Saturday, November 28
CenturyLink Center Omaha
7:01 PM
Creighton University
vs
Western Illinois
Photo by: Brandon McKenna
Men's Basketball Hosts Unbeaten Western Illinois on Saturday Night
11/27/2015 12:57:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Bluejays look to slow down the national leader in three-point percentage
Download Notes as a PDF
Game #6 • Western Illinois at Creighton Men's Basketball • Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015 • 7:01 p.m.
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS2
Series History: Creighton leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Creighton 60, Western Illinois 47 on Dec. 20, 2010 in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
Fresh off winning the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event in Las Vegas, Creighton (4-1) returns home to host unbeaten Western Illinois (5-0) on Saturday night.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) is set for 7:01 pm.
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 the game, Corey Lathrop and Heath Gunderson will host "Bluejay Shootaround", beginning at 5 pm.
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 or 1216 (in HD)
Alex Faust 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 is 4-1 on the season, with victories over Texas Southern (93-70), UTSA (103-78), Rutgers (85-75) and Massachusetts (97-76) sandwiching an 86-65 loss at then-No. 14 Indiana.
The Bluejays are scoring an impressive 88.6 points per game, with transfers Cole Huff and Maurice Watson Jr. leading the way. Huff leads the club with 14.2 points per game after his arrival from Nevada, while Watson averages 14.0 points and a team-best 5.8 assists per game since arriving from Boston University.
The Bluejays return nine lettermen and one starter (Toby Hegner) from last year's team that finished 14-19 and tied for ninth in the BIG EAST with a 4-14 league mark.
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.
Scouting Western Illinois
Western Illinois has matched its best start since 1986-87, and with a win on Saturday can earn the program's first 6-0 start since 1957-58. While two of the wins have come against non-Division I foes, the Leathernecks turned heads nationally with a 69-67 win at then-No. 17 Wisconsin to open the season on Nov. 13.
Senior J.C. Fuller (20.0 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 75 percent from 3-point range) and preseason All-Summit Conference junior Garret Covington (19.4 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 50 percent from 3-point range) average a combined 39.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game, accounting for more than 48 percent of WIU's scoring.
The Leathernecks have averaged 81.8 points per game while allowing 57.6 per contest. WIU leads the nation with 51.9 percent shooting as a team from three-point range, far ahead of next-best Kansas (46.8 percent).
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his sixth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 125-58 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 403-253 in his 22nd season and is 272-189 in his 15th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
Billy Wright (Bradley, 1996) is 13-20 in his second year at Western Illinois, which doubles as his career record. He was an All-Conference and All-Defense selection as an undergrad at Bradley, and he's in the Bradley Athletic Hall of Fame. Wright is assisted by Josh Wolfe, Damon James and Mark Vershaw.
The Series With Western Illinois
Creighton is 3-0 all-time against Western Illinois in a series that started in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1999.
Creighton has also won the two most recent meetings that were contested in Omaha, topping the Leathernecks 96-50 in 2000 before a 60-47 victory in 2010.
Greg McDermott is 1-0 in his career against Western Illinois. He has never coached against Billy Wright.
Huff Earns MVP Honor
Nevada transfer Cole Huff returned to the Silver State and picked up MVP honors of the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event after averaging 19.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the two wins.
Huff made 13-of-25 field goal attempts, including 7-of-15 three-pointers. He scored 26 points in the victory over Rutgers before a 12-point effort over UMass in the title game.
Against The Best
Creighton has frequently scheduled some strong teams to come into CenturyLink Center Omaha, since the building opened in the fall of 2003.
Saturday's foe, Western Illinois (5-0), will be the 45th team in 13 years to enter with either 0 or 1 losses. In the first 44 such games, Creighton is 39-5, with an average margin of +14.75 per game.
