Creighton University Athletics
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2015-16 Men's Basketball Recap
4/26/2016 9:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
A comprehensive review of Creighton's 20-15 season
Download 2015-16 Year-End Recap as a PDF
2015-16 Creighton Men's Basketball Recap
Picked to finish ninth in the BIG EAST in preseason polls, the 2015-16 Creighton Men's Basketball team exceeded expectations to finish sixth while winning 20 games for the 16th time in 18 years. Creighton's run to the NIT quarterfinals marked the team's 18th postseason bid in the last 19 years.
The departure of four starters from an uncharacteristic 14-19 season had preseason hype low for a Bluejay program that has become synonymous with tremendous success in front of sold-out home crowds.
The season began in late July with workouts that preceded a 10-day trip to Italy. While in Italy, the team spent time in Milan, Lake Como, Florence, Venice and Rome while sightseeing, embedding themselves into the Italian culture and winning three lopsided exhibition games.
The regular-season opened in mid-November, with four of CU's first five games being part of the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event. Creighton would cruise to the title in that event, winning all four games by double-figures, with Cole Huff earning MVP honors.
In the middle of that five-game stretch was a non-conference road test at No. 14 Indiana as part of the Gavitt Tip-Off Games. The Bluejays suffered their first loss against the Hoosiers, who ended the year in the Sweet 16 after winning the regular-season title in the Big Ten.
Creighton closed out a 5-1 month of November with a 97-67 demolition of a Western Illinois team that proved its worth with a season-opening victory at Wisconsin.
Arizona State rallied late to hand Creighton a rare home non-conference loss on December 2nd before a 68-65 loss at Loyola Chicago dropped CU to 5-3. The Bluejays responded with its fifth straight double-digit victory over Nebraska, an 83-67 triumph in which CU never trailed. The Bluejays followed that win with another one over IUPUI before falling late in an 87-74 loss at No. 3 Oklahoma. The Sooners would end the year in the Final Four, with Co-National Player of the Year Buddy Hield leading the way.
CU closed out non-conference play with lopsided romps over North Texas and Coppin State to head into BIG EAST play with a 9-4 mark.
Creighton opened league play with an 80-70 victory at St. John's before coming home to host No. 16 Villanova. CU was down just five at the half, but in the end could not overcome the 68 percent shooting from the floor by the Wildcats. Villanova would go on to win its third straight BIG EAST regular-season title, and its first national title in 31 years, by year's end.
CU improved to 3-1 in league play with double-digit wins over Georgetown and Seton hall before dropping a 50-48 game on Jan. 9 vs. Providence in a game that saw Friars All-American guard Kris Dunn sink a game-winner at the buzzer. The Jays responded with victories over DePaul and Butler to surge to 5-2 in league action, eclipsing last year's win total in conference play.
A three-game losing streak was snapped with three straight wins in early February, as CU crushed DePaul by 22 points before a 70-56 win over fifth-ranked Xavier. The win over the No. 5 Musketeers was the highest-ranked team CU had beaten at home since 1970.
CU then lost games to Marquette and Butler before its largest Senior Day romp since 1961 in a 100-59 victory over St. John's. The win put CU alone in third place in the league standings, but narrow losses at Providence and Xavier ended the regular-season with CU in sixth place.
Creighton entered the BIG EAST Tournament with high hopes, but ran into a red-hot Seton Hall team. The Bluejays fought back from an early 14-point deficit to tie the game late, but the third-seeded Pirates scored the game's final eight points in an 81-73 victory over CU. Seton Hall would go on to win the BIG EAST Tournament.
The loss to Seton Hall put Creighton squarely on the postseason bubble with an RPI in the low 90's and an 18-14 record.
Creighton would be selected to the National Invitation Tournament, earning a No. 4 seed, where it would host Alabama just 48 hours later.
Creighton would dispatch Alabama 72-54, then earn another home game when top-seeded St. Bonaventure was upset by eighth-seeded Wagner. Creighton walloped Wagner, 87-54, to reach the 20-win milestone once again.
The victory advanced Creighton to the quarterfinals of the NIT, where it would face BYU. Creighton bolted to an early 12-point edge, only to see BYU rally to defeat the Bluejays, 88-82, and end CU's season.
Point guard Maurice Watson Jr. earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors in his first season playing for Creighton. He led CU in scoring and led the BIG EAST in assists. His 229 assists rank second-most in CU history for a single-season.
Huff, another CU newcomer, overcame knee and shoulder injuries to average 11.3 points per game. He had a strong stretch run, including a 35-point game vs. Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Seniors Geoffrey Groselle and James Milliken each closed their careers in strong fashion. Groselle averaged 11.2 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game. He also set CU single-season and career marks for field goal percentage. Milliken averaged 9.7 points per game and drained 50 three-point baskets.
Junior guard Isaiah Zierden (10.2 ppg.) also averaged in double-figures, draining a team-best 70 three-pointers despite missing four of the last five games with an injury that needed surgery after the season ended.
Radio Broadcast Summary
KOZN (1620 The Zone) broadcasted all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2015-16 season. John Bishop did the play-by-play each game, while analysts rotated between Brody Deren (14 games), Josh Dotzler (10), Nick Bahe (8) and Matthew Dorwart (2).
The audio was also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Broadcast Summary
All but one Creighton game in 2015-16 was televised, with that game being the Nov. 23 game vs. Rutgers in Las Vegas.
Creighton appeared most frequently on FS1 (14 times), with CBS Sports Network (6) the next-most.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season had free live stats.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) finished his sixth 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 in 22 seasons and is 290-203 in 15 Division I campaigns. McDermott was assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
Postseason Wins In Eight Straight Appearances
Including a March 15th NIT win over Alabama, the Creighton men's basketball team has won a postseason game in eight straight appearances.
That figure is easily the longest streak in school history.
Making A Jump
Creighton went from 14-19 last year to 20-15 this season. In the last 50 seasons of Creighton basketball, there has been only four seasons where the team has made a bigger leap from one year to the next:
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
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton attracted 302,887 fans at home this season, 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 13 straight seasons.
Creighton has led its conference in home attendance every year since moving into CenturyLink Center Omaha, which is now in its 13th 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
20 Wins, Again
Creighton won 20 or more games for the 16th time in 18 seasons, 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.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Since 1998-99
20+ Win 2015-16
Seasons Team W-L
18 Kansas 33-5
18 Gonzaga 28-8
18 Duke 25-11
17 Kentucky 27-9
17 Syracuse 23-14
17 Florida 21-15
17 Texas 20-13
16 Xavier 28-6
16 Arizona 25-9
16 Connecticut 25-11
16 Creighton 20-15
Confident Khyri
Head coach Greg McDermott was quick to point out the importance the NIT will have on Khyri Thomas' confidence moving forward.
"Outside the experience for the seniors of getting to play extra games, his play in these two games is the most valuable thing that's happened. Because of where he was mentally and from a confidence standpoint, and how he's been able to flip it against teams that have had really good seasons. We're not playing slouches...Khyri's put two together back-to-back, which probably hasn't happened since December. Moving forward for him into the offseason, it's incredible the impact it will have on him."
