Saturday, March 7
Omaha, Neb.
1:30 PM
Creighton University
vs
Seton Hall
Marcus Zegarowski
Photo by: Porter Binks
#11 Men's Basketball Hosts #8 Seton Hall With BIG EAST Regular-Season Title At Stake
3/5/2020 7:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Winner earns No. 1 seed in next week's BIG EAST Tournament
Download Notes as a PDF
Game #31: #8 Seton Hall Pirates at #11 Creighton Bluejays
Saturday March 7, 2020 • 1:30 p.m.
CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM; www.1620thezone.com; KOOO 101.9 FM
Television: FOX (Kevin Kugler, Donny Marshall)
Series History: Seton Hall leads, 14-7
Last Meeting: #23 Creighton 87, #10 Seton Hall 82 on Feb. 12, 2020 in Newark, N.J.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | SOLD OUT
Next Game
No. 11 Creighton (23-7, 12-5 BIG EAST) plays for a share of its first BIG EAST title on Saturday when it hosts No. 8 Seton Hall (21-8, 13-4 BIG EAST) on March 7, 2020.
   Tip-off at First National Bank Court inside CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb., is set for 1:30 p.m.
Saturday's Promotion
Bluejay fans are encouraged to wear white for senior day as 6,000 shirts will be distributed at the main entrance only by Lawlor's Custom Sportswear and Kelly's Carpet of Omaha. In addition, 10,000 white pom pons will be available at the main, plaza and crossover entrances.
   Fans are also invited to stick around following the the game as the contributions of Kelvin Jones, Jordan Scurry and managers Ian Kirwan, Brady Happe and Matt Sherlock are recognized.
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 Brody Deren will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's tilt will be televised on FOX. Kevin Kugler and Donny Marshall will be on the call.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Saturday's game will be available via FOXSportsGo.com for desktop users, and via the FOX Sports Go app for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Window devices). A cable authorization may be required.
   The FOX Sports GO mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store or the Windows Store, and the games are now available internationally.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
   Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting #11 Creighton
Creighton is 23-7 overall and 12-5 in the BIG EAST. The Bluejays are 10-2 in the past 12 games, including road wins at No. 8 Villanova (76-61 on Feb. 1), at No. 10 Seton Hall (87-82 on Feb. 12) and at No. 19 Marquette (73-65 on Feb. 18) in February. Picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll, CU is tied for second place with one game to play.
   Creighton ranks tied for sixth nationally with eight Quadrant 1 wins this season thanks to victories over No. 12 Texas Tech (83-76 in OT on Nov. 29), at Arizona State (67-60 on Dec. 21), Marquette (92-75 on Jan. 1), at Xavier (77-65 on Jan. 11), at No. 8 Villanova (76-61 on Feb. 1), at No. 10 Seton Hall (87-82 on Feb. 12), at No. 19 Marquette (73-65 on Feb. 18) and No. 21 Butler (81-59 on Feb. 23). In addition, CU's five Quad 1 road wins are tied for 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., 5.0 apg.), Ty-Shon Alexander (17.0 ppg., 5.1 rpg.) and Mitch Ballock (12.0 ppg., 5.5 rpg.). The trio have accounted for 239 three-pointers and 57.3 percent of CU's overall points thus far.
   Three other forwards to keep an eye on are Christian Bishop (8.8 ppg., 5.3 rpg.), Damien Jefferson (9.5 ppg., 5.5 rpg.) and Denzel Mahoney (11.8 ppg.).
   Creighton averages 78.4 points per game and holds foes to 70.1 points per contest. CU shoots 38.0 percent from three-point range while draining 9.6 treys per outing and also shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 74.2 percent at the line.
Scouting Seton Hall
Ranked No. 8 nationally, Seton Hall is 21-8 overall and 13-4 in BIG EAST play. The Pirates have clinched at least a share of their first BIG EAST regular-season title since 1992-93 and can claim the outright title with a win in Omaha on Saturday.
   National Player of the Year candidate Myles Powell averages 21.3 points per game and has drilled a team-high 77 three-pointers.
   Fellow guard Quincy McKnight leads the Hall in assists (159) and steals (44) and also ranks second on the team with 11.8 points per game.
   Sandro Mamukelashvili averages 12.2 points and 5.6 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 7.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and has swatted a BIG EAST-leading 94 shots.
