Bill Self suffered the worst home loss of his Kansas career last month. Tom Izzo suffered the worst home loss of his Michigan State career on Saturday. Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has already lost four times at home in the same season for the first time in 14 years. And it's undeniable that these things are all tied to the fact that home-court advantage isn't much of an advantage during a global pandemic.
It's been obvious at Creighton, too.
The Bluejays typically enjoy one of college basketball's greatest homecourt advantages thanks to them annually finishing in the top 10 in attendance. They finished in the top five last season while going 17-1 inside the CHI Health Center Omaha. But with capacity limited this season because of COVID-19 protocols, they've been much more vulnerable at home than normal, evidence being how Creighton entered Saturday's showdown with Villanova with three home losses to unranked teams on their resume. So it was reasonable to be skeptical about their chances of upsetting Jay Wright's Wildcats.
They did it, though.
Creighton sank 12 of 26 attempts from three and shot 59.3% from the field to bury Villanova, 86-70. The star was Marcus Zegarowski. He took 18 shots, made 10 and finished with 25 points and five assists.
"He totally controlled the game," Wright said. "We had different types of coverages on him. None of them worked. I think it's because he's so smart. He read every change we made and really sliced us up."
The win improved Creighton to 16-5 overall, 12-4 in Big East play. The Bluejays are now 6-1 in their past seven games and up to No. 18 in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Their jump from No. 22 to No. 18 pushed Texas Tech and Louisville down one spot each, no fault of their own. Creighton's next game is scheduled for Feb. 24 against DePaul.
Sunday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. The Zags have won their 11 WCC games by 24.6 points. | -- | 6-1 |
| 2 |  | Baylor's perfect record is highlighted by victories over Texas, Illinois, Texas Tech and Kansas. The Bears have won 15 of their 17 games by double-digits. | -- | 8-0 |
| 3 |  | Michigan is 8-1 in the first two quadrants with double-digit wins over Minnesota, Wisconsin and Purdue. The Wolverines' lone loss came at Minnesota. | -- | 4-4 |
| 4 |  | Ohio State is 9-1 in its past 10 games with wins over Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. The Buckeyes lead the nation with eight Quadrant 1 wins. | -- | 6-1 |
| 5 |  | Illinois is 10-5 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Illini will take a five-game winning streak into Tuesday's game with Northwestern. | -- | 6-1 |
| 6 |  | Houston is 10-1 in its past 11 games with nine double-digit wins in that stretch. The Cougars are 7-1 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss at East Carolina. | 1 | 8-0 |
| 7 |  | Alabama is 10-5 in the first two quadrants with victories over Tennessee and Arkansas. The Crimson Tide will take a two-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Texas A&M. | 1 | 5-2 |
| 8 |  | Oklahoma is 7-1 in its past eight games with wins over Alabama, West Virginia, Texas and Kansas. The Sooners have zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. | 3 | 7-0 |
| 9 |  | Virginia is 11-1 since losing to Gonzaga with victories over Clemson and North Carolina. The Cavaliers are 8-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss coming in Quadrant 3 to San Francisco. | 4 | 7-1 |
| 10 |  | West Virginia's three-game winning streak was snapped Saturday by Oklahoma. The Mountaineers are 9-6 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. | 1 | 3-4 |
| 11 |  | Villanova's two-game winning streak was snapped Saturday at Creighton. The Wildcats are 5-3 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. | 5 | 6-3 |
| 12 |  | Texas is 6-5 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Longhorns will take a two-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at Oklahoma. | -- | 6-1 |
| 13 |  | USC is 6-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Trojans' six-game winning streak features victories over UCLA and Stanford. | 3 | 5-3 |
| 14 |  | Florida State is 6-1 in its past seven games with wins over Louisville and North Carolina. The Seminoles are 6-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss coming in Quadrant 3 to UCF. | -- | 4-3 |
| 15 |  | Virginia Tech is 3-1 in its past four games after Saturday's win at Miami. The Hokies are 7-4 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 5-3 |
| 16 |  | Iowa is 8-6 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. The Hawkeyes will take a two-game winning streak into Thursday's game at Wisconsin. | 3 | 5-2 |
| 17 |  | Wisconsin is 8-6 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. The Badgers are 2-1 in their past three games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Illinois. | 1 | 6-2 |
| 18 |  | Creighton is 6-1 in its past seven games with wins over Villanova and Seton Hall. The Bluejays are 11-2 in the first two quadrants with three additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. | 4 | 6-1 |
| 19 |  | Missouri is on a two-game losing streak after Saturday's loss to Arkansas. The Tigers are 6-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | 9 | 6-2 |
| 20 |  | Tennessee is 4-4 in its past eight games after Saturday's loss at LSU. The Vols are 5-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | 3 | 4-3 |
| 21 |  | Texas Tech is 3-3 in its past six games after Tuesday's double-digit loss to West Virginia. The Red Raiders are 5-6 in the first two quadrants heading into Monday's game at TCU. | 1 | 5-2 |
| 22 |  | Louisville's 8-3 record in the first two quadrants includes victories over Duke, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Georgia Tech. Three of the Cardinals' four losses have come inside the first quadrant. | 1 | 4-3 |
| 23 |  | Loyola Chicago's 11-game winning streak includes 10 double-digit victories. The Ramblers are 5-3 in the first two quadrants with zero additional losses. | -- | 5-3 |
| 24 |  | Kansas is 7-7 in the first two quadrants with zero losses outside of Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks will take a three-game winning streak into Wednesday's game at Kansas State. | -- | 7-1 |
| 25 |  | Rutgers is 5-1 in its past six games with wins over Minnesota and Indiana. The Scarlet Knights are 7-7 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | -- | 5-2 |
| 26 |  | Arkansas is 6-1 in its past seven games with wins over Missouri and Ole Miss. The Razorbacks are 8-5 in the first two quadrants with only one loss outside of Quadrant 1. | NR | 5-3 |
