Results tagged “Illinois State” from Jays Blog

2008-09 Game #33: Illinois State 73, Jays 49

By
Max Univers
on March 8, 2009 8:29 PM |
I've been racking my brain all day, and I can't recall the Jays ever playing so poorly in a game that mattered so much, at least in the DA era. For a team so reliant on jump shots for success, shooting 27% tells you a great deal about what the final score wound up being. For some perspective, that's the worst shooting percentage in a game since a February, 2001 game against Evansville.

Creighton missed layups. They missed mid-range jumpers. They missed three-pointers. Mostly, they missed.

Was it a hangover from the previous night's near-catastrophic collapse? I hate to say so, but man, that sure looked to me like a team playing with no confidence. Think about the reality of blowing a 16-point lead in the last four minutes of the game. How can that NOT be in the back of your mind? These guys are human, after all. On the opening tip, one of the Jays (I forget who, but its not important) fell down, and Champ "Don't Call me Chamberlain" Oguchi drains a wide-open three. You think doubt, even a subtle amount, doesn't creep in?

Maybe it didn't. I don't know. But I wouldn't blame them if it did.

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2008-09 Game #31: Jays 74, Illinois State 70

By
Max Univers
on March 1, 2009 7:43 PM |
As I watched the game on Saturday, it was apparent that this was the best Illinois State had played in about a month. In retrospect, it shouldn't have been surprising. Speaking in generalities, the Jays always get their opponent's best shot in conference games. At home, opponents get jacked up to play in front of the biggest crowd they'll see all year, in an NBA-quality arena. On the road, Jays' opponents are excited because their crowd is larger and rowdier for Creighton than it is for almost anyone else.

I've heard this theory mentioned before, but I wasn't sure I ever really bought into it. Two years ago, I almost came around to believing it after watching team after team in the MVC play lights-out against a very good Jays squad -- and then suck against other teams. You'd see SIU or Bradley or Wichita State randomly blow out a team they were supposed to struggle with, and wonder, "Why is it no one ever has an off night against Creighton?"

Because everyone circles Creighton on their schedule. No one ever looks past them, no one ever has trouble getting up for the game, and everyone wants to play well against them. It makes a lot of sense. And maybe its part of the reason Creighton hasn't won a regular season title since 2002. Not THE reason, mind you, but part of the reason. There's no off night for Creighton in the MVC. Every time Creighton plays an MVC game, they have to bring their A game because the opponent is damn sure going to bring theirs. While some other teams can afford to have a game or three where they aren't 100% focused, Creighton can't.

Remember when Illinois State started the year 14-0, and Champ Oguchi bragged to the Chicago Tribune that the Redbirds were going to go undefeated all season -- including March? After knocking Creighton into next month in mid-January, it looked like his ridiculous claim was slightly less ridiculous. The Redbirds hadn't played as complete a game as that since, and tripped up enough to fall all the way to third place. Including Saturday's loss, they're just 8-8 since that 14-0 start.

They were a team spiraling downward until Saturday, when like clockwork, the Redbirds suddenly looked a lot like the team that started the year undefeated and led the outspoken Oguchi to make his ludicrous claim. This just four nights removed from a disheartening, stunning double-overtime loss to Northern Iowa on Senior Night that eliminated them from a chance at the league title. I wonder why that is?

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Gameday: Illinois State

By
Max Univers
on February 28, 2009 1:55 AM |
Editors Note: The following was written at the conclusion of a night of pre-game partying at the Homy Inn and the Musette. Keep this in mind as you read. You bet.

Ah, Game 31. Back in November, various media outlets chose Creighton to be the standard-bearer for the league, the flag bearer, the Champion. A roller-coaster, up-and-down regular season appropriately wraps up today with an ultimate up-and-down game:

Cut down the nets, raise up a banner.

That's what's on the line, folks. Sure, its not the epic Thunderdome game I think a lot of us were hoping for, where both teams were fighting for the brass ring, winner take all -- but to use a mainstream media cliche, any time you get a chance to play for a championship, its awfully special.

While I reach for another slice of greasy pizza, feel free to point and laugh in my general direction for writing that last sentence. Not one of the finer moments in my writing life.

The situation today boils down to this: If Creighton wins, they clinch no worse than a tie for the championship, pending the outcome of the Northern Iowa-Evansville game tonight. That's good stuff, isn't it? Just think, six weeks ago there were mysterious unnamed Jaybackers being quoted in newspaper columns calling for Dana Altman's head, and nine straight wins later, the team is exactly where they were predicted to be on the last Saturday of the season. Namely, in first place, one win from a title.

For those of us who never lost faith, its particularly sweet. For those who did and are now back among the awesome people, welcome back. Now then...on to the fun stuff.

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2008-09 Game #15: Illinois State 86, Jays Much Less

By
Max Univers
on January 4, 2009 9:52 AM |
The response to the Jays' 22-point loss in what was (so far) the biggest game of the year was eminently predictable. Because taken on the surface, that was what my old college roommate used to call "An ass kicking buffet." Illinois State kicked the Jays posterior, and then came back for seconds, and thirds, and later, dessert. The Redbirds were faster, more athletic, more fundamentally sound, played better defense, and hit every open shot. They were better in every aspect of the game. Period.

