Men's Basketball Hosts Providence Saturday in Fourth Annual Pink Out
1/16/2015 1:37:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game #19 • Saturday, January 17, 2015 • 6:31 p.m.
Providence Friars at Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: FOX Sports 1
Series History: Providence leads, 9-5
Last Time: Providence 65, Creighton 53 on Dec. 31, 2014 in Providence, R.I.
Next Game
Creighton (9-9, 0-5 BIG EAST) returns home in its quest for its first BIG EAST victory this year when it hosts Providence (13-5, 3-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday evening.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 6:31 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2014-15 season. John Bishop and former Bluejay center Brody Deren will call the action.
The pregame show “Bluejay Shootaround” is hosted by Josh Peterson and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler and will air from 4:30 pm - 6:00 p.m.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Information
Saturday's game will be nationally televised by FOX Sports 1. Steve Physioc and Nick Bahe will announce.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Saturday's game will be available via FOXSportsGO.com for desktop users, and via the FOX Sports GO app for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Window devices). A cable authorization may be required.
The FOX Sports GO mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store or the Windows Store.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit GoCreighton.com and click on the Live Stats icon 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 is 9-9 this season, and 0-5 in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays are mired in a six-game losing streak since a Dec. 19 victory over Texas-Pan American.
Guards Austin Chatman (11.8 ppg., 4.2 apg.) and Isaiah Zierden (10.2 ppg., 43 three-pointers) lead the club in scoring and minutes played on a balanced team that has seen nine leading scorers through 18 contests.
Creighton is 7-3 this year at home, including a win over then-No. 18 Oklahoma, but 1-5 in true road games and only a win at Nebraska to its credit.
Creighton returns 11 lettermen from last year's 27-8 team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season. Chatman is the only returning starter from that group.
The Bluejays are trying 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 5,964 points, 872 three-pointers, 1,062 assists and 2,250 rebounds at CU. 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.
Scouting Providence
Providence is 13-5 on the season, including a 9-2 record at home and a 1-3 road record The Friars own victories over the likes of Florida State, Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.), Massachusetts, Butler and Georgetown, but lost on Wednesday at home to St. John's.
BIG EAST scoring leader LaDontae Henton (21.2 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) leads the Friars in both scoring and rebounding, while Kris Dunn (13.8 ppg., 7.6 apg., 5.5 rpg., 2.6 spg.) has returned from injury and leads the BIG EAST with 129 assists and 44 steals.
Also scoring at a double-digit clip is Tyler Harris (10.7 ppg., 4.7 rpg.).
The Friars score 69.2 points per game and allow just 62.9 per contest. PC shoots 44.4 percent from the field and has held foes to 41.3 percent shooting, including a 30.2 percent mark from downtown.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his fifth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 116-47 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 396-242 in his 21st season and is 265-178 in his 14th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Patrick Sellers.
Ed Cooley (Stonehill, 1994) is 162-118 in his ninth year as a head coach, including a 70-49 mark in his fourth year at Providence. He was previously coach at Fairfield before replacing Keno Davis four years ago. Cooley is assisted by Andre LaFleur, Brian Blaney and Bob Simon.
The Series With Providence
Providence owns a 9-5 lead in a series that dates back to 1961, but the Bluejays lead 3-2 in Omaha.
Last season the teams met three times. Providence handed CU its first BIG EAST loss ever on Jan. 18 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center before the Bluejays returned the favor on a memorable Senior Night in Omaha as Doug McDermott surpassed 3,000 career points. The Friars then won the rubber match in the BIG EAST Tournament final at Madison Square Garden.
The teams opened BIG EAST play in Rhode Island on New Year's Eve, with the Friars earning a 65-53 win.
Greg McDermott is 1-3 against Providence and Ed Cooley. Cooley is 3-2 against the Bluejays, as his Fairfield team fell on March 22, 2010 in a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament game contested at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Saturday's game will mark the fifth meeting between Creighton and Providence in the last 365 days.
Last Game
Creighton lost at Marquette, 53-52, on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Marquette used a 22-2 run to build a 26-11 lead, but Creighton answered and led by four with less than a minute to play. Matt Carlino halved the deficit on a jumper with 50.8 seconds left, then threw in a game-winning three-pointer with 11.2 seconds left. A hook from Will Artino and tip-in try by Rick Kreklow rimmed out as Creighton again fell in the final seconds. Carlino led all players with 19 points, while Kreklow led CU with 13 points.
Rematch From March
Saturday's game features a rematch of the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament title game, won by Providence 65-58 at Madison Square Garden.
Last season marked Creighton's 14th all-time appearance in a conference title game (and just its second defeat in those 14 games).
Pink Out Auction Raises Thousands
As part of the nationwide American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer event, men's basketball fans are encouraged to wear pink to promote cancer awareness and participate in the “Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out” game when the Bluejays host the Providence Friars on First National Bank Court at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Saturday.
Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game and, like last year's event, fans had the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt can be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.).
The first 16,000 fans entering the venue on Saturday will receive a complimentary pink t-shirt courtesy of CHI Health and Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center. “Pink Out” t-shirts are also available for purchase at the following Lawlor's Custom Sportswear locations: Westroads Mall and the Superstore located at 84th & J Streets. Doors will open at 5 pm.
This year's Creighton vs. Cancer jersey auction raised $16,384.03, and the past four seasons have seen $109,675.14 raised. Past auctions have raised $20,600 (2012), $24,444 (2013) and $48,247.11 (2014).
Below is a list showing what each item sold for:
Jersey #1 $2651
Jersey #2 $650
Jersey #4 $455
Jersey #5 $1,527
Jersey #10 $585
Jersey #11 $506
Jersey #15 $630
Jersey #21 $955
Jersey #22 $960
Jersey #23 $590
Jersey #31 $725
Jersey #32 $826
Jersey #40 $730
Jersey #41 $610
Jersey #50 $710
Basketballs $200, 202.50, 204.03, 212.50, 220, 250
Doug McDermott jersey $800
Late Game Dramatics
Creighton has lost each of its last two games in heartbreaking fashion. In both games, Creighton led by two in the closing seconds, only to surrender a go-ahead three-pointer and lose by one.
Last Saturday, Sterling Gibbs drained a trey with 2.2 seconds left to lift Seton Hall to a victory. James Milliken's three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.
On Wednesday, Matt Carlino drilled a trifecta with 11.2 ticks left. Will Artino missed a hook shot in the lane, and Rick Kreklow's tip-in rolled off the rim.
The last time Creighton lost back-to-back games on shots in the final 12 seconds came in November of 2008, when it fell to UALR with 6.4 seconds left and to Nebraska with 2.7 seconds left. That squad responded with nine straight wins and would finish 27-8 en route to a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title.
More About One-Point Games
Despite the two losses in the last week, Greg McDermott is still 5-3 in one-point games on the Creighton sideline.
Creighton entered last week 12-1 in its previous 13 one-point games, and had been 22-6 in one-point games since 2000, prior to the last two losses.
It's the first time that Creighton has played consecutive one-point games since defeating Evansville (93-92 in OT) and Indiana State (61-60) in February of 2012.
Creighton has not played three straight one-point games since the 1974-75 season.
Creighton had not lost one-point games in the same month since February of 1996, and those weren't consecutive.
It's the first time that Creighton has lost consecutive one-point games since January of 1980. That skid also started on January 10th (the same day of the Seton Hall game), but was ended by a home win on January 17th (Saturday's game date).
Creighton has never lost three consecutive one-point games.
Creighton is the first BIG EAST team to lose consecutive games by one point since Marquette last season.
0-5 By No Means The End
While an 0-5 start in league play is never desirable, Creighton only needs to look towards a pair of teams it lost to last season for inspiration.
Last year St. John's started 0-3 in league play, then dropped a two-point game to DePaul and a one-point game vs. Providence to fall to 0-5 in the BIG EAST. The Red Storm would then right the ship and win nine of its next 10 games (losing only at Creighton on a Doug McDermott three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left), and finish tied for third in the BIG EAST. St. John's ended the year with a 20-13 mark, making the NIT.
Baylor started last season 1-6 in league play (including a pair of two-point losses) and were 2-8, before turning the tables. The Bears would finish 9-9 in league play and 25-12 overall en route to a Sweet 16 berth.
Keeping Their Head Above Water
Creighton enters Saturday's game with a 9-9 mark, good for an even .500 winning percentage.
The Bluejays have not been below the .500 mark at any point since falling to 13-14 on Feb. 16, 2010.
Since then, Creighton has been either 0-0 or .500 seven times since then, and won the subsequent game on each occasion.
On a national basis, the only 22 teams that have never been below .500 since Feb. 16, 2010, have been Baylor, California, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Connecticut, Creighton, Dayton, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, Louisville, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Saint Mary's, Syracuse, Wichita State, Wisconsin and Xavier.
Been There, Dunn That
Providence point guard Kris Dunn leads the nation with 7.6 assists per game, including 12 helpers vs. Creighton on New Year's Eve.
The only previous student-athlete to play against Creighton the same season he led the nation in assists was Doug Gottlieb, who averaged 8.79 assists per game for Oklahoma State in 1998-99. Creighton defeated the Cowboys, 66-60, on Dec. 20, 1998, “holding” Gottlieb to six assists.
Dunn's teammate, LaDontae Henton, ranks fourth nationally with 21.2 points per game, including 35 on New Year's Eve at the Dunkin' Donuts Center versus Creighton.
Henton's presence on Saturday marks the second straight season the Friars have brought a top-10 scorer into CenturyLink Center Omaha, as last year Bryce Cotton ranked ninth nationally in scoring at 21.8 points per game. Cotton was scoreless in the first half last season in Omaha, but finished with 23 points.
