February 25, 2026; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Providence Friars guard Jaylin Sellers (2) drives toward the basket with the ball in the second half of a game against the Xavier Musketeers at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Image Creighton and coach Greg McDermott will be hoping to avoid a third season sweep by a conference foe when they host Providence in the home finale Saturday in Omaha, Neb.
The reeling Blue Jays (14-15, 8-10 Big East Conference) have dropped four of five, most recently including an identical 72-71 heartbreak at home to DePaul on Wednesday.
Creighton also lost Villanova and St. Louis during the extension. Although they lost to St. John’s, they were upset 91-84 at the time. 5 UConn just 11 days ago.
Josh Dix had 15 points, Nik Graves had 14 and Jasen Green had 13 points with a game-high nine rebounds, but Creighton was unable to maintain a lead in a contest it controlled for most of the way.
“Obviously it’s disappointing, to have them in control virtually the whole game and have that happen at the end is a tough one to swallow,” McDermott said. “We have one more home game left, which is a really important game for us because we are fighting for our lives to stay in the 4-5 game and some people are counting on us right now.”
Fedor Jogic, who recently entered the starting lineup, scored 13 points against DePaul and is averaging 12.0 points in three starts. The guard has reached double figures in five of his last 10 games after doing so just twice in his first 41 games at Creighton.
“He’s a bigger guard with a lot of experience just playing basketball,” Graves said. “(He’s) another great defender defensively, but offensively he’s a guy who can space out the space, attack the paint and make plays from there.”
Providence (13-15, 6-11) has been on a roll with two straight wins and a 6-4 record, closing the gap on the Blue Jays in the standings. The Friars beat DePaul 71-68 last weekend, then topped Xavier 94-84 on Wednesday, led by 27 points by Jaylin Sellers.
Jason Edwards knocked down 4 of 7 3-pointers and finished with 24 points. Jamier Jones chipped in with 19 points and seven rebounds, and Oswin Erhunmwunse recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Providence coach Kim English said, “It was a season with many twists and turns.” “Our guys haven’t let go of the ropes. … They’re going to continue to learn and get better.”
Edwards has missed eight games this season, including last month’s 93-88 win over Creighton. Sellers scored four points, but Stephen Backes had 24 points and Jones (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Erhunbunse (14, 13) both had double-doubles.
Backes missed Xavier’s win as he recovered from an illness, but has scored 20 points eight times this season.
–Field level media
