Men's Basketball Visits No. 15 Gonzaga on Friday in Top 25 Showdown

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Game #7: #25 Creighton at #15 Gonzaga
Friday, Dec. 1, 2017 • 9:05 p.m. CST
McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) • Spokane, Wash.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: ESPN2
Series History: Creighton leads, 6-2
Last Meeting: Creighton 100, Gonzaga 83 on Jan. 15, 1977 in Spokane, Wash.

Next Game
No. 25 Creighton (5-1) takes on a ranked team away from home for the fourth time in the last five games when it heads to Spokane, Wash., to take on No. 15 Gonzaga (6-1).
   The Bluejays and Bulldogs will tip at 9:05 p.m. Central at McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000).

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2017-18 season, while KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games. John Bishop and former Bluejay Brody Deren will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

Television Broadcast Information
Friday's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. The announcers for the game will be Eric Rothman and Sean Farnam.

Video Webcast Information
Friday's game will be streamed via the WatchESPN app or ESPN3.com.
   Cable authorization may be required.

Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
   Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns nine lettermen and two starters from last year's team that finished 25-10 and tied for third in the BIG EAST Conference with a 10-8 league record.
   The Bluejays reached the BIG EAST Tournament final for the second time in four seasons and advanced to their fourth NCAA Tournament in the past six seasons.
   CU is 5-1 this season, including consecutive top-25 wins away from home over No. 20 Northwestern and No. 23 UCLA within the last 16 days.
   Senior guard Marcus Foster (18.0 ppg.) was a unanimous First Team All-BIG EAST pick last season, when he scored 18.2 points per game. Foster led the BIG EAST in field goals made last winter and has earned Preseason All-BIG EAST acclaim this winter.
   Lockdown defender Khyri Thomas (16.8 ppg., 4.8 rpg.) was named an Honorable Mention Preseason All-BIG EAST choice in October. Thomas was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year last season and scored a career-high 24 points in the win at Northwestern.
   Sophomore big man Martin Krampelj has held things down in the middle, averaging 12.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in his first year as a starter. He's coming off a career-high 20 point game vs. SIU Edwardsville.
   CU's fourth- and fifth-leading scorers are both true freshmen, Mitch Ballock (9.8 ppg.) and Ty-Shon Alexander (8.0 ppg.), who have excelled off the bench.
   Creighton is averaging 92.5 points per game this season, shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and 37.3 percent from three-point range. CU also owns a +7.5 rebound margin and 113/67 assist/turnover ratio to date.

Scouting Gonzaga
Gonzaga is 6-1 this season, with the lone loss coming in double-overtime to Florida.
   Six men average in double-figures for the Bulldogs, a group led by Johnathan Williams (16.0 ppg., 7.1 rpg.), Josh Perkins (15.6 ppg., 4.6 apg.) and Killian Tillie (11.0 ppg., 6.7 rpg.)
   Gonzaga averages 93.1 points per game, shooting 50.8 percent from the floor, has has a 127/91 assist/turnover ratio. The Bulldogs also outrebound foes by 7.5 rebounds per game.
   The Bulldogs went 37-2 last year and reached the NCAA title game in their 19th straight appearance in the Big Dance.

The Series With Gonzaga
Creighton is 6-2 all-time against Gonzaga in a series that dates to 1947. Creighton has won the last four meetings, most recently a 100-83 victory in Spokane in 1977.
   Greg McDermott has never faced Gonzaga nor Mark Few, and is 1-4 in his career against the current membership of the West Coast Conference (0-4 at Creighton).

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his eighth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 171-83 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 451-278 in his 24th season and is 320-214 in his 17th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Preston Murphy and Alan Huss.

   Mark Few (Oregon, 1987) owns a 509-114 record in his 19th season at Gonzaga, which makes him the winningest active coach (.817) in Division I. He led the Bulldogs to the national championship game a year ago in GU's 19th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. He is assisted by Tommy Lloyd, Donny Daniels and Brian Michaelson.

Two By Two
Gonzaga has held 31 straight opponents at or under 50 percent from the field on two-point shots, an extraordinary streak, in a streak that began after San Francisco shot 23-of-35 (.657) against the Bulldogs on January 5, 2017. GU is 27-3 in those 30 games.
   Friday's foe, Creighton, has made better than 50 percent from two-point range in 29-of-41 games since the start of last season. CU has won 20 straight regular-season non-conference games when shooting better than 50 percent from two-point range.
   This year's Creighton team is shooting 61.3 percent from two-point range (138-225), which ranked fifth-best nationally through games of Wednesday. Last year's team was ninth nationally, shooting 56.5 percent from two-point range.
   Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton's 54.1 percent shooting from two-point range ranks third nationally (Gonzaga is second at 54.7 percent in that same span).

