Wednesday, February 12
Newark, N.J.
5:30 PM
Creighton University
at
Seton Hall
Photo by: Catherine Grosdidier
#23 Men's Basketball Visits #10 Seton Hall Wednesday In Top-25 Showdown
2/10/2020 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game in Newark features top two teams in the BIG EAST standings
Download Notes as a PDF
Game #25: #23 Creighton Bluejays at #10 Seton Hall Pirates
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 • 5:30 p.m. CST
Prudential Center (10,481) • Newark, N.J.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM; www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1 (Gus Johnson, Bill Raftery)
Series History: Seton Hall leads, 14-6
Last Meeting: Seton Hall 81, Creighton 75 on Feb. 17, 2019 in Omaha, Neb.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Next Game
No. 23 Creighton (18-6, 7-4 BIG EAST) meets No. 10 Seton Hall (18-5, 10-1 BIG EAST) for the first time this season when it treks back to the East Coast to take on the Pirates.
   Tip-off at Prudential Center (10,481) in Newark, N.J., is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Central.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2019-20 season. KOOO (101.9 FM) also broadcasts all home games.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Ross Ferrarini will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday's tilt will be televised nationally on FS1. Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery will be on the call.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Wednesday'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 18-6 overall and 7-4 in the BIG EAST. The Bluejays are 5-1 in the past six games, including last Saturday's 94-82 win vs. St. John's. Picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll, CU is in a three-way tie for second place after 11 games in BIG EAST play.
   Creighton ranks tied for sixth nationally with six Quadrant 1 wins this season thanks to victories over No. 12 Texas Tech (83-76 in OT on Nov. 29), Arizona State (67-60 on Dec. 21), Marquette (92-75 on Jan. 1), at Xavier (77-65 on Jan. 11) at DePaul (83-68 on Jan. 22) and at No. 8 Villanova (76-61 on Feb. 1). In addition, CU's four Quad 1 road wins are fourth-most in the country.
   CU returns five of its top six scorers from a year ago, a group led by guards Marcus Zegarowski (15.9 ppg., 5.1 apg.), Ty-Shon Alexander (16.4 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) and Mitch Ballock (12.8 ppg., 5.3 rpg.). The trio have accounted for 187 three-pointers and 58.3 percent of CU's overall points thus far.
   Three other forwards to keep an eye on are Christian Bishop (8.5 ppg., 5.6 rpg.), Damien Jefferson (9.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg.) and Denzel Mahoney (12.4 ppg.).
   Creighton averages 77.3 points per game and holds foes to 69.4 points per contest. CU shoots 37.3 percent from three-point range while draining 9.3 treys per outing and also shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 72.9 percent at the line.
Scouting Seton Hall
Ranked No. 10 nationally, Seton Hall is 18-5 on the season and owns a three-game BIG EAST lead with a 10-1 league record. The Pirates have rebounded nicely since opening February with a 74-62 home loss to Xavier, picking up road wins at Georgetown and No. 10 Villanova last week.
   National Player of the Year candidate Myles Powell averages 21.9 points per game and has drilled a team-high 61 three-pointers.
   Fellow guard Quincy McKnight leads the Hall in assists (125) and steals (39) and also ranks second on the team with 11.4 points per game.
   Sandro Mamukelashvili averages 10.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and has returned after missing 10 games with a wrist injury.
   Also coming up big has been the very tall Romaro Gill, who averages 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and has swatted a BIG EAST-leading 82 shots.
   The Pirates average 74.3 points per game and yield 65.4 per contest. SHU shoots 44.6 percent from the floor, 33.0 percent from three-point land and 69.6 percent at the line while outrebounding foes by 0.8 caroms per contest.
The Series With Seton Hall
Seton Hall leads the all-time series with Creighton 14-6, and the Pirates are 9-3 in 12 New Jersey meetings.
   Creighton has lost its last three trips to Newark by six points or less, but did win in 2014 and 2016 at Prudential Center.
   Three of the last 12 meetings at all sites have been one-point contests.
   Greg McDermott is 5-8 against Seton Hall and coach Kevin Willard. Willard is 9-5 all-time against Creighton, leading his 2009-10 Iona team to a 63-55 win over the Bluejays at the Old Spice Classic near Orlando, Fla.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his 10th year as head coach at Creighton. He is 225-115 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 505-310 in his 26th season and is 374-246 in his 19th Division I campaign. Alan Huss, Paul Lusk and Terrence Rencher assist McDermott.
Ranked vs. Ranked
Creighton is 6-12 all-time as a ranked team when facing a ranked team, including a 4-8 overall mark under Greg McDermott. Here's those games:
Date   CU Rank   Opponent Rank   Result
03/04/1974   #16   #14 South Carolina   L 69-78
03/14/1974   #19   vs. #14 Kansas   L 54-55
03/16/1974   #19   vs. #16 Louisville   W 80-71
03/08/1975   #13   #5 Marquette   L 60-64
12/31/2002   #15   at #19 Xavier   L 73-75
03/18/2012   #19   vs. #4 North Carolina   L 73-87
03/24/2013   #22   vs. #6 Duke   L 50-66
02/16/2014   #18   #6 Villanova   W 101-80
03/23/2014   #16   vs. #23 Baylor   L 55-85
11/15/2016   #22   #9 Wisconsin   W 77-69
12/31/2016   #10   #1 Villanova   L 70-80
01/11/2017   #8   #12 Butler   W 75-64
01/16/2017   #7   at #22 Xavier   W 72-67
01/31/2017   #22   at #16 Butler   W 76-67
02/25/2017   #23   at #2 Villanova   L 63-79
12/01/2017   #25   at #15 Gonzaga   L 74-91
12/28/2017   #25   at #23 Seton Hall   L 84-90
01/13/2018   #25   at #10 Xavier   L 70-92
02/12/2020   #23   at #10 Seton Hall   5:30 pm CT
Jays Hunt For Another Top 10 Road Win
Since the start of the 2013-14 season when Creighton joined the BIG EAST, the Bluejays own three top-10 road wins. Creighton beat No. 4 Villanova in 2014, No. 10 Marquette in 2019 and No. 8 Villanova in 2020.
