Friday, November 4
Omaha, Neb.
7:00 PM
Creighton University
vs
Wayne State
Cole Huff
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
No. 22 Men's Basketball Opens 2016-17 Season Friday vs. UMKC
11/8/2016 9:38:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Bluejays look to win 22nd straight home opener
Download Notes as a PDF
Game #1: UMKC at No. 22 Creighton • Friday, Nov. 11, 2016 • 8:01 p.m.
UMKC Kangaroos at No. 22 Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, KOOO 101.9 FM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: See complete FOX affiliates listing in the notes below, as well as
DirecTV 671-1; AT&T U-Verse Channels 747 & 1747; Dish Network
Series History: Creighton leads, 8-3
Last Meeting: Creighton 96, UMKC 70 on Nov. 11, 2013 in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
No. 22 Creighton opens the 2016-17 regular season with a game on Friday, Nov. 11 vs. UMKC.
Tip-off at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 8:01 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2016-17 season, including Friday's exhibition, while KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games.
John Bishop and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler will call the action.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Available
Friday's game will air live on FOX Sports Midwest (Nebraska, Kansas & KC Plus); FOX Sports North (Plus), FOX Sports Southeast (non-Hornets); FOX Sports Southwest (Plus), FOX Sports Wisconsin; Sports Time Ohio; MASN 2; FOX Sports Detroit (Plus), FOX Sports Florida (non-Magic) and FOX Sports Arizona, DirecTV channel 671-1, AT&T U-verse channel 747 (SD) and 1747 (HD) and Dish Network channel 444 or 412-32.
Steve Physioc and Nick Bahe will handle announcing duties.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Friday'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.
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 No. 22 Creighton
Ranked 22nd in the preseason AP poll, Creighton returns 11 lettermen and four starters from last year's team that finished 20-15 and sixth in the BIG EAST Conference with a 9-9 league record. The Bluejays won a pair of postseason games before falling in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament.
Maurice Watson Jr. leads a talented group of returners after topping the Bluejays in both scoring (14.1 ppg.) and assists (6.5 apg.) last season. He's been voted on the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team.
Two other seniors that averaged in double-figures, Cole Huff (11.3 ppg.) and Isaiah Zierden (10.2 ppg.) have returned from off-season surgery to the Bluejay line-up.
The fourth returning starter is sophomore wing Khyri Thomas (6.2 ppg., 3.7 rpg.), who regained his confidence during the team's postseason run.
A strong crop of newcomers also figures to play a vital role. Marcus Foster averaged 14.1 points per game over two seasons at Kansas State, while Justin Patton was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year list before ever playing a collegiate game. Both men redshirted at Creighton last year.
Three true freshman guards are also in the mix for playing time, Davion Mintz, Kobe Paras and Jordan Scurry.
Creighton placed five men in double-figures as it smashed Wayne State, 93-46, in its lone public exhibition last Friday.
Scouting UMKC
UMKC went 12-19 last season, and returns three starters and eight lettermen from that group. Spearheading that group is senior guard Martez Harrison, who averaged 15.4 points and 4.2 assists per game last season. Harrison was named 2014-15 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year as well as honorable-mention All-American by the AP.
The Kangaroos defeated Missouri S&T last Saturday, 79-55, in an exhibition game, with Harrison's 14 points leading the way.
UMKC was picked by WAC coaches to tie for fifth in the league, with Harrison being a first-team all-conference pick and LaVell Boyd (14.1 ppg., 3.4 rpg.) a second-team choice.
The Series With UMKC
Creighton is 8-3 all-time against UMKC, with Friday marking the three-year anniversary of the team's last meeting (a 96-70 CU win in Omaha).
Creighton has won the last four meetings in the series at all sites, and has won all six previous encounters in Omaha.
The last time these teams met Doug McDermott had 37 points in 31 minutes, while Isaiah Zierden had 10 points off the bench in his second career game.
Greg McDermott is 1-0 against Kareem Richardson, and 3-1 in his career against UMKC (1-0 at Creighton, 2-1 at Northern Iowa).
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) enters his seventh season as head coach at Creighton. He is 141-72 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 421-267 entering his 23rd season and is 290-203 entering his 16th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
Kareem Richardson (Evansville, 1997) enters this fourth season as a head coach at UMKC with a 36-58 record, which doubles as his career mark. He is assisted by Angres Thorpe, Chris Hollender and Conner Hampton.
