Ryan Kalkbrenner single-handedly saved the Blue Jays’ season opener Wednesday night.
Kalkbrenner dropped a career-high 49 points to lead No. 15 Creighton to a 99-86 win over UT vs. Rio Grande Valley at CHI Health Center in Omaha. He finished just two points short of Creighton’s single-game scoring record set in 1967, becoming the first player in Big East history to drop 40 or more points in a season opener.
The 7-foot-1 center also made a near-perfect 20-of-22 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line with two 3-pointers. The Blue Jays, and even coach Greg McDermott, were trying to get Kalkbrenner to score one last point on the final few possessions to reach the 50-point mark, but Kalkbrenner didn’t seem interested.
The last player to make 20 field goals and shoot over 90 percent in a Division I game was Bill Walton, who did so in the 1973 National Championship Game against UCLA.
“Tell me about the statement…He’s one of the best players to ever play here,” McDermott said, via John Walker of the Omaha World-Herald.
But without Kalkbrenner’s all-time great performance, McDermott’s group would have been in trouble. The Vaqueros continued to defend Creighton from start to finish, scoring 48 points in the second half and holding a single-digit lead until the end of the game.
Stephen Ashworth was the only Creighton starter to reach double-digit hits. He had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, 17 of which came from the free throw line. On Wednesday night, they were without Pop Isaacs, a transfer from Texas Tech. Isaacs is recovering from a hip injury and wasn’t ready yet. He averaged 15.8 points per game for the Red Raiders last season.
Hasan Abdul Hakim led the Vaqueros with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Cliff Davis and DK Thorne each added 17 points. UT-Rio Grande Valley went just 6-25 last season, making the WAC finals, and made the jump to the Southland Conference this season under new head coach Khalil Fennell.
Kalkbrenner, a three-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, announced in May that he would return to Creighton for his final season of eligibility. Last season, he averaged a career-high 17.3 points and 3.1 blocks while shooting nearly 65 percent from the field. He also had 107 total blocks, which was the second-highest production in the country. Kalkbrenner was a major contributor to Creighton’s back-to-back championships through the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, despite losing in the Sweet 16 last season.
Creighton returns to action Sunday against Fairleigh Dickinson (5 p.m. ET, FS1). The Blue Jays will play tough non-conference games against No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Alabama before Big East play begins in December. Conference play will likely be a three-team battle between No. 18 Marquette and No. 3 UConn, two-time reigning national champions. Kalkbrenner will undoubtedly play a big role in Creighton’s quest for its first conference title since 2020. But to get there, the Blue Jays will need a more balanced attack. Otherwise, they may get in trouble.
“We have to get healthy and we have to get tougher,” McDermott said, via John Walker of the Omaha World-Herald. “Our attention to detail on the defensive end wasn’t there. We just outplayed people. It’s fool’s gold.”
