Photo by: Mitchell Layton
2017-18 Men's Basketball Recap
4/13/2018 9:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Looking back on Creighton's second straight NCAA Tournament trip
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Creighton finished the 2017-18 season with a 21-12 record, tied for third place in the BIG EAST Conference with a 10-8 league mark, and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the last seven seasons.
The season will be remembered for the standout backcourt of First Team All-BIG EAST senior Marcus Foster (19.8 ppg.) and Second Team All-BIG EAST choice Khyri Thomas (15.1 ppg.), who was also named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Both men surpassed 1,000 points as a Bluejay during the campaign.
CU's third-leading scorer, sophomore forward Martin Krampelj (11.9 ppg., 8.1 rpg.), tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on January 17th and missed the rest of the season, which would later cause the team to burn the redshirt of freshman Jacob Epperson (6.3 ppg.) in the team's 22nd game. Epperson, Ty-Shon Alexander (5.5 ppg.) and Mitch Ballock (7.3 ppg.) comprised of one of the highest-touted freshman classes in program history.
The campaign also saw senior guard Tyler Clement be named a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American, and head coach Greg McDermott win the NABC Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award.
The Bluejays started the season 4-0, including wins away from home over top-25 teams Northwestern and UCLA in consecutive games. The Bluejays challenging non-conference schedule saw the Bluejays drop games against fellow top-25 foes Baylor and Gonzaga, but CU would be 6-2 before hosting Nebraska on December 9th. Creighton trailed 33-28 at intermission but shot 58.6 percent from the field after the half en route to a 75-65 triumph, its seventh straight double-figure win over the Cornhuskers.
The Bluejays would enter the Christmas break with a 10-2 record before starting league play with a game at Seton Hall. The Bluejays dropped that contest to the Pirates, only to win four in a row before falling at Xavier on Jan. 13th. Four days later Creighton topped No. 19 Seton Hall by 17 points, but lost Krampelj late in the first half to a season-ending knee injury.
The Bluejays later surrendered 19 three-pointers in a loss to Villanova to open February, and after a one-point victory at DePaul, CU would drop a one-point game against No. 5 Xavier on a pair of free throws with 0.3 seconds left.
CU would snap a three-game skid in BIG EAST action on February 24th with an 89-83 triumph over Villanova, a victory that essentially clinched an at-large bid for the Bluejays. Creighton followed that up with a 82-57 Senior Day win over DePaul.
The season ended in disappointing fashion, as CU fell by four points at Marquette in the regular-season finale, lost by four points in overtime in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals to Providence, and dropped a 69-59 decision to Kansas State in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Charlotte.
Creighton ranked fifth nationally with 17,000 fans per home game, attracting a single-season program record 306,000 fans during the campaign.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) broadcasted all Creighton men basketball games during the 2017-18 season, while KOOO (101.9 FM) also broadcasted all the home games. John Bishop and former Bluejays Nick Bahe, Brody Deren, Taylor Stormberg and Josh Dotzler called the action.
All but the NCAA Tournament game were also streamed on 1620 The Zone's app, as well as www.1620thezone.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Every game in during the 2017-18 season was televised. FS1 televised 16 of those contests, and the Bluejays also aired on FOX (4), FS2 (3), FSN Midwest (3), CBS Sports Network (2), ESPN2 (2), BTN (1), TBS (1) and ESPNU (1).
Each of Creighton's last 65 games have been televised.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season had 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 could also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) finished his eighth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 187-94 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 467-289 after 24 seasons and is 336-225 after 17 Division I campaigns. McDermott was assisted by Darian DeVries, Preston Murphy and Alan Huss.
About Creighton
Creighton is a private, Jesuit institution located in Omaha, Neb., with 8,654 students. The University was founded in 1878 by Mary Lucretia Creighton, who established it in memory of her husband, telegraph pioneer Edward Creighton.
Prominent alumni include J. Joseph Ricketts (Chicago Cubs owner and founder of TD Ameritrade), Bob Gibson (Hall of Fame pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals), Paul Silas (former NBA player and head coach), Anthony Tolliver (Detroit Pistons), Kyle Korver (Cleveland Cavaliers), Doug McDermott (Dallas Mavericks), Ty Blach (San Francisco Giants) and Pat Venditte (ambidextrous baseball pitcher now with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization).
