 3 by Zeisloft!
2nd (2): Zeisloft hits his 4th three of the game
2nd (2): Milliken makes the first and misses the second
2nd (2): Bryant commits a foul and Milliken will shoot 2 for CU
2nd (2): Creighton ball out of the TO
With 3:03 to go in the second half, Indiana leads Creighton, 81-58
2nd (3): Bryant is fired up as he gets tangled up for a jump ball. That brings us to a media timeout
2nd (3): Ferrell hits a long 2
2nd (3): Thomas slams it down on the fast break
2nd (4): Zeisloft hits another 3 for IU
2nd (4): Watson turns it over for CU after a few calls went against the Hoosiers
2nd (5): Huff corrals the loose ball and lays it in for CU. 76-56 IU
2nd (5): Hartman hits a three, but a foul was called before the shot on Johnson and it doesn't count
2nd (5): Groselle to shoot 1 and 1. He misses the front end
2nd (5): Williams lays it in on a great feed from Blackmon Jr.
2nd (6): Watson loses it out of bounce. IU ball
2nd (6): Blackmon Jr. nails the FT
2nd (6:34): Williams' dunk is blocked on the fast break, but IU gets it back and Blackmon Jr. gets the and-1
2nd (6): Shot clock violation by Indiana
2nd (7): Watson walks down main street and lays it in uncontested
With 7:31 to play in the second half, Indiana leads Creighton, 71-52
2nd (7): Ball out of bounds to CU and that brings us to a TO
2nd (8): Groselle lays it in for CU
2nd (8): Zeisloft knocks down a 3 for IU
2nd (8:37): Watson misses the FT
2nd (8): Watson gets the and-1 for CU. Watson is balling out for Creighton tonight
2nd (8): Tough runner by Blackmon Jr., but he gets it to go. 68-48 Indiana
2nd (9): Bryant fouled by Hanson for CU; his third
2nd (9): Watson lays it in for CU
2nd (9): Foul charged to Hartman for IU
Maurice Watson is the only Blue Jay in double figures with 15
Thomas Bryant leads all scorers with 17 points while Blackmon Jr. has 14 and and Ferrell has 13 for IU
With 10:18 to go in the second half, Indiana leads Creighton 66-46
2nd (10): Hartman with a loose ball foul and that brings us to a timeout
2nd (10): Hanson lays it in for CU to quiet the crowd momentarily
2nd (11): Bryant lays it in again as he pumps up the crowd
2nd (11): Nice pick and roll as Bryant lays it in on the feed from Williams
2nd (12): Offensive foul on Anunoby
2nd (12): Watson Jr. hits a jumper for CU. 62-44 IU
2nd (12): Ferrell air balls a 3 as the shot clock expires
2nd (13): Hartman knocks down a jumper for IU
2nd (13): Offensive foul for Indiana on Anunoby
2nd (14): Easy lay in underneath for Hanson for CU
With 14:19 to play in the second half, Indiana leads Creighton, 60-40
2nd (14): Deadball brings us to a media timeout
2nd (14): Huff with the put back for CU
2nd (14): Blackmon Jr. for 3 for IU
2nd (15): Blackmon Jr. lays it off for Bryant who slams it home
2nd (16): Watson lays it in on a fastbreak after missed shots both ways
2nd (16): Bryant blocks a shot, but CU keeps possession
2nd (17): Thomas blocked by Williams
2nd (17): Blackmon Jr. stays with his miss and lays it in
2nd (18:02): Watson makes the first and the second
2nd (18): Foul by Williams for IU on the break. Watson will shoot 2
2nd (18): Tip in by Groselle for CU
2nd (19): Ferrell with a nice take for IU as they strike first in the second half
2nd (20): It will be Indiana ball to start the half
Back here for the second half. It's going to be a major uphill battle for Creighton at this point. We'll see what the second half brings us
Tough half for Creighton as Indiana has been hitting on all cylinders. I'm Josh Eastern and I'll be back for the second half in about 13 minutes
Thomas Bryant and Yogi Ferrell lead all scorers with 11 points each
HALFTIME: Indiana leads Creighton, 51-32
1st (:3): Ferrell ends the half with a jumper for IU