More Shooting Numbers
Since Greg McDermott was hired eight years ago at Creighton, the Bluejays have shot 50 percent or better from the field in 113 games. That ranks third nationally, trailing only Gonzaga (128) and Kansas (121). Gonzaga's WCC rival, Saint Mary's, is fourth with 109 such games.
   In those eight years, Gonzaga has shot 49.5 percent from the field, just ahead of Kansas (48.4%) and Creighton (48.1%). Belmont (48.1%) and Saint Mary's (47.8%) round out the top five.

Top 25 Jays
Creighton moved into the top 25 of both national polls on Monday, coming in at No. 25 in the Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
   Creighton is 109-40 all-time when playing as a ranked team in the AP poll.
   Creighton has now been ranked in 85 weeks in program history, with 57 of those under the direction of eighth-year head coach Greg McDermott.
   Creighton has been ranked in the top-10 in 10 different weeks in program history, with eight of those coming last season when the Jays reached an all-time best of seventh the week of January 16th.
   Below is a list of the best weekly rankings in the AP poll in program history:
Best Weekly AP Rankings, Creighton History
7th - 1/16/17
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

Ranking News & Notes
Gonzaga is ranked 15th in this week's AP poll. Some notes of interest as it pertains to Creighton and ranked foes...
- Creighton is 29-136 all-time (2-1 this year) against nationally-ranked teams in the Associated Press poll. A win on Friday would see the 2017-18 team join the 2016-17 club as the only ones to defeat three or more ranked teams in the same season.
- Creighton is 11-21 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams. He owns more top-25 wins than any coach in Creighton history, having passed Dana Altman (7) last season. Prior to McDermott's arrival, Creighton was 18-115 all-time against top-25 foes.
- Creighton entered the 2017 calendar year having never beaten multiple ranked teams in the month, but has done so twice in 2017 already. CU topped No. 12 Butler, No. 22 Xavier and No. 16 Butler in January, and then beat No. 20 Northwestern and No. 23 UCLA in November.
- Creighton has won six of its last seven games against top-25 teams not named Villanova.
- Creighton went 2-1 on the road last year against top-25 teams, topping No. 22 Xavier on Jan. 16 and No. 16 Butler on Jan. 31 before losing at Villanova on Feb. 25. Creighton had never before picked up multiple top-25 road wins in the same season before 2016-17, something it can duplicate with a win on Friday.
- Creighton is 6-70 all-time in true road games against top-25 teams, but four of those wins have come in the past five seasons and under the direction of head coach Greg McDermott. The Jays are 4-7 under McDermott in true road games against top-25 foes after going 2-63 before his arrival.
- Creighton is 2-10 all-time against teams ranked exactly 15th, including an 83-82 double-overtime win over Florida in the 2002 NCAA Tournament.
- Each of Creighton's last three games against a team ranked exactly 15th have gone at least one overtime.
- Creighton is 6-9 all-time as a ranked team when facing a ranked team, including a 4-2 mark last year and a 4-5 mark under Greg McDermott.

Rank And File
Creighton made some school history when it defeated top-25 teams in consecutive games for the first time last month with victories over No. 20 Northwestern and No. 23 UCLA.
   Through games of Nov. 29th, Creighton is one of four teams nationally with a pair of top-25 wins this season, and is one of three teams nationally with a top-25 true road win.
   Ranked Wins   School   Home   Road   Neutral
   2   Creighton   0   1   1
   2   Duke   0   0   2
   2   Purdue   1   0   1
   2   Texas A&M   0   1   1
   1   Arizona State   0   0   1
   1   Florida   0   0   1
   1   Georgia   0   0   1
   1   Kansas   0   0   1
   1   Miami (Fla.)   0   1   0
   1   Michigan State   0   0   1
   1   Minnesota   0   0   1
   1   NC State   0   0   1
   1   Notre Dame   0   0   1
   1   Rhode Island   0   0   1
   1   SMU   0   0   1
   1   Tennessee   0   0   1
   1   Texas Tech   0   0   1
   1   Xavier   1   0   0
   1   Washington State   0   0   1
   1   Western Kentucky   0   0   1

More Top 25 News
Creighton owns six wins against the Top 25 since the start of last season, a figure that ranks tied for fifth-most nationally through games of Nov. 29th:
   Ranked Wins   School
   11   Duke
   10   North Carolina
   7   Kansas
   7   Villanova
   6   Creighton
   6   Baylor
   6   Butler
   6   Florida State
   6   Gonzaga
   6   Kentucky
   6   Purdue
   6   South Carolina

Dunk You Very Much
Creighton ranked fifth nationally last year with 144 dunks, with half of those coming from future NBA First Round Draft pick Justin Patton. Of Patton's 72 dunks last year, 32 came on alley-oops.
   This year's Bluejay squad owns 22 dunks through six games this season, including nine last game against SIU Edwardsville. Five of the dunks last Saturday came from Martin Krampelj, who leads this year's club with 11 slams.