Accuracy, Thy Name Is Geoffrey
Geoffrey Groselle was 8-for-10 vs. BYU and made 38-of-48 field goals during the last seven games, upping his league-best accuracy to 70.2 percent of his field goal attempts from the field (146-208). That's the best mark in Creighton single-season history, eclipsing the 67.4 percent done by Vernon Moore in 1984-85.
Groselle made 232-of-339 career shots from the field, good for a record 68.4 percent. Creighton's all-time leader in field goal percentage had been Gregory Echenique, who made 62.5 percent (374-598).
Field Goal Percentage, Career (min. 300 att.)
Rank Pct. Name (Years) FG-FGA
1. .684 Geoffrey Groselle (2012-16) 232-339
2. .625 Gregory Echenique (2010-13) 374-598
3. .615 Will Artino (2011-15) 256-416
4. .611 Mike Grimes (2000-04) 292-478
5. .585 Vernon Moore (1981-85) 649-1,109
Field Goal Percentage, Season (Minimum 200 Attempts)
Rank Pct. Name (Class, Year) FGM-FGA
1. .702 Geoffrey Groselle (Sr., 2015-16) 146-208
2. .674 Vernon Moore (Sr., 1984-85) 265-393
3. .657 Gregory Echenique (Sr., 2012-13) 138-210
4. .607 Gregory Echenique (Jr., 2011-12) 130-214
5. .601 Doug McDermott (So., 2011-12) 307-511
6. .595 Vernon Moore (Jr., 1983-84) 188-316
7. .594 Jim Honz (Jr., 1979-80) 149-251
8. .582 Benoit Benjamin (Jr., 1984-85) 258-443
9. .578 Rick Apke (Jr., 1976-77) 220-380
10. .567 Brody Deren (Jr., 2002-03) 115-203
Guarded Optimism
Take a look at the career stats for some of the nation's elite guards, and decide for yourself which ones are most impressive:
Player, Team Career GP AST STL PTS
Mo Watson Jr., Creighton 100 639 158 1291
D. Valentine, Michigan St. 144 639 132 1645
Fred VanVleet, Wichita St. 141 637 225 1439
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana 137 633 114 1986
Kyle Collinsworth, BYU 104 628 190 1498
Marcus Paige, No. Carolina 137 584 200 1776
Kris Dunn, Providence 95 552 208 1214
Monte Morris, Iowa State 105 551 172 1133
Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova 144 535 169 1604
Go Mo Go
Creighton's Maurice Watson Jr. was one of six players nationally this year with at least 200 assists, 150 two-point baskets and 30 steals or more.
Last year the only men to do this nationally were Jerian Grant, Kris Dunn and Cameron Payne.
Joining him this year are some of the top point guards in the nation, as seen below:
150 2FG's, 200 Assists & 30 Steals
Name, School 2FG AST STL TO
Kay Felder, Oakland 193 324 69 120
Kyle Collinsworth, BYU 197 275 74 126
Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton 160 229 34 115
Dallas Moore, North Florida 192 205 31 64
Monte Morris, Iowa State 150 241 62 55
Alex Hamilton, La. Tech 179 205 65 104
Watson Neared 500/200 Club
Maurice Watson Jr. closed the season with 492 points and 229 assists, finishing eight points shy of becoming the first player in CU history with 500 points and 200 assists in the same season.
Nationally, Watson was one of seven players nationally had both 490 points and 225 or more assists this season, as seen below.
490 Points & 225 Assists in 2015-16
Name, School Assists Points
Kay Felder, Oakland 324 853
Kyle Collinsworth, BYU 275 567
Jaaron Simmons, Ohio 275 542
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky 246 606
Juan'ya Green, Hofstra 243 606
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State 241 595
Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton 229 492
All-Time In The NIT
Creighton owns a 7-11 all-time record in 11 appearances in the NIT after a 2-1 mark in this year's event. This year marked Creighton's first trip to the NIT since 2009, when it topped Bowling Green 73-71 before falling to Kentucky, 65-63.
Creighton had gone 1-1 in each of its previous three NIT appearances (2009, 2008, 2006), and still hasn't won a NIT game away from home since a March 25, 1942 victory vs. Toledo at Madison Square Garden (the one that was open from 1925-68).
BIG EAST History In The NIT
Creighton was the only BIG EAST team selected to the 2016 NIT.
The last BIG EAST team to make the trek to Madison Square Garden to play in the NIT semifinals was Notre Dame in 2008-09.
Villanova claimed the NCAA title in 2015-16, becoming the first BIG EAST team to win the crown since Louisville in 2012-13. No BIG EAST team has won the NIT since West Virginia in 2006-07.
The BIG EAST has picked up multiple postseason victories every season since the formation of the league in 1979-80.
Make It A Double
Creighton has 12 all-time wins in 19 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven wins in 11 NIT appearances (including this year), but this season is the first time the Bluejays have ever won consecutive postseason games in the same year in either of those tournaments.
Creighton did start 2-0 in the 2010 CIT and 4-0 in the 2011 CBI.
McDermott In The NIT
At the Division I level Greg McDermott has taken six teams to the NCAA Tournament and one to the CBI, but this was his first time coaching a team in the NIT.
McDermott is 9-9 in his Division I career in the postseason, including a 2-1 NIT mark. He was 0-3 at Northern Iowa and is 9-6 at Creighton.
McDermott's Div. I Postseason Appearances
Year Tourney Postseason W-L
2003-04 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2004-05 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2005-06 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2010-11 (CU) CBI 4-2
2011-12 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2012-13 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2013-14 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2015-16 (CU) NIT 2-1
Against Postseason Qualifiers
Creighton was 6-10 against teams that qualified for the postseason, including a 3-9 mark against NCAA qualifiers (wins over Xavier, Butler and Seton Hall), and a 3-1 mark against NIT qualifiers (Texas Southern, Alabama and Wagner).
Back In The Postseason
Creighton returned to the postseason for the 18th time in 19 years this spring.
That span includes 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, six NIT appearances (including 2016), one CBI and one CIT appearance.
Prior to last year's postseason miss, Creighton had been one of eight teams to make 17 straight postseason appearances. That elite list consisted of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.
Most Postseason Bids By CU Coaches
This year's bid to the NIT was the fifth postseason bid for Greg McDermott at Creighton. Only Dana Altman (13) has taken the Bluejays to more postseason appearances.
McDermott's nine postseason wins at Creighton are the most in school history, two more than Altman's seven.
McDermott (9-6) is one of two coaches in program history with a winning record in postseason play, joining Eddie Sutton (2-1).
