Men's Basketball Hosts Friday Exhibition vs. Sioux Falls
11/4/2014 8:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Exhibition Game #1 vs. Sioux Falls • Friday, Nov. 7, 2014 • 7:01 p.m.
Sioux Falls Cougars at Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: None
Series History: Teams have never met in regular-season
Last Meeting: None
Next Game
Creighton opens the 2014-15 season with an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 7 vs. Sioux Falls.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7:01 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2014-15 season, including Friday's exhibition. John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
The pregame show “Bluejay Shootaround” is hosted by Josh Peterson and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler, and will air from 6:00 - 6:30 pm.
Following the game, Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host “Overtime” for approximately one hour, while also taking calls from listeners.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics and NeuLion will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of Friday's exhibition, the only home webcast scheduled to air all season. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com.
Cost for a monthly pass is $10.95 and a four-month pass is $34.95. Fans can also purchase a 24-hour pass ($4.99) or a 48-hour pass ($5.99) that begins the moment you sign up.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on gameday. The video stream includes audio of the radio broadcast as well.
GoCreighton.com will also have a free webcast of the postgame press conference.
Television Broadcast Information
Friday's exhibition will not be televised.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab near the top right of the page for a link to the exact URL.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns 11 lettermen and one starter from last year's 27-8 team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season.
Point guard Austin Chatman (8.1 ppg., 4.4 apg.) is team's lone returning starter and is one of five seniors. He's joined by classmates Devin Brooks (6.5 ppg.), Will Artino (5.5 rpg.), Avery Dingman (3.2 ppg.) and transfer Rick Kreklow (5.5 ppg. at Cal).
The Bluejays will try to replace the most victorious senior class in program history, as Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge combined for 107 wins as well as 5,934 points, 872 three-pointers, 1,062 assists and 2,250 rebounds. All four men are now playing professionally, including McDermott in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls after he averaged 26.7 points per game and swept 14 National Player of the Year awards last winter.
The team has seven eligible players who have yet to appear in a regular-season game for Creighton, including senior transfer Rick Kreklow, juniors Gabriel Connealy and James Milliken, redshirt freshmen Tyler Clement and Toby Hegner and true freshmen Leon Gilmore III and Ronnie Harrell.
Scouting Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls went 15-12 last season, including a 12-10 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
The Cougars return four starters and six lettermen from that team, including leading scorer Charles Ward (13.6 ppg., 5.1 rpg.), leading rebounder Jordan Stotts (9.6 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) and leading shot blocker Bryan Kielpinski (1.8 bpg.).
USF made 234 three-pointers in 27 games last year while connecting at at 37.3 percent clip.
The Cougars averaged 80.9 points per game last season, but allowed 82.4 per game.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) enters his fifth season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 27-8 mark last year, and is now 107-38 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 387-233 entering his 21st seasons and is 256-169 entering his 14th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Patrick Sellers.
Chris Johnson (Central College, 1998) enters his seventh season as head coach at Sioux Falls, where he owns a 116-71 record. Johnson owns a career record of 132-86 when you include his one season as head coach of Culver-Stocketon College in 2004-05. He has led USF to four 20-win seasons, three postseason appearances, two conference tournament titles and one regular-season crown. He is assisted by Nate Kaeding, Troy Odegaard and David Maxwell.
The Series With Sioux Falls
Creighton and Sioux Falls have never met.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 27-8 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Creighton was ranked in the Associated Press top-25 in 11-of-20 weeks and finished 16th in the year-end poll.
Doug McDermott swept all 14 National Player of the Year awards after leading the team with 26.7 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per contest. He was also named BIG EAST Player of the Year and wrapped his career as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 points.
Ethan Wragge (10.4 ppg.) was named Honorable-Mention All-BIG EAST after finishing in the top-10 in both three-pointers made and three-point percentage.
The Bluejays led the nation in three-pointers made (356), three-point percentage (41.4) and assist/turnover ratio (1.80).
After earning the program's first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2001, Creighton topped Louisiana before falling to No. 24 Baylor in the third round.
Crowd Watch
Sioux Falls averaged 676 fans per home game last season, and played before a grand total of 'just' 14,298 total fans in 13 contests away from home last year.
Last year Creighton averaged 17,896 in 16 regular-season games at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton's largest exhibition attendance in school history was 16,299 on Nov. 1, 2013 vs. Northern State last year.
Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 39-6 since 1987 in fall exhibition games thanks to 13 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged 11 years ago and later changed their name to EA Sports.
A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since 1987 can be found on page four of this release.
McDermott's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 21-0 in exhibition games as a Division I head coach, including a 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 4-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs has been by double-digits.
Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date McD School Opponent Result
2001-02 UNI London Leopards W 89-74
2001-02 UNI Lake Superior St. W 74-63
2002-03 UNI Dominican Nat'l Team W 73-56
2002-03 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 90-76
2003-04 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 89-79
2003-04 UNI Australian Select Team W 92-58
2004-05 UNI Dubuque W 93-34
2004-05 UNI SW Minnesota St. W 71-40
2005-06 UNI Lewis W 77-50
2005-06 UNI Wayne State W 74-57
11/03/06 Iowa State EA Sports W 58-57
11/06/06 Iowa State Wayne State W 55-41
11/01/07 Iowa State Dubuque W 66-38
11/04/07 Iowa State EA Sports W 74-63
11/08/08 Iowa State Nebraska-Omaha W 74-54
11/02/09 Iowa State Black Hills State W 96-47
11/06/09 Iowa State UNC-Pembroke W 106-54
11/04/10 Creighton Northern State W 79-67
11/06/11 Creighton Rockhurst W 81-42
11/02/12 Creighton Mary W 89-51
11/01/13 Creighton Northern State W 89-61
Newcomer Report
Nine players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform last season in the exhibition against Northern State as Steven Ferrarini, Devin Brooks, Tyler Clement, Darian Harris, John Burns, James Milliken, Eric Roberts, Toby Hegner and Zach Hanson combined for 26 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in a combined 52 minutes of action in Creighton's 89-61 triumph.
