Men's Basketball Hosts No. 16 Villanova on Tuesday

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Game #16: #16 Villanova Wildcats at Creighton Bluejays
Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020 • 8:00 p.m.
CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM; KOOO 101.9 FM; www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1 (Jeff Levering, Nick Bahe)
Series History: Villanova leads, 13-3
Last Meeting: #14 Villanova 66, Creighton 59 (OT) on Feb. 6, 2019 in Villanova, Pa.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

Next Game
Creighton (12-3, 1-1 BIG EAST) plays its second straight ranked opponent when it hosts No. 16 Villanova (10-3, 1-1 BIG EAST) on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
   Tip off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb., is scheduled for 8 p.m.

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 Brody Deren will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

Television Broadcast Information
Tuesday's tilt will be televised nationally on FS1, with Jeff Levering and Nick Bahe on the call.

Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Tuesday'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 had its eight-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in a loss at then-No. 11 Butler, dropping the Jays to 12-3 overall (1-1 BIG EAST).
   Highlighting the Bluejay resume is wins over No. 12 Texas Tech (83-76 in OT on Nov. 29), Nebraska (95-76 on Dec. 7), Oklahoma (83-73 on Dec. 17), Arizona State (67-60 on Dec. 21) and Marquette (92-75 on Jan. 1).
   The Bluejays are 10-0 at home this year, with each victory by nine points or more, and have won 15 in a row at CHI Health Center Omaha dating to last season.
   CU returns five of its top six scorers from a year ago, a group led by guards Marcus Zegarowski (18.1 ppg., 4.7 apg.), Ty-Shon Alexander (16.4 ppg., 6.1 rpg.) and Mitch Ballock (12.6 ppg., 5.4 rpg.). The trio have accounted for 119 three-pointers and 60.1 percent of CU's overall points thus far.
   Two other junior forwards to keep an eye on are Damien Jefferson (8.6 ppg.), who has cracked double-figures in three straight games, and Denzel Mahoney (10.8 ppg.).
   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 Villanova
Ranked No. 16 nationally, Villanova is 10-3 on the season and 1-1 in BIG EAST play. The Wildcats had a six-game win streak snapped on Saturday in a 71-60 loss at Marquette.
   Six players account for 93 percent of Villanova's scoring and 86 percent of the minutes. That group is led by Collin Gillespie (14.3 ppg., 4.7 apg.), Saddiq Bey (14.2 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) and Justin Moore (12.4 ppg.), with Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (10.6 ppg., 9.3 rpg.), Jermaine Samuels (10.2 ppg., 5.0 rpg.) and Cole Swider (9.4 ppg.) not far behind.
   The Wildcats average 76.0 points per game and allow 67.8 points per contest. VU shoots 45.6 percent from the floor, 34.3 percent from downtown and 76.0 percent at the line while out-rebounding teams by 4.1 caroms per contest.

The Series With Villanova
Villanova leads the all-time series with Creighton, 13-3, including a 4-2 record in Omaha.
   Creighton swept the regular-season series in 2013-14 with a pair of victories by 20+ points, but the Wildcats won the next eight meetings before CU topped 'Nova in February of 2018.
   Two of the last three meetings have gone to overtime.
   Greg McDermott is 3-10 against Villanova and Jay Wright. Wright is 10-3 versus Creighton.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his 10th year as head coach at Creighton. He is 219-112 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 499-307 in his 26th season and is 368-243 in his 19th Division I campaign. Alan Huss, Paul Lusk and Terrence Rencher assist McDermott.

The Top 50
Ty-Shon Alexander ranks 46th in Creighton history with 963 career points, and can continue that climb on Tuesday evening.
Most Career Points, Creighton History
   Rank   Pts.   Name   Years
   1.   3,150   Doug McDermott   2010-14
   2.   2,116   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   3.   2,110   Bob Harstad    1987-91
   4.   1,983   Chad Gallagher    1987-91
   5.   1,876   Bob Portman    1966-69
   6.   1,801   Kyle Korver   1999-03
   7.   1,754   Nate Funk   2002-07
   8.   1,682   Rick Apke    1974-78
   9.   1,661   Paul Silas   1961-64
   10.   1,654   Vernon Moore    1981-85
   11.   1,575   Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
   12.   1,526   John C. Johnson   1975-79
   13.   1,500   Kevin McKenna   1977-81
   14.   1,437   Eddie Cole   1951-55
   15.   1,369   Gene Harmon   1971-74
   16.   1,361   Duan Cole   1987-92
   17.   1,342   Antoine Young   2008-12
   18.   1,313   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
   19.   1,309   Ryan Sears   1997-01
   20.   1,303   Elton Tuttle   1951-54
   21.   1,292   Marcus Foster   2016-18
   22.   1,272   Bob Gibson   1954-57
   23.   1,267   Wally Anderzunas   1965-67, 1968-69
   24.   1,254   Gary Swain   1983-87
   25.   1,238   Ben Walker   1997-01
   26.   1,196   Ray Yost   1951-54
   27.   1,172   Dick Harvey   1956-59
   28.   1,155   Ethan Wragge   2009-14
   29.   1,152   Dane Watts   2004-08
   30.   1,140   Khyri Thomas   2015-18
   31.   1,116   Kenny Evans   1982-87
   32.   1,115   Doug Brookins   1972-75
   33.   1,115   Daryl Stovall   1978-82
   34.   1,093   Tim Powers   1964-67
   35.   1,050   Reggie Morris   1982-86
   36.   1,031   Johnny Mathies   2003-06
   37.   1,024   P'Allen Stinnett   2007-10
   38.   1,023   Rod Mason   1986-88
   39.   1,013   Austin Chatman   2011-15
   40.   1,006   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
   41.   1,004   Anthony Tolliver   2003-07
   42.   994   Chuck Officer   1960-62, 1963-64
   43.   979   Terrell Taylor   1999-02
   44.   967   David Wesely   1975-79
   45.   965   Fritz Pointer   1963-66
   46.   963   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-Pres.
   47.   939   Cyril Baptiste   1969-71
   48.   931   Cornell Smith   1973-77
   49.   921   Jim Berry   1955-59
   50.   915   Darryl Stovall   1978-82