Coach (Bids) NCAA NIT CBI CIT NCIT Total
Hickey (3) 1-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 3-3
Belford (1) 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
McManus (3) 3-3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 4-4
Sutton (1) 2-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-1
Apke (4) 0-3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-4
Barone (3) 1-2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-3
Altman (13) 2-7 3-5 0-0 2-1 0-0 7-13
McDermott (5) 3-3 2-1 4-2 0-0 0-0 9-6
Home Sweet NIT Home
If past years are any indication, having the home-court advantage during the NIT is a tremendous factor. Since the NIT was trimmed to 32 teams and taken over by the NCAA in 2007, home-court teams are a combined 207-69 in the event.
In the last 10 years, home teams are 123-37 in the first round, 60-20 in the second round and 27-13 in the quarterfinals.
Home Court Records, NIT, By Round
Year Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total
2007 13-3 7-1 4-0 24-4
2008 13-3 7-1 1-3 21-7
2009 13-3 6-2 3-1 22-6
2010 11-5 6-2 1-3 18-10
2011 13-3 4-4 4-0 21-7
2012 10-6 5-3 2-2 17-11
2013 12-4 8-0 1-3 21-7
2014 12-4 6-2 4-0 22-6
2015 12-4 6-2 3-1 21-7
2016 14-2 5-3 4-0 23-5
Totals 123-37 60-20 27-13 210-70
CenturyLink Center Home To Some Close Games
Creighton's win over Wagner on March 19th was Creighton's 12th postseason game at the 13-year-old CenturyLink Center Omaha. Three of the 12 games were decided by a single point, and two others were decided by just two points.
Creighton has won eight of its last nine postseason home games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, and 10 of the last 11 postseason games at home if you factor in two 2010 CIT games that were played at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Creighton's Postseason Games,
CenturyLink Center Omaha History
Date Att. Score
3/16/04 13,483 Nebraska 71, Creighton 70
3/16/06 10,197 Creighton 71, Akron 60
3/20/06 10,018 Miami 53, Creighton 52
3/18/08 7,948 Creighton 74, Rhode Island 73
3/18/09 9,577 Creighton 73, Bowling Green 71
3/23/09 16,984 Kentucky 65, Creighton 63
3/15/11 3,086 Creighton 85, San Jose State 74
3/21/11 4,832 Creighton 102, Davidson 92
3/23/11 6,392 Creighton 82, UCF 64
3/28/11 12,381 Creighton 84, Oregon 76
3/15/16 6,305 Creighton 72, Alabama 54
3/19/16 6,471 Creighton 87, Wagner 54
Previously In The NIT
Before this spring, only one current Creighton player had ever played in the NIT, Maurice Watson Jr.
Watson had seven points, 12 assists and four rebounds vs. Illinois in the 2014 NIT while playing at Boston University. The Fighting Illini won that game, 66-62.
Postseason Features Last-Second Drama
Eleven of Creighton's last 14 postseason runs (all but 2010, 2014 and 2016) have included a game that was decided in the final seconds.
In fact, Creighton's past 14 postseason openers have had four games decided by one point (including a double-OT finish), two by two points, one game by four points, two by six points (including an OT finish), one game by 10 points, three games by 11 points and two decided by 18 points (including 2016).
In 2013 Cincinnati missed a game-tying three-pointer in the final 20 seconds and Creighton guard Austin Chatman made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to hold on to a 67-63 win.
In 2012 Creighton edged Alabama in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 58-57, as Trevor Releford's game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer came up short.
Creighton's 2010-11 campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion in the CBI title game at Oregon. Creighton had the ball in a tie game with the shot clock off, but committed a backcourt violation on Oregon's "unique" floor. The Ducks' E.J. Singler then banked in a game-winning shot with 2.0 seconds left. A desperation three-pointer by Creighton was off the mark.
In 2009, Creighton rallied from a 14-point deficit and would hang on to beat Bowling Green, 73-71 in the first round of the NIT. The Jays needed a last-second defensive stand, as BGSU's Darryl Clements' game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
The following game, Creighton led Kentucky by one with 36 seconds left, only to miss two free throws and see UK All-American Jodie Meeks convert a three-point play. CU's Booker Woodfox, the nation's No. 2 three-point shooter, missed an open trey as time expired, and Creighton lost 65-63.
In 2008, Creighton rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 3:07 to top Rhode Island, 73-72, in the first round of the NIT. Cavel Witter hit the game-winner with 3.2 seconds left to give CU its first lead of the game since 3-0.
In 2007, Creighton had the ball for a final shot in a tie game against Nevada in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Nate Funk's shot attempt missed, and a tip-in try was also not converted. The Jays would eventually lose 77-71 in overtime.
In second round of the 2006 NIT, Miami (Fla.) guard Guilermo Diaz drained a free throw with 2.6 seconds left to beat Creighton 53-52. A last-second shot attempt by Bluejay senior Johnny Mathies was knocked out of his hands.
In the 2005 NCAA Tourney, Nate Funk had his three-point try with seven seconds left blocked by Tyrone Sally, and Sally raced downcourt for a breakaway dunk with 2.4 seconds left to give West Virginia a 63-61 win. Funk's three-point try from the corner missed at the buzzer.
In 2004, Creighton fell 71-70 to Nebraska in the NIT. The Jays led nearly the entire second half before NU's go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left. Nate Funk's game-winning jumper from 18-feet away was blocked by Husker guard Jake Muhleisen.
In 2003 Creighton lost 79-73 to Central Michigan in the NCAA's. The Jays trailed 50-24 with 16:24 left but a furious rally got them within two points (72-70) with 1:20 left, only to turn it over the next three possessions.
In the 2002 NCAA's, Creighton beat #15 Florida, 83-82, in Chicago. Terrell Taylor hit a game-winning trey with 0.2 seconds left in double-overtime, his final three of 28 points after a scoreless first half.
About Creighton
Creighton is a private, Jesuit institution located in Omaha, Neb., with 8,435 students. The University was founded in 1878 by Mary Lucretia Creighton, who established it in memory of her husband, telegraph pioneer Edward Creighton.
Prominent alumni include J. Joseph Ricketts (Chicago Cubs owner and founder of TD Ameritrade), Bob Gibson (Hall of Fame pitcher), Kyle Korver (professional basketball player) and Pat Venditte (ambidextrous baseball player).
Huff Doing His Stuff
Cole Huff thrived late in the season, scoring 10 or more points in nine of the last 12 games, and leading CU in rebounding in seven of the last 10 contests. He averaged 14.7 points per game in that time, along with 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
Huff had 21 points in Creighton's game at Xavier on March 5th, making 8-of-14 shots from the field in his first start since January 12th.
He then went for a career-high 35 points at the BIG EAST Tournament vs. Seton Hall while making 7-of-11 three-point attempts. He also added nine rebounds without a turnover.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Huff joined Jared Sullinger and Bobby Portis as the only college men in the last six seasons with a game of at least 35 points, nine rebounds and no turnovers with one foul or less.
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.
New And Improved
Last season's rare down year saw Creighton finish 14-19 overall, and just 4-14 in the BIG EAST. This year's team went 20-15 overall and 9-9 in league play.
The Bluejays greatly exceeded both win totals from a year ago.
