Much scoring expected when No. 23 UCLA meets Creighton (Nov 20, 2017)
Two undefeated, high-scoring offenses square off as Creighton (3-0) faces No. 23 UCLA (3-0) in the first semifinal game of the 2017 CBE Hall of Fame Classic Monday night at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
The winner will face the winner of Monday night's second game between Wisconsin and Baylor.
Creighton brings an experienced squad, led by senior Marcus Foster, who played in Kansas City multiple times in his first two seasons as a member of the Big 12's Kansas State. Foster is averaging 19.3 points per game on 60.6 percent field-goal shooting. He was a unanimous first-team all-Big East selection last season, when he scored 18.2 points per game.
But Foster is not the only scoring threat for the Blue Jays, as Khyri Thomas (17.7 points per game) and Martin Krampelj (12.0) average in double-figures. Krampelj also is pulling down 8.7 rebounds per game.
Creighton is averaging 97.7 points per game this season, shooting 55.4 percent from the floor and 43.2 percent from three-point range. The Blue Jays also own a plus-8.7 rebounds margin and 57-39 assists-to-turnovers ratio.
"We are who we are; we have our warts," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "We're not a team that grabs rebounds at the top of the square. We lack a little length and athleticism at a few spots. But there is a bond, a togetherness about this team."
UCLA, meanwhile, is learning who it is with a whole new starting five from last year. The top four scorers from last year are gone, with Aaron Holiday as the leading returning scorer.
The Bruins are still short-handed, as three prized freshmen are suspended indefinitely following their arrest for shoplifting on a recent trip to China.
LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were arrested more than a week ago on suspicion of stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store while their team was in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. They did not accompany the team on the trip home but were released later, allegedly after President Donald Trump intervened.
Without that trio, UCLA has used just 10 players this season. Even though they're new in the spotlight, the Bruins can still score. Kris Wilkes (17.3 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game) leads UCLA in scoring and has drained 7 of 13 3-point shots. Holiday (14.3 points and 5.3 assists), Thomas Welsh (13.0 points and 11.3 rebounds) and Jaylen Hands (15.3 points) also average double figures in scoring.
"It's just one of those things that you have to work through," Welsh said about playing short-handed. "The guys that we have on the court are the guys we have on the court right now."
Coach Steve Alford added, "We're asking a lot, and we've got to do a good job in prep."
The Bruins average 88.3 points per game while out-rebounding foes by 10.3 boards per contest. UCLA shoots 41.0 percent from 3-point range, but just 59.7 percent from the free-throw line.
Creighton leads the series with UCLA 2-1, though the teams have not met since 1963. McDermott is 3-3 in head-to-head matchups with Alford, with all of those taking place when Alford was at Iowa.