Meeting The Runner-Up
Friday's game against Gonzaga marks the first defending national runner-up that Creighton has played since February 9, 1980, when the Bluejays beat Indiana State 69-64 in Terre Haute, Ind.
   CU's is 2-1 all-time against a defending national runner-up, also beating the Sycamores in Omaha on January 17, 1980 and losing to Marquette 64-60 on March 8, 1975 in Omaha.
   Creighton is 4-16 in all games against teams coming off a Final Four appearance, with a 1-9 mark all-time in true road games.
Creighton vs. Defending NCAA Runner-Ups (All Sites)
Date   Site   Score
03/08/1975   H   Marquette 64, Creighton 60
01/17/80   H   Creighton 67, Indiana State 60
02/09/1980   A   Creighton 69, Indiana State 64

Creighton Visiting Previous Season Final Four Teams (True Road Games Only)
Date   Site   Score
01/11/1946   A   Oklahaom State 53, Creighton 34
02/28/1947   A   Oklahoma State 52, Creighton 24
01/26/1963   A   Ohio State 78, Creighton 73
12/02/1964   A   Kansas State 96, Creighton 82
02/17/1971   A   St. Bonaventure 104, Creighton 84
02/07/1978   A   Marquette 82, Creighton 57
02/09/1980   A   Creighton 69, Indiana State 64
12/23/1987   A   UNLV 90, Creighton 59
03/21/2008   A   Florida 82, Creighton 54
02/25/2017   A   Villanova 79, Creighton 63

Thank Goodness For Gibbs
One of the players vital to Creighton's early success under Greg McDermott was guard Grant Gibbs.
   Gibbs grew up idolizing Gonzaga grad John Stockton and spent two injury-plagued seasons at Gonzaga before transferring to Creighton not long after Greg McDermott was hired in 2010.
   Gibbs sat out the 2010-11 season as a transfer before leading the Missouri Valley Conference in assists in both 2011-12 and 2012-13 for a pair of NCAA Tournament teams.
   He then applied for a sixth year of eligibility, and thanks in part to a letter of recommendation from Mark Few, learned that appeal was approved on July 2nd.
   Skeptical of Gibbs' potential return, the Jays had given out all of its scholarships in the spring, so teammate Doug McDermott gave up his scholarship to Gibbs, and McDermott immediately became the best walk-on in the history of mankind.
   Gibbs ranks fourth in CU history with 498 assists as a Bluejay, including helpers on 199 three-pointers, 192 lay-ups, 44 dunks and 63 two-point shots outside the paint. Gibbs assisted on 241 of McDermott's baskets (including 122 lay-ups and 75 three-pointers), which led directly to 557 points from the coach's son.
   Gibbs is currently an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Blue, the G-League affiliate for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Want To Race?
Creighton and Gonzaga are two of the nation's 15 teams that average more than 90 points per game this season.
   Gonzaga ranks eighth, averaging 93.1 points per outing while Creighton is ninth at 92.5 points per game. Only seven schools have scored 100+ points three times this year, and GU and CU are two of them (Florida has done it four times).
   Creighton is 43-2 when scoring 90 or more points under Greg McDermott, and 3-4 when allowing 90+ points under McDermott.

Putting Up The Points
Creighton scored 109 points on Nov. 12th vs. Alcorn State, tied for the ninth-most in school history, and third-most ever recorded by the Bluejays at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   Creighton has now scored 109 points or more three times in the last 12 months (113 vs. Longwood; 112 vs. North Carolina State), after not doing it a single time from 2008-09 to 2015-16.
   The school record for points in a game by Creighton is 124, done on Feb. 10, 1964 vs. Miami (Fla.) in a 30-point win.
   Per Basketball-Reference.com, Creighton's 18 games of 100+ points since 2010-11 (when Greg McDermott was hired) are fourth-most in the nation, as seen below.
Most 100+ Point Games Since 2010-11 (thru 11/29/17)
   Rank   100 Pt. Games   Team
   1.   28   VMI
   2.   22   North Carolina
   3.   19   Indiana
   4.   18   Creighton
       18   Oakland
       18   Charleston Southern
   7.   16   UCLA
       16   Central Arkansas
       16   Central Michigan

Eight Out Of 19 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 19 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (15), Duke (11), Winthrop (10), Kentucky (9), Creighton (8), Kansas (8) and New Mexico State (8).

Thomas Steps Up In Big Wins
Khyri Thomas has risen his game in the six wins against top-25 teams since the start of last season. He leads Creighton with 98 points (16.3), 39 rebounds (6.5) and six steals (1.0), and is second with 18 assists (3.0) in those games.
   Thomas has also shot 34-for-60 (56.7 percent) from the field, including 13-of-24 from three-point range (54.2 percent), in addition to being 17-of-21 at the line (81.0 percent).

