ORLANDO, Fla. — Creighton will find out in the next four days if it has a basketball team capable of answering opportunity’s knock.

The Bluejays will play three games during that span. The first comes today at 11:05 a.m. when they take on No. 15 Michigan at The Milk House. Creighton also will play Marquette or Xavier on Friday, and its Sunday assignment will come against Florida State, Alabama, Baylor or Iona.

Take Xavier and Iona out of the mix, and the rest of the opponents make up a wish list. Creighton wishes that it could play more games against teams of their conferences’ caliber, but for a variety of reasons, including coach Dana Altman’s unbending scheduling philosophy, teams like Michigan or Alabama rarely show up on the Bluejays’ slate.

“We don’t get a chance to play teams like this because they won’t play us,’’ Creighton guard Antoine Young said. “You always dream about playing big schools like these. It’s just part of being competitive.

“We’re just looking forward to this as an opportunity as well as a chance to have a lot of fun.’’

Maybe that’s one reason Creighton forward Justin Carter, out since Nov. 8 with a knee injury, has done everything he can to try to get back onto the court for the tournament. Carter practiced Monday for the first time since injuring his knee. He expects to be a part of the rotation in the coming days.

“These are big games, for the alumni, for us and for all the past players that didn’t get an opportunity to play in games like these,’’ Carter said. “It’s just a big opportunity for all of us.’’

Creighton already squandered one chance to pocket one of those marquee victories that have such value in March for the so-called mid-major programs. The Bluejays opened their season Nov. 14 at Dayton, which at the time was ranked 21st. Although they led a good portion of the game, they couldn’t hold off the Flyers and lost 90-80.

A pair of home wins over Florida A&M and Arkansas-Little Rock leaves Creighton 2-1 heading into today’s game. Michigan has coasted to easy home wins over Northern Michigan and Houston Baptist. Wolverines coach John Beilein has stressed to his players the need to prepare for bigger challenges, beginning today with the Bluejays.

“Out of this field, I think you’ll see four or five teams go to the NCAA tournament,’’ Beilein said. “They’ll be positives that come out of this either way for us.’’

One of Creighton’s priorities in preparing for the Wolverines was readying to face the 1-3-1 zone that Beilein has employed throughout his coaching career. Few college teams rely on the 1-3-1 as their base defense, and even fewer employ it with the effectiveness Michigan does.

“You have to attack against any defense,’’ said Young, the Bluejays’ starting point guard who appears to have shaken the minor knee problem that slowed him in the first two games. “I haven’t seen a 1-3-1 at the collegiate level. The last time I played against one was in high school, and this is going to be a lot different than that.

“It’s going to take a little bit of an adjustment but we’ll be fine.’’

Michigan features two of the best players that Creighton will face this season in junior guard Manny Harris and senior forward DeShawn Sims. Harris, who earned All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore, shows up on the watch lists for college basketball’s two most prestigious individual awards.

Like Harris, Sims has piled up more than 1,000 points in his career. He earned second- (media) and third-team (coaches) All-Big Ten honors last season. The 6-foot-8 senior is off to a fast start this season, averaging 22.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. To complicate things for opposing defenses, Sims has made 6 of 10 shots from 3-point range in Michigan’s first two games.

Creighton will counter by trying to wear down the Wolverines with its depth. Unlike against Dayton, the Bluejays should be at full strength for the tournament with the recent return of forwards Casey Harriman from illness and Chad Millard and Carter from injury.

The strength of the field will give Creighton a chance to embrace an underdog status.

“We’re excited to play Big Ten schools, big-name schools,’’ Bluejays guard Kaleb Korver said. “Hopefully, we can go down there and get some wins that will help us out later in the season when they (NCAA tournament committee) are looking at who you beat and where you beat them.

“This is just a great opportunity for us.’’

There’s that word again. In the days leading up to the tournament, Altman admits that he has stressed what a good showing could do for his team later in the season.

“I hope our guys are excited about it,’’ Altman said. “It’s a neutral floor and we have a chance to play some really good teams. I just hope we’re ready to go.’’

Ÿ CU NOTES: All tournament games will be televised by ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. Creighton is 27-10 in its past 37 games that have been broadcast by ESPN networks. ... The Bluejays are 5-21 all-time on neutral floors against ranked teams. Overall, Creighton is 18-114 against rated teams. ... Today’s game marks the first time that the Bluejays have faced two ranked teams in the month of November. ... Creighton is 19-7 under Altman in regular-season tournaments and has reached the championship game in each of its past six tournament appearances. The Bluejays won the Guardians Classic in 2002 and 2004 and the Las Vegas Classic last season.

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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