Men's Basketball Heads to Las Vegas To Face San Diego State

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Game #6: San Diego State Aztecs vs. Creighton Bluejays
Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019 • 9:30 p.m. CST
Orleans Arena (9,500) • Las Vegas, Nev.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1 (Jeff Levering, Casey Jacobsen)
Series History: Creighton leads, 4-2
Last Meeting: San Diego State 86, Creighton 80 on 11/29/13 in Fullerton, Calif.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS

Next Game
Creighton (4-1) heads to Sin City to meet unbeaten San Diego State (6-0) on Thursday, Nov. 28th in the 19th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
   Tip-off at Orleans Arena (9,500) in Las Vegas, Nev., is set for 9:30 p.m. Central.
   The event concludes on Friday, when CU will square off with either Iowa (4-1) or No. 12 Texas Tech (5-0). The championship game starts at 7 p.m. CST, followed by the 9:30 p.m. CST consolation game.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2019-20 season.
   KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Tyler Clement will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

Television Broadcast Information
Thursday's game will be televised nationally by FS1, with Jeff Levering and Casey Jacobsen 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 4-1 this season, with home wins over Kennesaw State (81-55), Louisiana Tech (82-72), Cal Poly (86-70) and North Florida (76-67) as well as a road loss at Michigan (79-69).
   CU returns five of its top six scorers from a year ago, a group led by Preseason All-BIG EAST guard Ty-Shon Alexander (17.4 ppg.). Fellow guards Marcus Zegarowski (18.0 ppg., 4.4 apg.) and Mitch Ballock (13.8 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) give the Bluejays tremendous depth in the backcourt, despite an injury to Davion Mintz (9.7 ppg.) that has sidelined the senior so far.
   Inside, graduate transfer Kelvin Jones (7.0 ppg., 5.4 rpg.) and sophomore Christian Bishop (7.8 ppg., 4.6 rpg.) have helped overcome the loss of sophomore center Jacob Epperson (4.8 ppg. last year) to a broken leg suffered in October.
   Overall, Creighton returns nine lettermen and four starters from last year's team that finished 20-15 and tied for third in the BIG EAST Conference with a 9-9 league record. The Bluejays advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT with victories over Loyola (Chicago) and Memphis before falling at TCU.

Scouting San Diego State
San Diego State has started 6-0, including an impressive 76-71 win at former Mountain West Conference rival BYU. It's the Aztecs best start since 2010, when the Aztecs started 20-0 and advanced to the Sweet 16 on a team led by Kawhi Leonard.
   Four men average in double-figures, a quartet led by Washington State transfer Malachi Flynn (13.3 ppg.). Flynn also tops the club with 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.
   Also scoring at a double-digit clip are Yanni Wetzell (10.2 ppg., 7.2 rpg.), Jordan Schakel (10.2 ppg.) and Matt Mitchell (10.0 ppg.).
   San Diego State averages 74.7 points per game and allows 56.0 per contest. The Aztecs have limited opponents to 26.2 percent shooting from downtown and outrebound foes by 7.2 caroms per contest.

The Series With San Diego State
Creighton owns a 4-2 lead in the all-time series with San Diego State, though SDSU won the only previous times the programs met on a neutral floor.
   A victory that many point to as the breakthrough win in the Greg McDermott era was a Nov. 30, 2011 win at San Diego State. In that contest, Creighton trailed by 17 early, only to rally and win at hostile Viejas Arena, 85-83.
   Doug McDermott led Creighton with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Ethan Wragge added 19 points.
   Two years later the teams met in Fullerton, Calif., at the Wooden Legacy. McDermott finished that game with 30 points, including 16 in the first seven minutes as the Bluejays raced to an early 19-7 lead. San Diego State won the game, 86-80.
   Greg McDermott is 1-2 all-time against San Diego State. He is 1-1 against the Aztecs as the Creighton coach, and also lost his Division I debut on Nov. 16, 2001 as coach of Northern Iowa against SDSU in Lubbock, Texas. He has never coached against Brian Dutcher.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his 10th season as head coach at Creighton. He is 211-110 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 491-305 in his 26th season and is 360-241 in his 19th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Alan Huss and Paul Lusk.