   The Pirates average 75.2 points per game and yield 67.6 per contest. SHU shoots 44.6 percent from the floor, 33.4 percent from three-point land and 72.0 percent at the line while outrebounding foes by 0.1 caroms per contest.
The Series With Seton Hall
Seton Hall leads the all-time series with Creighton 14-7, though the teams have split six meetings in Omaha.
   Three of the last 13 meetings at all sites have been one-point contests, including the 2014 and 2015 match-ups in Omaha.
   Greg McDermott is 6-8 against Seton Hall and coach Kevin Willard. Willard is 9-6 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 230-116 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 510-311 in his 26th season and is 379-247 in his 19th Division I campaign. Alan Huss, Paul Lusk and Terrence Rencher assist McDermott.
With A Win...
With a win on Saturday vs. No. 8 Georgetown, Creighton can ...
- Improve to 24-7 on the season.
- Close BIG EAST play with a 13-5 record, one victory shy of its program record 14 done in 2013-14.
- Win a share of its first BIG EAST regular-season men's basketball title, and its first regular-season conference crown since winning the outright Missouri Valley Conference title in 2012-13.
- Clinch the No. 1 seed in next week's BIG EAST Tournament.
- Finish the season 17-1 at home with its BIG EAST-leading seventh straight home win.
- Earn its fourth straight win against a top-10 opponent.
- Improve to 6-2 against top-25 teams this season.
- Improve Greg McDermott to 231-116 as Creighton's head coach.
- Win 24 games or more for the ninth time in program history, and fifth time under Greg McDermott.
Home Season Finale History
Creighton is 22-2 in the last 24 years in its final home game of the regular-season, losing only in 2002 to Drake (when it had no seniors), and in 2015 in the final seconds to Xavier.
   Each of the last 20 Creighton teams to win on Senior Day would go on to reach the postseason.
   Creighton has trailed for a total of 19 seconds during its previous four Senior Day's.
Senior Day is Saturday
Creighton will honor two senior players following Saturday's game, as Kelvin Jones and Jordan Scurry will be recognized along with senior managers Brady Happe, Ian Kirwan and Matt Sherlock.
   Jones is in his first season at Creighton after transferring from Idaho State. He's averaged 3.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while appearing in 27 contests. He is second on the team with 14 blocked shots and is third on the club with 45 offensive rebounds.
   Scurry is finishing up his fourth season with the Bluejays. He's played in 57 games, scoring 58 points and adding 23 rebounds, nine assists and six steals. Twice he was awarded a scholarship in the middle of the season.
   Creighton has appeared in two NCAA Tournaments and the NIT once since Scurry's arrival, with the Jays going a combined 89-44 in that span.
40 Points Possible?
There have only been five efforts of 40 points or more in a game at CHI Health Center Omaha, as Cavel Witter (42 points vs. Bradley on 3/1/08), Evansville's Colt Ryan (43 points at CU on 2/21/12), Doug McDermott (41 points vs. Wichita State on 3/2/13 and 45 points vs. Providence on 3/8/14) and Marquette's Markus Howard (53 points at CU on 1/6/19) have done it.
   Four of those five 40-plus point outings came on a Creighton Senior Day, with Howard's league-record 53-point outburst being the only exception.
    McDermott's 45 points vs. Providence make him the last Bluejay to score 40 or more in a game. No Pirate has scored 40 or more points since Myles Powell had 40 vs. Grand Canyon on Nov. 22, 2018.
   This season, Creighton has not had a player score more than 32 points in any game (Marcus Zegarowski vs. No. 12 Texas Tech).
Senior Citizens
Below is a list of statistics by the Creighton players honored during Senior Day since 2003.
   Only one Bluejay senior since 1998 has posted a double-double on Senior Day, with that being Geoffrey Groselle (22 points, 11 rebounds) in 2015.
Name   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Stl.   Min.