Creighton picked up the Bluejays moniker in 1924 after a newspaper coordinated a public contest to select a nickname and mascot.
Creighton officially joined the BIG EAST on July 1, 2013.
Postseason Wins In 8 of Last 10 Appearances
Creighton has won at least one game in eight of its last 10 postseason appearances. The streak began in 2008.
Creighton's Last 10 Postseason Appearances
Year Tournament First Game
2007-08 NIT Beat Rhode Island, 74-73
2008-09 NIT Beat Bowling Green, 73-71
2009-10 CIT Beat South Dakota, 89-78
2010-11 CBI Beat San Jose State, 85-74
2011-12 NCAA Beat Alabama, 58-57
2012-13 NCAA Beat Cincinnati, 67-63
2013-14 NCAA Beat Louisiana, 76-66
2015-16 NIT Beat Alabama, 72-54
2016-17 NCAA Lost to Rhode Island, 84-72
2017-18 NCAA Lost to Kansas State, 69-59
NCAA Tournament History
Creighton made its 21st NCAA Tournament appearance, and 12th in the last 20 years, in 2017-18. The Bluejays are now 12-22 all-time in NCAA action, including a 9-12 record in its first game.
Creighton's last NCAA Tournament win came in 2014, when the Bluejays topped Louisiana.
In 30 NCAA or NIT appearances, Creighton has won consecutive games in the same event just once, with that happening in the 2016 NIT.
Creighton has had at least one sport reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 31 academic calendar years, Previously in 2017-18 the women's volleyball team advanced to the Second Round. The Creighton women's basketball team also earned an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, reaching the Second Round.
Including the NCAA's, NIT, CBI and CIT, Creighton made its 20th postseason appearance in the last 21 seasons in 2017-18.
NCAA Jays
In addition to Creighton's current roster, there were at least seven others with ties to the program who are involved in this year's NCAA Tournament.
Loyola (Chicago) head coach Porter Moser played at Creighton from 1986-90, appearing in the 1989 NCAA Tournament with the Bluejays. Moser helped the underdog Ramblers reach the Final Four.
Texas A&M head coach Billy Kennedy is a former Creighton assistant coach from 1991-93 and led the Aggies to the Sweet 16.
South Dakota State assistant coach Ben Walker played at Creighton from 1997-2001, appearing in three NCAA Tournaments.
Former Creighton video coordinator Tyler Glidden (2010-16) is also an assistant coach at South Dakota State.
Former Creighton assistant coach Steve Lutz (2010-17) is now an assistant coach at Purdue. The Boilermakers reached the Sweet 16.
Former Bluejay Leon Gilmore III (2014-15) now plays at Stephen F. Austin.
Creighton's current McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen was the chairman of the NCAA Selection Committee.
Against Postseason Opponents
Creighton went 5-8 against teams that made the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The Jays were 1-0 against UCLA, 1-1 versus Villanova, Butler and Seton Hall, 1-2 against Providence, 0-1 against Kansas State and 0-2 in games against Xavier.
Creighton also went 1-3 against NIT qualifiers, going 1-0 vs. Nebraska, 0-1 vs. Baylor and 0-2 against Marquette.
Creighton didn't play any CIT or CBI teams.
BIG EAST Success
Creighton was one of six BIG EAST teams to make the NCAA Tournament, as the league sent 60 percent of its teams to the Big Dance. Last year the league saw seven teams dancing.
The BIG EAST has had a Sweet 16 squad in 23 of the past 24 years, and multiple Sweet 16 teams in 13 of the last 16 years.
Even when you remove Louisville's recently-vacated 2013 title, the BIG EAST Conference has won a combined 14 NCAA men's and women's basketball titles in the last 19 years (including 2017-18).
McDermott In The Postseason
Creighton coach Greg McDermott made his seventh postseason appearance at Creighton, and 10th overall as a Division I head coach when you include his time at Northern Iowa.
