Monday, January 16
Cincinnati, Ohio
1:00 PM
Creighton University
at
Xavier
Jordan Scurry
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
#8 Men's Basketball Visits #15 Xavier in MLK Day BIG EAST Marathon Matinee
1/15/2017 7:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton looks for first 18-1 start in program history
Download Notes as a PDF
Game #19: #8 Creighton at #15 Xavier • Monday, Jan. 16, 2017 • 1:00 p.m. CST
Cintas Center (10,250) • Cincinnati, Ohio
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM; www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1 (Joe Davis, Jim Jackson)
Series History: Xavier leads, 12-10
Last Meeting: #5 Xavier 98, Creighton 93 on March 5, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio
Next Game
No. 8 Creighton (17-1, 4-1 BIG EAST) visits No. 15 Xavier for a Monday afternoon matinee as part of the BIG EAST's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Marathon.
Tip-off at Cintas Center (10,250) in Cincinnati, Ohio, is set for 2:00 pm Eastern (1:00 pm Central).
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2016-17 season, while KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
Television Information
Monday's game will air nationally on FS1, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 78 (1078 in HD).
Joe Davis and Jim Jackson will announce.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Monday'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. 8 Creighton
Creighton ranked eighth in last week's Associated Press poll (a new poll will come out roughly two hours before CU meets Xavier) after a stellar start to the season that includes wins over No. 9 Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Buffalo, Akron, Nebraska, Arizona State, Seton Hall, St. John's, Providence and No. 12 Butler.
Creighton's 17-1 start ties the program's best mark ever after 18 games, and the lone loss this season has come to defending national champion and third-ranked Villanova.
The Bluejays are putting up 87.6 points per game (10th nationally) while shooting 53.6 percent from the field (first nationally) and 40.9 percent from three-point territory (12th nationally).
Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster (18.2 ppg.) leads the Bluejays in scoring, and is averaging the most points by a Bluejay newcomer since Cyril Baptiste in 1969-70. He's scored 15 points or more in 16-of-18 games so far, and has already been named Paradise Jam MVP and a two-time BIG EAST Player of the Week in this young season.
Maurice Watson Jr. (13.4 ppg., 8.8 apg.) was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection and runs the Bluejay attack. He's the nation's active leader in career assists (798), and his 8.8 assists per game and 159 total assists this year both lead in the country.
Two Omaha products in the starting line-up are also doing big things. Vastly improved Khyri Thomas averages 12.1 points per game, and is second on the team in blocks, assists and rebounding. Redshirt freshman big man Justin Patton averages 14.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He's shooting 73.7 percent from the field (third nationally) and has 46 dunks already.
Scouting No. 15 Xavier
Xavier is 13-4 on the season and 4-2 in the BIG EAST after consecutive road losses to No. 3 Villanova and No. 12 Butler, but are 9-0 at the rowdy Cintas Center.
Three Musketeers average more than 14 points, Trevon Bluiett (16.8 ppg., 5.8 rpg.), Edmond Sumner (15.7 ppg., 4.6 apg.) and J.P. Macura (14.5 ppg.).
Xavier averages 76.6 points per game on 45.7 percent shooting from the floor and 33.1 percent shooting from downtown. XU is also +7.1 per game on the glass.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his seventh season as head coach at Creighton. He is 158-73 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 438-268 in his 23rd season and is 307-204 in his 16th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
Chris Mack (Xavier, 1992) owns a 175-81 mark in his eighth year at his alma mater, which also doubles as his career mark. He's led the Musketeers to six NCAA Tournaments, including three Sweet Sixteen bids, and also won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title in both 2010 and 2011. Mack is assisted by Mike Pegues, Travis Steele and Luke Murray.
The Series With Xavier
Xavier owns a 12-10 lead in the series with Creighton, including a 7-5 mark in Cincinnati.
The teams have split the season series each of the previous two years, with the road teams winning both games in 2014-15 and the home teams taking both contests a year ago.
With a win on Monday, Creighton can become the first visiting team to ever beat Xavier three times at Cintas Center.
Greg McDermott is 4-3 against Xavier and Chris Mack. Mack is 3-5 against Creighton.
Uniform Success at Cintas
Xavier has been near unbeatable at Cintas Center since its 2000 opening, going 216-31 (.874) in the facility. That includes a 9-0 record this season, and an 4-4 mark all-time against top-10 foes at Cintas.
The Musketeers are also an impressive 114-19 (.857) all-time in conference home games at Cintas Center.
One of those rare Musketeer home losses came on Nov. 30, 2004, when Creighton overcame an early 33-22 deficit (including 35-26 at half) to stun the Musketeers, 73-72, on a Tyler McKinney hoop with 21.5 ticks left. At the time, it was just Xavier's third non-conference home loss ever in the building.
On Feb. 4, 2015, Creighton picked up a 79-72 overtime win at Cintas Center. The Bluejays overcame a seven-point second half deficit to force overtime, and outscored the Muskies 14-7 in the extra session to hand the X-Men their first home loss of the year.
