On a day when Creighton picked up its most impressive road win of the season, the Bluejays’ postgame celebration was more muted than usual.

That’s because their concern lay with starting point guard Maurice Watson, who hurt his left knee late in the first half of his team’s 72-67 victory at Xavier.

The injury occurred when Watson landed awkwardly after driving for an acrobatic layup. Watson writhed on the floor in pain clutching his knee for several minutes before two teammates carried him to the locker room.

It’s unclear the severity of the injury at this time, but Creighton coach Greg McDermott told reporters in Cincinnati that the team’s trainers are optimistic Watson didn’t sustain any ligament damage. Watson will undergo further testing this week to evaluate if he might have torn his meniscus.

The lack of ligament damage is encouraging news considering the ominous early signs. Watson required crutches to hobble back to the bench for the second half. A Cincinnati TV reporter overheard Watson tell McDermott, “I’m done. I heard it pop.”

Earlier in Monday’s first half, Watson had to leave the game after a knee-to-knee collision with a Xavier player. Watson returned to the game after trainers iced the knee, however, he had been running with a noticeable limp prior to the second injury.

If Watson misses an extended period of time, that could be season-changing for a Creighton team that’s 18-1 and ranked seventh in the nation.

Watson, a 5-foot-10 former Boston University transfer, averages 13.4 points per game and a national-best 8.8 assists. The senior’s playmaking ability makes everyone around him better and is a huge reason Creighton boasts the nation’s sixth-most efficient offense.

Credit Creighton for showing remarkable toughness and character in sending Xavier to a third straight loss with Watson sidelined most of the game. The Bluejays relied on the offensive rebounding of Justin Patton and the perimeter scoring of Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas to survive without Watson.

This was a painful loss for a Xavier team that had dropped previous games at Villanova and Butler. The Musketeers missed 13 free throws and squandered four chances to take the lead in one final-minute possession, three within three feet of the rim.

– – – – – – –

Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @JeffEisenberg