Creighton / UMKC Connections
UMKC head coach Kareem Richardson spent four seasons (2003-07) as assistant coach at Evansville when current Creighton assistant to the head coach Steve Merfeld was the head coach of the Purple Aces.
Former UMKC head coach Rich Zvosec (2001-07) is the father of Creighton's current Assistant Director of Marketing & Promotions, Colin Zvosec.
Former UMKC player Kirk Korver (2009-14) is the youngest brother of former Creighton players Kyle Korver (1999-2003) and Kaleb Korver (2007-2011).
Friday Night Lights
Creighton doesn't play many Friday home games, but judging by its success, it might not be a bad idea for the future.
Creighton has won every Friday home game it's played since Dec. 2, 1989 by double-digits.
In fact, the last time Creighton lost a Friday home game came on Dec. 12, 1975, when Greg McDermott was 11 years old, and it was nearly 23 years before current Bluejay freshman Davion Mintz was born.
The UMKC contest is Creighton's first of two scheduled home games for a Friday this season, joining the game against Longwood that was recently moved up a day to a 6:30 p.m. start on Friday, Dec. 9.
Jays At Home Against Winless Teams
Creighton's opponent on Friday, UMKC, is 0-0 on the young season. The Bluejays have won 34 straight home games against teams that are winless entering the night, winning those games by an average of 26.85 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 93 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
0-2 UTSA W 103-78 11/17/15
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 53 of its 54 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012.
Overall, Creighton is 71-15 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Creighton has also won 65 of its last 68 regular-season non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.
Season Opener History
Including last year'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 year'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 won each of the last 14 season openers he's coached in, as he is 14-1 at the Division I level in season-openers. That includes double-digit victories in all six games on the Creighton sideline. 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
Hello, World
Creighton has four players that could make their collegiate debut on Friday night: Davion Mintz, Kobe Paras, Justin Patton, Jordan Scurry.
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
Krampelj 11 8 2 0 14
Huff (@UNR) 9 5 0 0 17
Hanson 9 2 0 0 11
Harrell 8 4 2 1 13
Foster• (@KSU) 8 4 2 0 30
Watson• (@BU) 6 1 4 0 23
Zierden 5 3 3 0 24
Joseph (@SU)• 4 5 7 2 23
Hegner 4 3 1 0 21
Clement 3 1 1 1 9
•indicates game started
Making An Entrance
With 18 points vs. Texas Southern last season, 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.
Six 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
Huff, 2015 12 6 2 1 23 W 93-70
Watson, 2015 10 0 7 1 24 W 93-70
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 in last year's opener 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, while Thomas went on to start 28 times in 34 appearances last year, including his first 24.
Playing With The Lead
Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in eight of the past 16 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12 and 2014-15).
In 222 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 61 of those contests, a staggering 27.5 percent of the time.
Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is 87-20 and hasn't trailed in 36 of those games.
Big Margin Can Lead To Big Things
Creighton's 93-70 win last year vs. Texas Southern was the third straight year the team has scored 90 or more points in a season-opener.
Of Creighton's 19 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, nine 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.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 20-15 NIT
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
Quest For 17,000
Creighton has scored 16,910 points all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha, so it's likely the Jays will surpass 17,000 in its two-game homestand to open the season.
Creighton has currently outscored the opposition 16,910 to 14,267 at the 14-year old facility in 222 all-time games in the building that count.
Creighton is 15-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CenturyLink Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (CLCO Game #) Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04 1,000-787 (14) Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05 2,000-1,696 (28) Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06 3,000-2,504 (41) Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07 4,000-3,359 (56) Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07 5,000-4,174 (69) Ka. Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08 6,000-5,048 (82) Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09 7,000-5,870 (95) Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10 8,000-6,750 (109) Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10 9,000-7,645 (123) Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
03/23/11 10,000-8,500 (136) Lawson FG vs. UCF
01/21/12 11,000-9,310 (148) McDermott FG vs. Ind. St.