Creighton is one of six visiting teams that have twice beaten Xavier at Cintas Center, joining UMass, Richmond, Saint Louis, Saint Joseph's and Villanova. A win on Monday would make Creighton the first visiting team with three wins over Xavier at Cintas Center.
By comparison, Creighton is 194-39 (.833) all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha, another place where visiting teams have had trouble winning thanks to a tremendous home-court advantage.
Creighton & Xavier To The Wire
Since both teams joined the BIG EAST three years ago, six of the seven meetings between Creighton and Xavier have been decided by eight points or less.
The teams played a pair of games in 2014-15 that went down to the wire, with the first game going to overtime and the second game being decided by a single point.
Creighton has had just one game this season decided by six points or less.
Traditional Powers
Monday's match-up features two teams that have traditionally excelled in their respective conferences.
Creighton has gone .500 or better in league play 20 of the past 21 seasons.
Xavier has been .500 or better in league play each of the last 34 seasons. That's the nation's longest active streak, five seasons longer than Murray State's 29. The rest of the top-five consists of Kansas (27), Kentucky (27) and Gonzaga (25).
Road Warriors
Creighton is a perfect 7-0 away from home this winter, with those wins coming by an average of 15.1 points per game. Creighton's victims in that time include Washington State, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Arizona State, St. John's and Providence.
Creighton has scored 91.0 points per game in those road/neutral contests this season, shooting 54.8 percent from the floor and 48.1 percent from three-point range. CU has averaged 10.7 three-pointers per game away from home this season.
Two Bluejay veteran reserves, Toby Hegner (11-21, 52.4%) and Isaiah Zierden (12-22, 53.5%), have combined to shoot 55 percent from long-range in 43 attempts, while Maurice Watson Jr. (6-10) and Justin Patton (2-3) are also shooting at a prolific clip from deep in those contests outside Omaha.
Creighton has won its first seven games away from home for just the first time since the 1942-43 team that opened a school-record 16-0 won its first eight road/neutral games, before losing in the NIT to Washington & Jefferson.
This year marks the first time that Creighton has won its first four true road games since the 2013-14 squad did. Each of Creighton's last four teams to win their first four true road games (1963-64, 2003-04, 2012-13, 2013-14) lost their fifth attempt. No team has won its first five true road games since the 1942-43 club won its first eight.
Each of Creighton's last 11 NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home, and 10 of those teams had a winning record in true road contests.
Playing With The Lead
Creighton has trailed for just 85:37 of a possible 720 minutes this season, just 11.9 percent of the time.
Creighton's Dec. 31 loss to No. 1 Villanova marked the only time all season that Creighton has trailed in the final three minutes of any game, and just the second time (along with Oral Roberts) that Creighton has trailed at any point in the final eight minutes.
The Oral Roberts game is the only contest this season in which Creighton has had a lead change in the final five minutes of any game. There was one such lead change down the stretch in that game.
Since losing to Villanova on New Year's Eve, the only time in four games that Creighton has trailed was when it fell behind 3-0 to Butler last Wednesday. The Bluejays scored the game's next seven points and did not trail again.
Watson Makes Cut On Wooden List
Creighton guard Maurice Watson Jr. is one of three BIG EAST players on the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's Midseason Top 25, it was announced on January 11. Watson joins Villanova's Josh Hart and Butler's Kelan Martin.
Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list comprises of 25 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor, based on their performances during the first half of the 2016-17 season.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2017 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's. The leading candidates will be further pared to 20 top players in early February.
Fifteen top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA will be submitted to voters on the Final Ballot prior to the NCAA Tournament.
Every year, players have made the Final Ballot that were not on the preseason or midseason lists. Voters are permitted to take into consideration the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament when casting the ballot. The 10-man Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament.
Watson is the first CU player named to the Midseason Top 25 list for the Wooden Award since 2013-14, when Doug McDermott went on to win the award.
It's Been 100 Years
Last Thursday (Jan. 12) marked the 100th anniversary of the first recorded game in Creighton men's basketball history, as Creighton topped Peru State 30-17 on January 12, 1917 in Omaha.
Creighton went 17-3 in that first season despite never scoring more than 40 points in any game.
Thomas E. Mills was the coach of that team.
Omaha's population in 1920 was 191,601, while Creighton has hosted 190,357 fans this season in 11 home games.
A Great Start
Creighton is off to a tremendous start with a 17-1 record to date, matching the program's best mark ever after 18 games.
Creighton also started 17-1 in 2012-13. That team lost its 19th and 20th games of the season.
Most Wins After 18 Games, All-Time
Wins Year Final W-L Game 19 Result
17 2012-13 28-8 Lost
17 2016-17 ? ? ?
Jays Climb To 8th In Last Week's AP Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked eighth in the country in last week's (Jan. 9) Associated Press poll, the best ranking in program history.
Creighton has now been ranked in all 10 AP polls this year and been ranked 78 weeks in program history, with 50 of those under the direction of seventh-year head coach Greg McDermott.
The Bluejays are one of four BIG EAST teams in the top-15, as Villanova ranks third, Butler is 12th and Xavier is 15th.
