Texas Basketball vs. Creighton: 3 bold predictions for top-7 showdown

Tyrese Hunter splashes four three-pointers, including a game-winning buzzer-beater

Arguably, Texas’ best player so far this season is the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and standout sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter. And offensively speaking, Hunter is definitely the best Longhorns player out of the gates this season.

Hunter is leading the team in scoring, at a mark north of 16 points per game. He is also the team leader in three-point shooting percentage (39.1) and free-throw percentage (92.3). Hunter has proven to be a really effective and efficient offensive scorer and playmaker for the Longhorns this season.

And in terms of how he matches up against this Creighton backcourt, I really like what Hunter can do in this game. Hunter is more athletic and is a better two-way guard from what we’ve seen this season compared to sophomore Creighton guard Ryan Nembhard.

Creighton likes to make teams beat them by working through one-on-one matchups, especially on the perimeter. Creighton likes to follow a lot when playing on-ball defense without much help from off-ball defenders. The Blue Jays also don’t rotate a lot defensively.

Thus, if Hunter and the Longhorns can get some ball screens and pick-and-roll plays working from the perimeter, there will be a lot of clear opportunities to put the ball in the basket. And if Hunter gets in a good rhythm finding his shot from the field, there will be some space to get clean looks from deep, especially given the amount of room that Creighton can give on the perimeter in order to maintain the ability to follow on defense.

In fact, Creighton ranks 332nd in the country, allowing a 37.6 three-point shooting percentage so far this season. Texas will definitely have some opportunities to get clean looks from beyond the arc in this game.

Hunter is already hitting around three shots from deep per game this season. He also has a season-high five three-pointers under his belt in Texas’ big win over Gonzaga a couple of weeks ago. Hunter is a big-game player that should be in line for another impressive performance if he can get his shot going from the field early on against Creighton.