   The three top-10 road wins in those seven seasons rank tied for the fifth-most nationally, trailing only Kansas (6), Duke (5), Oklahoma (5) and Michigan (4).
   Since 2013-14, only 12 teams in the country have posted multiple top-10 road wins in the same season, a group that includes Seton Hall and Florida State this winter.
   Creighton has never had a season with multiple top-10 road wins, something it can accomplish with a win in Newark on Wednesday.
Red Hot, In Blue
Wednesday's meeting in Newark features two of the hottest teams in the BIG EAST.
   Seton Hall has won 12 of its last 13 games, while Creighton has emerged victorious in five of its past six contests.
   The Bluejays and Pirates, along with Butler, are tied for the BIG EAST lead with 18 overall victories.
Top 25 Jays
The Creighton men's basketball team is ranked 23rd in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, earning a spot in the poll for the third time this season (also 25th on Jan. 13th and 21st on Feb. 3rd).
   This year marks the seventh time in Greg McDermott's 10 seasons on The Hilltop that Creighton has cracked the top-25 at least once, after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
   Creighton has now been ranked in the AP poll in 91 weeks in program history, with 63 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 114-45 all-time as a ranked team. Creighton's highest all-time ranking was No. 7 during the week of Jan. 16, 2017.
   Creighton is 80-33 all-time under McDermott when ranked in the top-25, including a 19-18 road record.
   The Bluejays are one of five BIG EAST teams that are nationally ranked by the AP this week, joining No. 10 Seton Hall, No. 15 Villanova, No. 18 Marquette and No. 19 Butler. It's the first time the BIG EAST has had five ranked teams at one time since March 18, 2013. Back then, it was No. 2 Louisville, No. 8 Georgetown, No. 16 Marquette, No. 18 Syracuse and No. 22 Pittsburgh.
   Creighton is also the 21st-ranked team in this week's USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Moving On Up
Creighton was 56 in the initial NET rankings released on Dec. 16, but that figure has surged to 24 since then.
   Each of Creighton's final seven regular-season games are against teams that currently own a top-80 NET rating, including No. 12 Seton Hall. Seton Hall rating means that Wednesday will be another Quadrant 1 opportunity.
   Creighton's four Quad 1 road wins are the fourth-most in the country, its six Quad 1 overall wins are tied for sixth-most and the 12 Quad 1 games played are tied for sixth-most as well.
   Creighton owns a 6-6 mark in Quadrant 1 games and is unbeaten in contests in Quadrant 2 (3-0), Quadrant 3 (2-0) and Quadrant 4 (6-0) games. The Bluejays are one of nine teams nationally that has not suffered a Quad 2, Quad 3 or Quad 4 loss this year.
Most Quad 1 Road Wins (thru 2/9)
Rk.   Quad 1 Road Record   Team
1.   6-2   Seton Hall
2.   5-0   Baylor
   5-1   Kansas
4.   4-4   Creighton
Most Quad 1 Wins (thru 2/9)
Rk.   Quad 1 Record   Team
1.   10-3   Kansas
2.   8-0   Baylor
   8-4   Seton Hall
4.   7-5   Butler
   7-7   Wisconsin
6.   6-6   Creighton
   6-3   Penn State
   6-4   Maryland
   6-5   Marquette
   6-8   Michigan
Most Quad 1 Games Played (thru 2/9)
Rk.   Q1 Games (Record)   Team
1.   14   7-7   Wisconsin
   14   6-8   Michigan
3.   13   10-3   Kansas
   13   3-10   Minnesota
   13   2-11   Iowa State
6.   12   6-6   Creighton
   12   7-5   Butler
   12   3-9   Georgetown
   12   0-12   Northwestern
No Losses Against Quad 2/3/4 (thru 2/9)
   Q1 W-L Record   Q2/3/4 W-L Record   Team
   10-2   9-0   Kansas
   6-6   11-0   Creighton
   6-4   13-0   Maryland
   5-1   20-0   Gonzaga
   5-6   12-0   Villanova
   4-0   19-0   San Diego State
   4-2   17-0   Auburn
   3-2   18-0   Dayton
   3-3   18-0   Louisville
Big Mac Attack
Greg McDermott's teams have consistently battled some of the best teams in the country.
   The chart below shows how his teams have consistently outpaced some of his predecessors against top-25 foes.
Category   Pre-McDermott   Under McDermott
vs. Top 25 Teams   18-115   17-32
vs. Top 10 Teams   5-31   7-14
Top 10 Road Wins   1   3
Ranking News & Notes
- Creighton is 17-32 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, 10 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 two in 2019-20). On a national basis, the only 12 teams with a top-12 win each of the last five seasons (including 2019-20) are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
- 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 last six years.
- Creighton has beaten at least one top-25 team each of the last seven years (including 2019-20). On a national basis, the only 27 teams with a top-25 win each of the last seven seasons (including 2019-20) are Baylor, Cincinnati, Clemson, Creighton, Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin and Xavier.
   Two other teams had top-25 wins each of the previous six years and are still seeking a top-25 victory this winter: North Carolina State and Oklahoma State.
- Creighton is 12-15 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 12 wins over ranked teams in that time is tied for 21st nationally, and trails only Villanova (19) and Seton Hall (13) among BIG EAST clubs. Â
- Creighton's five top-25 road wins since the start of 2016-17 are tied for third-most nationally. Only Duke (8) and Virginia (8) have more, while Kansas and Michigan State also own five.
Most Top-25 Road Wins Since 2016-17
Rk.   Wins   Team
1.   8   Duke
   8   Virginia
3.   5   Creighton
   5   Kansas
   5   Michigan State
No. 1 vs. No. 2
First place Seton Hall hosts a Creighton team tied for second place on Wednesday.
   Seton Hall, which owns a three-game lead in the league standings with seven games left, hasn't won a BIG EAST regular-season title since 1992-93.
   Creighton's best finish since joining the BIG EAST in 2013 was a second-place showing in its inital campaign of 2013-14. During that 2013-14 season, Creighton went 2-0 against eventual BIG EAST regular-season champion Villanova.