Past Trips To Vegas
This is Creighton's seventh trip ever to Las Vegas, but first since November of 2015 when it won the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event. The Bluejays are 8-2 all-time in Las Vegas, including six wins in a row.
   Creighton is 4-0 all-time at Orleans Arena, beating Wisconsin (84-74) and Arizona State (87-73) in 2012; as well as Fresno State (84-65) and DePaul (83-75) in 2008.
   Below is a list of Creighton's past trips to Sin City:
Date   Opponent   CU Result
01/04/67   at UNLV   W 71-70
01/02/69   at UNLV   L 99-109
12/21/87   vs. Alaska   W 85-84
12/23/87   at #15 UNLV   L 59-90
12/22/08   vs. Fresno State   W 84-65
12/23/08   vs. DePaul   W 83-75
11/23/12   vs. Wisconsin   W 84-74
11/24/12   vs. Arizona State   W 87-73
11/23/15   vs. Rutgers   W 85-75
11/25/15   vs. Massachusetts   W 97-76

Future POY's In The House?
The last time Creighton played at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, it opened the 12th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational with a game against Wisconsin.
   In that game against the Badgers on Nov. 23, 2012, then-junior Doug McDermott had 30 points and eight rebounds for Creighton while then-sophomore Frank Kaminsky had no points and no rebounds in nine minutes for Wisconsin.
   Both men would go on to win the National Player of the Year as seniors, with McDermott winning the Wooden Award in 2014 before Kaminsky won it in 2015.

What's With The Fans?
Don't be surprised at the contingent that heads westward to support Creighton this week in Las Vegas.
   Last season, Creighton ranked seventh nationally by averaging 15,980 fans per home game. It was the program's eighth straight year ranking in the top-10 nationally in average home attendance.
   In addition, Michael Gaughan's South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa has offered complimentary three-night stays between to Creighton alums, fans and friends at his property during this tournament.
   Gaughan is a 1965 Creighton graduate and a 2004 recipient of Creighton's College of Business Administration Alumni Merit Award. In 2009 he entered The Gaming Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Vegas legends Don King, Frank Sinatra, Steve Wynn, Don Rickles and Wayne Newton.

Comparing Scores
Here's a look at how Creighton, Iowa, San Diego State and Texas Tech did in preliminary round games of the 19th Annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational.
School   Cal Poly   LIU   N. Florida   Tenn. St.
Creighton   W 86-70   -   W 76-67   -
Iowa   W 85-59   -   W 83-68   -
San Diego St.   -   W 81-64   -   W 62-49
Texas Tech   -   W 96-66   -   W 72-57

Foreign Tours Lead To Early Success
Creighton is coming off a trip to Australia in August, which it hopes will prepare the team for early victories as past trips have done.
   This year's team is off to a 4-1 start after going to Australia in August.
   A 2015 trip to Italy helped the Bluejay start the season 5-1.
   A 2011 trip to the Bahamas helped get the Bluejays ready for a 7-0 start.
   A 2007 trip to Canada paid dividends as Creighton started 5-0.
   In 2003, the Bluejays also went to Canada and started the subsequent season 12-0.

Viejas Vacation
Creighton overcame an early 31-14 deficit at one of the nation's most intimidating venues to defeat San Diego State, 85-83, on Nov. 30, 2011.
   The game was tied at 69-all with 3:59 left. Creighton would score each of its final eight possessions, winning by two.
   Creighton was 23-16 under Greg McDermott prior to that game, and is 188-94 since taking the floor that memorable night in San Diego.