Besides Cotton, the only other previous visiting players to come to CenturyLink Center Omaha and finish top-10 nationally in scoring at year's end were BYU's Jimmer Fredette in 2010-11 (averaged 28.9 ppg., held to 13) and Jodie Meeks (averaged 23.7 ppg., held to 16 points).
It's worth noting that Creighton standout Doug McDermott patrolled the CenturyLink Center Omaha paint on a nightly basis the previous four seasons and finished third nationally in scoring as a sophomore (22.9 ppg.), second as a junior (23.2 ppg.) and led the nation a year ago as a senior (26.7 ppg.).
Rare 30/30 Club
LaDontae Henton had 35 points on Dec. 31, making him just one of six players to score 30 or more points against since Greg McDermott became head coach at Creighton five years ago.
No player has scored 30 or more twice in the same season against Creighton since Bradley star Hersey Hawkins had 35 in Omaha on Feb. 18, 1988, then added 38 more on March 6, 1988 in Peoria.
Below is a list of the most individual points allowed by a Greg McDermott team since he arrived prior to the 2010-11 campaign.
Most Points, Creighton Opponent, Since 2010-11
Pts. Player, Team Date
43 Colt Ryan, Evansville 2/21/12
35 Derrick Marks, Boise State 11/28/12
35 LaDontae Henton, Providence 12/31/14
34 Drew Crawford, Northwestern 12/22/11
31 Kyle Weems, Missouri State 12/28/11
30 Jahii Carson, Arizona State 11/24/12
Range With Rick
Senior Rick Kreklow has started to find his offensive rhythm in the last three games he's played.
In those contests, he's averaged 8.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 10-for-16 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range.
With 10 points last Saturday vs. Seton Hall and 13 more points on Wednesday at Marquette, Kreklow has scored in double-figures during consecutive contests for the first time in his five-year college career, which spans three schools.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Seton Hall's Sterling Gibbs hit a game-winning three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left to beat Creighton last Saturday in CU's last home game.
It was an opponent's first game-winning go-ahead score in the last 10 seconds of a Creighton home game since Southern Illinois guard Bryan Mullins made a basket with 4.1 seconds left to beat the Jays on Jan. 20, 2007.
The shot with 2.2 left was also the least amount of time remaining on any shot to beat the Jays at the venue.
Creighton is now 7-3 in games with a go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the 12-year old facility.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.7
01/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.0
11/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.5
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.2
01/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.3
02/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.3
01/28/14 St. John's W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 53-52 G. Diaz FT :2.6
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 58-57 B. Mullins FG :4.1
01/10/15 #19 Seton Hall 68-67 S. Gibbs 3FG :2.2
Winning Formulas
Below are the records for each current BIG EAST school over the previous four, eight and 14 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins, through games of Jan. 16, 2015.
Most Wins Since 2000-01
Team W L
Butler 348 140
Creighton 344 145
Xavier 341 141
Marquette 324 157
Villanova 320 163
Georgetown 314 158
Providence 249 209
Seton Hall 241 213
St. John's 225 226
DePaul 190 260
Most Wins - Last 10 Years (2005-06 to Present)
Team W L
Butler 242 91
Villanova 226 96
Xavier 225 98
Creighton 225 103
Georgetown 219 96
Marquette 218 106
Seton Hall 163 141
Providence 161 143
St. John's 155 147
DePaul 111 189
Most Wins - Last 4 Years (2011-12 to Present)
Team W L
Creighton 93 31
Marquette 80 38
Georgetown 78 36
Villanova 78 39
Butler 74 46
Xavier 72 46
Providence 70 49
Seton Hall 66 52
St. John's 62 52
DePaul 44 70
Academic Excellence
The Creighton Men's Basketball team owned a cumulative 3.14 GPA in the 2014 Fall semester. The mark is the program's highest figure in records dating back to 1999.
Two men's basketball players, Tyler Clement and Gabriel Connealy, have owned perfect 4.00 GPA's throughout their entire college career.
Overall, Creighton's student-athletes owned a 3.37 GPA in the fall, also a record. Of CU's 279 student-athletes, 126 of them (45.2 percent) made the Dean's List (3.50 or better).
How's This, For Starters?
James Milliken scored a team-high 20 points in last Saturday's game vs. Seton Hall, the second time this season he's scored 20 or more.
Milliken was the ninth different leading scorer that Creighton has had in the first 17 games this winter.
Milliken had his outburst in his first career start, as he became the first Bluejay since Booker Woodfox to score 20 or more in his first career start. Woodfox had 26 points vs. New Mexico on Nov. 16, 2008, the start of a season that saw him earn MVC Player of the Year accolades.
The only other players to do so since the 1994-95 season have been Kellen Miliner (20 vs. Alcorn State on Nov. 15, 2004), Nerijus Karlikanovas (20 at Missouri State on Jan. 10, 1999).
Of the four men listed above to score 20 in their first start, only Miliner (14) scored in double-figures in his second career start. Milliken had five points on Wednesday.
Comparing Offenses
Creighton had one of the nation's most effective and most efficient offenses in the previous three seasons before being slowed down a bit this year.
Here's a comparison to the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 teams to this year's squad through 18 games:
Stat 2011-12 '12-13 '13-14 '14-15
Record 16-2 17-1 15-3 9-9
FG Made 529 512 511 409
FG% .516 .524 .491 .417
3FG Made 158 174 195 149
3FG% .457 .454 .424 .333
FT Made 272 238 256 264
FT% .710 .756 .760 .746
Rebound Margin +5.5 +5.2 +5.2 +2.1
Assists 352 330 333 249
Turnovers 231 215 183 213
Scoring Average 82.7 79.8 81.8 68.4
Scoring Margin +13.3 +17.7 +15.9 +3.3
Line-Up Changes, Again
Creighton shuffled its starting line-up prior to last Saturday's game vs. Seton Hall, as Will Artino, Avery Dingman and James Milliken moved into the starting five.
It was the seventh different starting line-up combination tried this season by Greg McDermott. By comparison, CU had used just 10 different starting combinations in his first four seasons at the helm, and utilized the same starting five in every game in 2011-12 and also 2012-13.
The last time Creighton used seven or more starting combinations during the same season came in 2009-10, when it had eight different line-ups.
Clement Steps Up
Tyler Clement played 62 minutes in Creighton's first 16 games, before the redshirt freshman walk-on logged a career-high 26 minutes last Saturday vs. Seton Hall.
Clement dished a career-high four assists and added two rebounds, one point and one steal while subbing for an injured Austin Chatman.
Clement checked in for the first time with 8:59 left in the first half, then played all but 2:53 of the remainder of the contest.
It's not the first time that Clement has come to the rescue for Creighton this season. He replaced a foul-prone Chatman with CU down 24 points at North Texas and 15:56 left. Creighton would eventually lose by four points, with Clement playing 12 minutes during that frantic comeback attempt.
Artino Doubles His Fun
Senior center Will Artino returned to the starting five last Saturday and delivered his third career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds while also playing a career-best 35 minutes.
It was Artino's team-high second double-double of the winter.
Artino, who made 5-of-7 field goal attempts vs. Seton Hall and 4-of-7 shots at Marquette, has now made 62.53 percent of his career field goal attempts. That's the second-best mark in Creighton history among players with 300 or more career attempts.
Pct. Name, Years FGM-FGA
.6254 Gregory Echenique, 2010-13 374-598
.6253 Will Artino, 2011-Pres. 222-355
.611 Mike Grimes, 2000-04 292-478
.585 Vernon Moore, 1981-85 649-1,109
.562 Benoit Benjamin, 1982-85 610-1,085
Stadium Journey Loves The Link
The website StadiumJourney.com has reviewed more than 2,050 venues in the last four years and recently ranked Creighton's home, CenturyLink Center Omaha, as the 83rd-best venue overall and seventh-best for college basketball in its 2014 rankings of Top 100 Stadium Experiences.
The home to Creighton Baseball and the College World Series, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, is located across the parking lot from CenturyLink Center Omaha and came in 14th in the rankings.
The ratings take into account the food & beverage served in the stadium, the overall atmosphere, the neighborhood where the stadium is located, the fans, access (which includes traffic, parking, ability to move around, and restrooms), the overall return on investment, and one final “extras” category.
When summarizing CenturyLink Center Omaha, the website concluded:
“This is a very good college atmosphere. The fans are very friendly and will welcome opposing fans. The band, the dance team, the cheerleaders are all good and add to the college experience. The contests held during breaks in the action add to the fun and they command the attention of most of the fans.”
Rk. Facility Home Hoops Tenant
30. Rupp Arena Kentucky
35. FedEx Forum Memphis
44. Carrier Dome Syracuse
57. Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Utah State
63. Phog Allen Fieldhouse Kansas
74. Crisler Center Michigan
83. CenturyLink Center Omaha Creighton
98. Dean E. Smith Center North Carolina
One Of The Best Leagues Around
The BIG EAST Conference was the second-ranked league in the RPI ratings through games of January 14 through WarrenNolan.com, confirming the developing consensus that the league is once again powerful. Noted bracketologist Joe Lunardi has seven BIG EAST teams in his latest projection, more than any other conference.
According to CBS Sports, no league has had more NCAA Tournament bids in the last three seasons than the 21 earned by the BIG EAST.
Below is a list of the top 10 leagues, through games of January 14th:
Rk. Conference RPI
1. Big 12 .5944
2. BIG EAST .5898
3. Atlantic Coast .5771
4. Southeastern .5746
5. Big Ten .5716
6. Pacific 12 .5666
7. Atlantic 10 .5441
8. American Athletic .5331
9. West Coast .5246
10. Missouri Valley .5204
Trey Troubles
Creighton has uncharacteristically struggled from three-point range during its six-game losing streak, shooting a collective 43-for-154 (27.9 percent) in that span.