Creighton was ranked eighth in last week's (Jan. 9) USA Today Coaches Poll, also the best mark in program history in that poll.
Below is a list of the top weekly rankings in the AP poll in program history:
Best Weekly AP Rankings, Creighton History
8th - 1/9/17
9th - 3/1/14
9th - 12/19/16
10th - 1/20/03
10th - 11/28/16
10th - 12/5/16
10th - 12/12/16
10th - 12/26/16
10th - 1/2/17
Quick Out Of The Gates
Creighton continues to race to the lead in the opening minutes this season.
In fact, Creighton has owned a double-digit lead at some point in every game it has played in this season.
Below is a list of some of Creighton's runs to start the game this season:
Opponent Score Time Left in 1st Half
UMKC 15-2 14:25
#9 Wisconsin 8-0 18:39
Washington State 12-4 17:27
Buffalo 15-6 13:18
Akron 12-3 15:20
Nebraska 14-2 15:17
Longwood 11-2 16:42
Oral Roberts 6-0 19:10
#1 Villanova 19-9 14:30
St. John's 7-0 16:25
Providence 10-0 16:31
#12 Butler 19-9 12:12
Truman State 17-3 13:56
Watson's Dimes
Maurice Watson Jr. owns 798 career assists to date, easily the most among the nation's active players.
Watson also leads the nation with 8.8 assists per game and with 159 overall helpers.
Watson's 159 assists this year have been spread among nine different players, and have led to 70 three-pointers, 44 lay-ups, 30 dunks and 15 other two-point jump shots (see chart, bottom of page four).
Including eight converted "and-1" free throw opportunities, Watson's 159 assists have led to 396 points, an average of 22.0 points per game.
Watson Moves Into Creighton's Top 10
Just 53 games into his Bluejay career, Maurice Watson Jr. ranks tied for ninth with Josh Dotzler on Creighton's all-time assists chart with 388.
Watson's 159 assists this season rank tied for 10th on Creighton's all-time list, an impressive feat considering he has at least 14 games left.
Most Career Creighton Assists, Since 1970-71
Ast. GP Name Years
570 124 Ryan Sears 1997-01
549 82 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
505 142 Antoine Young 2008-12
498 100 Grant Gibbs 2011-14
493 139 Austin Chatman 2011-15
458 89 Randy Eccker 1974-78
430 110 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
418 115 Vernon Moore 1981-85
388 117 Josh Dotzler 2005-09
388 53 Maurice Watson Jr. 2015-Pres.
Most Single-Season Creighton Assists, Since 1970-71
Ast. GP Name (Class) Year
252 30 Ralph Bobik (Sr.) 1973-74
229 35 Maurice Watson Jr. (Jr.) 2015-16
210 36 Grant Gibbs (Jr.) 2012-13
205 28 Randy Eccker (Jr.) 1976-77
195 39 Antoine Young (Jr.) 2010-11
184 34 Tyler McKinney (Sr.) 2004-05
176 35 Grant Gibbs (So.) 2011-12
175 33 Ryan Sears (Jr.) 1999-00
162 26 Ralph Bobik (Jr.) 1972-73
159 32 Vernon Moore (Sr.) 1984-85
159 18 Maurice Watson Jr. (Sr.) 2016-17
Ranking News & Notes
Xavier was ranked 15th in last week's AP poll, though it is expected to drop after an 0-2 week. The new poll will be released mere hours before Creighton and Xavier meet on Monday. Some notes of interest as it pertains to Creighton...
-Creighton is 25-133 all-time (2-1 this year) against nationally-ranked teams in the Associated Press poll, including wins last season over No. 5 Xavier and No. 18 Butler and victories this season against No. 9 Wisconsin and No. 12 Butler.
-Creighton had never beaten the same ranked school in consecutive seasons until completing the task last Wednesday against Butler. A win against Xavier would add the Musketeers to that list, as well.
-Creighton is 7-18 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams. Dana Altman (7) is the only other man with seven or more wins on the Bluejay sideline against ranked foes.
-Creighton is 3-8 all-time as a ranked team, when playing another ranked team.
-Creighton is 3-69 all-time in true road games against top-25 teams. The last such victory came on January 20, 2014, a 96-68 throttling of No. 4 Villanova. That game also took place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Creighton vs. Cancer Auction Underway
As part of the nationwide Coaches vs. Cancer event, men's basketball fans are encouraged to wear pink to promote cancer awareness and participate in the "Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out" game when the No. 8-ranked Bluejays host the DePaul Blue Demons on First National Bank Court at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Saturday, Jan. 28 (1:30 p.m., tip-off).
Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game and fans have 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 can be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.).
Bidding is underway and will close at various times on Sunday, Jan. 22 in 15-minute increments (starting at 6:45 p.m., and ending at 8:30 p.m.). To participate in the auction, click on this link to place a bid: www.cancer.org/creighton.
The first 16,000 fans entering the venue on Saturday, Jan. 28 will receive a complimentary pink t-shirt courtesy of CHI Health and Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center. "Pink Out" t-shirts are also available for purchase at the following Lawlor's Custom Sportswear locations: Westroads Mall and the Superstore located at 84th & J Streets.
