At the start of this game, it looked like Georgetown might pull off the win. However, things unraveled for the Hoyas in the second half, and Creighton secured an 80-69 victory. This matchup featured two NBA prospects—Georgetown’s Micah Peavy and Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner. Let’s break down their performances.

In the first half, Peavy came out scorching hot, knocking down shots from all levels—threes, mid-range jumpers, and finishes at the rim. As usual, his defensive prowess was on full display. He picked off a lazy pass from Kalkbrenner and took it the other way for a dunk. He also chased Steven Ashworth around screens and blocked his shot, effectively shutting him down whenever he defended him. Offensively, I really liked Peavy’s decisiveness—he was efficient with the ball, using minimal dribbles to get to his spots.

Kalkbrenner, on the other hand, had a quiet first half but made his presence felt defensively. Peavy tested him multiple times at the rim, but Kalkbrenner consistently won those battles—including one play where Peavy tried to put him on a poster but got denied. Offensively, Kalkbrenner flashed solid footwork under the basket for a score and made a nice pass out of the post for a hockey assist.

In the second half, Peavy went ice cold. Even when he got clean looks, his shots just wouldn’t fall. However, I loved his resilience—he kept battling, even challenging the 7-footer in the paint. Despite his struggles offensively, he remained locked in on defense, coming up with a steal and setting up a teammate for a crucial bucket to cut the lead to five. Two plays stood out—Peavy missed a wide-open three, and you could tell he was in his head. But on a future possession, he attacked the rim with force and converted an and-one. He needs to be that aggressive every time.

Kalkbrenner and Creighton took over in the second half. With Sorber out, Georgetown didn’t have the size to match up with him, and he dominated inside. He set solid screens, controlled the paint, and continued blocking shots. Peavy tried testing him again but got sent away. Kalkbrenner did what was expected—he impacted both ends by simply being the biggest player on the floor. However, he struggled from three, and I’ll need to watch him more to assess his shooting ability.

Overall, Peavy is an underrated prospect who should get more recognition as a player who can contribute to contending teams. At 6’8″, he defines the 3&D role. While he’ll be 24 years old, his game reminds me of Nique Clifford—though Clifford is the better passer. I also would’ve liked to see Peavy get to the free-throw line more, especially since he struggled in the second half—he only attempted one free throw. As always, I’ll continue assessing these young prospects.

As for Kalkbrenner, it’s hard to take too much from this performance given Georgetown’s lack of size. He did what was expected—used his size to dominate on both ends. However, the speed of the game could be a concern, as it often is for bigs. Will he struggle with fatigue? Can he defend in space? Those are aspects I’ll be watching closely moving forward.