Top 25 Success
Creighton had four wins over top-25 teams last season, twice as many as any previous campaign in program history. Six other Bluejay teams had two top-25 victories in the same season, including this year's club.
   This year's team is 2-1 against ranked teams, beating No. 20 Northwestern on Nov. 15th and No. 23 UCLA on Nov. 20th. The victories over the Wildcats and Bruins marked the first time in program history that CU has ever beaten top-25 foes in consecutive games.
Most Top-25 Wins, Season
   Wins   Season   Top-25 Victims
   4   2016-17   #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
           #16 Butler, #22 Xavier
   2   1973-74   #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
   2   2001-02   #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
   2   2006-07   #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
   2   2013-14   #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
   2   2015-16   #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
   2   2017-18   #20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA

How They Rank?
Friday will mark Creighton's fourth game of the season against a top-25 team, tied for the most nationally with Wisconsin. CU has gone 2-1 against those clubs (entering Friday), while the Badgers is 0-4.
   In the three games against ranked foes, Creighton averaged 83.7 points per contest, won the rebound battle by +3.4 caroms per game, and had 48 assists against just 26 turnovers.
   CU used balanced scoring, as five men averaged in double-figures (Khyri Thomas 18.3; Marcus Foster 15.7; Martin Krampelj 12.0; Ty-Shon Alexander 12.0; Mitch Ballock 11.0).
   CU led for 99:50, trailed for 13:03 and were tied for 7:07 in those games, all of which were away from home.

Fantastic Freshmen
Creighton has gotten tremendous production from the two true freshmen to play this season, Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitch Ballock.
   Both average 20.7 minutes per game off the bench and the duo has combined for 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game this winter.
   Alexander was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Nov. 20th, with Ballock honored a week later on Nov. 27th.

Mitch-A-Palooza Makes A Stop in Kansas City
Freshman Mitch Ballock had 22 points on Nov. 20 vs. No. 23 UCLA, after scoring 26 points combined in his first three games as a Bluejay. The game was especially meaningful as the Eudora, Kan., native was playing just 35 miles from his hometown.
   Ballock's 22 points were the most by a Creighton freshman since Justin Patton had 25 points at St. John's on Jan. 4, 2017 in the eventual BIG EAST Freshman of the Year's breakout game on a national level.

Silas Enters College Hoops Hall of Fame
Creighton alum Paul Silas was enshrined into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City on Sunday, November 19th.
   In addition to Silas, the elite class included Gonzaga's John Stockton, Wake Forest's Tim Duncan, Winston-Salem State's Cleo Hill, Indiana's Scott May, Purdue's Rick Mount, and Duke's Jay Williams join former Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Platteville coach Bo Ryan to form the Class of 2017.
   Silas remains one of the most dominant rebounders in college basketball history. Following a season with the freshman team, Silas pulled down 1,751 rebounds for Creighton from 1961 to 1964 – a number that currently ranks sixth in Division I history and first among three-year players.
   He's also third all-time at Creighton with a career average of 20.5 points per game, and earned various All-America accolades in each of his three varsity seasons, including Academic All-America recognition from CoSIDA. The Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Famer won three NBA titles as a player in the 1970s, and later coached four different NBA franchises.
   Silas' No. 35 jersey was retired by Creighton, and he joins Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Kermit Washington and Artis Gilmore as one of five players in NCAA history to average at least 20 points (20.5) and 20 rebounds (21.6) during his college career.
   Silas owns the top 22 single-game rebounding totals in Creighton history, with a high of 38 vs. Centenary on Feb. 19, 1962.
   Silas owns more rebounds (1,751) than any player in the last 55 years (by comparison, Lehigh's Tim Kempton led all active rebounders at the end of 2016-17 with 1,095 career rebounds).
   Last year, across all of Division I, there were only 36 games where an individual grabbed 20+ rebounds. Purdue's Caleb Swanigan led all of college hoops with four games of 20+ boards.

Silas Not The First
Paul Silas is the fifth person with Creighton connections to enter the College Basketball Hall of Fame. He joined the following...
   Eddie Hickey, a 2006 inductee into the coaches wing, won 126 games as head coach at Creighton from 1935-43 and 1946-47.
   Willis Reed, a 2006 inductee as a player (at Grambling State), won 52 games as head coach at Creighton from 1981-85.
   Arthur A. Schabinger, a 2006 inductee as a contributor, won 165 games as head coach at Creighton from 1922-35.
   Eddie Sutton, a 2011 inductee into the coaches wing, won 82 games as head coach at Creighton from 1969-74.