Alexander Approaches 1,000 Points
Ty-Shon Alexander owns 963 career points and stands just 37 points shy of becoming the 42nd member of Creighton's 1,000 point club. Alexander, who has played in 82 games to date, currently owns a career-high of 36 points and a season-high of 22 points.
   No Creighton player has cracked the 1,000 point mark since Khyri Thomas reached 1,000 points in the 94th game of his career on Feb. 10 vs. No. 5 Xavier, finishing the game with 1,009 career points.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 16 Bluejays
Name   CU Games to 1,000 pts.    Date
Khyri Thomas   94   02/10/18
Marcus Foster   54   01/17/18
Austin Chatman   138   03/11/15
Ethan Wragge   132   01/18/14
Gregory Echenique   101   03/24/13
Doug McDermott   57   01/15/12
Antoine Young   115   12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr.   108   11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett   86   01/16/10
Dane Watts   115   01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver   124   03/16/07
Johnny Mathies   91   03/03/06
Nate Funk   92   02/28/05
Kyle Korver   81   01/30/02
Ben Walker   105   01/06/01
Ryan Sears   97   12/01/00
Rodney Buford   59   03/01/97

Why So Important?
It's a little early to declare a January 7th contest a "must-win" game, but history suggests any team with league championship aspirations won't want to be Tuesday's loser to fall to 1-2 in BIG EAST play.
   Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, none of the six regular-season conference champions have ever dropped below .500 at any point in league play.

15 In A Row at CHI Health Center Omaha
Creighton has won each of its last 15 home games. It's the team's eighth double-figure streak in CHI Health Center Omaha history, which opened in 2003.
   Creighton's trailed for a total of 4:18 after half in those 15 games. There were two different 30 second segments in overtime vs. Providence, and the first 3:18 of the second half vs. North Florida.
Most Consecutive Home Wins
CHI Health Center Omaha History
Wins                Dates   Snapped By
24 - Feb. 19, 2013 - Dec. 12, 2014   St. Mary's, 71-67 (OT)
16 - Feb. 9, 2005 - Jan. 31, 2006   Southern Illinois, 74-67
16 - Jan. 19. 2011 - Dec. 22, 2011   Missouri State, 77-65
15 - Feb. 23, 2019 - Present   ? ? ?
14 - Feb. 2, 2008 - Dec. 28, 2008   Northern Iowa, 69-66
14 - Feb. 28, 2017 - Jan. 27, 2018   #5 Xavier, 72-71
11 - Feb 28, 2016 - Dec. 28, 2016   #1 Villanova, 80-70
11 - Sept. 22, 2003 - Feb. 4, 2004   Southern Illinois, 61-60

The Home Run
Nationally, Creighton's 15-game home win streak was tied for the eighth-longest streak nationally through games of Jan. 5.
Nation's Longest Active Home Win Streaks
Wins   Team   Next Home Game
32   Gonzaga   1/16 vs. Santa Clara
28   Kansas   1/11 vs. #6 Baylor
21   VCU   1/11 vs. Rhode Island
18   Prairie View   1/6 vs. Southern
18   South Dakota State   1/15 vs. North Dakota
17   Villanova   1/11 vs. Georgetown
16   Santa Clara   1/18 vs. Pacific
15   Creighton   1/7 vs. #16 Villanova
15   Florida State   1/15 vs. #19 Virginia
15   Texas Tech   1/7 vs. #6 Baylor

Dominant At Home
Creighton is one of 15 teams in the nation that has won every home game it has played by nine or more points this season, and the only one who has played nine home games or more. Below is that list:
Won Every Home Game by 9+ Points This Season
Wins   Team   Next Home Game
10   Creighton   1/7
8   Louisiana Tech   1/16
8   Murray State   1/23
7   Wisconsin   1/8
5   Grambling   1/6
5   Loyola (Md.)   1/11
5   Oral Roberts   1/9
5   North Carolina Central   1/25
4   Alcorn   1/11
4   North Dakota   1/8
4   William & Mary   1/7
3   Eastern Illinois   1/16
3   Prairie View A&M   1/6
3   Yale   1/12
2   Southern   1/11

Top 25, Back-to-Back
After meeting No. 11 Butler on Saturday, Creighton will host No. 16 Villanova on Tuesday night.
   It's the first time CU has played top-25 teams in back-to-back games since Dec. 1 (#1 Gonzaga) and Dec. 6 (#24 Nebraska) during the 2018-19 season.
   Creighton has not played consecutive games against teams ranked in the top-20 since March of 2007, when it faced No. 11 Southern Illinois and No. 15 Nevada.

The Cats Meow
Villanova has the second-best win percentage in the country since the start of the 2013-14 season, which coincides with the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST. Villanova is 201-34 (.855), just behind a Gonzaga program that is 210-30 (.875).
   Of the 75 different schools to play Villanova in that time, only 21 have actually beaten the Wildcats.
   Creighton is one of eight schools to post multiple victories over the Wildcats in that time. Creighton, Marquette and Butler both have three victories over Villanova, one fewer than Seton Hall's four.

McDermott On The Wright Path
Villanova's Jay Wright owns more wins at his current school than any other current BIG EAST coach, having led the Wildcats to 458 victories in 19 seasons. That's an average of 24.11 wins per season (counting this season and this year's wins) for Wright, and a .720 winning percentage in that time.
   His counterpart on Tuesday, Creighton's Greg McDermott, owns a record of 219-112 in his 10 seasons with the Bluejays, an average of 21.90 wins per season. McDermott owns a .662 winning percentage at CU.
   Wright and McDermott are the only current BIG EAST coaches who have averaged 20 or more wins per season in their current position.
   After 15 games of his 10th season at Villanova, Wright owned 217 wins and had been to six NCAA Tournaments at VU, while McDermott owns 219 wins and has coached CU to five NCAA bids to this point.
   Wright had a 224-107 record after exactly 331 games with the Wildcats, while McDermott is 219-112 at Creighton thus far.

