Tuesday, November 17
CenturyLink Center Omaha
7:01 PM
Creighton University
vs
UTSA
Cole Huff
Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Men's Basketball Looks To Slow Down Roadrunners on Tuesday
11/16/2015 11:23:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Bluejays seek a 2-0 start for the sixth straight year
Game Notes as a PDF
2015-16 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #2 • UTSA at Creighton • Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 • 7:01 p.m.
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: FOX Sports 2
Series History: Creighton leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Creighton 93, UTSA 47 on Nov. 30, 1990 in Iowa City, Iowa
Next Game
Creighton (1-0) hosts UTSA (0-2) on Tuesday evening as the squads meet for the first time since 1990.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7:01 p.m.
The contest is second of two games in Omaha for the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event, which concludes with two games next week in Las Vegas, Nev.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2015-16 season. John Bishop and former Bluejay Brody Deren will call the action.
Prior to their pregame show, Corey Lathrop and Heath Gunderson will host "Bluejay Shootaround", which begins an hour before tip-off.
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
Tuesday's game will air live nationally on FOX Sports 2, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 216.
Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe will handle announcing duties.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Tuesday'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 won its season-opener 93-70 over Texas Southern on Saturday night for its 21st straight victory in a home opener.
The Bluejays return 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. last year) and Isaiah Zierden (9.5 ppg. last year) are the top returning scorers, while Toby Hegner (6.7 ppg. last year) 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. Those newcomers combined for 53 points in the win over Texas Southern, led by 18 points from true freshman Khyri Thomas.
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 the two games this month (Upper Iowa & Texas Southern), and Creighton has outscored foes 535-274 while outrebounding them by 107.
Scouting UTSA
UTSA is 0-2 on the young season, losing 76-64 at Loyola on Friday before falling 78-45 at Clemson on Sunday.
The Roadrunners have been led by 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game by former Iowa Western CC standout Ryan Bowie, who has played all but nine minutes to date. Bowie is the team's top returner after averaging 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season.
J.R. Harris is the only other player averaging in double-figures, as he scores 10.5 points per contest.
Former Omaha Central product Nick Billingsley has scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds through two games of his junior season for UTSA.
UTSA was 14-16 last year and returns eight lettermen and two starters from that club.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his sixth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 122-57 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 402-252 in his 22nd season and is 271-188 in his 15th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
Brooks Thompson (Oklahoma State, 1994) owns a 183-167 career record in 12 years as a head coach, including a 128-153 mark in 10 years at UTSA. Among his highlights are a four-year playing career in the NBA, a 2009 win at Iowa, and a 2011 NCAA Tournament victory. He is assisted by Dan O'Dowd, Robert Guster and Shenton Wai.
The Series With UTSA
Creighton won the only previous meeting with UTSA, 93-47, on Nov. 30, 1990. That game was contested in Iowa City, Iowa, as part of the Amana Classic.
Bob Harstad led Creighton with 38 points in 28 minutes in that win, making all 13 shots from the field and 12-of-13 foul shots in the romp. Ronnie Ellison paced UTSA with 12 points.
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 2015 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.
Field Goal Frenzy
Creighton scored on 43 of its 75 possessions on Saturday night vs. Texas Southern, producing an average of 1.24 points per possession. The Jays played a fast-paced game, using just 14 seconds per trip.
Creighton's 38 made field goals were its most in any game since also making 38 vs. Campbell on Nov. 25, 2011, and tied a single-game CenturyLink Center Omaha record.
In five games (including Italy and the exhibition), Creighton has scored on 255 of its 420 possessions (60.7 percent) this season.
The Fast And The Furious
Creighton had a whopping 30 fast break points in Saturday's win over Texas Southern.
By comparison, last year Creighton had a total of 143 fast break points (4.3 per game), and never had more than 11 in any contest.
Creighton's 30 fast break points are believed to be its most since moving to CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003, with the next highest mark on file listed as 24 vs. Kennesaw State on Nov. 26, 2010.
