Creighton-N. Iowa Preview

Creighton leads Division I in both field-goal percentage and 3-point accuracy, but it was limited to its lowest scoring output of the season in a narrow win over Northern Iowa last month.

Putting points on the board could be all the more difficult with the series shifting to Cedar Falls.

Looking to extend their winning streak to 12 for the first time in eight seasons, the 13th-ranked Bluejays try to avoid a third consecutive loss at the McLeod Center on Saturday.

Shooting 51.6 percent from the field and a whopping 45.3 percent from long distance for the season, Creighton (21-2, 11-1 Missouri Valley) continued its offensive prowess during a 102-74 rout of Illinois State on Wednesday. Forward Doug McDermott, third in the country with 23.6 points per game, scored 25 as the Bluejays won their 11th in a row while making 13 of 25 (52.0 percent) from beyond the arc.

"A very telling stat: We lead the nation in 3-point shooting, but we didn't take a 3-point shot until our 17th possession of the game," said coach Greg McDermott, who previously coached and played at Northern Iowa. "We're turning down good shots for great shots."

It was a different story, however, when the Panthers (15-9, 5-7) visited Omaha on Jan. 10. Northern Iowa went up by as many as 11 points midway through the first half before suffering a 63-60 loss - its second consecutive three-point defeat to the Bluejays and third straight loss in the series.

Doug McDermott scored just 14 points against the school he originally planned to attend before his father moved from Iowa State to Creighton, but guard Antoine Young came up big with a season-best 21.

"We were lucky to win," the Creighton coach said following that game. "I'm not sure we did the job we needed to do to take away what they do best. They did an unbelievable job taking away what we do best."

If its recent road efforts versus the Panthers are any indication, Creighton could have its hands full again Saturday. The Bluejays have lost their last two at Northern Iowa, including a 71-66 defeat last season.

Surrendering a league-low 60.8 points per game, the Panthers most recently prevailed 58-49 over Southern Illinois on Tuesday. After coming off the bench in each of the previous 10 games, freshman Deon Mitchell was reinserted into the starting lineup and scored a season-high 17 points.

"Deon is at his best in transition and in the open court," coach Ben Jacobson, a longtime friend of the McDermotts, told the school's official website. "He's got the go-ahead at all times. Those are some big plays he made tonight. He was terrific."

The Panthers have won four of five at home to improve to 10-3 in Cedar Falls this season.

Northern Iowa had won seven straight versus Top 25 foes on its own court before falling 65-55 to then-No. 14 Drake on Feb. 16, 2008. The Panthers have dropped eight of nine overall against ranked opponents.

Creighton, which hasn't won 12 straight since opening 12-0 in 2003-04, has outscored opponents by an average of 12.8 points during its current run.

"Part of it has to do with our unselfishness," Doug McDermott said. "We're getting really open good looks at the 3-point line. If we continue to knock those down, with the bigs we have, it's going to be a really good year."