Creighton Fan Distracted By Tar Heels

Everywhere I turn, somebody is asking how "Creighton got screwed/hozed/wronged/etc. by the NCAA tournament committee" about the Jays #8 seed in the NCAA tournament.  "How are they supposed to get to the Sweet 16 if they have to play North Carolina in North Carolina?"

Time for a reality check:  The Jays weren't likely candidates to advance to the Sweet 16.  Not this team.  Not the one that had to keep pulling rabbits out of their hat to escape losses for most of the last month.  They've had "one-and-done" written on them most of the season.

And that's the thing: if the team is thinking about "woe us" and "North Carolina" like the fans are...well, North Carolina is the least of their worries.  They'll be home on Sunday.  Alabama might be the polar opposite of Creighton.  The Tide' best scorer is suspended, while Creighton likes to spin the scoreboard.  But there's the other side of the equation:  Alabama plays defense, while Creighton is the basketball equivalent of Kevin Cosgrove.  Well, maybe not THAT bad... but playing Creighton is a great remedy for whatever offensive woes you might have.

So what happens when a bad offense meets a bad defense?  History suggests the bad offense suddenly regains it's mojo.  (Witness Nebraska's blowout of Illinois three weeks ago...)  So Creighton had better have amnesia of what they said on Sunday night...and not even think about what could theoretically could await them this Sunday.

Let's talk for a second about the NCAA messing up the seeds.  I understand Creighton fan hoped to be seeded higher.  But the reality is that Creighton's play down the stretch earned them an eight seed. They point out Wichita State got a five, and they beat the Shockers by 7 in Wichita.  Then conveniently forget that in February, the Shockers pounded Creighton by 20 in Omaha.  Who deserves the better seed?  Wichita.  Period.  San Diego State?  Yeah, the Jays won that game... in November.  You can talk RPI and AP polls all you want, but whenever you hear the committee talk about criteria they use, those things are guidelines and they also emphasize how the team is playing at the end of the season.  And Creighton - aside from the blowout of Evansville - hasn't played well since January.

If Creighton hasn't figured out a way out of their funk in their two weeks off, and if they are still thinking about North Carolina, the Tide is going to Sabanize the Jays.  My bracket has Alabama winning this one.  If the Jays pull off the victory, I'll eat my words of course.  But for some reason, I don't think I'll be needing any ketchup Friday night.