Complimentary "Pink Out" posters will be available to fans exiting the venue after the game on Saturday, Jan. 28. Last year's Creighton vs. Cancer jersey auction raised $21,817 pushing the five-year total of amount raised to just over $130,000.
Terrific Start
Junior Marcus Foster's 328 points so far are the most by any Bluejay newcomer through 18 games since at least 1979-80. His 18.2 points per game is the best by a Bluejay newcomer since Cyril Baptiste's 18.9 points per game in 1969-70.
For comparison, Doug McDermott had 236 points through 18 games and 254 points after the 19th career game of his freshman season. He would finish his career with 3,150 in 145 career games to rank fifth in NCAA history.
Most Points, CU Newcomers First 18 Games Since 1995-96
Pts. Name, Class Year After 19
328 Marcus Foster, Jr. 2016-17 ? ? ?
252 Justin Patton, Fr. 2016-17 ? ? ?
243 Maurice Watson Jr., Jr. 2015-16 260
236 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11 254
218 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96 243
197 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08 203
196 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98 203
199 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02 204
197 Gregory Echenique, So. 2010-11 203
185 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98 203
180 Cole Huff, Jr. 2015-16 190
On Pace For History?
Justin Patton has made 73.7 percent of his field goal attempts this season, good enough to lead the BIG EAST and rank third nationally in 2016-17.
The best season-ending mark in NCAA history, with a minimum of 5 FG/game, is 74.6 percent in 1980-81 by Oregon State's Steve Johnson.
That being said, Patton's marksmanship this season trails two other men who are also on pace to set the NCAA record for field goal percentage, as UNCW's Devontae Cacok is at 81.5 percent and UCF's Tacko Fall not far behind at 80.0 percent this season.
The chart below lists the top-five single-season marks for field goal percentage in NCAA history entering 2016-17:
Best FG %, NCAA History
(minimum 5 FG/game)
1. Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1980-81 235-315 .746
2. Dwayne Davis, Florida 1988-89 179-248 .722
3. Evan Bradds, Belmont 2015-16 210-294 .714
4. Keith Walker, Utica 1984-85 154-216 .713
5. Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1979-80 211-297 .710
Patton Wins Third Freshman of the Week Honor
Creighton's Justin Patton was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the third time this season on January 9th. This week's recognition comes after the 7-footer led Creighton to a 2-0 week on the road with team-high averages of 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
The Omaha native made 20-of-27 shots from the field (74.1%), including his only three-point attempt, and also drained 4-of-7 free throw attempts (57.1%).
Patton's week started with a season-high 25 points to go with nine rebounds, a season-high four assists, a block and a steal in a road win at St. John's. Patton sank 11-of-14 shot attempts, including five dunks, as Creighton never trailed.
On Saturday at Providence, Patton delivered 20 points and six rebounds while matching his career-high with three blocked shots. Patton converted 9-of-13 shots from the floor, including three more dunks, and was 2-of-3 at the charity stripe.
Wire-To-Wire Road Wins
Creighton never trailed in its Jan. 4th win at St. John's, throwing a lob to Marcus Foster in the opening seconds en route to a 7-0 lead out of the gates of a 85-72 victory.
The Bluejays also didn't trail in its 78-64 win at Providence on Saturday, Jan. 7th.
It was just the second and third times in Creighton's 29 all-time BIG EAST road games that the Bluejays never trailed.
The first time came on January 20, 2014, in a 96-68 win at No. 4 Villanova. In that contest, Creighton made a three-pointer on its first nine possessions and finished with a league-record 21 trifectas overall.
Building A Resume
Creighton is tied for first nationally with seven top-51 RPI wins, per figures on WarrenNolan.com through games of Saturday.
That matches Florida State for the NCAA lead.
Creighton's strength of schedule currently ranks 27th.
Watson A Senior CLASS Candidate
Creighton men's basketball point guard Maurice Watson Jr. is one of 30 NCAA men's basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court that were selected as candidates for the 2016-17 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate basketball.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to fields of 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Watson is the seventh Creighton Men's Basketball student-athlete to make the Senior CLASS cut in recent seasons, joining Kyle Korver (2002-03), Anthony Tolliver (2006-07), Dane Watts (2007-08), Josh Dotzler (2008-09), Kenny Lawson Jr. (2010-11), Doug McDermott (2013-14). Former Creighton men's soccer goalkeeper Brian Holt won the 2011 Senior CLASS Award on the pitch, while McDermott won the 2014 Senior CLASS Award on the hardwood.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring.
Three-Point Options
Toby Hegner's fourth and final trey at Arizona State was the 100th trifecta of his career. He now owns 102, and is the fourth active Bluejay with 100 or more three-pointers, joining Marcus Foster (179, with 41 at CU), Isaiah Zierden (150) and Cole Huff (162, with 95 at CU).
Zierden stands in 10th place in Creighton history with 150 career three-pointers.
