Creighton University Athletics
Sunday, December 31
Omaha, Neb.
1:30 PM
Creighton University
vs
Providence
Jordan Scurry
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
Men's Basketball Opens BIG EAST Home Slate vs. Providence on New Year's Eve
12/29/2017 12:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton looks to close 2017 calendar year with a victory
Download Notes as a PDF
Game #14: Providence at #25 Creighton
Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017 • 1:31 p.m.
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN (1620 AM), KOOO (101.9 FM), www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1
Series History: Providence leads series, 13-7
Last Meeting: Creighton 70, Providence 58 on March 9, 2017 in New York, N.Y.
Next Game
No. 25 Creighton (10-3, 0-1 BIG EAST) hosts Providence (10-4, 1-0 BIG EAST) on Sunday , Dec. 31, in its first BIG EAST home game of the season.
Tip time between the two teams is scheduled for 1:31 p.m. at CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb.
Halftime will feature a special performance by Quick Change.
Special Promotion on Sunday
A special 90-minute beverage promotion will be available to early-arriving Creighton men's basketball fans at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Sunday, Dec. 31 before the Bluejays take on the Providence Friars in their 2017-18 BIG EAST Conference home opener (1:31 p.m., tip-off).
Venue doors open at 12:00 p.m., and the promotion, available from 12:00-1:30 p.m., only, includes 12-ounce beers and soft drinks for $1.00 each in the Bud Light Zone area (north end of arena's main concourse).
A similar promotion will take place on January 9 between 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. before the Bluejays host Butler.
Clear Bag Policy Comes to CenturyLink on 12/31
Starting December 31, 2017, CenturyLink Center Omaha will adopt new clear bag regulations for all arena events including Creighton University men's home basketball games. Bags permitted under the policy include clear plastic, vinyl or PVC totes.
Additionally, small clutch-sized bags will also be allowed inside the arena after a proper security inspection. However, oversized bags or purses will no longer be allowed inside the premises.
After observing the success and ease of transition with arenas and venues across the state, MECA and Creighton University believe the updated policy to be the best safety practice for the thousands of fans who loyally attend each basketball game, and countless concert-goers who walk through the doors at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Here are the main bullet-points of the new bag policy, effective on December 31 when the Bluejays host Providence (1:30 p.m., tip-off):
• Clear plastic bags, measuring 12 inches tall, 12 inches long, and 6 inches wide.
• Small or clutch-sized purses or wallets, not exceeding 4.5 inches tall by 6.5 inches long.
• One-gallon, clear plastic freezer bags are permitted (Ziploc bag or similar).
• No large purses, bags, backpacks or fanny-packs will be allowed inside.
• MECA staff members are not allowed to hold bags during an event.
• Exceptions will be made for bags with medical necessity after appropriate inspection.
REMINDER: MECA's Clear Bag Policy takes effect DECEMBER 31 at @centurylinkoma. Here to remind you of what you should & should NOT place in your clear plastic bag are Mitch Ballock, Tyler Clement, Ty-Shon Alexander & Toby Hegner #GoJays
— Creighton Basketball (@BluejayMBB) December 21, 2017
?? MORE INFO ??https://t.co/qzGm2Z2u1Z pic.twitter.com/n7DnuoXqO6
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 Josh Dotzler will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Sunday's game will be televised nationally on FS1. The announcers for the game will be Vince Welch and Nick Bahe.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Sunday'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 #25 Creighton
Creighton is 10-3 this year (0-1 BIG EAST) and ranked 23rd in the USA Today Coaches poll and 25th in the Associated Press poll. All three losses have come to teams that are ranked (No. 22 Baylor, No. 15 Gonzaga, No. 23 Seton Hall), but the Bluejays are also one of seven teams nationally with multiple top-25 wins away from home.
Creighton is a perfect 8-0 at home, with seven double-digit victories, outscoring foes 97.9 - 65.8 in those contests in Omaha.
Senior guard Marcus Foster (19.1 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. He is the nation's active leader in field goals made and fifth in career points as well.
Lockdown defender Khyri Thomas (15.1 ppg., 4.5 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 made a huge improvement from last year in the middle, averaging 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in his first year as a starter, including a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds at Seton Hall on Thursday.
CU's fourth- and fifth-leading scorers are both true freshmen, Mitch Ballock (8.5 ppg.) and Ty-Shon Alexander (7.7 ppg.), who have excelled in their rookie campaigns.
Creighton is averaging 91.7 points per game this season, shooting 51.8 percent from the floor and 38.3 percent from three-point range. CU also owns a +6.7 rebound margin and a 256/143 assist/turnover ratio to date.
Scouting Providence
Providence has battled through a season ravaged by injuries to post a 10-4 mark this year, including a 94-72 win at St. John's on Thursday.
Rodney Bullock averages 17.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game to pace the team in all four categories. Also scoring in double-figures is Alpha Diallo (10.8 ppg.).
Standout guard Kyron Cartwright has been hobbled by injury but still averages 9.5 points per game and has dished a team-high 83 assists.
PC averages 76.9 points per game while surrendering 70.4 per contest. The Friars are +0.5 rebounds per game on the glass and shoot 47.1 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from three-point range and 65.7 percent at the line.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his eighth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 176-85 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 456-280 in his 24th season and is 325-216 in his 17th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Preston Murphy and Alan Huss.