12/19/12 12,000-10,136 (161) Echenique FG vs. Tulsa
11/23/13 13,000-10,922 (173) Artino FG vs. Tulsa
02/23/14 14,000-11,711 (185) Gibbs FG vs. Seton Hall
01/28/15 15,000-12,612 (198) Hanson FT vs. St. John's
12/28/15 16,000-13,498 (211) Huff FG vs. Coppin State
Recent Exhibition History
Including last Friday's win over Wayne State, Creighton is 42-6 since 1987 in fall exhibition games thanks to 16 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which eventually merged and 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
Last Friday's win over Wayne State saw Greg McDermott improve 24-0 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 7-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs has been by double-digits.
Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date McD School Opponent Result
2001-02 UNI London Leopards W 89-74
2001-02 UNI Lake Superior St. W 74-63
2002-03 UNI Dominican Nat'l Team W 73-56
2002-03 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 90-76
2003-04 UNI H.P. Minnesota W 89-79
2003-04 UNI Australian Select Team W 92-58
2004-05 UNI Dubuque W 93-34
2004-05 UNI SW Minnesota St. W 71-40
2005-06 UNI Lewis W 77-50
2005-06 UNI Wayne State W 74-57
11/03/06 Iowa State EA Sports W 58-57
11/06/06 Iowa State Wayne State W 55-41
11/01/07 Iowa State Dubuque W 66-38
11/04/07 Iowa State EA Sports W 74-63
11/08/08 Iowa State Nebraska-Omaha W 74-54
11/02/09 Iowa State Black Hills State W 96-47
11/06/09 Iowa State UNC-Pembroke W 106-54
11/04/10 Creighton Northern State W 79-67
11/06/11 Creighton Rockhurst W 81-42
11/02/12 Creighton Mary W 89-51
11/01/13 Creighton Northern State W 89-61
11/07/14 Creighton Sioux Falls W 91-72
11/06/15 Creighton Upper Iowa W 113-77
11/04/16 Creighton Wayne State W 93-46
Closed Scrimmage A Success
Creighton played Missouri in a closed scrimmage on October 30th. The Bluejays and Tigers tied the first half, 41-41, before the score and fouls were reset. CU won the final 20 minutes, 45-31. Marcus Foster led Creighton with 23 points, while Maurice Watson Jr. added a team-best six assists.
Greg McDermott was pleased with how the afternoon went. "It was great to be back on the floor against another team in a competition setting. We did some things well but still have plenty of room to improve. We've been banged up with injuries, but I was pleased we were able to get 12 men double-figure minutes on the afternoon."
Two years ago UMKC stunned Missouri in the season-opener in Columbia, 69-61. Martez Harrison scored 26 points in that game to spark the upset.
Nationally Ranked, Again
Creighton is ranked No. 22 in the preseason Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll.
It's just the third time in program history the AP has voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19) and 2012-13 (No. 16).
Creighton was last ranked the week of Nov. 24, 2014, when it was No. 23 in the country but dropped out after a 2-1 week. The No. 22 ranking is the best since Creighton was No. 16 on March 17, 2014.
In program history, CU has now been ranked 69 weeks, with 41 of those under the direction of seventh-year head coach Greg McDermott.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish third in its fourth 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 Xavier and Creighton round out the top three. Seton Hall and Georgetown tied for fourth place, while Butler, Marquette, St. John's, Providence and DePaul rounded out the bottom half.
Creighton guard Maurice Watson Jr. was named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, while Marcus Foster was picked to be a Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable-Mention choice.
Newcomer Report
Four players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform last Friday in the win against Wayne State as Marcus Foster, Davion Mintz, Kobe Paras and Jordan Scurry combined for 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in a combined 55 minutes of action in Creighton's 93-46 triumph.
Below is a look at the last five years and how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts:
2016
Foster/Mintz/Paras/Scurry
23 pts., 8 reb., 5 ast., 55 min. (W 93-46)
2015
Thomas/Huff/Watson Jr./Patton/Albert, Krampelj/O'Neill/Cayce/Stewart
61 pts., 16 reb., 14 ast., 92 min. (W 113-77)
2014
Kreklow/Gilmore III/Connealy/Harrell Jr.
10 pts., 9 reb., 5 ast., 34 min. (W 91-72)
2013
Ferrarini/Brooks/Clement/Harris/Burns
Milliken/Roberts/Hegner/Hanson
26 pts., 8 reb., 10 ast., 52 min. (W 89-61)
2012
Kelling/Yates/Zierden
8 pts., 11 reb., 4 ast., 39 min. (W 89-51)
Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
Only three true freshmen in the last 20 seasons have started a regular-season opener for Creighton.