3FG Name Years
371 Kyle Korver 1999-03
334 Ethan Wragge 2009-14
274 Doug McDermott 2010-14
245 Ryan Sears 1997-01
212 Rodney Buford 1995-99
206 Jahenns Manigat 2010-14
200 Nate Funk 2002-07
185 Matt Roggenburk 1986-90
177 Duan Cole 1987-92
150 Isaiah Zierden 2013-17
147 Booker Woodfox 2007-09
We're Jamming!
Justin Patton has 46 of CU's 84 dunks this season, with Marcus Foster (15), Khyri Thomas (10), Martin Krampelj (4), Toby Hegner (2), Ronnie Harrell Jr. (2), Zach Hanson (2), Cole Huff (1), Davion Mintz (1) and Kobe Paras (1) accounting for the others.
That's more dunks than any previous season under Greg McDermott, easily eclipsing the mark of 58 dunks in 35 games last year.
Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, and 19 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Year
46 Justin Patton 2016-17
36 Gregory Echenique 2012-13
30 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
24 Gregory Echenique 2010-11
22 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Years
90 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
46 Justin Patton 2016-Pres.
38 Will Artino 2011-15
29 Zach Hanson 2013-Pres.
25 Geoffrey Groselle 2012-16
22 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
22 Khyri Thomas 2015-Pres.
19 Doug McDermott 2010-14
Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Year Team W-L
84 2016-17 ? ? ?
58 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
56 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
54 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
42 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
35 2013-14 27-8 (NCAA)
29 2014-15 14-19
About That 13-0 Start
Creighton started this season 13-0 for the first time since the 1942-43 team started 16-0. Below is a list of Creighton's most successful starts without a loss, all-time:
Best Starts Without A Loss, Creighton History
Start Year Final W-L First Loss
16-0 1942-43 * 16-1 Washington & Jefferson
13-0 2016-17 ? ? ? #1 Villanova
12-0 2003-04 # 20-9 Northern Iowa
*Reached NCAA Tournament; #Reached NIT
!No postseason tournaments existed yet
#Winning
Creighton reeled off 13 straight wins to start the 2016-17 season. It was Creighton's longest win streak under Greg McDermott, as seen below.
Longest Win Streaks Under Greg McDermott at CU
W's Dates Snapped By
13 Nov. 11, 2016 - Present #1 Villanova
11 Dec. 1, 2012 - Jan. 15, 2013 at Wichita State
11 Dec. 31, 2011 - Feb. 1, 2012 at Northern Iowa
10 Dec. 3, 2013 - Jan. 14, 2014 at Providence
Win Streak History
Creighton's 13-0 start was its sixth streak of 13 straight wins or more all-time, and Creighton's longest winning streak since Tom Apke's 1974-75 club won 14 straight.
The school-record streak is 38 straight wins, set over the course of CU's first four seasons of organized basketball nearly 100 years ago.
Creighton's Longest Win Streaks, All-Time
W's Dates Coach NCAA/NIT
38 Feb. 22, 1917 - Feb. 11, 1920 Mills Didn't exist
17 Mar. 25, 1942 - Mar. 4, 1943 Hickey NIT
16 Jan. 31, 1928 - Jan. 23, 1929 Schabinger Didn't exist
14 Jan. 3 - Feb. 21, 1925 Schabinger Didn't exist
14 Jan. 2 - Feb. 22, 1975 Apke NCAA
13 Nov. 11 - Dec. 28, 2016 McDermott ? ? ?
Double-Double Dime-Dropper
Maurice Watson Jr. owns six double-doubles this season, second-most in the BIG EAST behind Angel Delgado (13). All of Watson's double-dips are point/assist double-doubles, as he leads the nation with 8.8 assists per game.
Through January 13th, Watson's seven games with 10+ assists this season are two more than UCLA's Lonzo Ball for the national lead.
Watson owned 10+ assists in four of Creighton's seven games in December. By comparison, in 165 games from 2005-06 to 2009-10, Creighton had a player reach 10 assists in a game just twice.
With 21 points and 10 assists vs. Seton Hall on Dec. 28th, Watson became CU's first player with 20 points and 10 assists in the same game since Vernon Moore had 21 points and 12 assists vs. Southern Illinois on Jan. 17, 1985.
Scoring In Bunches
Creighton has scored 1,576 points through 18 games, to rank 10th nationally with 87.6 points per contest.
The 1,576 points are the second-most points than Creighton has ever scored in its first 18 games of any season, as seen below:
Most Points Through 18 Games, Creighton History
Points Year Final W-L (Postseason)
1,599 1965-66 14-12
1,576 2016-17 ? ? ?
1,544 1970-71 14-11
1,502 1963-64 22-7 (NCAA)
Bench Bonus
Isaiah Zierden (38) and Toby Hegner (40) have combined for 78 career starts, but this year have spent their time coming off the bench for the Bluejays.
On Dec. 20 at Arizona State, they helped Creighton shake off an early 13-6 deficit with some prolific long-range shooting. Hegner and Zierden combined to shoot 5-for-5 from three-point range during a 17-9 run as Creighton took a 23-22 lead.
CU would trail for just 53 seconds the rest of the game.