Ed Cooley (Stonehill, 1994) is 225-153 in his 12th year as a head coach, including a 133-84 mark in his seventh year at Providence. He has led Providence to the NCAA Tournament each of the past four seasons. He was previously coach at Fairfield before heading to Friartown. Cooley is assisted by Ivan Thomas, Brian Blaney and Jeff Battle.
The Series With Providence
Providence owns a 13-7 lead in a series that dates back to 1961, including a 5-3 lead in Omaha.
The Friars have overcome double-digit deficits to stun the Bluejays in the final seconds of each of the last two meetings in Omaha.
Providence has won seven of the 10 meetings since the two became BIG EAST foes, but Creighton won 2-of-3 meetings last winter against the Friars.
Greg McDermott is 3-7 against Providence and Ed Cooley. Cooley is 7-4 against the Bluejays, as his Fairfield team fell on March 22, 2010 in a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament game that was the last Bluejay game ever played at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Sunday Success at CenturyLink
Creighton has won each of its last 30 home games played on a Sunday, a streak that is more than a dozen years old.
Creighton's last Sunday home loss was on January 9, 2005 to Southern Illinois.
Creighton is 31-1 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha in games played on a Sunday, and has won 36 of its last 37 Sunday home games since Feb. 4, 2002.
Incredible, But True
• Creighton has owned a lead of 25 points or more at some point in the first half of its last three home games. Creighton led 45-22 at halftime in its only BIG EAST home win over Providence in 2014.
• In Creighton's last home game all 12 Bluejays in uniform had at least two field goals made, one assist, and one three-point attempt.
• Creighton's 116 points vs. USC Upstate in its last home game were its most at home since a 120-76 win over Nevada in 1962.
• Creighton has scored 90 points or more in 8-of-13 games this year. When Greg McDermott coached at UNI (2001-06) and Iowa State (2006-10), his teams reached 90+ points six total times in nine seasons.
• Khyri Thomas leads Creighton with 38 assists, but five other teammates have between 30-33 helpers.
First League Game At Home
Creighton enters Sunday's game with a 2-2 all-time record in its four previous BIG EAST home league openers.
All four games were decided by double-figures, including a memorable New Year's Eve victory over Marquette in 2013 and an 89-75 triumph over Seton Hall last winter.
League Starts
Creighton seeks a win on Sunday to start 1-1 in BIG EAST play for the third straight season.
The Bluejays last started 0-2 in league play in 2014-15, when it lost road games at Providence and No. 25 Georgetown to open conference action.
Friars Are Dangerous
Typically when Creighton gets a double-digit lead at CenturyLink Center Omaha, you can count on the Bluejays wrapping up a win.
That has not been true, however, the last two times that Providence trekked to The Link. The Friars own each of the two largest comebacks by a Creighton opponent in CenturyLink Center Omaha, rallying from 12 points down to win in 2016 and then overcoming a 13 point deficit this past February to win. Both victories came by exactly two points on a shot in the final seconds.
Creighton's largest comeback victory at CenturyLink Center Omaha, if you're curious, was from 19 down to defeat Wichita State on January 28, 2006.
Largest CenturyLink Center Comebacks - Opponents
02/22/17 Providence (vs. #23 CU) 13 PC 68-66
01/12/16 #12 Providence (vs. CU) 12 PC 50-48
02/17/07 Drexel (vs. CU) 11 Drexel 64-58
01/04/11 Missouri State (vs CU) 11 MSU 67-55
03/18/12 #6 Kansas vs. Purdue 11 KU 63-60
02/04/17 Xavier (vs. #22 CU) 11 XU 82-80
Creighton's Biggest Comebacks
CenturyLink Center Omaha History
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/19/14 #18 Oklahoma 18 W 65-63
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
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. Providence has broken Creighton's heart in each of the last two seasons at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
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
Ronnie On The Spot
Ronnie Harrell Jr. continues to provide a spark off the bench, with much of his best work coming on the glass.
Harrell owned 10 or more rebounds in consecutive games against Nebraska and Maryland Eastern Shore, both in a reserve role. Harrell is the only Bluejay reserve with consecutive games of 10 or more rebounds in the last 25 years.
Harrell is one of six Creighton players to have 10 or more rebounds off the bench in a game under Greg McDermott, and the only player to do it more than once in a season or three times in a career.
Most Rebounds Off The Bench Under McDermott
Reb. Min. Player Date
14 20 Will Artino 02/14/15
11 25 Ronnie Harrell Jr. 12/21/15
11 30 Ronnie Harrell Jr. 12/09/17
10 25 Wayne Runnels 11/14/10
10 22 Will Artino 02/13/14
10 29 James Milliken 11/25/14
10 23 Devin Brooks 01/21/15
10 17 Toby Hegner 12/07/16
10 22 Ronnie Harrell Jr. 12/15/17
10 28 Ronnie Harrell Jr. 12/28/17
A Reason To Yell For Harrell
On a national basis, Ronnie Harrell Jr. ranks tied for third nationally with three games of 10+ rebounds off the bench this season.
Here's that list, through games of Dec. 28th.
10+ Rebounds Off The Bench in 2017-18 (thru 12/28)
Rank 10+ Reb. Name, School
1. 4 Chris Clarke, Virginia Tech
4 Malik Petteway, Robert Morris
3. 3 Ronnie Harrell Jr., Creighton
3 Zion Cousins, Howard
3 Christian Cunningham, Jacksonville St.
3 Jalen McDaniels, San Diego State
3 Pablo Rivas, North Carolina Central
3 Eli Scott, Loyola Marymount
Krampelj's Quick Route To 20 & 10
Martin Krampelj scored a career-best 23 points and added 10 rebounds in 20 minutes at Seton Hall on Thursday.
