Men's Basketball Tips Off Season on Saturday vs. Texas Southern

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2015-16 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #1 • Texas Southern at Creighton • Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015 • 8:37 p.m.

Texas Southern Tigers at Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio:?KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television:?FOX Sports 2
Series History:?First Meeting
Last Meeting: None

Next Game
Creighton opens the 2015-16 regular-season with a game on Saturday, Nov. 14 vs. Texas Southern.
   Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 8:37 p.m.
   The contest is part of the MGM Grand Men Who Speak Up Main Event, which includes two games in Omaha and two games in Las Vegas, Nev.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2015-16 season, including Saturday's season opener. John Bishop and former Bluejay Brody Deren will call the action.
   Following the game, Tim Krueger and Ravi Lulla will host "Overtime" for approximately one hour, while also taking calls from listeners.
   The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will air live nationally on FOX Sports 2, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 216.
   Steve Physioc and Nick Bahe will handle announcing duties.

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, and the games are now available internationally.
   GoCreighton.com/watch will also have a free webcast of the postgame press conference.

Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
   Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns nine lettermen and one starter from last year's team that finished 14-19 and tied for ninth in the BIG EAST with a 4-14 league mark.
   Guards James Milliken (9.6 ppg.) and Isaiah Zierden (9.5 ppg.) are the top returning scorers, while Toby Hegner (6.7 ppg.) is the lone returning starter from last year's club.
   A talented group of newcomers, led by transfers Maurice Watson Jr. (13.3 ppg., 7.1 apg., in 2013-14 at Boston) and Cole Huff (12.4 ppg., 5.4 rpg., in 2013-14 at Nevada), are also expected to make significant contributions.
   The Bluejays got a head start on the season this summer with 10 practices in Omaha in July and three games in Italy in August. Combine the three games in Italy with last Friday's 113-77 win over Upper Iowa and Creighton has outscored foes 442-204 while outrebounding them by 100.

Scouting Texas Southern
Texas Southern returns two starters and seven lettermen from last year's team that finished 22-13 and advanced to a second straight NCAA Tournament. In the NCAA's, the Tigers fell to Arizona, 93-72.
   The returning starters -- Chris Thomas (12.6 ppg., 4.9 rpg., 1.2 spg.) and Malcolm Riley (10.2 ppg., 6.4 rpg.) -- were both named Preseason Second Team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference, while David Blanks was tabbed the SWAC's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
   Texas Southern was picked to win the SWAC.
   Twenty-seven hours prior to playing Creighton, Texas Southern opens its season in Albuquerque, N.M., for a tough road challenge at New Mexico. It will mark TSU's 33rd straight non-conference game not played at their on-campus Health & Physical Education Arena.

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) enters his sixth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 121-57 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 401-252 entering his 22nd season and is 270-188 entering his 15th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
   Mike Davis (Thomas Edison, 2000) entered his fourth season at Texas Southern on Friday with a 58-42 record, which is part of his 295-194 overall record in 15 years as a head coach. Davis piloted Indiana to the 2002 NCAA national championship game and was 115-79 in six years with the Hoosiers. He also was head coach at UAB for six seasons, going 122-72 with the Blazers. Davis is assisted by Donald Marsh, J.Keith LeGree and Michael Davis Jr.

The Series With Texas Southern
Creighton and Texas Southern have never met.
   Greg McDermott is 1-0 all-time against Texas Southern, as his Iowa State team tamed the Tigers, 79-55, on Dec. 19, 2007, behind 27 points and 15 rebounds from Jiri Hubalek.
   McDermott is also 1-0 in head-to-head meetings vs. Mike Davis, as his 2011-12 Creighton team won at Davis' UAB squad, 70-60.

Last Season Recap
Creighton went 14-19 last season, finishing 4-14 to tie for ninth place in the BIG EAST Conference.
   The Bluejays started the season 5-0, including a win over No. 18 Oklahoma, before losing eight remaining games in the final minute.
   Senior point guard Austin Chatman led Creighton in scoring (11.5 ppg.) and assists (3.7 apg.), while fellow senior Devin Brooks paced the team in rebounds (5.0 ppg.) and steals (1.0 spg.).
   Despite the struggles on the court, Creighton still ranked sixth nationally with 17,048 fans per home game.