Creighton's five-win improvement in league play this season trailed only Seton Hall (+6) for the best in the BIG EAST this year. The only other team to increase its BIG EAST win total by five or more since the league reconfigured in 2014 had been Butler (+8 in 2014-15).
Milliken Marches On
James Milliken scored a career-high 26 points on March 2nd at Providence, then added 22 more on March 5th at Xavier. It was the first time in the senior's career that he had 20 or more points in back-to-back games.
Milliken scored in double-figures in nine of 10 career games he played during the month of March during his Creighton career, averaging 16.3 points per game in that span.
Milliken also shot 28-for-60 (46.7 percent) from three-point range in March during his career.
200 Assist Club Adds Watson
Maurice Watson Jr. owned 229 assists this winter, a figure that ranked second in program history for a single season.
Ralph Bobik owns the CU record with 252 assists in 1973-74, and that mark has never been approached.
Watson Nabs All-BIG EAST Honor
Junior point guard Maurice Watson Jr. was named Second Team All-BIG EAST on March 6th, as selected by league coaches.
Watson led Creighton in scoring and led the entire conference in assists.
Watson was just the second Bluejay in program history to be named First or Second Team All-Conference since CU joined the league in 2013-14, joining Player of the Year and First Team honoree Doug McDermott in 2013-14.
Watson is Creighton's first point guard named first or second team all-league since Antoine Young was named Second Team all-Missouri Valley Conference in 2011-12.
Some Of The Best Wins
Creighton's Feb. 9th win over No. 5 Xavier was the program's eighth all-time victory over a team ranked in the top-10 of the Associated Press poll, and third in the last three seasons.
Each of Creighton's last three wins against top-10 foes have come by 14 points or more.
It was Greg McDermott's third win over a top-10 foe as Creighton coach, matching the three such wins by Eddie Sutton from 1969-74.
The Feb. 13th win over Marquette improved Creighton to 7-1 in games following a victory against a top-10 foe.
Top-10 Wins, School History
Date Opponent (Score) Next Game
12/13/1963 #4 Arizona State (84-83) Won
12/01/1965 #10 Kansas State (83-75) Won
01/29/1970 #5 New Mexico State (72-68) Lost
02/17/1973 #7 Houston (78-77) Won
02/09/1974 at #6 Marquette (75-69) Won
01/20/2014 at #4 Villanova (96-68) Won
02/16/2014 #6 Villanova (101-80) Won
02/09/2016 #5 Xavier (70-56) Won
Defense Limits Xavier
Creighton held No. 5 Xavier to a season-low 56 points on Feb. 9th, well under the 80.8 points per game the Musketeers had been averaging.
Keying that defensive effort was limiting Xavier from behind the three-point line, where the Musketeers where 1-for-21.
That game marked the first Bluejay opponent to make just one three-pointer since Indiana State on March 9, 2013 (1-for-13), and it was the first team to shoot less than 7 percent from three-point range against the Jays since Illinois State was 0-for-8 on Dec. 12, 1999.
Creighton held BIG EAST foes to 29.1 percent marksmanship (44-151) from three-point range in its nine league wins, compared to 37.3 percent (75-201) in its nine league setbacks.
League Leaders
Creighton had two men lead the BIG EAST in a statistical category in league play.
Maurice Watson Jr. paced the league with 6.7 assists per game, finishing ahead of Kris Dunn's 5.9. Watson had 15 more assists (121) than any other player in league action.
Geoffrey Groselle owned commanding lead in field goal percentage, having made 65.6 percent of his attempts to rank ahead of Luke Fischer's 61.0 percent.
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) this 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 State.
Big Win on February 28th
Creighton's 100-59 win over St. John's on Feb. 28th was the program's largest margin of victory since a 107-61 win over Alcorn State on Nov. 8, 2013.
Creighton's 53-24 halftime lead was its largest halftime lead since an identical score vs. Butler on Jan. 14, 2014.
Creighton's 41-point victory was the school's largest in a BIG EAST Conference game, and tied the fifth-largest margin of victory all-time for a league game. The league's last previous win by 41 or more points came on March 5, 2011, when Syracuse topped DePaul 107-59.
Creighton's 47-21 margin on the backboards was also significant. It was tied for the eighth-largest rebound margin ever for a BIG EAST Conference game, and widest spread since Providence outrebounded Connecticut 55-24 on Jan. 31, 2013. Creighton's +26 rebound margin also tied a CenturyLink Center Omaha record, first set vs. Samford on Dec. 22, 2011 (45-19).
BIG EAST Stat Breakdown
Creighton started the season as one of the BIG EAST's best offensive and worst statistically defensive teams in non-conference play. In league play, those numbers nearly flipped where CU was among the league's best on the defensive side of the ball in BIG EAST action.
Creighton's BIG EAST Ranks
Non-Con (Rank) League-Only (Rank)
Scoring Offense 87.4 (2) 74.3 (5)
FG Percentage .506 (2) .443 (4)
3FG Percentage .401 (1) .317 (8)
Assists/Game 18.1 (2) 13.5 (7)
3FGM/Game 9.3 (1) 7.4 (5)
Scoring Defense 75.2 (10) 71.1 (3)
FG Pct. Defense .440 (10) .434 (5)
Most Improved Big Men?
With the possible exception of Providence's Ben Bentil, few players around the BIG EAST improved more than Creighton's Geoffrey Groselle.
Groselle entered his senior season averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per contest, collecting 200 career points and 102 career rebounds in his first 63 games. This year Groselle owned 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and had 393 points and 215 rebounds in 35 games (34 starts).
Senior Day Stars
Creighton honored two senior players following a Feb. 28th win over St. John's, as Geoffrey Groselle and James Milliken were recognized. Groselle was a fifth-year senior currently in graduate school, while Milliken transferred in prior to the 2012-13 season and wrapped up his third year in the program.
During the past five years Creighton went 118-56. The team has been to the NCAA Tournament three times and the NIT once, winning at least one game each trip. Groselle also won two league tournaments and one regular-season conference title in 2012-13.
Creighton is 5-0 against in-state rival Nebraska since Groselle arrived on campus, 9-3 in conference tournament play, and he and Milliken have combined for 1,230 points, 472 rebounds and 145 assists in a collective 66 starts.
Home Season Finale History
Creighton is 19-2 in the last 21 years in its final home game of the regular-season, losing only in 2002 to Drake, and last year to Xavier.
Each of the last 17 Creighton teams to win on Senior Day would go on to reach the postseason.
Creighton's 41-point win over St. John's was the program's largest margin of victory in its final regular-season home game of a season since a 105-51 win over Morningside in 1961.