   Creighton has tied for third place in the BIG EAST standings each of the past three seasons.  Â
You Can Only Hope To Contain Him
Mitch Ballock has made a three-pointer in each of his last 23 games, tied for the sixth-longest streak in program history with a three-pointer. It's also the longest active streak in the BIG EAST but will be put to the test against Seton Hall. Ballock has faced Seton Hall four times in his career and made a total of two trifectas in those contests (both in the same game in Omaha).
   Creighton is 10-0 this season when Ballock makes four or more three-pointers. Ballock has also made exactly five three-pointers in all three of Creighton's BIG EAST road wins this season.
   Ballock (23) is one of four current Bluejays to have compiled a streak of 19 or longer straight games at some point in their college career, joining Ty-Shon Alexander (33), Marcus Zegarowski (20) and Denzel Mahoney (19 at Southeast Missouri State).
   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 then-head coach Steve Merfeld).
   Consecutive Games With a 3FG, Creighton History
   Streak   Name   Dates
   33   Ty-Shon Alexander   2/27/18 to 3/6/19
   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
   23   Mitch Ballock   11/12/19 to Present
   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
   20   Marcus Zegarowski   2/20/19 to 12/17/19
Junior Jumpers
Mitch Ballock and Ty-Shon Alexander continue to shoot the ball at a rate rarely seen by juniors at Creighton.
   Ballock has made 75 three-pointers this season, while Alexander has drained 58 treys. Both men could break the existing program record for three-pointers made by a junior of 82 by Tad Ackerman in 1994-95.
Most 3-Pointers Made by a Creighton Junior
   3FG-FGA   3FG%   Name   Year
   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
   75-166   .452   Mitch Ballock   2019-20
   73-214   .341   Marcus Foster   2016-17
   67-194   .345   Ryan Sears   1999-00
   67-176   .381   Terrell Taylor   2001-02
   67-143   .469   Nate Funk   2004-05
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
   97-266   .365   Ty-Shon Alexander   2018-19
   95-230   .413   Marcus Foster   2017-18
   95-227   .419   Mitch Ballock   2018-19
   91-191   .476   Boooker Woodfox*   2008-09
   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
   75-166   .452   Mitch Ballock   2019-20
*Conference Player of the Year
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
   3.125   100   32   Kyle Korver   2001-02
   3.125   75   24   Mitch Ballock   2019-20
   2.88   95   33   Marcus Foster   2017-18
Ballock Reaches 200 Treys
Mitch Ballock leads Creighton with 75 three-point baskets this season, which gives him 214 in his Bluejay career. That puts him in fifth place in program history in that category.
   Ballock has joined Kyle Korver and Ethan Wragge as the only Bluejays to reach that milestone as juniors. Korver ended his junior year with 242 treys, while Wragge had 234 trifectas after his junior campaign.
   Ballock ranks 14th nationally with 75 three-pointers made and sixth in three-point percentage (.452), one of two players nationally in the top-12 of both categories.
   Also moving into the top-10 in program history recently was junior guard Ty-Shon Alexander. He's in ninth place with 187 trifectas.
Most Career 3FG, Creighton History
Rank      3FG   Name   Years
   1.   371   Kyle Korver   1999-03
   2.   334   Ethan Wragge   2009-14
   3.   274   Doug McDermott   2010-14
   4.   245   Ryan Sears   1997-01
   5.   214   Mitch Ballock   2017-Pres.
   6.   212   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   7.   206   Jahenns Manigat   2010-14
   8.   200   Nate Funk   2002-07
   9.   187   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-Pres.
   10.   185   Matt Roggenburk   1986-90
Iron Man Mitch
Junior Mitch Ballock leads the BIG EAST with 36.42 minutes per game, a number that soars to 38.36 minutes per contest in league play, as he's played all but 18 minutes in CU's first 11 league games. CU is the nation's only team with three men averaging 34.9 minutes per game or more, but no Bluejay has led a conference in minutes per game (all games) since at least 1996-97.
   Here's the league's top five players in minutes per game.
BIG EAST Minutes Per Game Leaders
   Rank   Name, Team   G   MIN   MPG
   1.   Mitch Ballock, CU   24   874   36.42
   2.   Charlie Moore, DPU   24   859   35.79
   3.   Marcus Zegarowski, CU   24   846   35.25
   4.   Ty-Shon Alexander, CU   24   839   34.96
   5.   Naji Marshall, XU   23   799   34.74
Creighton Minutes Per Game Leaders Since 1994-95
   Rank   MPG   Name   Year
   1.   36.4   Mitch Ballock   2019-20
   2.   35.7   Antoine Young   2010-11
   3.   35.2   Marcus Zegarowski   2019-20
   4.   35.033   Edward St. Fleur   1996-97
   5.   35.030   Ryan Sears   1999-00
   6.   34.96   Ty-Shon Alexander   2019-20
   7.   34.5   Nate Funk   2006-07
   8.   33.84   Ryan Sears   2000-01
   9.   33.79   Austin Chatman   2014-15
   10.   33.7   Doug McDermott   2013-14
Perfect 10
There were 53 head coaches hired nationwide prior to the 2010-11 season, including Creighton's Greg McDermott and Seton Hall's Kevin Willard. Only 17 of those men still remain in their current role.
   Here's the record of those 17 men, through games of Feb. 9, 2020. McDermott is third on that list in NCAA trips, and second on that list in wins trailing only his predecessor at Creighton, Dana Altman.
W-LÂ Â Â Name, School (NCAA Trips)
253-101Â Â Â Dana Altman, Oregon (6)
225-115Â Â Â Greg McDermott, Creighton (5)
208-128Â Â Â Tad Boyle, Colorado (4)
206-120Â Â Â Tim Cluess, Iona (6)
203-138Â Â Â Russell Turner, UC Irvine (2)
194-125Â Â Â Leon Rice, Boise State (2)
194-133Â Â Â Jason Hooten, Sam Houston State
191-139Â Â Â Fran McCaffrey, Iowa (4)
188-133Â Â Â Kevin Willard, Seton Hall (4)
184-139Â Â Â Bob Marlin, Louisiana-Lafayette (1)
182-150Â Â Â Andy Toole, Robert Morris (1)
180-139Â Â Â Brad Brownell, Clemson (2)
177-140Â Â Â Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo
162-151Â Â Â Greg Lansing, Indiana State (1)
143-165Â Â Â Glenn Braica, St. Francis (NY)
137-175Â Â Â John Gallagher, Hartford
118-191Â Â Â Keith Richard, Louisiana-Monroe
Creighton & Seton Hall To The Wire
Creighton and Seton Hall have met 12 times in the regular-season since becoming BIG EAST rivals. Three of those games have been decided by a single point.