Below is a look at the last four years and how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts:
2013
Ferrarini/Brooks/Clement/Harris/Burns
Milliken/Roberts/Hegner/Hanson
26 pts., 8 reb., 10 ast., 52 min. (W 89-61)
2012
Kelling/Yates/Zierden
8 pts., 11 reb., 4 ast., 39 min. (W 89-51)
2011
Gibbs/Chatman/Olsen/Dingman
Groselle/Johnson/Oginni
22 pts., 11 reb., 8 ast., 70 min. (W 81-42)
2010
Stormberg/McDermott/
Manigat/Ingle/Artino
25 pts., 11 reb., 0 ast., 44 min. (W 79-67)
Freshmen Starts Almost Unheard Of
If any of Creighton's true freshmen get a starting nod in Friday's exhibition, they'll join some rare company. To find the last Creighton true freshman to start the team's exhibition opener, you'd have to go all the way back to Nov. 14, 1988. That's when Latrell Wrightsell had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey.
Ryan Sears, who started all 124 regular-season games of his illustrious career from 1997-2001, came off the bench for his exhibition debut before replacing Matt West in the second exhibition game of the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears had remained the last CU freshman to start a Creighton regular-season opener (1997-98), until Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11. McDermott started all 145 games of his career but also came off the bench in his first exhibition game.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns just one regular starter (Austin Chatman) from last year's team that finished 27-8. Creighton's roster contains players who made 49 starts a year ago (also 7 by Will Artino and Avery Dingman last year), and own a combined 85 career starts (Chatman 71, Artino 7, Dingman 7).
This year marks just the second time since 1986-87 that Creighton returns one starter or less (also 2007-08; Dane Watts).
Additionally, the 49 starts from a year ago ranks as the second-fewest in the same time span, as the 2007-08 team returned 44 starts prior to its 22-11 campaign.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2014-15 1 49 ? ? ?
2013-14 4 144 27-8
2012-13 4 140 28-8
2011-12 3 101 29-6
2010-11 4 123 23-16
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Familiar Foe
Creighton senior Will Artino and Sioux Falls junior Jordan Stotts both hail from Waukee, Iowa, and were teammates for one year at Waukee High School during the 2009-10 season.
Artino graduated in 2010, while Stotts wrapped up his prep career in 2012.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish ninth in its first season as BIG EAST Conference members according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Villanova was picked first with 81 points and nine first-place votes, while Georgetown (67, 1), St. John's (65), Xavier (52) and Providence (49) round out the top half. The predicted lower half was Seton Hall (43), Butler (28), Marquette (28), Creighton (25) and DePaul (12).
The ninth-place prognostication is the program's lowest mark since being tabbed 10th of 11 Missouri Valley Conference teams in 1995-96. That team tied for fifth in The Valley. It also snaps a streak of 14 straight years being picked fourth or higher in its league.
Creighton did not have any honorees on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Teams, which was led by Preseason Player of the Year D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera from Georgetown.
This marks the first time since 2009-10 that Creighton has not had the Preseason Conference Player of the Year. It's also just the sith time in the last 20 years that Creighton did not have a first team all-conference honoree in the preseason.
Consistent Challengers
Last year's Creighton team finished second in the BIG EAST. Including last year, 12 of Creighton's last 17 teams have finished either first or second the regular-season race of league play. Two of the five that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and 2012-13, tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07 and second last year in the BIG EAST, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.
Creighton's League Finishes, Previous 17 Years
1st Place 2000-01, 2012-13 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.),
2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.), 2011-12 (won MVC Tourn.), 2013-14
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place 2010-11
NBA Representation
This year marks the first time since 1970 that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Phoenix Suns) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
Including 2014-15, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 31 of the last 32 years.
Korver ranks 22nd in NBA history with 1,516 three-pointers and is also 10th in league history with 42.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Nov. 2). Last year he set an NBA record with 127 straight games with a three-pointer, and in 2009-10 he set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range.
Tolliver ranked 15th in the NBA in three-point percentage with the Charlotte Bobcats (41.3 percent) last season.
McDermott is a rookie who was the 11th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, then traded an hour later to the Chicago Bulls.
Nation's Best Offense?
You can make a case that Creighton boasted the nation's best offensive production last year.
Creighton finished the 2013-14 season leading the nation with 41.4 percent marksmanship from three-point range, a 1.80 assist/turnover ratio and 356 three-point field goals.
The Bluejays were second in assists per game (17.5) and three-pointers per game (10.2), fourth in field goal percentage (.497) and total assists (614), 10th in turnovers per game (9.8), 24th in both scoring average (78.7) and winning percentage and 29th in free throw percentage.
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the first four years of the Greg McDermott tenure:
Category Stat NCAA Rank
FG Percentage .4897 1st
3FG Percentage .4050 1st
Assists 2,407 1st
Assists/Game 16.60 2nd
3FG Made 1,230 2nd
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.436 4th
3FG Made/Game 8.483 5th
FG Made 3,809 9th
Wins 107 15th
Winning Pct. .7379 22nd
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 15 of the last 16 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 16 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Along with Kentucky, Creighton is one of two schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 15 of the past 16 years.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (14 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (13 each).
