Jays win against DePaul was epic. Beating Connecticut was a whole other magnitude of great. Is this the year?

It took a ferocious rally with two minutes to go to escape DePaul. With a big win against Connecticut, the Jays are in the finals of a tournament they've never won. Is this the year?

Maybe it was the meal at one of the few Uyghur Restaurants in Manhattan––Miznon had closed early due to Purim––but I was optimistic about Thursday night’s Creighton vs. DePaul tilt. DePaul looked the underdog, possessing a 4-15 record in conference play and a 1-26 record against the Jays since the Big East re-launch in 2013. Though they had just upset the Georgetown Hoyas the night before, I felt it was a fluke. The Hoyas were down their best player, 6 foot 10 inch freshman phenom Thomas Sorber. Creighton had beaten the Blue Demons 23 straight.

The Blue Demons didn’t get the memo. The first half found the Jays missing easy bunnies inside and wide-open threes. Meanwhile, DePaul was hitting threes from all over and turning the sloppy Jays over with frequency. Names like CJ Gunn, Isaiah Rivera, and Layden Blocker were poised to make history. At halftime, it was 36-21. I’d seen the movie before. A team jumps on the Jays early—Nebraska, anyone?––and it was over before one blinked.

The second half looked more like the same. We chiseled down the lead to high single digits, but then we’d turn the ball over, and DePaul would pad their lead. With less than two minutes to go, the Jays were down by 11. I was preparing myself for the devastation—plus the ache of the $780 I spent on two tickets—and the consequent 10th seed in the NCAA tournament.

Then, magic struck. Before the game, I told my companion Arie Bucheister that Fedor Zugic, the Montenegran freshman, would have a breakout game at the Garden. And sure enough, he hit a three and then another. Then furiously stole a rebound to maintain possession. Then came the three. The Ashworth three, with 21 seconds to go. Of course!

Steven Ashworth, the plucky undersized guard that makes the Jays go, didn’t have a great game, turning the ball over and missing wide-open shots. But he came through when it counted. When Ryan Kalkbrenner blocked DePaul's last-second shot in regulation, I knew Creighton would prevail however long it took. It took two overtime periods.

The Jays for once had stepped outside their Nebraska “good enough” provinciality and seized the moment on the biggest stage of all. The grit, toughness, and relentless defense down the stretch were nothing like I had seen. They had, for once, matched the moment.

Then came Connecticut. We were anything but the casual, listless team I saw in the first half against DePaul. The Jays led wire to wire, playing lights-out defense while enjoying outsized output from role players like Jasen Green and Jamiya Neal. While Connecticut coach Dan Hurley was railing at the refs, the Jays were scoring. Connecticut came close, with a furious rally that cut the Jay's lead to three. But the defense held, Neal hit a crucial three, Green a turnaround shot, and then Neal an unnecessary but resounding and frankly righteous dunk given what Creighton has endured with Hurley and the Jays emerged victorious.

Dan Harbeke, head of Public Policy and External Affairs for Google, was seated before me Thursday night. Between discussions of why Nebraska needs data centers, he added, “I don’t care if they win tomorrow. This is all I needed.” I agree, but the semifinal win against the Connecticut team, who view Madison Square Garden as “Storz South,” was sweet. They have the talent, the money, and the massive fan support necessary to win in the NIL era. But the gritty Jays prevailed.

Now comes Rick Pitino and his 29-4 St. John’s Johnnies, the top team in the Big East and the number five ranked team in the country. Creighton has seniors Ashworth, Kalkbrenner, and Neal; feisty freshmen like Davis, McAndrew, and Zuigic; and the X factor of Jasen Green. Maybe for one night, the Jays can rise above the din and play better than they have any right to. They have never won the Big East tournament despite playing four times in the finals since entering the league in 2013. It will take a miracle to do so. Madison Square Garden is St. John’s home court. It will be deafening. But if this team of ragtag overachievers can’t do it, who? Go Jays!