High Five
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 76 consecutive games, a streak that started on March 10, 2017 in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinal vs. Xavier.
   Per Sport Radar through games of Nov. 25th, that streak ranks fourth-longest nationally among current Division I teams, and is the longest active streak among any major conference team.
Longest Active Team Streaks With 5+ 3-Pointers (through 11/25/19)
   Streak   School   Next Game
   170   North Florida   11/28
   105   Wofford   11/26
   78   Belmont   11/26
   76   Creighton   11/28

Ballock Doubles Up
Mitch Ballock entered Sunday with a career-high of eight rebounds, before collecting 11 rebounds vs. North Florida.
   Add in his 15 points and it amounted to his first career double-double.
   Ballock is the only player on this year's team to have ever recorded a double-double in a Bluejay uniform. Both Denzel Mahoney and Kelvin Jones had a pair of double-doubles before transferring to Creighton.
   Ballock was the first Creighton player with a double-double since Martin Krampelj had 23 points and 10 rebounds vs. DePaul on March 9, 2019.

Tournament Success
Creighton has had some great success in tournament play in recent seasons, especially under Greg McDermott. In McDermott's tenure, CU is 31-5 in regular-season tournament action with five titles in 10 (including this year) events.
   Since 2002-03, Creighton is 44-9 (23-0 at home) with eight titles in 15 (including this year) preseason tournaments, as seen below. CU last lost at home in a regular-season tournament in 1975.
   In the first game after winning a tournament, Creighton is 7-1 in that same time, with only a 2012 loss to Boise State.
Preseason Tournament Performances, Since 2002
Year   Tourney (Site)   W-L (Home W-L)
2002-03   Guardians Classic (Omaha/KC)   4-0 (2-0)
2004-05   Guardians Classic (Omaha/KC)   4-0 (2-0)
2006-07   Rainbow Classic (Honolulu)   2-1
2008-09   Las Vegas Classic (Omaha/Las Vegas)   4-0 (2-0)
2009-10   Old Spice Classic (Orlando)   0-3
2010-11   Hy-Vee Challenge (Omaha/Des Moines)   3-1 (3-0)
2011-12   Dale Howard Classic (Omaha/Des Moines)   4-0 (3-0)
2012-13   Las Vegas Invite (Omaha/Las Vegas)   4-0 (2-0)
2013-14   Wooden Legacy (Fullerton/Anaheim)   1-2
2014-15   Emerald Coast Classic (Omaha/Niceville)   3-1 (2-0)
2015-16   MGM Grand Main Event (Omaha/Las Vegas)   4-0 (2-0)
2016-17   Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands)   3-0
2017-18   Hall of Fame Classic (Omaha/Kansas City)   3-1 (2-0)
2018-19   Cayman Islands Classic (Omaha/Cayman Islands)   4-0 (1-0)
2019-20   Las Vegas Classic (Omaha/Las Vegas)   2-0 (2-0)

Tournament Trifectas
One reason for Creighton's success in multi-team events over the years has been its proficiency with the three-ball.
   In 36 MTE games under Greg McDermott, the Bluejays have made 376-of-893 three-point attempts, connecting at a 42.1 percent clip while making 10.44 treys per contest.
3FG Made In Preseason Tournaments Under Greg McDermott
Year   Tourney (Site)   3FG-3FGA (Games)
2010-11   Hy-Vee Challenge (Omaha/Des Moines)   45-95 (4)
2011-12   Dale Howard Classic (Omaha/Des Moines)   40-117 (4)
2012-13   Las Vegas Invite (Omaha/Las Vegas)   44-81 (4)
2013-14   Wooden Legacy (Fullerton/Anaheim)   45-112 (3)
2014-15   Emerald Coast Classic (Omaha/Niceville)   31-86 (4)
2015-16   MGM Grand Main Event (Omaha/Las Vegas)   32-77 (4)
2016-17   Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands)   35-82 (3)
2017-18   Hall of Fame Classic (Omaha/Kansas City)   50-105 (4)
2018-19   Cayman Islands Classic (Omaha/Cayman Islands)   35-89 (4)
2019-20   Las Vegas Classic (Omaha/Las Vegas)   19-49 (2)

17 And Counting
Creighton had 37 different individual scoring performances of 17 points or more last season, but never had the same player score 17+ points in three consecutive games.
   This season, Marcus Zegarowski has scored 17 in all five contests, quite an improvement over his freshman season when he had two total games a year ago (20 points vs. Coe on Dec. 20 and 17 at St. John's on Jan. 16) where he scored 17 points or more.
   Creighton's last player with 17+ points in five straight games had been Marcus Foster in seven straight games from Jan. 17-Feb. 10, 2018.
   No Bluejay had done it in five games in a row to start the season since Doug McDermott in CU's first six games to open his senior campaign in 2013-14. McDermott would go on to earn National Player of the Year accolades that winter.
   Zegarowski, who led the BIG EAST by shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range last fall, is shooting 50.0 percent (17-34) from downtown this winter.