Live By The 3, Thrive By The 3
Few teams in the country have made as many three-pointers in the last seven seasons as the team's featured in Tuesday's match-up. Villanova leads the nation in that category with 2,254, while Creighton is eighth with 2,059.
   Creighton is 0-10 all-time when making eight three-pointers or less against Villanova, but 3-3 when making nine or more trifectas. CU has hit 42-of-79 treys (53.2%) in the three wins, but 75-of-236 triples (31.8%) in the 10 losses.
   Villanova has made nine or more three-pointers against Creighton in 10-of-13 meetings as BIG EAST rivals, but in each of its losses made 10 or more shots from downtown.
   Creighton is 21-1 in its last 22 games when attempting 15 or fewer three-pointers.
Most 3FG Made Since 2013-14 (thru 1/4/19)
Rk.   Team   3FG   Games
1.   Villanova   2,254   235
2.   Belmont   2,175   212
3.   North Florida   2,126   218
4.   Citadel   2,082   204
5.   Central Michigan   2,079   213
6.   Akron   2,078   219
7.   Purdue-Fort Wayne   2,061   217
8.   Creighton   2,059   221
9.   Michigan   2,041   235
10.   Iona   2,040   212

McDermott Chases 500th Win
Greg McDermott owns 499 career victories as a head coach entering Tuesday's tilt vs. No. 16 Villanova. He's won 50 or more games at four different schools, and owns a .619 career winning percentage in 26 seasons and 806 games as a head coach.
Greg McDermott's Milestone Victories
Date   Career W-L   Opponent & Site   Score
01/14/00   100-50   Moorhead State at WSC   92-59
11/23/05   200-117   UNI at Western Michigan   69-63
03/15/11   300-209   San Jose State at CU   85-74
02/24/15   400-248   CU at DePaul   75-62
01/01/20   499-306   Marquette at CU   92-75

Nova's Last Setback of 2017-18 Was Creighton Villanova went 36-4 in 2017-18 and won the national title, ending the year on an 11-game win streak. The Wildcats final loss last season came in Omaha, as Creighton topped Villanova 89-83 in overtime on Feb. 24, 2018. That remains the last time that CU defeated Nova.
   The loss was Villanova's only setback last season at full strength, as the Wildcats were missing Collin Gillespie, Eric Paschall or Phil Booth in each of their other three losses.

Piling Up The Points
Creighton scored 92 points last Wednesday vs. Marquette after pouring in 91 points in its final BIG EAST game of last season vs. DePaul.
   It was the first time that Creighton has scored 90 points or more in consecutive league games since January of 1999, when the Bluejays scored 90 at Evansville on Jan. 20, followed by 95 points vs. Illinois State three days later. CU belonged to the Missouri Valley Conference then.
   Creighton's 92 points last Wednesday vs. Marquette were its most in a league opener since 1987-88.
   Creighton has scored 96, 101 and 89 points the three times it has beaten Villanova, averaging 95.3 points in those contests.

Ranking News & Notes
Villanova is ranked No. 16 in this week's AP poll. Some notes of interest as it pertains to Creighton and ranked foes...
- Creighton is 34-146 all-time (1-1 this year) against nationally-ranked teams in the Associated Press poll, and 11-14 since the start of the 2016-17 season vs. ranked foes. Nationally, Creighton owns the 14th-best win percentage against top-25 teams among schools who have played 25+ games against ranked competition in that time.
- Creighton is 16-31 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, nine more top-25 wins than any other coach in Creighton history. Prior to McDermott's arrival, Creighton was 18-115 all-time against top-25 foes.
- Creighton has beaten at least one top-12 team each of the last five seasons (including 2019-20). On a national basis, the only 11 teams with a top-12 win each of the last five seasons (including 2019-20) are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Texas Tech, North Carolina, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
- Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last seven seasons (including 2019-20), and multiple ranked foes in each of the previous five years (but has only one so far in 2019-20).
- Creighton has beaten at least one top-25 team each of the last seven years (including 2019-20). On a national basis, the only 25 teams with a top-25 win each of the last seven seasons (including 2019-20) are Baylor, Cincinnati, Creighton, Duke, Florida State, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
   Eight teams had top-25 wins each of the previous six years and are still seeking a top-25 victory this winter: Clemson, Kansas State, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, Temple and Xavier.
- Creighton is 11-14 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 11 wins over ranked teams in that time is tied for 19th nationally, and trails only Villanova (18) among BIG EAST clubs.
- Creighton's four top-25 road wins since the start of 2016-17 are tied for fifth-most nationally. Only Duke (8), Virginia (8), Kansas (5) and Michigan State (5) own more than four.
- Creighton is 3-7 all-time against teams ranked exactly 16th, but won its last two such games.
- Three of Creighton's last five games against top-25 competition have gone to overtime. Creighton is 4-11 all-time in overtime versus top-25 foes.

In Chart Form
Most Top-25 Road Wins Since 2016-17
Rk.   Wins   Team
1.   8   Duke
   8   Virginia
3.   5   Kansas
   5   Michigan State
5.   4   Creighton
   4   Gonzaga
   4   Iowa State
   4   North Carolina
   4   Villanova

Best Win Percentage vs. Top-25 Since 2016-17
(Minimum 25 games)
Rk.   Pct.   W-L   Team
1.   .675   27-13   Duke
2.   .667   18-9   Villanova
3.   .656   21-11   Virginia
4.   .649   24-13   Kansas
5.   .618   21-13   Florida State
6.   .600   18-12   Texas Tech
7.   .594   19-13   Michigan State
8.   .576   19-14   Michigan
9.   .558   24-19   North Carolina
10.   .533   16-14   Purdue
11.   .531   17-15   Kentucky
12.   .480   12-13   South Carolina
13.   .448   13-16   Iowa State
14.   .440   11-14   Creighton
15.   .438   14-18   Baylor

The Race To 75
Creighton has scored 75 or more points in 10 of its 12 victories this season.
   Creighton has averaged 95.3 points in three all-time wins over Villanova, but just 63.54 in 13 losses against the Wildcats.
   Creighton has matched or exceeded the average points per game allowed vs. 14-of-15 foes this year, and outdid that average by 20+ points five times (Texas Tech, Louisiana Tech, Nebraska, UTRGV, Marquette). The only team that Creighton has not exceeded its opponent's scoring average against was San Diego State, which ranks fifth in scoring defense at 56.8 points per game allowed.
   Villanova has surrendered 67.8 points per game this season.

Ballock Joins Top 10
Mitch Ballock leads Creighton with 45 three-point baskets this season, which gives him 184 in his Bluejay career.
   The 184 trifectas rank ninth-most in program history, just one trey behind Matt Roggenburk (1986-90) for eighth place.
   Only seven Bluejays have ever reached 200 or more triples, and Ballock (and classmate Ty-Shon Alexander) could join Kyle Korver and Ethan Wragge as the only Bluejays to reach that milestone as juniors.
Most Career 3FG, Creighton History
   3FG   Name   Years
   371   Kyle Korver   1999-03
   334   Ethan Wragge   2009-14
   274   Doug McDermott   2010-14
   245   Ryan Sears   1997-01
   212   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   206   Jahenns Manigat   2010-14
   200   Nate Funk   2002-07
   185   Matt Roggenburk   1986-90
   184   Mitch Ballock   2017-Pres.
   177   Duan Cole   1987-92
   171   Isaiah Zierden   2013-17
   168   Marcus Foster   2016-18
   166   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-Pres.