Date Opponent Pregame Record Result
11/29/03 St. Bonaventure 2-0 CU 83-63
12/03/03 Bethune-Cookman 0-1 CU 69-49
12/10/03 Nebraska 5-0 CU 61-54
11/15/04 Alcorn State 0-0 CU 74-40
11/16/04 Iona 1-0 CU 68-62
11/20/04 Ark.-Pine Bluff 0-0 CU 83-58
12/28/04 Bradley 7-1 CU 71-62
11/19/05 Ark.-Pine Bluff 0-0 CU 87-55
11/26/05 Dayton 2-1 CU 91-90 (2OT)
12/11/05 Nebraska 6-1 CU 70-44
12/18/05 Xavier 5-1 CU 61-59
12/28/05 Missouri State 7-1 CU 78-56
11/13/06 Miss. Valley State 0-1 CU 78-42
11/25/06 George Mason 2-1 CU 58-56
12/09/06 #24 Xavier 7-1 CU 73-67
11/09/07 DePaul 0-0 CU 74-62
11/24/07 Nebraska 3-0 CU 74-62
12/22/07 Arkansas-Little Rock 9-1 CU 80-61
01/22/08 #22 Drake 16-1 DU 68-60 (OT)
11/16/08 New Mexico 1-0 CU 82-75
11/22/08 Oral Roberts 1-1 CU 87-65
12/10/08 Dayton 8-0 CU 77-59
11/17/09 Florida A&M 0-1 CU 78-53
12/06/09 Nebraska 5-1 CU 67-61
12/29/09 Northern Iowa 9-1 UNI 60-52
11/12/10 Alabama State 0-0 CU 71-57
11/14/10 Northern Arizona 0-1 CU 74-70
11/17/10 Louisiana 1-1 CU 63-58
12/01/10 #21 BYU 6-0 BYU 77-65
11/11/11 North Carolina A&T 0-0 CU 97-65
11/13/11 Chicago State 0-1 CU 95-61
11/25/11 Campbell 5-0 CU 104-81
12/22/11 Northwestern 10-1 CU 87-79
11/09/12 North Texas 0-0 CU 71-51
11/14/12 UAB 1-0 CU 77-60
11/28/12 Boise State 4-1 BSU 83-70
12/01/12 Saint Joseph's 4-1 CU 80-51
11/08/13 Alcorn State 0-0 CU 107-61
11/11/13 UMKC 0-1 CU 96-70
11/14/14 Central Arkansas 0-0 CU 104-77
11/16/14 Chicago State 0-1 CU 84-66
11/19/14 #18 Oklahoma 1-0 CU 65-63
11/23/14 N.C. Central 1-1 CU 65-45
12/13/14 Saint Mary's 5-1 SMC 71-67 (OT)
Geoffrey Groselle's Greatest Game
Geoffrey Groselle had a night to remember on Wednesday against Massachusetts, finishing with career-highs in points (20) and rebounds (9) while tying his high in blocked shots (2).
Groselle's big game came exactly one year to the day of his previous breakout game last year vs. Eastern Illinois, when he had 15 points in 12 minutes off the bench.
That day, November 25th, also happens to be the birthday of his head coach, Greg McDermott.
5 Games, 5 Leading Scorers
Creighton has played five games this season, and had a different leading scorer in each contest.
Creighton had the exact same thing happen last season, with five different scoring leaders in the first five games.
Before these past two seasons, it hadn't happened in the previous 30 years.
What's Your Twenty?
Creighton has had a different player score 20 points or more in each of its last four games, as Isaiah Zierden, Cole Huff, Maurice Watson Jr. and Geoffrey Groselle have all reached that mark.
By comparison, last year Creighton had five players all year reach 20+ points (Austin Chatman, James Milliken, Toby Hegner, Will Artino and Zierden), and in the two previous years had only three players surpass 20 points in any game.
Fuller Reunites With Former Coach
Western Illinois senior guard J.C. Fuller leads the Leathernecks with 20.0 points per game this season, and part of that might be due to his development as a prep.
Fuller's high school coach at Sioux City (Iowa) East was Jeff Vanderloo, who is the current Director of Basketball Operations at Creighton.
McDermott Reaches 125 Wins
Wednesday's win over Massachusetts was the 125th on the Creighton sideline for head coach Greg McDermott.
He reached the milestone in his 183rd game at CU, quicker than all but the 175 games needed by Arthur A. Schabinger from 1922-35.
McDermott's .683 winning percentage is the best since Schabinger's .714 win rate.
With a win on Saturday, McDermott would tie Eddie Hickey for fifth in Creighton history with 126 victories with the Bluejay program.
Offense vs. Defense
Creighton ranks 24th nationally in scoring offense (88.6 ppg.), while Western Illinois is 13th in scoring defense (57.6).