McDermott's Division I teams own a 9-11 record in those 10 postseason appearances, including a 9-8 mark in seven appearances at Creighton.
McDermott's Division I Postseason Appearances
Year Tourney Postseason W-L
2003-04 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2004-05 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2005-06 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2010-11 (CU) CBI 4-2
2011-12 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2012-13 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2013-14 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2015-16 (CU) NIT 2-1
2016-17 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2017-18 (CU) NCAA 0-1
Most Postseason Bids By CU Coaches
This year's bid to the NCAA was the seventh postseason bid for Greg McDermott at Creighton. Only Dana Altman (13) has taken the Bluejays to more postseason appearances.
McDermott's three NCAA Tournament wins tie a school record, also held by John J. "Red" McManus.
McDermott's five NCAA Tournament trips are second-most in program history as well, trailing only Altman's seven.
McDermott's nine postseason wins at Creighton are the most in school history, two more than Altman's seven.
McDermott (9-8) is one of two coaches in program history with a winning record in postseason play, joining Eddie Sutton (2-1).
Coach (Bids) NCAA NIT CBI CIT NCIT Total
Hickey (3) 1-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 3-3
Belford (1) 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
McManus (3) 3-3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 4-4
Sutton (1) 2-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-1
Apke (4) 0-3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-4
Barone (3) 1-2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-3
Altman (13) 2-7 3-5 0-0 2-1 0-0 7-13
McDermott (7) 3-5 2-1 4-2 0-0 0-0 9-8
NBA Arena For the NCAA's, Again
This was Creighton's fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament trip in which it will play in an NBA arena.
The run started in 2013 with games at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, home of the 76ers.
In 2014 the Bluejays were shipped to San Antonio to play in the AT&T Center, home of the Spurs.
Last season Creighton played at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, where the Kings reside.
This year the Bluejays headed to Spectrum Center in Charlotte, home to the Hornets.
High Five
Greg McDermott joined some select company when he directed his troops to a fifth NCAA Tournament this season. That puts him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
McDermott is one of nine head coaches in Creighton history to lead five different NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Elmar Bolowich Men's Soccer 6
Bruce Erickson Women's Soccer 5
Mary Higgins Softball 5
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 5
Bret Simon Men's Soccer 5
Clement Named CoSIDA Academic All-American
Creighton men's basketball guard Tyler Clement was named a First Team College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American. 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 with All-District acclaim, but first time for the Academic All-America honors.
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 is Creighton Basketball's first man named First Team Academic All-American by CoSIDA since Rick Apke in 1978, and the school's first First Team Academic All-American in any sport since Fabian Herbers (men's soccer) in 2015.
Clement averaged 2.8 points, 1.0 assists and 1.0 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game while playing in 21 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.
League Honors Three
Three Creighton players were recognized 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 this season.
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, joining a special group.
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 Dikembe 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
DeVries To Drake; Lusk Hired
Creighton's coaching staff for 2018-19 changed when assistant coach Darian DeVries accepted the head coaching position at Drake on March 29th.
To replace DeVries, head coach Greg McDermott hired Paul Lusk as an assistant coach in the program less than a week later on April 3rd. Lusk was previously the head coach at Missouri State.
Jays Beat National Champ Villanova
Creighton's Feb. 24th overtime win over Villanova was the first time that the Bluejays have ever beaten a team that went on to win the NCAA title in that same season.
It also turned out to be the last of four losses suffered by the Wildcats during the 2017-18 season, who went on to win the final 11 contests after falling in Omaha.
McDermott Coaches vs. Cancer Award
Coaches vs. Cancer presented Creighton University head men's basketball coach Greg McDermott with the Champion Award, a prestigious national honor within the Coaches vs. Cancer program on April 1st.
The Champion Award recognizes a college coach who has shown extraordinary leadership and a commitment to the American Cancer Society's mission of saving lives, celebrating lives and leading the fight for a world without cancer
The award was presented during Final Four Weekend at the National Association of Basketball Coaches Guardians of the Game Awards Show in San Antonio, Texas.
