Friday, November 6
CenturyLink Center Omaha
7:01 PM
Creighton University
vs
Upper Iowa (Ex.)
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Men's Basketball Opens Home Exhibition Season Friday vs. Upper Iowa
11/3/2015 7:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jays look to extend streak of 14 straight home exhibition wins
Download Game Notes as a PDF
Exhibition Game #1 vs. Upper Iowa • Friday, Nov. 6, 2015 • 7:01 p.m.
Upper Iowa Peacocks at Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: None
Series History: Teams have never met in regular-season
Last Meeting: None
Next Game
Creighton opens the 2015-16 season with an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 6 vs. Upper Iowa.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7:01 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2015-16 season, including Friday's exhibition. John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
The pregame show "Bluejay Shootaround" will air from 6:00 - 6:30 pm.
Following the game, Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host "Overtime" for approximately one hour, while also taking calls from listeners.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics will offer a free high-definition webcast of Friday's exhibition.
To watch the webcast, visit Creighton's new website at GoCreighton.com/watch.
GoCreighton.com will also have a free webcast of the postgame press conference at the same link.
Television Broadcast Information
Friday's exhibition will not be televised.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns nine lettermen and one starter from last year's team that finished 14-19 and tied for ninth in the BIG EAST with a 4-14 league mark.
Guards James Milliken (9.6 ppg.) and Isaiah Zierden (9.5 ppg.) are the top returning scorers, while Toby Hegner (6.7 ppg.) is the lone returning starter from last year's club.
A talented group of newcomers, led by transfers Maurice Watson Jr. (13.3 ppg., 7.1 apg., in 2013-14 at Boston) and Cole Huff (12.4 ppg., 5.4 rpg., in 2013-14 at Nevada), are also expected to make significant contributions.
The Bluejays got a head start on the season this summer with 10 practices in Omaha and three games in Italy. Five men averaged in double-figures in Italy, led by Huff's 14.3 ppg., as the Bluejays outscored the opposition by an average of 109-42.
Scouting Upper Iowa
Upper Iowa is 0-3 on the season after dropping three straight games in Anaheim, Calif., last weekend against Division II teams.
Josh Weeber led the Peacocks with 22 points in a 74-71 loss to Alaska-Anchorage on Friday, Luke Lenhart recorded 18 points in a 90-75 setback against No. 15 Western Washington on Saturday, and Carson Parker tallied 18 points in a 77-75 loss to No. 11 California Baptist on Sunday.
The Peacocks were picked seventh in the 16-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, its highest projection since joining the league 10 years ago.
Last year's Upper Iowa team went 17-13 overall but lost its top two scorers. The Peacocks expect Jimmy Roth (9.6 ppg., last year), Jordan Hay (10.1 ppg., 5.0 rpg.) and Weeber (9.2 ppg.) to lead the way in 2015-16.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) enters his sixth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 121-57 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 401-252 entering his 22nd season and is 270-188 entering his 15th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
Brooks McKowen (Northern Iowa, 2007) is 33-30 in his third season at Upper Iowa, which doubles as his career record. McKowen played for Greg McDermott and Ben Jacobson at UNI before serving as a graduate assistant and video coordinator at his alma mater for three years. He then was an assistant at both Des Moines Area Community College and Southwest Minnesota State before accepting his current position. He is assisted by Matt Fletcher, David Dahl and Trevor Hook.
The Series With Upper Iowa
Creighton and Upper Iowa have never met.
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.
The McDermott-McKowen Connection
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott and Upper Iowa head coach Brooks McKowen have a relationship that dates more than a dozen years when McDermott recruited McKowen to play for him at Northern Iowa.
McKowen arrived as a highly-touted prospect, having been named Iowa's "Mr. Basketball" after setting state prep records for points in a season (1,002) and career (2,831) that still stand.
At UNI, McKowen helped lead the Panthers to three trips to the NCAA Tournament, scoring 856 points and ranking second in school history with assists and fourth in games played.