The Leathernecks have not allowed more than 67 points per game this winter, and lost their final nine games last season when allowing 68 points or more.
Creighton has lost its last 16 games when scoring 67 points or less.
11 Deep
Creighton has used at least 11 players in all five contests, and Marlon Stewart in the past two games since he's returned to full health.
No one is averaging more than 29.2 minutes per game this winter.
Creighton has outscored foes 158-76 in bench points this year, including a 37-12 advantage in bench points vs. UMass.
Past Trips To Vegas
Earlier this week marked Creighton's sixth-ever trip to Las Vegas, with the Bluejays going 8-2 in those games.
Creighton has won six straight games played in Las Vegas, all since 2008, while winning three different tournaments in that span.
Below is a list of Creighton's past trips to Sin City:
Date Opponent CU Result
01/04/67 at UNLV W 71-70
01/02/69 at UNLV L 99-109
12/21/87 vs. Alaska W 85-84
12/23/87 at #15 UNLV L 59-90
12/22/08 vs. Fresno State W 84-65
12/23/08 vs. DePaul W 83-75
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin W 84-74
11/24/12 vs. Arizona State W 87-73
11/23/15 vs. Rutgers W 85-75
11/25/15 vs. Massachusetts W 97-76
Thomas Makes History
Khyri Thomas opened his Creighton career with 18 points in a win over Texas Southern, which earned him BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 16th.
Thomas is the first Bluejay in program history to be named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
Creighton's last player to be named league Freshman/Newcomer of the Week following the first week of the season was Doug McDermott on Nov. 15, 2010, when CU was in the Missouri Valley Conference. McDermott would go on to be named First-Team All-MVC and, MVC Newcomer fo the Year and MVC Freshman of the Year.
Double-Digits x 5
Maurice Watson Jr. has scored in double-figures during each of Creighton's first five games this season.
Watson joins Doug McDermott as the only Bluejays to open his career in double-figures during CU's first five games in the last 20 years. McDermott opened his 2010-11 campaign with eight straight games in double-figures.
The last Bluejay transfer to start his career with 10 or more points in each of CU's first five games was Wabash Valley JC transfer Tad Ackerman. Ackerman did it in six straight contests to open the 1994-95 season.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest double figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
Consec. Name, Class Year
all 35 Doug McDermott, So. 2011-12
all 32 Vernon Moore, Sr. 1984-85
28 Benoit Benjamin, Jr. 1984-85
27 Bob Harstad, Sr. 1990-91
16 Rod Mason, Sr. 1987-88
13 Rodney Buford, Sr. 1998-99
12 Gary Swain, Sr. 1986-87
10 Chad Gallagher, Sr. 1990-91
9 Rodney Buford, So. 1996-97
8 Benoit Benjamin, Fr. 1982-83
8 Gregory Brandon, Sr. 1983-84
8 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11
7 Jim Honz, Jr. 1979-80
6 Chad Gallagher, So. 1988-89
6 Randall Crutcher, So. 1994-95
6 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
6 Doug McDermott, Sr. 2013-14
5 Bob Harstad, Jr. 1989-90
5 Chad Gallagher, Fr. 1987-88
5 Matt Petty, Sr. 1992-93
5 Maurice Watson Jr., Jr. 2015-16
High Five
A pair of newcomers are leading Creighton in scoring through five games, as Cole Huff has 71 points and Maurice Watson Jr. has 70.
Since 1994-95, those figures trail only Doug McDermott's 72 points through five contests among newcomers.
McDermott had 86 points after his sixth career game, and would finish his career with 3,150 in 145 career games to rank fifth in NCAA history.
Most Points, Newcomers First 5 Games Since 1994-95
Pts. Name, Class Year After 6
72 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11 86
71 Cole Huff, Jr. 2015-16 TBD
70 Maurice Watson Jr., Jr. 2015-16 TBD
69 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96 71
61 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10 66
61 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08 73
63 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98 69
57 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10 63
55 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95 76
51 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02 62
50 Gregory Echenique, So. 2010-11 58
Among The Best
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, which coincides with Greg McDermott's arrival, Creighton has been the nation's second-most accurate team from three-point range.
The Bluejays are 1540-3926 from deep in that time, shooting 39.2 percent from deep in that span.
