No. 7 Creighton standing between No. 2 Texas and history, conference bragging rights

On Thursday night, Texas is looking to make history in the Moody Center. Chris Beard’s Longhorns, currently ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, are looking for their first home win in a matchup of top 10 teams since No. 2 Texas defeated No. 9 Michigan State in the Erwin Center on December 22, 2009.

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The only thing standing in between Texas and that milestone is the No. 7 Creighton Bluejays, who travel to Austin to take part in the Big 12-Big East Battle.

“They’re extremely talented,” Beard said Tuesday. “I think all championship quality teams have an identity. Creighton definitely has one. Coach (Greg) McDermott has been doing this for a long time. His teams are explosive offensively. His team’s balance is always very noticeable. This isn’t a team that comes in with one leading scorer, it’s a team that comes in with all five starters in double digits and guys off the bench who can really score as well.”

The stats back up Beard’s words. Junior guard Baylor Scheierman averages 12.0 points and 9.3 rebounds. Sophomore guards Ryan Nembhard and Trey Alexander each average 12.7 points per game. Sophomore forward Arthur Kaluma averages 12.4 points per game.

The Bluejays’ leading scorer might be the Longhorns’ biggest challenge — literally. Standing at 7-foot-0, junior Ryan Kalkbrenner is averaging 16.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest.

“Dynamic player,” Beard said. “He’s really, really good. He’s not just a big shot blocker either. He does a lot of things for their team on offense and defense.”

Kalkbrenner is a menace on the interior. He’s shooting 76 percent from the field, which ranks No. 6 in all of college basketball. He can also take a step behind the arc from time to time. In seven contests, he’s hit 3-of-7 from deep.

Defending the big man, according to Beard, will be a team effort. Most of the responsibility will fall on Dylan Disu, who is averaging 2.0 blocks and 4.0 rebounds per game through five contests. Dillon Mitchell, Brock Cunningham, and even former Bluejay Christian Bishop will also be asked to help in the interior.

Where Texas could look for an advantage is in transition. The Longhorns run about nine deep, with Marcus Carr leading Texas in minutes in 27.2 per game. No Longhorn averages over 27 minutes per contest save for the super-senior guard. On the other hand, the aforementioned Creighton players all average at least 27 minutes per game. Only former TCU Horned Frog Francisco Farabello and Mason Miller, son of longtime NBA veteran Mike Miller, average over 10 minutes per game outside of the starting five.

This year, Texas is averaging 72.6 possessions per game per TeamRankings.com, 6.2 possessions more than their 2021-22 mark. The Longhorns have placed an emphasis on transition offense, but Beard noted the Jays like to put pressure on teams in the open court. It’ll be a test of Texas’ ability to utilize a quicker tempo against a quality defensive team.

The game is part of the Big 12-Big East Battle, pitting two of college basketball’s top conferences against each other.

Marquette started the showdown with a bang on Tuesday night, as Shaka Smart’s team ran No. 6 Baylor out of the gym by a score of 96-70.

On Wednesday, the Big 12 saw Kansas State fall to Butler, 76-64, but then even the tally when Texas Tech beat Georgetown and TCU defeated Providence. So far, the home team has won every game.

In addition to Creighton vs. Texas, Oklahoma State plays No. 8 UConn in Connecticut, while Seton Hall plays No. 9 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse.

The Big 12 has all 10 of its teams in the top 60 of KenPom’s rankings, with Texas claiming the No. 1 overall spot. Creighton is No. 14 in the advanced metric, good for second in the Big East, who has seven teams in the top 60 and nine teams in the top 100.

Beard believes the Big 12 is the best conference in the country, and looks forward to the opportunity to show it on Thursday night against a high quality team from a historic power conference.

“The league is what it is,” Beard said. “It’s the best league in college basketball year in and year out. There might be somebody as good, but there’s never been anybody better in my many, many years in the Big 12.”

The headliner of the Big 12-Big East Battle occurs tonight in Austin. No. 2 Texas can prove that it can carry the mantle for the Big 12 with a win over No. 7 Creighton. In doing so, it’d make history not seen in Austin in almost 13 years.