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Preview & Prediction: By Raphielle Johnson |
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A pair of undefeated teams meet in Little Rock when the Creighton (3-0) Blue Jays take on the Arkansas-Little Rock (3-0) Trojans. Dana Altman’s team has blown out all three opponents, averaging more than eighty-three points per game. Three Blue Jays average fifteen points per game, led by sophomore guards P’Allen Stinnett and Booker Woodfox at 15.7 points per game. Even with those two getting the job done, a bench player was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week. Junior Cavel Witter received the honor for his play in blowouts of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Oral Roberts, averaging twenty points per game. The area where the Blue Jays will be tested, and it could have an impact on whether or not they win their first road game of the year, is on the backboards. While Creighton is a -3.7 in rebounding margin, UALR is a + 4.7. And unlike their first three opponents, the Blue Jays face a team capable of making them pay on the offensive end for such a disparity.
Four Trojans are averaging double figures in scoring, with Matt Mouzy (15.7) and Shane Edwards (15.0) both at fifteen points per game. The closest call for UALR was a one-point win at Pepperdine, with the Trojans escaping two attempts at a game-winning shot and a 1-6 stretch from the charity stripe in the game’s final 1:29. People will likely head into this game with more regard for Creighton’s program, but don’t ignore what Steve Shields and his staff has done in Little Rock. UALR has won its division title (the Sun Belt is divided into two divisions) in three of the last five seasons, and were picked along with North Texas to win the Sun Belt West this year. Besides Mouzy and Edwards, keep an eye on junior Steven Moore, who scored fourteen points in the Trojans’ win over Louisiana Tech. Moore was suspended for their season-opening games in California and is a candidate for conference honors this year. If Creighton can hold their own on the glass they’ve got a shot to win this one.
Winner: Creighton Margin: 1-4 pts. |
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About Raphielle Johnson
Columnist
Assistant Editor
Contact
raphiellej@aol.com
Background
College sports has always been a source of excitement for Raphielle Johnson, be it through watching, writing, or taking a shot in the dark and walking onto a college football team just to live the life (Arizona Football, 2001). Raphielle is the assistant editor, providing his own work in addition to helping out with the site operations. When not writing for CHN, you can usually find him in front of a television set watching one of many pay-per-view sports packages that he owns. He can be followed at twitter.com/raphiellej.
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In a gym near you
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