Krampelj is just the seventh player under Greg McDermott with games of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Doug McDermott did it an incredible 25 different times from 2010-14, while six others have done it once.
Krampelj is the only player on that list to have a 20 & 10 contest in 25 minutes or less.
20+ Point & 10+ Rebound+ under Greg McDermott
Rank 20 & 10 Games Name Years
1. 25 Doug McDermott 2010-14
2. 1 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
1 Geoffrey Groselle 2012-16
1 Cole Huff 2015-17
1 Justin Patton 2016-17
1 Khyri Thomas 2015-Pres.
1 Martin Krampelj 2015-Pres.
Playing With A Lead
Creighton has done a good job of starting the game strong this season and playing with a lead.
The Bluejays have led for 84.5 percent of the time this season while trailing a combined 11.6 percent of the time.
Opponent Leading Trailing Tied
Yale 39:29 0:20 0:11
Alcorn State 36:22 2:45 0:53
#20 Northwestern 36:21 1:54 1:45
#23 UCLA 31:42 5:09 3:09
#22 Baylor 31:48 6:00 2:12
SIU Edwardsville 39:46 -- 0:14
#15 Gonzaga 22:06 16:28 1:26
North Dakota 38:11 -- 1:49
Nebraska 15:53 19:20 4:47
Maryland Eastern Shore 39:43 -- 0:17
UT Arlington 37:18 1:22 1:20
USC Upstate 38:32 0:55 0:33
#23 Seton Hall 32:24 6:02 1:34
Total 439:35 60:15 20:10
Rare Home Skid To Friars
Creighton has lost at home to Providence in each of the last three seasons. Since moving into CenturyLink Center Omaha, the only team to defeat the Bluejays in four straight seasons in Omaha was Southern Illinois (2003-04 to 2006-07).
No visiting team has won in Omaha five straight seasons since Illinois State at the Omaha Civic Auditorium from 1993-94 to 1997-98.
Villanova also owns a three-game winning streak over CU at The Link entering their trip to Omaha in February.
Scoring In Bunches
Creighton has scored 1,192 points through 13 games, to rank fifth nationally with 91.7 points per contest.
The 1,192 points are 25 more points than Creighton has EVER scored in its first 13 games of any season, as seen below:
Most Points Through 13 Games, Creighton History
Points Year Final W-L (Postseason)
1,192 2017-18 10-3 so far
1,167 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
1,136 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
1,111 1965-66 14-12
1,100 1964-65 13-10
1,100 1970-71 14-11
100 And Counting...
Creighton's 116 points against USC Upstate on Dec. 20th were its most since 1964, and the third-highest scoring game in program history.
The 116 points were also a CenturyLink Center Omaha record, and third time this season that the Bluejays have scored 109 or more points.
Creighton's Highest Scoring Games, By Points
Date Opponent W L CU Opp.
02/10/64 at Miami (Fla.) W 124 94
12/21/62 Nevada W 120 76
12/20/17 USC Upstate W 116 62
01/19/85 Indiana State W 115 80
02/02/66 Memphis W 115 82
12/09/16 Longwood W 113 58
11/20/16 vs. North Carolina State W 112 94
03/11/08 Bradley (2OT) W 111 110
12/05/17 North Dakota W 111 68
12/17/07 Houston Baptist W 110 73
12/16/67 Wisconsin-Milwaukee W 109 81
11/12/17 Alcorn State W 109 72
How Big?
Two of Creighton's last three home games have seen the club win by 50 or more points to post some of the most lopsided victories in program history.
Creighton's 87-36 win on Dec. 15 over Maryland Eastern Shore was tied for the seventh-largest margin of victory in program history at the time.
Creighton then drubbed USC Upstate 116-62 on Dec. 20, tied for the fifth-largest win ever.
CU's largest win ever was by 57 points after beating Midland on Dec. 12, 1925 by a 63-6 score.
Largest Victory Margin, Creighton History
Opponent Margin Score Date
Midland 57 63-6 12/12/1925
UT Arlington 56 106-50 11/17/2002
Regis 55 93-38 11/30/1973
Longwood 55 113-58 12/09/2016
Morningside 54 105-51 02/17/1961
USC Upstate 54 116-62 12/20/2017
Drake 53 79-26 02/14/1933
Northern Colorado 51 105-54 12/02/1959
South Dakota State 51 67-16 01/11/1927
Maryland Eastern Shore 51 87-36 12/15/2017
Nebraska-Omaha 50 90-40 03/01/1952
Washburn 50 66-16 03/06/1937
Yankton 50 70-20 01/07/1922
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 13 straight double-figure contests.
His current 31-game double-figure streak is the longest by any Bluejay since Doug McDermott did so in 37 straight games from April 1, 2011 to Nov. 9, 2012.
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.
Per STATS Inc., here's the nation's longest active streaks of double-figure scoring games.
