Blue(jay) Christmas

The holidays brought a relatively quiet weekend for college basketball — though the Diamond Head Classic and Creighton-DePaul ensured Christmas would not be a silent night. We'll start with that Big East showdown, as it carried heavy implications for a team trying to get back into the mix.

Let's get to the news.

1. Fixing Creighton's broken wing

No team in the country needed the holiday break as much as Creighton. A smoldering 6-0 start — plus an impressive showing in Maui — had the Bluejays looking like national championship contenders. Then the bottom fell out.

Creighton fell to Arizona in the Maui finals, and an Ozymandias-like decline ensued. Six losses in a row prompted discussions about the Jays' weaknesses and the long-term outlook became a regular topic. Creighton hoped the reprieve from classes and the typical practice/game schedule would help fix the issues. Well... that and a healthy Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Wish granted. The 2022 Big East Defensive Player of the Year returned to action following a three-game absence on Dec. 22 (Creighton beat Butler, 78-56, as covered on Friday.) Then, on Christmas Day, Kalkbrenner helped the Jays notch another lopsided win — this time, an 80-65 victory over DePaul.

Unsurprisingly, his presence has immediately boosted Creighton's defense. It held Butler and DePaul under .9 points per possession — a promising sign after its opponents exceeded that number in five of their six losses.

Kalkbrenner has shown no signs of rust, as his combination of mobility and rim protection is still as good as anyone's in the country. But his impact on the offense has also significantly lifted the Jays.

Some of his effects seem obvious — he leads the country in field goal percentage (76.1), and his gravity around the basket creates easy buckets and opens the floor. But he also moves exceptionally well without the ball and makes savvy reads on the perimeter.

Note how active Kalkbrenner is after setting the ball screen.

When he cuts to the top of the key, he draws the help defender away from Trey Alexander, fakes the pass to Baylor Scheierman, then delivers the ball right into Alexander's shooting pocket. It is a master class on how to catch a defense in a rotation.It is no surprise that Creighton is over 16 points per 100 possessions better on offense with Kalkbrenner on the floor, per Hoop-Explorer. Wildly enough, that on/off differential is 10 points higher than it is on defense! Now, the Jays still have a ways to go to reclaim (and justify) their preseason hype. But the first two games with their big man back point to better days ahead in Omaha.

2. Lord of the Lowcountry

Maybe we should have taken Charleston's Nov. 11 performance against then-No. 1 North Carolina more seriously. The Cougars charged out of the gates in Chapel Hill and built a seven-point lead by halftime. Once the second half started, Charleston maintained its advantage until the under-12-minute mark before Carolina pulled away for a 102-86 win.

However, nine days later, against their next ACC opponent, the Cougars finished the job. In front of a raucous crowd at Charleston's TD Arena, they knocked off Virginia Tech, 77-75. That win stamped the Cougars as the favorite in the CAA and helped propel them to an historic 12-1 start.

Yet, Charleston's gaudy record doesn't tell the full story. Among teams outside of the top 10 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, Big East, AAC, A-10, MWC, WCC), Charleston ranks 15th on KenPom (95th overall). But its meteoric rise should be the most encouraging sign for its fans — the Cougars have ascended 100 spots since Pomeroy released his preseason rankings, the biggest leap among the top 15 mid-majors.

Coach Pat Kelsey deploys an up-tempo attack that prioritizes 3-point shooting, a deep bench and controlling the glass. But what specifically about his system has helped his team take the next step? I talked to Winthrop coach Mark Prosser, who coached under Kesley from 2012-18, for insights.

On Pat Kelsey's coaching style:Mark Prosser: "He is obviously one of the hardest-working people I've ever been around, and I don't say that lightly. He's a very meticulous teacher of the game. From the panel of the wood on the floor to positioning [on the court] and things like that — he's an incredible teacher."

On Charleston's depth:MP: "Their depth is something a lot of teams can't keep up with. When you teach like [Kesley], you can hold guys accountable. Regarding defense and effort, if you're not doing your job, they're gonna replace you with someone who will. Again, when you have a system you're teaching, it's easier to hold people to it. The greatest motivator is playing time."

On Charleston's on-court style:MP: "[On offense], I think they changed a lot from how we [Winthrop] played [...] But it's still a lot of 4-out, 1-in, ball screens, movement, making reads and attacking. Defensively, they still have a lot of pack line principles [that we ran at Winthrop]. They do a tremendous job on both the offensive and defensive boards as well."

On Charleston's roster fit:MP: "You got a guy like Ryan Larson who transferred in from Wofford and takes 57 charges before he eats breakfast every day. He's a perfect fit for what they want. They recruit to that [style] and they've got an attractive campus and a beautiful arena."

Charleston's depth has been one of its biggest advantages. Its bench plays 37.3 percent of its minutes — good for 47th nationally (KenPom) — with nine players contributing at least 15 minutes a game.

