Creighton never found its footing on Saturday, overwhelmed early as Villanova blitzed out to a 25-10 lead and controlled the afternoon inside a packed CHI Health Center Omaha. Before 16,479 fans, the Bluejays spent much of the day chasing a Wildcats squad determined to rewrite the recent history of a series Creighton had dominated. The 80-69 loss not only dropped the Jays to 13-13 overall and 7-8 in Big East play. It also marked Villanova's first road win in Omaha since 2023, snapping Creighton's fourgame grip on the rivalry between the league's two winningest programs of the reconfigured Big East era.
Villanova's frontcourt duo set the tone all afternoon, with Duke Brennan powering his way to 21 points and 12 rebounds and Tyler Perkins adding 17 points and 11 boards, giving the Wildcats two steady doubledouble anchors in their road win. Creighton countered behind Nik Graves , who delivered 15 points and five assists to lead three Bluejays in double figures, but his effort wasn't enough to match Villanova's balanced punch at the top of the stat sheet.
Brennan owned the glass for the Wildcats, finishing with 12 rebounds (10 on the defensive end). Creighton countered with forward Jasen Green, who battled his way to 11 boards (seven defensive, and four offensive) to keep the Bluejays competitive inside.
In the playmaking department, Acaden Lewish paced the Wildcats with four assists in 35 minutes, while Graves once again steered Creighton's offense, handing out five assists to go with his double-digit points.
Creighton Bluejays forward Jasen Green (0) drives against Villanova Wildcats center Braden Pierce (17) during the second half at CHI Health Center Omaha. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
Villanova held the sharper edge across the efficiency and control categories, shooting 46 percent to Creighton's 42 percent while dominating the interior with a 48-32 advantage in points in the paint. The Wildcats also made their trips to the line count, hitting 74 percent compared to the Bluejays' 58 percent, and they turned cleaner execution into a major separator by winning the turnover battle 7-12, converting those mistakes into 15 points.
Creighton matched Villanova on the glass and even held slight advantages in threes made and fastbreak scoring, but the Wildcats' superior shot selection, physicality inside, and ability to capitalize on miscues allowed them to control 93 percent of the game and build a lead that never wavered.
Even in defeat, Creighton wasn't short on support. More than 50 former players, staff, and managers packed the building for Alumni Day, including NBA standouts Ryan Kalkbrenner and Baylor Scheierman , who made the trip back to Omaha during the AllStar break.
The energy in CHI Health Center Omaha never dipped, and the Bluejay faithful had plenty to cheer for, from Josh Dix closing on 300 career rebounds to the program extending its remarkable streak to 97 straight games with at least five made threes, the longest by a Big East team in nearly two decades.
Creighton Bluejays guard Austin Swartz (1) attempts a three-point shot against the Villanova Wildcats during the second half at CHI Health Center Omaha. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images
While this matchup broke from the recent run of tight finishes, snapping Creighton's streak of onepoint games, the backing from past and present Jays made it clear the program's foundation remains as strong as ever.
Creighton's setback against Villanova pushed the Bluejays deeper into the middle of a crowded BIG EAST pack, dropping them to 7-8 in conference play, now sitting alone in fifth place but just a halfgame ahead of a threeteam cluster at 5-9.
With UConn, St. John's, and Villanova separating themselves at the top, the Jays now trail the leagueleading Huskies by seven games and face a tightening race behind them as Seton Hall holds a slight edge at 7-7. The margin for error has thinned, and every remaining game carries weight as Creighton tries to stabilize its footing and avoid slipping further into the logjam of teams fighting for postseason positioning.
With the loss, Creighton fell to 12-20 all-time against Villanova, continuing a rivalry that has tilted toward the Wildcats.
Creighton won't have much time to dwell on the setback, with an even bigger challenge waiting on Wednesday night at No. 6 UConn (24-2, 14-1 Big East), the same Huskies who handed the Bluejays an 85-58 loss in their first matchup.
That game remains one of Creighton's toughest outings of the season, a night where UConn's physicality and depth overwhelmed the Jays from start to finish. As they head to Connecticut for the rematch, Creighton will be looking to show how far they've come since that early meeting and prove they can stand toetotoe with one of the nation's elite at a pivotal point in the Big East race.
Stay up to date with the BlueJays by bookmarking Creighton On SI and follow us on Twitter.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/creighton as Wildcats Break Omaha Drought, Snap FourGame Skid Against Creighton .
