Jack Hoover
SPORTS EDITOR
On Nov. 3, news that basketball fans in the state of Nebraska had been waiting to hear for so long was finally announced.
The Omaha Mavericks and Creighton Bluejays will finally play each other in a competitive game of men’s basketball. On Dec. 1 at the CHI Health Center, the two rivals will square off for the first time as Division I competitors.
This is a matchup that the Creighton Bluejays have been preparing for some time. Over the past four years, the Bluejays have been familiarizing themselves with a number of Summit League opponents. Since 2017, the Bluejays have faced the likes of Oral Roberts (2019), Western Illinois (2018), North Dakota (2017) and Oral Roberts again (2017). For good measure, the Bluejays have, in that same time span, taken on the likes of Truman State, Coe College and Midland University. Finally, now, they’re ready for the Mavericks.
So as fans for both teams gear up for this hotly-anticipated matchup, here’s a look at some of the best inter-city rivalry games that have taken place over the past few years, men’s basketball excluded.
Creighton Men’s Soccer versus Omaha Men’s Soccer Sep. 5 2016
The first meeting between these two successful soccer programs came in 2016, as the underdog Mavericks traveled to Creighton to play a Bluejay team that was ranked #8 in the country at the time. The Omaha team came into the game unranked and unfavored. Many expected a dominant victory from the home team, but the Mavericks held firm and the game ended in a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
Creighton Baseball versus Omaha Baseball March 7, 2020
This game is also coincidentally the most recent game that Omaha baseball played in. Right before the season was called off due to COVID, these two teams met at TD Ameritrade Park in what was supposed to be their first of two meetings that season. The Mavericks made the most of the one meeting they did end up getting though, as Omaha won 8-1, their first win against Creighton since 2014.
Creighton Women’s Basketball versus Omaha Women’s Basketball Nov. 5, 2019
The women’s basketball teams are no strangers to playing each other on the hardwood, as the teams have played each other every year since the start of the 2013-2014 season. It hasn’t been good for the Mavericks in that timespan though, as they’ve lost every contest since then. One of the closest matchups came last season, as the Bluejays came to Baxter Arena and earned a fairly difficult 67-54 win.