The two most crucial reserves, Pat Robinson III and Ante Brzović, are game-changing talents when they check in off the pine. Robinson, a guard who transferred from D-II West Liberty, is a well-built slasher who finishes strongly through contact. He scored 14 apiece against UNC and Va Tech, notably hitting the go-ahead bucket against the Hokies. Brzović, on the other hand, provides CofC with a floor-spacing big who rebounds ferociously.

The Croatian lefty, alongside sophomores Babacar Faye and Ben Burnham, has helped Charleston place in the top 70 in offensive and defensive rebounding rates.

And about Larson, the ideal point guard for Charleston, according to Prosser: He has meshed perfectly with Aussie sniper Reyne Smith and works in harmony with senior wing Dalton Bolon in Spain and ram pick-and-roll actions.

Combine all of those factors, and you get a potential giant killer ready to (Lowcountry) broil opponents come March.

3. Chris Beard's fiancée issues statement

On Friday evening, Chris Beard's fiancée Randi Trew released a statement regarding the night of Beard's arrest (Dec. 12). It says that Beard "did not strangle" her and that she did not want him to be "arrested and prosecuted." Additionally, she wrote that her fiancé acted in self-defense in the aftermath of an incident involving a broken pair of glasses.

The statement stands in contrast to the initial police affidavit (warning: graphic detail) but aligns more closely with Beard's separate police report (which ESPN covered here).

Beard is still under an indefinite suspension, an action Texas took the morning after his arrest. The university subsequently issued another statement saying, "We are reviewing the statement from Randi Trew. This matter is the subject of an internal investigation and the university does not comment on pending investigations."

Texas' basketball team, meanwhile, is 3-0 under interim coach Rodney Terry. The Longhorns host Texas A&M Commerce tonight, with its head coach's future almost as murky as it was two weeks ago.

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Diamond(Head Classic championships) are forever

Between Dec. 22 and Dec. 25, Hawai'i reeled off three straight victories to capture the Diamond Head Classic title. Although the tournament takes place in their home arena, Sunday marked the first time the 'Bows won the showcase, which began in 2009.

To claim this achievement, Hawai'i had to advance past Pepperdine and Washington State in the first two rounds before facing off against SMU in the finals. In the championship game, the Ponies led by as many as twelve in the second half, but the 'Bows kept chipping away. In particular, clutch buckets from big man Bernardo da Silva and power wing Beon Riley kept Hawai'i in striking distance.

Down the stretch, SMU endured too many self-inflicted wounds to hold onto its lead. Turnovers and missed free throws under two minutes allowed Hawai'i to cut the deficit to two and then set up this game-winning play:

Point guard JoVon McClanahan won the tournament's MVP for his heroics (he also scored 16 and 17 points against Pepperdine and Washington State, respectively). And his 9-3 Rainbow Warriors look ready to contend in the Big West. Perhaps most impressively, Hawai'i has started this strongly without guard Juan Muñoz, who ruptured his Achilles in a preseason exhibition.

As tough as it is to lose at the buzzer, SMU (5-8) can at least fly home feeling encouraged. After a handful of blowouts and bad losses in the early season, the Mustangs notched a pair of wins against top-70 opponents, Iona and Utah State, in Manoa. Those contests should give first-year coach Rob Lanier and his squad some momentum heading into AAC play.

Milwaukee's best

Marquette returns to action for the first time since dropping a double-overtime thriller at Providence a week ago. The Golden Eagles welcome Seton Hall to Fiserv Forum, and while they are favored, it probably won't be an easy dub. The Pirates can unleash Kadary Richmond on either Tyler Kolek or Kam Jones to throw Marquette's offense out of rhythm. Additionally, breakout big man Oso Ighodaro will face a tough test against Seton Hall's stout frontline — the Pirates rank 61st in the country in defensive 2-point field goal percentage. (8 pm ET FS1)

• Northwestern State (8-4) at Texas A&M (6-5), 7 pm ET (SEC Network)

• Jacksonville (7-3) at Notre Dame (7-5), 7 pm ET (ACC Network)

Trying to spoil Dauster’s Christmas

UConn’s been dominant this season. Many, including avowed Huskies fan Rob Dauster, think UConn’s ready to reach its first Final Four in nearly a decade. The Huskies are deep, talented and play hard.

So what’s the only way to derail the good vibes Rob, John Fanta and Terrence Oglesby have while discussing what’s ahead for the Big East during conference play? Add Jeff Goodman to the mix.

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Links to click as you gather those gift receipts

• Villanova guard Justin Moore returned to practice in a limited fashion, though there is still no timetable for his full clearance.

• Texas A&M landed 2024 4-star wing Rob Dockery.

• Former Dayton Star Bill Uhl passed away at age 89. Uhl was an All-American for the Flyers in 1956.

• Washington State's Mael Hamon-Crespin is no longer with the program.

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