10 Conference Wins x 18
Last season's Creighton team won 10 or more league games for a 18th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 18 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (20).
Each of the last 18 seasons has seen the team finish fourth place or better in the league standings as well, though all but one of those took place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Postseason x 17
Creighton has made the postseason in 17 consecutive seasons. The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 17 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.
Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Louisiana last spring, the Creighton men's basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record seven straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
The following four programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in seven straight seasons, including 2013-14: Creighton, Kansas, North Carolina and Syracuse.
Eight Out Of 16 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 16 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (12), Duke (10), Winthrop (9) and Creighton (8).
On A Roll
Since the start of 2011-12, Creighton is a remarkable 84-22. On a national basis, Creighton's 84 wins rank tied for 10th, as seen below.
Most Wins, Since 2011-12
School '11-12 '12-13 '13-14 W-L
Louisville 30-10 35-5 31-6 96-21
Wichita State 27-6 30-9 35-1 92-17
Syracuse 34-3 30-10 28-6 92-19
Florida 26-11 29-8 36-3 91-22
Kansas 32-7 31-6 25-10 88-23
Kentucky 38-2 21-12 29-11 88-25
Gonzaga 26-7 32-3 29-7 87-17
Ohio State 31-8 29-8 25-10 85-26
Michigan State 29-8 27-9 29-9 85-26
Creighton 29-6 28-8 27-8 84-22
New Mexico 28-7 29-6 27-7 84-20
McDermott Sweeps Player of the Year
Doug McDermott swept all 14 National Player of the Year awards handed out by the media in 2013-14.
He was honored by the USBWA (Oscar Robertson Trophy), John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Adolph F. Rupp Trophy, Associated Press, NABC, CollegeInsider.com Lute Olson Award, Sporting News, Basketball Times, NBCSports.com, CBSSports.com, BleacherReport.com, USA Today and Dick Vitale.
In addition, he was also honored with the Senior CLASS Award that took into account his off-court contributions.
It was McDermott's second year with such lofty honor. As a sophomore, he was named CollegeInsider.com's Lute Olson Player of the Year.
McDermott finished his career last March ranking fifth in NCAA history with 3,150 career points.
NCAA Division I - Most Career Points All-Time
Rk. Name, School Years Points
1. Pete Maravich, LSU 1967-70 3,667
2. Freeman Williams, Portland State 1974-78 3,249
3. Lionel Simmons, La Salle 1986-90 3,217
4. Alphonso Ford, Miss. Valley State 1989-93 3,165
5. Doug McDermott, Creighton 2010-14 3,150
6. Harry Kelly, Texas Southern 1979-83 3,066
7. Keydren Clark, Saint Peter's 2002-07 3,058
8. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1984-88 3,008
9. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-60 2,973
10. Danny Manning, Kansas 1984-88 2,951
Full House
Last year's Creighton team averaged 17,896 in 16 home dates, good for fifth-nationally, and better than 16 NBA clubs.
It's the eighth straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the third straight season in the top-six nationally in attendance, as well.
2013-14 Attendance Leaders (Final)
Rk. School Average
1. Syracuse 26,253
2. Kentucky 22,964
3. Louisville 21,282
4. North Carolina 18,025
5. Creighton 17,896
6. Indiana 17,358
7. Wisconsin 17,104
8. Ohio State 16,474
9. Kansas 16,437
10. Memphis 16,121
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has one player from Iowa on this season's team (Waukee native Will Artino), continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps.
Past notable Iowans include Doug McDermott (Ames), Grant Gibbs (Marion), Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 656 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 680 straight (non-exhibition) games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993.
Key Number From 3-Point Range
Creighton's key number from three-point range seems to be 40 percent.
In the previous three years under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 30-18 (.625) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 55-4 (.932) mark the previous three years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 74-9 in the previous three years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 10-13 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
Last season, Creighton led the nation with 41.4 percent shooting from deep, a figure that ranked ahead of 43 teams overall field goal percentage nationally.
Three-Mendous Shooting
Creighton owned 356 three-pointers last season, most in school history. The 2012-13 club set the previous school standard with 307 in 36 games.
Creighton's 356 three-pointers ranked 11th-best in NCAA single-season history, and led the nation this year.
In addition, Creighton's 41.4 percent marksmanship from three-point range ranked tied for third-best in school history.
Last year's Creighton team owned 173 three-pointers in BIG EAST play alone, breaking a conference record (in league play) of 155 first set by the 2004-05 Notre Dame team.
Halftime Lead A Key
Creighton was 26-0 last year when leading at halftime, but just 1-8 when trailing at intermission.
Dating to 2012-13, Creighton has won 33 straight (non-exhibition) games when leading at the break.
Streak Week
Creighton ranked fourth nationally in field goal percentage last season, making 49.7 percent of its shots from the floor.
The Bluejays have won 59 straight (non-exhibition) games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field since a loss to Wichita State in 2011.
All-time under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 58-1 when shooting 50.01 percent or better.
Special Senior Class
Last year's senior class featured four men who have matriculated to the professional level; Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge.