The Link Turns Into The Dunk Tank
Creighton put down seven dunks in Saturday's opener vs. Texas Southern, as Khyri Albert (3), Martin Krampelj (2), Geoffrey Groselle (1) and Malik Albert (1) all got into the act above the rim.
Combined with 25 dunks in three games while in Italy, and four dunks in the exhibition season, Creighton has now put down 36 dunks in five games as a unit this year.
By comparison, Creighton had 29 dunks in 33 regular-season games all of last season.
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 eight teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener, which shows that six of the previous seven to do so reached the NCAA Tournament.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 ? ? ? ? ? ?
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
Jays At Home Against Winless Teams
Creighton's opponent on Tuesday, UTSA, is 0-2 on the young season. The Bluejays have won 33 straight home games against teams that are winless entering the night, winning those games by an average of 26.91 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 87 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
0-1 Texas Southern W 93-70 11/14/15
November Reign
Creighton is a perfect 50-0 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th.
Creighton has won 51 of its 52 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012.
Overall, Creighton is 67-14 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Creighton has also won 59 of its last 61 regular-season non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.
Season Opener History
Including last Saturday's 93-70 win vs. Texas Southern, Creighton owns a sparkling 83-15 record (.847) on opening day, including wins in 18 of its last 19 lid-lifters.
Creighton has won 12 of its last 16 season-openers by 20 or more points.
The Jays have outscored foes by an average of 85.75 to 58.81 in the last 16 openers.
Home Opener History
Including last Saturday's win over Texas Southern, Creighton is 87-11 (.888) in home openers all-time. Creighton has won 21 straight home openers since a Dec. 3, 1994 setback against SMU.
That 21-game home opener win streak ties a school record, first done from 1946-66. That was part of a stretch between 1936-80 where the Bluejays went 41-2 in home openers.
Opening Statements
Greg McDermott has now won each of the last 14 season openers he's coached in, as he is now 14-1 at the Division I level in season-openers. Overall as a head coach, McDermott is 19-3 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 W 104-77
11/14/15 Creighton Texas Southern W 93-70
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 had three players (Khyri Thomas, Malik Albert, Martin Krampelj) make their regular-season Division I debut last 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.
Thomas• 18 3 0 2 26
Milliken 13 0 2 1 23
Krampelj 11 8 2 0 14
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
Albert 2 0 3 1 16
Groselle 1 0 0 0 2
•indicates game started
Making An Entrance
With 18 points vs. Texas Southern last Saturday, Khyri Thomas 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. DePaul.
Martin Krampelj had 11 points and eight rebounds in his debut, the most rebounds by a Bluejay in their first game since Grant Gibbs had nine rebounds in 2011, though Gibbs was a fourth-year transfer from Creighton. Krampelj's eight rebounds were the most in a season-opener by any Bluejay freshman since Joe Dabbert had nine in 2000.
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.
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.
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
In 204 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 52 of those contests, a staggering 25.5 percent of the time.
Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is 74-15 and hasn't trailed in 27 of those games.
More Debut News
Some more facts of interest about players making their Bluejay debut.
Creighton started three players on Saturday that were making their Bluejay debut, as transfers Cole Huff and Maurice Watson Jr. joined true freshman Khyri Thomas in the first five.
Thomas' start was especially historic, as he became just the third true freshman to start since 1992-93, joining Bluejay legends Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Ryan Sears (1997-98). Both McDermott (145 games) and Sears (124) started every contest of their four-year Creighton careers.
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 had 15 points 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's 15 points and four assists vs. Texas Southern were both second-most on the team.
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 Pistons) 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 1,745 three-pointers and is also sixth in league history with 43.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Nov. 15). 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 4.1 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 10.8 points per game and leads the NBA by shooting 57.1 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 first five years 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
A long streak was snapped on Saturday when Creighton did not play Iowa prep standout Marlon Stewart, who was injured. It ended a streak of 689 straight games with at least one Iowa prep in the line-up, which dated back to Feb. 5, 1994.