Ryan Sears started Creighton's 1997-98 lid-lifter to begin a brilliant career. He would start all 124 games of his career and remains the Bluejay program leader in career assists (570) and steals (283).
Doug McDermott opened the 2010-11 season in the first five, as well. McDermott started all 145 games of his career. All he did was go on to become the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 career points, become National Player of the Year as a senior, and become an NBA Lottery pick.
Last year Thomas joined that elite duo with a starting nod. He started CU's first 24 games, and 28 of his 34 games played overall.
Creighton's last player to start a season-opener as a redshirt freshman making his debut (as Justin Patton might) was Toby Hegner in 2014-15.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns four regular starters (Maurice Watson Jr., Isaiah Zierden, Khyri Thomas and Cole Huff) from last year's team that finished 20-15. Creighton's roster contains players who made 130 starts a year ago (35 by Watson, 31 by Zierden, 28 by Thomas, 23 by Huff, 12 by Toby Hegner, 1 by Zach Hanson), and a combined 173 career starts as Bluejays. That doesn't factor in the 57 starts for Marcus Foster at Kansas State or the 30 starts at Syracuse for Kaleb Joseph.
Each of Creighton's five teams since 1980-81 to return 130 or more starts from the previous season won 20 or more games and went on to reach the postseason.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2016-17 4 130 ? ? ?
2015-16 1 64 20-15
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
Times, They Are A Changin'
Creighton made two changes to its schedule in late October.
Creighton's home game vs. Longwood, originally set for Dec. 10th, was moved to 6:30 pm on December 9th. It will now air on FS1.
Creighton's home game on January 21st vs. Marquette was moved up two hours to a 1:30 pm start. It will now air nationally on FOX.
NBA Representation
This year marks the third straight season that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Sacramento Kings) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
Including 2016-17, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 33 of the last 34 years.
Korver ranks eighth in NBA history with 1,900 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 42.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through November 6). He set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range in 2009-10, and is the only player in league history to lead the NBA in three-point percentage three times. He's currently averaging 8.8 points per game while making 43.3 percent of his three-point attempts this year.
Tolliver is averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game this season for the Kings, his 11th NBA organization.
McDermott is in his third season with the Chicago Bulls, where he's averaging 11.6 points per game and shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 46.2 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.
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the since Greg McDermott took over in 2010-11, per Basketball-Reference.com:
2010-11 to 2015-16
Category Stat NCAA Rank
FG Percentage .476 4th
3FG Made 1,775 4th
3FG Percentage .386 5th
Assists 3392 7th
FG Made 5,534 18th
Wins 141 31st
Winning Percentage .662 47th
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 16 of the last 18 seasons (including 2015-16), 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 18 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
Kentucky , Florida, Texas and Syracuse have each done it in 17 of the last 18 seasons.
Along with Arizona, Xavier and Connecticut, Creighton is one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 16 of the past 18 years.
Eight Out Of 18 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 18 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (14), Duke (10), Winthrop (9), Creighton (8), Kansas (8) and Kentucky (8).
Full House
Creighton's 2015-16 team averaged 15,941 fans per game, which ranked 10th nationally, and was even ahead of five NBA franchises (Milwaukee, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Minnesota and Denver). Creighton would have been eighth with 17,065 fans per game without two home NIT crowds that lowered the final average.
It's the 11th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the fifth straight season in the top-10 nationally in attendance, as well.
2015-16 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 23,362
2. Syracuse 21,592
3. Louisville 20,860
4. North Carolina 18,326
5. Maryland 17,863
6. Wisconsin 17,287
7. Indiana 17,106
8. North Carolina State 16,758
9. Kansas 16,436
10. Creighton 15,941
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
15,941 Creighton 2015-16
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton attracted 302,887 fans at home in 2015-16, surpassing 200,000 fans for the 11th straight season. The 302,887 home fans this season ranked as the most in school history.
Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CenturyLink Center Omaha, and now has done it in the past 13 seasons.
Creighton has led its conference in home attendance every year since moving into CenturyLink Center Omaha, which is opening its 14th season.