For the season Creighton is shooting 33.3 percent from three-point land, way down from last year's 41.4 percent marksmanship that led the nation.
In the last four years under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 36-25 (.590) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 57-6 (.905) mark the last four years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 82-14 in the past four years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 11-17 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.
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.
Consistent Challengers
Last year's Creighton team finished second in the BIG EAST, the 17th straight season the Bluejays have finished in the top four of the league standings. 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
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish ninth in its second 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 preseason league poll.
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 sixth time in the last 20 years that Creighton did not have a first team all-conference honoree in the preseason.
Early Birds Get The Win
When Creighton's offense gets rolling under Greg McDermott, the results have been evident. Creighton has won 50 straight games under McDermott when scoring 40 or more points in the first half.
CU has also won 68 straight home games when scoring 40 or more points in the first half dating to a Feb. 3, 2002 loss to Southern Illinois, including a perfect 60-0 mark at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Groselle Makes The Leap To MBA
Redshirt junior center Geoffrey Groselle finished the requirements to earn his undergraduate degree in Financial Analysis in just 3.5 years on December 18th. One day later, he learned that he'd been accepted into Creighton's MBA program, then came out that night and grabbed a career-best six rebounds in 11 first half minutes.
Groselle continued his strong play on Dec. 21 at North Texas, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
He led Creighton with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the league opener at Providence, playing a career-high 22 minutes. Groselle made his first career start in the Jan. 3 game at Georgetown.
Creighton has outscored its last seven opponents by a combined 15 points in 75 minutes with Groselle on the floor, but has been outscored by 43 points in the 205 minutes without him.
3-Headed Monster
Creighton has used three men who alternate playing time at the “5” position for most of this season, Will Artino, Zach Hanson and Geoffrey Groselle.
While none of them have stats that might jump off the page individually, as a collective group they're tough to beat, combining for 15.1 points and 9.3 rebounds in 38.9 minutes per game, all while shooting 59.6 percent from the floor.
Name MPG FG-FGA RPG PPG
Artino 18.1 52-94 5.0 7.1
Hanson 14.1 34-55 3.0 5.2
Groselle 8.8 26-39 1.7 3.6
Total 38.9 112-188 9.3 15.1
Five Year Plan A Rousing Success
There were 54 Division I coaches that were hired prior to the 2010-11 season, and of that group, 37 remain at the helm of that same program, including Creighton coach Greg McDermott.
McDermott leads that group with 116 victories to easily lead that group. It's seven more than the man he replaced at Creighton, current Oregon coach Dana Altman and 13 more than the coaches with the third-most wins, through games of Jan. 14.
Head Coaches Hired Prior to 2010-11, Sorted By Wins
School Coach Total W Total L
Creighton Greg McDermott 116 47
Oregon Dana Altman 109 50
Iona Tim Cluess 103 50
Iowa State Fred Hoiberg 102 50
Colorado Tad Boyle 100 56
Toughest Thing In Sports
Creighton is 25-17 in true road games the last four years, and 41-23 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.
Creighton is currently 1-5 in true road games this season, and 2-6 away from home when you factor in a pair of games in Niceville, Fla., during the Emerald Coast Classic.
Will The Thrill
Will Artino leads Creighton in rebounds per 40 minutes (11.1 rpg.) and is second in points per 40 minutes (15.6 ppg.) this season.
Among players to play 100 or more minutes in any season during Greg McDermott's tenure, Artino has consistently put up big numbers.
In those five seasons, a player has averaged at least 10.0 rebounds per 40 minutes nine times, with Artino accounting for four of those seasons.
Most Rebounds Per 40 Minutes, Since 2010-11
(Minimum 100 minutes, Season)
REB/40 Name Year
12.4 Will Artino 2012-13
12.2 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
11.9 Will Artino 2011-12
11.6 Gregory Echenique 2012-13
11.3 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
11.1 Will Artino 2014-15
10.3 Doug McDermott 2011-12
10.2 Gregory Echenique 2010-11
10.0 Will Artino 2013-14
Moving On Up
Austin Chatman has moved into sixth in Creighton history on the career assist chart, and now owns 448 in his career. Only seven previous men in school history have reached 400 career assists as a Bluejay.
With three helpers at North Texas, Chatman passed Tyler McKinney (430) for sixth place. Chatman and McKinney are the only point guards in program history to go 4-0 against Nebraska in their career.
Most Career Assists (Since 1970-71)
Ast. Name Years
570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
505 Antoine Young 2008-12
498 Grant Gibbs 2011-14
458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
448 Austin Chatman 2011-Pres.
430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
418 Vernon Moore 1981-85
388 Josh Dotzler 2005-09
382 Duan Cole 1987-92
Higher and Higher
Austin Chatman entered December with a career-high of 19 points, but in seven December contests he averaged 17.3 points, including five games of 19 or more.
Chatman tied his career-high with 19 points in road games against both Tulsa and Nebraska, then upped the ante with 24 points in a Dec. 9 double-overtime win over South Dakota.
All 24 of his points against the Coyotes came in the final 16 minutes of regulation and the overtime sessions.
Of Creighton's 26 points during the overtime, Chatman made or assisted all six field goals, and also drained five of the team's 10 free throws.
He followed that up with another 19 point effort against Saint Mary's on Dec. 14, then threw in 20 more points vs. Texas-Pan American on Dec. 19.
Awesome Austin
Austin Chatman had identical stat lines in two games to start the month of December. In road games at Tulsa and Nebraska, Chatman had exactly 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in both games.
Before Chatman, the last time a Creighton player had any game with at least 19/7/6 or more in each category was Ryan Sears at Southern Illinois on Jan. 8, 2000.
Before Chatman, Creighton's last player with two games of 19/7/6 in the same season was Rodney Buford, who did it in 1998-99.
Chatman also became the first Creighton player to own at least a share of the team in lead in points/rebounds/assists in consecutive games since Kyle Korver on Dec. 7 & 14, 2002.
Chatman was also stellar in the win over South Dakota on Dec. 9, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds. In the process, he became the first Bluejay with 24 points and eight assists in the same game since Sears in the same Jan. 8, 2000 game listed above.
Through games of January 14th, Chatman was one of 11 players nationally, and one of four seniors with at least 213 points, 69 rebounds and 76 or more assists.
Careful Chatman
Austin Chatman owns a 76/31 assist/turnover ratio (2.45) early this season, a figure that ranks third in the BIG EAST and 52nd nationally.
Last season Chatman finished third in the BIG EAST with a 2.6 assist/turnover ratio, good for 29th nationally.
For his career, Chatman owns 448 assists compared to 208 turnovers, good for a 2.15 ratio. The man considered by many to be Creighton's best point guard in recent history, Ryan Sears, finished his career with a 2.26 assist/turnover ratio.
More Success At Home
Creighton has won 85 straight home games against teams that enter with a record of .500 or worse. The last team to upset the apple cart was Feb. 25, 2002, when Drake won at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Senior Trio Joins Elite Group
Seniors Will Artino, Austin Chatman and Avery Dingman joined some elite company with Creighton's Dec. 7 win at Nebraska, as the trio became the rare Bluejay players to appear in four wins vs. Nebraska.
Creighton's only previous six men to play in four career wins over the Cornhuskers were Kyle Korver, Joe Dabbert, Mike Grimes, Michael Lindeman, Tyler McKinney and Ethan Wragge.
Of those six, only Korver and McKinney had never played in a loss against NU, something Dingman, Artino and Chatman can now claim.
Halftime Lead A Key
Creighton was 26-0 last year when leading at halftime, but just 1-8 when trailing at intermission.
This year's team is 6-2 when leading at half, 3-6 when trailing at halftime and 0-1 when tied at the break.
Creighton has won all but two of its last 41 games played when leading at the half, and is 94-12 overall under Greg McDermott when up after 20 minutes.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 196 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 12-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own an 168-28 (.857) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (10-0). Creighton has not lost three home games in a row since 1996, and never at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 14,878-12,602 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.61 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 52 different times, including seven times last season and four times already this year.
Creighton is also 25-16 all-time in the 41 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
Creighton is 71-10 (.877) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 40-3 record vs. non-conference teams.
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 187-28 (.870) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Creighton's 24-game home win streak that was snapped by Saint Mary's on Dec. 13th was also the longest in facility history by Creighton. 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
24 Feb. 19, 2013 - Dec. 9, 2014 Saint Mary's
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
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 14 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including three games this year, and seven such comebacks away from home.
On Nov. 19, Creighton trailed 42-24 to No. 18 Oklahoma with 18:30 to go before putting together a comeback for the ages. It was CU's largest comeback victory under Greg McDermott (see chart below), the second-largest since 2000 (see chart below), and the second-biggest in the history of CenturyLink Center Omaha (see chart, left column on page five).
On the other hand, CU is 100-5 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 88 of the last 89 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
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
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
Largest Double-Digit Comebacks Since 2000
Deficit Opponent Date
19 (25-6) Wichita State 01/28/06
18 (37-19) #17 Western Kentucky 11/27/01
18 (42-24*) #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 (34-17) Missouri State 02/12/03
17 (25-8) DePaul 11/09/07
17 (52-35*) Rhode Island 03/18/08
17 (31-14) at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 (53-37*) TCU 01/26/03
16 (43-28*) at Drake 02/04/06
16 (59-43*) New Mexico 11/16/08
16 (31-15) at Evansville 02/16/13
15 (54-39*) Wichita State 02/02/08
*second half
Zierden Earns Honor
Sophomore guard Isaiah Zierden was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Emerald Coast Classic. He led the Bluejays in scoring during three of the four games in the event, including both contests in Florida.