Flynn Looks Familiar
Though it's been a while since Creighton has faced San Diego State, the Bluejays have squared off against Malachi Flynn before.
   On Nov. 18, 2016, Flynn started and played 22 minutes for Washington State against Creighton in the opening game of the Paradise Jam. He went scoreless, missing all three of his field goal attempts, after entering the contest averaging 14.0 points per game.
   Creighton led 60-36 at half and won 103-77 to knock the Cougars from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Looking Ahead?
Looking ahead to Friday, Creighton could play either Iowa or Texas Tech.
   Creighton trails the all-time series against Iowa, 14-11. Each of the past two meetings have been on neutral floors, with Iowa winning in 2001 and CU topping the Hawkeyes 82-59 in Des Moines in 2011.
   The Bluejays are 2-1 all-time against Texas Tech, but the teams have not met since 1975.
   Greg McDermott is 6-4 against Iowa (1-0 on neutral floors), and 1-3 against Texas Tech.

Magic Number is 101
Greg McDermott is 101 games over .500 in his Creighton career, as well as 101 games over .500 at home in his Creighton career.
   McDermott is currently 211-110 in his 10th year on the Bluejay sideline. Among men's basketball coaches in program history, only Dana Altman (327-176) has finished their CU career with 100+ more wins than losses.
   McDermott is also 133-32 in his CU career in home games. Altman owns the most home victories in program history, going 199-46 from 1994-2010.
   McDermott is well ahead of the where Altman was at during the same point in his Creighton tenure. When Altman was five overall games into his 10th (2003-04) season, he owned a mark of 180-100 at Creighton. At that same juncture, he was 105-28 in home games.

Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 through Nov. 25, 2019
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
3FG Made   2,845   2nd
3FG Percentage   .386   3rd
FG Percentage   .481   4th
Assists   5,217   4th
FG Made   8,749   10th
Wins   211   32nd
Winning Percentage   .657   39th

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 856 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 Streaks (through 11/25)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,077   UNLV   11/26
   2.   1,069   Vanderbilt   11/30
   3.   1,065   Duke   11/26
   4.   1,017   Arkansas   11/30
   5.   1,015   Western Kentucky   11/29
   6.   999   East Tennessee State   11/26
   7.   989   Pacific   11/26
   8.   977   Oakland   11/30
   9.   971   Texas   11/30
   10.   936   Princeton   11/26
   11.   921   Marshall   11/29
   12.   908   Baylor   12/3
   13.   893   Gonzaga   11/27
   14.   882   Long Island   11/28
   15.   865   Cornell   11/26
   16.   862   Mount St. Mary's   11/26
   17.   856   Creighton   11/28
   18.   851   Tennessee State   11/28
   19.   849   East Carolina   11/30

Jones Goes To Boarding School
Kelvin Jones grabbed nine rebounds in just 16 minutes during the Nov. 12 game at Michigan, including seven on the offensive glass.
   He set the tone immediately upon checking in, grabbing three offensive rebounds before scoring on his first possession of the night.
   Jones was the first Bluejay with seven offensive rebounds in a game since Martin Krampelj two years to the day earlier (vs. Alcorn State), and the third Bluejay under Greg McDermott to grab nine rebounds or more in 16 minutes or less, joining Toby Hegner (12/9/16 vs. Longwood in 14 minutes) and Devin Brooks (3/11/13 vs. UMKC in 16 minutes).
Most Offensive Rebounds Under Greg McDermott
OReb   Name (Minutes) vs. Opponent   Date
7   Gregory Echenique (25) vs. So. Illinois   2/13/11
7   Gregory Echenique (32) vs. Wichita State   3/10/13
7   Geoffrey Groselle (26) vs. St. John's   2/28/16
7   Geoffrey Groselle (27) vs. Alabama   3/15/16
7   Martin Krampelj (22) vs. Alcorn State   11/12/17
7   Kelvin Jones (16) at Michigan   11/12/19

Playing With The Lead
Including its Nov. 5 win over Kennesaw State, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 20 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
   In 280 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 78 of those contests, a staggering 27.9 percent of the time.
     Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is
133-32 and hasn't trailed in 53 of those games.

Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Creighton shot 52.4 percent from the floor in its lid-lifter against Kennesaw State on Nov. 5.
   Creighton has made the postseason each of the last nine times in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year, with seven of those postseason trips being NCAA Tournament berths. 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.
   Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in six of its last eight season-openers.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage 50+%
Since 1993-94
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
.524   2019-20   Kennesaw State   ? ? ?

Bishop No Longer A Rook
After a strong showing in Australia, sophomore Christian Bishop had been mentioned as a potential breakout candidate this season and has displayed that improvement so far.
   Bishop, who was making his first career start, had career-highs with 12 points and three blocked shots against Kennesaw State. Bishop scored 10 points during CU's 20-2 run to open the second half.
   He then had eight points, five rebounds and a career-high three assists at Michigan on Nov. 12.
   During CU's trip to Australia, Bishop averaged 15.7 points per game, including a 25-point outburst in CU's final contest vs. Bullets Invitational.

November Reign
Creighton is 64-1 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th. The lone loss came last season when it lost to Ohio State.
   Creighton has won 68 of its 70 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012 and Ohio State in 2018.
   Overall, Creighton is 94-18 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign, and 54-9 under Greg McDermott.

Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 80.90 points per home game (13,349 points in 165 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.93 points in non-conference home games (7,134 points in 84 home games).
   Creighton is 106-5 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points and had won 90 straight non-conference home games since Dec. 7, 1991 when scoring 80+ points before falling 103-92 to No. 1 Gonzaga on Dec. 1.

Australia Recap
Creighton got a head start on the 2019-20 season with a trip to Australia from August 1-13. The Bluejays spent the majority of their time in Sydney, Cairns and the Gold Coast, and went 2-1 in three games while Down Under.
   Five men averaged in double-figures in CU's three games, led by Mitch Ballock (18.3 ppg.), Christian Bishop (15.7 ppg.) and Davion Mintz (13.3 ppg.).
   Among the activities on the adventurous trip were climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, SCUBA diving and snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef, a visit to Hartley's Crocodile Farm, zip lining and a high ropes course at the Tree Top Challenge and whitewater rafting.
   For photos, videos and diaries from the trip, visit https://gocreighton.com/JaysDownUnder.

Where In The World Is Ty-Shon Alexander?
Basketball took Ty-Shon Alexander all over the globe this summer.
   The Charlotte, N.C., native stayed in Omaha for much of the summer before heading to the Chris Paul CP3 Elite Guard Camp in mid-July in Winston-Salem, N.C. Alexander then went to Providence, R.I., for USA Basketball training camp from July 21-26.
   The team, which consisted solely current and former of BIG EAST players, then departed for Lima, Peru, where it played five games in five days from July 31-Aug. 4 and won the bronze medal.
   Alexander then boarded a plane in Lima and flew nine hours to Los Angeles, Calif., where he had about two hours to change terminals and get through customs to board a 15 hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia.
   Upon arriving in Sydney, the jet-lagged junior once again had to clear customs and met the Creighton team at the gate as it was boarding a three-hour flight to Cairns.
   Not surprisingly, minutes for a tired and travel-weary Alexander were closely monitored during the team's final two games in Australia.

Alexander Gets Preseason Hype
League coaches didn't give Ty-Shon Alexander anything more than Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST acclaim following last season, but don't tell that to the publishers of Street & Smith's.
   The magazine named Alexander as a Preseason Second Team All-American in its annual basketball issue.
   Alexander was also named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List, the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Watch List and was a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST choice.