Senior Citizens
Below is a list of statistics by the Creighton players honored during Senior Day since 2003. Geoffrey Groselle's 22 points and 11 rebounds vs. St. John's on Feb. 28th made him the first senior with a double-double on Senior Day since Randall Crutcher in 1997.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Groselle-16• 22 11 0 1 26
Milliken-16• 19 4 2 0 28
Kreklow-15• 8 5 2 0 34
Artino-15• 5 1 0 1 12
Chatman-15• 18 2 5 0 38
Brooks-15• 5 3 4 1 20
Dingman-15• 6 0 0 1 23
Oginni-15 Did Not Play
Connealy-15 Did Not Play
McDermott-14• 45 7 2 0 36
Gibbs-14• 9 0 3 0 18
Manigat-14• 5 4 1 1 34
Wragge-14• 3 1 1 0 25
Echenique-13• 9 4 0 0 26
Stormberg-13 0 0 0 0 0+
Kelling-13 0 0 0 0 0+
Young-12• 21 3 7 1 39
Dorwart-12 Did Not Play
Sebastian-12 Did Not Play
R. Ferrarini-12 Did Not Play
Lawson-11 11 4 0 1 20
Ka. Korver-11• 7 2 5 0 29
Ashford-11 3 1 2 0 15
Runnels-11 1 3 1 1 14
Harriman-11 Did Not Play (Hurt)
Carter-10• 17 6 3 0 34
Millard-10 Did Not Play (Hurt)
Witter-10 8 1 3 0 21
Woodfox-09• 20 3 1 3 27
Dotzler-09• 6 1 4 2 21
Sitzmann-09 Did Not Play
Bahe-08• 9 2 3 0 29
Watts-08• 7 4 0 0 34
Hibma-08• 0 3 0 0 21
Funk-07• 16 0 5 0 34
Tolliver-07• 11 7 2 0 32
Porter-07• 17 4 3 0 25
Gakou-07 2 0 0 0 7
Day-06 5 4 2 1 26
Mathies-06• 18 5 4 7 39
Motz-06 6 0 0 0 12
McKinney-05• 12 4 4 1 29
Miliner-05• 5 2 0 0 21
Dabbert-04 13 5 1 0 22
Deren-04• 6 10 2 0 19
Grimes-04• 16 8 2 0 29
Lindeman-04• 15 5 5 0 32
House-03• 28 6 1 0 22
Ky. Korver-03• 13 7 3 1 28
Bowden-03• 4 2 1 2 20
• indicates game started
Watson Among An Elite Group
Maurice Watson Jr. led Creighton in both scoring (14.1 ppg.) and assists per game (6.5 apg.), and also grabbed 3.4 rebounds per game in his 31.4 minutes per contest.
Nationally, Watson joined Michigan State's Denzel Valentine, BYU's Kyle Collinsworth and Providence's Kris Dunn as the only players to average at least 14 points, six assists and three rebounds per game in less than 34 minutes per game, as seen below:
Name, School PPG RPG APG MPG
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State 19.2 7.5 7.8 33.0
Kris Dunn, Providence 16.4 5.3 6.2 33.0
Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton 14.1 3.4 6.5 31.4
Kyle Collinsworth, BYU 15.3 8.2 7.4 33.8
McDermott Passes McManus On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 141 victories, as the Feb. 28 win over St. John's allowed him to pass John J. "Red" McManus (1959-69) 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
Playing With The Lead At Home
Creighton did not trail in 9-of-19 home games this season, and hasn't trailed in 61-of-222 overall games played at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time.
Against The BIG EAST
Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, Creighton is unbeaten at home against St. John's, the only team it can say that for. The only two road venues in which it has not won are Providence and Georgetown.
Team CU Home Games CU Road Games
Butler 2-1 1-2
DePaul 2-1 3-0
Georgetown 2-1 0-3
Marquette 2-1 2-1
Providence 1-2 0-3
Seton Hall 1-2 2-1
St. John's 3-0 1-2
Villanova 1-2 1-2
Xavier 2-1 1-2
Total 16-11 11-16
Stat Sheet Stuffer
Maurice Watson Jr. did a little bit of everything in carrying Creighton to a 70-56 win over No. 5 Xavier on Feb. 9, finishing with 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the victory.
Watson is Creighton's second player with at least 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the same game since the 1980-81 season, joining Benoit Benajamin's monstrous game of 45 points, 16 rebounds and five assists vs. Indiana State on January 19, 1985.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Watson is just the third BIG EAST player in the last six seasons with a 32/7/5 game, joining UConn's Kemba Walker (33/12/5) vs. Syracuse on March 11, 2011, and Villanova's Maalik Wayns (39/13/6) at Cincinnati on Jan. 14, 2012.
Watson Named National Player of the Week
Creighton guard Maurice Watson Jr. was named National Player of the Week by CBSSports.com and NBCSports.com on Feb. 15th after leading the Bluejays to a pair of wins in the previous week. He was also the BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second time this season for his efforts.
Watson averaged 25.0 points, 7.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals as Creighton defeated No. 5 Xavier (70-56) and won at Marquette (65-62). Watson made 54.5 percent of his shots from the field and 81.3 percent of his free throw attempts.
The Philadelphia, Pa., native began his week with 32 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in Creighton's victory over No. 5 Xavier. Watson scored 22 of his points after the intermission as Creighton picked up a win at home over a top-five team for the first time since 1970. Watson also became Creighton's first player since Benoit Benjamin (in 1985) with at least 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a game.
Watson then had 18 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in a 65-62 win at Marquette. Watson tied the game with 2:32 left with a pair of free throws, and assisted on the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:05 left that helped CU move into sole possession of third place in the BIG EAST. The game was Watson's third double-double of the winter, and he became the first Bluejay since Duan Cole in 1989-90 with four games of 10+ assists in the same season.
Watson was the first Creighton player named National Player of the Week by CBSSports.com since Doug McDermott was three times (Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Feb. 17) during a 2013-14 season that saw him sweep National Player of the Year honors. McDermott was also named NBCSports.com National Player of the Week on both Jan. 13 and Feb. 17 of that same season.
Late Game Treys
Toby Hegner made three three-pointers in the second half of the Feb. 13 win at Marquette, none bigger than one that tied the game with 3:26 left.
Hegner shot 12-for-18 from three-point range in the final five minutes of games this season, good for 66.7 percent. Hegner also led the team with 26 rebounds, four more rebounds than any other teammate, in the last five minutes of games this season.
On a related topic, James Milliken's go-ahead three-pointer with 1:05 left also was a key to victory. It was Creighton's first go-ahead three-point basket in the final 65 seconds of a game since Doug McDermott at Butler on Feb. 13, 2014, exactly two years earlier to the day. McDermott also drained a go-ahead trey to beat St. John's on Jan. 28, 2014, with 2.8 seconds left.
Stuff On Huff
Cole Huff made his first seven shots and finished with 28 points vs. DePaul in Creighton's Feb. 6 win.
Eighteen of Huff's points came in the final 5:14 of the first half, a span during which Creighton scored 20 points as a team. Huff made seven straight shots.
Huff's 28 points came in just 22 minutes, as he drained 9-of-11 shots overall. Huff's the first Bluejay with at least 28 points in 22 minutes or less since Larry House had 28 points in 22 minutes in his final home game, a March 3, 2003 win over Wichita State.