7-Foot Surprise
Redshirt junior center Geoffrey Groselle had the best game of his Bluejay career on Nov. 25th, finishing with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in just 12 minutes of playing time. His play earned him a pair of standing ovations from the more than 17,400+ fans at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Groselle had owned just 44 career points in the first 36 games of his career before his outburst.
Groselle has made 40-of-59 career field goal attempts, good for 67.8 percent.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 14 of the previous 16 seasons, and has done so once again this winter. Each of Creighton's last 15 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Creighton also started 5-0 or better for the fourth straight year. The only previous time CU has started 5-0 in four straight years had come in a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.
Balanced Offense
Creighton owns eight players who are averaging 5.2 points per game or more this season. Ten players have scored 11 or more points in a game this year, and CU has seen nine different leading scorers.
The last time CU had 11 different men score in double-figures during the same season was 2009-10.
Creighton also has 10 different players with five or more rebounds in a game this year. The Bluejays have had a different player with 10 or more rebounds in four games this season after only having three players with double-figure rebound totals (McDermott, Gibbs, Artino) all last season. Three of those men (Chatman, Milliken, Brooks) are guards.
Poll Position
Creighton is one of 21 teams that have been ranked in the Top 25 in each of the last four seasons.
That select group features Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, San Diego State, Syracuse, UCLA, UConn, Wichita State and Wisconsin.
Including this week's poll result, Creighton has been ranked in 40 weeks of AP polls under Greg McDermott, and ranked between 26th-to-28th in nine other AP polls. The 40 weeks in the top-25 under McDermott is more than all other coaches in Bluejay history combined.
Most Weeks in AP Top 25 at CU, By Coach
Greg McDermott, 2010-Pres. 40
Dana Altman, 1994-2010 18
Tom Apke, 1974-81 5
Eddie Sutton, 1969-74 5
Give Me Five
A win over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 25 was Creighton's fifth straight victory this season. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in 17 of the last 18 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's, NIT or CBI all 19 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven't.
Including this year, Creighton has started 5-0 or better in 10 of the last 17 years, including four straight campaigns. The only previous time CU started 5-0 in four straight seasons came during a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.
Zierden Does It All From I to Z
Isaiah Zierden scored in double-figures just three times in 28 games as a freshman, but he opened his sophomore season with four straight games (and 6-of-7) of 10 or more points.
Creighton had just one player reach double-figures each of the first four games during the previous three seasons, Doug McDermott (2011-12 and 2013-14). McDermott would go on to earn First Team All-American accolades following each campaign.
Zierden is second on the Creighton team with 10.2 points per game and second in the BIG EAST lead with 43 three-pointers made.
Playing With The Lead
Creighton has not trailed in four of its 10 home games this season.
In 196 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 52 of those contests, a staggering 26.5 percent of the time, including seven wire-to-wire wins last season and four this year.
During recently-ended Creighton's 24-game home winning streak, Creighton led wire-to-wire in 11 of those wins, and trailed for just 103:04 of 970 minutes of action. Only Oklahoma and South Dakota even led the Bluejays in the second half during that streak.
We Shall Overcome
Creighton trailed by 11 points at halftime in its Nov. 19 comeback win over Oklahoma.
It was the first time Creighton trailed at halftime at home since Feb. 2, 2013 against Bradley. The Jays trailed 30-27 at the break but would go on to win, 75-58.
The 11 point halftime deficit was the largest in a home victory since trailing by 15 in the 2008 NIT against Rhode Island.
Creighton improved to 7-4 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha in games in which it has TRAILED by 10 points or more at halftime.
Backcourt Boarders
Senior guard Austin Chatman had a career-high 11 rebounds in that Nov. 19 win over Oklahoma, three more than his previous career-high of eight.
Chatman became the first Bluejay player with a game of at least 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the same game at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Link Notes
Creighton is 84-1 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha in games decided by 15 points or more.
Creighton's 68-67 loss to Seton Hall on Jan. 10 dropped the Bluejays to 34-12 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha in games decided by five points or less.
Creighton is also 14-3 in regular-season home games at CenturyLink Center Omaha decided by two points or less.
What A Difference A Year Makes
The star of Creighton's team last year, Doug McDermott, scored 3,150 points as a Bluejay.
The players on the 2014-15 Creighton team have scored a total of 3,046 career points in a Bluejay uniform entering Saturday's game.
Last year McDermott averaged 14.0 points in the first half of games. This year, the team's leading scorer (Austin Chatman) averages 11.8 points for an entire game.
Double-Double Opener
Creighton has won either a conference regular-season title or conference Tournament each of its last seven seasons it has had a player with a double-double in the opener (2012-13, 2001-02, 1999-00, 1998-99, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1988-89).
Each of Creighton's last two players to open the year with a double-double (Doug McDermott in 2012-13 and Kyle Korver in 2001-02) were named MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP.
Why does this matter? Because Will Artino had 14 points and 10 rebounds vs. Central Arkansas in this year's opener.
Artino, who played just 17 minutes vs. Central Arkansas, also became the only Bluejay in the last 25 years to have a double-double in 17 minutes or less.
Big Margin Leads To Big Things
This year's Creighton team scored 104 points against Central Arkansas on Nov. 14, a good omen for things to come.
Nine of Creighton's 19 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Here's a look at Creighton's last seven teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
104-77 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 ? ? ? ? ? ?
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 27-8 NCAA
97-65 N. Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
Milliken Joins Quad Squad
James Milliken's second career shot was a three-pointer from the corner in which he was also fouled. He would go on to successfully complete the rare four-point play.
Isaiah Zierden became the second player this season to do it when he made a four-point play vs. Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29.
In Greg McDermott's five years at Creighton, the only six men to convert a four-point play have been Milliken, Zierden, Kaleb Korver, Ethan Wragge, Doug McDermott and Avery Dingman.
Of that group, Zierden is the only one to do it twice.
Bluejay Debuts
Senior transfer Rick Kreklow and redshirt freshman Toby Hegner both started on Nov. 14 in the season-opener vs. Central Arkansas. The last player to start their first game at Creighton had been Grant Gibbs, who started the 2011-12 opener. Gibbs was on his fourth year of college at that point, after spending two years at Gonzaga and redshirting one season at Creighton.
Hegner's start was especially historic, as he became just the third freshman to start since 1992-93, joining Bluejay legends Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Ryan Sears (1997-98).
Hegner became the first freshman in CU history to redshirt his first season, then start the season opener the following year, since freshmen became eligible until 1972-73. McDermott remains the last true freshman to start his first game.
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
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 (Detroit Pistons) 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 15th in NBA history with 1,623 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 43.07 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Jan. 14). 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 fewest 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 ranked nationally in the first four years of the Greg McDermott tenure (top chart), as well as through his first 4.5 years (through Jan. 14):
2010-11 to 2013-14
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
2010-11 to Jan. 14, 2015
Category Stat NCAA Rank
FG Percentage .4815 3rd
3FG Percentage .3956 2nd
Assists 2,656 3rd
Assists/Game 16.29 3rd
3FG Made 1,379 3rd
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.406 5th
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 last 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.
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).
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).
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.
This year's team is sixth nationally in attendance, through games of Jan. 16.
2014-15 Attendance Leaders (through 1/16)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 23,206 1/20
2. Syracuse 21,355 1/20
3. Louisville 20,952 1/17
4. North Carolina 18,654 1/18
5. Wisconsin 17,279 1/20
6. Creighton 16,982 1/17
7. Kansas 16,447 1/19
8. BYU 16,379 1/29
9. Indiana 15,598 1/22
10. Nebraska 15,477 1/20
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
16,982 Creighton 2014-15
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 Iowa preps 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 prep in 674 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 698 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993.
Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
Streak Week
Creighton ranked fourth nationally in field goal percentage last season, making 49.7 percent of its shots from the floor.
The Bluejays had won 61 straight games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field before last Saturday's loss to Seton Hall when shooting 51.1 percent.
All-time under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 59-2 when shooting 50.01 percent or better.
Special Senior Class
Last year's senior class featured four men who have graduated and moved on to the professional level; Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge.
During the previous 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 at Creighton.
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
Closing Strong
Creighton has won 44 of its last 46 games when leading with 5:00 to play.
Overall under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 107-6 when leading with 5:00 left. The Bluejays are also 3-1 under McDermott when tied with 5:00 to play.
CU is 6-40 under McDermott when trailing with 5:00 left, with the last such rally coming on Nov. 19, 2014 vs. No. 18 Oklahoma.
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 116-47 on the Creighton sideline in his fifth year at the helm. The 116 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first five seasons.
How good are McDermott's 116 wins in his fifth season? The only coach to start his Creighton career with more than 108 wins after SIX seasons was Tom Apke (109). Apke also owned the best mark after five seasons, going 93-43 to open his career on the Bluejay sideline.
Most Wins at CU, First Five Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 5 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 116-47 so far
Tom Apke 1974-78 93-43
Eddie Sutton 1969-73 82-50
Tony Barone 1985-89 78-74
Red McManus 1959-63 78-53
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 84-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 96-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over five years ago, Creighton is averaging 78.04 points per home game (6,321 points in 81 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 108-0 at home (79-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 90-0 at home (63-0 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. 18,160 Central Arkansas 11/14/14
13. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
14. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
15. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
16. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
17. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
18. 17,694 Indiana State 01/05/13
19. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
20. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
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.
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.
Providence Friars at Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: FOX Sports 1
Series History: Providence leads, 9-5
Last Time: Providence 65, Creighton 53 on Dec. 31, 2014 in Providence, R.I.