Among his teammates at UNI were Matt Schneiderman, who is in his first season as a volunteer coach at Creighton.
McKowen Against Creighton
Though this will be his first time as a head coach against Creighton, Upper Iowa's Brooks McKowen is no stranger to facing Creighton.
McKowen played in eight career games for Northern Iowa against Creighton. He made a strong first impression, making 6-of-7 three-pointers on Jan. 14, 2004 while scoring 24 points in an 82-73 victory over Creighton at the UNI-Dome. That performance helped upset No. 24 Creighton, and CU's best start (12-0) since 1942-43.
McKowen lost his final seven games against Creighton, including all four contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
For his career, McKowen averaged 10.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from three-point range and 83.9 percent at the line in eight games against the Bluejays.
Upper Iowa Goes Up A Weight Class
Creighton is the first Division I team to face Upper Iowa this winter, but by no means is it the first time the Peacocks have stepped up a division in the preseason. Below is a summary of their last eight seasons of exhibition games against Division I foes:
Last year Upper Iowa fell 83-66 at eventual NCAA Tournament foe Northern Iowa in a homecoming of sorts for Brooks McKowen.
In 2013, Upper Iowa lost 85-83 at Bradley on a game decided by Walt Lemon Jr.'s game-winning shot with 0.2 left in regulation.
In 2012 Upper Iowa lost 68-54 at Bradley and 73-62 at Southern Illinois. By comparison, Creighton's MVC regular-season and tournament champion club downed the Braves 80-62 and the Salukis 81-51 that same season on the road.
In 2011, Drake bettered Upper Iowa by an 83-58 score. That same season, MVC Tournament champion Creighton won at Drake, 77-69.
In the fall of 2010, Upper Iowa lost at Missouri State, 73-46. That same year, Creighton lost 67-66 in Springfield to the eventual MVC regular-season champion Bears.
In 2009, Upper Iowa lost at Northern Iowa (67-39) and Drake (74-58).
In 2008, Upper Iowa lost at Milwaukee (87-59) and at South Dakota State (69-65).
In 2007, Upper Iowa lost at Oral Roberts (86-61) and at Milwaukee (78-53).
Crowd Watch
Upper Iowa averaged 356 fans per home game last season, and played before a grand total of 'just' 17,350 total fans in 15 contests away from home last year.
Last year Creighton averaged 17,048 in 17 regular-season games at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton's largest exhibition attendance in school history was 16,317 on Nov. 7, 2014 vs. Sioux Falls last year.
Senior Review
Creighton had seven seniors on last year's team. Here's an update of what they're up to nowadays:
Improbably, both Will Artino and Devin Brooks are playing for the same professional team in Estonia. Artino is averaging 18.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for Rapla, while Brooks aveages 11.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
Austin Chatman plays for Mornar Bar in Montenegro, where he's averaging 10.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Gabriel Connealy is attending grad school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he is seeking a Masters degree in Animal Science.
Avery Dingman plays for Hopsi Polzela in Slovenia, where he scored 17 points in his only game to date while making 6-of-7 shots.
Rick Kreklow plays in Germany for Bayer Giants, where he's averaged 10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
Mogboluwaga Oginni is in the Pre-Medical Post-Baccalaureate program at Creighton.
Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 40-6 since 1987 in fall exhibition games thanks to 14 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged 12 years ago and later changed their name to EA Sports.
A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since 1987 can be found on page four of this release.
McDermott's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 22-0 in exhibition games as a Division I head coach, including a 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 5-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs has been by double-digits.
Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date McD School Opponent Result
2001-02 UNI London Leopards W 89-74
2001-02 UNI Lake Superior St. W 74-63
2002-03 UNI Dominican Nat'l Team W 73-56
2002-03 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 90-76
2003-04 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 89-79
2003-04 UNI Australian Select Team W 92-58
2004-05 UNI Dubuque W 93-34
2004-05 UNI SW Minnesota St. W 71-40
2005-06 UNI Lewis W 77-50
2005-06 UNI Wayne State W 74-57
11/03/06 Iowa State EA Sports W 58-57
11/06/06 Iowa State Wayne State W 55-41
11/01/07 Iowa State Dubuque W 66-38
11/04/07 Iowa State EA Sports W 74-63
11/08/08 Iowa State Nebraska-Omaha W 74-54
11/02/09 Iowa State Black Hills State W 96-47
11/06/09 Iowa State UNC-Pembroke W 106-54
11/04/10 Creighton Northern State W 79-67
11/06/11 Creighton Rockhurst W 81-42
11/02/12 Creighton Mary W 89-51
11/01/13 Creighton Northern State W 89-61
11/07/14 Creighton Sioux Falls W 91-72
Newcomer Report
Four players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform last season in the exhibition win against Sioux Falls as Rick Kreklow, Leon Gilmore III, Ronnie Harrell Jr. and Gabriel Connealy combined for 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a combined 34 minutes of action in Creighton's 91-72 triumph.
Below is a look at the last four years and how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts:
2014
Kreklow, Gilmore III, Connealy, Harrell Jr.
10 pts., 9 reb., 5 ast., 34 min. (W 91-72)
2013
Ferrarini/Brooks/Clement/Harris/Burns
Milliken/Roberts/Hegner/Hanson
26 pts., 8 reb., 10 ast., 52 min. (W 89-61)
2012
Kelling/Yates/Zierden
8 pts., 11 reb., 4 ast., 39 min. (W 89-51)
2011
Gibbs/Chatman/Olsen/Dingman
Groselle/Johnson/Oginni
22 pts., 11 reb., 8 ast., 70 min. (W 81-42)
Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
If any of Creighton's true freshmen get a starting nod in Friday's exhibition, they'll join some rare company.
To find the last Creighton true freshman to start the team's exhibition opener, you'd have to go all the way back to Nov. 14, 1988. That's when Latrell Wrightsell had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey.
Ryan Sears, who started all 124 regular-season games of his illustrious career from 1997-2001, came off the bench for his exhibition debut before replacing Matt West in the second exhibition game of the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears had remained the last CU true freshman to start a Creighton regular-season opener (1997-98), until Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11. McDermott started all 145 games of his career but also came off the bench in his first exhibition game.
Last season Toby Hegner started Creighton's first exhibition game, but he did so as a redshirt freshman. Hegner would also start CU's first 21 regular-season games in 2014-15.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns just one regular starter (Toby Hegner) from last year's team that finished 14-19. Creighton's roster contains players who made 64 starts a year ago (28 by Hegner, 12 by James Milliken, 9 by Geoffrey Groselle, 8 by Zach Hanson and 7 by Isaiah Zierden), and a combined 64 career starts as Bluejays. Three of the most experienced Bluejays, Maurice Watson Jr. (63 starts at Boston), Cole Huff (46 starts at Nevada) and Marcus Foster (57 starts at Kansas State) have never worn a Bluejay uniform in a game that counts.
This year marks just the third time since 1986-87 that Creighton returns one starter or less (also 2007-08; Dane Watts and 2014-15 Austin Chatman).
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2015-16 1 64 ? ? ?
2014-15 1 49 14-19
2013-14 4 144 27-8
2012-13 4 140 28-8
2011-12 3 101 29-6
2010-11 4 123 23-16
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish ninth in its third season as BIG EAST Conference members according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Villanova was picked first with 81 points and nine first-place votes, while Georgetown (70, 1), Butler (67), Xavier (55) and Providence (45) round out the top half. The predicted lower half was Marquette (44), Seton Hall (27), DePaul (25), Creighton (23) and St. John's (13).
Creighton did not have any honorees on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Teams, which was led by Preseason Player of the Year Kris Dunn from Providence.
Zierden Returns From Second Knee Injury
Isaiah Zierden is slated to play on Friday 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.
