GAME NOTES: The Creighton Bluejays hope to get off to a strong start to a two- game road trip on Wednesday night when they visit the Tulsa Golden Hurricane for a non-conference clash at the Reynolds Center.

Thus far, the Bluejays have done just fine without former standout Doug McDermott. They own a 6-1 overall record this season, with the lone loss being a 75-68 setback against Ole Miss last Friday during the Emerald Coast Classic. Creighton recovered the next day, defeating Middle Tennessee, 57-47. Up next is a battle with in-state rival Nebraska.

Tulsa recently took part in an early-season tournament as well, playing in the MGM Grand Main Event. However, the Golden Hurricane's last contest was on the road against Wichita State. They did not survive, falling by 20 points (75-55). They are now an even 3-3 overall, with a trip to face Arkansas-Little Rock next on the docket.

These teams have met in each of the last three seasons, with Creighton winning each time, including an 82-72 verdict last season. The Bluejays have won four straight overall, but Tulsa leads the all-time series, 43-35.

Creighton made up for its own cold shooting effort by clamping down on Middle Tennessee last Saturday. The Bluejays limited the Blue Raiders to just 39.1 percent shooting, including a 6-of-23 effort in the first 20 minutes. Isaiah Zierden netted 10 points off the bench as the only double-digit scorer for the victors, who had only three field goals in the second half.

The showing against Middle Tennessee was an offensive low point for the Bluejays, who are averaging a respectable 74 points per game on 44.1 percent shooting. They have kept most opponents at bay as well, letting up 60.9 points on 42.5 percent accuracy. Zierden (13.9 ppg) has started only one game this season, but he still leads the team in scoring. Austin Chatman (10.4 ppg, 4.4 apg) and Devin Brooks (8.3 ppg, 4.1 apg) are solid passers, but need to up their scoring.

James Woodard tallied 19 points against Wichita State, but he didn't get much support. Tulsa connected on only 41.2 percent of its shots from the field, although it did have some success from 3-point range (8-of-16). However, that paled in comparison to the 3-point shooting from the Shockers, who drained 12- of-26 from distance.

Tulsa can't afford to have such defensive slip-ups, unless it starts to show improvement on offense. The Golden Hurricane are scoring a paltry 60.5 points per game on 40.7 percent shooting. However, they have remained competitive by playing solid defense (58.7 ppg, .395). Woodard (13.5 ppg) takes on the bulk of the scoring responsibilities, while serving as the only player to put in more than 30 minutes of work per game. D'Andre Wright (11.3 ppg) is second on the team in scoring, with the squad featuring four other players netting at least seven points per game.

While their records may be drastically different, this should be a competitive matchup, especially if Tulsa can return to playing tight defense. Woodard will have to be great as well, but both tasks are possible at home.