Men's Basketball Closes Regular-Season Saturday vs. DePaul

Download Notes as a PDF

Game #31 • DePaul Blue Demons at Creighton Bluejays
Saturday, March 9, 2019 • 7:00 p.m.
CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com, 101.9 FM
Television: FS1 (Dave O'Brien, Doug Gottlieb)
Series History: Creighton leads, 19-16
Last Meeting: Creighton 79, DePaul 67 on Feb. 20, 2019 in Chicago, Ill.
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO

Next Game
Creighton (17-13, 8-9 BIG EAST) closes the regular-season when it hosts DePaul (15-13, 7-10 BIG EAST) on Saturday, March 9.
   Tip-off at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7:00 p.m.
   The program will honor three senior managers as well as two student-athletes following the game.
   Creighton Athletics is requesting all fans wear a white shirt for its traditional "White-Out" game. The first 6,000 fans in attendance will receive a complimentary "white-out" shirt courtesy of Kelly's Carpet Omaha and Lawlor's Custom Sportswear.

Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's tilt will be nationally televised on FS1, with Dave O'Brien and Doug Gottlieb on the call.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2018-19 season, while KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Taylor Stormberg will call the action.

Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Saturday'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 17-13 overall and 8-9 in BIG EAST play against the nation's 13th-toughest schedule, having already played 20 games versus teams that won 21 games or more a year ago.
   Creighton ranks ninth nationally in three-pointers made per game (10.8), ninth in total three-pointers made (324), 12th in three-point percentage (.391) and 23rd in field goal percentage (.482).
   Creighton owns five men averaging 10.0 points per game or more, including sophomores Ty-Shon Alexander (16.3 ppg.) and Mitch Ballock (10.0 ppg.). The duo have combined for 164 three-pointers this winter.
   Coming on strong of late is junior big man Martin Krampelj (13.3 ppg., 6.8 rpg.). He's averaged 16.3 points and 8.1 rebounds in CU's last 20 games with 55 dunks in that time.

Scouting DePaul
DePaul is 15-13 this season and 7-10 in BIG EAST play. The Blue Demons swept both meetings with Seton Hall and St. John's, and also own victories over Georgetown, Providence and Penn State among others.
   Max Strus (19.0 ppg., 6.2 rpg.) leads the Blue Demons in scoring and has made a team-best 85 three-point shots. He's scored 73 points over his past two games and owns over 2,100 career points at the collegiate level.
   Femi Olujobi (13.5 ppg., 5.2 rpg.) and Paul Reed (11.5 ppg., 8.1 rpg.) give DePaul one of the BIG EAST's best big men tandems, and senior Eli Cain averages 12.6 points and 3.6 assists per game.
   As a team, DePaul averages 76.9 points per game and outrebounds foes by 5.4 caroms per contest. The Blue Demons shoot 46.8 percent from the floor, 34.9 percent from three-point range and 71.8 percent at the line.

The Series With DePaul
Creighton has won 14 of the last 15 meetings with DePaul to take an 19-16 lead in the all-time series. Last year's sweep marked the first time since the 1976-77 campaign (when CU led 4-3) that the Bluejays have taken the lead in the series.
   Twelve of the last 13 meetings in the series have been decided by double-figures, with the exception being the first match-up last season at Wintrust Arena that went down to the final seconds before CU prevailed, 76-75, on a late three-pointer by Bluejay star Marcus Foster.
   Creighton is 12-1 in the series since joining the BIG EAST, including nine straight victories.
   Greg McDermott is 12-1 against DePaul. He is 7-0 against Dave Leitao, while Leitao is 0-7 against Creighton.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his ninth season as head coach at Creighton, where he is 204-107 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 484-302 in his 25th season and is 353-238 in his 18th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Preston Murphy, Alan Huss and Paul Lusk.

With A Win, Creighton Can...
- Improve to 205-107 under Greg McDermott at Creighton.
- Earn a season-best fifth straight win.
- Improve to 20-16 all-time against DePaul with its 10th straight win over the Blue Demons.
- Have Greg McDermott improve to 8-0 all-time against Dave Leitao.
- Creighton would win on Senior Day for the 22nd time in the last 24 years.
- Assure itself a top-five seed at the BIG EAST Tournament.
- Win three consecutive regular-season games in the same month of March for the first time since 1931-32.
- Beat DePaul for the 10th straight time.
- Assure itself of a .500 league record or better for the 23rd time in the last 24 seasons.

In Case Of A Tie
Creighton can finish as high as a tie for third place in the BIG EAST standings (and be the third seed), but could also drop to as low as a tie for sixth place (and the ninth seed) if various results occur on Saturday.
   The Jays can still be the third, fourth or fifth seed with a win, or the fifth, seventh, eighth or ninth seed with a loss.
   By the time Creighton takes the court, it should know what its seed will be with a win, as well as with a loss, as its the final game remaining on the league schedule.
   More (unofficial) details on Creighton's potential scenarios can be found at the bottom of this page.
   In the event of ties, here's how those will be broken according to the BIG EAST Tournament Manual tie-breaking procedures:
Two-Team Tie
1. Regular-season head-to-head results.
2. Each team's record vs. the team or group of tied teams occupying the highest position in the standings. If an advantage is not determined, proceed to the next team or group of tied teams in the standing for comparison. Continue down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.
3. Compare the Conference road record of the tied teams.
4. Compare all tied teams Conference-games only road record vs. the team(s) occupying the highest position in the final Conference regular-season standings, and then counting down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.
5. NET ranking as published by NCAA.com website following the last day of BIG EAST regular season competition.
6. Coin flip.

Multiple-Team Tie (3 or More Teams)
1. Teams are viewed as a "mini-conference" when comparing head-to-head results. The team with the best record vs. the other teams in the mini-conference gains the advantage. The team with the worst record vs. the other teams in the mini-conference is seeded the lowest.
   a. If only two teams have the same best winning percentage in the mini-conference, the higher seed goes to the team winning the head-to-head series.
   b. If the two teams split their two games, then proceed to Step 2 under "Two-Team ties" (above). To seed the remaining team(s) in this mini-conference, proceed to (e) below.
   c. If three or more (but not all) teams have the same best winning percentage in the original mini-conference, then those tied teams create a new mini-conference and follow this same procedure beginning of Step 1 (Multiple Team Tie).
   d. If all teams in the mini-conference have the same mini-conference record, proceed to Step 2 below.
   e. After the top or bottom teams in a mini-conference are determined, the remaining teams are ranked by their record in the original mini-conference.
       i. If there are any remaining teams tied by their record in the mini-conference, then head-to-head results will determine the higher seed.
       ii. If the teams split two games, then proceed back to the two-way breaking procedure.
       iii. If there are at least three teams remaining tied by their record in the mini-conference, they would then form a new mini-conference and follow the procedure again at the beginning of Step 1 (Multiple-Team Tie).
2. Compare each team's record vs. the team or group of tied teams occupying the highest position in the standings. If an advantage is not determined, proceed to the next team or group of tied teams in the standings for comparison. Continue down through the standings until one or more teams gains an advantage. If two teams have the exact same advantage (i.e., having the same and better record against a compared team relative to their mini-conference), they are separated at that point by the two-way tiebreaker procedure. The next step would take you back to Step 1 (e) (Multiple-Team Tie).
3. If more than two teams are still tied, a comparison of the tied teams Conference game only road records.
4. If more than two teams are still tied, a comparison of the tied teams Conference-games only road records vs. the team(s) occupying the highest position in the final Conference regular-season standings, and then continuing down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.
   When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, use each team's record against the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group's own tie-breaking procedure), rather than the performance against individual tied teams.
   If at any point the multiple-teams tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tie-breaking procedures above will be applied. Once a team is eliminated from a multi-team comparison, it is dropped from further comparisons.
5. Coin flip.