Huff's 28 points were the most by a Bluejay reserve since Cavel Witter scored 42 points in a double-overtime win over Bradley on March 1, 2008.
More Points = Better Results
History has shown that the more Creighton scores, the better the team does.
Creighton's best record against any BIG EAST foe since joining the league is the 7-1 mark against DePaul, a team it scores 79.4 points per game against.
Creighton's worst record against any BIG EAST foe since joning the league is the 1-6 mark against Providence, a team is scores just 63.7 per game against.
PPG Opponent CU W-L
79.4 DePaul 7-1
79.3 Xavier 4-3
75.2 St. John's 4-2
74.7 Villanova 2-4
72.0 Seton Hall 3-4
70.0 Butler 3-3
67.8 Marquette 4-2
63.9 Georgetown 2-5
63.7 Providence 1-6
Bench Impressive
Creighton's bench contributed 51 points in its Feb. 6th victory over DePaul, with 28 of those points coming from Cole Huff.
Creighton's 51 points by its reserves were the most since it scored 54 in a double-overtime win over South Dakota on Dec. 9, 2014 and its most in regulation since putting up 54 vs. Alcorn State on Nov. 8, 2013. Creighton last had 50+ points off the bench in a league game on March 1, 2008, when the reserves supplied 77 points in a double-overtime win over Bradley.
The Bluejay bench scored 925 points this season, an average of 26.43 points per contest. That's the program's best figure since the 2007-08 team averaged 36.91 points per game.
Creighton's bench contributed 36 double-figure performances this season.
Creighton's bench has outscored the bench of its opponents 925-682 this season, and 4,735-3,644 in Greg McDermott's six years on the Bluejay sideline.
Zierden With Efficient Eight vs. DePaul
Isaiah Zierden's eight three-pointers at DePaul (Jan. 17) are tied for third-most in Creighton history for a single-game, and one shy of the record set by Kyle Korver (1/15/03 vs. Evansville) and Ethan Wragge (1/20/14 at #4 Villanova).
Zierden is one of four men with exactly eight trifectas in a contest, joining Korver (12/31/02 at #19 Xavier), Tad Ackerman (1/23/95 at Drake) and Terrell Taylor (3/15/02 vs. #15 Florida).
Of the players to make eight or more three-pointers in a Creighton game, Zierden's 11 attempts are easily the fewest, two less than Ackerman and Korver (at Xavier). Both Korver (vs. Evansville) and Wragge needed 14 attempts, while Taylor set the school-record with 15 attempts against Florida.
Zierden's eight three-pointers vs. DePaul were tied for the most by any BIG EAST player in a game this season.
30 Point Efforts
In Greg McDermott's first five years at Creighton, only Kenny Lawson Jr. (once) and Doug McDermott (27 times) ever scored 30 or more points in a game.
In the last two months of the season, Maurice Watson Jr. (32 vs. No. 5 Xavier on Feb. 9), Isaiah Zierden (31 points at DePaul on Jan. 17) and Cole Huff (35 points vs. Seton Hall on March 10) each surpassed 30 points in a game.
This is the first time since at least 1967-68 that Creighton has had three different players reach 30 points in the same season.
Huff's 35 points were the most by any Bluejay since Doug McDermott also scored 35 in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament vs. DePaul in 2014.
Before the Seton Hall loss in the quarterfinals, the last time a Bluejay scored 31 or more in a loss came on Dec. 31, 2002, when Kyle Korver compiled 32 points in a two-point loss at No. 19 Xavier.
Creighton had won 29 straight games in which an individual has scored 31 points or more. In addition to one such game from Zierden and Watson, that streak included 31 point (or more) games from Doug McDermott (21 times), Nate Funk (3), Kyle Korver (1), Johnny Mathies (1) and Cavel Witter (1).
Dynamite Start For Watson
Maurice Watson Jr. scored 492 points in his first season as a Creighton Bluejay.
Since 1995-96, Watson's figure is the second-most among all Creighton newcomers, trailing only Doug McDermott. McDermott would finish his career with 3,150 in 145 career games to rank fifth in NCAA history.
Most Points In CU Newcomer's First Season Since 1995-96
Pts. Name, Class Year
581 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11
492 Maurice Watson Jr., Jr. 2015-16
421 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96
416 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
396 Cole Huff, Jr. 2015-16
317 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98
317 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
316 Gregory Echenique, So. 2010-11
295 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
What's Your Twenty?
James Milliken had a career-high 26 points on March 2nd at Providence, and was one of six Creighton players to score 20 points or more this season. In addition to Milliken (3x), Isaiah Zierden (2x), Cole Huff (4x), Maurice Watson Jr. (6x), Khyri Thomas and Geoffrey Groselle (6x) all reached that mark.
By comparison, last year Creighton had five players all year reach 20+ points (Austin Chatman, Toby Hegner, Will Artino, Milliken and Zierden), and in the two previous years had only three players surpass 20 points in any game.
The last previous time that Creighton had six men have 20 or more points in a game during the same season was 1972-73, when Gene Harmon, Al Lewis, Ted Wuebben, Doug Brookins, Ralph Bobik and Gene Ellefson all did it.
Creighton also had five different men with 25 points or more in a game this season, the first time it's had five or more 25+ point scorers in the same season since at least 1968-69. The last time CU had four men with games of 25+ points in the same campaign was 1976-77 (Rick Apke, Robert Scrutchens, John C. Johnson and Cornell Smith).
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 Next
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
Pink Out Auction Raises More Than $21,000
Creighton raised more than $21,000 during its "Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out" game vs. Seton Hall on Jan. 30th.
Bluejay players wore pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game and, like past years, fans had the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt could be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.).
The first 16,000 fans entering the venue received a complimentary pink t-shirt courtesy of CHI Health and Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center.
Complimentary "Pink Out" posters were also available to fans exiting the venue after the game.
This year's Creighton vs. Cancer jersey auction raised $16,527.90 and donations brought in an additional $5,000. The past five seasons has seen $126,203.04 raised in the jersey auction.
Below is the final numbers for each item in the auction this year:
#0 $710 #1 $532.40 #2 $1125
#4 $1035 #5 $455 #10 $1397
#11 $910 #12 $620 #13 $1009
#15 $610 #20 $485 #21 $1280
#22 $960 #23 $860 #32 $1125
#40 $1025 #41 $1275
Basketballs: $242.50, $230.50, $227.50, $210.50, $203.50
Some People Call Him Maurice
Maurice Watson Jr. dished 14 assists in Creighton's win at Seton Hall on Jan. 9. While it was three shy of his collegiate high accomplished while he was at Boston University, the 14 helpers were his most in a Creighton uniform.
Watson's 14 assists tie Providence's Kris Dunn (twice) for the most by any BIG EAST player this season, and were the most in a regular-season BIG EAST game since Dee Davis had 15 assists vs. Providence on Feb. 7, 2015.
Watson's 14 assists are tied for eighth-most nationally in a game this season, and directly led to 37 points by the Bluejays in that game.