McDermott has supported Coaches vs. Cancer and the Society's Hope Lodge in Nebraska for numerous years. For the past seven years, Coach has hosted the annual Creighton Pink Out game, which has raised close to $200,000 to benefit ACS and the Hope Lodge in Nebraska. In addition, Coach and his wife Theresa, who is a breast cancer survivor, have rallied other coaches and their schools to join the McDermotts in supporting the Society and Coaches vs. Cancer. Their combined efforts have raised over $1 million.
Foster Stays Busy In San Antonio at Final Four
Marcus Foster was selected as one of 20 seniors who participated in the 2018 Reese's® College All-Star game, which was played on Final Four Friday®, March 30, at the Alamodome as part of the 2018 NCAA® Men's Final Four® in San Antonio.
Foster finished with 13 points, one rebound and one steal on 5-for-12 shooting in 23 minutes for the East team in a loss.
Foster was also selected to the 3-Point Championship roster for the 30th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships at Bill Greehey Arena at St. Mary's University in San Antonio on Thursday, March 29.
Foster made 11-of-25 shots, including a pair of moneyballs that count double, and finished with 13 points to take seventh of eight men's college basketball players selected for the event, which aired live on ESPN2.
NCAA Jays x 2
Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons in both men's basketball and women's basketball.
That puts the school in special company.
On a national basis, the only six schools that can claim this are Creighton, Duke, Florida State, Gonzaga, Miami (Fla.) and UCLA.
Triple Threat
Khyri Thomas had 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals in Creighton's win over DePaul on Feb. 27th. He was 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
Foster Passes Bob Gibson on CU Scoring List
Marcus Foster owned 1,292 points at Creighton through 68 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 1,292 points as a Bluejay put him just ahead of 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 ranks 20th 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. 1,292 Marcus Foster 2016-18
22. 1,272 Bob Gibson 1954-57
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. 1,140 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
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, Syracuse and Arizona each are in the 18-of-20 seasons club,.
Most 20-Win Seasons Since 1998-99
(Includes 2017-18)
School 20+ Win Seasons
Gonzaga 20
Duke 20
Kansas 20
Kentucky 19
Florida 19
Creighton 18
Arizona 18
Syracuse 18
Xavier 18
The Foster Files...
A few nuggets on Marcus Foster...
- Marcus Foster made a three-pointer in each of Creighton's last 20 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 37 of the last 38 games, and scored in double-figures in 49 of his last 51 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 306 three-pointers in his college career, a figure that ranked 10th nationally among active players.
Foster Develops
Marcus Foster played in 130 career games at the college level, including 62 at Kansas State and 68 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 68
Starts 57 68
Minutes 1,776 2,125
Minutes/Game 28.6 31.3
FG-FGA 293-717 491-1041
FG% .409 .472
3FG-3FGA 138-370 168-444
3FG% .373 .378
FT-FTA 151-210 142-197
FT% .719 .721
Rebounds 172 230
Rebounds/Game 2.8 3.4
Assists 139 173
Turnovers 135 149
Steals 36 55
Points 875 1,292
Points/Game 14.1 19.0
Foster Passes 600 Points Again
Marcus Foster scored a team-high 654 points this season, which put him in some select company. He joined 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 654 points included 67 free throws and were 84 more points than any other player (Kansas' Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, in this case) in the country this season who made 67 or fewer foul shots.
Climbing The Charts
Marcus Foster made 95 three-pointers in 2017-18, 22 more than his season total from all of last year. That ranks fifth in single-season history at Creighton.
Of the 10 Bluejays (including Foster) 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 No
100 Kyle Korver (So.) 2000-01 No
96 Doug McDermott (Sr.) 2013-14 Yes
95 Marcus Foster (Sr.) 2017-18 No
91 Booker Woodfox (Sr.) 2008-09 Yes
82 Tad Ackerman (Jr.) 1994-95 No
79 Kyle Korver (Jr.) 2001-02 Yes
78 Ethan Wragge (Jr.) 2012-13 No
77 Doug McDermott (Jr.) 2012-13 Yes
Foster Reaches 2,000 Career Points
Marcus Foster owned 2,167 career points (875 at Kansas State, 1,292 at Creighton). 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 (1,272), 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 finished with 984 career points (including Fordham and Adelphi) after 101 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 ranked among the nation's best when it comes to putting the ball in the hole and scoring.