It's A WWWWinning Streak
Creighton has won four games in a row, and can set a season-high with a fifth straight win on Saturday.
   Entering this season, Creighton has had at least one streak of five or more wins in 19 of the last 21 seasons.

Home Season Finale History
Creighton is 21-2 in the last 23 years in its final home game of the regular-season, losing only in 2002 to Drake (when it had no seniors), and in 2015 in the final seconds to Xavier.
   Each of the last 19 Creighton teams to win on Senior Day would go on to reach the postseason.
   Creighton has trailed for a total of 19 seconds during its previous three Senior Day's.

Senior Day is Saturday
Creighton will honor two senior players following Saturday's game, as Connor Cashaw and Kaleb Joseph will be recognized along with senior managers Josh Martin, Will Schademann and Stefano Tarantolo.
   Cashaw is in his first season at Creighton after transferring from Rice. He's averaged 2.1 points and 2.0 rebounds per game while appearing in 28 contests, including one start. Cashaw is the team's active leader in Division I rebounds and three-pointers and is second in points.
   Joseph is concluding his third season with the Bluejays after transferring in from Syracuse. After sitting out his transfer season in 2016-17, Joseph has averaged 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 45 appearances, including three starts.
   Creighton has appeared in the NCAA Tournament each season since Joseph's arrival, with the Jays going a combined 63-35 in that span.

Senior Citizens
Below is a list of statistics by the Creighton players honored during Senior Day since 2003. Only one Bluejay senior since 1998 has posted a double-double on Senior Day, with that being Geoffrey Groselle (22 points, 11 rebounds) in 2015.
Name   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Stl.   Min.
Clement-18   3   1   1   0   14
Foster-18•   20   3   4   4   32
Hegner-18•   7   3   0   0   19
Suarez-18   2   3   0   0   6
Hanson-17•   3   4   0   1   9
Huff-17•   6   7   0   3   27
Zierden-17•   12   1   3   0   28
Groselle-16•   22   11   0   1   26
Milliken-16•   19   4   2   0   28
Kreklow-15•   8   5   2   0   34
Artino-15•   5   1   0   1   12
Chatman-15•   18   2   5   0   38
Brooks-15•   5   3   4   1   20
Dingman-15•   6   0   0   1   23
Oginni-15       Did   Not   Play
Connealy-15       Did   Not   Play
McDermott-14•   45   7   2   0   36
Gibbs-14•   9   0   3   0   18
Manigat-14•   5   4   1   1   34
Wragge-14•   3   1   1   0   25
Echenique-13•   9   4   0   0   26
Stormberg-13   0   0   0   0   0+
Kelling-13   0   0   0   0   0+
Young-12•   21   3   7   1   39
Dorwart-12       Did   Not   Play
Sebastian-12       Did   Not   Play
R. Ferrarini-12       Did   Not   Play
Lawson-11   11   4   0   1   20
Ka. Korver-11•   7   2   5   0   29
Ashford-11   3   1   2   0   15
Runnels-11   1   3   1   1   14
Harriman-11       Did   Not         Play (Hurt)
Carter-10•   17   6   3   0   34
Millard-10       Did   Not         Play (Hurt)
Witter-10   8   1   3   0   21
Woodfox-09•   20   3   1   3   27
Dotzler-09•   6   1   4   2   21
Sitzmann-09       Did   Not   Play
Bahe-08•   9   2   3   0   29
Watts-08•   7   4   0   0   34
Hibma-08•   0   3   0   0   21
Funk-07•   16   0   5   0   34
Tolliver-07•   11   7   2   0   32
Porter-07•   17   4   3   0   25
Gakou-07   2   0   0   0   7
Day-06   5   4   2   1   26
Mathies-06•   18   5   4   7   39
Motz-06   6   0   0   0   12
McKinney-05•   12   4   4   1   29
Miliner-05•   5   2   0   0   21
Dabbert-04   13   5   1   0   22
Deren-04•   6   10   2   0   19
Grimes-04•   16   8   2   0   29
Lindeman-04•   15   5   5   0   32
House-03•   28   6   1   0   22
Ky. Korver-03•   13   7   3   1   28
Bowden-03•   4   2   1   2   20
• indicates game started

40 Points Possible?
There have only been five efforts of 40 points or more in a game at CHI Health Center Omaha, as Cavel Witter (42 points vs. Bradley on 3/1/08), Evansville's Colt Ryan (43 points at CU on 2/21/12), Doug McDermott (41 points vs. Wichita State on 3/2/13 and 45 points vs. Providence on 3/8/14) and Marquette's Markus Howard (53 points at CU on 1/6/19) have done it.
   Four of those five 40-plus point outings came on a Creighton Senior Day, with Howard's league-record 53-point outburst being the only exception.
   McDermott's 45 points vs. Providence make him the last Bluejay to score 40 or more in a game, while last Sunday Max Strus scored 43 points to become the first DePaul player to score 40+ points since Sammy Mejia in 2006.
   This season, Creighton has not had a player score more than 36 points in any game (Ty-Shon Alexander vs. Clemson).

Men Of Steal
Creighton forced Marquette into 22 turnovers on Sunday while picking up 15 steals.
   The 15 steals were the most by a Bluejay team since it compiled 17 vs. Tulsa on Dec. 19, 2012.
   Davion Mintz had a career-best six steals in the win over the Golden Eagles, the most by a Creighton player in a single game since P'Allen Stinnett had seven thefts on Dec. 15, 2008 vs. Southern.
   The 22 turnovers by Marquette were the most by a Creighton opponent since Providence had 22 miscues against the Bluejays in a BIG EAST Tournament game on March 9, 2017, and the most by a Creighton foe in a conference game since Southern Illinois had 23 on Feb. 10, 2008.
   Creighton, which added 13 pilfers against Providence on Wednesday, has now had 13+ steals in consecutive games for the first time since November of 2007.
   Looking ahead at what might be possible on Saturday, Creighton has not had 10+ steals in three straight games since Nov. 24-Dec. 1, 2007, and hasn't had 13+ steals in three consecutive contests since Dec. 18-27, 1991.

