Men's Basketball Heads to New York For BIG EAST Tournament

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Game #32: Providence Friars vs. Creighton Bluejays
Thursday, March 8, 2018 • 1:30 p.m. CST
Madison Square Garden (19,812) • New York City, N.Y.
Radio: KOZN (1620 AM); www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1
Series History: Providence leads, 14-8
Last Meeting: Providence 85, Creighton 71 on January 20, 2018 in Providence, R.I.

Next Game
Fourth-seeded Creighton (21-10, 10-8 BIG EAST) heads to New York, N.Y., to play in the 2018 BIG EAST Tournament, presented by Jeep.
   The Bluejays will open the event on Thursday, March 8th against fifth-seeded Providence (19-12, 10-8 BIG EAST).
   Tip-off at Madison Square Garden (19,812) is set for 1:30 p.m. Central.

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

Television Broadcast Information
Thursday's game will be televised nationally on FS1, with Justin Kutcher, Jim Jackson and Lisa Byington on the call.

Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Thursday'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 Creighton
Creighton is 21-10 this year (10-8 BIG EAST) against a rugged scheduled that contains 10 games against ranked opponents. Six of the losses came to teams that were ranked at the time (No. 22 Baylor, No. 15 Gonzaga, No. 23 Seton Hall, No. 10 Xavier, No. 1 Villanova, No. 5 Xavier), but the Bluejays are also one of 16 teams nationally with four (or more) wins over top-25 teams, including wins over ranked Villanova and Seton Hall clubs.
   Senior guard Marcus Foster (20.3 ppg.) repeated as a First Team All-BIG EAST pick in 2017-18. He is the nation's active leader in career field goals made and seventh with 2,143 career points. Foster owns 20+ points in 10 of his last 12 games against BIG EAST opposition.
   Lockdown defender Khyri Thomas (15.5 ppg., 4.2 rpg.) was a Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree and repeated as BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. The junior has scored in double-figures and made at at least 50 percent of his shot attempts in each of CU's last 13 games.
   Creighton is averaging 84.8 points per game this season (eighth nationally), shooting 49.9 percent from the floor (11th nationally), and 37.9 percent from three-point range. CU also owns a 1.62 assist/turnover ratio (fifth nationally) to date, and a +1.3 rebound margin.

Scouting Providence
Providence has battled through a season ravaged by injuries to post a 19-12 mark, including a 10-8 BIG EAST record. The Friars are 2-1 in neutral site games this season, beating Washington and Saint Louis but losing to Houston.
   Rodney Bullock averages 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. He's also been to the line 132 times.
   Also scoring in double-figures a Alpha Diallo (12.3 ppg.) and Kyron Cartwright (11.4 ppg., 5.8 apg.).
   The Friars are averaging 74.0 points per game while surrendering 72.7 points per contest. Providence is -0.1 rebounds per game on the glass and shoots 44.6 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three-point range, as well as 70.0 percent at the line.

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his eighth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 187-92 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 467-287 in his 24th season and is 336-223 in his 17th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Preston Murphy and Alan Huss.

   Ed Cooley (Stonehill, 1994) is 234-161 in his 12th year as a head coach, including a 139-92 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 14-8 lead in a series that dates back to 1961. Overall, Providence has won eight of the 12 meetings since the two became BIG EAST foes.
   The teams have split two all-time meetings in the BIG EAST Tournament, including Creighton's 2017 quarterfinal win.
   Greg McDermott is 4-8 against Providence and Ed Cooley. Cooley is 8-5 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.

Previously This Year vs. Providence
Creighton and Providence have split two previous meetings this season, with the home team winning each time by double-figures.
   Creighton won the first game, 83-64 on December 31st in Omaha. The Bluejays led 39-29 at the break and all five starters scored in double-figures, led by 18 points from Marcus Foster. PC was paced by 20 points from Nate Watson.
   Providence won the rematch three weeks later, 85-71 on January 20th in Friartown. Creighton trailed by four with just over three minutes left when it missed a lay-up, and Providence answered with a three pointer to end the comeback hopes.Alpha Diallo led PC with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Foster topped CU with 22 points.

With A Win...
- Creighton would win at least 22 games for the sixth time in eight seasons under Greg McDermott and 15th time in the last 20 campaigns.
- Creighton would win at least one conference tournament game for the fourth time in five BIG EAST Tournament trips, and seventh time in eight seasons under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would defeat Providence in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals for the second straight season.
- Creighton would improve to 3-2 in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal round.

Conference Tournament History
Creighton is 5-4 all-time entering its fifth appearance at the BIG EAST Tournament, which includes trips to the finals in 2014 and 2017.
   Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton is 1-0 in the opening round, 2-2 in the quarterfinals, 2-0 in the semifinals and 0-2 in championship games.
   Creighton is 1-1 all-time against Providence at the BIG EAST Tournament, falling to the Friars in the 2014 final but beating PC in last year's quarterfinal.
   Creighton has won at least one conference tournament game in six of the previous seven seasons (which includes three trips to the MVC Tournament), the only current BIG EAST school that can say that.
   Creighton also enjoyed a highly-successful run at the MVC Tournament in the previous three decades. The Bluejays owned a 43-20 all-time record in MVC Tournament play. Creighton's 12 MVC Tournament titles were seven more than any other school, while its 43 wins and .683 winning percentage in league tourney action also remain tops in event history.
   Creighton was 19-12 in the quarterfinals, 12-7 in the semifinals and 12-1 in the championship games as a Valley member. Creighton won the MVC Tournament nine of the last 13 times it won its first game in the event.

Eight Out Of 19 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the previous 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).
   Since March of 2002 Creighton owns six tournament titles (all in the MVC), while the other nine schools in the current BIG EAST have won a combined 10 league tournament titles. Georgetown (2007 BIG EAST), Providence (2014 BIG EAST), Seton Hall (2016 BIG EAST), Butler (2008, 2010, 2011 Horizon), Villanova (2015, 2017 BIG EAST) and Xavier (2002, 2004, 2006 Atlantic-10).
   Creighton has appeared in two title games since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013. That trails only Villanova (3), while Providence, Seton Hall and Xavier have advanced to one final.

Ring Bearers
Creighton's current coaching staff and players have combined for 14 postseason championship titles.
   Darian DeVries has been a part of eight conference tournament championship squads as a Bluejay assistant coach, assistant coach Alan Huss was on Creighton's 1999 and 2000 MVC Tourney champs, while Greg McDermott owns three MVC Tourney titles under his belt. Preston Murphy also won the 1999 Atlantic 10 Tournament while a student-athlete at Rhode Island.
   Here's a breakdown of how many conference tournament titles each person has been a part of:
Name      Titles Won Years With A Title
Darian DeVries   8   1999, '00, '02, '03, '05, '07, '12, '13
Greg McDermott   3   2004, 2012, 2013
Alan Huss   2    1999, 2000
Preston Murphy   1   1999!
! won a Atlantic-10 title at Rhode Island

Random League Tournament Facts
-Creighton has won its last 12 conference tournament games decided by four points or less.
-Creighton is 10-5 in its last 15 conference tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.
-Creighton is 4-0 all-time in conference tournament play against teams defending a conference tournament title. Villanova won last year's tournament title.
-The top two seeds haven't met in a BIG EAST final since 2004.
-Each of the last five teams that Creighton played in the BIG EAST Tournament also played in the NCAA Tournament the following week.

Famous Moment, Famous Coach, Famous Arena
Madison Square Garden is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Arena", and a former Creighton coach is involved in what a 2013 Bleacher Report poll named the greatest moment in Madison Square Garden history.
   After missing Game 6 with a severe thigh injury, NBA MVP Willis Reed limped out of the tunnel prior to Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to raucous applause. He would start and make the New York Knicks' first two baskets. Though he wouldn't score again, the tone was set and he was named Finals MVP.
   Reed would later serve as head coach at Creighton from 1981-85, winning 52 games.

