LEXINGTON, Ky. — After taking down No. 16 seed Alabama State 83-63 in the first round on Thursday, the top-seeded Auburn Tigers are looking to continue their winning ways in Rupp Arena as they clash with No. 9 seed Creighton on Saturday.
The Bluejays are coming off an 89-75 takedown of No. 8 seed Louisville on Thursday in their first-round showdown in front of a sea of Cardinal red at Rupp Arena. Creighton has made it out of the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years under head coach Greg McDermott and has won at least one game in the tournament in five straight seasons.
"I've known Greg McDermott for a long time dating back to my days as an assistant for Dr. Tom Davis at the University of Iowa. Been a big fan of his and the way he runs his program and how competitive they are, particularly in postseason." said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. "The fact that Creighton has been to the Sweet 16 four of the last five years speaks volumes about what kind of program they have, what kind of coach they have, and their culture."
Creighton, which averages 9.5 threes per game, knocked down 11 threes for a 45.8% clip against the Cardinals and was led by the duo of Jamiya Neal and Steven Ashworth, who both posted over 20 points in the win. Neal poured in 29 points and hauled in 12 rebounds for a double-double, shooting 11-of-16 from the field. Ashworth added 22 points, pacing the Bluejays with four makes from deep.
"Honestly, I feel like their movement. Just watching film on them last night and a little bit today, this morning, watching their movement, seeing how much they move without the ball. And obviously, it's going to be a little bit more of a challenge because we're known for playing basically 40 minutes," said Auburn guard Denver Jones on what intrigues him most about the Creighton backcourt.
Tagging along with Neal and Ashworth is the centerpiece of the Bluejays' operation, Ryan Kalkbrenner. The 7-foot-1 Naismith Award semifinalist and unanimous All-Big East pick posted 14 points against Louisville with just two misses from the field and averages a team-high 19.2 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game and 2.7 blocks per game.
"He reminds me a lot of Walker Kessler, being 7-foot-2 and being able to catch lobs and finish," said Auburn center Dylan Cardwell of Kalkbrenner. "He's just a great player. The thing that intrigues me most about him is his ability to drive. At 7-foot-2, it's not something that you really see. I love it for him that he's able to drive right down the slot. It's interesting. He's an interesting player, interesting dynamic."
For Auburn, it's all about bringing the intensity needed to play its brand of hard-nosed basketball for 40 minutes. Assistant coach Steven Pearl expressed his frustration on the Auburn Sports Network after the Tigers' first-round win, saying, "About the only positive is that we won the game. That's about it. It was embarrassing, honestly. To come out in an NCAA Tournament game with that energy and that effort, that's why we lost last year. We've got to be so much better than we are right now."
Cardwell said the team met last night after the game and on Friday morning to discuss the team's effort and recent lethargic play.
"It wasn't there at all," Cardwell said of the team's lack of intensity. "We had a team meeting last night and one this morning, and we will be ready for tomorrow."
With a trip to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta on the line, Auburn will take on the Bluejays at 6:10 p.m. CT on TBS.
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