The Case For Creighton
Should Creighton not earn the BIG EAST Tournament title, and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that comes with it, the Bluejays still have several things in their favor.
- Three Quadrant 1 wins (at #29 NET Marquette, vs. #40 NET Clemson, at #74 NET Providence).
- Six Quadrant 2 wins (vs. #59 NET Butler, vs. #67 East Tennessee State, vs. #72 NET Xavier, at #79 NET Georgetown, vs. #74 Providence and at #100 NET DePaul).
- A 7-7 record in road/neutral games.
- Creighton has played the nation's No. 13 schedule (best in the BIG EAST), and challenged itself with the No. 30 non-conference schedule.
- Computer rankings of 41 (KPI), 45 (BPI), 45 (Sagarin), 48 (KenPom) and 52 (NET).
- Almost back to full strength after missing frequent starters Damien Jefferson, Ty-Shon Alexander and Marcus Zegarowski for a combined 10 conference games at some point in January/February, with CU going 3-6 (including two overtime setbacks without at least one of them) in their absence. Creighton is 17-10 with Zegarowski in the line-up.
- Lost a Quadrant 1 home game vs. then-No. 21 Marquette despite photographic and video evidence suggesting that a game-tying shot was still on the hand of a shooter as time expired and the backboard light was illuminated. The shot was counted, forcing overtime, a game that Creighton eventually lost.
- Winners of four straight games, with two of those coming on the road.
- No bad losses. Creighton is 3-0 against Quadrant 3 and 3-0 versus Quadrant 4 opponents.

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 third this season with Creighton slotted ninth. Creighton will finish somewhere between third and sixth place depending on Saturday's results, while PC cannot finish better than eighth place this season.
   Under eight previous seasons under Greg McDermott, Creighton has exceeded its preseason poll placement on three occasions, matched its expectation four times, and in 2011-12 were picked first in the MVC but finished second.
Preseason Polls Under Greg McDermott
Year   League   Preseason Poll   Finish
2010-11   MVC   4th   T-4th
2011-12   MVC   1st   2nd
2012-13   MVC   1st   1st
2013-14   BIG EAST   3rd   2nd
2014-15   BIG EAST   9th   T-9th
2015-16   BIG EAST   9th   6th
2016-17   BIG EAST   3rd   T-3rd
2017-18   BIG EAST   5th   T-3rd
2018-19   BIG EAST   9th   TBD

Overtime Odds & Ends
Creighton improved to 1-3 in overtime games this season with its March 6 win over Providence. The losses have come against No. 21 Marquette, at No. 14 Villanova and at defending BIG EAST champ Xavier.
   Creighton's win over the Friars snapped a four-game skid in overtime games, as its last win in overtime had come against Villanova (2018).
   Creighton has played on CBS Sports Network five times this season. Four of those games went to overtime, while the other game at Seton Hall was a one-point game with 10 seconds to go.
   The team to score first in overtime has won 16 of Creighton's last 19 overtime games, though that didn't hold true in the Providence game.
   Creighton is now 57-49 all-time games to go to overtime, including a 43-43 mark in single-overtime games. CU is 21-12 in home games that last just one overtime, and 30-14 in home games that go one or more overtimes.
   Creighton has played back-to-back overtime games just five times in school history, and just once in the last 25 years (Dec. 9 & 13, 2014).
   Upon joining the BIG EAST in 2013, just one of Creighton's first 96 games against league opponents (regular season & conference tournament play) went to overtime. Since then, six of CU's last 21 games against league opponents have gone to overtime.
   Creighton and Providence have now played overtime games in each of the last two seasons.
   Creighton has won just one of its last six overtime games against top-25 competition (89-83 over No. 3 Villanova last season), and is 3-11 all-time in overtime games against top-25 foes.
   Creighton has played four overtime games this season, tying the school record of four previously done in 1989-90 and again in 2001-02.
   More information on Creighton's overtime history can be found on page 160 of the program's 2018-19 media guide.

Traditional Powers
Relative BIG EAST newcomers Creighton and Xavier both are chasing a .500 mark in league play this season, as both enter the final day of the regular-season with an 8-9 conference mark.
   Creighton has gone .500 or better in league play 21 of the past 22 seasons.
   Xavier has been .500 or better in league play each of the last 35 seasons. That's the nation's longest active streak, five seasons longer than Murray State's 30 (entering 2018-19). The rest of the top-five entering 2018-19 consists of Kansas (28), Kentucky (28) and Gonzaga (26).

More Points = Better Results
Creighton has won 12-of-13 meetings with DePaul since the schools became league rivals in the BIG EAST.
   It's probably not a coincidence that Creighton's 80.62 points per game against the Blue Demons is its most against any BIG EAST foe in that span.
PPG   Opponent   CU W-L
80.62   DePaul   12-1
76.75   Marquette   5-7
76.43   Xavier   7-7
74.75   St. John's   8-4
74.69   Seton Hall   5-8
72.69   Villanova   3-10
72.50   Butler   7-5
71.77   Georgetown   7-6
69.13   Providence   6-9

Just Call Him Trey-Shon
Ty-Shon Alexander has made a three-point basket in all 29 games he's played this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to a BIG EAST-leading 33 games in a row.
   Alexander's streak is the longest in Creighton history, surpassing the previous school record of 31 set by Booker Woodfox in 2008-09.
    It's worth noting that Kyle Korver's third-place streak of 28 games with a trey was snapped when he did not attempt a field goal in 24 minutes of play during an 83-56 win over UNI (and head coach Greg McDermott) on Feb. 9, 2002. Korver then drained a triple in 27 more games in a row, a stretch from Feb. 13, 2002 to Jan. 20, 2003 before it was snapped against Evansville (and head coach Steve Merfeld).
Consecutive Games With a 3FG, Creighton History
   Streak   Name   Dates
   33   Ty-Shon Alexander   2/27/18 to Present
   31   Booker Woodfox   11/25/08 to 3/23/09
   28   Kyle Korver   2/4/01 to 2/6/02
   27   Kyle Korver   2/13/02 to 1/20/03
   25   Rodney Buford   1/25/97 to 1/10/98
   23   Ethan Wragge   11/8/13 to 2/9/14
   22   Khyri Thomas   1/28/17 to 12/5/17
   21   Ethan Wragge   1/3/10 to 3/24/10
   20   Johnny Mathies   12/22/04 to 2/28/05
   20   Marcus Foster   12/31/17 to 3/16/18

3-Point Streaks, Nationally
Ty-Shon Alexander's 33 straight games with a three-pointer is the nation's ninth-longest active streak through March 6th. Here's that list:
Consecutive Games With a 3FG, Active (Nationally)
   Streak   Name, School   Next Game
   49   Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois   Season Over
   48   Justin Jaworski, Lafayette   Season Over
   42   Chris Clemons, Campbell   3/7
   41   Garrison Mathews, Lipscomb   3/7
   40   Shizz Alston Jr., Temple   3/7
   39   Keaton Wallace, UTSA   3/9
   35   Jaylen Minnett, IUPUI   Postsseason
   34   Tyler Hall, Montana State   3/7
   33   Ty-Shon Alexander, Creighton   3/9
   33   Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra   3/10
   33   J.C. Show, Binghamton   TBD
   33   Adam Flagler, Presbyterian   Postseason
   32   Trevor John, Drexel   3/10
   32   Jaevin Cumberland, Oakland   3/11

Sophomores From Downtown
Ty-Shon Alexander was the first player in Creighton history to make multiple three-pointers in each of the first eight games of a season before he went 1-for-4 beyond the arc at Nebraska.
   Here's a look at Creighton's most three-pointers per game for a season (minimum 10 games).

