#10 Men's Basketball Visits St. John's To Open 2017 Calendar Year

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Game #15: #10 Creighton at St. John's • Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017 • 7:45 p.m. CST
Carnesecca Arena (5,602) • Queens, N.Y.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM; www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1 (Brian Custer, Jim Spanarkel)
Series History: St. John's leads, 7-6
Last Meeting: Creighton 100, St. John's 59 on Feb. 28, 2016 in Omaha, Neb.

Next Game
No. 10 Creighton (13-1, 1-1 BIG EAST) opens the 2017 calendar year with a trip to Queens, N.Y., to take on St. John's (8-7, 2-0 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, Jan. 4.
   Tip-off at Carnesecca Arena (5,602) in Queens, N.Y., is set for 7:45 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
Wednesday's game will be televised live on FS1, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 78 and 1078 (HD).
   Brian Custer and Jim Spanarkel will announce.
   The game will also re-air on Thursday at 1 am Central on FS2, as well as Thursday at 5:30 am on FS1.

Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Wednesday'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. 10 Creighton
Creighton ranks 10th in the Associated Press poll after a stellar start to the season that includes wins over No. 9 Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Buffalo, Akron, Nebraska, Arizona State and Seton Hall.
   Creighton's 13-0 start was the program's best since 1942-43, and came to an end on New Year's Eve with an 80-70 loss to No. 1 Villanova.
   The Bluejays are putting up 88.4 points per game (ninth nationally) while shooting 53.7 percent from the field (second nationally) and 43.0 percent from three-point territory (second nationally).
   Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster (19.0 ppg.) leads the Bluejays in scoring, and is averaging the most points by a Bluejay newcomer since Paul Silas in 1961-62.. He's scored 15 points or more in 13-of-14 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. (12.9 ppg., 9.1 apg.) was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection and runs the Bluejay attack. He's the nation's active leader in career assists (766), and his 9.1 assists per game this year rank lead in the country.
   Two Omaha products in the starting line-up are also doing big things. Khyri Thomas averages 12.5 points per game, as the sophomore wing shoots 58.9 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from deep. Redshirt freshman big man Justin Patton averages 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He's shooting 74.3 percent from the field (third nationally) and has 34 dunks already.

Scouting St. John's
St. John's is 8-7 on the season, including wins over No. 13 Butler and a 33-point romp at Syracuse. The Red Storm have won three straight games, and their 2-0 BIG EAST start is its first in six seasons.
   All three double-figure scorers for St. John's are in their first year on the court for the Red Storm, a trio headed by freshmen Shamorie Ponds (17.7 ppg., 5.3 rpg., 3.4 apg., 2.0 spg.) and Marcus Lovett (16.6 ppg., 3.9 rpg., 4.1 apg.), as well as junior college transfer Bashir Ahmed (13.0 ppg., 5.7 rpg.).
   Federico Mussini (9.7 ppg.) and Malik Ellison (7.5 ppg.) lead the returners, while Tariq Owens (41 blocks) and Kassoum Yakwe (38 blocks) headline a front line that leads the BIG EAST in blocked shots.
   St. John's scores 78.6 points per game and have made a league-high 149 three-pointers to date.

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his seventh season as head coach at Creighton. He is 154-73 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 434-268 in his 23rd season and is 303-204 in his 16th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
   Chris Mullin (St. John's, 1998) owns a 16-31 record in his second season at St. John's, which also doubles as his career mark. The three-time BIG EAST Player of the Year and NBA Hall of Famer, who led St. John's to the 1985 Final Four, returned to his alma mater to replace of Steve Lavin. Mullin is assisted by Mitch Richmond, Matt Abdelmassih and Greg St. Jean.

The Series With St. John's
St. John's leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 7-6 count, including a 6-1 record in New York.
   Creighton swept the Red Storm last season, winning 80-70 at Carnesecca Arena on New Year's Eve before a 100-59 romp in Omaha on February 28th.
   Greg McDermott is 4-2 against St. John's and 2-0 against Chris Mullin.