Next Game
Creighton (9-9, 0-5 BIG EAST) returns home in its quest for its first BIG EAST victory this year when it hosts Providence (13-5, 3-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday evening.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 6:31 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2014-15 season. John Bishop and former Bluejay center Brody Deren will call the action.
The pregame show “Bluejay Shootaround” is hosted by Josh Peterson and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler and will air from 4:30 pm - 6:00 p.m.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Information
Saturday's game will be nationally televised by FOX Sports 1. Steve Physioc and Nick Bahe will announce.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Saturday's game will be available via FOXSportsGO.com for desktop users, and via the FOX Sports GO app for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Window devices). A cable authorization may be required.
The FOX Sports GO mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store or the Windows Store.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit GoCreighton.com and click on the Live Stats icon 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 is 9-9 this season, and 0-5 in BIG EAST play. The Bluejays are mired in a six-game losing streak since a Dec. 19 victory over Texas-Pan American.
Guards Austin Chatman (11.8 ppg., 4.2 apg.) and Isaiah Zierden (10.2 ppg., 43 three-pointers) lead the club in scoring and minutes played on a balanced team that has seen nine leading scorers through 18 contests.
Creighton is 7-3 this year at home, including a win over then-No. 18 Oklahoma, but 1-5 in true road games and only a win at Nebraska to its credit.
Creighton returns 11 lettermen from last year's 27-8 team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season. Chatman is the only returning starter from that group.
The Bluejays are trying 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 5,964 points, 872 three-pointers, 1,062 assists and 2,250 rebounds at CU. 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.
Scouting Providence
Providence is 13-5 on the season, including a 9-2 record at home and a 1-3 road record The Friars own victories over the likes of Florida State, Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.), Massachusetts, Butler and Georgetown, but lost on Wednesday at home to St. John's.
BIG EAST scoring leader LaDontae Henton (21.2 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) leads the Friars in both scoring and rebounding, while Kris Dunn (13.8 ppg., 7.6 apg., 5.5 rpg., 2.6 spg.) has returned from injury and leads the BIG EAST with 129 assists and 44 steals.
Also scoring at a double-digit clip is Tyler Harris (10.7 ppg., 4.7 rpg.).
The Friars score 69.2 points per game and allow just 62.9 per contest. PC shoots 44.4 percent from the field and has held foes to 41.3 percent shooting, including a 30.2 percent mark from downtown.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his fifth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 116-47 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 396-242 in his 21st season and is 265-178 in his 14th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Patrick Sellers.
Ed Cooley (Stonehill, 1994) is 162-118 in his ninth year as a head coach, including a 70-49 mark in his fourth year at Providence. He was previously coach at Fairfield before replacing Keno Davis four years ago. Cooley is assisted by Andre LaFleur, Brian Blaney and Bob Simon.
The Series With Providence
Providence owns a 9-5 lead in a series that dates back to 1961, but the Bluejays lead 3-2 in Omaha.
Last season the teams met three times. Providence handed CU its first BIG EAST loss ever on Jan. 18 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center before the Bluejays returned the favor on a memorable Senior Night in Omaha as Doug McDermott surpassed 3,000 career points. The Friars then won the rubber match in the BIG EAST Tournament final at Madison Square Garden.
The teams opened BIG EAST play in Rhode Island on New Year's Eve, with the Friars earning a 65-53 win.
Greg McDermott is 1-3 against Providence and Ed Cooley. Cooley is 3-2 against the Bluejays, as his Fairfield team fell on March 22, 2010 in a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament game contested at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Saturday's game will mark the fifth meeting between Creighton and Providence in the last 365 days.
Last Game
Creighton lost at Marquette, 53-52, on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Marquette used a 22-2 run to build a 26-11 lead, but Creighton answered and led by four with less than a minute to play. Matt Carlino halved the deficit on a jumper with 50.8 seconds left, then threw in a game-winning three-pointer with 11.2 seconds left. A hook from Will Artino and tip-in try by Rick Kreklow rimmed out as Creighton again fell in the final seconds. Carlino led all players with 19 points, while Kreklow led CU with 13 points.
Rematch From March
Saturday's game features a rematch of the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament title game, won by Providence 65-58 at Madison Square Garden.
Last season marked Creighton's 14th all-time appearance in a conference title game (and just its second defeat in those 14 games).
Pink Out Auction Raises Thousands
As part of the nationwide American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer event, men's basketball fans are encouraged to wear pink to promote cancer awareness and participate in the “Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out” game when the Bluejays host the Providence Friars on First National Bank Court at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Saturday.
Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game and, like last year's event, fans had the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt can be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.).
The first 16,000 fans entering the venue on Saturday will receive a complimentary pink t-shirt courtesy of CHI Health and Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center. “Pink Out” t-shirts are also available for purchase at the following Lawlor's Custom Sportswear locations: Westroads Mall and the Superstore located at 84th & J Streets. Doors will open at 5 pm.
This year's Creighton vs. Cancer jersey auction raised $16,384.03, and the past four seasons have seen $109,675.14 raised. Past auctions have raised $20,600 (2012), $24,444 (2013) and $48,247.11 (2014).
Below is a list showing what each item sold for:
Jersey #1 $2651
Jersey #2 $650
Jersey #4 $455
Jersey #5 $1,527
Jersey #10 $585
Jersey #11 $506
Jersey #15 $630
Jersey #21 $955
Jersey #22 $960
Jersey #23 $590
Jersey #31 $725
Jersey #32 $826
Jersey #40 $730
Jersey #41 $610
Jersey #50 $710
Basketballs $200, 202.50, 204.03, 212.50, 220, 250
Doug McDermott jersey $800
Late Game Dramatics
Creighton has lost each of its last two games in heartbreaking fashion. In both games, Creighton led by two in the closing seconds, only to surrender a go-ahead three-pointer and lose by one.
Last Saturday, Sterling Gibbs drained a trey with 2.2 seconds left to lift Seton Hall to a victory. James Milliken's three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.
On Wednesday, Matt Carlino drilled a trifecta with 11.2 ticks left. Will Artino missed a hook shot in the lane, and Rick Kreklow's tip-in rolled off the rim.
The last time Creighton lost back-to-back games on shots in the final 12 seconds came in November of 2008, when it fell to UALR with 6.4 seconds left and to Nebraska with 2.7 seconds left. That squad responded with nine straight wins and would finish 27-8 en route to a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title.
More About One-Point Games
Despite the two losses in the last week, Greg McDermott is still 5-3 in one-point games on the Creighton sideline.
Creighton entered last week 12-1 in its previous 13 one-point games, and had been 22-6 in one-point games since 2000, prior to the last two losses.
It's the first time that Creighton has played consecutive one-point games since defeating Evansville (93-92 in OT) and Indiana State (61-60) in February of 2012.
Creighton has not played three straight one-point games since the 1974-75 season.
Creighton had not lost one-point games in the same month since February of 1996, and those weren't consecutive.
It's the first time that Creighton has lost consecutive one-point games since January of 1980. That skid also started on January 10th (the same day of the Seton Hall game), but was ended by a home win on January 17th (Saturday's game date).
Creighton has never lost three consecutive one-point games.
Creighton is the first BIG EAST team to lose consecutive games by one point since Marquette last season.
0-5 By No Means The End
While an 0-5 start in league play is never desirable, Creighton only needs to look towards a pair of teams it lost to last season for inspiration.
Last year St. John's started 0-3 in league play, then dropped a two-point game to DePaul and a one-point game vs. Providence to fall to 0-5 in the BIG EAST. The Red Storm would then right the ship and win nine of its next 10 games (losing only at Creighton on a Doug McDermott three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left), and finish tied for third in the BIG EAST. St. John's ended the year with a 20-13 mark, making the NIT.
Baylor started last season 1-6 in league play (including a pair of two-point losses) and were 2-8, before turning the tables. The Bears would finish 9-9 in league play and 25-12 overall en route to a Sweet 16 berth.
Keeping Their Head Above Water
Creighton enters Saturday's game with a 9-9 mark, good for an even .500 winning percentage.
The Bluejays have not been below the .500 mark at any point since falling to 13-14 on Feb. 16, 2010.
Since then, Creighton has been either 0-0 or .500 seven times since then, and won the subsequent game on each occasion.
On a national basis, the only 22 teams that have never been below .500 since Feb. 16, 2010, have been Baylor, California, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Connecticut, Creighton, Dayton, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, Louisville, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Saint Mary's, Syracuse, Wichita State, Wisconsin and Xavier.
Been There, Dunn That
Providence point guard Kris Dunn leads the nation with 7.6 assists per game, including 12 helpers vs. Creighton on New Year's Eve.
The only previous student-athlete to play against Creighton the same season he led the nation in assists was Doug Gottlieb, who averaged 8.79 assists per game for Oklahoma State in 1998-99. Creighton defeated the Cowboys, 66-60, on Dec. 20, 1998, “holding” Gottlieb to six assists.
Dunn's teammate, LaDontae Henton, ranks fourth nationally with 21.2 points per game, including 35 on New Year's Eve at the Dunkin' Donuts Center versus Creighton.
Henton's presence on Saturday marks the second straight season the Friars have brought a top-10 scorer into CenturyLink Center Omaha, as last year Bryce Cotton ranked ninth nationally in scoring at 21.8 points per game. Cotton was scoreless in the first half last season in Omaha, but finished with 23 points.
Besides Cotton, the only other previous visiting players to come to CenturyLink Center Omaha and finish top-10 nationally in scoring at year's end were BYU's Jimmer Fredette in 2010-11 (averaged 28.9 ppg., held to 13) and Jodie Meeks (averaged 23.7 ppg., held to 16 points).