Creighton's Most 3-Pointers Per Game, Season
   3FG/G   3FG   GP   Name   Year
   3.79   129   34   Kyle Korver   2002-03
   3.15   82   26   Tad Ackerman   1994-95
   3.14   110   35   Ethan Wragge   2013-14
   3.13   100   32   Kyle Korver   2001-02
   3.07   89   29   Ty-Shon Alexander   2018-19
   2.88   95   33   Marcus Foster   2017-18

Sophomore Slingers
Ty-Shon Alexander and Mitch Ballock continue to shoot the ball at a rate rarely seen by sophomores.
   Alexander has made 89 three-pointers this season, while Ballock has drained 75 treys. Both men rank among the top-three in program history for three-pointers by a sophomore:
Most 3-Pointers Made by a Creighton Sophomore
   3FG-FGA   3FG%   Name   Year
   100-221   .452   Kyle Korver   2000-01
   89-231   .385   Ty-Shon Alexander   2018-19
   75-188   .399   Mitch Ballock   2018-19
   66-161   .410   Ethan Wragge   2011-12

Most 3-Pointers Made In A Season, Creighton History
   3FG-FGA   3FG%   Name   Year
   129-269   .480   Kyle Korver*   2002-03
   110-234   .471   Ethan Wragge   2013-14
   100-221   .452   Kyle Korver   2000-01
   96-214   .449   Doug McDermott*   2013-14
   95-230   .413   Marcus Foster   2017-18
   91-191   .476   Booker Woodfox*   2008-09
   89-231   .385   Ty-Shon Alexander   2018-19
   82-210   .390   Tad Ackerman   1994-95
   79-184   .429   Kyle Korver*   2001-02
   78-175   .446   Ethan Wragge   2012-13
   77-157   .490   Doug McDermott*   2012-13
   76-175   .434   Rod Mason   1987-88
*Conference Player of the Year

Most Improved?
Ty-Shon Alexander showed a glimpse of just how electric he can be when he scored 20 points in a span of 5:55 on Feb. 17 vs. Seton Hall.
   In the process, Alexander became the first Bluejay to score 20 points in one half since Marcus Foster had 20 in the second half at Marquette on March 3, 2018.
   It was also the second time this season Alexander has made five three-pointers in the same half.
   The Charlotte native has upped his scoring average to 16.3 points per game, an improvement of 10.8 points over his 5.5 points per game from a year ago. That's easily the largest improvement of any of the BIG EAST's top 30 scorers this season, as seen below:
Rk.   Name, School   18-19PPG   17-18PPG   +/-
1.   Ty-Shon Alexander, CU   16.3   5.5   +10.8
2.   Phil Booth, VU   18.7   10.0   +8.7
3.   Paul Reed, DPU   11.5   3.6   +7.9
4.   Paul Scruggs, XU   11.9   4.9   +7.0
5.   Collin Gillespie, VU   10.9   4.3   +6.6

Sophomore Scorer
Sophomore guard Ty-Shon Alexander averages a team-leading 16.3 points per game, quite an accomplishment for a guy who never scored more than 14 points in any game a season ago.
   The only Creighton sophomores in the last 40 seasons to score more points per game than Alexander are Doug McDermott (22.9 ppg. in 2011-12), Rodney Buford (19.6 ppg. in 1996-97) and Bob Harstad (16.7 in 1988-89). McDermott, Buford and Harstad are the top three career scorers in Creighton history.
   Here's a list of Creighton's top sophomore scorers in the past 50 seasons:
Most Points/Game, CU Sophomores Since 1968-69
   PPG   Name   Year
   22.9   Doug McDermott   2011-12
   19.6   Rodney Buford   1996-97
   18.9   Cyril Baptiste   1968-69
   16.8   Rick Apke   1975-76
   16.7   Bob Harstad   1988-89
   16.3   Ty-Shon Alexander   2018-19
   16.2   Benoit Benjamin   1983-84
   15.8   Gene Harmon   1971-72
   15.3   Chad Gallagher   1988-89
   14.6   Kyle Korver   2000-01

Let's March
Thanks to wins on March 3 (at Marquette) and March 6 (Providence), Creighton has done something special.
   Prior to this year, the Jays had not won multiple regular-season games in the same month of March since the 1953-54 season.
   Additionally, the Bluejays hadn't won consecutive regular-season games in the same month of March since 1951-52 and had last won consecutive regular-season conference games in the same month of March in 1947-48 as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
   Creighton has not won three consecutive regular-season games in the same month of March since the 1931-32 campaign.

How They Rank?
Last Sunday's game at No. 10 Marquette was Creighton's sixth game of the season against a top-25 team.
   CU has led for 152:19, trailed for 82:20 and were tied for 19:20 in those 250 minutes against top-25 foes.
   This is the fifth straight season that the Bluejays have faced at least six ranked teams in one season, after never having done it prior to Greg McDermott's arrival in 2010-11.
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   2018-19   Greg McDermott
       6   1971-72   Eddie Sutton

Top 25 Success
Creighton had two wins over top-25 teams this season, the fifth straight season with multiple top-25 victories.
Most Top-25 Wins, Season
   Wins   Season   Top-25 Victims
   4   2016-17   #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
           #16 Butler, #22 Xavier
   4   2017-18   #20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA,
           #19 Seton Hall, #3 Villanova
   2   1973-74   #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
   2   2001-02   #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
   2   2006-07   #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
   2   2013-14   #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
   2   2015-16   #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
   2   2018-19   #16 Clemson, #10 Marquette

Give Me 10
Creighton's win on March 6 vs. Providence was the program's 10th home win of the season, the 22nd time in the last 23 seasons that's been achieved.
   The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.