Road Warriors
Creighton is a perfect 5-0 away from home this winter, with those wins coming by an average of 15.8 points per game. Creighton's victims in that time include Washington State, North Carolina State, Ole Miss, Nebraska and Arizona State.
   Creighton has scored 94.8 points per game in those road/neutral contests this season, shooting 55.1 percent from the floor and 52.1 percent from three-point range. CU has averaged 12.6 three-pointers per game away from home this season.
   Cole Huff has been especially lethal in those games, shooting 15-of-23 from three-point range and ranking third on the team in both scoring (12.2 ppg.) and second in rebounding (4.6).
   Creighton has won its first five games away from home for just the third time since World War II, having also done it in 1999-2000 and 2012-13. Both of those seasons culminated with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Only the 2012-13 team won its sixth game away from home.

Building A Resume
Creighton entered Monday tied for third nationally with four top-50 RPI wins, per figures on WarrenNolan.com.
   Baylor and Florida State had five top-50 wins, while Creighton joined Villanova, Butler, Kansas and Clemson with four top-50 wins. Even more promising for CU that its win over Wisconsin is not counted among that, as the Badgers are No. 53 in that RPI calculation.
   Creighton's strength of schedule currently ranks 13th.

Still A Great Start
Despite Saturday's loss, Creighton is still off to a great start with a 13-1 record.
   In fact, it's the seventh time in the last 15 years that Creighton has started 12-2 or better through 14 games, which includes 13-1 starts in 2002-03, 2003-04, 2012-13 and 2016-17.

Dialing Long Distance
Both Creighton and St. John's use the three-point shot with extreme proficiency.
   Creighton leads the BIG EAST and ranks second nationally with 43.0 percent shooting from behind the arc.
   St. John's leads the BIG EAST and ranks 12th nationally with 149 three-pointers made this season.

Three-Point Options
Toby Hegner's fourth and final trey at Arizona State was the 100th trifecta of his career. He now owns 101, and is the fourth active Bluejay with 100 or more three-pointers, joining Marcus Foster (173, with 35 at CU), Isaiah Zierden (147) and Cole Huff (156, with 89 at CU).
   Zierden is tied with 2009 MVC Player of the Year Booker Woodfox's for 10th place in Creighton history with 147 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
   147   Booker Woodfox   2007-09
   147   Isaiah Zierden   2013-17

Dynamic Duo's
Both Creighton and St. John's feature a pair of newcomers leading the team in scoring.
   For Creighton, Marcus Foster (19.0 ppg.) and Justin Patton (13.1 ppg.) have combined for 449 points, 126 rebounds, 24 steals and 23 blocked shots.
   For St. John's, Shamorie Ponds (17.7 ppg.) and Marcus Lovett (16.6 ppg.) have combined for 464 points, 126 rebounds, 40 steals and seven blocked shots.

Jays Remain 10th In AP Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team is ranked 10th in the country in this week's Associated Press poll for the second straight week. The Jays held steady despite a loss to No. 1 Villanova last week.
   Creighton has been ranked in all nine AP polls this year, and on Dec. 19 matched a program record when it was ranked ninth.
   CU has now been ranked 77 weeks in program history, with 49 of those under the direction of seventh-year head coach Greg McDermott.
   The Bluejays are one of four BIG EAST teams in the top-17, as Villanova ranks first, Xavier is 16th and Butler is 18th.
   Creighton is ranked 10th in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll. The team has been as high as ninth three times in program history, including Dec. 19 and Dec. 26 this season.
   Below is a list of the top weekly rankings in the AP poll in program history:
Best Weekly AP rankings, Creighton History
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