Fourth Seed History
Creighton is the fourth seed in this week's BIG EAST Tournament.
   The No. 4 seed is 5-3 at the BIG EAST Tournament since the league's 2013-14 reconfiguration, and 11-13 since 2004.
   The last No. 4 seed to win a BIG EAST Tournament was Providence in 2014, which included a win over Creighton in the final.
   Creighton is 6-6 all-time in seven previous appearances as a fourth seed at a conference tournament, going 3-0 with a tournament title in 2000, 2-1 in 1984, 1-1 in 2008 and 0-1 in 1979, 2004, 2006 and 2010. All of those games happened when the Bluejays were members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
   Each of the last 14 teams to be the fourth seed in the BIG EAST Tournament would play in the NCAA Tournament, with four of those teams making the Sweet 16 and one advancing to the Final Four.
Year   No. 4 Seeds   BET W-L   NCAA's
2017   Marquette   0-1   Round of 64
2016   Providence   1-1   Round of 32
2015   Providence   1-1   Round of 64
2014   Providence   3-0   Round of 64
2013   Pittsburgh   0-1   Round of 64
2012   Cincinnati   2-1   Sweet 16
2011   Syracuse   1-1   Round of 32
2010   Villanova   0-1   Round of 32
2009   Villanova   1-1   Final Four
2008   Connecticut   0-1   Round of 64
2007   Notre Dame   1-1   Round of 64
2006   Marquette   0-1   Round of 64
2005   Villanova   1-1   Sweet 16
2004   Syracuse   0-1   Sweet 16

Previous All-Tourney Picks
This week marks Creighton's fifth trip to the BIG EAST Tournament.
   In the previous four trips, the only men to earn All-Tournament Team honors has been Doug McDermott and Austin Chatman, who helped take CU to the finals in 2014, and Marcus Foster, who led the Jays to the 2017 title tilt.
   McDermott scored 94 points in his three games, making 34-of-63 shots from the field, 14-of-28 three-point shots and 12-of-14 attempts from the line. He set a BIG EAST Tournament record for points in a half when he scored 27 in the first half vs. DePaul.
   Chatman averaged 8.7 points, 6.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game while directing the Bluejay offense. He made 9-of-16 shots from the floor.
   Last year Foster averaged 16.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game at The Garden. His three-pointer in the closing seconds of the semifinal lifted Creighton to a 75-72 win and advanced the Bluejays to their second title game in four seasons.

Same Path As Last Year?
Creighton will face Providence in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament, just like last year.
   With a win, it's possible that Creighton could meet Xavier in the semifinals, just like last year.
   On the other side of the bracket looming as a potential finals match-up is Villanova, just like last year.

Always Impressing
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013, Creighton and Providence are the only teams to meet or exceed their poll prediction each season.
   Providence was picked to finish fourth this season, one spot ahead of Creighton. Both teams tied for third place.

Tournament Profile
With the Selection Sunday less than a week away, it's time to evaluate Creighton's profile for the postseason.
   All numbers are through games of Saturday:
- Creighton owns an RPI of 34 while facing the nation's 52nd-most difficult schedule.
- Creighton is also ranked 20th in the BPI, 39th in the KPI, 24th in SOR and 18th in the Sagarin rankings.
- Creighton owns quadrant one wins over Villanova, Seton Hall and UCLA and seven wins against teams from the top two quadrants.
- Creighton has avoided a bad loss, going a combined 13-0 against teams in quadrant 3 and 4.
- Creighton has four wins this season against nationally-ranked opponents at gametime, with two of those coming away from home. Only nine nationally teams have more than four ranked victories.
- Creighton owns wins over likely NCAA Tournament teams such as Villanova, Butler, Seton Hall and UCLA.
- Creighton tied for third place in the nation's second-best conference, trailing only two potential No. 1 seeds.
- The site BracketMatrix.com tracks amateur bracketologists from all over the country. Of the 80 brackets listed on Sunday afternoon, all 80 of them had the Bluejays in the field, which an average seeding of 8.24.

League Honors Three
Three Creighton players were recognized earlier this week when the league handed out honors.
   Marcus Foster earned First Team All-BIG EAST accolades. He's the first player in program history to earn First Team honors more than once.
   Khyri Thomas earned Second Team All-BIG EAST acclaim. He also took home BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season.
   Mitch Ballock earned a spot on the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team. He's the second man in program history to earn that recognition, joining 2017 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Justin Patton.

Khyripeats As League's Top Defender
Khyri Thomas joined some elite company when he took home his second straight BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award on Monday.
   How good was Thomas? The 11 players named to the All-Conference Team that faced Creighton averaged 15.2 points per game against the Bluejays, compared to 18.9 points per game in all other league contests.
   Thomas is just the 10th player to ever win the award more than once.
Most BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Honors
   Honors   Name, School   Years (*ties)
   4   Patrick Ewing, Georgetown   1982, 83, 84, 85
   3   Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown   1989, 90*, 92
   2   D Mutombo, Georgetown   1990, 91
   2   Allen Iverson, Georgetown   1995, 96
   2   Etan Thomas, Syracuse   1999, 00
   2   John Linehan, Providence   2001, 02
   2   Emeka Okafor, Connecticut   2003, 04
   2   Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut   2008, 09
   2   Kris Dunn, Providence   2015*, 16
   2   Khyri Thomas, Creighton   2017*, 18

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 four tournaments since coming to Creighton, and been named All-Tournament in three of them, as he was recognized last season in the Paradise Jam (MVP) as well as the BIG EAST Tournament.

Foster Reaches 1,000 Points at Creighton
Marcus Foster owns 1,268 points at Creighton through 66 career games, surpassing the 1,000 mark on Jan. 17 vs. No. 19 Seton Hall with a three-pointer in the final minutes. That doesn't include the 875 points that Foster scored at Kansas State his first two years of college.
   Foster's 1,268 points as a Bluejay put him four behind another notable athlete, legendary baseball pitcher Bob Gibson (1,272). Few people realize that Gibson spent a year playing with the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
   Foster is the 40th player overall to score 1,000 career points as a Bluejay, and currently ranks 22nd in program history.
   Here's the top 35 career scorers in Creighton history. In addition to Foster, it's worth noting that Khyri Thomas is currently 30th.
Most Career Points, Creighton History
   Rank   Pts.   Name   Years
   1.   3,150   Doug McDermott   2010-14
   2.   2,116   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   3.   2,110   Bob Harstad    1987-91
   4.   1,983   Chad Gallagher    1987-91
   5.   1,876   Bob Portman    1966-69
   6.   1,801   Kyle Korver   1999-03
   7.   1,754   Nate Funk   2002-07
   8.   1,682   Rick Apke    1974-78
   9.   1,661   Paul Silas   1961-64
   10.   1,654   Vernon Moore    1981-85
   11.   1,575   Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
   12.   1,526   John C. Johnson   1975-79
   13.   1,500   Kevin McKenna   1977-81
   14.   1,437   Eddie Cole   1951-55
   15.   1,369   Gene Harmon   1971-74
   16.   1,361   Duan Cole   1987-92
   17.   1,342   Antoine Young   2008-12
   18.   1,313   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
   19.   1,309   Ryan Sears   1997-01
   20.   1,303   Elton Tuttle   1951-54
   21.   1,272   Bob Gibson   1954-57
   22.   1,268   Marcus Foster   2016-Pres.
   23.   1,267   Wally Anderzunas   1965-67, 1968-69
   24.   1,254   Gary Swain   1983-87
   25.   1,238   Ben Walker   1997-01
   26.   1,196   Ray Yost   1951-54
   27.   1,172   Dick Harvey   1956-59
   28.   1,155   Ethan Wragge   2009-14
   29.   1,152   Dane Watts   2004-08
   30.   1,123   Khyri Thomas   2015-Pres.
   31.   1,116   Kenny Evans   1982-87
   32.   1,115   Doug Brookins   1972-75
       1,115   Daryl Stovall   1978-82
   34.   1,093   Tim Powers   1964-67
   35.   1,050   Reggie Morris   1982-86