Zegarowski A Shooting Star
Marcus Zegarowski has moved into the top-10 in Creighton history for three-point percentage in a career (minimum 100 attempts).
   Creighton's two all-time three-point percentage leaders, Kyle Korver and Doug McDermott, have combined to make more than 2,675 career three-pointers in the NBA, and both men also rank in the top-30 in NBA history in three-point percentage.
Creighton's Career 3FG% Leaders
(Minimum 100 Attempts)
   Pct.   Name, Years   3FGM-FGA
   .458   Doug McDermott, 2010-14   274-598
   .455   Booker Woodfox, 2007-09   147-323
   .453   Kyle Korver, 1999-03   371-819
   .441   Rod Mason, 1986-88   132-299
   .440   Nerijus Karlikanovas, 1998-00   48-109
   .4389   Ethan Wragge, 2009-14   334-761
   .4386   Marcus Zegarowski, 2018-Present   50-114
   .431   Michael Lindeman, 2000-04   62-144
   .429   Duan Cole, 1987-92   176-410
   .407   Cole Huff, 2015-17   124-305

News, Notes, Nuggets
Recapping some notes of interest from last Sunday's win at No. 10 Marquette:
- Creighton snapped a six-game losing streak in the series while beating the Golden Eagles for the first time since Feb. 13, 2016.
- This was the 10th straight meeting between Creighton and Marquette decided by eight points or less.
- Creighton is now one of 13 teams nationally with a top-10 win each of the last four seasons.
- Creighton has now beaten multiple ranked teams in each of the last five campaigns.
- Creighton is now 15-30 under Greg McDermott against top-25 teams, compared to an 18-115 mark by all other coaches before his arrival.
- Creighton is now 5-13 under Greg McDermott in top-25 road games, compared to a 2-63 mark before his hiring.
- Creighton's 10 wins over top-25 teams since the start of 2016-17 trail only Villanova (17) among league teams, and are tied for 15th-most nationally.
- Creighton's four top-25 road wins in the last three seasons trail only Duke, Kansas and Virginia nationally.
- Marquette's Markus Howard became the first player to score 30+ points against Creighton in consecutive meetings since Bradley's Hersey Hawkins in 1987.

High Five
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 66 consecutive games, a streak that started on March 10, 2017 in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinal vs. Xavier.
   Per Sport Radar, that streak ranks sixth-longest nationally, and is the longest active streak among any major conference team.
Longest Active Team Streaks With 5+ 3-Pointers
   Streak   School   Next Game
   162   North Florida   3/7
   126   The Citadel   3/8
   94   Wofford   3/9
   71   Savannah State   3/7
   68   Belmont   3/8
   66   Creighton   3/9

Zegarowski Among The Best Freshmen
Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski ranks third among all BIG EAST freshmen at 10.6 points per game, trailing only the prolific Georgetown duo of Mac McClung (13.0 ppg.) and James Akinjo (12.9 ppg.).
Highest Scoring Freshmen, BIG EAST
(Minimum appearing in 75% of team's games)
Rk.   Name, School   PPG
1.   Mac McClung, GU   13.0
2.   James Akinjo, GU   12.9
3.   Marcus Zegarowski, CU   10.6

BIG EAST's Elite Big Men
Martin Krampelj's BIG EAST numbers have been outstanding, as he averages 16.4 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game and 1.0 blocks per game.
   He's one of four men in the top-10 of both points and rebounds per game in conference action, joining Eric Paschall, Naji Marshall and Jessie Govan.
   Add in those ranking in the top-10 in blocked shots per game, and that list is trimmed to just Krampelj and Govan.
   Creighton has not had a player at least 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shot per league game for an entire conference season in 30 years, as Chad Gallagher (18.6 ppg., 8.7 rpg., 2.8 bpg.) was the last to do it in 1989-90 when the Jays competed in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   Krampelj is also the BIG EAST's only player to rank in the top-10 in both steals per game and blocked shots per game in league action.

Krampelj Replaces Patton
Two years ago eventual NBA First Round Draft pick Justin Patton manned the middle for Creighton before turning pro after his redshirt freshman season.
   His replacement, Martin Krampelj, has exceeded Patton's production in numerous categories.
   Here's a look at the stats for the two men:
Stat   Patton   Krampelj   Krampelj
Year   2016-17   2017-18   2018-19
PPG   12.9   11.9   13.3
RPG   6.2   8.1   6.8
BPG   1.4   0.7   0.8
APG   1.2   1.2   0.7
FG%   .676   .671   .585
FT%   .517   .623   .649
Double-Doubles   3   6   6
Dunks/Game   2.06   1.74   2.20

My Favorite Martin
Martin Krampelj has scored in double-figures in 19 of the last 20 games, with nine points in the one contest he was limited to single digits.
   In the past 20 games, Krampelj has averaged 16.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He's shot 61.7 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from three-point territory, and 67.7 percent from the line.
   His recent stat line represents a vast improvement from the first 10 contests when he was still regaining his form.
When   FG%   3FG%   FT%   RPG   PPG   DUNKS
2017-18 Season   .671   .261   .623   8.1   11.9   33
First 10 Games   .474   .182   .563   4.4   7.4   11
Last 20 Games   .617   .370   .677   8.1   16.3   55

What's Your Favorite Dish?
Creighton owns 5,055 assists since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, a figure that ranks fourth nationally in that span.
   The only schools above the Bluejays are North Carolina (5,718), Michigan State (5,393) and Kansas (5,073).
   Creighton ranks 27th nationally this season with 16.0 assists per contest, the sixth time in the last eight seasons that the Bluejays have been in the top-30. Each of the previous five times Creighton's finished in the top-30 in assists per game nationally have resulted in an NCAA Tournament bid.

The Race To 75
Creighton had scored 75 or more points in 21 of its last 22 wins with the lone exception being a 66-60 win at Marquette last Sunday.
   Creighton's 66 points against the Golden Eagles were its fewest in a win since a 66-65 victory over Oral Roberts on Dec. 17, 2016.
   Since joining hte BIG EAST, Creighton is 12-0 against DePaul when scoring 75 points or more, but 0-1 when the Blue Demons hold the Jays to less than 75 points.

Freshmen Flashes
Samson Froling and Christian Bishop have each made an impact in their rookie season at Creighton, giving fans a glimpse of their bright future.
   The duo's numbers to date compare favorably to full-season figures compiled by some of CU's other recent men to man the center position as a true freshman, as seen below:
Name   PPG   RPG   BPG   MPG   FG%   FT%
Samson Froling, 18-19   3.8   2.0   0.4   9.2   .590   .385
Christian Bishop, 18-19   3.7   1.5   0.5   8.0   .673   .500
Jacob Epperson, 17-18   6.3   2.9   0.9   14.0   .694   .333
Zach Hanson, 13-14   2.8   1.1   0.3   5.1   .684   .560
Martin Krampelj, 15-16   2.9   3.6   0.4   6.6   .474   .167
Anthony Tolliver, 03-04   0.8   1.3   0.3   6.5   .400   .222

Sweet Home (Away From Home) Chicago
Creighton has won at DePaul each of the last six seasons (including 2018-19), just the second different opponent in program history that the Jays have beaten on the road in six or more consecutive campaigns.
   Creighton previously beat Grinnell in seven straight seasons from 1929-30 to 1935-36.

Jays2K
Creighton has 2,368 points this season, surpassing 2,000 points for the 13th straight season after having done it just 8-of-12 seasons from 1994-95 to 2005-06.
   Creighton scored 2,756 points and ranked 12th nationally with 83.5 points per contest last season.
   The 2,756 points ranked tied for fourth-most in program history for one season, and were 128 behind the 2,864 points that the 2016-17 team scored to establish the record.
   This year's team has averaged 78.9 points per game to date.
   Greg McDermott is 59-4 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 53-4 mark on the Creighton sideline.
   Creighton is 63-3 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, and had a streak of 36 straight wins when scoring triple-digits since a 1977 loss to North Texas State snapped in the Jan. 9 loss to Marquette (106-104).