It's worth noting that Creighton standout Doug McDermott patrolled the CenturyLink Center Omaha paint on a nightly basis the previous four seasons and finished third nationally in scoring as a sophomore (22.9 ppg.), second as a junior (23.2 ppg.) and led the nation a year ago as a senior (26.7 ppg.).
Rare 30/30 Club
LaDontae Henton had 35 points on Dec. 31, making him just one of six players to score 30 or more points against since Greg McDermott became head coach at Creighton five years ago.
No player has scored 30 or more twice in the same season against Creighton since Bradley star Hersey Hawkins had 35 in Omaha on Feb. 18, 1988, then added 38 more on March 6, 1988 in Peoria.
Below is a list of the most individual points allowed by a Greg McDermott team since he arrived prior to the 2010-11 campaign.
Most Points, Creighton Opponent, Since 2010-11
Pts. Player, Team Date
43 Colt Ryan, Evansville 2/21/12
35 Derrick Marks, Boise State 11/28/12
35 LaDontae Henton, Providence 12/31/14
34 Drew Crawford, Northwestern 12/22/11
31 Kyle Weems, Missouri State 12/28/11
30 Jahii Carson, Arizona State 11/24/12
Range With Rick
Senior Rick Kreklow has started to find his offensive rhythm in the last three games he's played.
In those contests, he's averaged 8.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 10-for-16 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range.
With 10 points last Saturday vs. Seton Hall and 13 more points on Wednesday at Marquette, Kreklow has scored in double-figures during consecutive contests for the first time in his five-year college career, which spans three schools.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Seton Hall's Sterling Gibbs hit a game-winning three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left to beat Creighton last Saturday in CU's last home game.
It was an opponent's first game-winning go-ahead score in the last 10 seconds of a Creighton home game since Southern Illinois guard Bryan Mullins made a basket with 4.1 seconds left to beat the Jays on Jan. 20, 2007.
The shot with 2.2 left was also the least amount of time remaining on any shot to beat the Jays at the venue.
Creighton is now 7-3 in games with a go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the 12-year old facility.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.7
01/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.0
11/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.5
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.2
01/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.3
02/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.3
01/28/14 St. John's W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 53-52 G. Diaz FT :2.6
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 58-57 B. Mullins FG :4.1
01/10/15 #19 Seton Hall 68-67 S. Gibbs 3FG :2.2
Winning Formulas
Below are the records for each current BIG EAST school over the previous four, eight and 14 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins, through games of Jan. 16, 2015.
Most Wins Since 2000-01
Team W L
Butler 348 140
Creighton 344 145
Xavier 341 141
Marquette 324 157
Villanova 320 163
Georgetown 314 158
Providence 249 209
Seton Hall 241 213
St. John's 225 226
DePaul 190 260
Most Wins - Last 10 Years (2005-06 to Present)
Team W L
Butler 242 91
Villanova 226 96
Xavier 225 98
Creighton 225 103
Georgetown 219 96
Marquette 218 106
Seton Hall 163 141
Providence 161 143
St. John's 155 147
DePaul 111 189
Most Wins - Last 4 Years (2011-12 to Present)
Team W L
Creighton 93 31
Marquette 80 38
Georgetown 78 36
Villanova 78 39
Butler 74 46
Xavier 72 46
Providence 70 49
Seton Hall 66 52
St. John's 62 52
DePaul 44 70
Academic Excellence
The Creighton Men's Basketball team owned a cumulative 3.14 GPA in the 2014 Fall semester. The mark is the program's highest figure in records dating back to 1999.
Two men's basketball players, Tyler Clement and Gabriel Connealy, have owned perfect 4.00 GPA's throughout their entire college career.
Overall, Creighton's student-athletes owned a 3.37 GPA in the fall, also a record. Of CU's 279 student-athletes, 126 of them (45.2 percent) made the Dean's List (3.50 or better).
How's This, For Starters?
James Milliken scored a team-high 20 points in last Saturday's game vs. Seton Hall, the second time this season he's scored 20 or more.
Milliken was the ninth different leading scorer that Creighton has had in the first 17 games this winter.
Milliken had his outburst in his first career start, as he became the first Bluejay since Booker Woodfox to score 20 or more in his first career start. Woodfox had 26 points vs. New Mexico on Nov. 16, 2008, the start of a season that saw him earn MVC Player of the Year accolades.
The only other players to do so since the 1994-95 season have been Kellen Miliner (20 vs. Alcorn State on Nov. 15, 2004), Nerijus Karlikanovas (20 at Missouri State on Jan. 10, 1999).
Of the four men listed above to score 20 in their first start, only Miliner (14) scored in double-figures in his second career start. Milliken had five points on Wednesday.
Comparing Offenses
Creighton had one of the nation's most effective and most efficient offenses in the previous three seasons before being slowed down a bit this year.
Here's a comparison to the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 teams to this year's squad through 18 games:
Stat 2011-12 '12-13 '13-14 '14-15
Record 16-2 17-1 15-3 9-9
FG Made 529 512 511 409
FG% .516 .524 .491 .417
3FG Made 158 174 195 149
3FG% .457 .454 .424 .333
FT Made 272 238 256 264
FT% .710 .756 .760 .746
Rebound Margin +5.5 +5.2 +5.2 +2.1
Assists 352 330 333 249
Turnovers 231 215 183 213
Scoring Average 82.7 79.8 81.8 68.4
Scoring Margin +13.3 +17.7 +15.9 +3.3
Line-Up Changes, Again
Creighton shuffled its starting line-up prior to last Saturday's game vs. Seton Hall, as Will Artino, Avery Dingman and James Milliken moved into the starting five.
It was the seventh different starting line-up combination tried this season by Greg McDermott. By comparison, CU had used just 10 different starting combinations in his first four seasons at the helm, and utilized the same starting five in every game in 2011-12 and also 2012-13.
The last time Creighton used seven or more starting combinations during the same season came in 2009-10, when it had eight different line-ups.
Clement Steps Up
Tyler Clement played 62 minutes in Creighton's first 16 games, before the redshirt freshman walk-on logged a career-high 26 minutes last Saturday vs. Seton Hall.
Clement dished a career-high four assists and added two rebounds, one point and one steal while subbing for an injured Austin Chatman.
Clement checked in for the first time with 8:59 left in the first half, then played all but 2:53 of the remainder of the contest.
It's not the first time that Clement has come to the rescue for Creighton this season. He replaced a foul-prone Chatman with CU down 24 points at North Texas and 15:56 left. Creighton would eventually lose by four points, with Clement playing 12 minutes during that frantic comeback attempt.
Artino Doubles His Fun
Senior center Will Artino returned to the starting five last Saturday and delivered his third career double-double with 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds while also playing a career-best 35 minutes.
It was Artino's team-high second double-double of the winter.
Artino, who made 5-of-7 field goal attempts vs. Seton Hall and 4-of-7 shots at Marquette, has now made 62.53 percent of his career field goal attempts. That's the second-best mark in Creighton history among players with 300 or more career attempts.
Pct. Name, Years FGM-FGA
.6254 Gregory Echenique, 2010-13 374-598
.6253 Will Artino, 2011-Pres. 222-355
.611 Mike Grimes, 2000-04 292-478
.585 Vernon Moore, 1981-85 649-1,109
.562 Benoit Benjamin, 1982-85 610-1,085
Stadium Journey Loves The Link
The website StadiumJourney.com has reviewed more than 2,050 venues in the last four years and recently ranked Creighton's home, CenturyLink Center Omaha, as the 83rd-best venue overall and seventh-best for college basketball in its 2014 rankings of Top 100 Stadium Experiences.
The home to Creighton Baseball and the College World Series, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, is located across the parking lot from CenturyLink Center Omaha and came in 14th in the rankings.
The ratings take into account the food & beverage served in the stadium, the overall atmosphere, the neighborhood where the stadium is located, the fans, access (which includes traffic, parking, ability to move around, and restrooms), the overall return on investment, and one final “extras” category.
When summarizing CenturyLink Center Omaha, the website concluded:
“This is a very good college atmosphere. The fans are very friendly and will welcome opposing fans. The band, the dance team, the cheerleaders are all good and add to the college experience. The contests held during breaks in the action add to the fun and they command the attention of most of the fans.”
Rk. Facility Home Hoops Tenant
30. Rupp Arena Kentucky
35. FedEx Forum Memphis
44. Carrier Dome Syracuse
57. Dee Glen Smith Spectrum Utah State
63. Phog Allen Fieldhouse Kansas
74. Crisler Center Michigan
83. CenturyLink Center Omaha Creighton
98. Dean E. Smith Center North Carolina
One Of The Best Leagues Around
The BIG EAST Conference was the second-ranked league in the RPI ratings through games of January 14 through WarrenNolan.com, confirming the developing consensus that the league is once again powerful. Noted bracketologist Joe Lunardi has seven BIG EAST teams in his latest projection, more than any other conference.
According to CBS Sports, no league has had more NCAA Tournament bids in the last three seasons than the 21 earned by the BIG EAST.
Below is a list of the top 10 leagues, through games of January 14th:
Rk. Conference RPI
1. Big 12 .5944
2. BIG EAST .5898
3. Atlantic Coast .5771
4. Southeastern .5746
5. Big Ten .5716
6. Pacific 12 .5666
7. Atlantic 10 .5441
8. American Athletic .5331
9. West Coast .5246
10. Missouri Valley .5204
Trey Troubles
Creighton has uncharacteristically struggled from three-point range during its six-game losing streak, shooting a collective 43-for-154 (27.9 percent) in that span.
