Creighton Women's Basketball Out To Extend Win Streak Against Butler

Omaha, Neb - In the midst of a two-game win streak the Creighton women's basketball team is starting to feel like the team Bluejay fans thought it could be this season. Creighton will try to extend that feeling against Butler on Sunday at 1:00 pm.

1/10: - 1:05 pm: Butler (7-8, 2-2 BIG EAST) at Creighton (8-9, 2-3 BIG EAST)

Webstream - BIG EAST Digital Network: http://foxsportsgo.com
Brad Burwell (Play-by-Play) and Rob Simms (Color Analyst)

Stats (Free): http://creighton.statbroadcast.com

Series History: Butler leads 3-2
Creighton won last meeting 62-55 on February 1, 2015 in Omaha.

Bird Seeds

Butler is one team that has given the Bluejays fits during Creighton's first two seasons in the BIG EAST. Butler was the only conference squad to defeat the Bluejays in D.J. Sokol Arena during the 2013-14 season. Creighton, however, took down the Bulldogs in the BIG EAST Tournament that season.
Overall Butler holds a 3-2 series edge on Creighton, splitting two meetings in Omaha.
Sunday's contest will feature two of the youngest teams in the BIG EAST. Butler's roster of just 10 has eight players with two years or less of experience. The Bluejays, meanwhile, have 10 players that are either a freshman or sophomore.

Series with Butler: Butler leads 3-2
Creighton has won three of the four meetings with Xavier, all four matchups have come since the two teams became members of the BIG EAST. The Bluejays are 2-0 against the Musketeers in Omaha.

Butler leads 3-2
Home: 1-1 Away: 0-2 Neutral: 1-0
Date   Result   Score/Site
1/18/14   L   52-58 at Butler
3/4/14   L   59-67 in Omaha
3/9/14   W   61-52 in Rosemont ª
1/4/15   L   58-63 at Butler
2/1/15   W   62-55 in Omaha
ª - BIG EAST Tournament game

Scouting Butler (7-8, 2-2 BIG EAST)
A quick glance at the Butler lineup shows two obvious things, the Bulldogs are a young and thin team. Eight of Butler's 10 players are either a freshman or a sophomore. Also consider that freshman Emmy Schabel has played just two minutes this season and the rotation goes nine deep.

Although the Bulldogs are young, that youth is certainly talented. The freshmen duo of Tori Schickel (13.3 ppg) and Brittany Ward (8.1 ppg) average better than 21 points per game. Ward entered the season as the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year, but she may not be the best first-year player on her own team.

While Butler is young, seniors Blaire Langlois and Belle Obert provide a strong base of senior leadership. Langlois leads the Bulldogs with 14.5 ppg and is the Bulldogs most prolific outside shooter (44 treys). A former four-year player for Butler's volleyball team, Obert is a force in the middle with a team-high 42 blocks.

Keys to the Game w/Butler

Be selective from long range: With the Bluejays leading the BIG EAST from beyond the arc (39.4%) and Butler boasting the best three-point defense in the league (26.6%) the obvious thought is a battle of strengths. Creighton will shoot the three, but rather than feeding into Butler's strength the Bluejays must wait for the three when it fits in the offense.
Protect the interior/Rebound: Similar to Xavier, Butler's strength is in the paint. The Bulldogs want to use Schickel on the inside. Against Providence she went to the free-throw line 15 times.
Force Turnovers: Butler committed 28 turnovers in its win over Providence on Friday. The Bulldogs average just over 17 turnovers per game. Creighton must take advantage of the freshman Brittany Ward at the point.

Points for One, Points for All
In the Bluejays' 74-47 win over Xavier on Jan. 8 every Bluejay to appear in the game scored, all 12 active members of the team. It was the first time Creighton has achieved that feat since the Bluejays' 81-73 win at Seton Hall on Feb. 3, 2014. Just eight Bluejays saw the floor in that game.

An interesting note is that every Xavier player, 12 in all, scored at least two points as well. The last time every player on both teams scored in a game was against Butler last season on Februray 1 in D.J. Sokol Arena.

Could 2015-16 Rival the Bluejays First NCAA Tournament Under Flanery in 2011-12?
After opening the BIG EAST season with three straight losses, one startling comparison arose. The last time Creighton opened a conference season 0-3 was in 2011-12. That year the Bluejays rallied with six of seven victories in MVC play and went on to run the table in the MVC Tournament.

Creighton Women's Basketball Out To Extend Win Streak Against Butler

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