25 & 10 Men
Martin Krampelj finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds at Seton Hall on Feb. 9th. The 25 points were a career-best effort, while the 11 boards were a season-best.
   Krampelj is the first Bluejay with 25 points and 10 rebounds in a game since Doug McDermott had 30 points and 12 rebounds on March 21, 2014 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.
   Krampelj is the first Creighton player with 25+ points and 11+ rebounds in a BIG EAST game, as McDermott never had such a game in his senior year when he was named National Player of the Year.
   Since Greg McDermott's arrival in 2010, Krampelj is just the third Creighton player with a 25/10 game. Doug McDermott had 17 such games, while Kenny Lawson Jr. had one. It's also worth noting that current Bluejay Connor Cashaw had a game with 27 points and 12 rebounds during his junior season in 2017-18 while playing for Rice.

New Style vs. Old Style
Creighton has gone 5-4 in its last nine games, but has made vast improvements on the defensive end of the court in that time.
   In the last nine games, a stretch that started with CU's Feb. 3 victory over Xavier, Creighton has allowed 66.0 points per game while holding foes to 42.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.0 percent marksmanship from downtown. Despite outscoring teams 632-594 in those games, the Jays are just 5-4 in this time.
   In CU's first eight league contests, Creighton had allowed 82.5 points per game while the opposition shot 49.4 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from deep.

The Full Arsenal
CU's March 6 win vs. Providence was the sixth game this season that Creighton has placed five men in double-figures. Creighton is 5-1 this year when five men have 10 or more points.
   For the season Creighton has five men averaging double-figures in scoring, something it hasn't done for an entire season in 55 years.
   Entering Saturday, Ty-Shon Alexander (16.3), Martin Krampelj (13.3), Mitch Ballock (10.0), Marcus Zegarowski (10.6) and Davion Mintz (10.1) all average 10 or more points per game.
   In league play, Alexander (15.6), Krampelj (16.4), Mintz (11.0) and Zegarowski (10.9) are all well into double-figures, with Ballock at 9.8 points per game.
   Creighton has not had five or more men finish a season averaging 10 or more points per game since the 1964-65 club had SIX men average in double-figures (Neil Johnson, 17.3; Elton McGriff, 15.0; Fritz Pointer, 14.3; Tim Powers, 12.6; Bob Miles, 11.9; Charlie Brown (11.6), though Johnson only played in 8-of-23 games.

3-Pointers, By Average
Creighton has made 10.80 three-pointers per game so far this season, easily its most ever. The Jays had never averaged more than 8.76 triples in any season before Greg McDermott's arrival.
   Here's a look at the most three-pointers per game in Creighton history. Of note is that each of the six completed seasons on this list ended with 21 or more wins and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton's Most 3-Pointers Per Game in a Season
   3FG/G   Season   3FG   GP   W-L (Postseason)
   10.80   2018-19    324   30   17-13 so far
   10.39   2017-18   343   33   21-12 (NCAA)
   10.17   2013-14   356   35   27-8 (NCAA)
   8.76   1999-00   289   33   23-10 (NCAA)
   8.69   2016-17   304   35   25-10 (NCAA)
   8.62   2004-05   293   34   23-11 (NCAA)
   8.53   2012-13   307   36   28-8 (NCAA)

Triple Trivia
During Creighton's current streak of 846 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 6,587 trifectas, an average of 7.79 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 132 times, more than any figure.
   Only four times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 226 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
   Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 66 straight games (since shooting 4-20 from deep vs. Providence on 3/9/17), and has made at least one three-pointer before halftime in 217 consecutive contests (since 0-7 at Drake on 1/23/13).
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:    4 times   2: 15 times   3: 30 times
4:    67 times   5:   95 times   6: 88 times
7:   132 times   8:   110 times   9: 79 times
10: 66 times   11: 48 times   12: 45 times
13: 36 times   14: 14 times   15:   6 times
16: 6 times   17: 1 time   19:   1 time
20: 1 time   21: 1 time   22: 1 time

Scheduling Tough
Through games of Wednesday in the NET rankings provided by the NCAA, no team in the BIG EAST has played a more difficult schedule than Creighton.
   CU's schedule is ranked 13th-toughest nationally. The Bluejays have played 13 Quadrant 1 and nine Quadrant 2 games. Those 13 Q1 games are tied for the second-most in the BIG EAST.

Iron Man Mintz
Davion Mintz never left the floor vs. Villanova on Feb. 6, playing all 45 minutes without taking a break.
   He was the first Bluejay to play a complete game since James Milliken played all 40 minutes at No. 5 Xavier on March 5, 2016.
   Despite his heavy minutes, Mintz scored CU's first eight points of overtime and finished with 19 points and a season-high eight rebounds.
   Mintz is the first Bluejay to play 45 minutes or more since Austin Chatman logged 47 minutes in a double-overtime win over South Dakota on Dec. 9, 2014.
   Mintz is also the lone Bluejay in the last 25 seasons to never leave the floor in an overtime game.

New BIG EAST Records
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, all 10 league schools have played 107 regular-season BIG EAST games.
   Creighton's 55-52 record is the fourth-best mark across the league.
BIG EAST Regular-Season Records Since 2013-14
Rank   Team   W-L   Pct.      NCAA's
1.   Villanova   90-17   .841   5
2.   Xavier   65-42   .607   5
3.   Providence   57-50   .533   5
4.   Creighton   55-52   .514   3
5.   Butler   54-53   .505   4
6.   Marquette   52-55   .486   1
   Seton Hall   52-55   .486   3
8.   Georgetown   45-62   .421   1
9.   St. John's   40-67   .374   1
10.   DePaul   25-82   .234   0

Depth Being Tested
A slew of injuries has taken a toll on the Creighton bench in recent times. All told, Creighton has had six players miss a combined 32 games so far this season.
   Jacob Epperson missed CU's season-opener, and later underwent season-ending knee surgery on January 11th, but was also struggling with back injuries at the time. CU is 11-10 without him this year.
   Damien Jefferson injured his ankle on January 9 vs. Marquette, undergoing surgery on January 17th. He missed six games, with CU going 3-3 without him, before returning on Feb. 6 at Villanova.
   Mitch Ballock broke his nose on Jan. 16 at St. John's, but has not missed any games as a result.
   Connor Cashaw injured a shoulder while running into a screen against St. John's and missed CU's Feb. 3 game vs. Xavier. He returned to the line-up at Villanova on Feb. 6.
   Marcus Zegarowski broke the fifth metacarpal in his hand during the opening minutes of CU's Feb. 3 game vs. Xavier, but played 29 minutes in the game. Creighton is 0-3 without him this year, as he missed road games on Feb. 6, 9 and 13th. He returned on Feb. 17 vs. Seton Hall.
   Ty-Shon Alexander was injured in practice on Feb. 5 and missed CU's game at Villanova on Feb. 6. Creighton is 0-1 without him this winter.

