Shatel: Bluejays in need of a fast start in order to avoid a sad finish

The 2009-10 Creighton hoops tour officially begins Saturday at Dayton. With any luck, it actually had its genesis last March in a somber Jays locker room.

It was there that, armed with 26 victories, the Jays received the news that the NCAA Division I men's basketball committee didn't think much of those 26 Ws. It was so quiet you could hear a stomach growl.

“We got a little bit of taste of that last year, waiting in that locker room, to see if we got in,'' said sophomore guard Antoine Young. “We're a lot hungrier this year.''

Gentlemen, the buffet line is open.

Dayton is nobody's appetizer. The Flyers are top 25 solid and Sweet 16 material, depending on how your November bracket looks. In two weeks, on Thanksgiving Day, CU settles in for a hoop feast at the Old Spice tourney in Orlando, Fla., beginning with Michigan, followed by potential games with Marquette or Xavier, Alabama, Baylor, Florida State or Iona.

In many ways, these next two weeks are the most important two weeks of Creighton's season.

For schools in conferences with limited NCAA opportunities (that's this season's euphemism for mid-major), special seasons are born in November and December. This is the time when reputations are created and résumés are shaped.

If you live in the Big 12 or Big East, that's clearly not the case. Those schools can boost their RPI's in January and February just by suiting up. Schools in the Missouri Valley don't have that luxury. Their RPI can actually go down during conference season, even if they win.

Of course, you could always win your league. But as last year's hard lesson showed, that's no guarantee. Creighton tied Northern Iowa for the Valley title, had wins over New Mexico, Dayton and George Mason and still didn't get in.

“We felt like we should have gotten in there,'' said senior Justin Carter. “But we were missing those big wins.''

Exactly. Which puts more pressure on the Orlando trip and the Michigan game in particular. You want to win that first game so you can set yourself up to play another big name in the second and third games. CU coach Dana Altman should get his team to treat Orlando with the same urgency it treats the Valley tourney in St. Louis each year. Then maybe the Jays wouldn't need to win it all in St. Louis to get that dance ticket.

Creighton has been down this November road before. Two of CU's bigger seasons in recent years were jump-started with Guardian Classic wins over Notre Dame (2002-03) and Missouri and Ohio State (2004-05). This year looks no different, with the Valley looking improved but not great. Wins over George Mason, New Mexico or Nebraska wouldn't raise NCAA eyebrows. A win over Dayton could.

“We know we have to start early,'' Young said. “There's no room for slip-ups.''

So why do we get the feeling that this will be easier said than done?

Because, after two exhibition games, Altman is already bemoaning his team's lack of desire to play defense and rebound. Where have we heard this before? Oh, right. Last year. How many times have the Jays heard this recording over and over? And they let Missouri Western outrebound them by 16?

It would be wise to clean this up and fast because, well, there's this bit of bad news: Carter, the team's leading rebounder, is out two to four weeks with a knee injury. The earliest he could return would be Orlando, but that is extremely doubtful at this point. Creighton's ability to win these big games without Carter is listed at questionable.

“There's a big-time sense of urgency for the players and the coach,'' Young said. “I mean, (Altman) has to be nervous as heck going to Dayton knowing we got ourebounded in an exhibition game by (16).''

And yet, when I asked Altman this week about his team still not getting his message, I almost got the sense he's resigned to the fact this team will be able to shoot it from the Woodmen Tower but will struggle with the boxing-out and bending-your-knees part of the program. Maybe I'm reading that wrong.

“We can score baskets,'' Altman said. “You address what you don't do well. This team just struggles defensively and rebounding. We're a little small, maybe we're not as quick as we need to be in some places. But they do shoot well. They can score.''

ASAP, please.

Contact the writer:

444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com

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