Creighton's Most Home Fans, Season
Rk. Year G Attendance Average
1. 2015-16 19 302,887 15,941
2. 2008-09 19 302,676 15,930
3. 2010-11 22 297,161 13,507
4. 2012-13 17 291,643 17,155
5. 2014-15 17 289,808 17,048
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 748 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is tied for the nation's 21st-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.
Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 974 Kentucky 11/11
2. 973 UNLV 11/11
3. 964 Vanderbilt 11/11
4. 947 Duke 11/11
5. 905 Western Kentucky 11/12
6. 901 Arkansas 11/11
7. 892 East Tennessee State 11/11
8. 885 Pacific 11/11
9. 867 Oakland 11/11
10. 858 Texas 11/11
11. 844 Princeton 11/14
12. 833 Florida 11/11
13. 810 La Salle 11/11
14. 808 Marshall 11/12
15. 800 Baylor 11/11
16. 776 LIU-Brooklyn 11/11
17. 773 Gonzaga 11/11
18. 772 Cornell 11/11
19. 756 Mount St. Mary's 11/11
20. 755 Tennessee State 11/11
21. 748 Creighton 11/11
748 East Carolina 11/11
Making A Jump
Creighton went from 14-19 in 2014-15 to 20-15 last season. In the last 50 seasons of Creighton basketball, there has been only six seasons where the team has grown its win total by six or more victories from one year to the next, with two of those gains under the direction of Greg McDermott:
Biggest Win Improvements, Last 50 Years
Jump Year W-L Year W-L
+8 1972-73 15-11 1973-74 23-7
+7 1986-87 9-19 1987-88 16-16
+7 1994-95 7-19 1995-96 14-15
+6 2001-02 23-9 2002-03 29-5
+6 2010-11 23-16 2011-12 29-6
+6 2014-15 14-19 2015-16 20-15
Multiple Choices
Creighton had four men average in double-figures in 2015-16, Maurice Watson Jr. (14.1), Cole Huff (11.3), Geoffrey Groselle (11.2) and Isaiah Zierden (10.2).
Creighton had not previously had four men finish the year scoring in double-figures since 1979-80, when Kevin McKenna, Jim Honz, George Morrow and Daryl Stovall did so.
Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time. The largest season-opening crowd is the 18,160 vs. Central Arkansas on Nov. 14, 2014.
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. 17,924 Seton Hall 01/30/16
19. 17,766 Nebraska 12/09/15
20. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
Très Bien
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 48-45 (.516) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 70-10 (.875) mark the last six years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 103-30 in the last six years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 15-25 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 15 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including DePaul (down 12) on January 17th. Eight of those comebacks came 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), and the second-biggest in the history of CenturyLink Center Omaha (see chart, left column on page four).
On the other hand, CU is 124-9 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 112 of the last 117 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
12 at DePaul 01/17/16
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
CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Providence's Kris Dunn hit a game-winning shot as time expired to beat Creighton last Jan. 12th. It was the first game-winning shot with no time left to ever to beat Creighton at CenturyLink Center Omaha, exceeding the previous low with 1.9 seconds left by Butler's Roosevelt Jones in 2014-15.
Dunn's shot was the first to beat Creighton (at any site) with no time left on the clock since Anthony James drained a game-winning three-pointer for Northern Iowa in a 65-62 win on Feb. 4, 2012 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Creighton is 7-6 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the 14-year old facility.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at CLCO, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.7
01/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.0
11/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.5
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.2
01/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.3
02/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.3
01/28/14 St. John's W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at CLCO, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 53-52 G. Diaz FT :2.6
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 58-57 B. Mullins FG :4.1
01/10/15 #19 Seton Hall 68-67 S. Gibbs 3FG :2.2
02/16/15 #19 Butler 58-56 R. Jones FG :1.9
03/07/15 Xavier 74-73 D. Davis FT's :6.3
01/12/16 #12 Providence 50-48 K. Dunn FG :0.0
Winning Formulas
Below are the records for each current BIG EAST school over the last four, 10 and 16 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins.