Jesuit Basketball Spotlight Features Jays/Zags
This winter, the Jesuit Basketball Spotlight program will mark a decade highlighting the mission of Jesuit education through basketball with two Jesuit Basketball Classics, played by four men's and women's teams.
   On Friday, Gonzaga will host Creighton in a nationally televised men's matchup on ESPN2. On Sunday, Boston College will host Fairfield in a women's contest on ACC Network Extra.
   The Jesuit Basketball Spotlight (JBS) was founded by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in 2008 in response to member institutions' desire to share the message of Jesuit higher education through the more than 80 basketball games in which Jesuit institutions play each other every season.
   In addition to sharing a rich academic and spiritual tradition, all 28 U.S. Jesuit colleges and universities have men's and women's basketball teams that have produced student-athletes who live out Jesuit values every day.
   Jesuit men's basketball alumni include Bob Cousy (Holy Cross), Bill Russell (San Francisco), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown), John Stockton (Gonzaga) and Doug McDermott (Creighton).

No Doubting Thomas
Khyri Thomas had 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a blocked shot on Nov. 15 at No. 20 Northwestern.
   Thomas is the first Creighton player with 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the same game since Rodney Buford had 24/11/7 on Nov. 25, 1998 at Iowa. That game, like this year's, was also CU's third game of the year, that saw Creighton win a road game against a Big Ten team that entered the night 2-0.
   Thomas is the nation's only player this year with 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a steal and blocked shot in a game this season, and one of 50 men with a 24/11/5 line, plus a block and a steal, since the start of 2010-11.

All The Three's
Creighton drilled 16 three-point shots in its Nov. 12 home game vs. Alcorn State, tied for the third-most in a game in program history.
   Here's a list of the games with 15 or more treys.
Most 3FG in a Game, Creighton History
   Rank   3FG   Opponent   Date   Score
   1.   21   at #4 Villanova   1/20/2014   W 96-68
   2.   20   Chattanooga   2/19/2005   W 100-69
   3.   16   Evansville   1/4/1999   L 79-84
       16   Drake   1/8/2013   W 91-61
       16   Chicago State   12/29/2013   W 90-58
       16   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/2016   W 86-77
       16   Alcorn State   11/12/2017   W 109-72
   8.   15   Six times

Foster Fills It Up
Marcus Foster finished last season with 10 or more points in each of his final 18 games, and has started his senior season with six straight double-figure contests.
   His current 24-game double-figure streak is the longest by any Bluejay since Doug McDermott closed his career with 28 straight double-figure games from Dec. 3, 2013 to March 23, 2014.
   Foster scored seven points or more in all 35 games last season, finishing in double-figures in 33 of them.
   Earlier this fall Foster became the first Creighton player with 23 points in each of CU's first two games of a season since Cyril Baptiste in 1970-71.

Fan-Tazz-Tic Shooting Streak
Khyri Thomas enters Friday's game having made a three-pointer in each of his last 20 games dating to last season.
   He's the first Bluejay to sink a trey in 20 games in a row since Ethan Wragge's streak of 23 in a row from Nov. 8, 2013 - Feb. 9, 2014.

Road Openers
Creighton improved to 5-3 under Greg McDermott in its first true road game of the season with this year's win at Northwestern, and 14-10 in the last 24 years in the initial road game.
   The road opener has been the barometer for Creighton's postseason plans in the previous nine years. Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament the four times it has won the road opener, and missed the tournament the other five seasons.
Creighton in Road Openers, Last 9 Years
Year   Opponent   Score   CU in NCAA's?
2008-09   Ark.-Little Rock   L 69-71   No (NIT)
2009-10   #21 Dayton   L 80-90   No (CIT)
2010-11   Northwestern   L 52-65   No (CBI)
2011-12   UAB   W 70-60   Yes
2012-13   Nebraska   W 64-42   Yes
2013-14   Saint Joseph's   W 83-79   Yes
2014-15   Tulsa   L 64-77   No
2015-16   #14 Indiana   L 65-86   No (NIT)
2016-17   Nebraska   W 77-62   Yes
2017-18   #20 Northwestern   W 92-88   ? ? ?

Happy Birthday, Old Man(ny)
Manny Suarez turned 24 on November 12th. He's nearly 14 months older than his next-closest teammate, Tyler Clement (Dec. 25, 1994).
   Per a list compiled by Northwestern State SID Doug Ireland, Suarez is the nation's 14th-oldest active player, with six men above him having served a church mission while in school.
NCAA's Oldest Players (as of 11/12/17)
Age (Yrs-Days)   Name, Current School   Key
   25-309   Josh Boutte, Sam Houston State
   25-275   Gibson Johnson, Hawai'i   C
   25-145   Zach Nelson, Utah Valley   C
   24-354   Isaac Neilson, Utah Valley   C
   24-347   Kyle Brown, Cornell   C
   24-298   Ron Patterson, IUPUI
   24-284   Dusty Baker, Weber State   C
   24-228   Ronald Delph, Florida Atlantic
   24-215   Jalan West, Northwestern State
   24-175   David Collette, Utah   C
   24-132   Kevin Mickle, Ohio
   24-27   Isaiah Brock, Oakland
   24-5   Peter Ryckbosch, DePaul
   24-0   Manny Suarez, Creighton
   23-346   Quinn Taylor, Utah State   C
KEY: C = served church mission