McDermott's 50th BIG EAST Win
CU's Jan. 25th victory over Butler was Greg McDermott's 50th regular-season BIG EAST win.
   He's the 24th coach in league history to reach that mark, and fourth active league coach (Jay Wright has 204, Ed Cooley has 70 and Kevin Willard has 70.
   Of the 24 men with 50 or more regular-season BIG EAST wins, McDermott's .514 win percentage in league play ranks 16th-best, trailing only Jamie Dixon, Jay Wright, Jim Boeheim, Rick Pitino, Lou Carnesecca, John Thompson Sr., Buzz Williams, Chris Mack, Jim Calhoun, Mike Brey, Mike Jarvis, Rollie Massimino, John Thompson Jr., Steve Lappas and Paul Evans.
   Now armed with 55 BIG EAST victories, McDermott moved into 23rd place on the wins list by jumping ahead of former St. John's coach Mike Jarvis (50-32). He is two wins shy of tying Chris Mack and Mick Cronin (both 57) for 21st place.

McDermott Earns 200th Creighton Win
Creighton's win over Xavier on Feb. 3 marked the 200th victory on the Bluejay sideline for ninth-year coach Greg McDermott, and he now owns 204. That trails only his predecessor, Dana Altman (327) in program history.
   Of the 54 coaches hired in the offseason prior to the 2010-11 season, only Altman (228 at Oregon), McDermott (204 at Creighton) and Tim Cluess (196 at Iona) have more than 190 victories at that school.
   Here's a look at McDermott's record at the time of various milestones.
Win #   Games at CU   Date   Opponent
25   41   11/13/11   Chicago State
50   71   03/03/12   vs. Evansville
75   104   02/27/13   at Bradley
100   134   02/13/14   at Butler
125   183   11/25/15   vs. Massachusetts
150   222   12/07/17   at Nebraska
175   259   12/18/17   UT-Arlington

A Scurry Scholly, Again
For the second straight year, Creighton surprised walk-on Jordan Scurry with a scholarship in late January.
   Last year, the Jays did it in a team meeting on the same day the die-hard New England Patriots fans saw his beloved team qualify for the Super Bowl.
   This season, Scurry was surprised on January 21 on the bus ride following Creighton's 91-87 win at Georgetown, one day after the Patriots qualified once again for the Super Bowl.
   Scurry played three minutes before half at Villanova on Feb. 6, the first time in his career he's appeared in the first half of any game.

200,00 Fans, Again
With 273,760 fans to date, Creighton has eclipsed 200,000 or more home fans for the 14th straight season.
   Creighton has led its conference in home attendance each of the last 15 completed seasons, and is once again leading the way in the BIG EAST in 2018-19.
   Creighton played in front of 306,000 home fans last season, a program record.

The "Three"-Placements
Coming into the season, many were left wondering how Creighton was going to replace three of its top four three-point shooters from a season ago (Marcus Foster, Khyri Thomas, Toby Hegner), among others, as the Bluejays were left trying to replace 229 of its 343 three-pointers from last year.
   The answer has been quite well, thank you.
   Creighton's newcomers this season have combined to shoot 74-for-178 (41.6 percent) from three-point range this season, as Connor Cashaw, Marcus Zegarowski and Damien Jefferson are all making 42 percent or better from long-range, and Samson Froling is 4-for-16 and Christian Bishop 0-for-3 in limited attempts.

All The Three's
Creighton drilled a program-record 22 three-point shots in its Dec. 20 home game vs. Coe, one year to the day after it made 19 treys vs. USC Upstate which now ranks as the fourth-most in a game in program history.
   CU's record-breaking three-pointer came with 31.4 seconds left by Marcus Zegarowski. One night earlier, Zegarowski's brother Michael Carter-Williams hit a trey with 30.3 seconds left as the Houston Rockets set the NBA single-game record with 26 three-pointers made.
   Here's a list of Creighton's all-time games with 16 or more treys.
Most 3FG in a Game, Creighton History
   Rank   3FG   Opponent   Date   Score
   1.   22   Coe   12/20/2018   W 110-60
   2.   21   at #4 Villanova   01/20/2014   W 96-68
   3.   20   Chattanooga   02/19/2005   W 100-69
   4.   19   USC Upstate   12/20/2017   W 116-62
   5.   17   #21 Marquette   01/09/2019   L 104-106 (ot)
   6.   16   Evansville   01/04/1999   L 79-84
       16   Drake   01/08/2013   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

When Three-Pointers Fall, Creighton Excels
Creighton is shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range this year, good for 12th-best nationally.
   In Greg McDermott's first eight seasons at Creighton, all five of his teams to shoot 37 percent or better from deep would go on to make the NCAA Tournament, and his lone team to shoot below 35 percent from downtown missed the postseason.
Creighton's National 3FG% Rank Under McDermott
Year   3FG% Rank   3FG%   W-L (Postseason)
2010-11   59th   .369   23-16 (CBI)
2011-12   3rd   .424   29-6 (NCAA)
2012-13   2nd   .414   28-8 (NCAA)
2013-14   1st   .414   27-8 (NCAA)
2014-15   165th   .345   14-19
2015-16   146th   .352   20-15 (NIT)
2016-17   17th   .396   25-10 (NCAA)
2017-18   75th   .372   21-12 (NCAA)
2018-19   12th   .391   17-13 so far

National Dunk Leaders
Per a list being compiled by Arkansas-Little Rock SID Rand Champion, below are the national dunk leaders in 2018-19, through March 6:
   Dunks   Name, School
   78   Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
   73   Obi Toppin, Dayton
   70   Tacko Fall, UCF
   69   Jaxson Hayes, Texas
   66   Martin Krampelj, Creighton
   65   Kris Bankston, Arkansas-Little Rock
   58   Anthony Green, Northeastern
   52   Zion Williamson, Duke

We're Jamming!
Creighton already has 92 dunks this season, with 66 of those coming by Martin Krampelj. Just how impressive is Krampelj's dunk total this year? It's 14 more than Duke sensation Zion Williamson.
   Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, or 19 or more dunks in a career, under Greg McDermott (since 2010-11):
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Year
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
66   Martin Krampelj   2018-19
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
113   Martin Krampelj   2015-Pres.
90   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
52   Marcus Foster   2016-18
51   Khyri Thomas   2015-18
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)
92   2018-19   17-13 so far
58   2015-16   20-15 (NIT)
56   2010-11   23-16 (CBI)
54   2012-13   28-8 (NCAA)
42   2011-12   29-6 (NCAA)
35   2013-14   27-8 (NCAA)
29   2014-15   14-19

Not Your Ordinary Freshman
Marcus Zegarowski had a season-high 20 points on Dec. 20 vs. Coe. His season average of 10.6 points per game ranks third among BIG EAST freshmen.
   Zegarowski is attempting to become one of six Creighton freshmen in the past 25 seasons to average at least 10 points per game.
   This is the fifth straight season that Creighton has had a freshman with a 20-point game.
Freshmen With 20+ Point Games, Last 25 Seasons
   20+ Point Games   Name   Season
   6   Rodney Buford   1995-96
   6   Doug McDermott   2010-11
   5   Justin Patton   2016-17
   4   P'Allen Stinnett   2007-08
   3   Kyle Korver   1999-00
   2   Terrell Taylor   1999-00
   1   Ryan Sears   1999-00
   1   Ben Walker   1999-00
   1   Ethan Wragge   2009-10
   1   Toby Hegner   2014-15
   1   Khyri Thomas   2015-16
   1   Mitch Ballock   2017-18
   1   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-19