Triple Threat
Khyri Thomas had 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals in Creighton's win over DePaul on Feb. 27th. He's the only player in the nation with a 16/8/8/5 game this season.
   He is one of only four Bluejays in Greg McDermott's eight-year tenure to post at least seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the same game, joining Austin Chatman and Grant Gibbs and Maurice Watson Jr. Thomas has actually done it once in each of the past three years.
   Making it all the more impressive is that from 2001-10, there wasn't a single 7/7/7 (or better) game by a Bluejay.
   Creighton has never had a traditional point/rebound/assist triple-double, but here's a list of players with at least 7 points, rebounds and assists in the same game in the past 20 years:
7+ Point, 7+ Rebound, 7+ Assist Games, Since 1997-98
   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Name   Date
   24   11   7   Rodney Buford   11/18/98
   25   8   8   Ryan Sears   1/8/00
   9   7   10   Grant Gibbs   12/19/11
   12   10   7   Grant Gibbs   1/13/12
   12   7   9   Austin Chatman   11/11/13
   9   7   7   Austin Chatman   1/25/14
   7   9   7   Khyri Thomas   12/9/15
   16   8   7   Maurice Watson Jr.   1/26/16
   14   12   7   Khyri Thomas   2/28/17
   16   8   8   Khyri Thomas   2/27/18

20 Wins...AGAIN
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 18 of the last 20 seasons (including 2017-18), 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 20 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.    Kentucky and Florida have done it in 19 of the last 20 seasons.
   Creighton, Xavier and Arizona each are in the 18-of-20 seasons club, while Syracuse is one win shy of joining that elite trio.
Most 20-Win Seasons Since 1998-99
(Includes 2017-18)
School   20+ Win Seasons   2017-18 W-L
Gonzaga   20   27-4
Duke   20   25-6
Kansas   20   24-7
Kentucky   19   21-10
Florida   19   20-11
Creighton   18   21-10
Xavier   18   27-4
Arizona   18   22-7
Syracuse   17 (entering 2017-18)   19-12

The Foster Files...
A few nuggets on Marcus Foster.
- Marcus Foster has made a three-pointer in each of Creighton's last 18 games. That's the longest streak by any Bluejay since Khyri Thomas had a stretch of 22 straight games with a trey snapped earlier this season vs. Nebraska.
- Marcus Foster owns at least one three-pointer in 35 of the last 36 games, and has scored in double-figures in 48 of his last 49 games.
- Marcus Foster made 61 three-pointers at home this year, breaking the CenturyLink Center Omaha's single-season record of 52 originally set by Booker Woodfox (in 19 games) in 2008-09.
- Marcus Foster has made 303 three-pointers in his college career. He is one of 10 active players to have made 300 career treys at the Division I level.

Marcus' Theater
Marcus Foster has scored 25, 22, 24, 28, 20, 29 and 29, 12, 13, 28, 20 and 29 points in his last 12 BIG EAST games, which made him the first Creighton player with three (or more) straight games of 20 or more points since Doug McDermott's streak of 14 straight games from Jan. 25 - March 21, 2014 when he was named National Player of the Year.
   In his last 12 BIG EAST games, Foster has averaged 23.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He's shooting 48.6 percent from the field (102-210), 41.9 percent from three-point range (39-93) and 81.8 percent from the foul line (36-44).
   Foster is tied for third among major conference players with 18 games of 20+ points this season, trailing only Trae Young (23) and Kelan Martin (19) and tied with Trevon Bluiett (18).
   Since Foster enrolled in college in 2013-14, he trails only Buddy Hield (47) and Trevon Bluiett (45) with 42 games of 20+ points as a member of a major conference team.

Foster Passes 600 Points Again
Marcus Foster has scored a team-high 630 points this season, which puts him in some select company. He joins Doug McDermott and Paul Silas as the only Creighton players to score 500 points or more in each of their first two seasons on the court for Creighton, and is the ninth different Bluejay with multiple 500-point seasons in a career, joining McDermott (4x), Silas (3x), Rodney Buford (3x), Bob Harstad (3x), Bob Portman (2x), Chad Gallagher (2x), Nate Funk (2x) and Rick Apke (2x).
   With 20 points in the Feb. 27 win over DePaul, Foster joined McDermott (3x) and Portman (2x) as the only Bluejays with multiple seasons of 600 or more points.
   Foster's 630 points include 66 free throws and are 80 more points than any other player (North Carolina's Luke Maye, in this case) in the country this season who has made 70 or fewer foul shots.

Climbing The Charts
Marcus Foster has already made 92 three-pointers, 19 more than his season total from all of last year.
   That ranks fifth in single-season history at Creighton, and in position to leap some of the top marksmen in Bluejay history in the near future. In fact, only Kyle Korver in 2002-03 (with 115) and Ethan Wragge (with 96 in 2013-14) have made 92 or more three-pointers entering a conference tournament in program history.
   Of the first nine Bluejays to drain 77 or more trifectas in a season, five would be named Conference Player of the Year that season.
Most 3 FG Made, Season, Creighton History
   3FG   Name (Class)   Year   League POY
   129   Kyle Korver (Sr.)   2002-03   Yes
   110   Ethan Wragge (Sr.)   2013-14   -
   100   Kyle Korver (So.)   2000-01   -
   96   Doug McDermott (Sr.)   2013-14   Yes
   92   Marcus Foster (Sr.)   2017-18   No
   91   Booker Woodfox (Sr.)   2008-09   Yes
   82   Tad Ackerman (Jr.)   1994-95   -
   79   Kyle Korver (Jr.)   2001-02   Yes
   78   Ethan Wragge (Jr.)   2012-13   -
   77   Doug McDermott (Jr.)   2012-13   Yes

Foster Reaches 2,000 Career Points
Marcus Foster owns 2,143 career points (875 at Kansas State, 1,268 at Creighton) entering Thursday's game vs. Providence. Foster reached the 2,000 point milestone in his 121st career college game with a game-winning three-pointer with 14.4 seconds left at DePaul.
   He is the fourth Creighton player to surpass 2,000 career points at the Division I level, joining Doug McDermott (3,150), Rodney Buford (2,116) and Bob Harstad (2,110).
   McDermott reached 2,000 points in 101 games, Buford needed 111 games and Foster and Harstad both required 121 contests to reach 2,000 points.