20/20 Vision
Both Marcus Foster (23) and Khyri Thomas (22) scored 20 or more points in Creighton's season-opening win vs. Yale.
   Creighton had not seen multiple players each surpass 20 or more points in the same season-opener since Nov. 16, 2008, when both P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) did it against New Mexico.
   Incredibly, both Woodfox (23) and Stinnett (21) exceeded 20 points in the second half alone to fuel a Bluejay comeback from 16 points down with 10:10 to play.

Foster Up For Naismith & Wooden Awards
Creighton men's basketball senior Marcus Foster has been named one of 50 candidates for the Citizen Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced. A list of 30 midseason candidates will be released on Feb. 14, 2018 before the 50th presentation of the award April 1, 2018.
   A senior from Wichita Falls, Texas, Foster was a unanimous All-BIG EAST selection last year after leading Creighton with 18.2 points per game a year ago. He ranked among the league leaders in scoring after posting the highest scoring average for a Bluejay newcomer since 1970. Foster's 638 points were the 10th-most in CU history and the most ever by a Bluejay newcomer in their debut season on the court.
   Foster is also one of 50 preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award.
   Creighton has had one previous winner of the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award, as Doug McDermott collected the hardware for both following the 2013-14 campaign.

Foster Up For Jerry West Award
Creighton men's basketball guard Marcus Foster is one of 20 preseason candidates for the 2018 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, which is bestowed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
   Last year Foster was one of five finalists for the award.
   Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its fourth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men's college basketball.
   Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017) Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).

November Reign
Creighton improved to a perfect 57-0 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th.
   Creighton has won 60 of its 61 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012.
   Overall, Creighton is 83-16 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
   Creighton has also won 75 of its last 78 regular-season non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.

CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 242 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 15-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 200-42 (.826) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (13-0).
   Last Saturday's win over SIU Edwardsville was the program's 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU's 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
   Creighton has outscored its opponents 18,645-15,691 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.21 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 68 different times, including 16 of its last 39 home games.
   Creighton is also 25-24 all-time in the 49 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 7-9 when down by 10+ points at halftime at The Link, and 31-22 when trailing at halftime at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 103-24 (.810) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 60-4 record vs. non-conference teams.
   Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 220-42 (.840) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Heeeeeeerrrrrreeeeee's Ronnie
Ronnie Harrell Jr.'s 15 rebounds vs. No. 23 UCLA on Nov. 20th were three more than his previous career-high, and the most by a Bluejay in any game since Doug McDermott had 15 boards vs. Tulsa on Nov. 23, 2013.
   Harrell's 14 defensive rebounds were the most by any Bluejay since Kenny Lawson Jr. had 18 rebounds (14 defensive) vs. Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11, 2010.

All-Tourney Duo
Creighton's Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas were both named to the 2017 Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team last week.
   Foster averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two games in Kansas City, while Thomas averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the championship rounds.
   Foster has now played in three tournaments since coming to Creighton, and been named All-Tournament in each one, as he was recognized last season in the Paradise Jam (MVP) as well as the BIG EAST Tournament.

Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Creighton shot 58.8 percent from the floor on November 10th, the program's best mark in a season-opener since blistering UT Arlington 106-50 on 59.4 percent shooting to open the 2002-03 season.
   Creighton has made the postseason all eight times in the previous 25 seasons in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year. The last time that didn't hold true was 1991-92, when CU shot 51.0 percent in the opener but finished just 9-19.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage Over 50%
Since 1992-93
FG%   Year   Opponent   Postseason
.541   1997-98   UMKC   NIT
.524   1998-99   Towson State   NCAA
.569   2000-01   Western Illinois   NCAA
.594   2002-03   UT Arlington   NCAA
.500   2012-13   North Texas   NCAA
.556   2013-14   Alcorn State   NCAA
.528   2015-16   Texas Southern   NIT
.508   2016-17   UMKC   NCAA
.558   2017-18   Yale   TBD

Big Margin Can Lead To Big Things
Creighton beat Yale, 92-76, in the season-opener.
   Of Creighton's 20 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, nine have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
   Here's a look at Creighton's last eight teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
               Final   Post-
   Score   Opponent   Date   W-L   Season
   92-76   Yale   11/10/17   TBD   TBD
   93-70   Texas Southern   11/14/15   20-15   NIT
   104-77   Central Arkansas   11/14/14   14-19   --
   107-61   Alcorn State   11/08/13   27-8   NCAA
   97-65   N. Carolina A&T   11/11/11   29-6   NCAA
   106-50   Texas-Arlington   11/17/02   29-5   NCAA
   96-50   Western Illinois   11/20/00   24-8   NCAA
   93-48   Towson State   11/14/98   22-9   NCAA
   93-47   UT-San Antonio   11/30/90   24-8   NCAA