Best 3FG%, Since 2010-11
Rk. Pct. Team 3FG 3FGA
1. .395 Weber State 1272 3225
2. .392 Creighton 1540 3926
.392 Northern Colorado 1073 2732
4. .391 UC Davis 1274 3263
5. .390 Indiana 1234 3162
Shooting Stars
Creighton has proven to be one of the nation's best shooting teams since the 2010-11 season, which coincides with when Greg McDermott arrived at Creighton.
Check out the lists below that show various categories showcasing their dominance, through Nov. 25:
Most Games, 50% FG & 40% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 62 Creighton
2. 53 Denver
53 Gonzaga
4. 52 Belmont
52 Kansas
Most Games, 50% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 42 Creighton
2. 37 Northern Colorado
37 UCLA
4. 36 Rider
36 Weber State
Most Games, 40% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 95 Creighton
2. 91 Duke
3. 87 Weber State
4. 85 Indiana
5. 82 Denver
Most Games, 50% FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 88 Gonzaga
2. 82 Kansas
3. 78 Belmont
4. 77 Creighton
5. 73 Kentucky
Most Games, 60% FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 16 Ohio State
2. 15 Creighton
3. 13 Gonzaga
13 North Dakota State
13 Valparaiso
13 Kansas
Most Games, 25+ Assists
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 15 North Carolina
15 Michigan State
3. 14 Iona
4. 13 Creighton
5. 12 Memphis
12 Sam Houston State
Hanson Find His Range
Zach Hanson has shown fine shooting touch in the early season, missing just four shots to date.
Hanson made 4-of-4 field goal attempts in the exhibition win over Upper Iowa, the win over UTSA, and the game at Indiana.
More recently, Hanson was 5-for-8 in Las Vegas earlier in the week.
Not only is Hanson shooting 76.5 percent (13-17) from the floor this year, but he's also perfect in seven free-throw attempts.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton has averaged 88.6 points per game in its first five regular-season contests to date.
Greg McDermott is 31-0 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 25-0 mark on the Creighton sideline.
Creighton has won 69 straight games when scoring 90 or more points at all sites since a Jan. 11, 1988 loss to Southern Illinois.
Creighton has won 53 straight games when scoring 40 or more points in the first half, since a Nov. 21, 2010 loss to Iowa State.
Creighton is 50-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 22 straight wins since a 1977 loss to North Texas State.
A 60 Point Half!
Creighton scored 61 points in the first half last Tuesday vs. UTSA, tying a CenturyLink Center Omaha record first done in the second half vs. Houston Baptist on Dec. 12, 2007.
It was also the most points in any first half since scoring 61 vs. Drake on Feb. 3, 1990.
Creighton had not scored 60 points in any half since doing so in the first half on Nov. 25, 2011 vs. Campbell, and the 61 were tied for its second-most point in any half since 1996-97, trailing only a 63-point outburst in the second half of the 2002-03 opener vs. Texas-Arlington.
Creighton scored 60 points in a half for the second time this year when it did so in the second half of a 97-76 win over Massachusetts on Nov. 25th.
Malik's Magic
Junior guard Malik Albert got extended run on Nov. 17 vs. UTSA with Maurice Watson Jr. saddled to the bench with two personal fouls. The Detroit native responded in a big way, finishing with 10 assists in 20 minutes of work. The 10 assists led to 28 points from his Bluejay teammates.
In the process, Albert became the nation's third reserve with 10 or more assists in 20 minutes or less in a win against a Division I team since 2010-11. He joins Kansas's Naadir Tharpe (12 assists in 20 minutes vs. American on Dec. 29, 2012) and Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Smith (10 assists in 20 minutes on Nov. 20, 2013 vs. Central Arkansas).
Per STATS Inc., Albert became the second BIG EAST reserve since 2004-05 with 10+ assists in 20 minutes or less against a Division I team, joining Marquette's Maurice Acker (12/28/08 vs. Presbyterian).
Albert is Creighton's only player in the last 30 years to have a game of 10 or more assists as a reserve.
The Fast And The Furious
Creighton had a whopping 30 fast break points in its Nov. 14 win over Texas Southern, added 24 more last Tuesday vs. UTSA. In all, Creighton has 79 fast break points already this winter.