Foster ranked second among the nation's active Division I players in career field goals made, third in double-figure scoring games, and 10th in points. Former Bluejay Doug McDermott owns the NCAA record with 135 career double-figure scoring games.
Most Career Field Goals, Nation's Active Leaders
Rank FG Name, School Next Game
1. 790 Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas Done
2. 784 Marcus Foster, Creighton Done
3. 776 Bogdan Bliznyuk, E. Washington Done
4. 775 Peyton Aldridge, Davidson Done
5. 749 Jonathan Stark, Murray State Done
Most Career Points, Nation's Active Leaders
Rank Points Name, School Next Game
1. 2,524 Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas Done
2. 2,331 Andrew Rowsey, Marquette Done
3. 2,261 Trevon Bluiett, Xavier Done
4. 2,232 Mike Daum, South Dakota St. Done
2,232 Chris Clemons, Campbell Done
6. 2,231 Jonathan Stark, Murray State Done
7. 2,172 Tyler Nelson, Fairfield Done
8. 2,171 Peyton Aldridge, Davidson Done
9. 2,169 Bogdan Bliznyuk, E. Washington Done
10. 2,167 Marcus Foster, Creighton Done
Most Career Games, 10+ Points, Active Players
Rank 10+ Games Name, School Next Game
1. 120 Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas Done
2. 116 Trevon Bluiett, Xavier Done
3. 111 Marcus Foster, Creighton Done
4. 110 Wesley Person, Troy Done
Foster Was Up For Jerry West Award
Creighton men's basketball guard Marcus Foster was one of five finalists for the 2018 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, which was bestowed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the only BIG EAST performer on the list.
Last year Foster also 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), while Purdue's Carsen Edwards won it in 2018.
Nationally Elite
Creighton ranked in the top 20 of nine categories nationally in 2017-18.
Category Rank Stat
Assist/Turnover Ratio 3rd 1.58
Defensive Rebounds/Game 5th 29.00
Assists Per Game 6th 17.8
Personal Fouls/Game 10th 15.2
Scoring Offense 12th 83.5
3FG/Game 14th 10.4
FG Percentage 15th .492
Total Assists 15th 588
3FG Made 20th 343
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 107-64. The team has been to three 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, 5-5 in conference tournament play, and the quartet have combined for 2,354 points, 820 rebounds, 349 assists and 356 three-pointers in a collective 331 games and 136 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 102 games in program history that have gone to overtime, going 56-46 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 6-2 under Greg McDermott in overtime games, including a 5-0 mark in conference play.
Fourteen of Creighton's last 15 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 20.4
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 Stepped Up
Khyri Thomas turned his offense up a notch after Martin Krampelj's season-ending injury on January 17.
In the 14 full games without CU's third-leading scorer, Thomas averaged 16.5 points per game and shot 61.2 percent from the field (85-139), 48.4 percent from three-point range (30-62) and 75.6 percent at the line (31-41). Impressively for the guard, Thomas shot 50 percent or better from the field in 13 of his last 15 contests, and shot 60 percent or better in 10 of those 15 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.
How They Rank?
Creighton played 10 games this season against ranked teams, tied for eighth-most in the country. Creighton was 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) each averaged in double-figures. Davion Mintz owned an impressive 38 assists against just 10 turnovers.
CU 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):
Games School
13 Texas
13 Texas Tech
12 Baylor
12 Kansas
12 Oklahoma State
11 North Carolina
11 West Virginia
10 Creighton
10 Duke
10 Florida State
10 Kansas State
10 Oklahoma
10 Syracuse
10 Wisconsin
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 was 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 owned 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.
The win over No. 3 Villanova was also the highest-ranked team the Bluejays have ever beaten.
Most Top-25 Wins, Season
Wins Season Top-25 Victims
4 2016-17 #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
#16 Butler, #22 Xavier
4 2017-18 #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Hall,
#20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
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.