Cashaw-19Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 16
Joseph   3   3   0   0   19
Clement-18Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 14
Foster-18•   20   3   4   4   32
Hegner-18•   7   3   0   0   19
Suarez-18Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 6
Hanson-17•   3   4   0   1   9
Huff-17•   6   7   0   3   27
Zierden-17•   12   1   3   0   28
Groselle-16•   22   11   0   1   26
Milliken-16•   19   4   2   0   28
Kreklow-15•   8   5   2   0   34
Artino-15•   5   1   0   1   12
Chatman-15•   18   2   5   0   38
Brooks-15•   5   3   4   1   20
Dingman-15•   6   0   0   1   23
Oginni-15      Did   Not   Play
Connealy-15      Did   Not   Play
McDermott-14•   45   7   2   0   36
Gibbs-14•   9   0   3   0   18
Manigat-14•   5   4   1   1   34
Wragge-14•   3   1   1   0   25
Echenique-13•   9   4   0   0   26
Stormberg-13Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0+
Kelling-13Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0+
Young-12•   21   3   7   1   39
Dorwart-12      Did   Not   Play
Sebastian-12      Did   Not   Play
R. Ferrarini-12      Did   Not   Play
Lawson-11Â Â Â 11Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 20
Ka. Korver-11•   7   2   5   0   29
Ashford-11Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 15
Runnels-11Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 14
Harriman-11      Did   Not       Play (Hurt)
Carter-10•   17   6   3   0   34
Millard-10      Did   Not       Play (Hurt)
Witter-10Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 21
Woodfox-09•   20   3   1   3   27
Dotzler-09•   6   1   4   2   21
Sitzmann-09      Did   Not   Play
Bahe-08•   9   2   3   0   29
Watts-08•   7   4   0   0   34
Hibma-08•   0   3   0   0   21
Funk-07•   16   0   5   0   34
Tolliver-07•   11   7   2   0   32
Porter-07•   17   4   3   0   25
Gakou-07Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 7
Day-06Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 26
Mathies-06•   18   5   4   7   39
Motz-06Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 12
McKinney-05•   12   4   4   1   29
Miliner-05•   5   2   0   0   21
Dabbert-04Â Â Â 13Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 22
Deren-04•   6   10   2   0   19
Grimes-04•   16   8   2   0   29
Lindeman-04•   15   5   5   0   32
House-03•   28   6   1   0   22
Ky. Korver-03•   13   7   3   1   28
Bowden-03•   4   2   1   2   20
• indicates game started
No. 1 vs. No. 2
First place Seton Hall visits a Creighton team currently tied for second place on Saturday.
   The Pirates are already assured at least a share of its first league title since 1992-93. During that year, SHU had a one-game lead heading into the regular-season finale against second-place St. John's, then drubbed the Johnnies to claim the title.
   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.
Two Of The Best
Seton Hall and Creighton boast some of the best resumes in all of college basketball.
   Here's where they rank in some of the most important metrics.
Category   Creighton   Seton Hall
NET Ranking   12th   14th
Quad 1 Road Wins   5 (T-4th)   7 (1st)
Quad 1 Wins   8 (T-6th)   10 (3rd)
Quad 1 Games Played   15 (T-8th)   16 (T-2nd)
Moving On Up
Creighton was 56 in the initial NET rankings released on Dec. 16, but that figure has surged to a league-best 12th since then.
   Creighton's five Quad 1 road wins are tied for fourth-most in the country, its eight Quad 1 overall wins are tied for the sixth-most and the 15 Quad 1 games played are tied for eighth-most as well.
   Creighton owns an 8-7 mark in Quadrant 1 games and is unbeaten in contests in Quadrant 2 (6-0), Quadrant 3 (3-0) and Quadrant 4 (5-0) games. The Bluejays are one of five teams nationally that has not suffered a Quad 2, Quad 3 or Quad 4 loss this year.