We're Jamming!
Justin Patton has 34 of CU's 60 dunks this season, with Marcus Foster (9), Khyri Thomas (6), Martin Krampelj (4), Toby Hegner (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, 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
36   Gregory Echenique   2012-13
34   Justin Patton   2016-17
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
38   Will Artino   2011-15
34   Justin Patton   2016-Pres.
29   Zach Hanson   2013-Pres.
25   Geoffrey Groselle   2012-16
22   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2010-11
19   Doug McDermott   2010-14

Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Year   Team W-L
60   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.
   Creighton also started 13-0 exactly 100 years ago in 1916-17.
   Below is a list of Creighton's most successful starts all-time:
Best Starts, Creighton History
Start   Year       Final W-L   First Loss
16-0   1942-43   *   16-1   Washington & Jefferson
13-0   1916-17   !   18-2   Dubuque
13-0   2016-17       ? ? ?   #1 Villanova
12-0   2003-04   #   20-9   Northern Iowa
*Reached NCAA Tournament; #Reached NIT
!No postseason tournaments existed yet

Playing With The Lead
Creighton has trailed for just 83:17 of a possible 560 minutes this season, just 18.9 percent of the time.
   Last Saturday's 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.

#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 is 4-1 all-time in the game after having a winning streak of 13 or longer snapped, losing only in 1975 when it dropped three in a row after a 14-gamer.
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   ? ? ?

New Year's Resolution
This year marks the first time Creighton has entered New Year's Day with 13 wins. The previous high of 12 was done in 2012-13 as well as the 2008-09 campaign.

Double-Double Dime-Dropper
Maurice Watson Jr. owns five double-doubles this season, tied for second-most in the BIG EAST behind Angel Delgado (9). All of Watson's double-dips are point/assist double-doubles, as he leads the nation with 9.1 assists per game.
   Through January 1st, Watson's six games with 10+ assists this season are one more than UCLA's Lonzo Ball for the national lead, and two more than the four such games by Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox, Syracuse's Franklin Howard, Texas-Arlington's Erick Neal and Arkansas State's Donte Thomas.
   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 last Wednesday, 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.

Watson's Dimes
Maurice Watson Jr. owns 766 career assists to date, easily the most among the nation's active players.
   Watson also leads the nation with 9.1 assists per game and with 127 overall helpers.
   Watson's 127 assists this year have been spread among nine different players, and have led to 59 three-pointers, 32 lay-ups, 27 dunks and nine other two-point jump shots (see chart, bottom of page four).
   Including six converted "and-1" free throw opportunities, Watson's 127 assists have led to 319 points, an average of 22.8 points per game.

Scoring In Bunches
Creighton has scored 1,237 points through 14 games, to rank eighth nationally with 88.4 points per contest.
   The 1,237 points are 21 more points than Creighton has EVER scored in its first 14 games of any season, as seen below:
Most Points Through 14 Games, Creighton History
   Points   Year   Final W-L (Postseason)
   1,237   2016-17   ? ? ?
   1,216   2015-16   20-15 (NIT)
   1,215   1965-66   14-12
   1,185   1970-71   14-11
   1,168   1963-64   22-7 (NCAA)
   1,166   1964-65   13-10

Pick Pockets
Creighton had 13 steals in last Wednesday's win over Seton Hall. It was the team's most in a game since 17 vs. Tulsa on Dec. 19, 2012, and the most against a conference opponent since 13 vs. Indiana State on Feb. 22, 2006.
   Five different Bluejays had multiple steals against the Pirates, with three men owning three thefts.

Khyri Comes Up BIG
Last Wednesday's game vs. Seton Hall was the 18th regular-season contest of Khyri Thomas' career against a BIG EAST team, and by far his best. Thomas had 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and an assist, validating Kevin Willard's pregame statements about Thomas being one of the BIG EAST's most improved players.
   Thomas has scored in double-figures in 16-of-29 career non-conference games, but last Wednesday against Seton Hall was the first time he's reached double-figures in those 18 league games.
   Creighton coach Greg McDermott is quick to credit the rise of Thomas to the confidence he got in last year's NIT, where he scored in double-figures in three straight games to take some positive momentum into the off-season.

