Maurice Watson Jr. scored 32 points and Creighton upset No. 5 Xavier 70-56 at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Tuesday night.
Of his career-high point total, Watson scored 22 in the second half while navigating his way around Xavier’s engulfing 1-3-1 zone defense.
“It’s not easy attacking that 1-3-1 with their length and size and he was able to get in some crevices,” coach Greg McDermott said.
The Musketeers switched to their zone early in the second half after finding themselves trailing by as many as 18 points.
Xavier’s new scheme helped cut the deficit to five points.