Dynamic Duo of Denzel and Damien
Since Denzel Mahoney became eligible prior to the Dec. 17 game vs. Oklahoma, both Mahoney and Damien Jefferson have played a key part of CU's success.
   Jefferson has averaged 11.2 points and a team-leading 6.6 rebounds per game, while Mahoney checks in at 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest.
   Jefferson has scored in double-figures in three straight games for the first time in his college career, while Mahoney has reached double-figures in four of the five contests.

Alexander Slows Down Howard
With defensive stopper Davion Mintz redshirting, Creighton turned to Ty-Shon Alexander to try to hold down the nation's leading scorer, Marquette's Markus Howard (26.3 ppg.), last Wednesday.
   Howard took just one shot in the game's first 16 minutes, and finished with 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting.
   Alexander had a career-high six steals in the game, which tied him with Mintz (on March 3, 2019, also vs. Marquette) for the most steals by a Bluejay in a game under Greg McDermott.
   Most recently, Alexander helped hold Butler's top scorer, Kamar Baldwin, scoreless in the first half as the senior southpaw shot 0-for-9 from the floor.

They Call It A Winning Streak
Creighton had an eight-game winning streak snapped at Butler on Saturday, the program's longest since starting the 2016-17 campaign with a 13-0 record. It was CU's sixth different win streak of eight or longer under Greg McDermott.
   During the win streak, Marcus Zegarowski averaged 19.9 points and 5.6 assists per game, making him one of five Bluejays averaging in double-figures. Ty-Shon Alexander topped CU with 7.3 rebounds per game in that time.
    Each of Creighton's last six times that Creighton has had a win streak of seven or longer, that Bluejays team has reached the NCAA Tournament at year's end.
Longest Creighton Win Streaks Under McDermott
Wins                Dates   Snapped By
13 - Nov. 11 - Dec. 28, 2016   #1 Villanova, 80-70
11 - Dec. 31, 2011 - Feb. 1, 2012   at Northern Iowa, 65-62
11 - Dec. 1, 2012 - Jan. 15, 2013   at Wichita State, 67-64
10 - Dec. 3, 2013 - Jan. 14, 2014   at Providence, 81-68
8 - Feb. 14 - March 16, 2012   vs. #4 North Carolina, 87-73
8 - Nov. 29, 2019 - Jan. 1, 2020   at #11 Butler, 71-57
7 - Nov. 11 - Dec. 4, 2011   at Saint Joseph's, 80-71

McDermott Still Getting Buckets
Creighton great Doug McDermott is midway through his second season in Indianapolis as a member of the Pacers, and sixth campaign in the NBA.
   McDermott ranks sixth in NCAA history with 3,150 career points following a Creighton career (from 2010-14) that saw him become the first three-time First Team All-American since Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale in the early 1980s.
   In Saturday's game at Atlanta, McDermott joined Pete Maravich, Hersey Hawkins, Freeman Williams and Lionel Simmons as the only players to ever score 3,000 career points at both the NBA and at the Division I level.

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).
   In nine previous seasons under Greg McDermott, Creighton has exceeded its preseason poll placement on four occasions, matched its expectation four times, and in 2011-12 were picked first in the MVC but finished second. 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)

Strong League Start Projects To Postseason
Creighton has started 5-2 or better in league play in six of Greg McDermott's first nine seasons at the helm.
   Five of those teams to start like that reached the NCAA Tournament, while a sixth reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.
   Each of Creighton's 14 teams since 1988-89 to start 5-2, 6-1 or 7-0 after seven games in league play have reached the postseason, a stretch that includes nine NCAA Tournaments and five NIT's.

Mintz To Redshirt
Senior guard Davion Mintz will redshirt during the 2019-20 season, head coach Greg McDermott announced following the team's Dec. 28 victory over Midland.
   Mintz suffered a high-ankle sprain in late October and only recently returned to live drills in practice.
   Mintz entered the 2019-20 season having made 59 straight starts and with team-highs among active players in career starts (79), games played (97), assists (259) and steals (69).

Ball Control Offense
Creighton's two turnovers on Dec. 28 vs. Midland were its fewest in any game since at least 1981-82.
   The Jays have had two previous games with three turnovers since then (at SMU on 11/25/1995 and vs. Wichita State on 2/1/2005).
   The previous fewest miscues under Greg McDermott had been four on six different occasions, most recently March 3, 2018 at Marquette.
   Since the Christmas break, Creighton's starting line-up has combined for 39 assists and just 13 turnovers.

Turn This Over
The Midland game saw three different Bluejays finish with at least five assists and no turnovers, as Shereef Mitchell (6/0), Marcus Zegarowski (6/0) and Mitch Ballock (5/0) all did it.
   It's the first time in Greg McDermott's 10-year tenure that three different Bluejays had five or more assists without a turnover in the same game, and also the first time under McDermott that multiple Bluejays had six assists and no turnovers in the same game.
   In fact, Creighton's starting line-up combined for 20 assists without a turnover in the victory.
   The performance made Creighton the nation's first team this season to score 90+ points in a game with two turnovers or less. It was just the 10th time in the past 10 seasons it's happened.

Jett Fuels Offense
Redshirt freshman guard Jett Canfield had a pair of assists in the victory over Midland, pushing his season totals to 11 assists against just one turnover.
   Through games of January 4, Canfield is the only player in the nation with 10 or more assists and one turnover or less.
   Canfield is also one of four players in the nation to have played 108 minutes or more with one turnover or less.

