Creighton Blue Jays
Overall Rank: #44
Conference Rank: #5 Big East
Creighton Team Page
A veteran laden squad returns in 2013-14 for head coach Jim Flanery and the Creighton women’s basketball team. The program will try to build on last year’s run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The experienced returners will come in handy as the Blue Jays embark on a new venture into the newly revamped Big East Conference, which should also help Creighton elevate its national profile with the increased strength of its conference.
2012-13 Record: 25-8, 15-3
2012-13 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jim Flanery, 12th season,
Coach Record: 215-137 at Creighton, 215-137 overall
Strengths:
The Blue Jays are a very well coached team that did not beat themselves very often last season. Creighton was among the nation’s best from behind the three-point arc as they hit nine three point shots per game in 2012-13. Senior MacKenzie Fujan returns in the backcourt for the Blue Jays. Fujan was lethal from three point range last year as she shot 44.3 percent. Her ability to be consistent from the perimeter is going to make it very difficult for teams to just sit back and dare Creighton to beat them from the outside. The Blue Jays also do an excellent job of taking the care of the basketball and distributing the basketball as they only turned the ball over 14 times a game last season. Carli Tritz is going to be a key player once again taking care of the basketball as she led the team in assists with 122.
Weaknesses:
The Blue Jays are going to need to be better on the boards in 2013. They had a negative rebounding margin of -.0.8 in 2012 and with the move into the Big East where they will see better athletes in the post, this will have to be a point of emphasis for Creighton this season. Sarah Nelson and Alyssa Kamphaus are going to have to be a force down low crashing the boards at both ends of the floor to create second chance shots. The other thing that will be key for Creighton is to force more turnovers in 2013-14. The Blue Jays averaged just under 16 forced turnovers per game last season. If they could push that number up towards 20 that will be a huge plus for them, especially in Big East play.
Final Projection:
The Blue Jays have plenty of talent heading into their new conference. The challenge is going to be how quickly they adjust to playing teams like Georgetown, St. John’s and Villanova that are battle tested. These squads have played the likes of UConn and Notre Dame on an annual basis in the old Big East conference while Creighton, as a former member of the Missouri Valley Conference, has not. The schedule is pretty balanced and non-conference road trips to Oklahoma and Nebraska will be great tests for the rigors of conference play. A New Year’s Day showdown in the nation’s capital against Georgetown will set the tone early for Creighton and be a great gauge for where they stand in the new Big East Conference landscape. If the veteran players can build off last year’s production, the Blue Jays should be a threat for an NCAA postseason berth and can get off the bubble if they can get some big wins early to build momentum for the season.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Carli Tritz, Senior, Guard, 6.8 points per game
Mackenzie Fujan, Senior, Guard, 9.7 points per game
Marissa Janning, Sophomore, Guard, 12.6 points per game
Sarah Nelson, Senior, Forward, 11.7 points per game
Alyssa Kamphaus, Senior, Center, 5.1 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 65.7 (94th in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.8 (98, 3)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.4 (73, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.6 (170, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.2 (2, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.4 (19, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.4 (28, 3)
Rebound Margin: -0.8 (194, 6)
Assists Per Game: 16.4 (15, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 14.8 (58, 3)
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