About The Tournament
The Men Who Speak Up Main Event starts with Creighton home games on Nov. 14 & 17 before concluding with games at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev., on Nov. 23 & 25.
   Men Who Speak Up is a national education program that encourages men with prostate cancer to know the signs of the advancing disease and speak up if they experience any of those early warning signals.
   One in seven men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime.
   More information on the disease can be found at MenWhoSpeakUp.com/move.

Giant Killers
Texas Southern proved it can play with some of the nation's elite with a pair of eye-opening victories last season.
   Last year, Texas Southern won road games at both Michigan State (71-64 in overtime) and at Kansas State (58-56) in a span of eight days.
   Current Bluejay guard Marcus Foster scored 17 points for K-State in in the game against the Tigers.
   Among the players on last year's Texas Southern team were former Creighton swingman Nevin Johnson (2.7 ppg. last year at TSU) and former Central High School product and one-time Nebraska Cornhusker Deverell Biggs (11.8 ppg., last year at TSU). Neither man is currently at TSU.

Senior Review
Creighton had seven seniors on last year's team. Here's an update of what they're up to now:
   Improbably, both Will Artino and Devin Brooks are playing for the same professional team in Estonia. Artino is averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game for Rapla, while Brooks averages 10.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
   Austin Chatman plays for Mornar Bar in Montenegro, where he's averaging 8.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
   Gabriel Connealy is attending grad school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he is seeking a Masters degree in Animal Science.
   Avery Dingman plays for Hopsi Polzela in Slovenia, where he has averaged 11.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Dingman has made 8-of-9 shots from the field to date.
   Rick Kreklow plays in Germany for Bayer Giants, where he's averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest.
   Mogboluwaga Oginni is in the Pre-Medical Post-Baccalaureate program at Creighton.

Opening Against NCAA Tournament Teams
Creighton opens its season on Saturday against a Texas Southern team that has qualified for consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
   The last time Creighton opened the regular-season against a team coming off an NCAA Tournament bid was the 2010-11 season, when the Jays opened with No. 21 Dayton. That game remains the only blemish in Creighton's last 18 season-openers.
   The last time Creighton opened the regular-season with a home game against an NCAA Tournament qualifier from the previous March was Nov. 22, 2003, when the Bluejays took down San Diego (79-44) in the first regular-season game ever played at CenturyLink Center Omaha.

Foreign Tours Lead To Early Success
Creighton is coming off a trip to Italy in August, which it hopes will prepare the team for early victories as past trips have done.
   A 2011 trip to the Bahamas helped get the Bluejays ready for a 7-0 start.
   A 2007 trip to Canada paid dividends as Creighton started 5-0.
   In 2003, the Bluejays also went to Canada and started the subsequent season 12-0.

Big Margin Can Lead To Big Things
Creighton's 104-77 win last year vs. Central Arkansas was the second straight season the team has cracked triple-digits in a season-opener.
   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   14-19   --
   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

Crowd Control
Creighton's sellout crowd of 18,160 for last year's lid-lifter vs. Central Arkansas was its largest ever for a home-opener. It was also Creighton's largest home crowd for any November game, and the 12th-largest home crowd in program history at the time.