Foster & Thomas Reach 1,000 At Creighton
Marcus Foster reached 1,000 career points at Creighton in the 54th game of his Creighton career, reaching 1,000 points in fewer games than any Bluejay since Bob Portman did it in a school-record 43 games on Feb. 8, 1968.
   The only players in Creighton history to score 1,000 points or more in their first two seasons are   now Doug McDermott (1,382), Foster (1,268), Portman (1,195), Paul Silas (1,124), Rod Mason (1,023) and Rodney Buford (1,010).
   Foster is the second Bluejay transfer from a four-year school to reach 1,000 career points at CU, joining Gregory Echenique (Rutgers). Two other junior college transfers (Mason and Johnny Mathies) have also scored 1,000 points after joining the Bluejays.
   Khyri Thomas reached 1,000 points in the 94th game of his career on Feb. 10 vs. No. 5 Xavier, finishing the game with 1,009 career points.
   It's worth noting that Manny Suarez owns 984 career points (including Fordham and Adelphi) through 100 career college games played.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 16 Bluejays
Name   CU Games to 1,000 pts.    Date
Khyri Thomas   94   02/10/18
Marcus Foster   54   01/17/18
Austin Chatman   138   03/11/15
Ethan Wragge   132   01/18/14
Gregory Echenique   101   03/24/13
Doug McDermott   57   01/15/12
Antoine Young   115   12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr.   108   11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett   86   01/16/10
Dane Watts   115   01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver   124   03/16/07
Johnny Mathies   91   03/03/06
Nate Funk   92   02/28/05
Kyle Korver   81   01/30/02
Ben Walker   105   01/06/01
Ryan Sears   97   12/01/00
Rodney Buford   59   03/01/97

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, third in double-figure scoring games, and seventh in points. Former Bluejay Doug McDermott owns the NCAA record with 135 career double-figure scoring games.
   Here's that list, through games of March 4:
Most Career Field Goals, Nation's Active Leaders
   Rank   FG   Name, School   Next Game
   1.   774   Marcus Foster, Creighton   3/8
   2.   763   Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas   3/7
   3.   748   Jonathan Stark, Murray State   NCAA's
   4.   735   Peyton Aldridge, Davidson   3/9
   5.   734   Bogdan Bliznyuk, E. Washington   3/9

Most Career Points, Nation's Active Leaders
   Rank   Points   Name, School   Next Game
   1.   2,443   Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas   3/7
   2.   2,222   Jonathan Stark, Murray State   NCAA's
   3.   2,192   Andrew Rowsey, Marquette   3/7
   4.   2,182   Trevon Bluiett, Xavier   3/8
   5.   2,161   Mike Daum, South Dakota St.   3/5
   6.   2,147   Chris Clemons, Campbell   TBD
   7.   2,143   Marcus Foster, Creighton   3/8

Most Career Games, 10+ Points, Active Players
   Rank   10+ Games   Name, School   Next Game
   1.   116   Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas   3/7
   2.   113   Trevon Bluiett, Xavier   3/8
   3.   110   Marcus Foster, Creighton   3/8
   4.   108   Wesley Person, Troy   3/7

Foster On Late Season List For Wooden Award
Senior guard Marcus Foster landed a spot on the Late Season Top 20 for the John R. Wooden® Award presented by Wendy's®. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 20 student-athletes who are the front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious individual honor. He did not reach the final 15, however.
   Foster is the fourth Bluejay in the last seven seasons to represent the Bluejays on the Wooden Award Late Season 20 list. Creighton's Doug McDermott won the Wooden Award following the 2013-14 season, and was also a finalist in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Foster Up For Jerry West Award
Creighton men's basketball guard Marcus Foster is one of 10 finalists for the 2018 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, which is bestowed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is the only BIG EAST performer on the list.
   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).

Back Again
Under Greg McDermott, Creighton has proven to be an annual contender in the BIG EAST Conference.
   Here's a look at CU's yearly finish in league play since joining the BIG EAST:
Year   League W-L   Finish   Seed
2013-14   14-4   2nd   2nd
2014-15   4-14   T-9th   10th
2015-16   9-9   6th   6th
2016-17   10-8   T-3rd   6th
2017-18   10-8   T-3rd   4th

Some Loyal Fans
Creighton played in front of 360,000 home fans this season, surpassing the 200,000 mark for the 13th straight season.
   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 15 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
   17,000   Creighton   2017-18
   16,665   Creighton   2011-12

Creighton's Most Home Fans, Season
Rk.   Year   G   Attendance   Average
1.   2017-18   18   306,000   17,000
2.   2015-16   19   302,887   15,941
3.   2008-09   19   302,676   15,930
4.   2010-11   22   297,161   13,507
5.   2016-17   17   296,013   17,413

Senior Day Notes
Creighton honored four players following Senior Day on Feb. 27th, as Tyler Clement, Marcus Foster, Toby Hegner and Manny Suarez were recognized. Clement and Hegner have been on the team for five years, Foster is in his third year in the program, and this is the first campaign for Suarez with the Bluejays.
   During the past five years, Creighton has gone 107-62. The team has been to two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT while also playing in two BIG EAST Tournament finals.
   Creighton is 5-0 with five double-digit victories against in-state rival Nebraska since Clement and Hegner arrived on campus, 5-4 in conference tournament play, and the quartet have combined for 2,316 points, 794 rebounds, 340 assists and 352 three-pointers in a collective 325 games and 132 starts in a Bluejay uniform.
   Creighton also recognized five senior managers after the DePaul win: Andrew Birkeland, Tom Digenan, Kevin Jewell, Joe Popovich and Peyton Stagemeyer.

Overtime Optional
Creighton has played 101 games in program history that have gone to overtime, going 56-45 in those contests.
   CU's Feb. 24th OT win over No. 3 Villanova marked Creighton's first overtime contest since Feb. 4, 2015, a 79-72 win at Xavier. In between, Creighton completed 107 straight games without going to overtime, the longest stretch without an extra session for the program since 136 straight games from 1939-47.
   Creighton is 6-1 under Greg McDermott in overtime games, including a 5-0 mark in conference play.
   Thirteen of Creighton's last 14 games have been won by the team to score first in the extra session.

History For Hegner
Toby Hegner tied a BIG EAST record by appearing in all 72 league games during his career.
   Marcus Foster scored 708 points through 36 career BIG EAST games. That ranks him among the top performers in league history (minimum 2 seasons), as seen below:
Name, School   Years   GP   PTS   PPG
Marcus Hatten, SJU   2001-03   32   736   23.0
Allen Iverson, GU   1994-96   36   814   22.6
Troy Bell, BC   1999-03   62   1388   22.4
Dan Callandrillo, SHU   1979-82   34   737   21.7
Troy Murphy, ND   1998-01   47   999   21.3
John Bagley, BC   1979-82   34   714   21.0
Chris Mullin, SJU   1981-85   62   1290   20.8
Pat Garrity, NC   1995-98   54   1107   20.5
Luke Harangody, ND   2006-10   65   1329   20.5
Dominique Jones, USF   2007-10   54   1087   20.1
Walter Berry, SJU   1984-86   32   633   19.8
Richard Hamilton, UConn   1996-99   53   1046   19.74
Shamorie Ponds, SJU   2016-Pr.   33   651   19.73
Marcus Foster, CU   2016-18   36   708   19.67
Dana Barros, BC   1985-89   64   1257   19.64
Mike Sweetney, GU   2000-03   48   942   19.63

Masterful Marcus
Marcus Foster's game-winning basket with 14.4 seconds left to beat DePaul on Feb. 7 was the fourth game-winning three-point shot of his brilliant collegiate career.
   It's worth noting that as a freshman at Kansas State in 2013-14, Foster twice made late trifectas to topple nationally-ranked Oklahoma teams. He hit a shot on Jan. 10 in Norman with 4.1 seconds left in overtime for a 66-63 win, then buried a game-winner on Feb. 14 in Manhattan for a 59-56 victory in the rematch.
   Foster's other game-winner came in the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament semifinals against Xavier with 6.6 seconds left in a 75-72 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Thomas Steps Up
Khyri Thomas has turned his offense up a notch or two since Martin Krampelj's season-ending injury on January 17.
   In the 12 full games without CU's third-leading scorer, Thomas has averaged 17.8 points per game and shot 63.9 percent from the field (78-122), 52.6 percent from three-point range (30-57) and 75.7 percent at the line (28-37). Impressively for the guard, Thomas has shot 50 percent or better from the field in each of his last 13 contests, and shot 60 percent or better in 10 of those 13 games.
   In the 18 full games with a healthy Krampelj, Thomas was averaging 14.2 points per game and shot 48.2 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from three-point range and 81.8 percent at the line.