During the past four years, the Jays went 107-38 while appearing in the postseason every season, claiming the 2012-13 MVC regular-season title, as well as the 2012 and 2013 MVC Tournament titles. The 29 wins in 2011-12 tied a school-record, as are the 57 wins from 2011-13 for a two-year span, the 84 wins from 2011-14 the mark for a three-year span and 107 wins are the most-ever in a four-year span at Creighton.
In those four years the team was 64-7 at home, including a 31-5 mark in league play at home, and that group was part of the first teams in school history to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons.
The quartet combined for 5,964 points, 2,250 rebounds and 1,062 assists while shooting a combined 872-2013 (43.3%) from three-point range.
Most Wins, 3-Year Stretch
W-L Years
84 2011-14
80 2010-13
76 2000-03
72 2001-04
72 2002-05
Most Wins, 4-Year Stretch
W-L Years
107 2010-14
99 1999-03
98 2009-13
97 2008-12
96 2000-04
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 186 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time entering its 12th season at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 161-25 (.866) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (8-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 14,125-11,941 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.74 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 48 different times, including seven times last season.
Creighton is also 23-15 all-time in the 38 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
Creighton is 64-7 (.901) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott,.
Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 180-25 (.878) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Creighton trailed for just 33:30 of 640:00 minutes last season at home, and just 36:24 of its last 720:00 minutes during its 18-game home win streak. Impressively, Creighton has not trailed at any point in the second half during that home win streak, winning 15 of the 18 games by double-digits.
Closing Strong
Creighton has won 36 straight games when leading with 5:00 to play.
Overall under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 99-4 when leading with 5:00 left, including victories in 61 of the last 62 scenarios. The Bluejays are also 3-0 under McDermott when tied with 5:00 to play.
CU is 5-34 under McDermott when trailing with 5:00 left, with the last such rally coming on Feb. 25, 2011 at Indiana State.
Big Deficits, Big Deal
Creighton owns 11 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including six such comebacks away from home.
On the other hand, CU is 93-5 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 81 of the last 82 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
14 Evansville 02/21/12
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
Winning Formulas
Below is the records for each current BIG EAST school over the previous four, eight and 14 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins.
The three relative newcomers to the league, Butler, Creighton and Xavier, are at the top of nearly each category.
Most Wins Since 2000-01
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 335 136 .711
Butler 335 135 .713
Xavier 330 135 .710
Marquette 314 151 .675
Villanova 304 162 .652
Georgetown 303 153 .664
Providence 236 204 .536
Seton Hall 228 209 .522
St. John's 213 221 .491
DePaul 181 251 .419
Most Wins - Last 8 Years
Team W L Pct.
Butler 209 73 .741
Creighton 196 84 .700
Xavier 193 81 .704
Marquette 188 89 .679
Georgetown 185 81 .695
Villanova 182 90 .669
Providence 136 123 .525
Seton Hall 132 125 .514
St. John's 131 128 .506
DePaul 90 165 .353
Most Wins - Last 4 Years
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 107 38 .738
Marquette 92 47 .662
Butler 91 51 .641
Georgetown 88 42 .677
Xavier 85 48 .639
Villanova 83 50 .624
Providence 72 61 .541
St. John's 71 60 .542
Seton Hall 66 66 .500
DePaul 42 85 .331
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 107-38 on the Creighton sideline entering his fifth year at the helm. The 107 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first four seasons.
How good are McDermott's 107 wins after four seasons? The only coach to start his Creighton career with more than 107 wins after SIX seasons was Tom Apke (109). Apke also owned the mark after five seasons, going 93-43 to open his career on the Bluejay sideline.
Most Wins at CU, First Four Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 4 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 107-38
Tom Apke 1974-78 79-30
Eddie Sutton 1969-73 59-43
Tony Barone 1985-89 57-62
Red McManus 1959-63 56-46
Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather's Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is a perfect 79-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 91-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.
Just Win Baby
Creighton has won 18 straight home games, a streak that began on Feb. 19, 2013 vs. Southern Illinois. That's the longest streak in facility history by Creighton.
The Bluejays were 16-0 at home last year, clinching its first unbeaten home season since closing the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 with a 17-0 mark.
The school-record for longest home win streak is 28, done from 1917-1920 and again from 2002-04.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest home win streaks in the 12-year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Streak Dates Snapped By
18 Feb. 19, 2013 - Present ? ? ?
16 Feb. 9, 2005 - Jan. 31, 2006 Southern Illinois
16 Jan. 19, 2010 - Dec. 22, 2011 Missouri State
14 Feb. 2, 2008 - Dec. 28, 2008 Northern Iowa
11 Nov. 22, 2003 - Feb. 4, 2004 Southern Illinois
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over five years ago, Creighton is averaging 78.42 points per home game (5,568 points in 71 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 105-0 at home (76-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 87-0 at home (60-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000.
Full House
Creighton attracted eight of its 20 largest home crowds in program history last season. Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,868 Providence 03/08/14
2. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
3. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
4. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
5. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
6. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
7. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
8. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
9. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
10. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
11. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
12. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
13. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
14. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
15. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
16. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
17. 17,694 Indiana State 01/05/13
18. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
19. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
20. 17,607 Drexel 02/17/07
Toughest Thing In Sports
Creighton is 24-12 in true road games the previous three years, and 39-17 when you also include neutral site games.