Creighton went 448-241 during its 689 game streak with an Iowan, which included the likes of Doug McDermott (Ames), Grant Gibbs (Marion), Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Long-Distance Streak Surpasses 700
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 714 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 69 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. 71 Villanova 11/17
2. 70 Iona 11/17
3. 69 Creighton 11/17
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 941 UNLV 11/16
2. 940 Kentucky 11/17
3. 932 Vanderbilt 11/16
4. 913 Duke 11/17
5. 872 Western Kentucky 11/18
6. 870 Arkansas 11/18
7. 860 East Tennessee State 11/17
8. 858 Pacific 11/17
9. 835 Oakland 11/18
10. 826 Texas 11/21
11. 816 Princeton 11/21
12. 798 Florida 11/16
13. 780 La Salle 11/17
14. 775 Marshall 11/19
15. 767 Baylor 11/16
16. 745 LIU-Brooklyn 11/16
17. 745 Cornell 11/16
18. 737 Gonzaga 11/18
19. 725 Tennessee State 11/16
725 Mount St. Mary's 11/19
21. 722 Samford 11/16
22. 717 East Carolina 11/16
23. 714 Creighton 11/17
24. 681 Lafayette 11/21
25. 677 DePaul 11/17
26. 671 Davidson 11/21
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.
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 38-33 (.535) 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 88-21 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 51 straight games under McDermott when scoring 40 or more points in the first half.
CU has also won 69 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 61-0 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 204 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 13-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own an 171-33 (.838) 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 15,440-13,057 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.68 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 74-15 (.831) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 41-3 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 190-33 (.852) 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 106-6 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 94 of the last 96 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 122-57 on the Creighton sideline early in his sixth year at the helm. The 122 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first six seasons, way more than Tom Apke's 109.
Most Wins at CU, First Six Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 6 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 122-57 so far
Tom Apke 1974-80 109-55
Tony Barone 1985-91 102-82
Dana Altman 1994-00 99-78
Red McManus 1959-65 91-63
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 87-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 99-0 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 77.24 points per home game (6,874 points in 89 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 109-0 at home (80-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 91-0 at home (64-0 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.
2015-16 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #2 • UTSA at Creighton • Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 • 7:01 p.m.
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: FOX Sports 2
Series History: Creighton leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Creighton 93, UTSA 47 on Nov. 30, 1990 in Iowa City, Iowa
Next Game
Creighton (1-0) hosts UTSA (0-2) on Tuesday evening as the squads meet for the first time since 1990.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7:01 p.m.
The contest is second of two games in Omaha for the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event, which concludes with two games next week in Las Vegas, Nev.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2015-16 season. John Bishop and former Bluejay Brody Deren will call the action.
Prior to their pregame show, Corey Lathrop and Heath Gunderson will host "Bluejay Shootaround", which begins an hour before tip-off.
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
Tuesday's game will air live nationally on FOX Sports 2, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 216.
Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe will handle announcing duties.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Tuesday'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 won its season-opener 93-70 over Texas Southern on Saturday night for its 21st straight victory in a home opener.
The Bluejays return 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. last year) and Isaiah Zierden (9.5 ppg. last year) are the top returning scorers, while Toby Hegner (6.7 ppg. last year) 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. Those newcomers combined for 53 points in the win over Texas Southern, led by 18 points from true freshman Khyri Thomas.
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 the two games this month (Upper Iowa & Texas Southern), and Creighton has outscored foes 535-274 while outrebounding them by 107.
Scouting UTSA
UTSA is 0-2 on the young season, losing 76-64 at Loyola on Friday before falling 78-45 at Clemson on Sunday.
The Roadrunners have been led by 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game by former Iowa Western CC standout Ryan Bowie, who has played all but nine minutes to date. Bowie is the team's top returner after averaging 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game last season.
J.R. Harris is the only other player averaging in double-figures, as he scores 10.5 points per contest.
Former Omaha Central product Nick Billingsley has scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds through two games of his junior season for UTSA.