Jays At Home Against Winless Teams
Creighton's opponent on Saturday, Texas Southern, plays at New Mexico on Friday night and could be 0-1 by the time it gets to Omaha. The Bluejays have won 32 straight home games against teams that are winless entering the night, winning those games by an average of 27.03 points. Fourteen of those wins came by 30 points or more, and only two were decided by single-digits.
   The streak dates to a 77-70 loss versus an 0-2 SMU team on Dec. 3, 1994. That game was Dana Altman's home debut at Creighton.
   Creighton has won 86 straight home games against teams that enter the night with a record of .500 or worse, a streak that dates to Feb. 25, 2002.
Creighton at Home vs. Winless Teams, Since 12/3/1994
Opp. W-L    Opponent   CU Result   Date
   0-4   UMKC   W 75-61   12/17/94
   0-1   UMKC   W 70-68   11/25/96
   0-0   UMKC   W 81-59   11/14/97
   0-0   Towson   W 93-48   11/14/98
   0-1   Western Illinois   W 96-50   11/20/00
   0-1   North Carolina A&T   W 72-51   11/18/01
   0-0   Texas-Arlington   W 106-50   11/17/02
   0-3   San Diego   W 79-44   11/22/03
   0-1   Bethune-Cookman   W 69-49   12/03/03
   0-0   Alcorn State   W 74-40   11/15/04
   0-0   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   W 83-58   11/20/04
   0-0   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   W 87-55   11/19/05
   0-1   Miss. Valley State   W 78-42   11/13/06
   0-4   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   W 74-39   11/29/06
   0-0   DePaul   W 74-62   11/09/07
   0-2   Miss. Valley State   W 76-46   11/17/07
   0-2   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   W 82-50   11/20/08
   0-9   Miss. Valley State   W 82-58   12/02/08
   0-7   Southern   W 71-60   12/15/08
   0-1   Florida A&M   W 78-53   11/17/09
   0-0   Alabama State   W 71-57   11/12/10
   0-1   Northern Arizona   W 74-70   11/14/10
   0-0   N. Carolina A&T   W 97-65   11/11/11
   0-1   Chicago State   W 95-61   11/13/11
   0-0   North Texas   W 71-51   11/09/12
   0-2   Presbyterian   W 87-58   11/18/12
   0-4   Longwood   W 105-57   11/20/12
   0-0   Alcorn State   W 107-61   11/08/13
   0-1   UMKC   W 96-70   11/11/13
   0-3   Tulsa   W 82-72   11/23/13
   0-0   Central Arkansas   W 104-77   11/14/14
   0-1   Chicago State   W 84-66   11/16/14

November Reign
Creighton is a perfect 49-0 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th.
   Creighton has won 50 of its 51 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012.
   Overall, Creighton is 66-14 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
   Creighton has also won 58 of its last 60 regular-season non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.

Season Opener History
Including last year's 104-77 win vs. Central Arkansas, Creighton owns a sparkling 82-15 record (.845) on opening day, including wins in 17 of its last 18 lid-lifters.
   Creighton has won 11 of its last 15 season-openers by 20 or more points.
   The Jays have outscored foes by an average of 85.24 to 58.07 in the last 15 openers.

Home Opener History
Including last year's win over Central Arkansas, Creighton is 86-11 (.887) in home openers all-time.        Creighton has won 20 straight home openers since a Dec. 3, 1994 setback against SMU.
   As impressive as that streak is, it's not a record. Between 1936 and 1980, the Jays went 41-2 in home openers, including 21 straight wins from 1946-66.

Opening Statements
Greg McDermott has won each of the last 13 season openers he's coached in, as he is now 13-1 at the Division I level in season-openers. Overall as a head coach, McDermott is 18-3 in season-opening games.
   That includes an impressive 99-point win (137-38) in his first game on the sidelines when he was at Wayne State.
Date   School   Opponent   Result
1994-95   Wayne St.   York   W 137-38
1995-96   Wayne St.   Nebraska-Omaha   L 63-72
1996-97   Wayne St.   St. Francis   W 72-66
1997-98   Wayne St.   Nebraska-Omaha   W 78-76
1998-99   Wayne St.   Mount Marty   W 76-70
1999-00   Wayne St.   South Dakota   L 64-66
11/17/00   NDSU   Macalester   W 81-69
11/16/01   UNI   vs. San Diego State   L 57-71
11/22/02   UNI   at Montana   W 77-71
11/21/03   UNI   Chicago State   W 83-59
11/21/04   UNI   Wayne State   W 84-66
11/20/05   UNI   Western Carolina   W 68-46
11/10/06   Iowa State   UC Riverside   W 69-61
11/09/07   Iowa State   Winston-Salem St.   W 58-44
11/14/08   Iowa State   UC Davis   W 61-58
11/13/09   Iowa State   Idaho State   W 88-68
11/12/10   Creighton   Alabama State   W 71-57
11/11/11   Creighton   N. Carolina A&T   W 97-65
11/09/12   Creighton   North Texas   W 71-51
11/08/13   Creighton   Alcorn State   W 107-61
11/14/14   Creighton   Central Arkansas   104-77

Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 15 of the previous 17 seasons. All but one (last year) of Creighton's last 16 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
   Last season also marked the fourth straight year Creighton has opened 4-0, something last done in a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.