Watson's 14 assists were the most ever by a Creighton player in any conference game.
Watson's 14 assists were the most by any Bluejay since Ralph Bobik tied his own school-record with 17 assist vs. Bradley on Jan. 22, 1974. Below is a list of the six occasions in CU history in which a player has had 13 or more assists.
Ast. Name, Opponent Date
17 Ralph Bobik at St. Francis (Pa.) 02/23/73
Ralph Bobik vs. Bradley 01/22/74
16 Ralph Bobik vs. BYU 12/17/73
14 Maurice Watson Jr. at Seton Hall 01/09/16
13 Latrell Wrightsell vs. Nebraska 12/07/91
Jason Bey vs. Southern Illinois 02/27/95
Full House
This year's team averaged 15,941 fans per game, which ranked 10th nationally. Creighton woudl have been eighth with 17,065 fans per game without two home NIT crowds that lowered the final average.
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.
2015-16 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 23,362 Done
2. Syracuse 21,592 Done
3. Louisville 20,860 Done
4. North Carolina 18,326 Done
5. Maryland 17,863 Done
6. Wisconsin 17,287 Done
7. Indiana 17,106 Done
8. North Carolina State 16,758 Done
9. Kansas 16,436 Done
10. Creighton 15,941 Done
11. Nebraska 15,430 Done
12. Arkansas 14,879 Done
13. Arizona 14,527 Done
14. Marquette 13,808 Done
15. Purdue 13,662 Done
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
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 at the midway point in league play in 19 of the last 20 seasons, including this year.
Creighton has also gone 5-4 or better in the second half of league action in 18 of the last 20 seasons.
Creighton has now made the postseason each of the last 18 times it's been 5-4 or better at the midway point, and missed it the only time they weren't in that span.
Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC/BIG EAST season since 1995-96.
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2015-16 5-4 4-5
2014-15 1-8 3-6
2013-14 8-1 6-3
2012-13 7-2 6-3
2011-12 8-1 6-3
2010-11 5-4 5-4
2009-10 5-4 5-4
2008-09 5-4 9-0
2007-08 5-4 5-4
2006-07 6-3 7-2
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
Total 120-69 (.635) 122-67 (.646)
Standard Five
Creighton used the same starting line-up in each of its first 18 games this season before finally making a change on Jan. 17 (in game 19) when Toby Hegner replaced Cole Huff in the first five.
Creighton used six starting line-up combinations this season overall.
Last season Creighton used 10 different starting line-up combinations, its most in any season since using 11 pairings in 1994-95.
Creighton used the same starting five combination for every game in 2011-12, and then again in 2012-13.
Watson Dishes and Scores
Maurice Watson Jr. led the team lead in both scoring and assists. In fact, Watson had owned or shared the team lead in assists in 23 straight games before that streak was snapped 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
Mo' Points, Mo' Assists
Maurice Watson Jr. led Creighton in both scoring and assists, doing things at a rate that had never been approached in school history.
Since the program began tracking assists in 1970-71, Watson is one of four men to average at least 12 points and five assists per game. However, he's the only one in that quartet that's scored 12 points per game while also averaging six assists per contest.
12+ PPG & 5+ APG, Since 1970-71 at Creighton
Name, Year PPG APG
Ralph Bobik, 1971-72 14.1 5.2
James Farr, 1988-89 12.0 5.0
Antoine Young, 2010-11 13.1 5.0
Maurice Watson Jr., 2015-16 14.1 6.5
Watson Reaches Milestones
Though he was new to Creighton, that didn't keep Maurice Watson Jr. from reaching a couple big milestones at the collegiate level.
Watson owned 492 points and 229 assists at Creighton this season, and when combined with his 800 points and 410 assists in two seasons at Boston University, now owns career collegiate totals of 1,292 points and 639 assists.
Only two players have ever attained 1,000 points and 500 assists (all with CU) during their Creighton careers, Ryan Sears (1,309/570) and Antoine Young (1,342/505). Both Sears and Young got there as seniors.
Watson averaged 6.54 assists per game. Creighton's last player to average 6.0 assists per game or more for an entire season had been Randy Eccker's 7.3 assists per contest in 1976-77.
Overall, Watson's 1.99 assist/turnover ratio this year ranked sixth in the BIG EAST (min. 3.0 assists per game), and his career ratio (including Boston) of 2.08 assists per turnover ranks 19th-best nationally among active players with 400 or more career assists.
That ratio ranks better that such highly-touted men such as Yogi Ferrell (2.03), Denzel Valentine (2.02), Kyle Collinsworth (1.92) and Kris Dunn (1.75).
Watson surpassed 1,000 career points on Jan. 5 vs. Georgetown in the 81st game of Watson's collegiate career. If you're curious to see how that stacks up with others in recent Creighton history to reach 1,000 career points, here's a list:
Games To 1,000 CU Points, Last 15 Bluejays
Name Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Austin Chatman 139 03/11/15
Ethan Wragge 132 01/18/14
Gregory Echenique 101 03/24/13
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Assists Are Elementary For Watson
Maurice Watson Jr. had his fifth game this season with 10 or more assists when he dished 10 dimes on March 5th at Xavier. Watson had six such games at Boston University in his first two years as a collegian.
Watson is the first Bluejay with four or more games of 10 or more assists in the same season since Duan Cole, who had four such games in 1989-90.
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), 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 five).
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 on 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 last year.
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.
After allowing just two game-winning go-ahead scores in the last 10 seconds in the first 11 seasons at CenturyLink Center Omaha, Creighton allowed that to happen four times in a 13 month span alone.
Creighton is now 7-6 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the 13-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
Magic Number is 79
Creighton scored 79 points or more in 16 of its 20 wins. Creighton averaged 87.1 points per game in its 20 wins this winter, compared to 69.7 per game when it lost.
Groselle Good As Gold
Geoffrey Groselle made his last five shots in an 8-for-9 against North Texas on Dec. 21, then followed it with an 8-for-8 showing from the floor vs. Coppin State one week later. On Dec. 31 at St. John's, Groselle made his first eight shots before finishing 9-of-10. Groselle was also perfect from the field vs. Villanova on Jan. 2nd, though he only attempted one shot.
The streak of 21 straight field goals made was just nine shy of the NCAA record set this season by Yale's Brandon Sherrod.
Groselle's field goal percentage of 70.2 percent, was the second-best mark nationally (min 5 FGA/game) and best in the BIG EAST (min. 3 FG/game).
If you're curious, the NCAA record (min. 5 FG/game) was set in 1981 by Oregon State's Steve Johnson, who shot 74.6 percent, while the Creighton record (min. 200 attempts) had been 67.4 percent set by Vernon Moore in 1984-85.
Groselle's older brother, Mike Groselle, played at The Citadel from 2009-13 and ranks eighth in Southern Conference history with a 58.9 career field goal percentage and led the league in that category as a senior when he shot 57.4 percent from the floor.