Both Zierden and Hegner drained four three-point shots in the game to finish with 12 points a piece as CU's bench outscored the ASU reserves by a 25-4 margin.
Against Seton Hall, Zierden and Hegner were the only two reserves utilized by Greg McDermott. It was the fewest players used by Creighton in any game since December 9, 1993.
100!
Creighton is 104-34 all-time when ranked in the Associated Press poll, picking up its 100th win as a top-25 team on Dec. 28th when it hosted and beat Seton Hall.
That includes a 70-22 mark under Greg McDermott when ranked.
Foster Named BIG EAST Player of the Week
Marcus Foster was named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second time this season on Dec. 26th.
The honor comes after Foster had a season-high 29 points in Creighton's 96-85 win at Arizona State on Dec. 20th. Foster made 10-of-18 shots from the floor and 6-of-8 shots at the line while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Foster had 17 points after the break, including the team's final four points from the free throw line to hold off ASU's upset bid.
He was previously honored on Nov. 28th.
Defense Pitches A Late Shutout
Creighton's offense gets all the attention, but the defense stepped up when it was needed most on Dec. 17 against Oral Roberts.
Creighton found itself trailing 65-60 with 6:08 left after ORU's Albert Owens banked in a three-pointer to stun the crowd. The Golden Eagles would go scoreless in their final 10 possessions the rest of the way.
Creighton would steadily come back, getting two hoops from Justin Patton before a Marcus Foster drive with 3:21 to play gave CU a 66-65 lead.
Neither team would score in the final 3:21 of the contest.
That contest marked the first time since December 22, 2010, that Creighton held an opponent scoreless over the final 6:08 of regulation. That came when CU held Samford scoreless in the final 6:48 of a 58-40 victory.
Those are the only two contests in the 430 games since the start of 2004-05 campaign that the Bluejays have held an opponent scoreless in the final 6:08 of any game.
Watson Dishes To History
Maurice Watson Jr. had 10 assists on Dec. 17th against Oral Roberts after dishing 11 helpers on Dec. 9 vs. Longwood.
Watson joined Grant Gibbs (in 2011-12) as the only Bluejays in the last 25 years with back-to-back games of 10+ assists, with Watson also having accomplished the feat earlier this season in November.
Watson is the only Bluejay with a point/assist double-double in consecutive games since at least 1978-79.
BIG EAST > "Football 5" So Far
Creighton has knocked off teams from the Big Ten (Wisconsin and Nebraska), Pac-12 (Arizona State and Washington State), ACC (North Carolina State) and SEC (Ole Miss) this year, all by nine or more points.
Those six non-conference wins over the "Football 5" leagues are the most of any other team in the nation.
The BIG EAST owns 27 non-conference wins over "Football 5" leagues, second-most of any league in the nation.
Both figures are through games of January 14.
MBB Non-Conference Wins Over
"Football 5" Leagues, By Team
6 Creighton
5 Butler
5 Gonzaga
5 UCLA
4 Seton Hall
4 Kansas
4 Xavier
4 Clemson
MBB Wins Over "Football 5" Leagues, By Conference
31 Atlantic Coast
27 BIG EAST
17 Big Ten
16 Big 12
13 Southeastern
12 Pac-12
A Good Start
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 18 games in recent seasons.
Of note, Creighton has started 12-6 or better after 18 games in 18 of the past 20 seasons.
Creighton's 87.8 points per game clip is the team's second-highest mark after 18 games in program history, trailing only the 1965-66 team.
Creighton's 53.6 percent field goal percentage through 18 games is the best mark in the last 23 years, a good trend since the next three spots are owned by the three winningest teams in program history.
Creighton's 160 three-pointers through 18 games are fourth-most in the last 23 years, as well.
Year W-L PPG FG% 3FG 10+ PPG guys
2016-17 17-1 87.6 .536 160 4
2015-16 12-6 83.1 .482 154 4
2014-15 9-9 68.4 .417 149 2
2013-14 15-3 81.8 .491 195 2
2012-13 17-1 79.8 .524 174 2
2011-12 16-2 82.7 .516 158 2
2010-11 12-6 66.7 .436 122 4
2009-10 9-9 69.2 .434 126 1
2008-09 14-4 74.8 .442 154 3
2007-08 14-4 74.3 .459 156 2
2006-07 12-6 67.1 .447 117 2
2005-06 13-5 69.1 .430 131 3
2004-05 12-6 68.8 .447 142 2
2003-04 16-2 70.5 .475 110 3
2002-03 16-2 82.6 .511 161 1
2001-02 13-5 74.5 .449 108 3
2000-01 13-5 73.6 .433 136 3
1999-00 12-6 71.2 .471 151 3
1998-99 13-5 76.4 .467 141 2
1997-98 12-6 75.7 .462 127 3
1996-97 9-9 65.2 .411 89 3
1995-96 9-9 65.5 .389 106 1
1994-95 6-12 63.1 .383 123 2
1,000 x 3
Cole Huff became the third member of the current Creighton team to surpass 1,000 career points when he reached the mark at Nebraska on Dec. 7. Huff entered the game with 999 points (including 527) at Nevada, then added 13 points in the win on 4-of-5 shooting from long-range.