Hello, World
Creighton could have as many as eight players (Justin Patton, Marlon Stewart, Khyri Thomas, Ronnie Harrell Jr., Drew Cayce, Malik Albert, Martin Krampelj, Alex O'Neill) make their regular-season Division I debut on Saturday vs. Texas Southern.
   Below is a look at how Creighton's current players have done in their regular-season debut in a Division I uniform.
Name   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Stl.   Min.
Milliken   13   0   2   1   23
Huff (@UNR)   9   5   0   0   17
Hanson   9   2   0   0   11
Foster• (@KSU)   8   4   2   0   30
Watson• (@BU)   6   1   4   0   23
Zierden   5   3   3   0   24
Hegner   4   3   1   0   21
Clement   3   1   1   1   9
Groselle   1   0   0   0   2
•indicates game started

Making An Entrance
Below is a list of some of Creighton's most famous players and how they performed in their regular-season debuts in a Bluejay uniform.
   Five years ago, Doug McDermott burst onto the scene with 16 points and seven rebounds in his debut, becoming the first Bluejay freshman since at least 1973 to have 15 or more points and five or more rebounds in a season-opener.
   With 18 points vs. Central Arkansas last year, Rick Kreklow became CU's highest scorer in a debut since P'Allen Stinnett started his MVC Freshman of the Year campaign in 2007-08 with 23 points vs. New Mexico.
Name, Yr.   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Stl.   Min.   Result
Echenique, 2010   12   5   0   0   18   W 66-60
McDermott, 2010   16   7   0   1   32   W 71-57
Stinnett, 2007   23   4   3   3   26   W 74-62
Tolliver, 2003   0   1   2   0   7   W 79-44
Funk, 2002   3   5   4   1   21   W 106-50
Kyle Korver, 1999   2   2   0   1   10   W 70-62
Buford, 1995   3   4   0   0   19   W 63-59
Harstad, 1987   4   5   1   1   21   L 49-70
Gallagher, 1987   10   3   0   0   37   L 49-70
Benjamin, 1982   14   4   1   0   22   W 98-54
McKenna, 1977   14   3   7   ?   ?   W 95-66
Harmon, 1971   21   7   ?   ?   ?   W 74-62
C. Baptiste, 1969   24   17   ?   ?   ?   W 84-62
Portman, 1966   9   ?   ?   ?   ?   W 78-76
Silas, 1961   22   29   ?   ?   ?   W 85-51
Gibson, 1954   19   ?   ?   ?   ?   W 66-51

Playing With The Lead
Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in eight of the past 15 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2014-15).
   In 203 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 52 of those contests, a staggering 25.6 percent of the time.
   Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is 73-15 and hasn't trailed in 27 of those games.

More Debut News
Some more facts of interest about players making their Bluejay debut.
   Then-senior transfer Rick Kreklow and then-redshirt freshman Toby Hegner both started last season 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's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 23-0 in exhibition games as a Division I head coach, including a 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 6-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs has been by double-digits.
   Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date   McD School   Opponent   Result
2001-02   UNI   London Leopards   W 89-74
2001-02   UNI   Lake Superior St.   W 74-63
2002-03   UNI   Dominican Nat'l Team   W 73-56
2002-03   UNI   H.P. Minnesota   W 90-76
2003-04   UNI   H.P. Minnesota   W 89-79
2003-04   UNI   Australian Select Team   W 92-58
2004-05   UNI   Dubuque   W 93-34
2004-05   UNI   SW Minnesota St.   W 71-40
2005-06   UNI   Lewis   W 77-50
2005-06   UNI   Wayne State   W 74-57
11/03/06   Iowa State   EA Sports   W 58-57
11/06/06   Iowa State   Wayne State   W 55-41
11/01/07   Iowa State   Dubuque   W 66-38
11/04/07   Iowa State   EA Sports   W 74-63
11/08/08   Iowa State   Nebraska-Omaha   W 74-54
11/02/09   Iowa State   Black Hills State   W 96-47
11/06/09   Iowa State   UNC-Pembroke   W 106-54
11/04/10   Creighton   Northern State   W 79-67
11/06/11   Creighton   Rockhurst   W 81-42
11/02/12   Creighton   Mary   W 89-51
11/01/13   Creighton   Northern State   W 89-61
11/07/14   Creighton   Sioux Falls   W 91-72
11/06/15   Creighton   Upper Iowa   W 113-77

Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 41-6 since 1987 in fall exhibition games thanks to 15 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged 12 years ago and later changed their name to EA Sports.
   A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since 1987 can be found on page four of this release.

