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OMAHA, Neb. -- If Justin Pattons growth continues like it has been, hes going to be a big problem for the Big East once conference play begins.The 7-foot, 230-pound redshirt freshman made all eight of his shots and scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half, leading No. 12 Creighton in an 82-52 victory over Loyola (Md.) on Saturday.I dont know that you ever expect a freshman to have the impact that hes having, Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. Its hard for freshmen in college basketball. He jokes about the redshirt year, and it ended up being a great thing for him.Patton grew an inch and gained 25 pounds while sitting out last season. Hes scored 10 or more points in each of Creightons six games, showing off a nifty spin move, jump hook shot and monster dunk.He certainly is not there yet 100 percent, McDermott said. Hes made tremendous strides, and his growth is really happening day by day right in front of our eyes. The guys trust him, especially offensively when he dives at the rim. You throw it up there and he goes to get it.The Bluejays (6-0) couldnt shake the Greyhounds (2-4) in the first half, shooting 36.7 percent while getting out to a 30-25 lead. They opened the second half with a 36-15 run to create a 66-40 bulge, and they shot 74 percent after half.Creightons superior size and athleticism became apparent as the Greyhounds wore down. Patton dunked three times and Marcus Foster, who had 16 points, dunked once during the decisive run.Patton picked up two quick fouls and was limited to 8 minutes in the first half. He didnt stew on the bench. He said he was happy to play cheerleader.I already have got a chip on my shoulder, Patton said. I sat out a whole year. Im used to it.Loyola had no answer for Patton, with anyone who tried to guard him giving up at least 4 inches. Greyhounds coach G.G. Smith said he considered double-teaming Patton but didnt do it in the first half because Loyola was keeping the game close. In the second half, Patton surprised Smith with shot-making ability.We did a very poor job of making him score over us. We gave him way too many looks at the basket, Smith said. He has pretty nice post moves. Hes a freshman, right? Hes pretty good for a freshman. He has a bright future. Hes a tough matchup for us.Jarred Jones led Loyola with 13 points and Andre Walker added 12 points and five assists.Creighton scored 28 points off the Greyhounds 18 turnovers and outscored them 50-26 in the paint.Tale of two halves, Smith said. Our guys competed in the first half, and we were down five against one of the nations most efficient offensive teams. Theyre so hard to stop for two halves.BIG PICTURELoyola (Md.): The Greyhounds didnt seem intimidated playing in an arena eight times the size of their 2,100-seat gym. They didnt have the manpower to keep up with up-tempo Creighton for 40 minutes.Creighton: It took a while for the Bluejays to get going, but once they did in the second half they looked every bit as good as they did in winning the Paradise Jam.MEAN MARTINMartin Krampelj (pronounced Mar-TEEN CROM-pul) gave the Bluejays what they needed off the bench with center Zach Hanson being out three months with an ankle injury. The 6-9 redshirt freshman from Slovenia was 5 for 7 for 10 points in 16 minutes. He had four points, four rebounds, a block and an assist in 7 minutes off the bench in the first half.POLL IMPLICATIONSCreighton took care of business, remains unbeaten and should stay right where it is in the Top 25 , if not move up a spot or two on the strength of its Paradise Jam championship.UP NEXTLoyola (Md.) heads to Long Island to face Stony Brook on Wednesday.Creighton hosts Buffalo, which will be three days removed from playing in the Great Alaska Shootout, on Tuesday.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Willy Adames Rays Jersey . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Austin Meadows Jersey . 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MADRID -- Barcelonas chances of winning the Spanish league this season could be determined by whether Andres Iniesta is fit to play in Saturdays clasico against Real Madrid.Having Iniesta available this weekend at Camp Nou could make the difference between clinching a third straight title or seeing Madrid snap a four-year winless drought.Barcelona has been struggling without the midfielder, and another setback could leave the team nine points behind and in a difficult position to fight for the title.Iniesta has been sidelined since injuring a right-knee ligament on Oct. 22. Doctors said he would be out 6-8 weeks, but the recovery process has been going well and Barcelona coach Luis Enrique expects the midfielder to play.We are waiting for Iniesta to be cleared, Luis Enrique said earlier this week. It should be more or less a formality, he has been practicing with us and is in good condition. We are waiting to confirm, but he should be available.Had it been any other match, the midfielder would likely be rested to avoid aggravating the injury, but Luis Enrique may not be in position to afford himself that luxury this time.All of Barcelonas four losses this season came without Iniesta in the starting lineup -- to Alaves, Celta Vigo, Espanyol and Manchester City. The 32-year-old Iniesta also wasnt with the team in recent league draws against Malaga at home and at Real Sociedad, and couldnt play in the 1-1 draw against third-division club Hercules on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey.Luis Enrique has tried several different alternatives to replace Iniesta, but none fully filled the void left by the Spain midfielder.ddddddddddddAmong the players used in Iniestas position are Denis Suarez, Rafinha, Andre Gomes, Ivan Rakitic and Arda Turan. Some did well protecting the defense, some succeeded creating scoring opportunities, but none showed the all-around talent that Iniesta brings to the team.Barcelonas recent inability to cope with Iniestas absence could actually work in favor of the midfielder, who has yet to extend his contract with the club and is soon expected to start negotiations.The consecutive draws ahead of the clasico left Barcelona players feeling discouraged and struggling to explain the teams poor performances, but Luis Enrique didnt expect the setbacks to play a role on Saturday.It wont affect us at all, he said. We are now focused on one of the most important matches of this tournament and we have the motivation of facing our main rival.Contrary to Barcelona, Madrid has been thriving recently, winning five games in a row and enjoying a 32-game unbeaten streak. The last time it played at Camp Nou, Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 despite playing the final minutes with 10 men.Its a good match against a great opponent who will certainly make it difficult for us and thats all there is to it, Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. We have to be prepared.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni ' ' '