Creighton's arrival in town each season usually meant tough games, spectacular performances, and the omnipresence of 7-foot center Ryan Kalkbrenner.
No more.
The Bluejays limp into Gampel Pavilion on Wednesday night losers of five of their last six games. Their lone win was a narrow, one-point home win over Seton Hall. And the most prominent big man in the building on Wednesday will be Emeka Okafor, who'll see his No. 50 jersey permanently retired to the rafters.
Included in those five losses over the past few weeks was an 85-58 demolition at the hands of the UConn men's basketball team on Jan. 31. It was perhaps the Huskies best 40 minutes of basketball all season, their most thorough and surgical of their 24 victories so far.
Dan Hurley expects a better fight from coach Greg McDermott and the Bluejays on Wednesday.
"I don't think there's anyone that you have more respect that you coach against than Creighton and (McDermott)," Hurley said on Monday. "Their organization, quality, class. We've got the ultimate respect for Creighton. We can't perform the way we performed the other night and get away with it."
On Saturday, the Huskies nearly let a double-digit lead slip away before escaping Gampel with a 79-75 win over Georgetown. UConn will have to play better against Creighton, despite the Bluejays' struggles.
As if the Huskies need any further inspiration, this will be the penultimate game at Gampel for Alex Karaban, the program's recently-crowned all-time winningest player. Karaban will play his final game in Hartford a week later against St. John's, then the final home game of his decorated college career on Feb. 28 at Gampel against Seton Hall.
"I try not to think about it," Karaban said. "Naturally, you think it's February, March is just around the corner, April's almost here. I think it's natural to think there's only a certain amount of home games, Big East games left. But I try not to think about it too much. I want to enjoy every game, stay in the moment every single day. At the same time, when you do have those natural thoughts, you just want to push harder and keep going and make the most of wearing this jersey as much as possible."
Creighton at No. 5 UConn
Where: Gampel Pavilion
When:
Records:
TV: TNT
Radio: UConn Sports Network, Fox Sports Radio 97.9, WAVZ-New Haven (1300 AM), WGCH- Greenwich (1490 AM), WICH-Norwich (1310 AM, 94.5 FM), WILI-Willimantic (1400 AM, 95.3 FM)
CREIGHTON
Player Pos. PPG
Blake Harper G 8.6
Josh Dix G 12.0
Nik Graves G 10.0
Jasen Green F 10.6
Owen Freeman F 5.3
UCONN
Player Pos. PPG
Solo Ball G 14.7
Silas Demary Jr. G 11.3
Tarris Reed Jr. C 13.6
Alex Karaban F 13.4
Braylon Mullins F 11.8
This article originally published at No. 5 UConn men's basketball vs. Creighton: Time, TV, and what you need to know.