GAME NOTES: The Creighton Bluejays dropped from the national rankings at the start of December, but they'll look to climb the ladder again with a three- game home stretch, starting with the South Dakota Coyotes in a non-conference tilt at CenturyLink Center.

South Dakota comes into this contest with a 3-6 record. The Coyotes got all three of their wins in a row following a five-game losing streak to start the new campaign, but they enter this clash fresh off a loss to Youngstown State, 87-79, on Friday.

Creighton has won two of its last three games, including a 65-55 victory over Nebraska on the road Sunday. The Bluejays come into this matchup against South Dakota with a perfect 5-0 mark.

The all-time series between these two non-conference foes heavily favors Creighton, 48-11. The last time they met on the court was during the 2010 season, when the Bluejays came away with an 89-78 victory in Omaha.

In South Dakota's loss to Youngstown State, the Coyotes allowed the Penguins to connect on 53.3 percent of their shots from the floor, looking like the Penguins of last season. South Dakota made a respectable 41.2 percent from the field, but lost ground in both halves as YSU took the lead and the victory. Tyler Larson played a stellar game for the Coyotes, though, as the guard netted a team-best 21 points with nine rebounds and five assists before he fouled out of the contest. Casey Kasperbauer and Brandon Bos each chipped in with 18 points, while Kasperbauer added seven boards in the defeat.

Bos leads a trio of double-digit scorers this season for South Dakota, netting 16.3 ppg but also sporting a team-high 23 turnovers. Larson comes in at second averaging 15.1 ppg, and Kasperbauer is third on the squad, netting 10.1 ppg. Larson leads the unit in rebounding, bringing down 7.9 rpg. The Coyotes as a group are scoring 72.3 ppg and shooting 41.6 percent from the floor, but are allowing 75.1 ppg to opponents on 44.4 percent shooting.

Creighton was able to contain Nebraska and hold the Cornhuskers to 37.7 percent shooting from the floor in the contest. Star Nebraska forward Terran Petteway netted 21 points against the Bluejays, but he was the only 'Huskers player in double figures. Meanwhile Austin Chatman netted 19 points to pace Creighton, adding in seven rebounds and six assists. Isaiah Zierden came off the bench to contribute 13 points and five boards in 32 minutes of action. The Bluejays connected on 47.1 percent shooting in a clash that featured five lead changes.

Creighton is learning to get by offensively without Doug McDermott. Zierden leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.6 ppg on 46.3 percent shooting for a Bluejays squad accumulating 71.9 ppg as a team. Chatman is the only other player checking in with a double-digit scoring average, netting 12.1 ppg for Creighton. Chatman's 5.1 rpg mark is the best on the team through nine games. Defensively, Creighton is limiting opponents to 62.0 ppg on 42.6 percent shooting from the floor.

With three games coming up in the friendly confines of CenturyLink Center, Creighton may be able to jump back up into the polls after this week is through. But the Bluejays shouldn't overlook any opponent, especially a Coyotes team that can be a potential offensive threat.