Scott Rickenbach’s

College Basketball Picks
3/23/2009
7:00:00 PM CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS(-2)
over Kentucky Wildcats


Scott Rickenbach’s March Madness 2* (Top Play) Creighton Blue Jays (-) vs Kentucky @ 7 PM ET – When Creighton squeaked by Bowling Green Wednesday there were a couple of key factors. One was that the Blue Jays were still trying to get over the disappointment of not making the Big Dance. The other was that the Falcons had an 11-4 run going as they headed into Creighton for an NIT Opener that Bowling Green was much more excited about than the Blue Jays were. This all showed up in the way the Blue Jays played that game as they trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and still trailed by 8 points with under 9 minutes to play in the game! Creighton simply was disappointed by not making the Big Dance and they were also guilty of overlooking Bowling Green. That all changes now for the Blue Jays as, after surviving the expected “let-down game”, it’s a unique opportunity that now sits in front of Creighton! The Blue Jays are fired up about the opportunity of hosting Kentucky in a game that will be televised on ESPN. This is a rare chance for Creighton to secure a high-profile victory over a big-school foe! Additionally, even though they certainly won’t overlook the Wildcats, the Blue Jays know that defeating Kentucky will set up a home date with Notre Dame. This would be huge for Creighton, a Catholic school, as they would then get a showdown with one of the most high-profile programs in the country. As you can see, and the players don’t need reminded of this but Coach Dana Altman will do just that, not making the NCAA Tournament is not the total disaster it originally appeared to be. After surviving the first round scare, the Blue Jays now see this as an opportunity to take down some big-name schools and make a run at winning the NIT! The Blue Jays have the horses to do just that. Kentucky, though they did manage to beat UNLV in the first round, is still upset about missing out on the Big Dance. That’s because it was the first time the Wildcats had missed the NCAA Tourney in 18 years! That’s not very easy to overcome and coach Billy Gillispie continues to be on the hot seat. Unlike a Creighton team that was red-hot at the end of the season, the Wildcats had lost 9 of their last 13 games before coming up with the win over UNLV. The trouble here is that Creighton has enough size inside to slow down big man Patrick Patterson of Kentucky. Also, the Wildcats have seen star Jodie Meeks continue to struggle with his shooting touch. Kentucky also has had a big problem with turnovers this season and we feel certain that Creighton’s pressure defense is absolutely going to disrupt the Wildcats offense throughout this game. Kentucky shot 50% from the floor against UNLV even though three starters – Meeks, Michael Porter, Perry Stevenson – combined to make just 9 of their 25 shots. The rest of the team made 17 of 27 shots from the floor and that’s unlikely to be repeated against the pressure defense that the Blue Jays employ. Yes, Creighton’s defense did not look good against Bowling Green but so much of that had to do with missing out on the Big Dance. The situation is an entirely different one now. The Blue Jays are hosting the Wildcats of Kentucky and that means they bring their “A game” tonight and score a big win for the mid-majors in this one!

Play Creighton minus the 2 points as a Top Play selection.