Quentin Hillsman immediately pointed out the Bluejays’ deep shooting after Monday’s Selection Show. Creighton averages more than nine made 3-pointers per game and ranks 12th in Division I in 3-point percentage.

But the Bluejays’ game is familiar to Syracuse. Hillsman said they resemble Villanova, a Big East rival that made 21 3-pointers in two regular-season wins over the Orange this year.

“No question,” Hillsman said. “Villanova’s one of those teams. They get up and down the court, and they run.”

Syracuse (24-7) finally got the best of the Wildcats in a 61-56 win in a Big East tournament quarterfinal matchup March 10, and the Orange will look for a similar result in Saturday’s first-round NCAA tournament matchup with Creighton (24-7) in Knoxville, Tenn., at 11:20 a.m. After a five-year tournament drought, the No. 7-seed Orange returns to the Big Dance in the Oklahoma City region, still in search of its first NCAA tournament victory.

A win would give the Orange, currently 0-4 all-time in tournament play, a Monday matchup with the winner of No. 2-seed Tennessee and No. 15-seed Oral Roberts.

Creighton received an at-large berth this year after falling to Illinois State in overtime of the Missouri Valley semifinals. Last year, CU earned a No. 14 seed as the conference tournament champion and narrowly lost a first-round matchup to St. John’s on a buzzer-beater layup. This year’s Bluejays are led by Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year Marissa Janning, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard who averages 13 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme, who accurately pegged SU as a No. 7 seed, agreed Creighton resembles Villanova. Creme described the Bluejays as an “inside-out team, with an emphasis on ‘out.’”

“A Syracuse fan that watches Creighton play will probably be reminded of Villanova,” Creme said. “No one runs what (Villanova coach Harry) Perretta runs, but the two teams are very similar visually.”

Though the teams run similar styles, Creme emphasized the inferiority of Creighton’s size compared to Villanova’s, or that of most Big East teams. Creme described the Missouri Valley as a “top-third, maybe top-quarter conference,” but not on the same level as the Big East — “by a long shot.”

That adds up to what should be a big scoring and rebounding day for SU’s 6-foot-4 senior center Kayla Alexander. Sarah Nelson, Creighton’s leading rebounder at 7.9 per game, is 6 feet tall, and could have trouble guarding Alexander.

Along the same lines, Syracuse’s apparent rebounding advantage could be pivotal in the outcome. If the Orange can dominate the boards, it has a good chance to pull away down the stretch.

“It should be a competitive game,” Creme said. “Creighton is a disciplined team. It comes down to how well they can hold their own on the boards. If Syracuse dominates the boards, they should pull away near the end.”

But Hillsman and his team want to keep preparation as simple as possible.

Freshman guard Brittney Sykes jokingly admitted after the Selection Show that one of her teammates asked, “Who is Creighton?” when the bracket was released, but as her head coach stated, every team is a threat.

“Creighton’s one of those teams that you know is a volume 3-point shooting team – they take a lot and they make a lot,” Hillsman said. “We just have to be able to guard them. It’s going to be one of those games where we’ve just got to get up and down the floor, play our game and make sure that we’re guarding the 3-point line.”

The trip to Knoxville will be special for freshman guard Cornelia Fondren, who grew up in Memphis about 400 miles away and can expect a vocal contingent of family and friends, Hillsman said.

Aside from Fondren, everyone on the team has a lot to look forward to. For every single player, including the three senior 1,000-point scorers who made the tournament in their last chance, it’s a new experience.

One they plan to make the most of.

“It was a huge sigh of relief,” senior guard Elashier Hall said of the feeling when SU’s name was called during the Selection Show. “A little weight off our shoulders. Now we’ve got to get in, get the other weight off and beat Creighton.”

Published on March 21, 2013 at 1:16 am

Contact Kevin: kmprisei@syr.edu