Last year's team was 7-4 in true road games and 4-4 at neutral sites. Each of Creighton's last 11 NCAA Tournament qualifiers have had 10 or more road/neutral wins.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 12 of the previous 14 seasons. Each of Creighton's last 14 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Last season marked the third straight year Creighton has opened 4-0, something last done from 2002-03 to 2004-05. The only other time CU started 4-0 in three straight years had come in a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2014-15 season went on sale on November 3rd at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Sioux Falls Cougars at Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: None
Series History: Teams have never met in regular-season
Last Meeting: None
Next Game
Creighton opens the 2014-15 season with an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 7 vs. Sioux Falls.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7:01 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2014-15 season, including Friday's exhibition. John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
The pregame show “Bluejay Shootaround” is hosted by Josh Peterson and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler, and will air from 6:00 - 6:30 pm.
Following the game, Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host “Overtime” for approximately one hour, while also taking calls from listeners.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics and NeuLion will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of Friday's exhibition, the only home webcast scheduled to air all season. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com.
Cost for a monthly pass is $10.95 and a four-month pass is $34.95. Fans can also purchase a 24-hour pass ($4.99) or a 48-hour pass ($5.99) that begins the moment you sign up.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on gameday. The video stream includes audio of the radio broadcast as well.
GoCreighton.com will also have a free webcast of the postgame press conference.
Television Broadcast Information
Friday's exhibition will not be televised.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab near the top right of the page for a link to the exact URL.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns 11 lettermen and one starter from last year's 27-8 team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season.
Point guard Austin Chatman (8.1 ppg., 4.4 apg.) is team's lone returning starter and is one of five seniors. He's joined by classmates Devin Brooks (6.5 ppg.), Will Artino (5.5 rpg.), Avery Dingman (3.2 ppg.) and transfer Rick Kreklow (5.5 ppg. at Cal).
The Bluejays will try to replace the most victorious senior class in program history, as Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge combined for 107 wins as well as 5,934 points, 872 three-pointers, 1,062 assists and 2,250 rebounds. All four men are now playing professionally, including McDermott in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls after he averaged 26.7 points per game and swept 14 National Player of the Year awards last winter.
The team has seven eligible players who have yet to appear in a regular-season game for Creighton, including senior transfer Rick Kreklow, juniors Gabriel Connealy and James Milliken, redshirt freshmen Tyler Clement and Toby Hegner and true freshmen Leon Gilmore III and Ronnie Harrell.
Scouting Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls went 15-12 last season, including a 12-10 mark in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
The Cougars return four starters and six lettermen from that team, including leading scorer Charles Ward (13.6 ppg., 5.1 rpg.), leading rebounder Jordan Stotts (9.6 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) and leading shot blocker Bryan Kielpinski (1.8 bpg.).
USF made 234 three-pointers in 27 games last year while connecting at at 37.3 percent clip.
The Cougars averaged 80.9 points per game last season, but allowed 82.4 per game.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) enters his fifth season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 27-8 mark last year, and is now 107-38 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 387-233 entering his 21st seasons and is 256-169 entering his 14th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Patrick Sellers.
Chris Johnson (Central College, 1998) enters his seventh season as head coach at Sioux Falls, where he owns a 116-71 record. Johnson owns a career record of 132-86 when you include his one season as head coach of Culver-Stocketon College in 2004-05. He has led USF to four 20-win seasons, three postseason appearances, two conference tournament titles and one regular-season crown. He is assisted by Nate Kaeding, Troy Odegaard and David Maxwell.
The Series With Sioux Falls
Creighton and Sioux Falls have never met.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 27-8 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Creighton was ranked in the Associated Press top-25 in 11-of-20 weeks and finished 16th in the year-end poll.
Doug McDermott swept all 14 National Player of the Year awards after leading the team with 26.7 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per contest. He was also named BIG EAST Player of the Year and wrapped his career as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 points.
Ethan Wragge (10.4 ppg.) was named Honorable-Mention All-BIG EAST after finishing in the top-10 in both three-pointers made and three-point percentage.
The Bluejays led the nation in three-pointers made (356), three-point percentage (41.4) and assist/turnover ratio (1.80).
After earning the program's first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2001, Creighton topped Louisiana before falling to No. 24 Baylor in the third round.
Crowd Watch
Sioux Falls averaged 676 fans per home game last season, and played before a grand total of 'just' 14,298 total fans in 13 contests away from home last year.
Last year Creighton averaged 17,896 in 16 regular-season games at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton's largest exhibition attendance in school history was 16,299 on Nov. 1, 2013 vs. Northern State last year.
Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 39-6 since 1987 in fall exhibition games thanks to 13 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged 11 years ago and later changed their name to EA Sports.
A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since 1987 can be found on page four of this release.
McDermott's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 21-0 in exhibition games as a Division I head coach, including a 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 4-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs has been by double-digits.
Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date McD School Opponent Result
2001-02 UNI London Leopards W 89-74
2001-02 UNI Lake Superior St. W 74-63
2002-03 UNI Dominican Nat'l Team W 73-56
2002-03 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 90-76
2003-04 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 89-79
2003-04 UNI Australian Select Team W 92-58
2004-05 UNI Dubuque W 93-34
2004-05 UNI SW Minnesota St. W 71-40
2005-06 UNI Lewis W 77-50
2005-06 UNI Wayne State W 74-57
11/03/06 Iowa State EA Sports W 58-57
11/06/06 Iowa State Wayne State W 55-41
11/01/07 Iowa State Dubuque W 66-38
11/04/07 Iowa State EA Sports W 74-63
11/08/08 Iowa State Nebraska-Omaha W 74-54
11/02/09 Iowa State Black Hills State W 96-47
11/06/09 Iowa State UNC-Pembroke W 106-54
11/04/10 Creighton Northern State W 79-67
11/06/11 Creighton Rockhurst W 81-42
11/02/12 Creighton Mary W 89-51
11/01/13 Creighton Northern State W 89-61
Newcomer Report
Nine players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform last season in the exhibition against Northern State as Steven Ferrarini, Devin Brooks, Tyler Clement, Darian Harris, John Burns, James Milliken, Eric Roberts, Toby Hegner and Zach Hanson combined for 26 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in a combined 52 minutes of action in Creighton's 89-61 triumph.
