The announcement of the matchups for the second annual Gavitt Tipoff Games amped up fans’ early-season excitement Tuesday.
The series, which pits programs from the Big East and Big Ten against each other, will have Wisconsin travel to Nebraska to take on Creighton University on Nov. 15, with times to be released at a later date.
Creighton is no stranger to the series after losing 86-65 on the road to Indiana last season, but this will be Wisconsin’s first appearance in its short history. A 4-4 tie in the inaugural 2015-16 contest dashed both conference’s hopes to take a series lead, adding to the excitement of this upcoming season’s edition.
The matchup between Wisconsin and Creighton will also add a unique element, due to how rarely the programs face one another. A meeting during the 2012 Las Vegas Invitational, which Creighton won 84-74, was the last time the two played since the Badgers defeated the Bluejays 75-39 in 1949.
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Creighton had a string of success starting in 2000 and that culminated in 2014 with a loss in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament despite being a No. 3 seed, coupled with the departure of John R. Wooden Award winner Doug McDermott. The Bluejays have failed to qualify for the tournament in the two seasons since, instead reaching the quarterfinals of the 2016 NIT Tournament.
With a new season on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how Creighton looks with Justin Patton on the floor.
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Patton, a 6-foot-11 center from Omaha, who redshirted as a freshman last season, will see his first action this fall. The 4-star recruit out of high school could have a big impact in a new-look Creighton offense, which lost starting center Geoff Groselle and guard James Milliken, a solid player off the bench who played big minutes.
With an entire summer to sort over the details, a matchup against Creighton will be an intense matter of pride for Wisconsin given the context of the challenge.