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 100-34 all-time when ranked in the Associated Press poll, picking up its 100th win as a top-25 team last Wednesday when it hosted Seton Hall.
   That includes a 66-22 mark under Greg McDermott when ranked.

Standard Five
Per FOX Sports research, Creighton is one of 11 teams nationally that has used the same starting line-up in every game this season, but they're not the only BIG EAST team that can say so.
   Joining the Bluejays with a familiar starting five every game has been DePaul.

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.

Patton Commands Attention
Justin Patton scored 18 points at Arizona State adding a career-high four assists to go with a career-high tying three blocked shots.
   How rare is it for a Bluejay to have 18 points, four assists and three blocks in a game?
   You'd have to go back to Anthony Tolliver, who did it versus Drake on January 9, 2007 when he had 18 points, six assists and five blocked shots against the Bulldogs.

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 426 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 was the first 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 1.
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

Foster's Finest
For the fourth time in seven seasons under Greg McDermott, Creighton has a player with at least 13 games of 15+ points during the team's first 14 games of a season.
   Marcus Foster has done it this year, joining Doug McDermott in 2012-13 and 2013-14. McDermott led both those teams to the NCAA Tournament, and was named a First Team All-American after each campaign, as well.
   Prior to the arrival of the McDermott's, no Bluejay had opened a season in more than 25 years with 15+ points in 13 of the first 14 games.

A Good Start
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 14 games in recent seasons.
   Of note, Creighton has started 9-5 or better after 14 games in 19 of the past 20 seasons.
   This year's team, with four double-figure scorers, is only the third time since 1995-96 that Creighton has had more than three players scoring in double-figures after 14 games. Last year's team, as well as the 2010-11 squad, also had four men in double-figures at this point.
   Creighton's 88.4 points per game clip is the team's highest mark after 14 games in program history.
   Creighton's 53.7 percent field goal percentage through 14 games is the best mark in the last 23 years, a good trend since three of the next four spots are owned by the three winningest teams in program history.
   Creighton's 131 three-pointers through 14 games are third-most in the last 23 years, as well.
Year   W-L   PPG   FG%   3FG   10+ PPG guys
2016-17   13-1   88.4   .537   131   4
2015-16   10-4   86.9   .503   128   4
2014-15   9-5   70.8   .427   121   2
2013-14   12-2   81.5   .483   159   2
2012-13   13-1   79.5   .509   132   2
2011-12   12-2   82.6   .506   124   2
2010-11   10-4   67.5   .433   96   4
2009-10   6-8   70.4   .442   108   1
2008-09   12-2   76.4   .449   127   3
2007-08   11-3   75.4   .458   112   2
2006-07   9-5   67.4   .434   85   2
2005-06   10-4   69.3   .423   103   3
2004-05   10-4   68.2   .433   111   2
2003-04   13-1   71.4   .464   85   1
2002-03   13-1   81.9   .515   128   1
2001-02   9-5   77.0   .451   88   3
2000-01   10-4   74.3   .436   106   3
1999-00   10-4   71.3   .458   112   2
1998-99   11-3   76.1   .466   117   2
1997-98   9-5   75.9   .472   101   2
1996-97   6-8   64.8   .403   73   2
1995-96   7-7   65.5   .398   78   2
1994-95   6-8   63.6   .388   89   4

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 266 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 1,473 career points.
   Creighton has never previously had three players with 1,000 career points on the roster at the same time.