Below is a look at the last four years and how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts:
2013
Ferrarini/Brooks/Clement/Harris/Burns
Milliken/Roberts/Hegner/Hanson
26 pts., 8 reb., 10 ast., 52 min. (W 89-61)
2012
Kelling/Yates/Zierden
8 pts., 11 reb., 4 ast., 39 min. (W 89-51)
2011
Gibbs/Chatman/Olsen/Dingman
Groselle/Johnson/Oginni
22 pts., 11 reb., 8 ast., 70 min. (W 81-42)
2010
Stormberg/McDermott/
Manigat/Ingle/Artino
25 pts., 11 reb., 0 ast., 44 min. (W 79-67)
Freshmen Starts Almost Unheard Of
If any of Creighton's true freshmen get a starting nod in Friday's exhibition, they'll join some rare company. To find the last Creighton true freshman to start the team's exhibition opener, you'd have to go all the way back to Nov. 14, 1988. That's when Latrell Wrightsell had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey.
Ryan Sears, who started all 124 regular-season games of his illustrious career from 1997-2001, came off the bench for his exhibition debut before replacing Matt West in the second exhibition game of the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears had remained the last CU freshman to start a Creighton regular-season opener (1997-98), until Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11. McDermott started all 145 games of his career but also came off the bench in his first exhibition game.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns just one regular starter (Austin Chatman) from last year's team that finished 27-8. Creighton's roster contains players who made 49 starts a year ago (also 7 by Will Artino and Avery Dingman last year), and own a combined 85 career starts (Chatman 71, Artino 7, Dingman 7).
This year marks just the second time since 1986-87 that Creighton returns one starter or less (also 2007-08; Dane Watts).
Additionally, the 49 starts from a year ago ranks as the second-fewest in the same time span, as the 2007-08 team returned 44 starts prior to its 22-11 campaign.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2014-15 1 49 ? ? ?
2013-14 4 144 27-8
2012-13 4 140 28-8
2011-12 3 101 29-6
2010-11 4 123 23-16
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Familiar Foe
Creighton senior Will Artino and Sioux Falls junior Jordan Stotts both hail from Waukee, Iowa, and were teammates for one year at Waukee High School during the 2009-10 season.
Artino graduated in 2010, while Stotts wrapped up his prep career in 2012.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish ninth in its first season as BIG EAST Conference members according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Villanova was picked first with 81 points and nine first-place votes, while Georgetown (67, 1), St. John's (65), Xavier (52) and Providence (49) round out the top half. The predicted lower half was Seton Hall (43), Butler (28), Marquette (28), Creighton (25) and DePaul (12).
The ninth-place prognostication is the program's lowest mark since being tabbed 10th of 11 Missouri Valley Conference teams in 1995-96. That team tied for fifth in The Valley. It also snaps a streak of 14 straight years being picked fourth or higher in its league.
Creighton did not have any honorees on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Teams, which was led by Preseason Player of the Year D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera from Georgetown.
This marks the first time since 2009-10 that Creighton has not had the Preseason Conference Player of the Year. It's also just the sith time in the last 20 years that Creighton did not have a first team all-conference honoree in the preseason.
Consistent Challengers
Last year's Creighton team finished second in the BIG EAST. Including last year, 12 of Creighton's last 17 teams have finished either first or second the regular-season race of league play. Two of the five that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and 2012-13, tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07 and second last year in the BIG EAST, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.
Creighton's League Finishes, Previous 17 Years
1st Place 2000-01, 2012-13 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.),
2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.), 2011-12 (won MVC Tourn.), 2013-14
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place 2010-11
NBA Representation
This year marks the first time since 1970 that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Phoenix Suns) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
Including 2014-15, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 31 of the last 32 years.
Korver ranks 22nd in NBA history with 1,516 three-pointers and is also 10th in league history with 42.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Nov. 2). Last year he set an NBA record with 127 straight games with a three-pointer, and in 2009-10 he set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range.
Tolliver ranked 15th in the NBA in three-point percentage with the Charlotte Bobcats (41.3 percent) last season.
McDermott is a rookie who was the 11th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, then traded an hour later to the Chicago Bulls.
Nation's Best Offense?
You can make a case that Creighton boasted the nation's best offensive production last year.
Creighton finished the 2013-14 season leading the nation with 41.4 percent marksmanship from three-point range, a 1.80 assist/turnover ratio and 356 three-point field goals.
The Bluejays were second in assists per game (17.5) and three-pointers per game (10.2), fourth in field goal percentage (.497) and total assists (614), 10th in turnovers per game (9.8), 24th in both scoring average (78.7) and winning percentage and 29th in free throw percentage.
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the first four years of the Greg McDermott tenure:
Category Stat NCAA Rank
FG Percentage .4897 1st
3FG Percentage .4050 1st
Assists 2,407 1st
Assists/Game 16.60 2nd
3FG Made 1,230 2nd
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.436 4th
3FG Made/Game 8.483 5th
FG Made 3,809 9th
Wins 107 15th
Winning Pct. .7379 22nd
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 15 of the last 16 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 16 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Along with Kentucky, Creighton is one of two schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 15 of the past 16 years.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (14 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (13 each).