Double-Double Opener = Good Things
Creighton has won either a conference regular-season title or conference Tournament seven of its last eight seasons it has had a player with a double-double in the opener (2014-15, 2012-13, 2001-02, 1999-00, 1998-99, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1988-89).

Newcomer Report
Seven players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform last Friday in the win against Upper Iowa as Khyri Thomas, Cole Huff, Maurice Watson Jr., Justin Patton, Malik Albert, Martin Krameplj and Alex O'Neill combined for 61 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists in a combined 92 minutes of action in Creighton's 91-72 triumph. Three other newcomers (injured Drew Cayce & Marlon Stewart, redshirting Marcus Foster), did not see action in the game.
   Below is a look at the last five years and how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts:
2015
Thomas/Huff/Watson Jr./Patton/Albert, Krampelj/O'Neill/Cayce/Stewart
61 pts., 16 reb., 14 ast., 92 min. (W 113-77)
2014
Kreklow/Gilmore III/Connealy/Harrell Jr.
10 pts., 9 reb., 5 ast., 34 min. (W 91-72)
2013
Ferrarini/Brooks/Clement/Harris/Burns
Milliken/Roberts/Hegner/Hanson
26 pts., 8 reb., 10 ast., 52 min. (W 89-61)
2012
Kelling/Yates/Zierden
8 pts., 11 reb., 4 ast., 39 min. (W 89-51)
2011
Gibbs/Chatman/Olsen/Dingman
Groselle/Johnson/Oginni
22 pts., 11 reb., 8 ast., 70 min. (W 81-42)

Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
Khryi Thomas made a little bit of history last Friday night when he started the exhibition opener.
   Before Thomas had 10 points, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 rebounds in 17 minutes, to find the last Creighton true freshman to start the team's exhibition opener you'd have to go all the way back to Nov. 14, 1988. That's when Latrell Wrightsell had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey.
   Ryan Sears, who started all 124 regular-season games of his illustrious career from 1997-2001, came off the bench for his exhibition debut before replacing Matt West in the second exhibition game of the 1997-98 campaign.
   Sears had remained the last CU true freshman to start a Creighton regular-season opener (1997-98), until Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11. McDermott started all 145 games of his career but also came off the bench in his first exhibition game.
   Last season Toby Hegner started Creighton's first exhibition game, but he did so as a redshirt freshman. Hegner would also start CU's first 21 regular-season games in 2014-15.

Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns just one regular starter (Toby Hegner) from last year's team that finished 14-19. Creighton's roster contains players who made 64 starts a year ago (28 by Hegner, 12 by James Milliken, 9 by Geoffrey Groselle, 8 by Zach Hanson and 7 by Isaiah Zierden), and a combined 64 career starts as Bluejays. Three of the most experienced Bluejays, Maurice Watson Jr. (63 starts at Boston), Cole Huff (46 starts at Nevada) and Marcus Foster (57 starts at Kansas State) have never worn a Bluejay uniform in a game that counts.
   This year marks just the third time since 1986-87 that Creighton returns one starter or less (also 2007-08; Dane Watts and 2014-15 Austin Chatman).
   Returning   Returning Starts    Final
Year   Starters   From Previous Year   W-L
2015-16   1   64   ? ? ?
2014-15   1   49   14-19
2013-14   4   144   27-8
2012-13   4   140   28-8
2011-12   3   101   29-6
2010-11   4   123   23-16
2009-10   3   106   18-16
2008-09   3   83   27-8
2007-08   1   44   22-11
2006-07   4   120   22-11
2005-06   4   134   20-10
2004-05   2   58   23-11
2003-04   3   101   20-9
2002-03   5   159   29-5
2001-02   2   65   23-9
2000-01   3   90   24-8
1999-00   3   84   23-10
1998-99   3   84   22-9
1997-98   4   72   18-10
1996-97   4   126   15-15
1995-96   4   100   14-15
1994-95   2   52   7-19
1993-94   3   73   7-22
1992-93   2   64   8-18
1991-92   2   51   9-19
1990-91   4   132   24-8
1989-90   4   127   21-12
1988-89   4   123   20-11
1987-88   3   83   16-16
1986-87   2   65   9-19
1985-86   1   48   12-16
1984-85   4   124   20-12
1983-84   3   72   17-14
1982-83   3   77   8-19
1981-82   2   78   7-20
1980-81   4   112   21-9

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish ninth in its third 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 (70, 1), Butler (67), Xavier (55) and Providence (45) round out the top half. The predicted lower half was Marquette (44), Seton Hall (27), DePaul (25), Creighton (23) and St. John's (13).
   Creighton did not have any honorees on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Teams, which was led by Preseason Player of the Year Kris Dunn from Providence.