Most Quad 1 Road Wins (thru 3/4)
Rk.   Quad 1 Road Record   Team
1.   7-3   Seton Hall
2.   6-0   Baylor
   6-1   Kansas
4.   5-5   Creighton
   5-4   Michigan State
   5-3   Villanova
Most Quad 1 Wins (thru 3/4)
Rk.   Quad 1 Record   Team
1.   11-3   Kansas
   11-1   Baylor
3.   10-6   Seton Hall
4.   9-6   Butler
   9-7   Iowa
6.   8-7   Creighton
   8-6   Villanova
   8-8   Wisconsin
No Losses Against Quad 2/3/4 (thru 3/4)
   Q1 W-L Record   Q2/3/4 W-L Record   Team
   11-3   15-0   Kansas
   8-7   14-0   Creighton
   6-7   17-0   Maryland
   6-2   23-0   Gonzaga
   5-2   23-0   Dayton
Most Quad 1 Games Played (thru 3/4)
Rk.   Q1 Games (Record)   Team
1.   17   5-12   Minnesota
2.   16   10-6   Seton Hall
   16   9-7   Iowa
   16   8-8   Wisconsin
   16   6-10   Michigan
   16   5-11   DePaul
   16   1-15   Iowa State
8.   15   8-7   Creighton
   15   9-6   Butler
   15   7-8   Michigan State
   15   7-8   Providence
   15   4-11   Purdue
   15   4-11   Georgetown
   15   3-12   St. John's
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 March 4th. 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)
257-102Â Â Â Dana Altman, Oregon (6)
230-116Â Â Â Greg McDermott, Creighton (5)
210-123Â Â Â Tim Cluess, Iona (6)
210-132Â Â Â Tad Boyle, Colorado (4)
209-139Â Â Â Russell Turner, UC Irvine (2)
197-127Â Â Â Leon Rice, Boise State (2)
197-136Â Â Â Jason Hooten, Sam Houston State
194-142Â Â Â Fran McCaffrey, Iowa (4)
191-136Â Â Â Kevin Willard, Seton Hall (4)
187-142Â Â Â Bob Marlin, Louisiana-Lafayette (1)
186-153Â Â Â Andy Toole, Robert Morris (1)
184-141Â Â Â Brad Brownell, Clemson (2)
181-142Â Â Â Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo
166-153Â Â Â Greg Lansing, Indiana State (1)
145-170Â Â Â Glenn Braica, St. Francis (NY)
140-178Â Â Â John Gallagher, Hartford
121-194Â Â Â Keith Richard, Louisiana-Monroe
Where Does It Rank?
With a BIG EAST title at stake, Saturday's game ranks among the most anticipated Creighton home games in the 17-year history of CHI Health Center Omaha history.
   Some others that come to mind...
- Dec. 1, 2018 (18,759): Creighton hosts #1 Gonzaga in an offensive slugfest featuring 195 points and just 16 turnovers.
- Feb. 24, 2018 (18,321): Creighton defeats No. 3 Villanova 89-83 in OT, handing the eventual national champion Wildcats its final loss of the season.
- Dec. 31, 2016 (18,831): No. 10 Creighton hosts No. 1 Villanova in first game ever among unbeaten BIG EAST teams.
- March 8, 2014 (18,868): Doug McDermott's final home game sees the National Player of the Year score a career-high 45 points, passing 3,000 for his career.
- Feb. 16, 2014 (18,797): Doug McDermott scores 39 points in a 101-80 win as Creighton proves a January romp at Villanova wasn't a fluke.
- Dec. 31, 2013 (18,525): Creighton makes its BIG EAST debut with a late-night 67-49 win over preseason league favorite Marquette.
- March 2, 2013 (18,613): Creighton's final home game as a member of the MVC is a winner as the Jays clinch the outright Valley title with a win over the Shockers.
- March 28, 2011 (12,381): Creighton defeats Oregon in Game 1 of the CBI finals, a contest that features the return of former Bluejay coach Dana Altman.
- March 23, 2009 (16,984): Creighton hosts Kentucky in a second-round NIT game decided in the final seconds.
Quest For 23,000
Creighton has scored 22,938 points all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha and stands just 62 points from 23,000.
   Creighton is 21-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CHI Health Center Omaha, as seen below:
   Creighton has currently outscored the opposition 22,938 to 19,223 at the 17-year old facility in 293 all-time games in the building that count.
Date   Pts-Opp (CLCO Game #)   Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04Â Â Â 1,000-787 (14)Â Â Â Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05Â Â Â 2,000-1,696 (28)Â Â Â Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06Â Â Â 3,000-2,504 (41)Â Â Â Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07Â Â Â 4,000-3,359 (56)Â Â Â Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07Â Â Â 5,000-4,174 (69)Â Â Â Ka. Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08Â Â Â 6,000-5,048 (82)Â Â Â Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09Â Â Â 7,000-5,870 (95)Â Â Â Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10Â Â Â 8,000-6,750 (109)Â Â Â Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10Â Â Â 9,000-7,645 (123)Â Â Â Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
03/23/11Â Â Â 10,000-8,500 (136)Â Â Â Lawson FG vs. UCF
01/21/12Â Â Â 11,000-9,310 (148)Â Â Â McDermott FG vs. Ind. St.
