Creighton's Italy Trip

[DudeAnon]

You really can't take anything from this trip playing Euro YMCA rec league teams. That being said:

I think Creighton is going to be the surprise team of the BE this year, much like Butler was last year. They played so many close nip and tuck games last year. I think them and Marq. fight it out for 5th place and a possible NCAA bid, but none of that is based on this Italy trip. Huff and Watson are 2 impact transfers, plus they add some young talent, length, and athleticism.

Mentioning that, I wouldn't be surprised to see Butler take a dip this year. I don't think they will be able to fill in the leadership from Barlow nor the defensive monster that was Kameron Woods.

[MUPanther]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein · 6h6 hours ago
Big East note: Looks like a pretty good bet that Creighton's two freshman -- Khyri Thomas and Martin Krampelj -- will be in Jays' rotation.

[Omaha1]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein · 6h6 hours ago
Big East note: Looks like a pretty good bet that Creighton's two freshman -- Khyri Thomas and Martin Krampelj -- will be in Jays' rotation.

And that the headliner recruit, Five Star Top 50 recruit Justin Patton, will not.

[milksteak]

You really can't take anything from this trip playing Euro YMCA rec league teams. That being said:

I think Creighton is going to be the surprise team of the BE this year, much like Butler was last year. They played so many close nip and tuck games last year. I think them and Marq. fight it out for 5th place and a possible NCAA bid, but none of that is based on this Italy trip. Huff and Watson are 2 impact transfers, plus they add some young talent, length, and athleticism.

Mentioning that, I wouldn't be surprised to see Butler take a dip this year. I don't think they will be able to fill in the leadership from Barlow nor the defensive monster that was Kameron Woods.

Well, we did finish 7th in defense in KenPom. We lost two of the best defenders Butler has ever had. So yeah, our defense will probably take a dip.

That said, I (along with a large portion of our fanbase) are convinced this will be the best offense we've ever had at Butler. Yes, even better than the two Final Four teams (those teams' offenses weren't really anything special).

And that the headliner recruit, Five Star Top 50 recruit Justin Patton, will not.

Can you elaborate on this a little?

EDIT: Let's say COULD be the best. I tend to forget how highly ranked some of the pre-Final Four offenses were.

[HoosierPal]

Shame on Creighton for exploiting their student athletes, making them take a trip to Italy AND play basketball. I certainly hope they are being compensated for their suffering. I'm sure they all had to give up their summer jobs in order to take this trip.

[hortle]

And that the headliner recruit, Five Star Top 50 recruit Justin Patton, will not.

Can you elaborate on this a little?

I watched half of the full game that is uploaded to youtube against the all star club. It seems to me that Justin does not have the greatest defensive iq in the paint, he just looks a step slow in terms of anticipation and positioning. There was one play where he was going to get beat by a post move but short armed toby hegner bailed him out by blocking the shot on the weak side. The talent is clearly there, he's got great legs and mobility and long arms, he just needs some coaching and good S&C work.

If you are looking for newcomers that will be making an impact (beyond the obvious two transfers),think Khyri Thomas, Martin Krampelj, Ronnie Harrell (former top 100), and Malik Albert. Thomas might be the best out of all of them, especially if he keeps developing his jumper. His motor runs nonstop and he's not afraid to get in a dude's grill.

i am surprised to see some people talking about creighton's sudden aversion to 3 point shots. Once the rotation sorts itself out sometime in november/december, I expect there to be at least 4 or 5 guys playing good minutes that are knocking down 3's at a decent clip. Martin, Malik, Cole, James, and Toby all sank more than a couple threes during the italy trip. Mo shot 34% from three during his sophomore year at Boston. Ronnie has shown he can shoot in practice this summer.

[Jet915]

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein · 6h6 hours ago
Big East note: Looks like a pretty good bet that Creighton's two freshman -- Khyri Thomas and Martin Krampelj -- will be in Jays' rotation.

And that the headliner recruit, Five Star Top 50 recruit Justin Patton, will not.

I think its still too early to say that. He's rail thin but he can run the floor well for his size, something our other bigs cant do. If we are gonna play aggressive defense, we'll need his mobility and athleticism. I think he will play, just not as much as Khyri or Martin.

[handdownmandown]

There were scores of easy layups on barely contested runouts, as well as putbacks that won't be nearly as simple to convert once the season starts.

Those shots really drive down the 3pt att %age. I am willing to guess the %age of 3s per half court set is WAY higher than 26%, and that's the number that will be telling once all the fluff gets stripped from the stat lines.

[stever20]

There were scores of easy layups on barely contested runouts, as well as putbacks that won't be nearly as simple to convert once the season starts.

Those shots really drive down the 3pt att %age. I am willing to guess the %age of 3s per half court set is WAY higher than 26%, and that's the number that will be telling once all the fluff gets stripped from the stat lines.

I dunno. I mean, I really get what you are saying, but I know like the team you had 2 years ago- no way even with a lot of layups do they have a game where they shoot only 26 pct 3's. If anything there would have been more fast break kick out 3's..

Also, I would look at the number of 3's that you shot in the 1st half. For the trip- only 26 of 117 shots in 1st half were 3's. That's 22.2%.

It feels looking at the stats that there could be a bit of a difference this year. Part of it is the personnel is different now, leading to a different style of play.

Also I would look at McDermott's stats thru the years. At Iowa St his final year they only shot 30% of their shots as 3's This even with them being 37.3% 3 point shooting team. Only one year were they over 37%. at Northern Iowa, he had 1 year at 34.1%- then 3 others around 38%. My hunch just looking at everything is we aren't going to see Creighton taking as many 3's as they have the last 3 years. Think it may get back to the 2011/2012 seasons where they took 37.3 and 35 % of the shots as 3's(compared to the last 3 years- 39.4/44.5/42.7% shots as 3's)

[gtmoBlue]

Less 3pt attempts is a good thing. One of the CU faithful posted that the jays were on the. Top 10-15% last season in 3 Pt attempts. The record shows the Jays were 156th/34.6%, or the 50th percentile in made 3pter's. Look at it as addition by subtraction. A better, more effective offense by reducing the dependence on the 3 Pter. 26 attempts (or less) is a good thing. If the team shows they can consistently hit the 3, then perhaps incrementally increase attempts. This team should not have to rely on (live or die by) the 3. Creighton becomes a bit less predictable. I like the notion of elbow for elbow, forearm shiver for forearm shiver, blow for blow. After all, isn't that BE basketball?