Getting Votes A Good Sign
Creighton received four votes in the Associated Press preseason poll, good for 40th place.
   It's the fifth time that Creighton has picked up votes in the preseason poll under Greg McDermott. Each of the first four times that's happened, the Bluejays would finish top three in the league, reach the finals of the conference tournament, and play in the NCAA Tournament.
Preseason Poll Votes Under Greg McDermott
Year   Preseason Rank   League Finish   NCAA's?
2011-12   34th   2nd, MVC   Yes
2012-13   16th   1st, MVC   Yes
2013-14   27th   2nd, BIG EAST   Yes
2016-17   22nd   T-3rd, BIG EAST   Yes
2019-20   40th   TBD   TBD

Downtown Duo
Creighton is one of two schools that return a pair of players who each made 95 or more three-pointers at their current school last season, joining UTSA.
   Creighton's Ty-Shon Alexander drained 97 triples last year, two more than Mitch Ballock's 95.
   UTSA's dynamic duo includes Keaton Wallace (121) and Jhivvan Jackson (104).
   Creighton made a school-record 372 three-pointers a year ago, which ranked tied for fifth nationally.

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked seventh in the preseason BIG EAST Conference poll that was selected via a vote of league coaches.
   Seton Hall edged Villanova by one point to be named league favorites for the first time since 1992-93, as both the Pirates and Wildcats garnered five first place votes.
   Xavier was third, with Marquette and Providence tying for fourth place. Georgetown was tabbed sixth, just ahead of Creighton, while Butler, St. John's and DePaul round out the poll.
   Seton Hall standout Myles Powell was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, and was joined on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team by Ty-Shon Alexander (Creighton), Kamar Baldwin (Butler), Alpha Diallo (Providence), Markus Howard (Marquette) and Naji Marshall (Xavier).
   Creighton has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below:
Creighton's BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year    Preseason    Actual    Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14    3rd    2nd    Doug McDermott (1st)
2014-15    9th    T-9th    -
2015-16    9th    6th    -
2016-17    3rd    T-3rd    Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18    5th    T-3rd    Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19    9th    T-3rd    Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20    7th    TBD   Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)

#ProJays
Creighton has five NBA players on NBA contracts as Kyle Korver (Milwaukee Bucks), Anthony Tolliver (Portland Trail Blazers), Doug McDermott (Indiana Pacers, Justin Patton (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Khyri Thomas (Detroit Pistons) are all in the league.
   Including 2019-20, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 36 of the last 37 years.
   Korver ranks fourth in NBA history with 2,374 three-pointers and is ninth in league history with 42.88 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 is shooting 39.0 percent from three-point range this season and averages 6.1 points per game.
   Tolliver is averaging 3.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game this season for the Trail Blazers.
   McDermott is in his sixth season in the NBA, and second with the Indiana Pacers. He is averaging 9.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game this year while shooting 45.2 percent from three-point range.
   Patton is on his fourth organization since being the 16th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He signed with the Thunder in August and had a pair of rebounds in his only game this season. He was recently sent down to the OKC Blue in the G-League, where he plays for former Bluejay Grant Gibbs.
   Thomas was the 38th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded minutes later to the Detroit Pistons. Thomas was a two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year who has played in two games this winter for Detroit, but underwent foot surgery on Nov. 13th that will sideline him for six weeks.

Eight Out Of 21 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the previous 21 years.
   On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (16), Duke (12), Winthrop (10), Kentucky (10), New Mexico State (10), Kansas (9), Creighton (8), Iona (8), Montana (8) and Murray State (8).

Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 19 of the previous 21 seasons, 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 21 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.    Kentucky and Florida have done it in 20 of the last 21 seasons.
   Creighton and Syracuse each are in the 19-of-21 seasons club.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 21 Years
Team   20-Win Seasons   2018-19 W-L
Gonzaga   21   33-4
Duke   21   32-6
Kansas   21   26-10
Kentucky   20   30-7
Florida   20   20-16
Creighton   19   20-15
Syracuse   19   20-14