10+ Point Streak, Nation's Active Leaders (12/28)
Rank Streak Name, School Next Game
1. 60 Chris Clemons, Campbell 12/30
2. 57 Fletcher Magee, Wofford 12/30
3. 49 Jon Elmore, Marshall 12/30
4. 43 Rob Gray, Houston 12/30
5. 40 Kevin Hervey, UT Arlington 12/29
6. 37 Victor Sanders, Idaho 12/29
7. 34 Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra 12/30
34 Matt Morgan, Cornell 12/30
9. 33 Justin Strings, Sacramento State 12/30
10. 31 Marcus Foster, Creighton 12/31
Double-Digits x 13
Marcus Foster has scored in double-figures in each of Creighton's first 13 games of the season, the first Bluejay to start his senior season with 13 straight games of 10 or more points since Rodney Buford had 13 straight in 1998-99. With 10+ points vs. Providence, Foster can be CU's first player to start his senior year with 14 straight games in double-digits since Bob Harstad in 1990-91.
Doug McDermott had been the last player with nine straight double-figure games to start any season, doing so in all 35 games of his 2011-12 sophomore season that ended with First Team All-America accolades.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest double figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80, where you can see that Foster (2016-17 and 2017-18) and McDermott (2010-11 and 2011-12) are the only men to start consecutive seasons with eight or more double-figure contests since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
Consec. Name, Class Year
all 35 Doug McDermott, So. 2011-12
all 32 Vernon Moore, Sr. 1984-85
28 Benoit Benjamin, Jr. 1984-85
27 Bob Harstad, Sr. 1990-91
16 Rod Mason, Sr. 1987-88
13 Rodney Buford, Sr. 1998-99
13 Marcus Foster, Sr. 2017-18
12 Gary Swain, Sr. 1986-87
10 Chad Gallagher, Sr. 1990-91
9 Rodney Buford, So. 1996-97
8 Benoit Benjamin, Fr. 1982-83
8 Gregory Brandon, Sr. 1983-84
8 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11
8 Justin Patton, Fr. 2016-17
8 Marcus Foster, Jr. 2016-17
Marcus Foster, Bucket Getter
Marcus Foster ranks among the nation's best when it comes to putting the ball in the hole and scoring.
Foster ranks first among the nation's active Division I players in field goals made, and sixth in scoring. Here's that list, through games of Dec. 28:
Most Career Field Goals, Nation's Active Leaders
Rank FG Name, School Next Game
1. 632 Marcus Foster, Creighton 12/31
2. 624 Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas 12/31
3. 612 Peyton Aldridge, Davidson 12/30
4. 602 Trevon Bluiett, Xavier 12/30
5. 598 Jonathan Stark, Murray State 12/30
Most Career Points, Nation's Active Leaders
Rank Points Name, School Next Game
1. 2,009 James Daniel III, Tennessee 12/30
2. 1,985 Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas 12/31
3. 1,894 Andrew Rowsey, Marquette 12/30
4. 1,865 Trevon Bluiett, Xavier 12/30
5. 1,761 Marcus Foster, Creighton 12/31
6. 1,760 Wesley Person, Troy 12/29
7. 1,740 Mike Daum, South Dakota St. 12/30
Win The Boards, Win The Game
The team to win the battle of the backboards has won all 13 Creighton games this season, and each of the team's last 15 games dating to last season.
Creighton has outrebounded opponents by 6.7 rebounds per game this season.
Providence is +0.5 on the glass per game this season.
Krampelj Replaces Patton
One of Creighton's biggest question marks entering the season was how the team would replace NBA First Round Draft pick Justin Patton. To date, Martin Krampelj has answered the questions.
Here's a look at the stats for the two men:
Stat Patton Krampelj
Year 2016-17 2017-18
PPG 12.9 12.6
RPG 6.2 7.8
BPG 1.4 0.5
APG 1.2 1.3
FG% .676 .676
FT% .517 .595
Double-Doubles 3 3
Dunks/Game 2.06 1.77
WWWWWinning Streak Ends
Creighton's season-best five-game winning streak was snapped at Seton Hall after the Bluejays swept a long homestand prior to the holiday break.
Including this winter, Creighton has had at least one streak of five or more wins in 20 of the last 22 seasons.
Last season's team won 13 straight games to open the year, with the final victory in that stretch coming on Dec. 28 against Seton Hall, before falling to No. 1 Villanova on New Year's Eve.
Top 25 Jays
Creighton is ranked in the top 25 of both national polls this week, coming in at No. 25 in the Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Creighton is 111-42 all-time when playing as a ranked team in the AP poll.
Creighton has now been ranked in the AP poll 87 times in program history, with 59 of those under the direction of eighth-year head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton has also been ranked in the USA Today Coaches poll in 68 weeks under 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
How They Rank?
Thursday marked Creighton's fifth game of the season against a top-25 team, tied for the most nationally with Savannah State. All five of Creighton's top-25 games have come away from home.
CU has gone 2-3 against those clubs, while the Tigers are 0-5 with all five losses coming by 30 or more points.
In the five games against ranked foes, Creighton averaged 81.8 points per contest, lost the rebound battle by 0.6 caroms per game, and had 81 assists against just 54 turnovers.
Khyri Thomas (17.2), Marcus Foster (16.4) and Martin Krampelj (14.4) have each averaged in double-figures, with true freshman Ty-Shon Alexander (9.6) not far behind.
CU led for 154:20, trailed for 35:33 and were tied for 10:07 in those 240 minutes against top-25 foes.
Sharing The Sugar
Creighton distributed 32 assists on 42 field goals in its Dec. 20 victory over USC Upstate.
The 32 helpers exceeded the previous school record of 31 done twice previously, most recently in 1990 vs. Siena.
All 12 Bluejays in uniform dished at least one assist.