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 (before Texas Southern on Nov. 14) was listed as 24 vs. Kennesaw State on Nov. 26, 2010.
The Link Turns Into The Dunk Tank
Creighton put down seven dunks in its Nov. 14 opener vs. Texas Southern, as Khyri Thomas (3), Martin Krampelj (2), Geoffrey Groselle (1) and Malik Albert (1) all got into the act above the rim.
On Nov. 17 vs. UTSA, Thomas had two more dunks while Zach Hanson rocked the rim for the first time in 2015-16.
Thomas also had a pair of dunks on Nov. 19 at No. 14 Indiana.
Combined with 25 dunks in three games while in Italy, and four dunks in the exhibition season, Creighton has now put down 42 dunks in nine 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.
The 2015-16 season has seen Creighton reach 90 points in each of its first two games this season, just the fourth time that's happened. Each of the previous three times (1973-74, 2011-12, 2013-14), the Bluejays would reach the NCAA Tournament and then win at last one game in the Big Dance.
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
November Reign
Creighton is a perfect 51-0 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th.
Creighton has won 52 of its 53 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012.
Overall, Creighton is 70-15 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Creighton has also won 60 of its last 62 regular-season non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.
Playing With The Lead
In 205 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 53 of those contests, a staggering 25.9 percent of the time, including once (UTSA) this year.
Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is 75-15 and hasn't trailed in 28 of those games.
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
More Debut News
Some more facts of interest about players making their Bluejay debut.
Creighton started three players on Nov. 14 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 Nov. 14 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.
He did even better on Nov. 17 vs. UTSA, scoring a career-high 24 points in 23 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 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 1,758 three-pointers and is also sixth in league history with 43.3 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Nov. 26). 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 4.4 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 95 points per game and is second in the NBA by shooting 48.9 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.
This year's team is averaging 16,559 fans per game after two home dates, which ranks seventh nationally.
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
16,559 so far Creighton 2015-16
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
Long-Distance Streak Surpasses 700
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 718 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's streak of games with at least 15 trey attempts stands at 81, which is second-longest nationally.
Courtesy Stats Inc., below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks, through games of Nov. 21.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (thru 11/21)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 943 UNLV 11/23
2. 942 Kentucky 11/24
3. 934 Vanderbilt 11/23
4. 915 Duke 11/22
5. 874 Western Kentucky 11/23
6. 872 Arkansas 11/25
7. 862 East Tennessee State 11/22
8. 860 Pacific 11/23
9. 836 Oakland 11/22
10. 827 Texas 11/25
11. 817 Princeton 11/25
12. 800 Florida 11/22
13. 781 La Salle 11/23
14. 776 Marshall 11/24
15. 769 Baylor 11/23
16. 748 Cornell 11/23
17. 747 LIU-Brooklyn 11/22
18. 739 Gonzaga 11/25
19. 728 Tennessee State 11/24
20. 727 Mount St. Mary's 11/26
21. 724 Samford 11/23
22. 719 East Carolina 11/23
23. 716 Creighton 11/23
24. 682 Lafayette 11/23
25. 680 DePaul 11/22
26. 672 Davidson 11/23
Longest Active Streaks of 15+ 3FG Attempts
(Source: STATS Inc., thru Nov. 25)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 138 Coppin State 11/28
2. 81 Creighton 11/28
3. 72 Iona 12/1
4. 70 San Jose State 11/27
5. 63 Lipscomb 11/27
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 39-33 (.542) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 63-8 (.887) 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 91-21 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 53 straight games under McDermott when scoring 40 or more points in the first half.
CU has also won 70 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 205 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 13-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own an 172-33 (.839) 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 15,543-13,135 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.75 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 53 different times, including once this year (UTSA).
Creighton is also 25-19 all-time in the 44 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
Creighton is 75-15 (.833) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 42-3 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 191-33 (.853) 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 109-6 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 97 of the last 99 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 (to end 2014-15)
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 end 2014-15)
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 end 2014-15)
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 125-58 on the Creighton sideline early in his sixth year at the helm. The 125 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. 125-58 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 88-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 100-0 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 77.52 points per home game (6,977 points in 90 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 110-0 at home (81-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more, and 92-0 at home (65-0 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
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.
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 BasketballMeet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Ty Davis
Friday, August 15