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 280 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 17-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 230-50 (.821) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (18-0).
   Creighton's Nov. 25, 2017 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 21,843-18,342 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.50 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 78 different times.
   Creighton is also 28-30 all-time in the 58 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 7-11 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 35-25 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 133-32 (.805) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 78-6 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 249-50 (.833) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Full House
Last year Creighton averaged 15,980 fans per game at home, good for seventh place. The Jays average of 17,108 prior to the NIT would have placed the program sixth.
   It's the 14th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the eighth straight season in the top-10.
2018-19 Attendance Leaders
   Rk.   School   Average
   1.   Syracuse   21,992
   2.   Kentucky   21,695
   3.   North Carolina   19,715
   4.   Tennessee   19,034
   5.   Wisconsin   17,170
   6.   Kansas   16,236
   7.   Creighton   15,980
   8.   Louisville   15,748
   9.   Marquette   15,611
   10.   Nebraska   15,341

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 211 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .657 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.   211-110   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

CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 7-8 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in the fall of 2003.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, 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
CHI Health Center Omaha, 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

Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time, which features five games from last year. Last season's Gonzaga game ranks fifth on that list, and was the best-attended non-conference home game in program history.
      Rank   Att.   Opponent   Date
   1.   18,868   Providence   03/08/14
   2.   18,859   Georgetown   01/25/14
   3.   18,831   #1 Villanova   12/31/16
   4.   18,797   #6 Villanova   02/16/14
   5.   18,759   #1 Gonzaga   12/01/18
   6.   18,742   Seton Hall   02/23/14
   7.   18,735   Wichita State   02/11/12
   8.   18,613   Wichita State   03/02/13
   9.   18,525   Marquette   12/31/13
   10.   18,518   Georgetown   01/27/18
   11.   18,495   Marquette   02/17/18
   12.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   13.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   14.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   15.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   16.   18,321   #3 Villanova   02/24/18
   17.   18,257   #5 Xavier   02/10/18
   18.   18,191   DePaul   02/27/18
   19.   18,160   Central Arkansas   11/14/14
   20.   18,145   Marquette   01/21/17

Some Loyal Fans
Creighton has played in front of more than 300,000 fans at home in each of the past two seasons.
   Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CHI Health Center Omaha, and now has done it in the previous 16 seasons entering 2019-20.
   Creighton has led its conference in average home attendance every year since moving into CHI Health Center Omaha, which is in its 17th 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

Creighton's Most Home Fans, Season
Rk.   Year   G   Attendance   Average
1.   2017-18   18   306,000   17,000
2.   2018-19   19   303,629   15,980
3.   2015-16   19   302,887   15,941
4.   2008-09   19   302,676   15,930
5.   2010-11   22   297,161   13,507

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 20 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, none larger than the 18-point deficit the Bluejays overcame against then-No.18 Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014. Ten of those 20 comebacks have come away from home.
   Creighton's largest comeback to win in 2018-19 was a 12-point deficit it rallied from to defeat East Tennessee State on Nov. 11.
   Creighton owns 11 victories since 2000 in which it has won after overcoming a deficit of 15 points or more, as seen below:
Overcoming Double-Digit Deficits, CU Since 2000
Deficit   Opponent   Date
19   Wichita State   01/28/06
18   #17 Western Kentucky   11/27/01
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   Missouri State   02/12/03
17   DePaul   11/09/07
17   Rhode Island   03/18/08
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   TCU   01/26/03
16   at Drake   02/04/06
16   New Mexico   11/16/08
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
15   Wichita State   02/02/08

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
2000-01:   3rd
2001-02:   3rd
2002-03:   5th
2003-04:   4th
2004-05:   2nd
2005-06:   3rd
2006-07:   5th
2007-08:   5th
2008-09:   4th
2009-10:   3rd
2010-11:   1st
2011-12:   2nd
2012-13:   2nd
2013-14:   4th
2014-15:   3rd
2015-16:   4th
2016-17:   3rd
2017-18:   2nd
2018-19   5th
2019-20:   4th

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2019-20 season went on sale on October 14th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any regular-season game.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

Men's Basketball Heads to Las Vegas To Face San Diego State

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Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

Jacob Epperson

Kelvin Jones

Martin Krampelj

Denzel Mahoney

Davion Mintz

Marcus Zegarowski