Its becoming a disturbing trait of this team that when they don't shoot well, the rest of their game goes into the crapper too. When Booker Woodfox is hitting shots and P'Allen is making plays, they rebound, play defense and beat good teams like Dayton and St. Joes. When they have an off night shooting, they get outrebounded by a million, play Bullfighter Defense, and lose the game.

Their energy for the other aspects of the game come from offense, which is not a recipe for success, because you're going to have nights where shots don't fall. Those are the nights that separate the good teams from the great teams. Do you win the games when you shoot 35% from the field and only make a couple of threes? The teams that do are the ones who win league championships.

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2007-08 Game #11: Jays 67, Illinois State 80

By
Max Univers
on December 30, 2007 3:54 PM |
I came back a day early from my Christmas vacation for this? Crime in Italy, I can't ever remember sitting in person and watching a Creighton game that was such a mismatch. And that's not an exaggeration, nor is it hyperbole: the last double-digit home loss for the Jays came in 1996...a year before I came to Omaha for my freshman year at CU. So I literally hadn't witnessed such a loss in person.

Not that this fact makes me feel any better, mind you. There's not much to say about this game, other than this: the Jays got their butts summarily handed to them on the Valley Game Of The Week, had their weaknesses exposed, and were thoroughly embarrassed.

Maybe I should have seen this coming, considering my Christmas vacation began by sitting at the Metrodome "cheering" the Vikings as they got embarrassed on national television last Sunday night.


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Season Preview: Illinois State

By
Max Univers
on October 23, 2007 8:17 PM |
Over the next several days, I'll be posting previews of each team in the Valley. Today I take a look at the Illinois State Redbirds.

Illinois State
2006-07: 15-16
(6-12 MVC)

12.29 at CU
02.27 at ISU

2006-07 REWIND: Illinois State, despite having the Freshman of the Year and two members of the All-Newcomer team, finished a decidedly mediocre 15-16 overall and 6-12 in the conference. Creighton defeated the Redbirds on New Years Day 79-71 in Omaha behind 23 points and 9 boards from Anthony Tolliver on 11-11 shooting from the field; the Jays as a team set a Qwest Center record by shooting 64% for the game. In Normal, the Jays lost out on a chance to catch SIU for first place in the league as a game of streaks ended in a 65-55 win for the Redbirds. Osiris Eldridge scored 18 second-half points to lead Illinois State.

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2006-07 Game 28: Jays 55, Illinois State 65

By
Max Univers
on February 21, 2007 12:02 PM |
There are losses and then there are LOSSES. Teams that have NCAA-asperations do not lose by double digits to the last-place team in the league. And if they blow a 10-point lead in the second half of that game, getting outscored by one player in the half -- well, that's bad. I'm an optimistic fan to the end, but even I can't spin that one.

Tuesday night, the Jays went into Normal, Illinois looking to rebound from a disappointing home loss to Drexel in the BracketBuster. Normal is a place where the Jays have traditionally struggled, but those teams they struggled against were Kevin Stallings' coached Redbird squads. Not the Porter Moser-led lower division finishers of late.

It was also the first time in the last 15 games that the game wasn't televised. For me, this couldn't have set up better. Over the weekend, I'd gone out on a first date with a girl I met earlier in the week. Now, if you didn't do anything too heinous to mess up the first date and she actually wants to go out again, you do what you can to make that happen on her schedule. Her schedule said Tuesday night. Great. No really, that's fantastic. Tuesday it is. (Damn it!)

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2006-07 Game 12: Jays 79, Illinois State 71

By
Max Univers
on January 3, 2007 4:52 PM |
I smell. Or at least, I need to take a shower. I reached this conclusion based on the fact that, at Monday afternoon's Creighton-Illinois State tilt, not only could I not find anyone willing to take a free ticket and go to the game with me, but no one in my entire row bothered to show up. There was no one behind me, either. And only a couple of people in the row in front of me. There was a DMZ of four seats on all sides of me.

A no-stink zone.

I don't really smell, at least, I don't think so. But you know what does stink? The Jays perimeter defense. Come on guys, this is bordering on the obscene here. Game in, game out, they fail to identify the shooter, and get torched.

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Max Univers (not his real name) is a graphic designer and author of two books, neither of which you’ve probably heard of. A 2001 graduate of Creighton University’s Journalism program, Max takes time out of his busy nightlife to share his thoughts on Jays hoops here during the season.

Why Univers? Its his favorite font, plus it just sounds really cool as a surname.

Why Polyfro? Years and years ago, Max had a giant afro wig that he wore as part of a Halloween costume. Not wishing to retire its giant fro awesomeness after the holiday, he began wearing the wig out in public as part of his everyday ensemble. One night at a dance club, the DJ called out the moniker over the soundsystem. Max thought it sounded cool, and purchased the URL shortly thereafter.

More questions? Send me an email: max-at-polyfro-dot-com. I like jokes, story tips, and generally all correspondence involving Bluejay athletics. Emails that point out how stupid I am and/or where I should go after I die are not encouraged.

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