   Creighton won a Feb. 3, 2014 meeting in Omaha by a 72-71 margin, then lost heartbreakers to the Pirates on Jan. 10, 2015 in Omaha (68-67) and on Feb. 28, 2015 in Newark (67-66).
   Creighton is 81-75 all-time in games decided by a single point, including an 8-8 mark under Greg McDermott.
   Since the reconfiguration of BIG EAST to 10 teams, there are 45 possible match-up combinations. Only seven of them have had multiple one-point games.
   Also worth noting...there have been just three league games decided by one point this season (DePaul/Providence; Georgetown/St. John's; Providence/Marquette).
Most 1-Point Games, BIG EAST Rivals, Since 2013-14
   Qty.   Match-up
   4   Marquette - Providence
   3   Creighton - Seton Hall
   3   Seton Hall - St. John's
   2   Creighton - Xavier
   2   Seton Hall - Villanova
   2   Marquette - St. John's
   2   DePaul - Providence
   1   (15 combinations)
Six Shooters
Creighton had six players score in double-figures in Saturday's victory over St. John's.
   It was the first time Creighton had six men with 10 or more points since a win over Midland on Dec. 29, 2019, the first time against a Division I foe since Dec. 20, 2017 (vs. USC Upstate) and the first time it's happened in league play since a win vs. Illinois State on Feb. 1, 2012.
   Saturday's game vs. St. John's also saw Creighton finish with four men (Denzel Mahoney, Marcus Zegarowski, Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitch Ballock) make three or more three-pointers since Jan. 9, 2019 vs. No. 21 Marquette (Zegarowski, Alexander, Ballock and Davion Mintz).
Aww, Shoot
Creighton shot 60.3 percent against St. John's on Saturday, its best shooting performance of the season.
   Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, it's the 24th time that Creighton has shot 60 percent or better in a game.
   Other than Creighton, only Gonzaga (28) has done it more than 21 times in those 10 years.
3-Pointers, By Average
Creighton has made 9.29 three-pointers per game so far this season, it fourth-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 seven completed seasons on this list ended with 20 or more wins, and six of them resulted in a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton's Most 3-Pointers Per Game in a Season
   3FG/G   Season   3FG   GP   W-L (Postseason)
   10.63   2018-19    372   35   20-15 (NIT)
   10.39   2017-18   343   33   21-12 (NCAA)
   10.17   2013-14   356   35   27-8 (NCAA)
   9.29   2019-20   223   24   18-6 so far
   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)
Road Warriors
Creighton is 3-3 on the road in BIG EAST play, with all three victories coming by 10 or more points (by 12 at Xavier, by 15 at DePaul, by 15 at Villanova).
   There have been only five other occasions this season in which a road team has won a BIG EAST game by 10 points or more...once each by Butler (at Providence), Seton Hall (at Xavier), St. John's (at DePaul), Villanova (at St. John's) and Xavier (at Seton Hall).
   This season marks the first time Creighton owns three conference road wins of 10 or more points since 2016-17 (at St. John's, at Providence, at DePaul). CU hasn't had four such wins in the same campaign since 2013-14 (at Seton Hall, at DePaul, at Villanova, at Marquette).
   Creighton still has road games remaining at No. 10 Seton Hall, at St. John's and at No. 18 Marquette.
Schedule Flips In CU's Favor
All 10 teams in the BIG EAST enter this week with exactly seven conference games left. Home teams are 31-24 in BIG EAST play to date.
   Creighton leads the BIG EAST with 13 home wins this season, and are 18-1 in its last 19 home games against all teams. The Bluejays are 37-24 all-time in BIG EAST home games, including an 18-6 mark against the four teams that still will visit Omaha.
   However, Creighton and Providence are the only BIG EAST programs that will play four of its final six games at home.
A Grand For Alexander
Ty-Shon Alexander is now 34th in Creighton history on the all-time scoring list with 1,110 points. He is five points behind Doug Brookins (1972-75) and Daryl Stovall (1978-82) for 32nd place and six behind Kenny Evans (1982-87) for 31st.
   Mitch Ballock owns 936 career points and is up to 48th on Creighton's scoring list. He's three points away from reaching Cyril Baptiste (1969-71), who ranks 47th.
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
      1,115   Daryl Stovall   1978-82
   34.   1,110   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-Pres.
   35.   1,093   Tim Powers   1964-67
   36.   1,050   Reggie Morris   1982-86
   37.   1,031   Johnny Mathies   2003-06
   38.   1,024   P'Allen Stinnett   2007-10
   39.   1,023   Rod Mason   1986-88
   40.   1,013   Austin Chatman   2011-15
   41.   1,006   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
   42.   1,004   Anthony Tolliver   2003-07
   43.   994   Chuck Officer   1960-62, 1963-64
   44.   979   Terrell Taylor   1999-02
   45.   967   David Wesely   1975-79
   46.   965   Fritz Pointer   1963-66
   47.   939   Cyril Baptiste   1969-71
   48.   936   Mitch Ballock   2017-Pres.
   49.   931   Cornell Smith   1973-77
   50.   921   Jim Berry   1955-59
Alexander Surpasses 1,000 Points
Ty-Shon Alexander became the 42nd member of Creighton's 1,000 point club on Jan. 15 at Georgetown.
   Alexander, needed 85 career games to reach the milestone as he became the first Bluejay to reach 1,000 points 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 18 Bluejays
Name   CU Games to 1,000 pts.    Date
Ty-Shon Alexander   85   01/15/20
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
Alexander In Final 10 For Jerry West Award
Creighton's Ty-Shon Alexander is one of 10 men on the watch list for the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Feb. 4th.
   Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel narrowed down the watch list from 20 to just 10 candidates.
   Alexander is one of three BIG EAST representatives on the candidate list, as he's joined by Kamar Baldwin (Butler) and Myles Powell (Seton Hall).
   Fan voting for the award is underway at
http://www.hoophallawards.com/men/vote.php.