For the season, Creighton ranks fourth nationally with 19.69 assists per game, which also leads the BIG EAST.
All 12 Bluejays own an assist/turnover ratio this season of 1.00 or better, and CU's 1.79 assist/turnover ratio ranks third nationally.
Rank And File
Creighton made some school history when it defeated top-25 teams in consecutive games for the first time in November with victories over No. 20 Northwestern and No. 23 UCLA.
Through games of December 26th, Creighton is one of 12 teams nationally with a pair of top-25 wins this season, and is also one of 13 teams nationally with a top-25 true road win.
Ranked Wins School Home Road Neutral
2 Creighton 0 1 1
2 Arizona State 0 1 1
2 Duke 0 0 2
2 Florida 0 0 2
2 Michigan State 1 0 1
2 Oklahoma 0 1 1
2 Purdue 1 0 1
2 Seton Hall 0 1 1
2 Texas A&M 0 1 1
2 Texas Tech 1 0 1
2 Xavier 2 0 0
1 Arizona 0 0 1
1 Arkansas 1 0 0
1 Ball State 0 1 0
1 Boston College 1 0 0
1 Clemson 0 0 1
1 Florida State 0 1 0
1 Georgia 0 0 1
1 Gonzaga 1 0 0
1 Indiana 0 0 1
1 Kansas 0 0 1
1 Loyola (Chicago) 0 1 0
1 Miami (Fla.) 0 1 0
1 Minnesota 0 0 1
1 NC State 0 0 1
1 Nebraska 1 0 0
1 New Mexico State 0 0 1
1 North Carolina 0 1 0
1 Notre Dame 0 0 1
1 Oklahoma State 0 0 1
1 Rhode Island 0 0 1
1 Rutgers 1 0 0
1 San Diego State 1 0 0
1 Seton Hall 1 0 0
1 SMU 0 0 1
1 TCU 0 0 1
1 Tennessee 0 0 1
1 UCF 0 1 0
1 Villanova 0 0 1
1 Washington 0 0 1
1 Washington State 0 0 1
1 West Virginia 1 0 0
1 Western Kentucky 0 0 1
1 Wichita State 0 1 0
1 Wofford 0 1 0
More Top 25 News
Creighton owns six wins against the Top 25 since the start of last season, a figure that ranks tied for eighth-most nationally through games of December 28th.
Ranked Wins School
11 Duke
11 North Carolina
8 Villanova
7 Kansas
7 Gonzaga
7 Purdue
7 Florida State
6 Creighton
6 Arizona
6 Baylor
6 Butler
6 Kentucky
6 Seton Hall
6 South Carolina
6 West Virginia
6 Xavier
10 Wins Under The Christmas Tree
Creighton was 10-2 heading into the holiday break.
This is just the sixth time in program history that CU picked up 10 or more wins by December 25th, and fourth time under Greg McDermott. Each of the previous five times it's been done, Creighton won at least 22 games that year, and all but one club also won a postseason contest.
Most Wins by December 25th
W-L Season Final W-L Postseason?
10-1 1963-64 22-7 NCAA (1-2)
10-2 2008-09 27-8 NIT (1-1)
10-1 2011-12 29-6 NCAA (1-1)
11-1 2012-13 28-8 NCAA (1-1)
12-0 2016-17 25-10 NCAA (0-1)
10-2 2017-18 ???
Jays Sweep Weekly BIG EAST Honors
The Creighton men's basketball program swept the BIG EAST Conference weekly awards on Tuesday, Dec. 26th, as Marcus Foster was named BIG EAST Player of the Week and Mitch Ballock tabbed as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
It's the third honor this season for Ballock, joining his similar accolades on Nov. 27 and Dec. 11th. It's Foster's first recognition this season, though he was honored by the BIG EAST last season on both Nov. 28th and Dec. 26th.
Foster averaged nearly a point a minute in leading Creighton to a pair of wins last week. In 25.0 minutes per game, Foster averaged 24.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals. He shot 66.7 percent (18-27) from the field, 58.3 percent (7-12) from downtown and also converted 83.3 percent (5-6) at the line.
The Wichita Falls, Texas, native had a season-high 32 points in 35 minutes in a 90-81 win over Sun Belt Conference champion UT Arlington on Monday. Foster had 22 points in the first half, most by a Bluejay at intermission since Doug McDermott at the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament, as the Bluejays raced to a 52-32 halftime lead. Foster added six rebounds and two steals while matching his season-best with four assists.
Foster capped his week with 16 points in just 15 minute of a lopsided win over USC Upstate. Foster made 6-of-7 shots, including 3-of-4 three-pointers, adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Ballock averaged 13.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists off the bench in two victories. The Eudora, Kan., native shot 7-of-13 (53.8%) from three-point range and 9-of-19 (47.4%) from the field while also draining both free throw attempts.
Ballock opened his week with 14 points, two rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot in a 90-81 win over Sun Belt Conference champion UT Arlington. He then scored 13 points and added four rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes of a win over USC Upstate.
Oh My Darling, Clement Time
Senior guard Tyler Clement had a career-high 10 points against USC Upstate in his last appearance, the first double-figure performance in his five years in the program.
Clement is the 10th different Bluejay to score in double-figures this season. Among active Bluejays, only Jordan Scurry is still trying to reach 10 points in a game. Scurry scored seven points in seven minutes on 3-of-3 shooting against the Spartans.