UTSA was 14-16 last year and returns eight lettermen and two starters from that club.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his sixth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 122-57 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 402-252 in his 22nd season and is 271-188 in his 15th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
Brooks Thompson (Oklahoma State, 1994) owns a 183-167 career record in 12 years as a head coach, including a 128-153 mark in 10 years at UTSA. Among his highlights are a four-year playing career in the NBA, a 2009 win at Iowa, and a 2011 NCAA Tournament victory. He is assisted by Dan O'Dowd, Robert Guster and Shenton Wai.
The Series With UTSA
Creighton won the only previous meeting with UTSA, 93-47, on Nov. 30, 1990. That game was contested in Iowa City, Iowa, as part of the Amana Classic.
Bob Harstad led Creighton with 38 points in 28 minutes in that win, making all 13 shots from the field and 12-of-13 foul shots in the romp. Ronnie Ellison paced UTSA with 12 points.
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 2015 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.
Field Goal Frenzy
Creighton scored on 43 of its 75 possessions on Saturday night vs. Texas Southern, producing an average of 1.24 points per possession. The Jays played a fast-paced game, using just 14 seconds per trip.
Creighton's 38 made field goals were its most in any game since also making 38 vs. Campbell on Nov. 25, 2011, and tied a single-game CenturyLink Center Omaha record.
In five games (including Italy and the exhibition), Creighton has scored on 255 of its 420 possessions (60.7 percent) this season.
The Fast And The Furious
Creighton had a whopping 30 fast break points in Saturday's win over Texas Southern.
By comparison, last year Creighton had a total of 143 fast break points (4.3 per game), and never had more than 11 in any contest.
Creighton's 30 fast break points are believed to be its most since moving to CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003, with the next highest mark on file listed as 24 vs. Kennesaw State on Nov. 26, 2010.
The Link Turns Into The Dunk Tank
Creighton put down seven dunks in Saturday's opener vs. Texas Southern, as Khyri Albert (3), Martin Krampelj (2), Geoffrey Groselle (1) and Malik Albert (1) all got into the act above the rim.
Combined with 25 dunks in three games while in Italy, and four dunks in the exhibition season, Creighton has now put down 36 dunks in five games as a unit this year.
By comparison, Creighton had 29 dunks in 33 regular-season games all of last season.
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 eight teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener, which shows that six of the previous seven to do so reached the NCAA Tournament.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 ? ? ? ? ? ?
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
Jays At Home Against Winless Teams
Creighton's opponent on Tuesday, UTSA, is 0-2 on the young season. The Bluejays have won 33 straight home games against teams that are winless entering the night, winning those games by an average of 26.91 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 87 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
0-1 Texas Southern W 93-70 11/14/15
November Reign
Creighton is a perfect 50-0 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th.
Creighton has won 51 of its 52 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012.
Overall, Creighton is 67-14 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Creighton has also won 59 of its last 61 regular-season non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.
Season Opener History
Including last Saturday's 93-70 win vs. Texas Southern, Creighton owns a sparkling 83-15 record (.847) on opening day, including wins in 18 of its last 19 lid-lifters.
Creighton has won 12 of its last 16 season-openers by 20 or more points.
The Jays have outscored foes by an average of 85.75 to 58.81 in the last 16 openers.
Home Opener History
Including last Saturday's win over Texas Southern, Creighton is 87-11 (.888) in home openers all-time. Creighton has won 21 straight home openers since a Dec. 3, 1994 setback against SMU.
That 21-game home opener win streak ties a school record, first done from 1946-66. That was part of a stretch between 1936-80 where the Bluejays went 41-2 in home openers.
Opening Statements
Greg McDermott has now won each of the last 14 season openers he's coached in, as he is now 14-1 at the Division I level in season-openers. Overall as a head coach, McDermott is 19-3 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 W 104-77
11/14/15 Creighton Texas Southern W 93-70
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 had three players (Khyri Thomas, Malik Albert, Martin Krampelj) make their regular-season Division I debut last 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.
Thomas• 18 3 0 2 26
Milliken 13 0 2 1 23
Krampelj 11 8 2 0 14
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
Albert 2 0 3 1 16
Groselle 1 0 0 0 2
•indicates game started
Making An Entrance
With 18 points vs. Texas Southern last Saturday, Khyri Thomas 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. DePaul.