Zierden Returns From Second Knee Injury
Isaiah Zierden is slated to play on Saturday after missing the second half of last season after suffering a season-ending injury to his right knee for the second straight campaign.
   Zierden was carried off the floor with 4:05 left in the first half on Jan. 21, 2015 at Butler and did not return.
   An MRI two days later determined that Zierden partially tore the MCL in his knee, while also suffering an injury to his patella.
   Unlike his first injury, Zierden elected to have surgery this time around, as he underwent a medical procedure in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2015.
   The uncommon injury is very similar to one he suffered the previous March at Xavier, which caused him to miss CU's last seven games.
   Zierden returned to the court last Friday in the exhibition, scoring 11 points in 12 first half minutes.

NBA Representation
This year marks the second time since 1970 (joining last season) that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Detroit Pistsons) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
   Including 2015-16, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 32 of the last 33 years.
   Korver ranks 11th in NBA history with 1,740 three-pointers and is also sixth in league history with 43.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Nov. 10). He owns NBA records with 127 straight games with a three-pointer, and also set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range. Last season he was named an All-Star and led the league in three-point percentage for the third time.
   Tolliver is averaging 3.5 points per game this season for the Pistons, his 10th NBA organization.
   McDermott is in his second season with the Chicago Bulls, where he's averaging 11.1 points per game and shooting 57.6 percent from three-point range for fellow Ames High alum Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg, ironically, is the same man who replaced Greg McDermott as Iowa State's head coach in 2010.

Productive Offense?
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the since Greg McDermott took over in 2010-11:

2010-11 to 2014-15
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
3FG Percentage   .3930   2nd
Assists   2,856   3rd
FG Percentage   .4768   4th
3FG Made   1,492   4th
Assists/Game   16.045   5th
Assist/Turnover Ratio   1.382   5th
3FG Made/Game   8.382   9th
FG Made   4,555   22nd
Wins   121   T-25th
Winning Percentage   .6798   T-34th

Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 15 of the last 17 seasons (including 2014-15), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
   Just three schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 17 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
   Kentucky , Florida, Texas and Syracuse have each done it in 16 of the last 17 seasons.
   Along with Arizona, Xavier, Kent State and Connecticut, Creighton is one of five schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 15 of the past 17 years.

Eight Out Of 17 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 17 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (13), Duke (10), Winthrop (9) and Creighton (8).

Full House
Last year's Creighton team averaged 17,048 fans in 17 home dates, good for sixth-nationally, and better than 11 NBA franchises.
   It's the 10th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the fourth straight season in the top-six nationally in attendance, as well.
   Last year Creighton was the nation's first team to average 17,000+ fans, despite a losing record, since Louisville in 2000-01.
2014-15 Attendance Leaders
   Rk.   School   Average
   1.   Syracuse   23,854
   2.   Kentucky   23,572
   3.   Louisville   22,030
   4.   North Carolina   19,582
   5.   Wisconsin   17,279
   6.   Creighton   17,048
   7.   Kansas   16,383
   8.   Indiana   16,288
   9.   BYU   16,125
   10.   Nebraska   15,569

Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
   Avg. Att.   School   Year
   17,896   Creighton   2013-14
   17,155   Creighton   2012-13
   17,048   Creighton   2014-15
   16,665   Creighton   2011-12
   15,930   Creighton   2008-09

Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception as Eldridge native Marlon Stewart continues 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 689 straight games, going 448-241 in that span. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State. That streak is in serious jeopardy to continue on Saturday, as Stewart missed the exhibition game due to injury.