NBA Representation
This year marks the second time since 1970 (joining last season) that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Detroit Pistsons) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
Including 2015-16, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 32 of the last 33 years.
Korver ranks 11th in NBA history with 1,733 three-pointers and is also sixth in league history with 43.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Nov. 2). 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 5.5 points per game this season for the Pistons, his 10th NBA organization.
McDermott is in his second season with the Chicago Bulls, where he's averaging 8.5 points per game and shooting 58.3 percent from three-point range for fellow Ames High alum Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg, ironically, is the same man who replaced Greg McDermott as Iowa State's head coach in 2010.
Productive Offense?
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the since Greg McDermott took over in 2010-11:
2010-11 to 2014-15
Category Stat NCAA Rank
3FG Percentage .3930 2nd
Assists 2,856 3rd
FG Percentage .4768 4th
3FG Made 1,492 4th
Assists/Game 16.045 5th
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.382 5th
3FG Made/Game 8.382 9th
FG Made 4,555 22nd
Wins 121 T-25th
Winning Percentage .6798 T-34th
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 15 of the last 17 seasons (including 2014-15), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just three schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 17 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
Kentucky , Florida, Texas and Syracuse have each done it in 16 of the last 17 seasons.
Along with Arizona, Xavier, Kent State and Connecticut, Creighton is one of five schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 15 of the past 17 years.
Eight Out Of 17 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 17 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (13), Duke (10), Winthrop (9) and Creighton (8).
Full House
Last year's Creighton team averaged 17,048 fans in 17 home dates, good for sixth-nationally, and better than 11 NBA franchises.
It's the 10th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the fourth straight season in the top-six nationally in attendance, as well.
Last year Creighton was the nation's first team to average 17,000+ fans, despite a losing record, since Louisville in 2000-01.
2014-15 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average
1. Syracuse 23,854
2. Kentucky 23,572
3. Louisville 22,030
4. North Carolina 19,582
5. Wisconsin 17,279
6. Creighton 17,048
7. Kansas 16,383
8. Indiana 16,288
9. BYU 16,125
10. Nebraska 15,569
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
17,048 Creighton 2014-15
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has one player from Iowa on this season's team (Eldridge native Marlon Stewart), continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps.
Past notable Iowa preps include Doug McDermott (Ames), Grant Gibbs (Marion), Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa prep in 689 straight non-exhibition games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Long-Distance Streak Surpasses 700
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 713 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the 23rd-longest active streak.
Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
Creighton has also made four or more three-pointers in 68 straight games, the nation's third-longest such string. That streak began in CU's 2013-14 season-opener.
Courtesy Stats Inc., below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active Streaks of 4+ 3FG's
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 70 Villanova 11/13
2. 69 Iona 11/15
3. 68 Creighton 11/14
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 940 UNLV 11/13
2. 939 Kentucky 11/13
3. 931 Vanderbilt 11/13
4. 911 Duke 11/13
5. 871 Western Kentucky 11/14
6. 869 Arkansas 11/13
7. 859 East Tennessee State 11/14
8. 857 Pacific 11/13
9. 835 Oakland 11/18
10. 825 Texas 11/13
11. 815 Princeton 11/13
12. 797 Florida 11/13
13. 779 La Salle 11/14
14. 775 Marshall 11/19
15. 766 Baylor 11/13
16. 745 LIU-Brooklyn 11/16
17. 744 Cornell 11/13
18. 737 Gonzaga 11/13
19. 724 Tennessee State 11/13
20. 723 Mount St. Mary's 11/13
21. 721 Samford 11/13
22. 716 East Carolina 11/13
23. 713 Creighton 11/14
24. 679 Lafayette 11/13
25. 676 DePaul 11/14
26. 670 Davidson 11/14
Très Bien
Creighton made 39-of-91 three-pointers (42.9 percent) in its BIG EAST victories last season, but just 93-for-299 (31.1 percent) from deep in its league losses.