Have A Half
Creighton has had a first half lead of 25 points or more in each of its last three home games, and in two of those contests, led by 28 or more at the half.
Below is a list of Creighton's largest halftime margins since 1990-91. Games with an * indicate contests held at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton's Largest Halftime Leads, Since 1990-91
Margin Score Opponent Date
38 54-16 Grambling State 12/06/99
37 56-19 vs. IUPUI 11/25/02
37 62-25 Longwood* 12/09/16
34 58-24 USC Upstate* 12/20/17
29 48-19 Towson 11/14/98
29 53-24 Longwood* 11/20/12
29 53-24 Butler* 01/14/14
29 53-24 St. John's* 02/28/16
28 54-26 Western Illinois 11/20/00
28 39-11 Alcorn State* 11/15/04
28 45-17 Maryland Eastern Shore* 12/15/17
27 49-22 vs. Texas-San Antonio 11/30/90
27 47-20 Nebraska* 11/24/07
27 47-20 Saint Joseph's* 12/01/12
26 52-26 Southern 12/20/97
26 42-16 vs. Southern Illinois 03/10/03
26 43-17 Presbyterian* 11/18/12
26 51-25 Nebraska* 12/08/13
25 57-32 Grambling State 11/29/01
25 49-24 Bradley* 01/19/11
The 1 For Sports
Sunday's game will air nationally on FS1, a channel that has been quite kind to Creighton in recent seasons.
Creighton is 5-1 on FS1 this winter, and last year went 12-1 on the network.
Creighton is 50-23 when appearing on FS1 since the network formed in 2013. CU is also 12-1 when appearing on FS2 in program history.
They Can All Shoot
All 12 Creighton men to see the floor this season have made three or more three-pointers, and each of them have also attempted at least nine trifectas.
All 12 Bluejays in uniform attempted at least one three-pointer on both Dec. 15 and Dec. 20.
As a team, Creighton has made 139 treys this season (19th nationally), good for 10.7 per game (19th nationally).
Friendly Confines
Creighton has scored 103 points or more in four of their eight home games this season, and 75 points or more in all eight home contests.
Creighton is averaging 97.9 points per home game this season, outrebounding foes by 11.2 caroms per contest, shooting 55.3 percent from the floor, and holding foes to 37.9 percent shooting.
In the second half of home games this season, Creighton has outscored teams 410-279 (51.2-34.9) and shot 57.0 percent from the field. In the second half, Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas are a combined 18-for-32 from three-point range (56.3 percent), compared to CU's opponents who are 25-for-99 (25.3 percent) from downtown after the break
Below is a list of seasons with the most 100+ point games in Creighton history
Most 100 Point Games in a Season, Creighton History
Rank Games Year Team W-L
1. 7 1965-66 14-12
2. 5 1971-72 15-11
5 2017-18 10-2 so far
4. 4 2015-16 20-15
4 2016-17 25-10
6. 3 1989-90 21-12
100 Grand Passed
Creighton has drawn 127,368 home fans this season, an average of 15,921 per contest.
This season marks the 16th straight season of 100,000 or more home fans for the program, a streak that started in the final season (2002-03) of the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Creighton has led its conference in home attendance each of the last 14 completed seasons, and is once again leading the way in the BIG EAST in 2017-18.
McDermott Earns 175th Win at Creighton
With a Dec. 18 win over UT Arlington, Greg McDermott became the second coach in program history to record 175 wins on the Bluejay sideline, as only Dana Altman (327) has previously reached that milestone.
McDermott reached the mark in his 259th game on the Bluejay sideline, whereas Altman didn't win his 175th game at CU until his 274th contest.
McDermott needed 71 games at Creighton to win his 50th contest and 134 games to earn his 100th win.
McDermott's Milestone Wins at Creighton
W-L Milestone Opponent Date
25-16 Chicago State 11/13/11
50-21 vs. Evansville 03/03/12
75-29 at Bradley 02/27/13
100-34 at Butler 02/15/14
125-58 vs. Massachusetts 11/25/15
150-72 at Nebraska 12/07/16
175-84 UT Arlington 12/18/17
Quest For 19,000
Creighton has scored 19,124 points all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha, moving over 19,000 points on Dec. 18 vs. UT Arlington on a three-pointer by Marcus Foster with 5:12 to go to make it 82-67.
Creighton has currently outscored the opposition 19,124 to 16,003 at the 15-year old facility in 247 all-time games in the building that count.
Creighton is 18-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CenturyLink Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (CLCO Game #) Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04 1,000-787 (14) Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05 2,000-1,696 (28) Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06 3,000-2,504 (41) Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07 4,000-3,359 (56) Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07 5,000-4,174 (69) Ka. Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08 6,000-5,048 (82) Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09 7,000-5,870 (95) Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10 8,000-6,750 (109) Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10 9,000-7,645 (123) Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
03/23/11 10,000-8,500 (136) Lawson FG vs. UCF
01/21/12 11,000-9,310 (148) McDermott FG vs. Ind. St.
12/19/12 12,000-10,136 (161) Echenique FG vs. Tulsa
11/23/13 13,000-10,922 (173) Artino FG vs. Tulsa
02/23/14 14,000-11,711 (185) Gibbs FG vs. Seton Hall
01/28/15 15,000-12,612 (198) Hanson FT vs. St. John's
12/28/15 16,000-13,498 (211) Huff FG vs. Coppin State
11/15/16 17,000-14,349 (224) Patton FG vs. #9 Wisconsin
01/28/17 18,000-15,166 (235) Hanson FG vs. DePaul
12/18/17 19,000-15,927 (246) Foster 3FG vs. UT Arlington
We Can Play Defense, Too
Creighton limited Maryland Eastern Shore to just 36 points and 23.6 percent shooting on Dec. 15.