Marcus Foster surpassed the 1,000 point mark during the Nov. 29 win over Buffalo. Foster owns 328 points this season, and scored 875 points during his first two seasons at Kansas State. It took Foster 69 games total to reach the mark.
Last year Maurice Watson Jr. surpassed 1,000 career points (including Boston), and he now owns 1,533 career points.
Creighton has never previously had three players with 1,000 career points on the roster at the same time.
Baker's Dozen For Watson
Maurice Watson Jr. had a CenturyLink Center Omaha 13 assists in a Dec. 3 win over Akron. That's one more than the previous record held by Creighton's Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern on December 22, 2011. He then had 14 assists at Providence on Jan. 7th.
The contests are the third and fourth of Watson's Creighton career with 13 or more helpers, and fifth and sixth overall as a collegian.
Per Sports-Reference.com, Watson is one of seven men with six games of 13+ assists since 2010-11, and the only active player. The list is topped by North Carolina's Kendall Marshall and LIU-Brooklyn's Jason Brickman, with 10 each.
Watson now owns four of Creighton's nine games all-time of 13+ assists, with Ralph Bobik (3), Latrell Wrightsell (1) and Jason Bey (1) owning the others.
BIG EAST Playing Big
Though the BIG EAST may not be considered of the traditional "Football 5" Conferences due to its lack of big time football, the performance of the league has been big time for a long time.
The league has owned a top-five RPI in the NCAA RPI rankings in every season since 2000-01, as seen below:
BIG EAST in Conference RPI Rankings
2016-17: 2nd (per WarrenNolan.com)
2015-16: 4th
2014-15: 3rd
2013-14: 4th
2012-13: 2nd
2011-12: 2nd
2010-11: 1st
2009-10: 3rd
2008-19: 4th
2007-08: 5th
2006-07: 5th
2005-06: 3rd
2004-05: 2nd
2003-04: 4th
2002-03: 5th
2001-02: 3rd
2000-01: 3rd
Top Five RPI
According to WarrenNolan.com on Sunday morning, Creighton ranked No. 9 nationally in the RPI.
Villanova was second, Xavier was 16th and Butler fourth, which has helped the BIG EAST to No. 2 in the conference RPI rankings.
15 Treys & 50 Percent?
Creighton shot made 44-of-81 three-point attempts in three games at the Paradise Jam, good for 54.3 percent, in its only three previous games outside Omaha.
The Bluejays shot 15-of-28 (53.6%) against Washington State, 13-of-27 (48.1%) against North Carolina State and 16-of-26 (61.5%) in the title tilt vs. Ole Miss.
In program history, Creighton owns 11 all-time games in which it has made 15 or more three-pointers and shot 50 percent or better, as seen below. Two of those were in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Best 3FG%, Minimum 15 3FG Made
3FG% Opponent 3FG-3FGA Date
.667 Chattanooga 20-30 02/19/05
.640 Chicago State 16-25 12/29/13
.625 at Indiana State 15-24 12/31/08
.615 vs. Ole Miss 16-26 11/21/16
.600 at #4 Villanova 21-35 01/24/14
.600 Texas-Arlington 15-25 11/17/02
.600 vs. IUPUI 15-25 11/25/02
.593 Drake 16-27 01/08/13
.536 Missouri State 15-28 01/30/13
.536 vs. Washington State 15-28 11/18/16
.533 Evansville 16-30 01/04/99
First Half Blitz
Creighton led 62-25 at halftime on Dec. 9 vs. Longwood. The 62 points were a CenturyLink Center Omaha record for points in a half, and the most by the Bluejays in any half since scoring 63 in the second half of a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002.
Creighton's 55-point win was also its largest since that same 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002.
Creighton has won 72 straight games in which it has scored 42 or more points in the first half, and 57 straight when scoring 44 or more in the first half.
Assist Leader
Not only is Maurice Watson Jr. is the nation's active leader in assists with 798, but he's also fifth in steals (186), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (2.10) and 11th in field goals made (588).
Watson is the nation's only active Division I player with at least 500 field goals and 600 assists.
Below is a look at the national active leaders in assists and steals, through Jan. 14.
Active Leaders in Career Assists
1. Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton 798
2. Monte Morris, Iowa State 644
3. Alec Wintering, Portland 565
4. Marquis Wright, Siena 527
5. Siyani Chambers, Harvard 522
Active Leaders in Career Steals
1. Paris Lee, Illinois State 219
2. Justin Robinson, Monmouth 193
Monte Morris, Iowa State 193
4. Tra-Deon Hollins, Omaha 190
5. Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton 186
Shooting Stars
Creighton has shot 53.6 percent from the field this season, and an equally impressive 40.9 percent from three-point range.
When Creighton led the nation in three-point shooting percentage in 2013-14, it finished the year at 41.4 percent.
Big man Justin Patton is shooting 73.7 percent from the field (third nationally), with 46 dunks among his 112 made field goals.
Each of Creighton's 10 players with two or more made three-pointers have connected on 36.0 percent or better of their shots from downtown.