For the season Creighton is shooting 33.3 percent from three-point land, way down from last year's 41.4 percent marksmanship that led the nation.
In the last four years under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 36-25 (.590) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 57-6 (.905) mark the last four years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 82-14 in the past four years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 11-17 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.
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.
Consistent Challengers
Last year's Creighton team finished second in the BIG EAST, the 17th straight season the Bluejays have finished in the top four of the league standings. 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
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish ninth in its second 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 preseason league poll.
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 sixth time in the last 20 years that Creighton did not have a first team all-conference honoree in the preseason.
Early Birds Get The Win
When Creighton's offense gets rolling under Greg McDermott, the results have been evident. Creighton has won 50 straight games under McDermott when scoring 40 or more points in the first half.
CU has also won 68 straight home games when scoring 40 or more points in the first half dating to a Feb. 3, 2002 loss to Southern Illinois, including a perfect 60-0 mark at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Groselle Makes The Leap To MBA
Redshirt junior center Geoffrey Groselle finished the requirements to earn his undergraduate degree in Financial Analysis in just 3.5 years on December 18th. One day later, he learned that he'd been accepted into Creighton's MBA program, then came out that night and grabbed a career-best six rebounds in 11 first half minutes.
Groselle continued his strong play on Dec. 21 at North Texas, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.
He led Creighton with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the league opener at Providence, playing a career-high 22 minutes. Groselle made his first career start in the Jan. 3 game at Georgetown.
Creighton has outscored its last seven opponents by a combined 15 points in 75 minutes with Groselle on the floor, but has been outscored by 43 points in the 205 minutes without him.
3-Headed Monster
Creighton has used three men who alternate playing time at the “5” position for most of this season, Will Artino, Zach Hanson and Geoffrey Groselle.
While none of them have stats that might jump off the page individually, as a collective group they're tough to beat, combining for 15.1 points and 9.3 rebounds in 38.9 minutes per game, all while shooting 59.6 percent from the floor.
Name MPG FG-FGA RPG PPG
Artino 18.1 52-94 5.0 7.1
Hanson 14.1 34-55 3.0 5.2
Groselle 8.8 26-39 1.7 3.6
Total 38.9 112-188 9.3 15.1
Five Year Plan A Rousing Success
There were 54 Division I coaches that were hired prior to the 2010-11 season, and of that group, 37 remain at the helm of that same program, including Creighton coach Greg McDermott.
McDermott leads that group with 116 victories to easily lead that group. It's seven more than the man he replaced at Creighton, current Oregon coach Dana Altman and 13 more than the coaches with the third-most wins, through games of Jan. 14.
Head Coaches Hired Prior to 2010-11, Sorted By Wins
School Coach Total W Total L
Creighton Greg McDermott 116 47
Oregon Dana Altman 109 50
Iona Tim Cluess 103 50
Iowa State Fred Hoiberg 102 50
Colorado Tad Boyle 100 56
Toughest Thing In Sports
Creighton is 25-17 in true road games the last four years, and 41-23 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.
Creighton is currently 1-5 in true road games this season, and 2-6 away from home when you factor in a pair of games in Niceville, Fla., during the Emerald Coast Classic.
Will The Thrill
Will Artino leads Creighton in rebounds per 40 minutes (11.1 rpg.) and is second in points per 40 minutes (15.6 ppg.) this season.
Among players to play 100 or more minutes in any season during Greg McDermott's tenure, Artino has consistently put up big numbers.
In those five seasons, a player has averaged at least 10.0 rebounds per 40 minutes nine times, with Artino accounting for four of those seasons.
Most Rebounds Per 40 Minutes, Since 2010-11
(Minimum 100 minutes, Season)
REB/40 Name Year
12.4 Will Artino 2012-13
12.2 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
11.9 Will Artino 2011-12
11.6 Gregory Echenique 2012-13
11.3 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
11.1 Will Artino 2014-15
10.3 Doug McDermott 2011-12
10.2 Gregory Echenique 2010-11
10.0 Will Artino 2013-14
Moving On Up
Austin Chatman has moved into sixth in Creighton history on the career assist chart, and now owns 448 in his career. Only seven previous men in school history have reached 400 career assists as a Bluejay.
With three helpers at North Texas, Chatman passed Tyler McKinney (430) for sixth place. Chatman and McKinney are the only point guards in program history to go 4-0 against Nebraska in their career.
Most Career Assists (Since 1970-71)
Ast. Name Years
570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
505 Antoine Young 2008-12
498 Grant Gibbs 2011-14
458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
448 Austin Chatman 2011-Pres.
430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
418 Vernon Moore 1981-85
388 Josh Dotzler 2005-09
382 Duan Cole 1987-92
Higher and Higher
Austin Chatman entered December with a career-high of 19 points, but in seven December contests he averaged 17.3 points, including five games of 19 or more.
Chatman tied his career-high with 19 points in road games against both Tulsa and Nebraska, then upped the ante with 24 points in a Dec. 9 double-overtime win over South Dakota.
All 24 of his points against the Coyotes came in the final 16 minutes of regulation and the overtime sessions.
Of Creighton's 26 points during the overtime, Chatman made or assisted all six field goals, and also drained five of the team's 10 free throws.
He followed that up with another 19 point effort against Saint Mary's on Dec. 14, then threw in 20 more points vs. Texas-Pan American on Dec. 19.
Awesome Austin
Austin Chatman had identical stat lines in two games to start the month of December. In road games at Tulsa and Nebraska, Chatman had exactly 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists in both games.
Before Chatman, the last time a Creighton player had any game with at least 19/7/6 or more in each category was Ryan Sears at Southern Illinois on Jan. 8, 2000.
Before Chatman, Creighton's last player with two games of 19/7/6 in the same season was Rodney Buford, who did it in 1998-99.
Chatman also became the first Creighton player to own at least a share of the team in lead in points/rebounds/assists in consecutive games since Kyle Korver on Dec. 7 & 14, 2002.
Chatman was also stellar in the win over South Dakota on Dec. 9, finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds. In the process, he became the first Bluejay with 24 points and eight assists in the same game since Sears in the same Jan. 8, 2000 game listed above.
Through games of January 14th, Chatman was one of 11 players nationally, and one of four seniors with at least 213 points, 69 rebounds and 76 or more assists.
Careful Chatman
Austin Chatman owns a 76/31 assist/turnover ratio (2.45) early this season, a figure that ranks third in the BIG EAST and 52nd nationally.
Last season Chatman finished third in the BIG EAST with a 2.6 assist/turnover ratio, good for 29th nationally.
For his career, Chatman owns 448 assists compared to 208 turnovers, good for a 2.15 ratio. The man considered by many to be Creighton's best point guard in recent history, Ryan Sears, finished his career with a 2.26 assist/turnover ratio.
More Success At Home
Creighton has won 85 straight home games against teams that enter with a record of .500 or worse. The last team to upset the apple cart was Feb. 25, 2002, when Drake won at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Senior Trio Joins Elite Group
Seniors Will Artino, Austin Chatman and Avery Dingman joined some elite company with Creighton's Dec. 7 win at Nebraska, as the trio became the rare Bluejay players to appear in four wins vs. Nebraska.
Creighton's only previous six men to play in four career wins over the Cornhuskers were Kyle Korver, Joe Dabbert, Mike Grimes, Michael Lindeman, Tyler McKinney and Ethan Wragge.
Of those six, only Korver and McKinney had never played in a loss against NU, something Dingman, Artino and Chatman can now claim.
Halftime Lead A Key
Creighton was 26-0 last year when leading at halftime, but just 1-8 when trailing at intermission.
This year's team is 6-2 when leading at half, 3-6 when trailing at halftime and 0-1 when tied at the break.
Creighton has won all but two of its last 41 games played when leading at the half, and is 94-12 overall under Greg McDermott when up after 20 minutes.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 196 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 12-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own an 168-28 (.857) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (10-0). Creighton has not lost three home games in a row since 1996, and never at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 14,878-12,602 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.61 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 52 different times, including seven times last season and four times already this year.
Creighton is also 25-16 all-time in the 41 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
Creighton is 71-10 (.877) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 40-3 record vs. non-conference teams.
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 187-28 (.870) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Creighton's 24-game home win streak that was snapped by Saint Mary's on Dec. 13th was also the longest in facility history by Creighton. 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
24 Feb. 19, 2013 - Dec. 9, 2014 Saint Mary's
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
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 14 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including three games this year, and seven such comebacks away from home.
On Nov. 19, Creighton trailed 42-24 to No. 18 Oklahoma with 18:30 to go before putting together a comeback for the ages. It was CU's largest comeback victory under Greg McDermott (see chart below), the second-largest since 2000 (see chart below), and the second-biggest in the history of CenturyLink Center Omaha (see chart, left column on page five).
On the other hand, CU is 100-5 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 88 of the last 89 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
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
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
Largest Double-Digit Comebacks Since 2000
Deficit Opponent Date
19 (25-6) Wichita State 01/28/06
18 (37-19) #17 Western Kentucky 11/27/01
18 (42-24*) #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 (34-17) Missouri State 02/12/03
17 (25-8) DePaul 11/09/07
17 (52-35*) Rhode Island 03/18/08
17 (31-14) at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 (53-37*) TCU 01/26/03
16 (43-28*) at Drake 02/04/06
16 (59-43*) New Mexico 11/16/08
16 (31-15) at Evansville 02/16/13
15 (54-39*) Wichita State 02/02/08
*second half
Zierden Earns Honor
Sophomore guard Isaiah Zierden was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Emerald Coast Classic. He led the Bluejays in scoring during three of the four games in the event, including both contests in Florida.
