Jays Hoops or Husker Football?

Saying this brought over two more Husker fans, eager to hear why a male sports fan in Nebraska was daring to not watch the bowl game. Like it was some kind of sin or something. "There's not going to be anybody there, you know."

Not true. "Actually, I've heard of a lot of tickets floating around -- people who are staying home are giving their tickets up. And you underestimate Jays fans. Are there Jays fans who root for Husker football? Absolutely. Are there transplanted alumni who root for their homestate team -- not Nebraska -- and therefore don't give a damn about tonight's Alamo Bowl? You bet."

***

The emergence of Creighton Basketball from a niche fan base of alumni, students and die-hard fans to Omaha's Team has always carried an asterisk. How many of those new fans would abandon the team if Nebraska started winning? How many of them root for Nebraska Football first, CU second?

You can pay Gallup all the money in the world to conduct a survey to determine, within scientific variances, the validity of that assertion. The best way is to stage the two events simultaneously, and see what kind of support you get.

Unfortunately, the two seasons don't overlap. Generally. Tonight you have the perfect storm, in a way: The Alamo Bowl kicks off at 7pm, the Jays conference opener tips off at 7pm, and both games are televised.

So not only can you gauge the attendance, but the TV ratings. How many people stay home and watch both games on TV? How many people ignore the Jays to obsess over the Huskers? How many people ignore the Huskers to root for the Jays in person?

The beauty of it is, we'll find out tonight. Better than any poll, this will gauge how far Creighton has come. If they get a small crowd, say 5000, we'll know Nebraska Football is still king in Omaha. If they can get 10,000, we'll know the Jays have made inroads. And if, god willing, they can sell the baby out, it will be obvious Creighton really is Omaha's Team.

I think there will be just over 10,000 there -- most season ticket holders not going will give away their tickets, and the ones who don't will be offset by the high school students getting in free and a marginal walk-up crowd. That would be a respectable number.

***

Missouri State is a top-20 RPI team, and will be another stiff test. Like Xavier and Dayton, the Bears are a team the Jays can beat, but have to bring their "A" game to have that chance.

The Bears average 90 points a game, so obviously Creighton will not win a shootout. Not without Funk and Motz. Good lord no. The tremendous defensive effort we've seen the past two weeks will absolutely have to continue for the Jays to stay in this game.

Don't put much stock in the "Funk Returns To Practice" stories. Sure, KM3 had their TV cameras there at practice showing video of him looking healthy. Sure, Travis Justice can tell you even at 75% he's still the best player on the court. Guess what. He's not playing tonight. He's not playing this weekend. You won't see him until next November.

This is just my opinion, and I certainly have no inside information here. But I've played a little basketball in my day, have watched for a long time, and trust me -- if he comes back anything less than 100%, he will reinjure the shoulder. Teams will not take pity on an All-American with a gimpy shoulder. They will punish him, play very physical on him, and see how that shoulder holds up. My guess is the bumping and grinding a guard at this level endures will be too much. My guess is the coaches and doctors know this. That's why my guess is they won't greenlight his return.

I also know that a Nate Funk who isn't diving on the floor, crashing the boards and driving the lane is not an effective Nate Funk. Those are the things he does that make him the best player in the Valley. A Nate Funk who stops doing those things to protect an injury is not a player worth returning to the lineup. Just my opinion.