By JOHN MARSHALL
Creighton came within a few seconds of the Final Four last spring and has the type of roster that could make another deep run this season.
After a solid start to the season, the Bluejays have hit a few bumps in the road, losing two of their past three games to plummet down the AP Top 25.
No. 22 Creighton gets a big chance to get back on track Dec. 30 at home against No. 10 Marquette.
“Any time you’re in a position in the Big East to beat a good team, it stings when you lose, especially when you did a lot of things right,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said after the Bluejays’ 68-66 overtime loss to Villanova last week.
The Bluejays (9-3) opened the season with five straight wins before losing to No. 15 Colorado State at the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City. Creighton pulled out a solid win against Oklahoma State and crushed in-state rival Nebraska before losing to UNLV and Villanova dropped the Bluejays 10 spots in this week’s poll.
The Bluejays will certainly have their hands full with the Golden Eagles (10-3).
Marquette has an impressive list of wins, including No. 2 Kansas at the Maui Invitational, No. 21 Texas and UCLA. The Golden Eagles followed the Kansas win with a loss to top-ranked Purdue in Maui, lost to Wisconsin and opened Big East play with a loss to No. 25 Providence, which moved into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season on Dec. 25.
Marquette is coming off a 30-point win over Georgetown.
No. 13 Gonzaga has not been nearly as dominant in its nonconference schedule as it typically is, with three losses already.
The Zags get one last test before the West Coast Conference schedule starts on Dec. 29, when they play San Diego State.
Gonzaga has a new-look roster this season, with several newcomers and All-American Drew Timme no longer in the middle. The Zags have wins over UCLA and Southern California, but also lost to top-ranked Purdue, reigning national champion UConn and Washington.
The Aztecs have had a solid follow up to their run to last year’s national championship game, entering its game 10-2. San Diego State lost to BYU early in the season and has won three straight since losing at Grand Canyon on Dec. 5.
The Aztecs started at No. 17 in the AP preseason poll and re-entered at No. 25 two weeks ago before dropping out after the Grand Canyon loss.
No. 7 Florida Atlantic has its highest ranking as a program this week, proving last year’s Final Four run was no fluke.
The Owls have nearly everyone back from that team and has two wins over ranked teams, including a gritty overtime victory over No. 4 Arizona last weekend in Las Vegas.
Florida Atlantic has one game this week and its against another team that made a memorable March run in recent years, Florida Gulf Coast.