Double-Double...On The Double
Damien Jefferson had his first collegiate double-double on Dec. 28 vs. Midland, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds in just 22 minutes of action.
   Jefferson's just the third Creighton player with at least 13 points and 11 rebounds while playing in 22 minutes or less under Greg McDermott, as seen below:
Name, Opponent   Date   PTS   REB   MIN
Gregory Echenique, Houston Baptist   12/17/11   18   14   19
Martin Krampelj, Butler   1/9/18   14   14   22
Damien Jefferson, Midland   12/28/19   13   11   22

The 10 Wins of Christmas
Creighton went 10-2 prior to Christmas, the seventh time in program history that CU had picked up 10 or more wins by December 25th.
   Five of those occasions have taken place under Greg McDermott.
   Each of the previous six times it's been done, Creighton won at least 21 games that year. All but one of those teams reached the NCAA Tournament and all but two clubs also won a postseason contest.
Most Wins by December 25th
   W-L   Season   Final W-L   Postseason?
   10-1   1963-64   22-7   NCAA (1-2)
   10-2   2008-09   27-8   NIT (1-1)
   10-1   2011-12   29-6   NCAA (1-1)
   11-1   2012-13   28-8   NCAA (1-1)
   12-0   2016-17   25-10   NCAA (0-1)
   10-2   2017-18   21-12   NCAA (0-1)
   10-2   2019-20   TBD   TBD

Moving On Up
Creighton was 56 in the initial NET rankings released on Dec. 16, and that figure has surged to 21 after games against Oklahoma, Arizona State, Marquette and Butler (and Midland, which isn't factored into the NET) since then.
   Fourteen of Creighton's final 16 regular-season games are against teams that currently own a top-78 NET rating, including No. 23 Villanova.
   Creighton is currently 3-3 in Quadrant 1 games heading into Tuesday's contest vs. Villanova.

December To Remember
Creighton went 6-0 in the month of December, its first unbeaten December since the 2012-13 team.
   Each of CU's last two teams (2008-09 and 2012-13) to go unbeaten in December also won their regular-season league title.

Mahoney Makes Debut
The Dec. 17 win vs. Oklahoma marked the first appearance in a Creighton uniform for Denzel Mahoney, who regained his eligibility after CU's first semester concluded.
   Mahoney didn't start for the first time in 65 contests as a collegian, but didn't have to wait long. He checked in just 18 seconds into the game after an early foul on Christian Bishop and drained his first three-pointer as a Bluejay just more than two minutes later. Mahoney finished the game with 14 points, one rebound, one assist and a steal in 29 minutes of action.
   Mahoney averaged 19.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game the last time he was on the court during the 2017-18 season at Southeast Missouri State.
   In two seasons with the Redhawks from 2016-18, Mahoney scored 1,091 points and grabbed 298 rebounds. He made 121 three-pointers while connecting at a 39.5 percent clip and also sank 314-of-380 free throw attempts (82.6 percent).
   Mahoney is the sixth player in Greg McDermott's 10 seasons to make his Creighton debut with 14 points or more, as seen below. Of those six men, only Marcus Foster had 14 points or more in his second game, as well.
   Mahoney who scored in double-figures each of his first four games as a Bluejay, joined Foster (8), Doug McDermott (8) and Justin Patton (8) and Maurice Watson Jr. (5) as the only Bluejays to post 10 or more points in each of their first four games (or longer) under Greg McDermott.
14+ Points in CU Debut Under Greg McDermott
Pts.   Name   Season   Game 2   Game 3
19   Marcus Foster   2016-17   15   16
18   Khyri Thomas   2015-16   4   11
18   Ricky Kreklow   2014-15   5   4
16   Doug McDermott   2010-11   10   12
15   Devin Brooks   2013-14   4   16
14   Denzel Mahoney   2019-20   14   10

Getting Defensive
Creighton has held 7-of-15 opponents under 40 percent this season after doing it a total of seven times in 35 games a year ago.
   Creighton is 91-16 under Greg McDermott all-time when holding foes under 40 percent marksmanship.
   Last season Creighton ranked 286th in opponents' field goal percentage (.457). This year's team is holding foes to 41.6 percent shooting (it's best since .407 in 2012-13), a figure that ranks 140th-best nationally. The best finish by one of McDermott's Creighton teams in field goal percentage defense is 77th by the 2012-13 club.

Go Big Or Go Home
Creighton owned four regular-season non-conference wins this winter from teams that are in the Big Ten, BIG EAST, Atlantic Coast, Southeastern, Big 12 or Pac-12 Conferences.
   It's just the third time since CU dropped its independent status in 1977 that the Bluejays have picked up four such wins in the same winter. The 2016-17 club had six such wins, while the 2012-13 squad also had four.
   After going 22-12 in such games under Dana Altman from 1994-2010, Creighton is 28-12 under Greg McDermott.
   Here's a list of Creighton's yearly regular-season non-conference records in the past 25 seasons against teams from those top leagues:
Year   W-L   "Major" Conference Victories
1994-95   0-2   -
1995-96   0-1   -
1996-97   1-3   Florida
1997-98   1-1   Nebraska
1998-99   3-1   Iowa, Baylor, Oklahoma State
1999-00   3-0   Iowa, Baylor, Nebraska
2000-01   2-0   Providence, Nebraska
2001-02   1-0   Nebraska
2002-03   2-0   Notre Dame, Nebraska
2003-04   1-0   Nebraska
2004-05   3-0   Missouri, Ohio State, Nebraska
2005-06   1-1   Nebraska
2006-07   0-1   -
2007-08   2-0   DePaul, Nebraska
2008-09   1-1   DePaul
2009-10   1-1   Nebraska
2010-11   0-3   -
2011-12   3-0   Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern
2012-13   4-0   Wisconsin, Arizona State, Nebraska, Cal
2013-14   3-0   Arizona State, Nebraska, Cal
2014-15   2-1   Oklahoma, Nebraska
2015-16   2-3   Rutgers, Nebraska
2016-17   6-0   Wisconsin, Washington St., NC St., Ole Miss, Nebraska, Arizona St.
2017-18   3-1   Northwestern, UCLA, Nebraska
2018-19   1-3   Clemson
2019-20   4-1   Texas Tech, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona St.

Christian Puts In Work Before Christmas
After a first half that saw him fail to record a point, rebound or blocked shot vs. Arizona State, sophomore Christian Bishop came up big in the second half against the Sun Devils.
   Bishop had 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots after halftime, helping Creighton to overcome a halftime deficit in the 67-60 win.
   Bishop is the first Bluejay with a half of at least 12 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots since Gregory Echenique had 13 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks before halftime vs. Houston Baptist on Dec. 17, 2011.
   Creighton has not had a player post a double-double in the same half since Doug McDermott had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first half of a win on March 21, 2014 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.