12/19/12Â Â Â 12,000-10,136 (161)Â Â Â Echenique FG vs. Tulsa
11/23/13Â Â Â 13,000-10,922 (173)Â Â Â Artino FG vs. Tulsa
02/23/14Â Â Â 14,000-11,711 (185)Â Â Â Gibbs FG vs. Seton Hall
01/28/15Â Â Â 15,000-12,612 (198)Â Â Â Hanson FT vs. St. John's
12/28/15Â Â Â 16,000-13,498 (211)Â Â Â Huff FG vs. Coppin State
11/15/16Â Â Â 17,000-14,349 (224)Â Â Â Patton FG vs. #9 Wisconsin
01/28/17Â Â Â 18,000-15,166 (235)Â Â Â Hanson FG vs. DePaul
12/18/17Â Â Â 19,000-15,927 (246)Â Â Â Foster 3FG vs. UT Arlington
11/06/18Â Â Â 20,000-16,741 (258)Â Â Â Ballock 3FG vs. W. Illinois
02/03/19Â Â Â 21,000-17,619 (270)Â Â Â Zegarowski FG vs. Xavier
12/07/19Â Â Â 22,000-18,463 (282)Â Â Â Ballock 3FG vs. Nebraska
All The Three's
Creighton drilled a season-high 17 three-pointers on Wednesday vs. Georgetown, tied for the fifth-most in program history for a single game.
   Here's a list of Creighton's all-time games with 17 or more treys.
Most 3FG in a Game, Creighton History
   Rank   3FG   Opponent   Date   Score
   1.   22   Coe   12/20/2018   W 110-60
   2.   21   at #4 Villanova   01/20/2014   W 96-68
   3.   20   Chattanooga   02/19/2005   W 100-69
   4.   19   USC Upstate   12/20/2017   W 116-62
   5.   17   #21 Marquette   01/09/2019   L 104-106 (ot)
      17   Georgetown   03/04/2020   W 91-76
   7.   16   Evansville   01/04/1999   L 79-84
      16   Drake   01/08/2013   W 91-61
      16   Chicago State   12/29/2013   W 90-58
      16   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/2016   W 86-77
      16   Alcorn State   11/12/2017   W 109-72
      16   at Georgetown   01/06/2018   W 90-66
No Place Like Home
Creighton has played 17 home games this season, and hasn't trailed at any point in eight of those.
   In fact, Creighton has trailed for a total of 34 seconds in its past five home games, falling behind 5-4 to DePaul and 2-0 to St. John's before answering with a score on its next possession each time.
   In eight league games at home, Creighton has led wire-to-wire in four of them (GU, BU, XU, MU), trailed for minimal amounts vs. DePaul (14 seconds) and St. John's (20 seconds), trailed for 3:26 vs. Villanova and for 18:28 vs. Providence. That amounts to a total of 22:28 (in 320 minutes), and only 11:13 of that (in 160 minutes) has come after halftime.
   Creighton has not trailed in three of its past four Senior Day's at home, and played from behind for just 19 seconds (9-8 vs. DePaul on 2/27/18) in the other.
Half and Half
Creighton has led at halftime in 16-of-17 home games this season, with North Florida the only visiting team to win the first 20 minutes in Omaha.
   In the first half of those games, Creighton has outscored teams 739-527 (a +12.5 margin), shooting 47.1 percent from three-point range. Marcus Zegarowski has made 31-of-49 three-pointers before halftime at home, good for 63.3 percent.
   On the other side, Seton Hall has been outscored 386-366 in the first half of its 11 true road games this season. The Pirates, however, lead the nation with eight victories this season (at all sites) when trailing at halftime.
Shades of 2013
Creighton and Seton Hall square off on Saturday with the No. 1 seed in next week's BIG EAST Tournament on the line.
   For Bluejay nation, it brings back memories of March 2, 2013, when Creighton hosted Wichita State with the Missouri Valley Conference outright title (and No. 1 seed) on the line.
   In front of 18,613 fans, Creighton shot 70.2 percent from the field in a 91-79 victory over the rival Shockers.
   Doug McDermott made 15-of-18 shots from the field and scored 41 points to help CU to victory, as the Jays held off a Shocker team that featured future NBA players Cleanthony Early and Fred VanVleet.
   Creighton would go on to defeat the Shockers eight days later in the title game of Arch Madness, as well to end its time in the MVC.
Past Titles
Creighton has won 21 regular-season conference titles in program history, but is in search of its first BIG EAST regular-season crown.