1 Game And Counting
Creighton's bench has scored 346 points this season, an average of 14.2 points per contest.
   However, last Wednesday at Providence, the Bluejay reserve corps was held scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting in a combined 32 minutes.
   It marked the first time since a 68-62 win at Drake on February 24, 1986, that Creighton's reserves were held without a point. On that night, Creighton's bench logged just one total minute by Keith Smith, as starters Gary Swain, Ed Johansen, Kenny Evans and Reggie Morris played all 40 minutes and Renard Edwards logged 39 minutes.
   Since that 1986 evening, Creighton had played 1,082 games while making 24 postseason appearances (including 14 NCAA Tournaments) and won six regular-season league titles and 10 league tournaments.
The Avengers
Creighton had nine BIG EAST losses last season en route to tying for a third-place finish in league play. This year's team has played six of those same teams at the same site, and won four of them.
   Creighton lost at Seton Hall last season in Newark, and will look to return the favor on Wednesday.
Category   2018-19   2019-20
Marquette   Lost 106-104 (OT)   Won 92-75
at Butler   Lost 84-69   Lost 71-57
Villanova   Lost 90-78   Lost 64-59
at Xavier   Lost 64-61   Won 77-65
at Villanova   Lost 66-59 (OT)   Won 76-61
St. John's   Lost 83-67   Won 94-82
at Seton Hall   Lost 63-58   Feb. 12
at St. John's   Lost 83-66   March 1
Seton Hall   Lost 81-75   March 7
Bonus From The Bench
Denzel Mahoney scored a season-high 21 points in Creighton's game at Villanova on Feb. 1.
   It was the most points by any Bluejay reserve in any game this winter, and the most by a Bluejay sub since Mitch Ballock scored 22 points in a win over No. 23 UCLA on Nov. 20, 2017.
   Despite being held scoreless at Providence last Wednesday, Mahoney has still averaged 14.1 points per game over CU's last eight contests, which includes seven double-figure performances.
   Mahoney's 21 points at No. 8 Villanova were the most ever by a Creighton reserve in a victory over a top-10 opponent under Greg McDermott.
   After being outscored 216-137 off the bench in the first 10 games of the season, the Bluejay reserves have outscored foes 203-176 since Mahoney became eligible on Dec. 17th.
Live By The 3, Thrive By The 3
Since Greg McDermott was hired, Creighton has made 3,017 three-pointers in 340 games. The Bluejays became the second team to reach 3,000 trifectas since the start of the 2010-11 season, trailing only Belmont (3,185).
Most 3FG Made Since 2010-11 (thru 2/9/2020)
Rk.   Team   3FG   Team W-L
1.   Belmont   3,185   243-82
2.   Creighton   3,017   225-115
3.   Michigan   2,970   246-106
4.   Iona   2,967   207-120
5.   Villanova   2,959   262-82
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 Feb. 9, 2020
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
3FG Made   3,017   2nd
Assists   5,503   3rd
3FG Percentage   .384   4th
FG Percentage   .480   5th
FG Made   9,261   9th
Wins   225   30th
Winning Percentage   .662   38th
The Race To 70
Creighton has scored 70 or more points in 17 of its 18 victories this season, and is 17-1 when reaching that plateau this winter.
   Creighton has scored 72 points or more in all five BIG EAST wins over Seton Hall since joining the league, and average 80.4 points in five wins compared to 71.1 points in eight setbacks to the Pirates.
   Creighton is also 10-1 this season when allowing fewer than 70 points. CU has allowed an average of 68.4 points in its five wins in the BIG EAST era vs. Seton Hall, compared to 76.5 per contest in eight losses versus the Pirates.
Canfield Earns Scholarship
Jett Canfield was surprised with a scholarship for the 2019-20 season during a team huddle at practice at The Palestra on February 3rd.
   Canfield is Topeka, Kan., native who redshirted with the Bluejays a year ago.
   Upon learning the news, Canfield's teammates mobbed the freshman guard before he embraced head coach Greg McDermott in a warm hug.
Foul Stripe Fun
This season, Creighton has made 152 free throws in BIG EAST play, while its opponents have attempted just 149 (making 114).
   Creighton is 12-0 this season in all games when owning as many or more free throw makes than the opposition has attempted, and won its last 15 games overall when that occurs.
History After 24 Games
Creighton has started 18-6 to date. It's the 12th time in the past 23 seasons that Creighton has won at least 18 of its first 24 games.
   Of the 11 most recent teams to start 18-6 or better, eight made the NCAA Tournament and three others reached the NIT.
   This is the sixth time under Greg McDermott that Creighton has started 18-6 or better after exactly 24 games. All five previous teams would advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Records After 24 Games Under Greg McDermott
W-L   Year   Postseason   Final W-L
18-6Â Â Â 2019-20Â Â Â TBDÂ Â Â TBD
13-11Â Â Â 2018-19Â Â Â NITÂ Â Â 20-15
18-6Â Â Â 2017-18Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 21-12
20-4Â Â Â 2016-17Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 25-10
15-9Â Â Â 2015-16Â Â Â NITÂ Â Â 20-15
11-13   2014-15   None   14-19
20-4Â Â Â 2013-14Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 27-8
20-4Â Â Â 2012-13Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 28-8
21-3Â Â Â 2011-12Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 29-6
14-10Â Â Â 2010-11Â Â Â CBIÂ Â Â 23-16
Toe The Line
Ty-Shon Alexander ranks third in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage, draining 95-of-111 attempts (85.6 percent).
   Alexander has attempted 13 free throws in Creighton's six losses (2.2 attempts per loss), and 98 foul shots in CU's 18 victories (5.44 attempts per win).
   Creighton is 8-0 this season when Alexander attempts six or more free throws this season and has won the last 12 games dating to last season when that has happened.
Win Over Xavier Completes BIG EAST Sweep
A January 26th victory over Xavier means that Creighton has now swept both regular-season meetings against all nine opponents in the BIG EAST at least once since the league's reconfiguration in 2013-14.
   Besides Creighton, the only other school that can claim that is Villanova.
   Since the league's reconfiguration only two teams have won both regular-season meetings in the same year against Villanova even once.
   Creighton did it in 2013-14, while Butler did so in 2016-17.