More Points = Better Results
Creighton has won 11-of-12 meetings with DePaul since the schools became league rivals in the BIG EAST.
   It's probably not a coincidence that Creighton's 80.8 points per game against the Blue Demons is its most against any BIG EAST foe in that span.
PPG   Opponent   CU W-L
80.8   DePaul   11-1
77.3   Xavier   6-6
76.4   St. John's   8-2
76.2   Seton Hall   5-6
75.1   Marquette   4-6
73.5   Villanova   3-8
72.6   Butler   6-4
69.1   Georgetown   5-6
69.0   Providence   4-8

Clement Repeats Academic Honor
Creighton men's basketball guard Tyler Clement has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 7 First Team. A senior from Shawnee, Kan., Clement owns a perfect 4.00 GPA in Creighton's Heider College of Business as a Financial Analysis and Marketing major.
   This is the second straight year that Clement has been honored. Last season he became Creighton's first men's basketball student-athlete to receive Academic All-District acclaim since Anthony Tolliver in 2006-07. Tolliver would go on to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team honors.
   Clement averages 3.1 points, 1.0 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game while playing in 18 contests this winter.
   Clement is a four-time selection to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team and has also been named to the Creighton Dean's List after all nine semesters that he's been enrolled. Clement was also named to the NABC Honors Court each of the past two seasons.
   Clement was joined on the District 7 team by TCU's Vladimir Brodziansky, Baylor's Jake Lindsey, Idaho State's Erik Nakken and Boise State's Christian Sengfelder.
   District 7 covers the states of Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.

Scoring In Bunches
Creighton has scored 2,629 points through 30 games, to rank eighth nationally with 84.8 points per contest. That puts the program on pace to approach the single-season points record.
   Last year's team, which scored a school-record 2,864 points, owned 2,587 points after 31 games.
   Greg McDermott is 54-2 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 48-2 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.
Most Points, Season
   Rk.   Points   Season   Final W-L (Postseason)
   1.   2,864   2016-17   25-10 (NCAA)
   2.   2,787   2015-16   20-15 (NIT)
   3.   2,772   2011-12   29-6 (NCAA)
   4.   2,756   2013-14   27-8 (NCAA)
   5.   2,688   2002-03   29-5 (NCAA)
   6.   2,684   2010-11   23-16 (CBI)
   7.   2,680   2012-13   28-8 (NCAA)
   8.   2,629   2017-18   21-10 so far (TBD)
   9.   2,596   1989-90   21-12 (NIT)
   10.   2,565   2008-09   27-8 (NIT)

Most Points Per Game, Season
   Rk.   PPG   Season   Final W-L (Postseason)
   1.   88.23   1965-66   14-12 (None)
   2.   84.81   2017-18   21-10 so far (TBD)
   3.   84.17   1963-64   22-7 (NCAA)
   4.   83.96   1970-71   14-11 (None)
   5.   82.83   1964-65   13-10 (None)

How They Rank?
The Feb. 24th game against No. 3 Villanova was Creighton's 10th game of the season against a top-25 team.
   That ties it for fourth-most in the country, one behind Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas. Creighton is currently 4-6 in those contests, including a 2-1 home mark and a 2-5 mark away from home.
   In the 10 games against ranked foes, Creighton averaged 79.7 points per contest and had 154 assists against just 120 turnovers.
   Marcus Foster (20.0), Khyri Thomas (14.9), and Martin Krampelj (11.7) have each averaged in double-figures. Davion Mintz owns an impressive 38 assists against just 10 turnovers.
   CU has led for 214:35, trailed for 166:12 and were tied for 24:11 in those 405 minutes against top-25 foes.
   Below is a list of schools with the most games this season played against AP Top 25 teams (at time of game), through March 4:
   Games   School
   11   Baylor
   11   Oklahoma State
   11   Texas
   10   Creighton
   10   Oklahoma
   10   Wisconsin
   9   Iowa State
   9   Rutgers
   9   TCU
   9   Texas Tech

Loaded Schedule Under McDermott
The Feb. 24th contest against No. 3 Villanova was Creighton's 10th different game this season against a team ranked in the top-25. This is the fourth straight season that the Bluejays have faced at least seven ranked teams in one season, after never having done it prior to Greg McDermott's arrival in 2010-11.
   The 10 games this season against ranked foes smash the record of eight previously done in 2014-15 and in 2015-16.
Creighton's Most Games vs. Top 25 Teams, Season
   Games   Season   Coach
   10   2017-18   Greg McDermott
   8   2014-15   Greg McDermott
   8   2015-16   Greg McDermott
   7   2016-17   Greg McDermott
   6   1971-72   Eddie Sutton

Top 25 Success
Creighton had four wins over top-25 teams last season, twice as many as any previous campaign in program history.
   This year's team also owns four wins against top-25 clubs, beating No. 20 Northwestern on Nov. 15th, No. 23 UCLA on Nov. 20th, No. 19 Seton Hall on Jan. 17th and No. 3 Villanova on Feb. 24th.
   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
   4   2017-18   #20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA,
           #19 Seton Hall, #3 Villanova
   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

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 March 4, Creighton is one of 16 teams nationally with four or more top-25 wins this season.
   Ranked Wins   School   Home   Road   Neutral
   6   Duke   2   2   2
   6   Florida   2   2   2
   6   Oklahoma   3   2   1
   6   Oklahoma State   3   2   1
   6   Texas Tech   4   1   1
   5   Alabama   4   1   0
   5   Kansas   2   2   1
   5   NC State   3   1   1
   5   Texas   4   1   0
   4   Creighton   2   1   1
   4   Arkansas   4   0   0
   4   Michigan   1   1   2
   4   Texas A&M   1   2   1
   4   Virginia Tech   3   1   0
   4   West Virginia   3   1   0
   4   Xavier   3   1   0

More Top 25 News
Creighton owns eight wins against the Top 25 since the start of last season, a figure that ranks tied for 10th-most nationally through games of March 4th.
   Ranked Wins   School
   15   Duke
   13   North Carolina
   11   Kansas
   10   Villanova
   9   Florida
   9   Florida State
   9   Michigan
   9   South Carolina
   9   Texas Tech
   9   West Virginia
   8   Creighton
   8   Arizona
   8   Baylor
   8   Gonzaga
   8   Purdue
   8   Xavier

Foster Develops
Marcus Foster has played in 128 career games at the college level, including 62 at Kansas State and 66 at Creighton.
   As you can see from the numbers below, the fifth-year senior has made huge strides in all facets of his game since arriving in Omaha.
Statistic   at Kansas State   at Creighton
Games Played   62   66
Starts   57   66
Minutes   1776   2,049
Minutes/Game   28.6   31.0
FG-FGA   293-717   481-1012
FG%   .409   .475
3FG-3FGA   138-370   165-430
3FG%   .373   .384
FT-FTA   151-210   141-192
FT%   .719   .734
Rebounds   172   220
Rebounds/Game   2.8   3.3
Assists   139   168
Turnovers   135   143
Steals   36   53
Points   875   1,268
Points/Game   14.1   19.2

The Big Epper
Jacob Epperson has scored 55 points in 91 minutes over his last six games while making 25-of-31 shots from the floor (80.6 percent).
   The true freshman had season-highs with 15 points and six rebounds on Feb. 13 against Bemidji State, making 6-of-8 shots.
   He then had 14 points in just eight minutes vs. Marquette, going 7-for-7 from the field.
   Epperson made both attempts at Butler to finish with four points before going 5-for-6 and recording 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks in a win over No. 3 Villanova.
   Epperson is the fourth Bluejay player to be perfect in seven or more attempts from the field since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, joining Geoffrey Groselle (twice), Justin Patton and Doug McDermott. Epperson is the first Bluejay to do it in a BIG EAST game.
   Epperson is shooting 70.7 percent from the floor in his young career.
Category   First 4 Games   Last 6 Games
Minutes/Game   10.3   15.3
Points/Game   2.3   9.2
Rebounds/Game   2.5   3.7
Blocks/Game   0.3   0.7
FG Percentage   .400 (4-10)   .806 (25-31)
3FG Percentage   --- (0-0)   1.000 (3-3)

Repeat After 3
Jacob Epperson did not attempt a three-point shot in his first four appearances, but did shoot 3-of-3 from three-point range on Feb. 13 vs. Bemidji State.
   Epperson is the first Creighton player to make each of his first three career attempts from downtown since Ethan Wragge on November 14, 2009. On that day Wragged made the first three attempts from beyond the arc before missing his final trey try at No. 21 Dayton.
   Wragge finished his career as one of the great shooters in Creighton history, going 334-for-761 to rank second in both categories in Bluejay history. Wragge finished his career sixth in program annals with 43.9 percent marksmanship from downtown.