FG Percentage Leaders
Minimum 5 FGA/game
Rk. Team FG%
1. Evan Bradds, Belmont .712
2. Geoffrey Groselle, Creighton .702
3. Thomas Bryant, Indiana .689
4. Venky Jois, Eastern Washington .679
5. Mamadou Ndiaye, UC Irvine .673
Century Mark Back-to-Back
Creighton scored 105 points on Dec. 21st against North Texas, then had 102 more on Dec. 28th vs. Coppin State.
Creighton had not scored 100 points or more in consecutive games since Jan. 29 (104 at Idaho State) and Feb. 2 (115 vs. Memphis) during the 1965-66 season, and had not scored 100 points twice in the same month since February of 1990.
Creighton scored 100 points or more in fourth different games this season. It's the fourth different season in program history it's done that, and first time since 1971-72's squad did it five times.
The 1965-66 team cracked the century mark seven times, while the 1971-72 club reached triple-digits five times.
Man Of Steal
Isaiah Zierden ranked ninth in the BIG EAST with 44 steals this season. He owned nine games this season with three steals or more, and had at least three in each of CU's first four BIG EAST victories this winter.
By comparison, Zierden had a total of three steals (in 28 games and 304 minutes) as a freshman, and 12 steals (in 20 games and 558 minutes) a year ago. Zierden owned just two steals in 23 career BIG EAST games entering the season.
The Link Turns Into The Dunk Tank
Creighton put down 58 dunks in 35 games as a unit this year. By comparison, Creighton had 29 dunks in 33 games all last season.
Eight different men threw down a dunk this winter, led by 18 from Geoffrey Groselle, 14 from Zach Hanson and 12 by Khyri Thomas.
The Fast And The Furious
Creighton had 323 fast break points 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 had a whopping 30 fast break points in its Nov. 14 win over Texas Southern, then added 24 more on Nov. 17 vs. UTSA.
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.
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.
Courtesy Stats Inc., 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 Done
2. 973 UNLV Done
3. 964 Vanderbilt Done
4. 947 Duke Done
5. 905 Western Kentucky Done
6. 901 Arkansas Done
7. 892 East Tennessee State Done
8. 885 Pacific Done
9. 867 Oakland Done
10. 858 Texas Done
11. 844 Princeton Done
12. 833 Florida Done
13. 810 La Salle Done
14. 808 Marshall Done
15. 800 Baylor Done
16. 776 LIU-Brooklyn Done
17. 773 Gonzaga Done
18. 772 Cornell Done
19. 756 Mount St. Mary's Done
20. 755 Tennessee State Done
21. 748 Creighton Done
748 East Carolina Done
23. 709 Lafayette Done
24. 707 DePaul Done
25. 703 Davidson Done
Pace Makers
Creighton ranked 28th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 79.63 points per game.
This year's team scored 79 points or more in 16 of its 20 victories, significantly better than last year's team that reached 85 points just twice all winter.
Since 2000-01, Creighton owns 54 games of 85+ points in the eight seasons it has made the NCAA Tournament, compared to 31 such outbursts in the eight years it has missed the Big Dance.
Year 85+ Point Games Postseason?
2015-16 13 NIT
2014-15 2 None
2013-14 12 NCAA
2012-13 7 NCAA
2011-12 13 NCAA
2010-11 3 CBI
2009-10 2 CIT
2008-09 3 NIT
2007-08 6 NIT
2006-07 0 NCAA
2005-06 2 NIT
2004-05 1 NCAA
2003-04 1 NIT
2002-03 11 NCAA
2001-02 6 NCAA
2000-01 4 NCAA
Triple Threat
Khyri Thomas entered the Dec. 9 game vs. Nebraska with five total assists in Creighton's first eight games, but the freshman guard would match that total in the first 14 minutes, and tallied seven helpers overall.
Thomas finished with seven points, seven assists and nine rebounds against the Cornhuskers. He is just the third Bluejay in Greg McDermott's six-year tenure to post at least seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the same game, joining Austin Chatman and Grant Gibbs. Both Chatman and Gibbs did it twice each. Maurice Watson Jr. has also done it once since then (Jan. 26 at Georgetown).
Creighton has never had a traditional point/rebound/assist triple-double.
7+ Point, 7+ Rebound, 7+ Assist Games, Since 2010-11
Pts. Reb. Ast. Name Date
12 10 7 Grant Gibbs 1/13/12
12 7 9 Austin Chatman 11/11/13
9 7 10 Grant Gibbs 12/19/11
9 7 7 Austin Chatman 1/25/14
7 9 7 Khyri Thomas 12/9/15
16 8 7 Maurice Watson Jr. 1/26/16
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 only 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 of the Year and MVC Freshman of the Year.
Among The Best
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, which coincides with Greg McDermott's arrival, Creighton has been the nation's fifth-most accurate team from three-point range.
The Bluejays are 1775-4600 from deep in that time, shooting 38.59 percent.
Best 3FG%, Since 2010-11
Rk. Pct. Team 3FG 3FGA
1. .394 Indiana 1515 3843
2. .390 Northern Colorado 1261 3237
3. .389 Weber State 1537 3953
4. .387 Denver 1451 3747
5. .386 Creighton 1775 4600
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:
Most Games, 50% FG & 40% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 70 Creighton
2. 64 Gonzaga
3. 62 Kansas
4. 60 Denver
5. 59 Saint Mary's
Most Games, 50% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 46 Michigan State
2. 45 Creighton
3. 42 UCLA
42 Northern Colorado
5. 41 Weber State
Most Games, 40% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 106 Creighton
106 Duke
3. 103 Indiana
4. 99 Weber State
5. 98 Michigan State
Most Games, 50% FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 102 Gonzaga
2. 98 Kansas
3. 91 Belmont
4. 89 Kentucky
5. 88 Creighton
Most Games, 60% FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 18 Utah
2. 17 Creighton
3. 16 Ohio State
4. 15 Kansas
15 Gonzaga
Most Games, 25+ Assists
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 22 Michigan State
2. 17 North Carolina
17 Sam Houston State
4. 16 BYU
5. 15 Iona
6. 14 Creighton
A 60 Point Half!
Creighton scored 61 points in the first half on Nov. 17 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.
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 saw 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 those teams to do so reached the NCAA Tournament.
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
Debut News
Creighton started three players on Nov. 14 who 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.
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.
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.
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 eighth in NBA history with 1,887 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 42.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range. He set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range in 2009-10. Last season he was named an All-Star and led the league in three-point percentage for the third time.
Tolliver averaged 5.3 points per game this season for the Pistons, his 10th NBA organization.
McDermott finished his second season with the Chicago Bulls, where he averaged 9.4 points per game and ranked fifth in the NBA by shooting 42.5 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.
Top-20 Crowds
Creighton's Jan. 30 crowd of 17,924 was the program's 18th largest home crowd 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. 17,924 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 five 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 five years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 15-25 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 222 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 13-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 this 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.
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 after his sixth 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
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.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus provided complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service was available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle started 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles continued to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus were: 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 then went eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route was designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle started 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 could 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 were available for any game.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
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