Pink Out Sets Records
In addition to bringing nationwide attention to the fight against cancer during the January 26th Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out, the Bluejays also raised $60,000 (nearly $32,000 in the jersey auction and more than $28,000 via in-person donations or on-line).
   Nationally, the Suits and Sneakers fundraising campaign has raised nearly $115,000 in the last few weeks. More than half of that has come in support of the Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out.
   Additional donations are still being accepted at GoCreighton.com/HopeLodge.
Midterm Report
Creighton started 6-3 in the BIG EAST, owning a winning percentage over .500 at the midway point in league play for the 22nd time in the past 24 seasons.
   Entering this season Creighton has gone 5-4 or better in the second half of league action in 20 of the last 24 years.
   Entering this season Creighton has made the postseason each of the 20 most recent times it's been 5-4 or better at the midway point, and missed one of the two times it wasn't in that span.
   Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC/BIG EAST season since 1995-96.
Year   1st Half   2nd Half
2019-20Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 1-1 so far
2018-19Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 5-4
2017-18Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 4-5
2016-17Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 4-5
2015-16Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 4-5
2014-15Â Â Â 1-8Â Â Â 3-6
2013-14Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 6-3
2012-13Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 6-3
2011-12Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 6-3
2010-11Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4
2009-10Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4
2008-09Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 9-0
2007-08Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4
2006-07Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 7-2
2005-06Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 5-4
2004-05Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 6-3
2003-04Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â 5-4
2002-03Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 7-2
2001-02Â Â Â 8-1Â Â Â 6-3
2000-01Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 9-0
1999-00Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 6-3
1998-99Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â 5-4
1997-98Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 7-2
1996-97Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â 5-4
1995-96Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â 5-4
Total   142-83 (.631)   136-82 (.624)
CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Marcus Zegarowski's go-ahead three-pointer with 3.2 seconds left on Jan. 18th helped beat Providence, and was the latest game-winner in a Bluejay win at home since some heroics from Doug McDermott against St. John's in 2014.
   It was the third time in the last five Omaha meetings between Creighton and Providence that has seen a game-winner in the final five seconds.
   Before Jan. 18th, Creighton's last win at any site when trailing by five or more points in the final 90 seconds of regulation or an overtime was on March 18, 2008 vs. Rhode Island.
   Creighton is now 8-8 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
01/18/20   Providence   W 78-74   Zegarowski 3FG   :3.2
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
03/20/06Â Â Â Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â L 53-52Â Â Â G. Diaz FTÂ Â Â :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
Sweet Home (Away From Home) Chicago
Creighton has won at DePaul each of the last seven seasons (including 2019-20), just the second different opponent in program history that the Jays have beaten on the road in seven or more consecutive campaigns.
   Creighton also beat Grinnell in seven straight seasons from 1929-30 to 1935-36.
   Since the BIG EAST reconfigured, the only other road team to be 6-0 or 7-0 against another league foe is Villanova (6-0) at DePaul.
More Points = Better Results
Creighton has averaged 74.69 points against Seton Hall since the start of the 2013-14 season.
   That ranks CU's fifth-highest average against any team in the BIG EAST, which could be one reason that CU is 5-8 against the Pirates in that span.
PPG   Opponent   CU W-L
81.47   DePaul   14-1
77.92   Marquette   6-7
76.23   St. John's   9-4
75.59   Xavier   9-8
74.69   Seton Hall   5-8
72.36   Georgetown   7-7
72.00   Villanova   4-11
71.31   Butler   7-6
68.88   Providence   7-10
200,00 Fans, Again
With 239,421 fans to date, this season marks the 15th straight season that Creighton has surpassed 200,000 home fans.
   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.
Multiple Choices
Creighton had five men score in double-figures on in BIG EAST road wins at Xavier (Jan. 11) and at DePaul (Jan. 22). CU then had six double-figure scorers on Feb. 8 vs. St. John's
   The Bluejays have had five or more men score 10 or more points in the same game six times this year.
   Creighton has won 11 straight games when five or more players score in double-digits.
McDermott Climbs BIG EAST Charts
Greg McDermott owns 63 career regular-season BIG EAST wins, which ranks 21st in league history, and six more victories than both Chris Mack and Mick Cronin.
    Of the 25 men with 50 or more regular-season BIG EAST wins, McDermott's .529 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.
McDermott Earned 500th Career Win
Greg McDermott earned his 500th career victory as a head coach during the Jan. 11 game at Xavier. He's won 50 or more games at four different schools. His 500th win came in his 808th game, and his 26th season as a head coach.
   McDermott then received a standing ovation on Jan. 18 when he was recognized for the achievement prior to CU's next home game.
   Including McDermott, only 27 active Division I men's coaches, and only 60 active men's coaches across all levels, own 500 or more career victories.
Greg McDermott's Milestone Victories
Date   Career W-L   Opponent & Site   Score
01/14/00Â Â Â 100-50Â Â Â Moorhead State at WSCÂ Â Â 92-59
11/23/05   200-117   UNI at Western Michigan   69-63
03/15/11Â Â Â 300-209Â Â Â San Jose State at CUÂ Â Â 85-74
02/24/15   400-248   CU at DePaul   75-62
01/11/20   500-308   CU at Xavier   77-65
Most Career Wins Among Active Division I Coaches
(Through Feb. 9, 2020)
Rank   W-L   Coach, Current School
   1.   1152-347   Mike Krzyzewski, Duke  Â
   2.   960-394   Jim Boeheim, Syracuse  Â
   3.   881-247   Roy Williams, North Carolina  Â
   4.   878-367   Bob Huggins, West Virginia  Â
   5.   777-513   Cliff Ellis, Coastal Carolina  Â
   6.   726-214   John Calipari, Kentucky
   7.   705-374   Rick Barnes, Tennessee  Â
   8.   700-214   Bill Self, Kansas  Â
   9.   663-345   Dana Altman, Oregon  Â
   10.   656-443   Jim Larranaga, Miami, FL  Â
   11.   654-417   Lon Kruger, Oklahoma  Â
   12.   635-327   Kelvin Sampson, Houston  Â
   13.   624-474   Greg Kampe, Oakland  Â
   14.   622-240   Tom Izzo, Michigan State  Â
   15.   620-334   Tubby Smith, High Point  Â
   16.   602-308   Steve Alford, Nevada  Â
   17.   593-123   Mark Few, Gonzaga  Â
   18.   589-361   Bob McKillop, Davidson  Â
   19.   587-266   Jay Wright, Villanova  Â
   20.   583-219   Bruce Pearl, Auburn
   21.   578-301   Danny Kaspar, Texas State
   22.   554-429   Leonard Hamilton, Florida State
   23.   543-327   Lennie Acuff, Lipscomb
   24.   531-281   Mike Brey, Notre Dame
   25.   519-202   Gregg Marshall, Wichita State
   26.   507-369   Jeff Jones, Old Dominion
   27.   505-310   Greg McDermott, Creighton
Second Half Star
In CU's Jan. 11 win at Xavier, Christian Bishop had all 10 of his points in the second half.
