by OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — November college basketball games typically don’t mean much in the big picture of a season.
As far as Greg McDermott was concerned, No. 22 Creighton’s 79-67 victory over No. 9 Wisconsin on Tuesday night meant a whole lot.
“You could argue it might be the best win we’ve had since I’ve been here when you consider where we’re trying to get the program back to, where the Wisconsin program is today, and in the manner that we did it,” the Bluejays’ seventh-year coach said.
Khyri Thomas scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, breaking open a close game with a three-point play and 3-pointer on consecutive possessions, as the Bluejays beat a Wisconsin team reached the Sweet 16 and returned all five starters.
Maurice Watson Jr. had 17 points and 10 assists and Marcus Foster added 15 points for the Bluejays (2-0).
“I think new can go super far, especially in conference play and in the (NCAA) Tournament,” Thomas said. “We have so many athletic guys.”
The game was part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games matching Big East and Big Ten teams the first week of the season.
“Coming in here, I knew it would be a heck of a challenge,” Badgers coach Greg Gard said. “Greg’s got a very good team; he’s kind of earmarked this year as being their year. Congratulate his team on playing very well. We showed at times some very uncharacteristic Wisconsin-like handlings of possessions where we got a little disheveled at times.”
Bronson Koenig (Ho-Chunk Nation) scored 21 points and Nigel Hayes had 16 points to lead the Badgers (1-1). But Wisconsin made only 3 of 26 3-pointers after starting 8 of 13 from beyond the arc. The Badgers also committed 16 turnovers, 12 of them by starters.
“Nobody forces Wisconsin into 16 turnovers, nobody keeps Wisconsin off the free-throw line,” McDermott said. “For us to beat a veteran team like they are, that plays the right way, and the success they’ve had in their careers, is really a feather in the cap for our team.”
Hayes, the Big Ten preseason player of the year, scored 11 points in the first 12 minutes and was held scoreless until there were 11 minutes left in the game.
That’s when Creighton started its decisive run. Cole Huff’s jumper from in front of the Creighton bench put the Bluejays up 52-50. After Toby Hegner hit a 3, Thomas stripped the ball from Koenig, drove for a layup and converted a three-point play. Happ missed on the other end, and then Thomas drilled a 3 to make it 63-52.
Wisconsin hosts Chicago State on Thursday.
