By SAM LANCE
Creighton needed someone to step up against No. 1 Kansas to pull off a critical upset win. Junior guard Pop Isaacs was up to the challenge.
The Texas Tech transfer poured in a game-high 27 points en route to Creighton’s 76-63 win, and Isaacs missed just five of his 15 shots from the field while knocking down six 3-pointers.
“It was going to take a special effort on our part on both ends of the floor,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said of the upset win on FS1 postgame. “Guys are beat up, guys are sick and they found a way. I’m really proud of my team.”
Senior big man Ryan Kalkbrenner was a game-time decision coming into the contest and hadn’t practiced all week, but gutted out 38 minutes and scored 17 points with 10 rebounds. Senior guard Steven Ashworth also chipped in 17 points while dealing with an ankle injury. Those three veterans for Creighton — Ashworth, Isaacs and Kalkbrenner — scored 61 of Creighton’s 76 points, two less than KU’s game total. This was a much needed and potentially season altering win for Creighton, who move to 6-3. After starting the season 4-0 as a top-15 team, Creighton lost three straight games and finished 1-2 in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Feast Week. The Blue Jays were also ranked No. 99 in the initial NET rankings. Not an ideal start to the year, but now McDermott has his team back on track. “With every team you are selling a dream,” McDermott said postgame. “You are selling a plan. And until you’re able to validate that plan with a victory like this, I’m not sure the buy in is what it’s going to be now. Now they know what they’re capable of and we have to hold ourselves to that standard not just every game but every practice.” This is the second time in two years Creighton has beaten the No. 1 team on its home court. Last year, it was UConn who fell. And now it’s Kansas. McDermott became just the fourth coach to beat the No. 1 by double-digits in back-to-back years. “What can you say? This is the building No. 1 teams go to die evidently,” McDermott said.STORMING IN OMAHA!!! DOWN GOES NO. 1 KANSAS ⛈️ @BluejayMBB pic.twitter.com/olB8K4tCwI
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 5, 2024
The Creighton game plan was a huge reason for the victory. McDermott openly said at halftime he was allowing Kansas senior guard Dajuan Harris to take shots. And Harris ended up taking 21, the most in his career, while only hitting six of them. As a team the Jayhawks shot 36% compared to the Blue Jays 47% clip. Kansas, the No. 1 team in the land, now moves to 7-1 and will play rival Missouri on the road Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Up next for Creighton is a Saturday clash with UNLV. Tipoff in Omaha is set for 4 p.m. ET. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookGreg McDermott is the 4th coach to beat the No. 1 by double-digits in back-to-back years pic.twitter.com/pGkrYtufOa
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) December 5, 2024