Two Of The Best
A pair of Creighton players were recently ranked among the best in college basketball in some preseason rankings of top-100 players.
   CBSSports.com lists Marcus Foster as the nation's 31st-best player and Khyri Thomas as 70th-best.
   NBCSports.com listed Foster as the No. 21 player, and Thomas as 67th-best nationally.
   ESPN.com did a list of the nation's top 50 players, and Foster finished 30th in that voting.

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish fifth in the BIG EAST Conference according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Villanova was picked first with 80 points and eight first-place votes, while Seton Hall and Xavier, Providence round out the top four. After Creighton, St. John's, Marquette, Butler, Georgetown and DePaul rounded out the bottom half.
   Creighton guard Marcus Foster was named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, while Khyri Thomas was picked to be a Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention choice.
   Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013, Creighton, Providence and Villanova are the only teams to meet or exceed their poll prediction each season.

#ProJays
For the first time since 1969-70, Creighton has four NBA players at the same time as Kyle Korver (Cleveland Cavaliers), Anthony Tolliver (Detroit Pistons), Doug McDermott (New York Knicks) and Justin Patton (Minnesota Timberwolves) are all in the league.
   Including 2017-18, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 34 of the last 35 years.
   Korver ranks fifth in NBA history with 2,103 three-pointers and is sixth in league history with 43.1 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through November 29th). 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 four times. Korver is averaging 10.0 points per game this year and shooting 43.1 percent from downtown.
   Tolliver is averaging 6.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this season for the Pistons, his 11th NBA organization.
   McDermott is in his fourth season in the NBA, and first with the New York Knicks. He was traded to the Knicks with Enes Kanter in exchange for All-Star Carmelo Anthony. McDermott is averaging 7.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game this season.
   Creighton's newest NBA product is Justin Patton, who is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves but currently injured. Patton redshirted in 2015-16 before turning pro and being the 16th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. Patton was then part of the Jimmy Butler trade to end up in Minneapolis.
   In addition, May graduates Cole Huff and Isaiah Zierden were each selected in the 2017 NBA G League Draft on Oct. 21st. Huff is now on the Greensboro Swarm roster, while Zierden was cut.

Racking Up The Victories
In 99 previous seasons of Bluejay Basketball, last season was the sixth team to earn 25 or more wins.
   Of Creighton's six seasons in history with 25 or more wins, Greg McDermott has coached four of those in the previous six years.
Most Creighton MBB Wins, Season
       Pre   Pre-Post   Postseason
Year   Final W-L   Tourney   Season   Tournament
2002-03   29-5   26-4   29-4   NCAA
2011-12   29-6   25-5   28-5   NCAA
2012-13   28-8   24-7   27-7   NCAA
2008-09   27-8   25-6   26-7   NIT
2013-14   27-8   24-6   26-7   NCAA
2016-17   25-10   23-8   25-9   NCAA
1990-91   24-8   20-7   23-7   NCAA
2000-01   24-8   23-6   24-7   NCAA
1921-22   23-5   23-5   23-5   didn't exist
1973-74   23-7   21-7   21-7   NCAA
2001-02   23-9   19-8   22-8   NCAA
1999-00   23-10   20-9   23-9   NCAA
2004-05   23-11   20-10   23-10   NCAA
2010-11   23-16   18-14   19-15   CBI
*Bold italics indicates Greg McDermott teams

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, through games of November 28th.
2010-11 to Present
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
FG Percentage   .481   3rd
3FG Percentage   .387   4th
3FG Made   2,139   5th
Assists   4,104   6th
FG Made   6,810   12th
Wins   171   29th
Winning Percentage   .673   36th

Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 17 of the last 19 seasons (including 2016-17), 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 19 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
   Kentucky and Florida have each done it in 18 of the last 19 seasons.
   Along with Arizona, Syracuse and Xavier, Creighton is one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 17 of the past 19 years.