1st (28): Hanson with an easy lay in for CU
1st (48.3): Williams misses the FT
1st (1): Acrobatic and-1 for Troy Williams. He'll shoot one more
1st (1): Ferrell for 2 for IU
1st (1): Zierden knocks down a 3 for CU
1st (1): A few empty possessions both ways and then an IU turnover
1st (3): Nice take by Milliken as he lays it in for CU
1st (3): Ferrell shooting 2 after the CU foul. He makes the first and the second
Thomas and Watson for CU along with Blackmon Jr. for IU have 9 points, but Thomas Bryant leads all scorers with 11
Creighton is shooting 48%, but have taken 12 less shots than IU
With 3:37 to go in the first half, Indiana leads Creighton, 43-25
1st (3): Offensive foul by Hegner brings us to a TO
1st (3): Bielfeldt for 2 for IU
1st (4): Air ball on a 3 by Hegner for CU
1st (4): Nice floater by Thomas for CU
1st (5): Great passing by IU and Williams throws it down
1st (5): Travel on Yogi Ferrell. CU ball
1st (5): Foul on Ferrell; his first foul. Zierden shooting 2. He misses the first and makes the second
1st (6): Bryant for a 1 and 1 for IU. He misses the first
1st (6): Foul on Watson Jr. It's his 3rd foul
1st (6): Watson for 3 for CU. 39-22 IU
1st (6:42): Bryant makes the first and misses the second IU rebounds and Bryant lays it in
1st (6): Thomas Bryant draws the foul in the post on Groselle; his second. 2 FTs for Bryant
1st (7): Great drive by Watson and he lays it in for CU
Indiana is on fire shooting the ball. They are 50% from 3 and have hit 52% of all shots from the field. Blackmon Jr. has hit three 3's for IU
With 7:26 to go in the first half, Indiana leads Creighton, 36-18
1st (7): An IU turnover brings us to a TO
1st (7): Blackmon Jr. another 3 for IU
1st (8): Great post move by Bryant for IU. Watson responds for CU
1st (8): Thomas with the jumper for CU
1st (8): Groselle will shoot 1 and 1. Misses the first
1st (8): Foul charged to Bielfeldt for IU. His second foul
1st (9): Blackmon Jr. for 3 for IU
1st (9): Thomas drains a 3 for CU. They trail 28-14
1st (10): Ferrell draws the charge on Watson Jr. IU ball
1st (10): Foul on the ground on CU. Watson Jr. picks up the foul
1st (11:07): Push on Johnson and that is his third foul. Ferrell replaces
1st (11): Hartman lays it in for 2 for IU
1st (11:31): Milliken has 2 shots out of the TO. Misses the first and burries the second
Indiana currently on a 12-0 run over the last 1:58
With 11:31 to go in the first half, Indiana leads Creighton, 26-10
1st (11): Foul on Blackmon Jr. takes us to a TO
1st (11): Zeisloft for 3 for IU
1st (12): Great take by Johnson for IU
1st (12): Hartman gets a steal and lays it in after a CU rebound. 21-10 IU. CU then travels on the other end
1st (12): Foul on Johnson on the ground
1st (13): Ferrell hits a jumper and IU is out in front 19-10. Timeout Creighton
1st (13): Thomas Bryant for 3 for IU
1st (14): Hegner knocks down a 3 for CU
1st (14): Bryant makes the shot and IU leads 14-7
1st (14): Thomas Bryant with the and-1 for IU
1st (14): Watson makes 1 of 2
1st (14): Foul on Bielfeldt. Bails CU out deep in the shot clock. Watson for 2 shots
1st (15): Turnover by CU after Williams misses a lay in for IU
Troy Williams with 5 quick points already for IU to lead all scorers
Coach McDermott going to his bench early as he has subbed in Milliken and Hegner already
With 15:58 to go in the first half, Indiana leads Creighton, 11-6
1st (16): Foul on CU sends us to the first timeout
1st (16): Fastbreak lay in for Thomas for CU
1st (16): Hegner enters the game for CU. Replaces Huff
1st (17:18): Great cut by Williams on the feed from Blackmon Jr. Foul and the bucket for Williams. He makes the FT
1st (17): Blackmon Jr. for 3!