Hanson Hurt
Senior center Zach Hanson was expected to miss 8-12 weeks after tearing a tendon and the ligaments in his left ankle during Creighton's win over Ole Miss on Nov. 21st. Hanson underwent surgery on Nov. 28th, and recent reports indicate he is progressing ahead of schedule and eyeing an early February return.
A Pierre, S.D., native, Hanson was averaging 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 68.0 percent from the field in 13.2 minutes per game.
Though he will not be on the court, look for Hanson to maintain a strong leadership role on the team as he mentors freshmen centers Justin Patton and Martin Krampelj.
Omaha's Team
Creighton has started Omaha natives Justin Patton and Khyri Thomas in each of its games so far.
It's the first time Creighton has started two Omaha products in the same game since March 16, 2000 vs. Auburn, when Matt West (Omaha Westside) and Donnie Johnson (Omaha Central) earned a nod.
Johnson, coincidentally, coached Thomas at Omaha Benson High School.
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.
NBA Representation
This year marks the third straight season that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Cleveland Cavaliers), 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 1,956 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 42.8 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through January 14). 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 9.3 points per game while making 40.6 percent of his three-point attempts this year.
Tolliver is averaging 6.6 points and 3.6 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 9.7 points per game and shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 33.7 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 is averaging 17,305 fans per home game this season, fourth-best nationally. That figure would rank 18th best in the NBA, ahead of 13 franchises.
Last year was 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.
2016-17 Attendance Leaders (1/14)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 22,816 1/21
2. Syracuse 20,776 1/24
3. Louisville 20,296 1/19
4. Creighton 17,305 1/21
5. Wisconsin 17,286 1/17
6. Kansas 16,452 1/21
7. Maryland 16,045 1/24
8. Indiana 15,935 1/15
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,305 so far Creighton 2016-17
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
17,048 Creighton 2014-15
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
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 last 14 seasons (including this year).
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 766 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak was the nation's 22nd-longest active streak through games of January 14.
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 (1/14)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 991 UNLV 1/17
2. 991 Kentucky 1/17
3. 981 Vanderbilt 1/17
4. 965 Duke 1/21
5. 924 Western Kentucky 1/21
6. 918 Arkansas 1/17
7. 910 East Tennessee State 1/19
8. 903 Pacific 1/19
9. 884 Oakland 1/16
10. 877 Texas 1/17
11. 860 Princeton 2/3
12. 850 Florida 1/18
13. 827 Marshall 1/21
14. 824 La Salle 1/15
15. 817 Baylor 1/17
16. 795 LIU-Brooklyn 1/19
17. 790 Gonzaga 1/19
18. 788 Cornell 1/21
19. 775 Mount St. Mary's 1/19
20. 773 Tennessee State 1/19
21. 767 East Carolina 1/15
22. 766 Creighton 1/16
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
Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time. The Villanova crowd of 18,831 Dec. 31 was third-most in school history.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,868 Providence 03/08/14
2. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
3. 18,831 #1 Villanova 12/31/16
4. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
5. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
6. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
7. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
8. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
9. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
10. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
11. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
12. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
13. 18,160 Central Arkansas 11/14/14
14. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
15. 18,084 Seton Hall 12/28/16
16. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
17. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
18. 18,032 #12 Butler 01/11/17
19. 17,971 #19 Butler 02/16/15
20. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
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.
This year's team also has four men scoring at a double-figure clip, with Huff not far behind at 9.1 ppg.
Très Bien
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 58-46 (.558) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 76-10 (.884) 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 117-30 in the last six years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 17-27 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 16 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point. Nine of those comebacks came away from home, including the win over Ole Miss in the Virgin Islands on Nov. 21st.
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 137-10 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 125 of the last 131 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
11 vs. Ole Miss 11/21/16
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
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 158-73 on the Creighton sideline in his seventh year at the helm. The 158 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first seven seasons, way more than Tom Apke's 130.
Most Wins at CU, First Seven Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 7 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 158-73 so far
Tom Apke 1974-80 130-64
Dana Altman 1994-00 123-86
Red McManus 1959-65 105-75
McDermott Passes McManus On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 158 victories at Creighton, good for third place on CU's all-time wins list.
McDermott's .684 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. 158-73 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 has also led Creighton in assists every game this season, which means he's led or tied for the team lead in assists in all but three of his 53 games since becoming eligible at Creighton.
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 233 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 14-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 194-39 (.833) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (12-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 17,849-15,021 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.14 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 64 different times, including 12 of its last 30 home games.
Creighton is also 25-23 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 31-21 when trailing at halftime at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton is 97-20 (.829) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 57-4 record vs. non-conference teams.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton averaged 79.63 points per game in 2015-16, and is scoring 87.56 points per game in 2016-17.
Greg McDermott is 43-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 37-1 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 57-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 29 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 105-1 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha. In other words, Creighton is 117-1 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 79.28 points per home game (9,355 points in 118 home games).
Since a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000, Creighton is 127-0 at home (97-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more, and 107-0 at home (80-0 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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