Auburn Game Thread

[BenningtonBluejay]

Fitting end to King’s career at CU (I presume) with the dropped pass and turnover with the 9.5-point spread on the line.

Going to be a very interesting offseason.

Privately there are rumblings that if the 5th year gets approved universally that Jamiya and Ash would have interest in coming back, would make more here than in an overseas deal.

Think we have a good core to build off of with Fedor, McAndrew, Green.

Does pop stay?

For sure need a 1 and 5 and depth pieces

Huh? Ash has already played 5 seasons and will turn 25 in less than a month and a half.

How it was explained to me is Jamiya has played 4 and would be eligible for the 5th year of that rule got approved. For Ash it was he’s played 4 and a Covid year so depending on how it was litigated could he get another? I don’t think age matters, he’s older because of the Mormon missions not because he’s already in 6 years

Additionally a guy we just played Chad Baker Mazzar is 25

[skinzfan23]

Damn now what do I do for 7 months. One thing January and February prove to me, my golf game sucks! Proud to be a Jay's fan. Compare to other programs, The run we've had the last 25 years has been incredible! I'm proud to be a graduate, I'm proud to be a fan, and I'm proud the way Mac and his staff run the program. Is it perfect probably not is it damn good you bet it is. Go Jays

Exact same way I feel, the success we have had in the last 5-7 years is unprecedented at Creighton. So many programs would love to have what we do and the fan support as well.

[Oldcroat]

Really enjoyed this year. After the injury to Isaac. I thought NIT. Some outstanding wins.


PS. A few auburn players look hurt (against this soft team lol), they may not make it past Michigan

[NYC-bluejay]

Just venting man. After 2023 it felt like the sky was the limit so it hurts and I’m searching for excuses on why we went 8->16->32.

[BenningtonBluejay]

Just venting man. After 2023 it felt like the sky was the limit so it hurts and I’m searching for excuses on why we went 8->16->32.

Rosters change, R2 to Ash, as much as I love the guy was a downgrade. Trey and Baylor went to the NBA. Kalk exhausted his years.

Think of it this ways. Zegs doesn’t get hurt and COVID doesn’t happen that team is a 2 seed with the highest upside of any Creighton team ever. Came back next year went to S16.

A couple years prior Mo and the Jays were what 18-1 with final four potential and Mo went down.

Before that Doug’s years people thought it would never get better than that.

After each it felt like could things get better? And each new cycle improved on the last.

[NYC-bluejay]

Just venting man. After 2023 it felt like the sky was the limit so it hurts and I’m searching for excuses on why we went 8->16->32.

Rosters change, R2 to Ash, as much as I love the guy was a downgrade. Trey and Baylor went to the NBA. Kalk exhausted his years.

Think of it this ways. Zegs doesn’t get hurt and COVID doesn’t happen that team is a 2 seed with the highest upside of any Creighton team ever. Came back next year went to S16.

A couple years prior Mo and the Jays were what 18-1 with final four potential and Mo went down.

Before that Doug’s years people thought it would never get better than that.

After each it felt like could things get better? And each new cycle improved on the last.

Kinda what I’m saying though - before the NIL and portal era R2->Ashworth would’ve never happened. The year Mo went down is really the worst. That was the best team we’ve ever seen in CHI. I do hope it can turn around. It just felt, to me, like we were improving every year and then that suddenly came to a halt when NIL started. I do hope I’m wrong.

[BenningtonBluejay]

Just venting man. After 2023 it felt like the sky was the limit so it hurts and I’m searching for excuses on why we went 8->16->32.

Rosters change, R2 to Ash, as much as I love the guy was a downgrade. Trey and Baylor went to the NBA. Kalk exhausted his years.

Think of it this ways. Zegs doesn’t get hurt and COVID doesn’t happen that team is a 2 seed with the highest upside of any Creighton team ever. Came back next year went to S16.

A couple years prior Mo and the Jays were what 18-1 with final four potential and Mo went down.