1st (17): Foul on Huff for CU
1st (17): Ferrell and Groselle get tangled and jump ball to CU
1st (18): Groselle lays it in for CU
1st (18): Great cut by Williams as he lays it in for IU
1st (18): Foul on Thomas for CU
1st (19): Ferrell for 3! Great feed from Bryant. CU turns it over on the other end
1st (19): Watson with a nice drive as CU breaks the seal
1st (19): IU travels on their first possession
1st (20): IU wins the tip and we're off
Great atmosphere in here tonight. Biggest home non-conference game of the season. Not quite a sold out crowd yet though
Like I mentioned in the preview, expect a high scoring affair as these teams like to get up and down the court. It will be the biggest test so far for both teams. Tip in 5 minutes
National anthem has been sung and lineups are being announced. Closing in on tip
Also, for time and typing sake, Indiana might be referred to as IU while Creighton will be CU
No real surprises with those starting 5's. It's the same one IU used on Monday and it's Creighton's usual suspects
About 15 minutes until tipoff here at Assembly Hall
Indiana starting lineup: Max Bielfeldt, Thomas Bryant, Troy Williams, James Blackmon Jr., Yogi Ferrell
Creighton starting lineup: Maurice Watson, Khyri Thomas, Isaiah Zierden, Cole Huff, Geoffrey Groselle
Hello everyone, I'm Josh Eastern reporting live from Assembly Hall in Bloomington as we are about one hour away from tipoff here between Creighton and Indiana
Coach McDermott talked about the importance of getting back on defense against this high-powered Indiana offense. "I feel like we're getting back but I don't know if there's a lot of urgency to get our defense set once we get back. And Thursday night in Bloomington, that's key to the game. They are coming at you as fast as anybody in the country. You have to get back, you have to be ready or you're going to pay for it."
Those stats make this game with Creighton that much more interesting because both teams like to get up and down the floor and can light up a scoreboard, so expect to see a high scoring matchup. Including Creighton’s exhibitions dating back to August, the Blue Jays are averaging 106 points per game. One key in this game will be transition defense as both teams will run and whoever can adapt to that and hold their own will have the upper hand in this matchup.
"We spent a lot of time building our mindset of attacking," said Crean. "We have a play-making offense, right? Make plays for others. The more we do that, it's amazing how it goes back to each other."
This Indiana team can score and score a lot, and that is evident by the fact that over the last four years their offense is first in the Big Ten in points scored (76.5), field goal percentage (47.2), and three-point field goal percentage (39.8).
Coach Crean isn’t married to a starting lineup and has mixed it up a few times from their exhibition games. It could be assumed that Bryant, Ferrell, Blackmon Jr., and Williams will be in there almost every night, but it is that fifth spot that has changed a bit. That last spot could be from one of their role players in Max Bielfeldt, Robert Johnson and Collin Hartman. Crean has talked about having a two-deep lineup, but if they want that to happen, they need consistent play from everyone.
For Creighton, they are led by guard Isaiah Zierden who is coming off of a 24-point performance on Tuesday night against UTSA. Along with Zierden, they do have some size with seven-footer Geoffrey Groselle and power forward Cole Huff who has averaged 14.5 points per game this season. Maurice Watson Jr. controls the point for this team and is a leader for this team in assists.
The Hoosiers return four starters from a season ago and are led by senior point guard Yogi Ferrell. He has started all 104 games he has played in and on Monday night, Ferrell scored 22 points to lead all scorers. He is one of the centerpieces for which this team is built around. Another key contributor is Troy Williams. He can get it done in so many different ways and is very active around the rim and is a high flyer that can give this Hoosiers team a lot of energy. Freshman Thomas Bryant is also another key component to this team as he provides much needed size at 6'10".
This is the fourth meeting between these two schools with the Blue Jays leading the series 2-1. Their last meeting was back in 1974 with Indiana coming away with a convincing 71-53 win.
Greg McDermott, who enters his sixth season at the helm of the Blue Jays program, coaches Creighton. He is 123-57 in his career in Omaha for Creighton and has rebuilt this program to become a new member of the Big East.
The Hoosiers are coached by Tom Crean who comes into his eighth year at the helm of the program. Since taking over in 2008, he has rebuilt Indiana basketball and has put them in contention to compete year in and year out. In the past four-plus years, coach Crean has a record of 95-45 and since 2011 they have averaged 23 wins.
Indiana of the Big Ten comes into their third game of the season following a big 88-49 win over the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Friday night, as well as a 102-76 win over Austin Peay on Monday. The Hoosiers were led by James Blackmon Jr. and Yogi Ferrell who combined for 42 points, but it was a total group effort as the Hoosiers hit 15 straight shots at one point. As for Creighton of the Big East, they come into Thursday night’s matchup in Bloomington coming off of an 103-78 win over UTSA on Tuesday and a 93-70 win over Texas Southern last Saturday. On Tuesday, six Blue Jays were in double figures.
Welcome to VAVEL College Basketball’s LIVE coverage of the Creighton Blue Jays vs. Indiana Hoosiers. I’m Josh Eastern and I’ll be providing play-by-play updates, commentary, and results of the game. The game starts at 7:00 PM EST at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN. VAVEL USA will be providing coverage pre-game, during the game, and post-game. This game is part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games.