   This season, Bishop has averaged 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds on 50.8 percent shooting in the first half, but 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game after halftime on 61.9 percent shooting.
   Bishop has been held scoreless in the first half six times this season (Kennesaw State, North Florida, UTRGV, Arizona State and both games vs. Xavier), and Creighton has won all six games. In those six contests, he's averaged 8.0 points on 74.2 percent shooting from the field after the break, including three games where he's scored in double-digits.
   Creighton is 9-2 this season when Bishop scores in double-figures and 6-0 when he's scoreless at halftime.
Defending The Line
Creighton is holding foes to 30.4 percent shooting from three-point range, a key reason why the Bluejays have out-scored foes by 150 points behind the arc.
   Creighton had held 16 consecutive foes under 40 percent from downtown before Providence shot 12-of-20 (60 percent) last Wednesday vs. CU.
   Bluejay opponents are shooting 28.1 percent from downtown when CU wins, but 38.3 percent from deep in CU losses.
   The 30.4 percent shooting from three-point range by CU opponents is on pace to be the second-best mark in program history. In fact, the only time CU held foes under 31 percent from deep was in 1995-96 (29.2%).
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.
   In those 14 contests, Jefferson has averaged 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while Mahoney checks in at 12.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest.
   Jefferson has scored nine or more points in 10 of the last 13 games, while Mahoney has reached double-figures in 11 of his 14 contests.
   Jefferson was 6-for-6 from the field on Jan. 22 at DePaul. It was the most attempts by a Creighton player without a miss since Jacob Epperson was 7-for-7 on Feb. 17, 2018 vs. Marquette.
Eight Was Enough
Creighton had an eight-game winning streak snapped at Butler on January 4th, 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, 2016Â Â Â #1 Villanova, 80-70
11 - Dec. 31, 2011 - Feb. 1, 2012Â Â Â at Northern Iowa, 65-62
11 - Dec. 1, 2012 - Jan. 15, 2013Â Â Â at Wichita State, 67-64
10 - Dec. 3, 2013 - Jan. 14, 2014Â Â Â at Providence, 81-68
8 - Feb. 14 - March 16, 2012Â Â Â vs. #4 North Carolina, 87-73
8 - Nov. 29, 2019 - Jan. 1, 2020Â Â Â at #11 Butler, 71-57
7 - Nov. 11 - Dec. 4, 2011Â Â Â 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 the Pacers' Jan. 4 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)
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 165 assists and just 75 turnovers.
   Creighton's 10.9 turnovers per game is the second-best mark in the BIG EAST.
   Creighton is 8-0 this year when Ty-Shon Alexander does not have a turnover, and 6-1 when Christian Bishop plays turnover-free ball.
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, and he now owns 12 assists against just one turnover.
   Through games of February 9th, Canfield is the only player in the nation with 12 or more assists and one turnover or less.
   Canfield is also one of two players in the nation to have played 111 minutes or more with one turnover or less.
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
1994-95Â Â Â 0-2Â Â Â -
1995-96Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â -
1996-97Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â Florida
1997-98Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â Nebraska
1998-99Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â Iowa, Baylor, Oklahoma State
1999-00Â Â Â 3-0Â Â Â Iowa, Baylor, Nebraska
2000-01Â Â Â 2-0Â Â Â Providence, Nebraska
2001-02Â Â Â 1-0Â Â Â Nebraska
2002-03Â Â Â 2-0Â Â Â Notre Dame, Nebraska
2003-04Â Â Â 1-0Â Â Â Nebraska
2004-05Â Â Â 3-0Â Â Â Missouri, Ohio State, Nebraska
2005-06Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â Nebraska
2006-07Â Â Â 0-1Â Â Â -
2007-08Â Â Â 2-0Â Â Â DePaul, Nebraska
2008-09Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â DePaul
2009-10Â Â Â 1-1Â Â Â Nebraska
2010-11Â Â Â 0-3Â Â Â -
2011-12Â Â Â 3-0Â Â Â Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern
2012-13Â Â Â 4-0Â Â Â Wisconsin, Arizona State, Nebraska, Cal
2013-14Â Â Â 3-0Â Â Â Arizona State, Nebraska, Cal
2014-15Â Â Â 2-1Â Â Â Oklahoma, Nebraska
2015-16Â Â Â 2-3Â Â Â Rutgers, Nebraska
2016-17Â Â Â 6-0Â Â Â Wisconsin, Washington St., NC St., Ole Miss, Nebraska, Arizona St.
2017-18Â Â Â 3-1Â Â Â Northwestern, UCLA, Nebraska
2018-19Â Â Â 1-3Â Â Â Clemson
2019-20Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â Texas Tech, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arizona St.
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
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.
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.
Mahoney Makes Debut
The Dec. 17 win vs. Oklahoma marked the first appearance in a Creighton uniform for Denzel Mahoney, who gained 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. Of those men, only Marcus Foster also had 14 points or more in his next 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.
Getting Defensive
Creighton has held 10-of-24 opponents under 40 percent this season after doing it a total of seven times in 35 games a year ago.
   Creighton is 93-17 (.845) 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 41.7 percent shooting (its' best since .407 in 2012-13), a figure that ranks 122nd-best nationally.
   The best finish by one of McDermott's Creighton teams in field goal percentage defense is 77th by the 2012-13 club.
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 10 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.
   Only two players in program history have ever made 50 three-pointers while blocking more than 10 shots in a season. Kyle Korver did it three times (129/23 in 2002-03; 76/16 in 2001-02; 100/14 in 2000-01) and Rodney Buford (58/18 in 1996-97).