Before that Doug’s years people thought it would never get better than that.

After each it felt like could things get better? And each new cycle improved on the last.

Kinda what I’m saying though - before the NIL and portal era R2->Ashworth would’ve never happened. The year Mo went down is really the worst. That was the best team we’ve ever seen in CHI. I do hope it can turn around. It just felt, to me, like we were improving every year and then that suddenly came to a halt when NIL started. I do hope I’m wrong.

R2 got bad advice from his camp, he thought he was getting a BAG from Arizona that never came. What he got/is getting from Gonzaga is essentially what he would have been getting here and what ash is getting now. There were also rumors that at the time the zona stuff fell through he wanted to come back and withdraw from the portal, but Mac and the problem made the stance (and rightly so) that they weren’t going to play THAT part of the NIL game. I.e. enter the portal to see if you can get more money and have an option to come back.

And before you or anyone else says well didn’t Fred do that? No Fred was going to portal for a bigger role somewhere and it would have been a reduction in NIL since he would have had to go down a peg. Staff welcomed him back

[BenningtonBluejay]

Just venting man. After 2023 it felt like the sky was the limit so it hurts and I’m searching for excuses on why we went 8->16->32.

Rosters change, R2 to Ash, as much as I love the guy was a downgrade. Trey and Baylor went to the NBA. Kalk exhausted his years.

Think of it this ways. Zegs doesn’t get hurt and COVID doesn’t happen that team is a 2 seed with the highest upside of any Creighton team ever. Came back next year went to S16.

A couple years prior Mo and the Jays were what 18-1 with final four potential and Mo went down.

Before that Doug’s years people thought it would never get better than that.

After each it felt like could things get better? And each new cycle improved on the last.

Kinda what I’m saying though - before the NIL and portal era R2->Ashworth would’ve never happened. The year Mo went down is really the worst. That was the best team we’ve ever seen in CHI. I do hope it can turn around. It just felt, to me, like we were improving every year and then that suddenly came to a halt when NIL started. I do hope I’m wrong.

Also match ups are everything in the tournament, look who was on that run to the elite 8. An okay NC State team, a Baylor team that has been sliding for a month, and 15 seed Princeton, hell they ran into 5 seed SDSU in the final and would have seen a lower seed FAU in the FF.

I would say every other run we have had we lost to a clear better team:

First sweet 16 - Gonzaga (lost in the championship
Next year - KU
Elites 8 year above
Sweet 16 - Tennessee who was a higher seed with Dalton Knecht

Additionally Gonzaga is about to bow out, since leaving R2 has been eliminated at the extract same stage as Creighton each year. art has had significantly less success at his stops

[JayMob]

Don’t post too much anymore as I have a 3 year old and a 1 year old - I’m lucky to catch most games, let alone digest my thoughts.

On the arc of the season - I didn’t even think we would make the tournament based on the non-con. Great job by Mac of steadying the ship, especially when we finally got Fedor and it became clear he needs a lot more seasoning and was not the answer this year. Losing to a top seed in the second round is never a huge failure. This would be a runaway success of a season only 15 years ago.

That said, I told my wife that I think I’ve just seen every game Mac will play at Creighton at this point. A 10 minute stretch where you just don’t score is right up there in our “classic” loss mode, along with those games where you go 4-47 from 3, or lose a 53-51 rock fight against a far more athletic team. I think the basic cause is Mac consistently having one guy at most who can drive to the basket. Nobody except Neal can create their own points on this team, but that’s just how Mac constructs things. It’s frustrating but part of the deal.

We lose a lot this offseason but with the portal and NIL nowadays every season is a new opportunity. One of the announcers this tournament put it as “the goal of every program is to get old and stay old” through the portal. This will be Mac’s first “full” foray into the new world. Interested to see what he can make of it.

[SonofFrankTomera]

We lost our 2nd best player 8 games in, yet still had a great season. Hope he and the rest of those eligible come back, it’s a great starting point for next year. Not even going to worry about it til the roster for next year Is confirmed.