Creighton was one of 22 teams nationally with four or more top-25 wins this season.
Ranked Wins School Home Road Neutral
8 Texas Tech 4 1 3
8 Kansas 2 2 4
7 Villanova 1 1 5
6 Alabama 4 1 1
6 Duke 2 2 2
6 Florida 2 2 2
6 Oklahoma 3 2 1
6 Oklahoma State 3 2 1
5 Arkansas 4 0 1
5 Florida State 2 1 2
5 Michigan 1 1 3
5 North Carolina 2 1 2
5 NC State 3 1 1
5 Texas 4 1 0
5 Texas A&M 1 2 2
5 Virginia 2 1 2
5 West Virginia 3 1 1
4 Creighton 2 1 1
4 Clemson 2 0 2
4 Loyola (Chicago) 0 1 3
4 Virginia Tech 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 13th-most nationally.
Ranked Wins School
15 Duke
15 North Carolina
14 Kansas
14 Villanova
11 Florida State
11 Texas Tech
10 Michigan
10 West Virginia
9 Florida
9 Gonzaga
9 South Carolina
9 Virginia
8 Creighton
8 Arizona
8 Baylor
8 Kentucky
8 Purdue
8 Xavier
Scoring In Bunches
Creighton scored 2,756 points and ranked 12th nationally with 83.5 points per contest.
The 2,756 points rank tied for fourth-most in program history for one season, and were 128 behind the 2,864 points that last year's team scored to establish the record.
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)
2,756 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
6. 2,688 2002-03 29-5 (NCAA)
7. 2,684 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
8. 2,680 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
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. 84.17 1963-64 22-7 (NCAA)
3. 83.96 1970-71 14-11 (None)
4. 83.52 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
5. 82.83 1964-65 13-10 (None)
The Big Epper
Jacob Epperson scored 66 points in 126 minutes over the last eight games while making 30-of-39 shots from the floor (76.9 percent).
When he had 14 points in just eight minutes vs. Marquette, going 7-for-7 from the field, Epperson became 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 shot 69.4 percent from the floor in his rookie campaign.
Category First 4 Games Last 8 Games
Minutes/Game 10.3 15.9
Points/Game 2.3 8.3
Rebounds/Game 2.5 3.1
Blocks/Game 0.3 1.3
FG Percentage .400 (4-10) .769 (30-39)
3FG Percentage --- (0-0) 1.000 (4-4)
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. He also sank his fourth try of the season from deep, with that coming against Providence on March 8th.
Epperson is the first Creighton player to make his first four three-pointers since Johnny Mathies in the 2003-04 season. Mathies started his career 5-for-5 from long-range after going 3-for-3 against San Diego, 1-for-1 against St. Bonaventure and then making his first trey try Bethune-Cookman.
Earlier this year Epperson became 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 Wragge 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.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Epperson is one of nine players since 1992-93 to make 100 percent of his three-point attempts in a season, with at least four treys made.
Khyrifense Leads The Defense
Khyri Thomas shared BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors a year ago, and he and his Bluejay teammates continually 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 also did 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.
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
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 28 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 Pyfrom (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
01/27/18 Creighton 85, Georgetown 77 18,518
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 816 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the nation's 17th-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.
Longest Active 3-Point Streak
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,039 UNLV Done
2. 1,031 Vanderbilt Done
3. 1,021 Duke Done
4. 976 Arkansas Done
5. 974 Western Kentucky Done
6. 960 East Tennessee State Done
7. 949 Pacific Done
8. 937 Oakland Done
9. 927 Texas Done
10. 904 Princeton Done
11. 879 Marshall Done
12. 868 Baylor Done
13. 849 Gonzaga Done
14. 846 LIU-Brooklyn Done
15. 829 Cornell Done
16. 825 Mount St. Mary's Done
17. 816 Tennessee State Done
816 Creighton Done
19. 811 East Carolina Done
Triple Trivia
During Creighton's current streak of 816 straight games with a three-pointer, the Bluejays have drained 6,263 trifectas, an average of 7.68 treys per game.