Ballock For 3, Blocks That Is
Including a career-high three blocked shots on December 7th vs. Nebraska, Mitch Ballock ranks second on the Creighton team with nine swats this season.
   Ballock is the first Bluejay with both three blocked shots and three made three-pointers in the same game since Kenny Lawson Jr. had three blocks and three treys vs. Missouri State on March 24, 2010. That game was also the final one of the Creighton sideline for Dana Altman.

What A Line -- 30-6-9
Marcus Zegarowski had 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in Creighton's 95-76 win over Nebraska on Dec. 7th.
   The 30 points were the second-highest figure of his career, the six assists tied a season-high, and his nine rebounds were a career-best.
   He's the first Bluejay with at least 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the same game since at least 1979-80.
   Zegarowski is just the fourth Creighton player with a game of at least 30 points and nine rebounds in the same game under Greg McDermott, joining Cole Huff, Kenny Lawson Jr. and Doug McDermott (11x).
   Zegarowski is also just the second Creighton player under Greg McDermott with a game of at least 30 points and six assists, joining Marcus Foster vs. Georgetown (35 points, 6 assists) on Feb. 19, 2017.
   Zegarowski is the nation's only player with a 30/9/6 game this season, and the only man in the last 10 years to do it without attempting a free throw.
   Zegarowski had 20 points, eight rebounds and a then-season-high seven assists vs. Oklahoma on Dec. 17, the first Bluejay with those numbers in the same game since Ryan Sears had 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists vs. Southern Illinois on Jan. 8, 2000.

More Z's Please
Marcus Zegarowski is currently leading Creighton with 18.1 points per game and 4.7 assists per game.
   Creighton hasn't had a player average more than 15 points and 3.5 assists per game for a full season since Vernon Moore (21.0 ppg., 5.0 apg.) in 1984-85.
   A 6-2 guard, Moore shot an incredible 67.4 percent in 1984-85 back in the days before the three-point shot. Zegarowski is shooting 63.9 percent from two-point range this year, and last season led the BIG EAST in three-point percentage.
   Zegarowski is the the only man in the country who is shooting 63.0 percent or better from two-point range while averaging 4.5 assists per game or more through games of January 4. The only other player to do this in the last four seasons was UCLA's Lonzo Ball in 2016-17.

Alexander The Great
Ty-Shon Alexander is first on the Creighton team in rebounds per game (6.1) and is second on the team in points per game (16.4).
   Since 1992-93, only three Bluejays (Doug McDermott, Rodney Buford and Kyle Korver) have finished a season averaging at least 16.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
   All three men went on to play at least five seasons in the NBA.
16.0 PPG & 5.5 RPG - Creighton Players Since 1991-92
Name       Year   PPG   RPG
Doug McDermott   2013-14   26.7   7.0
Doug McDermott   2012-13   23.2   7.7
Doug McDermott   2011-12   22.9   8.2
Rodney Buford   1996-97   19.6   5.6
Rodney Buford   1997-98   18.9   7.3
Rodney Buford   1998-99   18.6   7.2
Kyle Korver       2002-03   17.8   6.4
Ty-Shon Alexander   2019-20   16.4   6.1

Have A Half
Creighton led 48-22 at halftime on Dec. 7 vs. Nebraska, which ranks as one of its largest halftime leads in the last 30 years.
   Five of Creighton's largest halftime leads this season have come in the past nine games, as that figure has grown from 14 (Texas Tech) to 15 (Oral Roberts to 26 (Nebraska) before going to 21 vs. UTRGV, then jumping to 37 vs. Midland.
   It was the first time Creighton played four straight games with a halftime lead of 14+ points for the first time since Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2003, which also happened to be the first four CU games in CHI Health Center Omaha history.
   Below is a list of Creighton's largest halftime margins since 1990-91. Games with an * indicate those contests that were held at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   The only schools that Creighton has led by 25+ points on multiple occasions since 1990 are Nebraska (3x), Longwood (2x) and Grambling State (2x).
Creighton's Largest Halftime Leads, Since 1990-91
   Margin   Score   Opponent   Date
   38   54-16   Grambling State   12/06/99
   37   56-19   vs. IUPUI   11/25/02
   37   62-25   Longwood*   12/09/16
   37   58-21   Midland*   12/28/19
   34   58-24   USC Upstate*   12/20/17
   29   48-19   Towson   11/14/98
   29   53-24   Longwood*   11/20/12
   29   53-24   Butler*   01/14/14
   29   53-24   St. John's*   02/28/16
   29   60-31   Coe*   12/20/18
   28   54-26   Western Illinois   11/20/00
   28   39-11   Alcorn State*   11/15/04
   28   45-17   Maryland Eastern Shore*   12/15/17
   28   52-24   vs. Georgia State   11/20/18
   27   49-22   vs. Texas-San Antonio   11/30/90
   27   47-20   Nebraska*   11/24/07
   27   47-20   Saint Joseph's*   12/01/12
   26   52-26   Southern   12/20/97
   26   42-16   vs. Southern Illinois   03/10/03
   26   43-17   Presbyterian*   11/18/12
   26   51-25   Nebraska*   12/08/13
   26   48-22   Nebraska*   12/07/19
   25   57-32   Grambling State   11/29/01
   25   49-24   Bradley*   01/19/11

Decade of Doug
What a decade it was for Creighton.
   Doug McDermott, the nation's only three-time First Team All-American last decade, led a host of statistical categories since January 1, 2010. That includes CU's most points (3,150) and rebounds (1,087).
   In fact, on December 12 NBCSports.com named McDermott as its National Player of the Decade.
   Creighton went 231-120 this decade, the most wins in any decade in program history. CU won 229 games from Jan. 1, 2000 - Dec. 31, 2009.
   A full list of Creighton's statistical leaders can be found on page 13 of these notes.

3 x 3
Creighton's backcourt features three of the nation's best shooters, as Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitch Ballock and Marcus Zegarowski have combined to shoot 119-for-284 (42.1 percent) as a group from deep.
   Alexander, Ballock and Zegarowski are one of two trios in the country with 37 or more three-pointers through games of January 4th, joining the North Florida grouping of Carter Hendricksen, J.T. Escobar and Ivan Gandia-Rosa. When CU defeated North Florida on Nov. 22nd, Creighton's trio shot 10-for-20 from deep, while the UNF trio shot 4-for-21 from downtown.
   In addition, Ballock is one of seven players nationally to have made 44 or more three-pointers while shooting 44 percent or better from deep.
   Creighton is 15-3 all-time when Alexander, Ballock and Zegarowski all score in double-figures, including an 8-1 mark this winter with eight straight victories. The trio had combined for at least 50 percent of Creighton's points in 14 of CU's last 16 contests dating to last season.

