Creighton coach Greg McDermott should be scheduling tee times.
The weather is warming. The courses are green. And McDermott’s point guard, Big East Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard, is done for the season.
But thanks to freshman Trey Alexander, McDermott’s golf outings are on hold. Creighton is averaging just 11 turnovers per game since Alexander assumed point guard duties (13.9 per game before then). And, as a result, the ninth-seeded Bluejays will play eight-seed San Diego State on Thursday in Round 1 of the NCAA tournament.
“We would’ve been done without him,” McDermott said Monday of Alexander. “We wouldn’t be standing here talking. I’d be making the turn right now.”
The Jays will be counting on Alexander again Thursday against the Aztecs, who enter the tournament ranked 29th nationally in opponent turnover rate (21.7 percent). CU saw good defenses every night in the Big East, but McDermott thinks San Diego State’s, which ranks second nationally in defensive efficiency, might be the best his team has played.
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Creighton assistant Alan Huss sees East Coast DNA when he watches the Aztecs on tape.
“You think sunshine and Southern California,” Huss said. “They’re a Big East team that got lost on the West Coast. They’re big, strong and physical.”
They also boast experience (eight seniors), which Alexander said has been his biggest disadvantage during his short stint as CU’s point guard. Before Nembhard’s injury, Alexander and fellow freshman Rati Andronikashvili only ran the offense when Nembhard needed a break.
Three minutes here, four there.
Meanwhile, “You’ve got guards with COVID years,” Alexander said, guards who have been playing Division I ball since he was a sophomore in high school. Guys like San Diego State senior Matt Bradley, who outweighs Alexander by 35 pounds.
Alexander never saw that kind of size at Heritage High School in Oklahoma City.
“Everybody in the NCAA can play defense at a high level,” Alexander said. “You’ve got seven-footers like Ryan Kalkbrenner running around. It’s not easy to get into the paint, finish a couple baskets.
“You’ve got guards that … already have like five years on me. Its kind of hard for people like me that haven’t been able to get into the weight room as much as those guys have.”
Alexander hasn’t shown his youth during six starts at point guard, though. Since changing positions, the freshman is averaging 3.3 assists compared to 2.5 turnovers per game. That’s fewer than Nembhard (3.1 turnovers per game) and Bradley (2.6), the Aztecs’ burly veteran.
Creighton’s coaches have helped Alexander’s transition by encouraging a slower pace — “we’re missing a few transition buckets (without Nembhard),” sophomore Ryan Kalkbrenner said. Alexander said he’s seen fewer set defenses because Creighton defends so well (12th in opponent effective field goal percentage). And McDermott credited secondary ball handlers like Andronikashvili and Alex O’Connell for managing increased playmaking duties, too.
But while Nembhard’s arm is still in a sling, McDermott’s clubs are still in the bag. Alexander is the main reason both can be true.
When CU has turnover issues, McDermott said, “it usually hasn’t been him.”
“You can tell he’s got a high basketball IQ,” McDermott said. “Everything that was thrown at him, he’s handled it without any speed bumps. “There really hasn’t been a game you looked out there and thought, ‘Trey’s really trying to adjust to what’s going on.’”