Creighton heads to No. 7 Alabama seeking another upset

Creighton recently delivered a stunner by defeating then-No. 1 Kansas.Now the Bluejays get the opportunity to notch another top-10 victory when they face No. 7 Alabama on Saturday night at Tuscaloosa, Ala.Creighton (7-3) will be looking for its fourth straight victory following a stretch in which it lost three consecutive contests.The wins over Notre Dame, Kansas and UNLV have changed the complexion of the squad entering the showdown with the Crimson Tide.The Bluejays opened with four wins against light competition. When the quality of teams stiffened, Creighton’s competency dropped with double-digits loses to Nebraska and San Diego State and a four-point setback to then-No. 20 Texas A&M.The Kansas victory erased part of the residue from the shaky stretch. Pop Isaacs scored a season-high 27 points in the takedown of the Jayhawks, but his surgically repaired hip flared up and he was ruled out for the season a few days later and will undergo another hip procedure.Isaacs ranks second on the team in scoring (16.3 points per game) and 3-point baskets (23).When the Bluejays defeated UNLV 83-65 three days after the Kansas win, a slew of players picked up the slack.Five players scored in double digits with Jamiya Neal excelling the most with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.”We’ve had the challenge of people having to step up all year,” Neal said. “Guys knew, once again, we had to step up (in Isaacs’ absence). Unfortunately, it’s going to be for the rest of the season.”I don’t think anybody is happy about that, but I know everybody’s prepared and mentally locked in to do what they need to do.”Star big man Ryan Kalkbrenner leads Creighton with averages of 17.3 points and 8.4 rebounds. He also has a team-high 23 blocked shots.Steven Ashworth is averaging 15.9 points with a team-leading 30 3-pointers, while Neal averages 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds.Alabama (7-2) is playing for the first time since recording an impressive 94-79 road win over then-No. 20 North Carolina on Dec. 4. It was a rematch of last season’s March Madness Sweet 16 game won by the Crimson Tide.

On-Demand

Headlines