100,00 Fans, Again
With 168,775 fans to date, this season marks the 18th straight season of 100,000 or more home fans for the program. The streak that started in the final season (2002-03) of the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
   Creighton has led its conference in average home attendance each of the last 16 completed seasons, and is once again leading the way in the BIG EAST in 2019-20.

NCAA Hosts
Creighton will host the First and Second Round of the 2020 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha on March 20 & 22.
   It's the fifth time since 2008 that Omaha has been selected to host, joining 2008 (1st Weekend); 2012 (1st Weekend); 2015 (1st Weekend); 2018 (Regionals) and 2020 (1st Weekend).
   Taking out Dayton, which annually hosts the First Four, CHI Health Center Omaha will host more NCAA Tournament games from 2008-20 than any other venue. In addition, CHI Health Center Omaha will host five different years in that span, which trails only Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis from 2008-20.
Most NCAA Tournament Games Hosted, 2008-20
Rk.   G   Venue   City
1.   27   CHI Health Center Omaha   Omaha, NE
2.   24   Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena   Spokane, WA
3.   21   Spectrum Center   Charlotte, NC
   21   Vivint Smart Home Arena   Salt Lake City, UT
5.   18   17 venues
*does not include First Four site Dayton, OH

Most Different Years as a Tourney Host, 2008-20
Rk.   Yrs.   Venue   City
1.   6   Lucas Oil Stadium   Indianapolis, IN
2.   5   CHI Health Center Omaha   Omaha, NE
   5   NRG Stadium   Houston, TX
   5   Honda Center   Anaheim, CA
5.   4   7 venues
*does not include First Four site Dayton, OH

Sophomore Scorer
Sophomore guard Marcus Zegarowski is averaging a team-leading 18.1 points per game, quite an accomplishment for a guy who never scored more than 17 points in any game against a Division I opponent a season ago.
   The only Creighton sophomores in the last 50 seasons to average more points per game than Zegarowski are Doug McDermott (22.9 ppg. in 2011-12) and Rodney Buford (19.6 ppg. in 1996-97). McDermott and Buford are the top two career scorers in Creighton history.
   Here's a list of Creighton's top 10 sophomore scorers in the past 50 seasons:
Most Points/Game, CU Sophomores Since 1969-70
   PPG   Name   Year
   22.9   Doug McDermott   2011-12
   19.6   Rodney Buford   1996-97
   18.1   Marcus Zegarowski   2019-20
   16.8   Rick Apke   1975-76
   16.7   Bob Harstad   1988-89
   16.2   Benoit Benjamin   1983-84
   15.8   Gene Harmon   1971-72
   15.7   Ty-Shon Alexander   2018-19
   15.3   Chad Gallagher   1988-89
   14.6   Kyle Korver   2000-01

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 866 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 6,774 trifectas, an average of 7.82 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 134 times, more than any figure.
   Only four times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 236 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
   Creighton has made at least one three-pointer before halftime in 237 consecutive contests (since 0-7 at Drake on 1/23/13).
   The Bluejays are also 11-0 this year when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 1-3 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:    4 times   2: 15 times   3: 30 times
4:    69 times   5:   95 times   6: 89 times
7:   134 times   8:   110 times   9: 84 times
10: 71 times   11: 48 times   12: 47 times
13: 38 times   14: 15 times   15: 6 times
16: 6 times   17: 1 time   19: 1 time
20: 1 time   21: 1 time   22: 1 time

Alexander Up For An Oscar
Creighton guard Ty-Shon Alexander is among 46 standout players selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for its initial watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, presented to the men's national player of the year.
   Since its founding in 1956, the USBWA has named a national player of the year. In the 1997-98 season, the award was named in honor of the legendary Oscar Robertson, "The Big O." In addition, the USBWA selects an All-America team and All-District teams, players and coaches of the year.
   Alexander is averaging 16.6 points per game this season for Creighton, and tops the club with 6.1 rebounds per game. The Charlotte, N.C., native is shooting 42.0 percent from three-point range and 85.5 percent at the charity stripe. Alexander, who is also on the watch list for the Jerry West Award Shooting Guard of the Year and the John R. Wooden Award, was named a Preseason All-BIG EAST choice.
   Alexander is one of four BIG EAST players on the list, as he's joined by Markus Howard (Marquette), Myles Powell (Seton Hall) and Omer Yurtseven (Georgetown).
   Creighton's Doug McDermott took home the Oscar Robertson Trophy as men's national player of the year following the 2013-14 season.
   The 2019-20 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be presented at the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta in April. The winner will be also be honored at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Mon., April 13, 2020.

Wrecked 'Em
Before Creighton scored 83 points on Nov. 29, Texas Tech had allowed only one team to score more than 80 points since the start of last year -- 85 by Virginia in the 2019 NCAA Tournament title game.
   Creighton's 46 points in the first half tied the most by any TTU foe in a half since the start of last season, something only Kansas did (in Lawrence).
   Creighton's 51.7 percent shooting was the best by a Texas Tech opponent since Oklahoma State shot 52.2 percent on Feb. 21, 2018. The Red Raiders had played 53 games since then before facing CU.