Creighton had not held an opponent under 40 points since Indiana State (38) on March 2, 2008, and the 36 were the fewest by a Bluejay opponent since Illinois State scored 35 on Jan. 13, 1986.
Indiana State (10-43, 23.3%), in that same 2008 game, had also been the last CU foe to shoot 25 percent or less from the field.
Both the points scored and the field goal percentage were the lowest marks in the 268 game history of Century Link Center Omaha, which includes 21 tournament games that did not involve Creighton.
While Creighton's offense gets all the attention, the Bluejay defense has made huge strides in recent seasons, especially when you consider the move to the BIG EAST. Here's where CU has ranked in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive ratings under Greg McDermott.
Year Adj. D Adj. D Rating Team W-L
2010-11 103.5 174th 23-16 (CBI)
2011-12 102.7 166th 29-6 (NCAA)
2012-13 96.5 66th 28-8 (NCAA)
2013-14 102.5 124th 27-8 (NCAA)
2014-15 102.6 138th 14-19
2015-16 97.6 49th 20-15 (NIT)
2016-17 96.5 46th 25-10 (NCAA)
2017-18 97.6 57th 10-3 so far
Give Me Five
Creighton has had four or more players score 10+ points in all 12 of 13 games (all but UT Arlington) this season.
In Creighton's last game on Dec. 20 vs. USC Upstate, six men scored in double-figures for the first time since on Dec. 20, 2016 at Arizona State.
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.
Overtime Optional
Creighton has played 100 games in program history that have gone to overtime, going 55-45 in those contests.
However, the Bluejays have completed 92 straight games since last going to overtime, the longest stretch without an extra session for the program since 136 straight games from 1939-47.
CU's last overtime contest came Feb. 4, 2015 at Xavier, a 79-72 win at Cintas Center.
Creighton is 5-1 under Greg McDermott in overtime games, including a 4-0 mark in conference play.
Twelve of Creighton's last 13 games have been won by the team to score first in the extra session.
Nationally Elite
Creighton ranks in the top 20 of 11 categories nationally, through games of Dec. 28.
Perhaps the most impressive figure on the list is in defensive rebounds per game, where CU is second with 31.46 per game. No team nationally has finished a season averaging more than 31.30 defensive rebounds per game in the last five seasons, and last year CU was 63rd with 26.69 per game.
Category Rank Stat
Defensive Rebounds/Game 2nd 31.46
Assist/Turnover Ratio 3rd 1.79
Assists Per Game 4th 19.7
Scoring Offense 5th 91.7
Total Assists 5th 256
FG Percentage 7th .518
Scoring Margin 13th +18.7
Fewest Fouls/Game 14th 15.2
3FG Made/Game 19th 10.7
Fewest Turnovers/Game 19th 11.0
Total 3FG Made 19th 139
My Favorite Martin
Martin Krampelj did not have a double-double in the first 44 games of his career, but turned in consecutive double-doubles on Dec. 5 (North Dakota) and Dec. 9 (Nebraska).
Krampelj became the first Creighton player with point/rebound double-doubles in consecutive contests since Doug McDermott on March 1 and March 4, 2014.
McDermott's performance on Feb. 9 and 13 of 2013 was also the last previous time a Bluejay had 11 or more rebounds in consecutive games.
Full House
Creighton is averaging 15,921 fans per home game this season, good for sixth-best nationally.
Last season Creighton averaged 17,413 fans per home game, fifth-best in the country, and a figure that would have ranked 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.
2017-18 Attendance Leaders (through 12/28)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 20,771 12/29
2. Syracuse 19,220 12/31
3. Louisville 17,794 1/2
4. Wisconsin 17,258 12/30
5. Kansas 16,401 1/2
6. Creighton 15,921 12/31
7. North Carolina 15,840 12/30
8. Nebraska 15,210 12/29
9. Missouri 15,061 1/6
10. Tennesssee 14,976 1/2
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
Ty-Shon Time
Ty-Shon Alexander made his first career start on Dec. 9 against Nebraska, coming through with three assists, one rebound and one steal in 19 minutes of a double-digit victory.
Alexander is just the second true freshman point guard to start a game for Creighton in the last 10 seasons, joining Davion Mintz (12 starts in 2016-17).
Like Alexander, Mintz also won his starting debut by double-figures (beating DePaul 83-66).
Mintz returned to the starting line-up vs. Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 15.
Tough At Home
Creighton has won 22 straight non-conference home games dating to a Dec. 2, 2015 loss to Arizona State.
On a national basis, that ranks as the 13th-longest streak, per recent research from the NCAA
Non-Conference Home Win Streaks (Through 12/29)
Rank Streak School Next Home N-C Game
1. 139 Duke Next Season
2. 47 Arizona Next Season
3. 43 Butler Next Season
4. 38 Texas Tech Next Season
5. 35 Villanova Next Season
6. 32 SMU Next Season
7. 29 Evansville Next Season
8. 28 Seton Hall Next Season
9. 26 South Dakota State 12/30
26 Florida State Next Season
11. 23 William & Mary Next Season
23 West Virginia 1/27
13. 22 Creighton 2/13
14. 21 IPFW 12/30
15. 18 Marshall Next Season
On The Rebound
Martin Krampelj (7.8) and Ronnie Harrell Jr. (7.6) are each putting together some of better Creighton rebounding figures in recent memory.