Long-Distance Streak Surpasses 700
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 713 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the 23rd-longest active streak.
   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.
   Creighton has also made four or more three-pointers in 68 straight games, the nation's third-longest such string. That streak began in CU's 2013-14 season-opener.
   Courtesy Stats Inc., below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active Streaks of 4+ 3FG's
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   70   Villanova   11/13
   2.   69   Iona   11/15
   3.   68   Creighton   11/14

Longest Active 3-Point Streaks
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   940   UNLV   11/13
   2.   939   Kentucky   11/13
   3.   931   Vanderbilt   11/13
   4.   911   Duke   11/13
   5.   871   Western Kentucky   11/14
   6.   869   Arkansas   11/13
   7.   859   East Tennessee State   11/14
   8.   857   Pacific   11/13
   9.   835   Oakland   11/18
   10.   825   Texas   11/13
   11.   815   Princeton   11/13
   12.   797   Florida   11/13
   13.   779   La Salle   11/14
   14.   775   Marshall   11/19
   15.   766   Baylor   11/13
   16.   745   LIU-Brooklyn   11/16
   17.   744   Cornell   11/13
   18.   737   Gonzaga   11/13
   19.   724   Tennessee State   11/13
   20.   723   Mount St. Mary's   11/13
   21.   721   Samford   11/13
   22.   716   East Carolina   11/13
   23.   713   Creighton   11/14
   24.   679   Lafayette   11/13
   25.   676   DePaul   11/14
   26.   670   Davidson   11/14

Très Bien
Creighton made 39-of-91 three-pointers (42.9 percent) in its BIG EAST victories last season, but just 93-for-299 (31.1 percent) from deep in its league losses.
   For the season Creighton shot 34.5 percent from three-point land.
   In the previous four years under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 37-33 (.529) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 61-8 (.884) 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 87-21 in the previous four years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 11-20 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.

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.

NCAA Success
Creighton is one of 18 schools to have won an NCAA Tournament game in at least three of the last four seasons.
   Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina are the only five teams to have won at least one game all four seasons.
   The list of teams with an NCAA win in three of the last four campaigns consists of Arizona, Creighton, Florida, Iowa State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oregon, Saint Louis, San Diego State, Syracuse, Wichita State and Wisconsin.

CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 203 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 13-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own an 170-33 (.837) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (10-0).
   Creighton has outscored its opponents 15,347-12,987 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.63 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 52 different times, including four times last year.
   Creighton is also 25-19 all-time in the 44 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
   Creighton is 73-15 (.830) 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 189-33 (.851) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 14 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including three games last year, and seven such comebacks away from home.
   On Nov. 19, 2014, 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 two).
   On the other hand, CU is 105-6 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 93 of the last 95 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

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 the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
Most Wins Since 2000-01
Team   W   L
Butler   358   146
Xavier   353   149
Creighton   349   155
Villanova   337   165
Marquette   327   170
Georgetown   325   164
Providence   258   216
Seton Hall   244   224
St. John's   234   234
DePaul   193   271

Most Wins - Last 10 Years (2005-06 to Present)
Team   W   L
Butler   252   97
Villanova   243   98
Xavier   237   106
Georgetown   230   102
Creighton   230   113
Marquette   221   119
Providence   170   150
Seton Hall   166   152
St. John's   164   155
DePaul   114   200

Most Wins - Last 4 Years (2011-12 to Present)
Team   W   L
Creighton   98   41
Villanova   95   41
Georgetown   89   42
Butler   86   52
Xavier   84   54
Marquette   83   51
Providence   79   56
St. John's   71   60
Seton Hall   69   63
DePaul   47   81

What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 121-57 on the Creighton sideline entering his sixth year at the helm. The 121 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first five seasons.
   How good are McDermott's 121 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 previous 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.   121-57
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 86-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   In other words, Creighton is a perfect 98-0 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 in 2010, Creighton is averaging 77.06 points per home game (6,781 points in 88 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
The 2014-15 season included two of the school's top-16 home crowds ever. 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.   17,971   #19 Butler   02/16/15
   17.   17,954   Wichita State   12/28/08
   18.   17,740   Alcorn State   11/08/13
   19.   17,694   Indiana State   01/05/13
   20.   17,676   Northwestern   12/22/11

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 2015-16 season went on sale on October 29th.
   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.

Men's Basketball Tips Off Season on Saturday vs. Texas Southern

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Players Mentioned

Malik Albert

Will Artino

Devin Brooks

Drew Cayce

Austin Chatman

Gabriel Connealy

Avery Dingman

Marcus Foster

Geoffrey Groselle

Zach Hanson

Ronnie Harrell Jr.

Toby Hegner

Cole Huff

Martin Krampelj

Rick Kreklow

James Milliken

Alex O'Neill

Mogboluwaga Oginni

Justin Patton

Marlon Stewart

Khyri Thomas

Maurice Watson Jr.

Isaiah Zierden