Diagnosing what ails Indiana State is much easier than trying to figure out what’s wrong with Creighton.

The Sycamores are breaking down physically. They’ve lost three of their top players to injuries. They were without guard Jake Kelly before they defeated Creighton in early January. They will be without guards Harry Marshall and Dwayne Lathan when they take on the Bluejays tonight at 7:05 at Qwest Center Omaha.

In spite of the loss of the three starters, Indiana State has remained competitive. The Sycamores had won three straight when Marshall and Lathan went down in a Feb. 3 victory over Illinois State.

With a patched-up lineup, Indiana State had Wichita State down by 15 points in the second half Saturday before the Shockers rallied to pull out a 76-70 win on their home court.

“Indiana State is still playing with a lot of confidence,’’ Creighton coach Dana Altman said.

That’s one thing Creighton has been lacking throughout a season that has the Bluejays limping toward the finish. They are 12-12 with six games to play before they head off to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

Creighton is 7-6 and tied with Bradley and Illinois State for third place with five league games remaining. Indiana State, 14-10 overall, is one of three teams tied for sixth at 6-7.

Illinois State follows Indiana State to Omaha for a Saturday game, making this a potential pivotal week for the Bluejays.

“We know we still have a lot to play for,’’ said Creighton center Kenny Lawson, referring to a possible third seed in St. Louis. “These home games are really big. Coach is always talking about how we need to take care of business at home, especially since we haven’t played well on the road.’’

Creighton is 10-1 this season at the Qwest Center, 2-11 away from it. If the Bluejays would hold serve in their final three league home games and perhaps steal a road win at Northern Iowa or Southern Illinois, they would stand a good chance of securing a top four seed in the tournament.

“We want to win out and get a streak going,’’ freshman guard Josh Jones said, “so we can get some confidence going into the tournament.’’

Right now, the tournament is the last thing on Altman’s mind. His immediate concern is the zone defense that Indiana State figures to throw at his team tonight.

“We haven’t played very many zone defenses, other than Drake’s matchup,’’ Altman said. “We’re going to have to hit some shots and show some patience. We have to make sure we just don’t take the first 3 we see.

“At the same time, we have to be aggressive. It’s going to be a challenge.’’

Indiana State coach Kevin McKenna switched to the zone out of necessity when Marshall and Lathan went down a week ago. The Sycamores suited up just eight players for Saturday’s game at Wichita State.

Marshall, a senior averaging a career-high 13.9 points, went down with a foot injury that could keep him out of the lineup until tournament time.

Lathan was averaging 12.0 points but had not played in six of Indiana State’s previous seven games with a high ankle sprain. He broke three bones in his hand in playing two minutes against Illinois State. He also isn’t likely to return until next month.

Marshall and Lathan combined for 23 points and 11 rebounds when the Sycamores posted a 70-64 win over Creighton in Terre Haute on Jan. 1. Their spots in the lineup have been taken by sophomore Jordan Printy and Koang Doluony, a redshirt freshman from Omaha Bryan.

Doluony is averaging 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds while seeing action in 23 of Indiana State’s 24 games.

• NOTES: Altman said there is no change in suspended guard P’Allen Stinnett’s status. He did not practice Monday and won’t play tonight. ... Sixteen of the past 33 games between the teams have been decided by six points or fewer. Creighton leads the series 48-23 and has won 19 of the past 24 games. ... A win tonight would give the Sycamores a sweep of the regular-season series for the first time since the 1992-93 season. ... Lawson has made his past 17 free throws. If he makes three more in a row, he would become the first Bluejay 6-foot-9 or taller to make 20 consecutive free throws. ... If Ethan Wragge makes a 3-point shot tonight, he would tie Rodney Buford’s record for consecutive games with a trey by a freshman. Buford made at least one in 12 straight games in 1996.

Contact the writer:

679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

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