Most Wins - Last 4 Years (2012-13 - Present)
Team W L
Villanova 117 27
Creighton 89 50
Xavier 89 47
Providence 88 50
Butler 86 48
Georgetown 80 51
Marquette 76 56
Seton Hall 73 59
St. John's 66 65
DePaul 44 84
Most Wins - Last 10 Years (2006-07 - Present)
Team W L
Butler 254 95
Villanova 250 98
Xavier 244 101
Creighton 230 118
Georgetown 222 110
Marquette 221 121
Providence 182 146
Seton Hall 173 149
St. John's 160 164
DePaul 111 208
Most Wins Since 2000-01
Team W L
Xavier 381 155
Butler 380 157
Villanova 372 170
Creighton 369 170
Marquette 347 183
Georgetown 340 182
Providence 282 227
Seton Hall 269 233
St. John's 242 258
DePaul 202 293
McDermott Passes McManus On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 141 victories at Creighton, good for third place on CU's all-time wins list.
McDermott's .662 winning percentage is Creighton's best since Arthur A. Schabinger's .714 win rate more 80 years ago.
Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton History
Rk. W-L Name Years
1. 327-176 Dana Altman 1994-2010
2. 165-66 Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-35
3. 141-72 Greg McDermott 2010-Pres.
4. 138-118 John J. "Red" McManus 1959-69
5. 130-64 Tom Apke 1974-81
Watson Dishes and Scores
Maurice Watson Jr. led the team lead in both scoring and assists last season. In fact, Watson had owned or shared the team lead in assists in 23 straight games before that streak was snapped in the NIT vs. Alabama on March 15th.
Watson became Creighton's sixth player since 1970-71 to lead the club in both points per game and assists per game, as seen below:
Creighton Leaders in PPG & APG, Since 1970-71
Name, Year PPG APG
Kevin McKenna, 1979-80 16.5 3.7
Matt Petty, 1992-93 17.2 3.1
Kyle Korver, 2001-02 15.1 3.3
Nate Funk, 2003-04 11.1 2.7
Nate Funk, 2006-07 17.7 3.0
Austin Chatman, 2014-15 11.5 3.7
Maurice Watson Jr., 2015-16 14.1 6.5
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 222 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 14-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 184-38 (.829) 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 16,910-14,267 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.91 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 61 different times, including nine times last year (UTSA, Western Illinois, Nebraska, IUPUI, North Texas, Coppin State, DePaul, No. 5 Xavier and St. John's).
Creighton is also 25-22 all-time in the 47 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 7-8 when down by 10+ points at halftime at The Link, and 31-20 when trailing at halftime at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton is 87-20 (.813) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 49-4 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 204-38 (.843) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 141-72 on the Creighton sideline as he enters his seventh year at the helm. The 141 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. 141-72
Tom Apke 1974-80 109-55
Tony Barone 1985-91 102-82
Dana Altman 1994-00 99-78
Red McManus 1959-65 91-63
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton averaged 79.63 points per game in 2015-16.
Greg McDermott is 37-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 31-1 mark on the Creighton sideline.
In fact, McDermott's team scored 90 or more points 10 times (in 35 games) last season, compared to six total times in 280 games on the sideline in nine years at Northern Iowa and Iowa State.
Creighton had won 75 straight games when scoring 90 or more points at all sites since a Jan. 11, 1988 loss to Southern Illinois, before a March 5th 98-93 loss at Xavier.
Creighton is 53-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 25 straight wins since a 1977 loss to North Texas.
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 96-1 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha. In other words, Creighton is 108-1 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza. The perfect streak of 101-0 was snapped on Dec. 2, 2015 when Arizona State scored three points in the final 15 seconds to sneak away with a 79-77 victory.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 78.65 points per home game (8,416 points in 107 home games).
Since a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000, Creighton is 119-0 at home (90-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more, and 100-0 at home (73-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to that same setback.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 20-15 last season and reached the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament before being eliminated at BYU. Maurice Watson Jr. (14.1 ppg., 6.5 apg.) led the Bluejays in both scoring and assists, while senior Geoffrey Groselle (6.1 rpg.) led the team in rebounding and set a Creighton record by shooting 70.2 percent from the field.
Creighton's best victories last season included a 70-56 win over No. 5 Xavier, and a pair of wins to claim the title at the Men Who Speak Up Main Event in Las Vegas.
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 Harper Dining Center (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 2016-17 season went on sale on October 24th.
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 Highlights at Butler - 3/4/26
Thursday, March 05
2026 Creighton Men's Basketball Senior Day Ceremony
Friday, February 27
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Providence Press Conference - 2/28/26
Friday, February 27
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. DePaul Press Conference - 2/25/26
Monday, February 23