Martin Krampelj had 11 points and eight rebounds in his debut, the most rebounds by a Bluejay in their first game since Grant Gibbs had nine rebounds in 2011, though Gibbs was a fourth-year transfer from Creighton. Krampelj's eight rebounds were the most in a season-opener by any Bluejay freshman since Joe Dabbert had nine in 2000.
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.
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.
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
In 204 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 52 of those contests, a staggering 25.5 percent of the time.
Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is 74-15 and hasn't trailed in 27 of those games.
More Debut News
Some more facts of interest about players making their Bluejay debut.
Creighton started three players on Saturday that were making their Bluejay debut, as transfers Cole Huff and Maurice Watson Jr. joined true freshman Khyri Thomas in the first five.
Thomas' start was especially historic, as he became just the third true freshman to start since 1992-93, joining Bluejay legends Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Ryan Sears (1997-98). Both McDermott (145 games) and Sears (124) started every contest of their four-year Creighton careers.
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 had 15 points 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's 15 points and four assists vs. Texas Southern were both second-most on the team.
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 Pistons) 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 1,745 three-pointers and is also sixth in league history with 43.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Nov. 15). 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 4.1 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 10.8 points per game and leads the NBA by shooting 57.1 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 first five years 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
A long streak was snapped on Saturday when Creighton did not play Iowa prep standout Marlon Stewart, who was injured. It ended a streak of 689 straight games with at least one Iowa prep in the line-up, which dated back to Feb. 5, 1994.
Creighton went 448-241 during its 689 game streak with an Iowan, which included the likes of Doug McDermott (Ames), Grant Gibbs (Marion), Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Long-Distance Streak Surpasses 700
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 714 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 69 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. 71 Villanova 11/17
2. 70 Iona 11/17
3. 69 Creighton 11/17
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 941 UNLV 11/16
2. 940 Kentucky 11/17
3. 932 Vanderbilt 11/16
4. 913 Duke 11/17
5. 872 Western Kentucky 11/18
6. 870 Arkansas 11/18
7. 860 East Tennessee State 11/17
8. 858 Pacific 11/17
9. 835 Oakland 11/18
10. 826 Texas 11/21
11. 816 Princeton 11/21
12. 798 Florida 11/16
13. 780 La Salle 11/17
14. 775 Marshall 11/19
15. 767 Baylor 11/16
16. 745 LIU-Brooklyn 11/16
17. 745 Cornell 11/16
18. 737 Gonzaga 11/18
19. 725 Tennessee State 11/16
725 Mount St. Mary's 11/19
21. 722 Samford 11/16
22. 717 East Carolina 11/16
23. 714 Creighton 11/17
24. 681 Lafayette 11/21
25. 677 DePaul 11/17
26. 671 Davidson 11/21
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.
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 38-33 (.535) 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 88-21 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 51 straight games under McDermott when scoring 40 or more points in the first half.
CU has also won 69 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 61-0 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 204 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 13-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own an 171-33 (.838) 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 15,440-13,057 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.68 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 74-15 (.831) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 41-3 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 190-33 (.852) 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 106-6 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 94 of the last 96 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 122-57 on the Creighton sideline early in his sixth year at the helm. The 122 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first six seasons, way more than Tom Apke's 109.
Most Wins at CU, First Six Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 6 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 122-57 so far
Tom Apke 1974-80 109-55
Tony Barone 1985-91 102-82
Dana Altman 1994-00 99-78
Red McManus 1959-65 91-63
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 87-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 99-0 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 77.24 points per home game (6,874 points in 89 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 109-0 at home (80-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 91-0 at home (64-0 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.
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball vs. UMES Press Conference - 11/14/25
Thursday, November 13
Creighton & Gonzaga Men's Basketball Press Conferences - 11/11/25
Wednesday, November 12
Creighton Men's Basketball Media Availability - 11/10/25
Monday, November 10
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. South Dakota Press Conference - 11/5/25
Tuesday, November 04