   Ballock currently owns 75 trifectas and 10 blocked shots.
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 one of five players in the nation 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 5.1 assists per game and second with 15.9 points 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.
   Zegarowski's 10 assists at DePaul on Jan. 22 tied his career-high, first done against DePaul on March 9, 2019.
Alexander The Great
Ty-Shon Alexander is first on the Creighton team in rebounds per game (5.6) and also leads the way 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   5.6
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 187-for-460 (40.7 percent) as a group from deep.
   Alexander, Ballock and Zegarowski are one of three trios in the country with 54 or more three-pointers through games of February 9th, joining the North Florida grouping of Carter Hendricksen, Garrett Sams, J.T. Escobar and Ivan Gandia-Rosa and the Akron trio of Channel Banks, Loren Jackson and Xeyrius Williams. 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 two players nationally to have made 75 or more three-pointers while shooting 45.0 percent or better from deep.
   Creighton is 19-3 all-time when Alexander, Ballock and Zegarowski all score in double-figures, including a 12-1 mark this winter with 12 straight victories. The trio had combined for at least 50 percent of Creighton's points in 21 of CU's last 25 contests dating to last season.
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 15.9 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.
   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
   16.8   Rick Apke   1975-76
   16.7   Bob Harstad   1988-89
   16.2   Benoit Benjamin   1983-84
   15.9   Marcus Zegarowski   2019-20
   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 875 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 6,858 trifectas, an average of 7.84 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 241 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 246 consecutive contests (since 0-7 at Drake on 1/23/13).
   The Bluejays are also 17-1 this year when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 1-5 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:   4 times   2: 15 times   3: 31 times
4:   69 times   5:  95 times   6: 90 times
7:  134 times   8:  111 times   9: 85 times
10: 72 times   11: 50 times   12: 47 times
13: 40 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
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 875 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the nation's 16th-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 2/9)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,095   UNLV   2/12
   2.   1,082   Duke   2/10
   3.   1,034   Arkansas   2/11
   4.   1,031   Western Kentucky   2/13
   5.   1,018   East Tennessee State   2/12
   6.   1,007   Pacific   2/13
   7.   994   Oakland   2/13
   8.   988   Texas   2/10
   9.   951   Princeton   2/14
   10.   940   Marshall   2/13
   11.   924   Baylor   2/10
   12.   912   Gonzaga   2/15
   13.   899   Long Island   2/13
   14.   880   Mount St. Mary's   2/13
   15.   878   Cornell   2/14
   16.   875   Creighton   2/12
   17.   868   Tennessee State   2/12
   18.   866   East Carolina   2/13
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 16.4 points per game this season for Creighton, as well as 5.6 rebounds per game. The Charlotte, N.C., native is shooting 38.9 percent from three-point range and 85.6 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.
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 during the last 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 15 of these notes.
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 290 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 82 of those contests, a staggering 28.3 percent of the time.
    Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is Â
142-33 and hasn't trailed in 57 of those games.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 81.02 points per home game (14,179 points in 175 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.99 points in non-conference home games (7,564 points in 89 home games).
   Creighton is 112-5 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
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.
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 18-6 start after going to Australia in August.
   A 2015 trip to Italy helped the Bluejays 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 this season is nine, as the Jays overcame an early 17-8 hole to defeat North Florida on Nov. 24.
   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
16Â Â Â TCUÂ Â Â 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 (Sacramento Kings), Doug McDermott (Indiana Pacers, Justin Patton (Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks) and Khyri Thomas (Detroit Pistons) have all been 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 2,428 three-pointers and is ninth in league history with 42.87 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 41.4 percent from three-point range this season (17th in the NBA) and averages 6.5 points per game. Korver became Creighton's all-time leading scorer in NBA play on January 14 vs. New York with a three-pointer to surpass Paul Silas' previous high of 11,782 points.
   Tolliver is averaging 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game this season. He was traded from Portland to Sacramento on January 18th.
   McDermott is in his sixth season in the NBA, and second with the Indiana Pacers. He is averaging 10.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game this year while shooting 44.2 percent from three-point range (fourth-best in the NBA this season). He also ranks 20th in NBA history in career three-point percentage (.4119). 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 has spent time in five organizations since being the 16th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He signed with the Thunder in August and played in five games this season for Oklahoma City, averaging 1.8 points per game in limited minutes. He has also spent time with the OKC Blue in the G-League, where he played for former Bluejay Grant Gibbs. He was traded on January 24th to the Dallas Mavericks organization, then released, and has cleared waivers.
   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 and has not seen the NBA floor since.
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 290 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 17-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 239-51 (.824) 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 22,673-19,024 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.58 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 82 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 142-33 (.811) 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 258-51 (.835) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Full House
Creighton is averaging 17,102 fans per home game this season, good for fifth 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 (2/9)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Syracuse   20,764   2/11
   2.   Kentucky   20,065   2/15
   3.   North Carolina   19,802   2/15
   4.   Tennessee   18,934   2/11
   5.   Creighton   17,102   2/15
   6.   Wisconsin   16,840   2/18
   7.   Kansas   16,417   2/15
   8.   Louisville   16,282   2/19
   9.   Memphis   16,189   2/19
   10.   Indiana   16,054   2/13
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McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 225 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.   225-115   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
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
   17,102   Creighton   2019-20
   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
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
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:Â Â Â 3rd
2001-02:Â Â Â 3rd
2002-03:Â Â Â 5th
2003-04:Â Â Â 4th
2004-05:Â Â Â 2nd
2005-06:Â Â Â 3rd
2006-07:Â Â Â 5th
2007-08:Â Â Â 5th
2008-09:Â Â Â 4th
2009-10:Â Â Â 3rd
2010-11:Â Â Â 1st
2011-12:Â Â Â 2nd
2012-13:Â Â Â 2nd
2013-14:Â Â Â 4th
2014-15:Â Â Â 3rd
2015-16:Â Â Â 4th
2016-17:Â Â Â 3rd
2017-18:Â Â Â 2nd
2018-19Â Â Â 5th
2019-20:Â Â Â 1st
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballMeet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Ty Davis
Friday, August 15