Khyrifense Leads The Defense
Khyri Thomas shared BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors a year ago, and he and his Bluejay teammates continues to shut down the top scorers around the league.
   Below is a list of the top 10 scorers in league play (besides Marcus Foster), and how they've also done against Creighton this season.
   League Play       vs. Creighton
Name   PPG   FG%       PPG   FG%
Martin, BU   23.6   .459       18.0   .556
Ponds, SJU   21.9   .424       9.5   .320
Howard, MU   20.3   .445       15.5   .588
Brunson, VU   19.4   .484       20.5   .484
Rowsey, MU   19.3   .391       23.5   .457
Bluiett, XU   19.2   .427       15.0   .480
Rodriguez, SHU   18.3   .495       13.5   .524
Bridges, VU   18.2   .513       19.5   .538
Derrickson, GU   17.2   .485       10.5   .467

CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 7-8 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.
   Each of Creighton's last three BIG EAST home games have been decided in the final seconds.
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
02/10/18   #5 Xavier   L 71-72   Q. Goodin FT's   :0.3

Pure Charity
Creighton is shooting 75.00 percent at the free throw line this season, which puts the Bluejays within reach of breaking the school-record of 75.93 percent by the 2012-13 club.
   Creighton's 14 games this season making 80 percent or better at the line ranks tied for 14th nationally, trailing only Butler (15), Marquette (15) and Xavier (15) among all major conference teams.
   Creighton shot 100 percent at the line (6-for-6) on Feb. 10 vs. Xavier, the first time it has not missed at the stripe since March 2, 2016 vs. Providence (12-for-12).

Against The BIG EAST
Since joining the BIG EAST in 2014, DePaul is the only school where Creighton has not lost a road game. Creighton is unbeaten at home against St. John's, the only league team it can say that for.
Team   CU Home Games   CU Road Games
Butler   4-1   2-3
DePaul   4-1   5-0
Georgetown   4-1   1-4
Marquette   2-3   2-3
Providence   2-3   1-4
Seton Hall   3-2   2-3
St. John's   5-0   3-2
Villanova   2-3   1-4
Xavier   2-3   2-3
Total   28-17   19-26

Foster Does His Hart Impression
Last year Josh Hart was named BIG EAST Player of the Year after a tremendous senior season. Creighton's Marcus Foster is doing all he can as he fights for a similar honor.
   Here's a look at the league-only stats for player to win BIG EAST Player of the Year each of the previous four seasons, as well as some of the top candidates for this year's top individual accolade.
League-Only Stats, Last 4 BIG EAST Players of the Year
Name   PPG   RPG   APG   FG%   3FG%   FT%
McDermott, '14   27.7   7.1   1.8   .541   .463   .838
Dunn, '15   17.0   5.9   7.8   .476   .360   .679
Dunn, '16   16.2   5.4   5.9   .425   .377   .694
Hart, '17   18.2   6.5   2.9   .486   .381   .703

2017-18 League-Only Stats, Player of the Year Candidates
Name   PPG   RPG   APG   FG%   3FG%   FT%
Bluiett, XU   19.2   5.7   2.5   .427   .423   .843
Bridges, VU   17.6   5.1   2.2   .513   .402   .879
Brunson, VU   19.4   2.8   4.8   .484   .337   .841
Delgado, SHU   13.3   11.9   2.7   .508   ---   .609
Foster, CU   21.3   3.8   2.9   .482   .421   .809
Howard, MU   20.3   3.1   3.1   .445   .403   .905
Martin, BU   23.6   5.7   2.1   .459   .426   .848
Ponds, SJU   21.9   3.9   5.1   .424   .293   .847
Rodriguez, SHU   18.3   4.8   2.3   .495   .390   .787
Rowsey, MU   19.3   3.2   4.8   .391   .371   .928
Thomas, CU   15.9   4.2   3.0   .547   .427   .774

Epperson Burns Redshirt
Jacob Epperson was headed towards a redshirt season, but that is no longer an option after he made his collegiate debut on January 27 against Georgetown. The decision to play the Aussie was made after much discussion among Epperson and his family after Martin Krampelj's season-ending knee injury on January 17th.
   Epperson made an immediate impact, slamming home a dunk on his first offensive possession, and he would finish the night with two points, two rebounds an assist in nine minutes of work.
   In the last 25 seasons, Epperson is just the ninth Bluejay to make his season debut after Creighton's fifth game of the season.
Season Debut After CU's 5th Game, Last 25 Seasons
   Debut Game   Player   Year
   22 $   Jacob Epperson   2017-18
   17   Jason Ourada   1996-97
   12 $   Matt West   1996-97
   10 %   Gregory Echenique   2010-11
   8 %   Manny Gakou   2005-06
   6   Dan Kolder   1996-97
   6 $   Jimmy Motz   2001-02
   6 #   Avery Dingman   2014-15
   6 #   Ronnie Harrell Jr.   2015-16
   # injured     % ineligible     $ redshirt candidate

Scurry Earns A Schollie
Sophomore guard Jordan Scurry was awarded a scholarship for the 2017-18 season on January 21st during a team meeting.
   The surprise came on the same day the Dedham, Mass., native saw his beloved Boston Celtics play in person at TD Garden, while later watching the telecast as the New England native saw his Patriots rally to qualify for Super Bowl LII.
   Scurry is in his second season with the Bluejays. He's played in 27 games for CU in his two years in the program, contributing 36 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists.

Foreign Invasion
Creighton has a pair of foreigners on its roster this season with Martin Krampelj (Slovenia) and Jacob Epperson (Australia).
   They are just the fifth duo of simultaneous international teammates at Creighton, joining Livan Pyrfrom (Bahamas) and Nerijus Karlikanovas (Lithuania) from 1999-2000, Brice Nengsu (Cameroon) and Manny Gakou (France) from 2005-07, Jahenns Manigat (Canada) and Gregory Echenique (2010-13) and Martin Krampelj (Slovenia) and Kobe Paras (Philippines).
    Creighton's only other international player on record is Colin Lubsey (1992-93, Australia).

