The Creighton Bluejays pulled off a solid 99-86 win behind a massive offensive performance from star center Ryan Kalkbrenner.
The 7-foot-1-inch skyscraper of a center recorded 49-points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and shot 90.9% from the field against UT Rio Grande Valley. Kalkbrenner shot 20-of-22 from the floor and 2-for-2 from three-point range against the Vaqueros in a very gritty game overall. The Creighton Bluejays attempted 29 free-throws as UT Rio Grande Valley racked up 20 personal fouls.
Kalkbrenner was the real star of the game, as his play not only outshined everyone in the box score, but also in the eyes of the viewers. The presence and awareness of Kalkbrenner on the court was like a talented wide receiver in the NFL. The center consistently knew what he needed to do to score every time he was backing down in the paint.
The ability of Kalkbrenner to seemingly decipher where the open space for a shot is behind himself was incredible to say the least. While the Vaqueros certainly did not have the size to content with Kalkbrenner, the center made the most of the mismatch all game. The majority of the buckets scored by the center occurred after backing down the opposing defender into the paint.
Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner tonight against UTRGV:
49 points
11 rebounds
3 blocks
20/22 FG 🤯Historic performance and he should be the early National Player of the Year favorite.
pic.twitter.com/7g6yPjeQan— College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) November 7, 2024
Completing this task versus any Division 1 basketball program is impressive; some people can’t make 20 out of 22 layups in practice, let alone do it efficiently in a live setting.
— t (@TravisTheAlien) November 7, 2024
Often times there are games where it feels a player can do anything and score, and Kalkbrenner really looked like he was having one of those games against the Vaqueros.
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton Bluejays Facing Tough Road Ahead During 2024 Season
While Kalkbrenner and the Bluejays may have defeated the Vaqueros, it was certainly not how the team envisioned the game going.
The Vaqueros went 6-25 a season ago and only scored over 80-points in a game four times during the 2023 season. However, UT Rio Grande Valley managed to nearly score 90-points against the Creighton Bluejays, which is not the best sign. Along with this, the Vaqueros played against the unranked Nebraska Cornhuskers to open the 2024 season, and only scored 67-points.
The Vaqueros also shot 77 attempts from the floor, which is 25 more shots than the Bluejays were able to take. While the Bluejays were more accurate shooting the basketball, they allowed an alarming 35 three-point shots to be thrown up. The Vaqueros are not the most accurate team, but for a low-level opponent to manage to create that many looks is concerning for the Bluejays moving forward.
Creighton has a few challenges ahead of them this season which could get interesting, and the first will come against Nebraska. If the UT Rio Grande Valley game means anything, then the Cornhuskers could make the game extremely close. Nebraska has the height to compete with Kalkbrenner, with 7-foot-1-inch center Braxton Meah on the roster.
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