Terrific Start
Junior Marcus Foster's 266 points so far are the most by any Bluejay newcomer through 14 games since at least 1979-80. His 19.0 points per game is the best by a Bluejay newcomer since Paul Silas' 21.0 points per game in 1961-62.
   For comparison, Doug McDermott had 185 points through 14 games and 197 points after the 15th 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, Newcomers First 14 Games Since 1995-96
   Pts.   Name, Class   Year   After 15
   266   Marcus Foster, Jr.   2016-17   ? ? ?
   185   Doug McDermott, Fr.    2010-11   197
   183   Justin Patton, Fr.   2016-17   ? ? ?
   179   Maurice Watson Jr., Jr.   2015-16   194
   163   Cole Huff, Jr.   2015-16   176
   161   P'Allen Stinnett, Fr.   2007-08   177
   157   Rodney Buford, Fr.   1995-96   179
   148   Gregory Echenique, So.   2010-11   156
   146   Brody Deren, So.   2001-02   162
   142   Ryan Sears, Fr.   1997-98   152
   138   Doug Swenson, Jr.   1997-98   146
   134   Darryl Ashford, Jr.   2009-10   148
   130   Khyri Thomas, Fr.   2015-16   132
   129   Edward St. Fleur, Jr.   1995-96   145
   128   Nick Porter, Jr.   2005-06   140

Opposites Attract
UCF's 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall leads the nation in field goal percentage at 84.4 percent, making 92-of-109 field goal attempts.
   UNCW's Devontae Cacok is second, having made 81.4 percent of his shots.
   That puts Fall and Cacok just ahead of Creighton center Justin Patton, who is at 74.3 percent while shooting 81-of-109 to rank second.
   Making Patton's figures all the more impressive is that he's also 4-for-7 from three-point range this fall.
   Despite their marksmanship while being guarded, both men have struggled at the charity stripe. Fall is 31-for-68 (45.6 percent) at the free throw line this year, Cacock is 23-for-42 (54.8 percent), and Patton is 17-for-36 (47.2 percent).

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.
   The contest was the third of Watson's Creighton career with 13 or more helpers, and fifth overall as a collegian.
   Per Sports-Reference.com, Watson is one of nine men with five games of 13+ assists since 2010-11, and the only active player. He's joined on that list by players such as Kris Dunn, Kendall Marshall and Michael Carter-Williams. The list is topped by Marshall and LIU-Brooklyn's Jason Brickman, with 10 each.
   Watson now owns three of Creighton's eight games all-time of 13+ assists, with Ralph Bobik (3), Latrell Wrightsell (1) and Jason Bey (1) owning the others.

It Do Run, Run
Creighton ranks eighth in the KenPom.com's Adjusted Offensive rankings this year and 58th in tempo as of Monday morning.
   Per figures from StatBroadcast.com, Creighton has scored on at least half of its possessions in all but three games this season, despite averaging just 14 seconds per possession.
Creighton Offense
Opponent   Poss.   Scores   Pts/Poss.   Sec/Poss.
UMKC   80   40   1.113   :14
#9 Wisconsin   68   35   1.162   :15
Washington St.   84   44   1.226   :13
NC State   80   45   1.400   :15
Ole Miss   70   35   1.229   :15
Loyola (Md.)   71   40   1.155   :14
Buffalo   79   43   1.177   :13
Akron   70   37   1.171   :12
Nebraska   78   37   .987   :12
Longwood   82   54   1.378   :13
Oral Roberts   71   30   .930   :13
Arizona State   78   41   1.231   :14
Seton Hall   76   44   1.171   :15
#1 Villanova   70   32   1.000   :14
TOTALS   1,057   556   1.170   :14

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:   1st (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 Monday morning, Creighton ranked No. 6 nationally in the RPI.
   Villanova was first, Xavier was fourth and Butler 12th, which has helped the BIG EAST to No. 1 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 69 straight games in which it has scored 42 or more points in the first half, and 54 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 766, but he's also fourth in steals (181), 10th in assist/turnover ratio (2.13) and 12th in field goals made (563).
   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. 1.
Active Leaders in Career Assists
1.   Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton   766
2.   Monte Morris, Iowa State   620
3.   Alec Wintering, Portland   554
4.   Marquis Wright, Siena   511
5.   Siyani Chambers, Harvard   509