Pink Out Auction Raises $28,796 This Year
Creighton raised $28,796 for its January 27th "Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out" Pink Out game on vs. Georgetown. Below is the final numbers for each jersey/item in the auction this year:
#0   $3450   #1   $1135   #2   $4250
#4   $2650   #5   $1625   #11   $1425
#12   $950   #14   $944   #15   $1050
#23   $830   #24   $3500   #32   $1350
#41   $1025   #44   $1300
Basketballs: $380, 405, 400, 510, 335, 400
McDermott's Shoes: $510   McDermott's Tie: $372

Yearly Pink Out Totals
Creighton has raised $186,360.68 since the start of the 2011-12 season during its annual men's basketball Pink Out.
2011-12:   $20,600
2012-13:   $24,444
2013-14:   $48,247.11
2014-15:   $16,384.03
2015-16:   $16,527.90 (plus another $5,000 in donations)
2016-17:   $26,361.64
2017-18:   $28,796
Seven-Year Totals: $186,360.68

Creighton's Pink Out History
This year marked Creighton's eighth Pink Out, which coincides with the arrival of head coach Greg McDermott. The Bluejays are 6-2 in the event, while playing in front of an average of 17,893 fans per game, as seen below:
Date   Result   Attendance
01/29/11   Creighton 83, Indiana State 69   16,044
01/28/12   Creighton 73, Bradley 59   18,436
02/02/13   Creighton 75, Bradley 58   18,111
01/25/14   Creighton 76, Georgetown 63   18,859
01/17/15   Providence 74, Creighton 65   17,640
01/30/16   Seton Hall 75, Creighton 65   17,924
01/28/17   Creighton 83, DePaul 66   17,611

The 1 For Sports
Creighton's quarterfinal (and potentially its semifinal) will air nationally on FS1, a channel that has been quite kind to Creighton in recent seasons.
   Creighton is 12-3 on FS1 this winter, and last year went 12-1 on the network.
   Creighton is 57-25 when appearing on FS1 since the network formed in 2013. CU is also 13-1 when appearing on FS2 in program history.

He Shoots, He Scores!
Marcus Foster is shooting 49.2 percent from the field (on all shots) this year despite shooting 7.0 three-pointers per game.
   Per stats from Basketball-Reference.com, Foster is one of four Power Conference players since 1992-93 that has shot 49 percent or better overall despite attempting 6.5 three-pointers per game.
   Each of the other three men were named consensus All-Americans.
50% FG & 6.5 3FGA/Game Since 1992-93, Power Leagues
Name, School   Year   FG%   3FGA/G
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt   2007-08   .523   8.4
Salim Stoudamire, Arizona   2004-05   .504   6.6
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma   2015-16   .501   8.7
Marcus Foster, Creighton   2017-18   .492   7.0

Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 at the midway point in league play in 21 of the last 22 seasons, including this year's 6-3 mark.
   Creighton has also gone 5-4 or better in the second half of league action in 18 of the last 22 seasons.
   Creighton has made the postseason each of the previous 19 times it's been 5-4 or better at the midway point, and missed it the only time they weren't in that span.
   Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC/BIG EAST season since 1995-96.
Year   1st Half   2nd Half
2017-18   6-3   4-5
2016-17   6-3   4-5
2015-16   5-4   4-5
2014-15   1-8   3-6
2013-14   8-1   6-3
2012-13   7-2   6-3
2011-12   8-1   6-3
2010-11   5-4   5-4
2009-10   5-4   5-4
2008-09   5-4   9-0
2007-08   5-4   5-4
2006-07   6-3   7-2
2005-06   7-2   5-4
2004-05   5-4   6-3
2003-04   7-2   5-4
2002-03   8-1   7-2
2001-02   8-1   6-3
2000-01   5-4   9-0
1999-00   5-4   6-3
1998-99   6-3   5-4
1997-98   5-4   7-2
1996-97   5-4   5-4
1995-96   4-5   5-4
Total   132-75 (.638)   130-77 (.628)

Krampelj Out For Season With Torn ACL
Sophomore forward Martin Krampelj will miss the rest of the 2017-18 season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Creighton's win over No. 19 Seton Hall on January 17th.
   Krampelj was widely regarded as one of the BIG EAST's most improved players in 2017-18, as he was averaging 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on 67.1 percent shooting after averaging 2.8 points,.2.2 rebounds and 5.9 minutes last year.
   This is the third torn ACL for Krampelj, and second time he's injured his left knee. Surgery for Krampelj took place in Omaha on February 1st.

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. Martin Krampelj answered those questions until tearing his ACL on January 17th.
   Here's a look at the stats for the two men:
Stat   Patton   Krampelj
Year   2016-17   2017-18
PPG   12.9   11.9
RPG   6.2   8.1
BPG   1.4   0.7
APG   1.2   1.2
FG%   .676   .671
FT%   .517   .623
Double-Doubles   3   6
Dunks/Game   2.06   1.74

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 814 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 March 4th.
Longest Active 3-Point Streak, Through 3/4
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,044   Kentucky   3/9
   2.   1,037   UNLV   3/7
   3.   1,030   Vanderbilt   3/7
   4.   1,015   Duke   3/8
   5.   973   Arkansas   3/8
   6.   967   Western Kentucky   3/8
   7.   959   East Tennessee State   3/5
   8.   949   Pacific   TBD
   9.   936   Oakland   3/5
   10.   924   Texas   3/7
   11.   904   Princeton   TBD
   12.   874   Marshall   3/8
   13.   865   Baylor   3/8
   14.   844   Gonzaga   3/5
       844   LIU-Brooklyn   3/6
   16.   828   Cornell   3/10
   17.   825   Mount St. Mary's   TBD
   18.   816   Tennessee State   TBD
   19.   814   Creighton   3/8
   20.   810   East Carolina   3/8

Triple Trivia
During Creighton's current streak of 814 straight games with a three-pointer, the Bluejays have drained 6,248 trifectas, an average of 7.68 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since durin the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 128 times, more than any figure.
   Only four times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 209 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including a BIG EAST record 21 on Jan. 20, 2014 at Villanova.
Team 3FG During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1: 4 times   11: 45 times
2: 15 times   12: 44 times
3: 30 times   13: 33 times
4: 67 times   14: 9 times
5: 94 times   15: 6 times
6: 86 times   16: 6 times
7: 128 times   19: 1 time
8: 109 times   20: 1 time
9: 72 times   21: 1 time
10: 63 times

CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 257 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 15-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 213-44 (.829) 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 19,957-16,700 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.67 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 73 different times, including 21 of its last 54 home games.
   Creighton is also 27-25 all-time in the 52 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 34-23 when trailing at halftime at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 116-26 (.817) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 66-4 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 232-44 (.841) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

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. That's one of three games this season with 16 or more three-pointers.
   Here's a list of the games with 16 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
       16   at Georgetown   01/06/2018   W 90-66

Foster Does It All
Marcus Foster is averaging 20.3 points and 2.7 assists per game this year. Only two previous Creighton players have averaged more than 19.0 points and 2.5 assists per game for a full season.
Seasons With 19 PPG, 2.5 APG, Creighton History
Name   Year   PPG   APG
Rick Apke   1976-77   19.8   2.9
Rod Mason   1987-88   20.3   3.4
Marcus Foster   2017-18   20.3   2.7

Technically Speaking
Greg McDermott was issued a rare technical foul   when   the   officials   booked   the   Creighton   head coach on Jan. 27 vs. Georgetown. It was just the third technical foul that McDermott   had been whistled for in eight years on the Bluejay   sideline, and his first overall since March 3, 2015 vs. Villanova. McDermott also was called for a technical foul on Jan. 17, 2015 against Providence.
   Some other facts about McDermott's technical foul...
- Greg   McDermott had   two   technical   fouls   in    his four seasons as Iowa State head coach and   five technical fouls in five years as head coach at   Northern Iowa.
- It remains just the fourth technical foul issued to a Creighton coach in 257 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Besides three to McDermott, Dana Altman was also given one on Feb. 17, 2007.
- It was the first technical foul issued to the Creighton bench in a home win since Nov. 25, 1996 in a 70-68 victory over UMKC.
- It   was   just   the   21st   technical   foul   Creighton    has been called for in eight seasons under   Greg McDermott. Others with technical fouls include Gregory Echenique (3), Maurice Watson Jr. (3), Marcus Foster (3), Grant Gibbs (2), Justin Patton (2), Will Artino (1), Steve Lutz (1), Avery Dingman (1), Isaiah Zierden (1) and Khyri Thomas (1).