That's not surprising since during 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: 87 times 16: 6 times
7: 128 times 19: 1 time
8: 109 times 20: 1 time
9: 73 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 averaged 19.8 points and 2.7 assists per game this year. Only two previous Creighton players had 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 19.8 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
Eight Out Of 20 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 20 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (16), Duke (11), Winthrop (10), Kentucky (10), Kansas (9), New Mexico State (9) and Creighton (8).
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.
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 98.6 58th 21-12 (NCAA)
We're Jamming!
Creighton owned 107 dunks this season, 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
29 Marcus Foster 2017-18
24 Gregory Echenique 2010-11
23 Marcus Foster 2016-17
22 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
20 Khyri Thomas 2017-18
Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Years
90 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
52 Marcus Foster 2016-18
51 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)
107 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
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. (188) both had 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 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 21-12
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 fifth-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.
This year was the 13th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the seventh straight season in the top-10 nationally in attendance, as well.
2017-18 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 21,875 Next Year
2. Syracuse 21,462 Next Year
3. North Carolina 18,379 Next Year
4. Wisconsin 17,272 Next Year
5. Creighton 17,000 Next Year
6. Louisville 16,883 Next Year
7. Kansas 16,345 Next Year
8. Tennessee 16,210 Next Year
9. Arkansas 16,181 Next Year
10. Indiana 15,591 Next Year
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 fourth nationally, trailing only Gonzaga (145), Kansas (130) and Saint Mary's (126).
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 (48.2%) round out the top five.
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
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, Seton Hall senior Angel Delgado led all active rebounders at the end of 2017-18 with 1,455 career rebounds).
This year, across all of Division I, there were only 34 games where an individual grabbed 20+ rebounds. New Mexico State's Jemerrio Jones led all of college hoops with five games of 20+ boards.
Silas Not The First
Paul Silas was 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 is now 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 last 10 years (including 2017-18). Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament the five 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 Yes
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
Rank Streak School Next Home N-C Game
1. 139 Duke Next Year
2. 47 Arizona Next Year
3. 43 Butler Next Year
4. 38 Texas Tech Next Year
5. 35 Villanova Next Year
6. 32 SMU Next Year
7. 29 Evansville Next Year
8. 28 Seton Hall Next Year
9. 26 South Dakota State Next Year
26 Florida State Next Year
11. 23 Creighton Next Year
23 William & Mary Next Year
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 nine times in the last 26 seasons (including 2017-18) 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 NCAA
Big Margin Can Lead To Big Things
Creighton beat Yale, 92-76, in the season-opener.
Of Creighton's 21 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, 10 have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener, including 2017-18.
Here's a look at Creighton's last nine teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
92-76 Yale 11/10/17 21-12 NCAA
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
#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 (Dallas Mavericks) 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 2,213 three-pointers and is sixth in league history with 43.1 percent marksmanship from three-point range. 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 averaged 9.2 points per game this year, shooting 43.6 percent from downtown (sixth in the NBA).
Tolliver averaged 8.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game this season for the Pistons, his 11th NBA organization, while also shooting 43.6 percent from three-point range (seventh in the NBA).
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 averaged 7.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this season while shooting 42.6 percent from beyond the arc (11th in the NBA).
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. Patton made his NBA debut on April 1st with the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring his first NBA basket a minute later. He averaged 12.7 points. 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game in 38 games in the G-League with the Iowa Wolves.
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the since Greg McDermott took over in 2010-11, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Present
Category Stat NCAA Rank
FG Percentage .482 3rd
3FG Percentage .385 3rd
3FG Made 2,422 4th
Assists 4,579 5th
FG Made 7,620 11th
Wins 187 31st
Winning Percentage .665 38th
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.
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 .665 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. 187-94 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
2017-18: 2nd
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.
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball vs.Connecticut Press Conference - 1/31/26
Saturday, January 31
Creighton Men's Basketball Availability - 1/30/26
Friday, January 30
Creighton Men's Basketball Press Conference - 1/27/26
Wednesday, January 28
Creighton Men's Basketball Media Availability - 1/26/26
Monday, January 26