10 Conference Wins x 18
Last season's Creighton team won 10 or more league games for a 18th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 18 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (20).
Each of the last 18 seasons has seen the team finish fourth place or better in the league standings as well, though all but one of those took place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Postseason x 17
Creighton has made the postseason in 17 consecutive seasons. The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 17 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.
Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Louisiana last spring, the Creighton men's basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record seven straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
The following four programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in seven straight seasons, including 2013-14: Creighton, Kansas, North Carolina and Syracuse.
Eight Out Of 16 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 16 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (12), Duke (10), Winthrop (9) and Creighton (8).
On A Roll
Since the start of 2011-12, Creighton is a remarkable 84-22. On a national basis, Creighton's 84 wins rank tied for 10th, as seen below.
Most Wins, Since 2011-12
School '11-12 '12-13 '13-14 W-L
Louisville 30-10 35-5 31-6 96-21
Wichita State 27-6 30-9 35-1 92-17
Syracuse 34-3 30-10 28-6 92-19
Florida 26-11 29-8 36-3 91-22
Kansas 32-7 31-6 25-10 88-23
Kentucky 38-2 21-12 29-11 88-25
Gonzaga 26-7 32-3 29-7 87-17
Ohio State 31-8 29-8 25-10 85-26
Michigan State 29-8 27-9 29-9 85-26
Creighton 29-6 28-8 27-8 84-22
New Mexico 28-7 29-6 27-7 84-20
McDermott Sweeps Player of the Year
Doug McDermott swept all 14 National Player of the Year awards handed out by the media in 2013-14.
He was honored by the USBWA (Oscar Robertson Trophy), John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Adolph F. Rupp Trophy, Associated Press, NABC, CollegeInsider.com Lute Olson Award, Sporting News, Basketball Times, NBCSports.com, CBSSports.com, BleacherReport.com, USA Today and Dick Vitale.
In addition, he was also honored with the Senior CLASS Award that took into account his off-court contributions.
It was McDermott's second year with such lofty honor. As a sophomore, he was named CollegeInsider.com's Lute Olson Player of the Year.
McDermott finished his career last March ranking fifth in NCAA history with 3,150 career points.
NCAA Division I - Most Career Points All-Time
Rk. Name, School Years Points
1. Pete Maravich, LSU 1967-70 3,667
2. Freeman Williams, Portland State 1974-78 3,249
3. Lionel Simmons, La Salle 1986-90 3,217
4. Alphonso Ford, Miss. Valley State 1989-93 3,165
5. Doug McDermott, Creighton 2010-14 3,150
6. Harry Kelly, Texas Southern 1979-83 3,066
7. Keydren Clark, Saint Peter's 2002-07 3,058
8. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1984-88 3,008
9. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-60 2,973
10. Danny Manning, Kansas 1984-88 2,951
Full House
Last year's Creighton team averaged 17,896 in 16 home dates, good for fifth-nationally, and better than 16 NBA clubs.
It's the eighth straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the third straight season in the top-six nationally in attendance, as well.
2013-14 Attendance Leaders (Final)
Rk. School Average
1. Syracuse 26,253
2. Kentucky 22,964
3. Louisville 21,282
4. North Carolina 18,025
5. Creighton 17,896
6. Indiana 17,358
7. Wisconsin 17,104
8. Ohio State 16,474
9. Kansas 16,437
10. Memphis 16,121
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has one player from Iowa on this season's team (Waukee native Will Artino), continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps.
Past notable Iowans include Doug McDermott (Ames), Grant Gibbs (Marion), Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 656 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 680 straight (non-exhibition) games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993.
Key Number From 3-Point Range
Creighton's key number from three-point range seems to be 40 percent.
In the previous three years under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 30-18 (.625) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 55-4 (.932) mark the previous three years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 74-9 in the previous three years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 10-13 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
Last season, Creighton led the nation with 41.4 percent shooting from deep, a figure that ranked ahead of 43 teams overall field goal percentage nationally.
Three-Mendous Shooting
Creighton owned 356 three-pointers last season, most in school history. The 2012-13 club set the previous school standard with 307 in 36 games.
Creighton's 356 three-pointers ranked 11th-best in NCAA single-season history, and led the nation this year.
In addition, Creighton's 41.4 percent marksmanship from three-point range ranked tied for third-best in school history.
Last year's Creighton team owned 173 three-pointers in BIG EAST play alone, breaking a conference record (in league play) of 155 first set by the 2004-05 Notre Dame team.
Halftime Lead A Key
Creighton was 26-0 last year when leading at halftime, but just 1-8 when trailing at intermission.
Dating to 2012-13, Creighton has won 33 straight (non-exhibition) games when leading at the break.
Streak Week
Creighton ranked fourth nationally in field goal percentage last season, making 49.7 percent of its shots from the floor.
The Bluejays have won 59 straight (non-exhibition) games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field since a loss to Wichita State in 2011.
All-time under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 58-1 when shooting 50.01 percent or better.
Special Senior Class
Last year's senior class featured four men who have matriculated to the professional level; Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge.
During the past four years, the Jays went 107-38 while appearing in the postseason every season, claiming the 2012-13 MVC regular-season title, as well as the 2012 and 2013 MVC Tournament titles. The 29 wins in 2011-12 tied a school-record, as are the 57 wins from 2011-13 for a two-year span, the 84 wins from 2011-14 the mark for a three-year span and 107 wins are the most-ever in a four-year span at Creighton.