Most Points Per Game, CU Freshmen, Since 1994-95
   PPG   Name   Season
   14.9   Doug McDermott   2010-11
   14.5   Rodney Buford   1995-96
   12.9   Justin Patton   2015-16
   12.6   P'Allen Stinnett   2007-08
   10.6   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-19
   10.5   Ryan Sears   1997-98

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 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

Challenging Schedule
Eight of Creighton's 13 non-conference opponents this season won 22 or more games last season, while a ninth foe (Oklahoma) reached the NCAA Tournament.
   East Tennessee State (25-9 last year), Ohio State (25-9), Boise State (23-9), Georgia State (24-11), Clemson (25-10), Montana (26-8), Gonzaga (32-5) and Nebraska (22-11) all won 22 or more times a year ago, and combined for a 202-72 record (.737) in 2017-18.

3 > 1
Creighton ranks as one of the highest scoring teams in the nation this year despite not making many trips to the foul line thus far.
   The Bluejays have made 324 three-pointers this season, compared to 348 free throws.
   Creighton has never finished a season with more three-pointers made than free throws made.

On The Rebound
Damien Jefferson had to sit out last year after transferring in from New Mexico, but he made up for lost time on the glass in the season-opener.
   Jefferson grabbed 12 rebounds in just 23 minutes of work, breaking his previous high by three.
   Jefferson's 12 rebounds were the most by any Creighton player in their debut since Cyril Baptiste snared 17 boards in 1969.
   In his second game at CU, Jefferson had 14 points and two blocked shots vs. East Tennessee State. The two blocks were a career-high, while the 14 points matched his previous best (at the time).

Playing With The Lead
In 273 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 75 of those contests, a staggering 27.4 percent of the time.
   Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is 126-32 and hasn't trailed in 50 of those games.

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 273 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 16-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 223-50 (.817) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (16-0).
   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 21,278-17,872 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.48 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 75 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 34-25 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 126-32 (.797) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 72-6 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 240-50 (.828) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the nine seasons since Greg McDermott took over in 2010-11, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to March 6, 2019
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
3FG Percentage   .386   3rd
3FG Made   2,746   3rd
FG Percentage   .482   4th
Assists   5,055   4th
FG Made   8,468   10th
Wins   204   34th
Winning Percentage   .656   40th

Preseason BIG EAST Poll Picks CU Ninth
Creighton has been picked to finish ninth in a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches.
   Villanova earned 8-of-9 possible first place votes and finished ahead of Marquette and Providence. St. John's and Butler rank fourth and fifth, while the bottom half consists of Xavier, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Creighton and DePaul.
   Creighton is one of two schools (Providence) to match or exceed its preseason prognostication every year since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST.
   St. John's junior guard Shamorie Ponds was tabbed Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, and Providence's David Duke and Villanova's Jahvon Quinerly shared Preseason Freshman of the Year laurels.
   Creighton's Martin Krampelj was a Preseason Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST pick.

#ProJays
For the first time ever, Creighton has five NBA players at the same time as Kyle Korver (Utah Jazz), Anthony Tolliver (Minnesota Timberwolves), Doug McDermott (Indiana Pacers, Justin Patton (Philadelphia 76ers) and Khyri Thomas (Detroit Pistons) are all in the league.
   Including 2018-18, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 35 of the last 36 years.
   Korver ranks second among all active players (Stephen Curry) and ranks fourth in NBA history with 2,327 three-pointers. He's also second among active players (Stephen Curry, again) and eighth all-time in league history with 43.05 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. He is shooting 41.5 percent from downtown and averaging 8.8 points per game this season.
   Tolliver is averaging 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game on 39.6 percent shooting from deep this season for the Timberwolves.
   McDermott is in his fifth season in the NBA, and first with the Indiana Pacers. He's averaging 6.8 points per game on 40.4 percent three-point shooting this year.
   Patton was traded on Nov. 10 from Minnesota to Philadelphia, and has appeared in one game for the 76ers, averaging 4.0 points and 3.0 assists per game. Patton redshirted in 2015-16 before turning pro and being the 16th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He spent most of last year in the G-League, but did score two points in his lone NBA appearance last April.
   Creighton's newest NBA product is Khyri Thomas, who 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. He made his NBA debut on Nov. 9th and is averaging 2.6 points and 0.8 rebounds per game.

Full House
This year Creighton is averaging 17,110 fans per game at home, good for sixth place.
   Last 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.
2018-19 Attendance Leaders (through 3/6)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Syracuse   21992   Postseason
   2.   Kentucky   21,533   3/9
   3.   North Carolina   21,005   3/9
   4.   Tennessee   19,034   Next Season
   5.   Wisconsin   17,161   3/7
   6.   Creighton   17,110   3/9
   7.   Kansas   16,232   3/9
   8.   Indiana   16,230   3/10
   9.   Nebraska   15,639   3/10
   10.   Marquette   15,505   3/9

Some Loyal Fans
Creighton played in front of 306,000 home fans last season, a school-record.
   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 past 16 seasons.
   Creighton has led its conference in home attendance every year since moving into CHI Health Center Omaha, which is in its 16th 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
   17,110 so far   Creighton   2018-19
   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

Going For 20
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 18 of the last 20 seasons (entering 2018-19), 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.

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).

Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 80.91 points per home game (12,784 points in 158 home games), a figure that climbs to 85.38 points in non-conference home games (6,660 points in 78 home games).
   Creighton is 102-5 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.

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 846 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 3/6)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,068   UNLV   3/9
   2.   1,061   Vanderbilt   3/9
   3.   1,051   Duke   3/9
   4.   1,007   Arkansas   3/9
   5.   1,005   Western Kentucky   TBD on 3/9
   6.   990   East Tennessee State   3/9
   7.   980   Pacific   3/7
   8.   969   Oakland   3/11
   9.   958   Texas   3/9
   10.   929   Princeton   3/8
   11.   909   Marshall   3/9
   12.   898   Baylor   3/9
   13.   880   Gonzaga   3/11
   14.   875   LIU-Brooklyn   3/9
   15.   857   Cornell   3/8
   16.   856   Mount St. Mary's   Season Over
   17.   846   Creighton   3/9
       845   Tennessee State   Season Over
   19.   840   East Carolina   3/10

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 204 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .656 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.   204-107   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. This 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

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
2018-19   5th
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

Clear Bag Policy Now In Place
CHI Health 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 CHI Health 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.

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2018-19 season went on sale on October 16th.
   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 Closes Regular-Season Saturday vs. DePaul

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

Connor Cashaw

Jacob Epperson

Marcus Foster

Samson Froling

Toby Hegner

Damien Jefferson

Kaleb Joseph

Martin Krampelj

Davion Mintz

Jordan Scurry

Khyri Thomas

Marcus Zegarowski