Full House
Creighton averaged 17,413 fans per home game last season, fifth-best nationally. That figure would rank 17th best in the NBA, ahead of 14 franchises.
   Last year was the 12th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the sixth straight season in the top-10 nationally in attendance, as well.
2016-17 Attendance Leaders (FINAL)
   Rk.   School   Average
   1.   Kentucky   23,462
   2.   Syracuse   21,181
   3.   Louisville   20,846
   4.   North Carolina   18,067
   5.   Creighton   17,413
   6.   Wisconsin   17,286
   7.   Maryland   16,628
   8.   Kansas   16,395
   9.   Indiana   16,364
   10.   North Carolina State   15,907

Some Loyal Fans
Creighton attracted 296.013 fans at home in 2016-17, surpassing 200,000 fans for the 12th straight season. CU's average of 17,413 was second-most in program history, while the 296,013 fans were the fourth-most ever.
   Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CenturyLink Center Omaha, and now has done it in the past 14 seasons.
   Creighton has led its conference in home attendance every year since moving into CenturyLink Center Omaha, which is in its 15th season.
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
   Avg. Att.   School   Year
   17,896   Creighton   2013-14
   17,413   Creighton   2016-17
   17,155   Creighton   2012-13
   17,048   Creighton   2014-15
   16,665   Creighton   2011-12

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.   2016-17   17   296,013   17413
5.   2012-13   17   291,643   17,155

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton averaged 81.83 points per game in 2016-17, and its 2,864 points a year ago were a school-record. This year's team is averaging 92.5 points per game.
   Greg McDermott is 49-2 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 43-2 mark on the Creighton sideline.
   Creighton is 60-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 32 straight wins since a 1977 loss to North Texas State.

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 789 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the nation's 19th-longest active streak.
   Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
   Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks, through Nov. 29th.
Longest Active 3-Point Streak, Through 11/29
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next
   1.   1,020   Kentucky   12/2
   2.   1,014   UNLV   12/2
   3.   1,006   Vanderbilt   12/3
   4.   994   Duke   12/2
   5.   943   Arkansas   12/2
   6.   943   Western Kentucky   12/2
   7.   933   East Tennessee State   12/6
   8.   924   Pacific   11/30
   9.   906   Oakland   11/30
   10.   900   Texas   12/5
   11.   880   Princeton   12/2
   12.   850   Marshall   12/2
   13.   841   Baylor   12/2
   14.   820   Gonzaga   12/1
   15.   817   LIU-Brooklyn   11/30
   16.   807   Cornell   12/2
   17.   799   Mount St. Mary's   12/2
   18.   791   Tennessee State   12/2
   19.   789   Creighton   12/1
       789   East Carolina   11/30

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 16 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point. Nine of those comebacks have come away from home.
   On the other hand, CU is 149-13 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 137 of the last 146 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
Creighton is 7-7 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CenturyLink Center Omaha, which opened in the fall of 2003.
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.)   L 53-52   G. Diaz FT   :2.6
01/20/07   Southern Illinois   L 58-57   B. Mullins FG   :4.1
01/10/15   #19 Seton Hall   L 68-67   S. Gibbs 3FG   :2.2
02/16/15   #19 Butler   L 58-56   R. Jones FG   :1.9
03/07/15   Xavier   L 74-73   D. Davis FT's   :6.3
01/12/16   #12 Providence   L 50-48   K. Dunn FG   :0.0
02/22/17   Providence   L 68-66   K. Cartwright 3FG   :2.4

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 171 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .673 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.   171-83   Greg McDermott    2010-Pres.
3.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-35
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-69
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-81

Multiple Choices
Creighton has had four men average in double-figures in each of the last two seasons.
   Last year, Marcus Foster (18.2), Justin Patton (12.9), Maurice Watson Jr. (12.9) and Khyri Thomas (12.3) all put up double-digits on a nightly basis.
   In 2015-16 it was Watson (14.1), Cole Huff (11.3), Geoffrey Groselle (11.2) and Isaiah Zierden (10.2).
   Before 2015-16, Creighton had not previously had four men finish the year scoring in double-figures since 1979-80, when Kevin McKenna, Jim Honz, George Morrow and Daryl Stovall did so.

Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
      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.   18,145   Marquette   01/21/17
   15.   18,111   Bradley   02/02/13
   16.   18,084   Seton Hall   12/28/16
   17.   18,078   Tulsa   11/23/13
   18.   18,073   Drake   01/08/13
   19.   18,032   #12 Butler   01/11/17
   20.   17,971   #19 Butler   02/16/15

Très Bien
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 63-52 (.548) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 83-14 (.856) mark the last seven years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
   Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 128-36 in the last seven years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 19-31 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.

Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 79.93 points per home game (10,151 points in 127 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.36 points in non-conference home games (5,399 points in 64 home games).
   Creighton is 86-2 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points and has won 84 straight non-conference home games when scoring 80 or more points, dating to a 90-85 loss to Nebraska on Dec. 7, 1991.

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
2017-18:   3rd (via WarrenNolan.com)
2016-17:   3rd
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

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season went on sale on October 18th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any regular-season game.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

Men's Basketball Visits No. 15 Gonzaga on Friday in Top 25 Showdown

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Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Tyler Clement

Marcus Foster

Ronnie Harrell Jr.

Martin Krampelj

Manny Suarez

Khyri Thomas