Harrell had 15 rebounds against UCLA on Nov. 20th, while Krampelj snared 14 caroms on Dec. 5 vs. North Dakota. Both men finished with 11 rebounds vs. Nebraska on Dec. 9th.
Since the start of the 1994-95 season, only one Bluejay player has averaged more than 7.4 rebounds per game over the course of a season. That player, Doug McDermott, did it twice.
Here's Creighton's single-season rebounds per game leaders since 1994-95.
Rank RPG Name Season
1. 8.2 Doug McDermott 2011-12
2. 7.8 Martin Krampelj 2017-18
3. 7.7 Doug McDermott 2012-13
4. 7.6 Ronnie Harrell Jr. 2017-18
5. 7.3 Rodney Buford 1997-98
7.3 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
Shooters Shoot
Since Greg McDermott was hired eight years ago at Creighton, the Bluejays have shot 50 percent or better from the field in 117 games. That ranks third nationally, trailing only Gonzaga (131) and Kansas (123), Saint Mary's (113) and Kentucky (108) round out the top five.
In those eight years, Gonzaga has shot 49.5 percent from the field, just ahead of Kansas (48.5%) and Creighton (48.2%). Belmont (48.1%) and Saint Mary's (47.9%) round out the top five.
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 45 dunks through 13 games this season, including nine against SIU Edwardsville. Five of the dunks against SIUE came from Martin Krampelj, who leads this year's club with 23 slams.
Putting Up The Points
Creighton scored 116 points on Dec. 20th vs. USC Upstate, third-most in school history, and the-most ever recorded by the Bluejays at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton has now scored 116 points or more four times in the last 13 months (113 vs. Longwood; 112 vs. North Carolina State, 111 vs. North Dakota and 116 vs. USC Upstate), 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 at Miami (Fla.) in a 30-point win.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Creighton's 20 games of 100+ points since 2010-11 (when Greg McDermott was hired) are third-most in the nation, as seen below.
Most 100+ Point Games Since 2010-11 (thru 12/28/17)
Rank 100 Pt. Games Team
1. 28 VMI
2. 23 North Carolina
3. 20 Creighton
4. 19 Indiana
19 Charleston Southern
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 2-3 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
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.
All The Three's
Creighton drilled 19 three-point shots in its Dec. 20 home game vs. USC Upstate, 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. 19 USC Upstate 12/20/2017 W 116-62
4. 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
9. 15 Six times
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
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).
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 247 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 15-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 205-42 (.830) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (14-0).
Creighton's Nov. 25 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 19,124-16,003 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.64 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 70 different times, including 18 of its last 44 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 32-22 when trailing at halftime at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton is 108-24 (.818) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 65-4 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 225-42 (.843) 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.
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.
#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 2,135 three-pointers and is sixth in league history with 43.15 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through December 28). 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 10.3 points per game this year and shooting 44.3 percent from downtown.
Tolliver is averaging 7.2 points and 2.6 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 8.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game this season.
Creighton's newest NBA product is Justin Patton, who is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves organization but currently healing a broken foot. 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, and on December 24th was recalled to the Timberwolves from the G-League affiliate in Des Moines, only to be sent down two days later.
Patton will become the 14th different player in history with Creighton ties to play in the NBA.
This is the first time since 1969-70 that Creighton has had four NBA players at the same time.
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 December 28th.
2010-11 to Present
Category Stat NCAA Rank
FG Percentage .482 3rd
3FG Percentage .387 4th
3FG Made 2,218 4th
Assists 4,247 4th
FG Made 7,049 11th
Wins 176 30th
Winning Percentage .674 38th
All-Tourney Duo
Creighton's Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas were both named to the 2017 Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team in November.
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.
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.
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 91.7 points per game.
Greg McDermott is 52-2 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 46-2 mark on the Creighton sideline.
Creighton is 62-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 35 straight wins since a 1977 loss to North Texas State.
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 796 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 December 28.
Longest Active 3-Point Streak, Through 12/28
Rk. Streak School Next
1. 1,024 Kentucky 12/29
2. 1,020 UNLV 12/30
3. 1,011 Vanderbilt 12/30
4. 998 Duke 12/30
5. 950 Western Kentucky 12/30
6. 949 Arkansas 12/30
7. 939 East Tennessee State 12/31
8. 931 Pacific 12/30
9. 918 Oakland 12/30
10. 906 Texas 12/29
11. 888 Princeton 1/5
12. 857 Marshall 12/30
13. 847 Baylor 12/29
14. 827 Gonzaga 12/30
15. 822 LIU-Brooklyn 12/29
16. 812 Cornell 12/30
17. 805 Mount St. Mary's 12/29
18. 797 Tennessee State 12/31
19. 796 Creighton 12/31
20. 794 East Carolina 12/31
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 154-14 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 142 of the last 152 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
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.
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 176 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
McDermott's .674 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. 176-85 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
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 66-52 (.559) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 85-15 (.850) 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 132-37 in the last seven years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 20-32 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 80.30 points per home game (10,519 points in 131 home games), a figure that climbs to 85.19 points in non-conference home games (5,878 points in 69 home games).
Creighton is 90-2 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points and has won 88 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 (after 12/28)
2017-18: 2nd (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
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).
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.
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