Bouncing Back
Creighton doesn't lose many games by 20 or more points, as it did on Nov. 28 vs. San Diego State. However, each of the last 12 times it has happened, Creighton has answered with a victory in its next game.
   Three of CU's last four losses by 20+ points were followed with a win over a ranked team.
Creighton's Losses by 20+ Points Since 2000
Date   Loss by 20+ Points   Next Game   Result
03/07/08   Illinois State 73, CU 49   03/18/09   CU 73, Bowling Green 71
02/11/12   Wichita State 89, #17 CU 68   02/14/12   CU 88, Southern Illinois 69
03/23/14   #23 Baylor 85, #16 CU 55   11/14/14   CU 104, Central Arkansas 77
01/25/15   #4 Villanova 71, CU 50   01/28/15   CU 77, St. John's 74
01/31/15   #21 Georgetown 67, CU 40   02/04/15   CU 79, Xavier 72 (OT)
11/19/15   #14 Indiana 86, CU 65   11/23/15   CU 85, Rutgers 75
02/03/16   #3 Villanova 83, CU 58   02/06/16   CU 88, DePaul 66
01/25/17   Georgetown 71, #16 CU 51   01/28/17   #16 CU 83, DePaul 66
01/13/18   #10 Xavier 92, #25 CU 70   01/17/18   CU 80, #19 Seton Hall 63
02/01/18   #1 Villanova 98, CU 78   02/07/18   CU 76, DePaul 75
02/20/18   Butler 93, CU 70   02/24/18   CU 89, #3 Villanova 83 (OT)
11/28/19   San Diego State 83, CU 52   11/29/19   CU 83, #12 Texas Tech 76 (OT)

Overtime Odds & Ends
After going 1-3 last year in overtime, Creighton improved to 1-0 in overtime games this season with its Nov. 29 victory over No. 12 Texas Tech.
   Creighton has now won at least one overtime game in each of the past three seasons.
   The team to score first in overtime has won 17 of Creighton's last 20 overtime games.
   Creighton is now 58-49 all-time games to go to overtime, including a 44-43 mark in single-overtime games.
   Creighton is now 5-5 in games to go to overtime at a neutral site.
   Greg McDermott improved to 8-5 as Creighton's coach in overtime contests and is 19-13 as a Division I head coach in overtime games.
   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).
   Creighton is now 4-11 all-time in overtime games against top-25 foes.
   Last year's team played four overtime games, 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 167 of the program's 2019-20 media guide.

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 Jan. 5, 2020
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
3FG Made   2,933   2nd
Assists   5,361   3rd
3FG Percentage   .384   4th
FG Percentage   .481   4th
FG Made   9,025   9th
Wins   219   31st
Winning Percentage   .662   T-34th

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 866 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 1/6)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,086   UNLV   1/8
   2.   1,076   Vanderbilt   1/8
   3.   1,073   Duke   1/8
   4.   1,024   Arkansas   1/8
   5.   1,022   Western Kentucky   1/9
   6.   1,009   East Tennessee State   1/8
   7.   999   Pacific   1/11
   8.   986   Oakland   1/9
   9.   978   Texas   1/8
   10.   945   Princeton   1/10
   11.   931   Marshall   1/9
   12.   914   Baylor   1/7
   13.   904   Gonzaga   1/9
   14.   890   Long Island   1/9
   15.   871   Mount St. Mary's   1/9
   16.   870   Cornell   1/7
   17.   866   Creighton   1/7
   18.   860   Tennessee State   1/9
   19.   856   East Carolina   1/7

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 286 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 81 of those contests, a staggering 28.3 percent of the time.
     Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is
139-32 and hasn't trailed in 56 of those games.
   In 240 minutes over the course of Creighton's last six home games, the Bluejays have trailed for a total of 3:30.

Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 81.12 points per home game (13,871 points in 171 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.99 points in non-conference home games (7,564 points in 89 home games).
   Creighton is 111-5 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.

Sophomore Scorers
Marcus Zegarowski scored a career-high 32 points in the Nov. 29 victory over Texas Tech, becoming the latest Bluejay sophomore to pile up the points. He then added 30 points on Dec. 7 vs. Nebraska.
   Each of the last three Creighton players to score 30 or more points have done it as a sophomore. Besides Zegarowski vs. Texas Tech and Nebraska, Mitch Ballock had 39 points vs. DePaul last season, and Ty-Shon Alexander added 36 vs. No. 16 Clemson on Nov. 21, 2018.
   In addition to Zegarowski, Ballock and Alexander, one other player on the Bluejay roster has scored 30 or more points. That player is Denzel Mahoney, who scored 30+ points twice as a sophomore at Southeast Missouri State in 2017-18, and once as a freshman in 2016-17 with the Redhawks.
   Creighton's last non-sophomore to score 30 points or more was then-senior Marcus Foster's 32 points vs. UT Arlington on Dec. 18, 2017.

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   ? ? ?

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.

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 12-3 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.

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.

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

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

#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 2,406 three-pointers and is ninth in league history with 42.90 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 42.3 percent from three-point range this season and averages 6.5 points per game. He enters Milwaukee's Jan. 6th game vs. San Antonio just eight points shy of Paul Silas' 11,782 points that rank as the most by a Bluejay alum in the NBA.
   Tolliver is averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 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 9.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game this year while shooting 45.5 percent from three-point range (fifth-best in the NBA this season). He also ranks 18th in NBA history in career three-point percentage (.411). On January 4, 2020, McDermott joined Lionel Simmons, Hersey Hawkins, Freeman Williams and Pete Maravich as the only men to score 3,000 or more points in the NBA and at the Division I level.
   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 has played in two games this season for OKC. He has also spent time with 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.

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.

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 286 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 17-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 236-50 (.825) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (19-0).
   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 22,365-18,738 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.68 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 81 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 139-32 (.813) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including an 83-6 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 255-50 (.836) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Full House
Creighton is averaging 16,868 fans per home game this season, good for sixth place nationally.
   Last year marked 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.
2019-20 Average Home Attendance Leaders (1/6)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Kentucky   19,995   1/11
   2.   Syracuse   19,631   1/7
   3.   Tennessee   18,950   1/11
   4.   North Carolina   18,804   1/8
   5.   Wisconsin   16,911   1/8
   6.   Creighton   16,878   1/7
   7.   Kansas   16,500   1/11
   9.   Louisville   16,208   1/7
   10.   Memphis   16,042   1/16
   8.   Indiana   15,994   1/8

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 219 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .662 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.   219-112   Greg McDermott    2010-Pres.
3.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-1935
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-1969
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-1981

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

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).

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 (per WarrenNolan.com) 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:   1st

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.

Come One, Come All
Did you know that local area high school students can attend Creighton men's basketball home games during winter break at no charge?
   It's true.
   Tickets for the Tuesday's game vs. Villanova are still available for students, subject to availability, by presenting an active school ID on gameday.
   Tickets will be redeemed at the top of the escalators at the main west entrance of CHI Health Center Omaha starting 90 minutes prior to tip off.
   For more information, call the CU Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

Men's Basketball Hosts No. 16 Villanova on Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

Jett Canfield

Damien Jefferson

Martin Krampelj

Denzel Mahoney

Davion Mintz

Shereef Mitchell

Marcus Zegarowski