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 19 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including three such wins this year. Ten of those comebacks have come away from home.
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
10   St. John's   01/03/18
10   at DePaul   02/07/18
10   Bemidji State   02/13/18

Nationally Elite
Creighton ranks in the top 20 of 11 categories nationally, through games of March 3rd.
Category   Rank   Stat
Defensive Rebounds/Game   4th   28.94
Total Assists   4th   560
Assist/Turnover Ratio   5th   1.62
Assists Per Game   5th   18.1
Personal Fouls/Game   7th   14.8
Scoring Offense   8th   84.8
Fewest Fouls   10th   460
FG Percentage   11th   .499
3FG/Game   12th   10.6
3FG Made   13th   328
3FG Attempts   16th   866

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 are the lowest marks in the history of Century Link Center Omaha.
   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   99.7   68th   21-10 so far

We're Jamming!
Creighton owns 101 dunks already this season, which its second-most in any season under Greg McDermott, but still well behind the 144 last season that ranked fourth-most nationally.
   Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, and 19 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Year
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
36   Gregory Echenique   2012-13
33   Martin Krampelj   2017-18
30   Gregory Echenique   2011-12
27   Marcus Foster   2017-18
24   Gregory Echenique   2010-11
23   Marcus Foster   2016-17
22   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2010-11

Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Years
90   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
50   Marcus Foster   2016-Pres.
49   Khyri Thomas   2015-Pres.
47   Martin Krampelj   2015-Pres.
38   Will Artino   2011-15
32   Zach Hanson   2013-17
25   Geoffrey Groselle   2012-16
22   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2010-11
19   Doug McDermott   2010-14

Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Year   Team W-L
144   2016-17   25-10 (NCAA)
101   2017-18   21-10 so far
58   2015-16   20-15 (NIT)
56   2010-11   23-16 (CBI)
54   2012-13   28-8 (NCAA)
42   2011-12   29-6 (NCAA)
35   2013-14   27-8 (NCAA)
29   2014-15   14-19

Chairmen Of The Boards
Martin Krampelj (153 rebounds) and Ronnie Harrell Jr. (182) both have more rebounds this season than they had in their careers before 2017-18, by a large margin.
   Harrell had 49 rebounds last year (in 26 games) and entered this season with 125 career caroms in 55 games played.
   Krampelj owned 69 rebounds in 29 games a year ago and entered this season with 89 rebounds in 36 career contests.
   Krampelj, who had 26 points and 19 rebounds in Creighton's 21 games against BIG EAST foes last year (including 5 DNP's), had 86 points and 62 rebounds in CU's first seven league games this season before suffering a season-ending injury.

Ronnie On The Spot
Ronnie Harrell Jr. continues to provide a spark off, 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

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

Friendly Confines
Creighton scored 103 points or more in four home games this season, and 75 points or more in 17 of 18 home contests.
   Creighton averaged 89.8 points per home game this season, outrebounding foes by 4.2 caroms per contest, shooting 52.9 percent from the floor, and holding foes to 39.5 percent shooting.
   After halftime of home games this season, Creighton has outscored teams 820-616. In the second half, Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas are a combined 41-for-86 from three-point range (47.7 percent), compared to CU's opponents who are 50-for-223 (22.4 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   21-10 so far
   4.   4   2015-16   20-15
       4   2016-17   25-10

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

Full House
Creighton averaged 17,000 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 3/4)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Kentucky   21,875   TBD
   2.   Syracuse   21,462   TBD
   3.   North Carolina   18,379   Next Year
   4.   Louisville   17,773   TBD
   5.   Wisconsin   17,272   TBD
   6.   Creighton   17,000   TBD
   7.   Kansas   16,345   Next Year
   8.   Tennessee   16,210   TBD
   9.   Arkansas   16,181   TBD
   10.   Indiana   15,591   TBD

Shooters Shoot
Since Greg McDermott was hired eight years ago at Creighton, the Bluejays have shot 50 percent or better from the field in 124 games. That ranks third nationally, trailing only Gonzaga (143) and Kansas (127) and just ahead of Saint Mary's (123).
   In those eight years, Gonzaga has shot 49.5 percent from the field, just ahead of Kansas (48.4%) and Creighton (48.2%). Belmont (48.2%) and Saint Mary's (48.1%) round out the top five.

Give Me Five
Creighton has had three or more players score 10+ points in 29-of-31 games this season (all but Xavier on 2/10 and 3/3 at Marquette).
   In Creighton's last non-conference 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.
   In Creighton's Dec. 31 win over Providence, the Bluejays had all five starters finish in double-figures for the first time since last year's BIG EAST home opener on Dec. 28, 2016 vs. Seton Hall.
   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.

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 110 points or more four times in the last two seasons (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 3/3)
   Rank   100 Pt. Games   Team
   1.   28   VMI
   2.   23   North Carolina
   3.   20   Creighton
   4.   19   Indiana
       19   Charleston Southern
       19   Central Arkansas
       19   Citadel

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.

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

Tough At Home
Creighton has won 23 straight non-conference home games dating to a Dec. 2, 2015 loss to Arizona State.
   On a national basis, that ranks as the 11th-longest streak, per recent research from the NCAA
Non-Conference Home Win Streaks
(Entering Postseason)
   Rank   Streak   School   Next Home N-C Game
   1.   139   Duke   TBD
   2.   47   Arizona   TBD
   3.   43   Butler   TBD
   4.   38   Texas Tech   TBD
   5.   35   Villanova   TBD
   6.   32   SMU   TBD
   7.   29   Evansville   TBD
   8.   28   Seton Hall   TBD
   9.   26   South Dakota State   TBD
       26   Florida State   TBD
   11.   23   Creighton   TBD
       23   William & Mary   TBD
   13.   22   IPFW   TBD

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 ranked among the best in college basketball in 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 fourth in NBA history with 2,189 three-pointers and is seventh in league history with 43.1 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through March 3rd). 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 9.1 points per game this year and shooting 42.9 percent from downtown (8th in the NBA).
   Tolliver is averaging 7.9 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 Dallas Mavericks, after being traded there on February 8th at the deadline. McDermott is averaging 7.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season.
   Creighton's newest NBA product is Justin Patton, who is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves organization. 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. He also was recalled to the Timberwolves on Feb. 12th and sent down on Feb. 22nd. He was again recalled on March 2nd.
   Patton will become the 14th different player in history with Creighton ties to play in the NBA.
   The two-day stretch in December marked the first time since 1969-70 that Creighton has had four NBA players at the same time.

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 March 3rd.
2010-11 to Present
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
FG Percentage   .482   3rd
3FG Percentage   .386   3rd
Assists   4,551   3rd
3FG Made   2,407   4th
FG Made   7,572   11th
Wins   187   30th
Winning Percentage   .670   37th

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

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.

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 187 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .670 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.   187-92   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, which features five games from this year.
      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.   18,518   Georgetown   01/27/18
   10.   18,495   Marquette   02/17/18
   11.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   12.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   13.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   14.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   15.   18,321   #3 Villanova   02/24/18
   16.   18,257   #5 Xavier   02/10/18
   17.   18,191   DePaul   02/27/18
   18.   18,160   Central Arkansas   11/14/14
   19.   18,145   Marquette   01/21/17
   20.   18,111   Bradley   02/02/13

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 3/4)
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

Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 80.73 points per home game (11,463 points in 142 home games), a figure that climbs to 85.31 points in non-conference home games (5,972 points in 70 home games).
   Creighton is 97-3 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points and has won 89 straight non-conference home games when scoring 80 or more points, dating to a 90-85 loss to Nebraska on Dec. 7, 1991.

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.

Clear Bag Policy Now In Place
CenturyLink Center Omaha has adopted 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.
•   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.

Men's Basketball Heads to New York For BIG EAST Tournament

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mitch Ballock

Tyler Clement

Jacob Epperson

Marcus Foster

Ronnie Harrell Jr.

Toby Hegner

Martin Krampelj

Davion Mintz

Jordan Scurry

Manny Suarez

Khyri Thomas