7-Foot Surprise
Redshirt junior center Geoffrey Groselle had the best game of his Bluejay career on Nov. 25th, finishing with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in just 12 minutes of playing time. His play earned him a pair of standing ovations from the more than 17,400+ fans at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Groselle had owned just 44 career points in the first 36 games of his career before his outburst.
Groselle has made 40-of-59 career field goal attempts, good for 67.8 percent.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 14 of the previous 16 seasons, and has done so once again this winter. Each of Creighton's last 15 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Creighton also started 5-0 or better for the fourth straight year. The only previous time CU has started 5-0 in four straight years had come in a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.
Balanced Offense
Creighton owns eight players who are averaging 5.2 points per game or more this season. Ten players have scored 11 or more points in a game this year, and CU has seen nine different leading scorers.
The last time CU had 11 different men score in double-figures during the same season was 2009-10.
Creighton also has 10 different players with five or more rebounds in a game this year. The Bluejays have had a different player with 10 or more rebounds in four games this season after only having three players with double-figure rebound totals (McDermott, Gibbs, Artino) all last season. Three of those men (Chatman, Milliken, Brooks) are guards.
Poll Position
Creighton is one of 21 teams that have been ranked in the Top 25 in each of the last four seasons.
That select group features Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, San Diego State, Syracuse, UCLA, UConn, Wichita State and Wisconsin.
Including this week's poll result, Creighton has been ranked in 40 weeks of AP polls under Greg McDermott, and ranked between 26th-to-28th in nine other AP polls. The 40 weeks in the top-25 under McDermott is more than all other coaches in Bluejay history combined.
Most Weeks in AP Top 25 at CU, By Coach
Greg McDermott, 2010-Pres. 40
Dana Altman, 1994-2010 18
Tom Apke, 1974-81 5
Eddie Sutton, 1969-74 5
Give Me Five
A win over Eastern Illinois on Nov. 25 was Creighton's fifth straight victory this season. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in 17 of the last 18 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's, NIT or CBI all 19 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven't.
Including this year, Creighton has started 5-0 or better in 10 of the last 17 years, including four straight campaigns. The only previous time CU started 5-0 in four straight seasons came during a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.
Zierden Does It All From I to Z
Isaiah Zierden scored in double-figures just three times in 28 games as a freshman, but he opened his sophomore season with four straight games (and 6-of-7) of 10 or more points.
Creighton had just one player reach double-figures each of the first four games during the previous three seasons, Doug McDermott (2011-12 and 2013-14). McDermott would go on to earn First Team All-American accolades following each campaign.
Zierden is second on the Creighton team with 10.2 points per game and second in the BIG EAST lead with 43 three-pointers made.
Playing With The Lead
Creighton has not trailed in four of its 10 home games this season.
In 196 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 52 of those contests, a staggering 26.5 percent of the time, including seven wire-to-wire wins last season and four this year.
During recently-ended Creighton's 24-game home winning streak, Creighton led wire-to-wire in 11 of those wins, and trailed for just 103:04 of 970 minutes of action. Only Oklahoma and South Dakota even led the Bluejays in the second half during that streak.
We Shall Overcome
Creighton trailed by 11 points at halftime in its Nov. 19 comeback win over Oklahoma.
It was the first time Creighton trailed at halftime at home since Feb. 2, 2013 against Bradley. The Jays trailed 30-27 at the break but would go on to win, 75-58.
The 11 point halftime deficit was the largest in a home victory since trailing by 15 in the 2008 NIT against Rhode Island.
Creighton improved to 7-4 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha in games in which it has TRAILED by 10 points or more at halftime.
Backcourt Boarders
Senior guard Austin Chatman had a career-high 11 rebounds in that Nov. 19 win over Oklahoma, three more than his previous career-high of eight.
Chatman became the first Bluejay player with a game of at least 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the same game at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Link Notes
Creighton is 84-1 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha in games decided by 15 points or more.
Creighton's 68-67 loss to Seton Hall on Jan. 10 dropped the Bluejays to 34-12 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha in games decided by five points or less.
Creighton is also 14-3 in regular-season home games at CenturyLink Center Omaha decided by two points or less.
What A Difference A Year Makes
The star of Creighton's team last year, Doug McDermott, scored 3,150 points as a Bluejay.
The players on the 2014-15 Creighton team have scored a total of 3,046 career points in a Bluejay uniform entering Saturday's game.
Last year McDermott averaged 14.0 points in the first half of games. This year, the team's leading scorer (Austin Chatman) averages 11.8 points for an entire game.
Double-Double Opener
Creighton has won either a conference regular-season title or conference Tournament each of its last seven seasons it has had a player with a double-double in the opener (2012-13, 2001-02, 1999-00, 1998-99, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1988-89).
Each of Creighton's last two players to open the year with a double-double (Doug McDermott in 2012-13 and Kyle Korver in 2001-02) were named MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP.
Why does this matter? Because Will Artino had 14 points and 10 rebounds vs. Central Arkansas in this year's opener.
Artino, who played just 17 minutes vs. Central Arkansas, also became the only Bluejay in the last 25 years to have a double-double in 17 minutes or less.
Big Margin Leads To Big Things
This year's Creighton team scored 104 points against Central Arkansas on Nov. 14, a good omen for things to come.
Nine of Creighton's 19 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Here's a look at Creighton's last seven teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
104-77 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 ? ? ? ? ? ?
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 27-8 NCAA
97-65 N. Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
Milliken Joins Quad Squad
James Milliken's second career shot was a three-pointer from the corner in which he was also fouled. He would go on to successfully complete the rare four-point play.
Isaiah Zierden became the second player this season to do it when he made a four-point play vs. Middle Tennessee on Nov. 29.
In Greg McDermott's five years at Creighton, the only six men to convert a four-point play have been Milliken, Zierden, Kaleb Korver, Ethan Wragge, Doug McDermott and Avery Dingman.
Of that group, Zierden is the only one to do it twice.
Bluejay Debuts
Senior transfer Rick Kreklow and redshirt freshman Toby Hegner both started on Nov. 14 in the season-opener vs. Central Arkansas. The last player to start their first game at Creighton had been Grant Gibbs, who started the 2011-12 opener. Gibbs was on his fourth year of college at that point, after spending two years at Gonzaga and redshirting one season at Creighton.
Hegner's start was especially historic, as he became just the third freshman to start since 1992-93, joining Bluejay legends Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Ryan Sears (1997-98).
Hegner became the first freshman in CU history to redshirt his first season, then start the season opener the following year, since freshmen became eligible until 1972-73. McDermott remains the last true freshman to start his first game.
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
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 (Detroit Pistons) 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 15th in NBA history with 1,623 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 43.07 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Jan. 14). 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 fewest 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 ranked nationally in the first four years of the Greg McDermott tenure (top chart), as well as through his first 4.5 years (through Jan. 14):
2010-11 to 2013-14
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
2010-11 to Jan. 14, 2015
Category Stat NCAA Rank
FG Percentage .4815 3rd
3FG Percentage .3956 2nd
Assists 2,656 3rd
Assists/Game 16.29 3rd
3FG Made 1,379 3rd
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.406 5th
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 last 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.
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).
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).
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.
This year's team is sixth nationally in attendance, through games of Jan. 16.
2014-15 Attendance Leaders (through 1/16)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 23,206 1/20
2. Syracuse 21,355 1/20
3. Louisville 20,952 1/17
4. North Carolina 18,654 1/18
5. Wisconsin 17,279 1/20
6. Creighton 16,982 1/17
7. Kansas 16,447 1/19
8. BYU 16,379 1/29
9. Indiana 15,598 1/22
10. Nebraska 15,477 1/20
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
16,982 Creighton 2014-15
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 Iowa preps 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 prep in 674 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 698 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993.
Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
Streak Week
Creighton ranked fourth nationally in field goal percentage last season, making 49.7 percent of its shots from the floor.
The Bluejays had won 61 straight games when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field before last Saturday's loss to Seton Hall when shooting 51.1 percent.
All-time under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 59-2 when shooting 50.01 percent or better.
Special Senior Class
Last year's senior class featured four men who have graduated and moved on to the professional level; Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge.
During the previous 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 at Creighton.
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
Closing Strong
Creighton has won 44 of its last 46 games when leading with 5:00 to play.
Overall under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 107-6 when leading with 5:00 left. The Bluejays are also 3-1 under McDermott when tied with 5:00 to play.
CU is 6-40 under McDermott when trailing with 5:00 left, with the last such rally coming on Nov. 19, 2014 vs. No. 18 Oklahoma.
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 116-47 on the Creighton sideline in his fifth year at the helm. The 116 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first five seasons.
How good are McDermott's 116 wins in his fifth season? The only coach to start his Creighton career with more than 108 wins after SIX seasons was Tom Apke (109). Apke also owned the best mark after five seasons, going 93-43 to open his career on the Bluejay sideline.
Most Wins at CU, First Five Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 5 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 116-47 so far
Tom Apke 1974-78 93-43
Eddie Sutton 1969-73 82-50
Tony Barone 1985-89 78-74
Red McManus 1959-63 78-53
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 84-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 96-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over five years ago, Creighton is averaging 78.04 points per home game (6,321 points in 81 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 108-0 at home (79-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 90-0 at home (63-0 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. 18,160 Central Arkansas 11/14/14
13. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
14. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
15. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
16. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
17. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
18. 17,694 Indiana State 01/05/13
19. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
20. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
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.
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 vs. DePaul Press Conference - 2/25/26
Monday, February 23
Creighton Men's Basketball Availability - 2/23/26
Monday, February 23
Creighton Men's Basketball Press Conference at St. John's - 2/21/26
Saturday, February 21
Josh Dix Interview with TNT - 2/18/26
Thursday, February 19
