Halftime Report: Hawaii 31, Creighton 30

For those that feared that the Jays would start this game with the sort of first half performances CU has put together on the road most of the year, they were pleasantly suprised. The Jays came out so far and has put together overall a strong effort. Defensively, the Jays have been very sound and have been disrupting a lot of the sets the Warriors are looking to put together. Also, we're seeing a lot of active hands in the passing lanes, which helps explain the tilt in the turnover numbers in favor of Creighton.

The biggest problem right now is on the glass. Hawaii is +10 in rebounds right now. That plus a fairly exceptional shooting effort (especially from Matt Lojeski) has powered the Warriors so far. All that said, they're only up one at halftime at home. It's been a very back and forth contest. In the latter half of the period, the Jays came the closest to putting together a serious run, but each team has had an answer for each other. The other key point here is that Hawaii definitely seems like the more fatigued team. The advantage of the comfort of home seems like it is being negated by the lack of depth that UH has, and if the Jays can continue their harassing traps, this could be a serious advantage down the stretch.

Finally, while there's much talk about the officating on the Islands, so far the game is being called fairly even, with fouls for both teams being kept at a minimum. If they Jays can continue to exploit their depth, put the pressure on and can get a better presence on the glass, they should be able to find some success.