For the season Creighton shot 34.5 percent from three-point land.
In the previous four years under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 37-33 (.529) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 61-8 (.884) mark the last four years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 87-21 in the previous four years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 11-20 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
Early Birds Get The Win
When Creighton's offense gets rolling under Greg McDermott, the results have been evident. Creighton has won 50 straight games under McDermott when scoring 40 or more points in the first half.
CU has also won 68 straight home games when scoring 40 or more points in the first half dating to a Feb. 3, 2002 loss to Southern Illinois, including a perfect 60-0 mark at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
NCAA Success
Creighton is one of 18 schools to have won an NCAA Tournament game in at least three of the last four seasons.
Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina are the only five teams to have won at least one game all four seasons.
The list of teams with an NCAA win in three of the last four campaigns consists of Arizona, Creighton, Florida, Iowa State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oregon, Saint Louis, San Diego State, Syracuse, Wichita State and Wisconsin.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 203 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 13-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own an 170-33 (.837) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (10-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 15,347-12,987 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.63 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 52 different times, including four times last year.
Creighton is also 25-19 all-time in the 44 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
Creighton is 73-15 (.830) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 40-3 record vs. non-conference teams.
Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 189-33 (.851) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 14 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including three games last year, and seven such comebacks away from home.
On Nov. 19, 2014, Creighton trailed 42-24 to No. 18 Oklahoma with 18:30 to go before putting together a comeback for the ages. It was CU's largest comeback victory under Greg McDermott (see chart below), the second-largest since 2000 (see chart below), and the second-biggest in the history of CenturyLink Center Omaha (see chart, left column on page two).
On the other hand, CU is 105-6 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 93 of the last 95 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
14 Evansville 02/21/12
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
Winning Formulas
Below are the records for each current BIG EAST school over the previous four, eight and 14 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins, through games of the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
Most Wins Since 2000-01
Team W L
Butler 358 146
Xavier 353 149
Creighton 349 155
Villanova 337 165
Marquette 327 170
Georgetown 325 164
Providence 258 216
Seton Hall 244 224
St. John's 234 234
DePaul 193 271
Most Wins - Last 10 Years (2005-06 to Present)
Team W L
Butler 252 97
Villanova 243 98
Xavier 237 106
Georgetown 230 102
Creighton 230 113
Marquette 221 119
Providence 170 150
Seton Hall 166 152
St. John's 164 155
DePaul 114 200
Most Wins - Last 4 Years (2011-12 to Present)
Team W L
Creighton 98 41
Villanova 95 41
Georgetown 89 42
Butler 86 52
Xavier 84 54
Marquette 83 51
Providence 79 56
St. John's 71 60
Seton Hall 69 63
DePaul 47 81
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 121-57 on the Creighton sideline entering his sixth year at the helm. The 121 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first five seasons.
How good are McDermott's 121 wins in his fifth season? The only coach to start his Creighton career with more than 108 wins after SIX seasons was Tom Apke (109). Apke also owned the best previous mark after five seasons, going 93-43 to open his career on the Bluejay sideline.
Most Wins at CU, First Five Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 5 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 121-57
Tom Apke 1974-78 93-43
Eddie Sutton 1969-73 82-50
Tony Barone 1985-89 78-74
Red McManus 1959-63 78-53
Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather's Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is a perfect 86-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 98-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 77.06 points per home game (6,781 points in 88 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 108-0 at home (79-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 90-0 at home (63-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000.
Full House
The 2014-15 season included two of the school's top-16 home crowds ever. Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,868 Providence 03/08/14
2. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
3. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
4. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
5. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
6. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
7. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
8. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
9. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
10. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
11. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
12. 18,160 Central Arkansas 11/14/14
13. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
14. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
15. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
16. 17,971 #19 Butler 02/16/15
17. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
18. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
19. 17,694 Indiana State 01/05/13
20. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 13 of the previous 15 seasons. All but one of Creighton's last 15 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball Availability - 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
Meet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