Active Leaders in Career Steals
1.   Paris Lee, Illinois State   210
2.   Justin Robinson, Monmouth   186
3.   Monte Morris, Iowa State   183
4.   Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton   181
5.   Damon Lynn, NJIT   179

Shooting Stars
Creighton has shot 53.7 percent from the field this season, and an equally impressive 43.0 percent from three-point range.
   No team has shot better than 47 percent from three-point territory for an entire season since Indiana (47.6) in 1988-89. 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 74.3 percent from the field (third nationally), with 34 dunks among his 81 made field goals.
   Each of Creighton's seven players with four or more made three-pointers have connected on 36.8 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.
   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 (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Sacramento Kings) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
   Including 2016-17, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 33 of the last 34 years.
   Korver ranks eighth in NBA history with 1,952 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 42.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through January 1). 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 9.8 points per game while making 41.4 percent of his three-point attempts this year.
   Tolliver is averaging 5.6 points and 3.4 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 9.8 points per game and shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 37.1 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 17,207 fans per home game this season, fifth-best nationally. That figure would rank 17th best in the NBA, ahead of 14 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 (1/2)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Kentucky   22,509   1/3
   2.   Syracuse   21,104   1/4
   3.   Louisville   19,891   1/11
   4.   Wisconsin   17,286   1/12
   5.   Creighton   17,207   1/11
   6.   Kansas   16,300   1/3
   7.   Indiana   16,003   1/3
   8.   Maryland   15,939   1/10

Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
   Avg. Att.   School   Year
   17,896   Creighton   2013-14
   17,207 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 762 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the nation's 22nd-longest active streak through games of January 1.
   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 (1/1)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   988   UNLV   1/4
   2.   987   Kentucky   1/3
   3.   977   Vanderbilt   1/4
   4.   961   Duke   1/4
   5.   919   Western Kentucky   1/2
   6.   914   Arkansas   1/3
   7.   906   East Tennessee State   1/5
   8.   899   Pacific   1/5
   9.   881   Oakland   1/6
   10.   873   Texas   1/4
   11.   857   Princeton   1/7
   12.   846   Florida   1/3
   13.   822   Marshall   1/2
   14.   821   La Salle   1/4
   15.   813   Baylor   1/4
   16.   791   LIU-Brooklyn   1/5
   17.   787   Gonzaga   1/5
   18.   785   Cornell   1/2
   19.   771   Mount St. Mary's   1/5
   20.   768   Tennessee State   1/2
   21.   764   East Carolina   1/3
   22.   762   Creighton   1/4

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 on Saturday 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.   17,971   #19 Butler   02/16/15
   19.   17,954   Wichita State   12/28/08
   20.   17,924   Seton Hall   01/30/16

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 9.2 ppg.

Très Bien
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 55-46 (.545) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 75-10 (.882) 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 114-30 in the last six years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 16-27 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 133-10 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 121 of the last 127 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 154-73 on the Creighton sideline in his seventh year at the helm. The 154 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.   154-73 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 154 victories at Creighton, good for third place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .678 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.   154-73   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 49 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 231 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 14-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 192-39 (.831) 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 17,673-14,888 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.06 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 63 different times, including 11 of its last 28 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 95-20 (.826) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 56-4 record vs. non-conference teams.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton averaged 79.63 points per game in 2015-16, and is scoring 88.36 points per game in 2016-17.
   Greg McDermott is 42-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 36-1 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 56-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 28 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 103-1 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha. In other words, Creighton is 115-1 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 79.13 points per home game (9,179 points in 116 home games).
   Since a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000, Creighton is 126-0 at home (96-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more, and 106-0 at home (79-0 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.

#10 Men's Basketball Visits St. John's To Open 2017 Calendar Year

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Foster

Geoffrey Groselle

Zach Hanson

Toby Hegner

Cole Huff

Martin Krampelj

Davion Mintz

Kobe Paras

Justin Patton

Khyri Thomas

Maurice Watson Jr.

Isaiah Zierden