In those four years the team was 64-7 at home, including a 31-5 mark in league play at home, and that group was part of the first teams in school history to win NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons.
The quartet combined for 5,964 points, 2,250 rebounds and 1,062 assists while shooting a combined 872-2013 (43.3%) from three-point range.
Most Wins, 3-Year Stretch
W-L Years
84 2011-14
80 2010-13
76 2000-03
72 2001-04
72 2002-05
Most Wins, 4-Year Stretch
W-L Years
107 2010-14
99 1999-03
98 2009-13
97 2008-12
96 2000-04
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 186 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time entering its 12th season at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 161-25 (.866) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (8-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 14,125-11,941 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.74 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 48 different times, including seven times last season.
Creighton is also 23-15 all-time in the 38 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
Creighton is 64-7 (.901) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott,.
Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 180-25 (.878) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Creighton trailed for just 33:30 of 640:00 minutes last season at home, and just 36:24 of its last 720:00 minutes during its 18-game home win streak. Impressively, Creighton has not trailed at any point in the second half during that home win streak, winning 15 of the 18 games by double-digits.
Closing Strong
Creighton has won 36 straight games when leading with 5:00 to play.
Overall under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 99-4 when leading with 5:00 left, including victories in 61 of the last 62 scenarios. The Bluejays are also 3-0 under McDermott when tied with 5:00 to play.
CU is 5-34 under McDermott when trailing with 5:00 left, with the last such rally coming on Feb. 25, 2011 at Indiana State.
Big Deficits, Big Deal
Creighton owns 11 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including six such comebacks away from home.
On the other hand, CU is 93-5 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 81 of the last 82 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
14 Evansville 02/21/12
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
Winning Formulas
Below is the records for each current BIG EAST school over the previous four, eight and 14 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins.
The three relative newcomers to the league, Butler, Creighton and Xavier, are at the top of nearly each category.
Most Wins Since 2000-01
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 335 136 .711
Butler 335 135 .713
Xavier 330 135 .710
Marquette 314 151 .675
Villanova 304 162 .652
Georgetown 303 153 .664
Providence 236 204 .536
Seton Hall 228 209 .522
St. John's 213 221 .491
DePaul 181 251 .419
Most Wins - Last 8 Years
Team W L Pct.
Butler 209 73 .741
Creighton 196 84 .700
Xavier 193 81 .704
Marquette 188 89 .679
Georgetown 185 81 .695
Villanova 182 90 .669
Providence 136 123 .525
Seton Hall 132 125 .514
St. John's 131 128 .506
DePaul 90 165 .353
Most Wins - Last 4 Years
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 107 38 .738
Marquette 92 47 .662
Butler 91 51 .641
Georgetown 88 42 .677
Xavier 85 48 .639
Villanova 83 50 .624
Providence 72 61 .541
St. John's 71 60 .542
Seton Hall 66 66 .500
DePaul 42 85 .331
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 107-38 on the Creighton sideline entering his fifth year at the helm. The 107 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first four seasons.
How good are McDermott's 107 wins after four seasons? The only coach to start his Creighton career with more than 107 wins after SIX seasons was Tom Apke (109). Apke also owned the mark after five seasons, going 93-43 to open his career on the Bluejay sideline.
Most Wins at CU, First Four Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 4 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 107-38
Tom Apke 1974-78 79-30
Eddie Sutton 1969-73 59-43
Tony Barone 1985-89 57-62
Red McManus 1959-63 56-46
Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather's Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is a perfect 79-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 91-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.
Just Win Baby
Creighton has won 18 straight home games, a streak that began on Feb. 19, 2013 vs. Southern Illinois. That's the longest streak in facility history by Creighton.
The Bluejays were 16-0 at home last year, clinching its first unbeaten home season since closing the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 with a 17-0 mark.
The school-record for longest home win streak is 28, done from 1917-1920 and again from 2002-04.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest home win streaks in the 12-year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Streak Dates Snapped By
18 Feb. 19, 2013 - Present ? ? ?
16 Feb. 9, 2005 - Jan. 31, 2006 Southern Illinois
16 Jan. 19, 2010 - Dec. 22, 2011 Missouri State
14 Feb. 2, 2008 - Dec. 28, 2008 Northern Iowa
11 Nov. 22, 2003 - Feb. 4, 2004 Southern Illinois
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over five years ago, Creighton is averaging 78.42 points per home game (5,568 points in 71 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 105-0 at home (76-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 87-0 at home (60-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000.
Full House
Creighton attracted eight of its 20 largest home crowds in program history last season. Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,868 Providence 03/08/14
2. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
3. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
4. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
5. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
6. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
7. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
8. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
9. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
10. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
11. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
12. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
13. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
14. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
15. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
16. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
17. 17,694 Indiana State 01/05/13
18. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
19. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
20. 17,607 Drexel 02/17/07
Toughest Thing In Sports
Creighton is 24-12 in true road games the previous three years, and 39-17 when you also include neutral site games.
Last year's team was 7-4 in true road games and 4-4 at neutral sites. Each of Creighton's last 11 NCAA Tournament qualifiers have had 10 or more road/neutral wins.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 12 of the previous 14 seasons. Each of Creighton's last 14 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Last season marked the third straight year Creighton has opened 4-0, something last done from 2002-03 to 2004-05. The only other time CU started 4-0 in three straight years had come in a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2014-15 season went on sale on November 3rd at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball Availability - 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
Meet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