   Creighton's title history dates back to 1916-17 when the Jays were champs of both the Nebraska Colleigate Conference and the Western Athletic Conference (no, we're not sure how).
   CU won four North Central Conference titles in a span of five seasons in the 1920s.
   CU won 15 regular-season titles as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, including eight outright crowns. Only Oklahoma State (11) and Kansas (10) own more outright MVC titles than Creighton.
   Creighton's most recent regular-season title came in 2012-13 in the MVC. A complete list can be found on page 108 of the 2019-20 media guide.
Alexander Wasting No Time
Junior Ty-Shon Alexander owns 1,226 career points as he approaches the final games of his junior season.
   In Creighton history, that point total ranks 13th in program history among players in their first three years as a Bluejay, as seen below.
   Classmate Mitch Ballock enters Saturday with 988 career points and is on the verge of becoming CU's 27th player to reach 1,000 career points before the end of his third season as a Bluejay.
Most Points, First 3 Seasons, Creighton History
   Rank   Pts.   Name  Â
   1.   2,216   Doug McDermott
   2.   1,876   Bob Portman
   3.   1,661   Paul Silas
   4.   1,575   Benoit Benjamin
   5.   1,540   Bob Harstad
         Rodney Buford
   7.   1,369   Gene Harmon
   8.   1,363   Chad Gallagher
   9.   1,303   Elton Tuttle
   10.   1,292   Marcus Foster
   11.   1,272   Bob Gibson
   12.   1,267   Wally Anderzunas
   13.   1,226   Ty-Shon Alexander
   14.   1,197   Kyle Korver
Alexander Slows Down Top Threats
Former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver once said of former Creighton baseball and basketball standout Bob Gibson "Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He is always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs."
   Soon, it might be Ty-Shon Alexander who is being spoken of in such endearing terms in relation to the player he guards.
   Alexander has emerged as Creighton's top defensive stopper this season. He helped limit Marquette's Markus Howard to 18 points on 6-for-16 shooting on January 1st and 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting in the Feb. 18 rematch, Seton Hall's Myles Powell to 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting on February 12th and more recently, DePaul's Jalen Coleman-Lands to six points on 2-of-7 marksmanship, Butler's Kamar Baldwin to seven points in 15 injury-limited minutes on Feb. 23 and Jahvon Blair to 8-for-23 shooting on March 4.
   Alexander had five steals in the Feb. 15 win over DePaul, which was one shy of his career-high six that he had in the win earlier this year vs. Marquette.
   In three head-to-head games this season against Marquette and Seton Hall, Alexander has averaged 20.3 points while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and owning just two turnovers. Meanwhile, Howard and Powell have combined to average 14.3 points per game on 28.3 percent shooting and committed 12 turnovers.
Full House
Creighton is averaging 17,243 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 (3/4)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Syracuse   21,704   TBD
   2.   Kentucky   20,160   Next Season
   3.   North Carolina   20,103   Next Season
   4.   Tennessee   18,854   3/7
   5.   Creighton   17,243   3/7
   6.   Wisconsin   16,912   Next Season
   7.   Louisville   16,658   Next Season
   8.   Kansas   16,388   Next Season
   9.   Memphis   16,271   3/5
   10.   Indiana   16,249   3/7
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Some Loyal Fans
Creighton has played in front of more than 300,000 fans at home in each of the previous two seasons, and is likely to once again surpass that number on Saturday.
   The Bluejays have hosted 293,132 fans to date this season and will set a single-season total attendance record by drawing 12,868 or more fans on Saturday vs. Seton Hall.
   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
   17,296   Creighton   2019-20
   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
6.   2016-17   17   296,013   17,413
7.   2019-20   17   293,132   17,296
Ranked vs. Ranked
Creighton is 9-12 all-time as a ranked team when facing a ranked team, including a 7-8 overall mark under Greg McDermott. Creighton is also 3-0 this season in such contests.
   Saturday will mark just the second game in program history involving a pair of top-11 teams. The first came on Dec. 31, 2016, when No. 10 Creighton hosted top-ranked Villanova.
   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   W 87-82
02/18/2020   #15   at #19 Marquette   W 73-65
02/23/2020   #15   #21 Butler   W 81-59
03/07/2020   #11   #8 Seton Hall   1:30 p.m.
Bouncing Back
Creighton doesn't lose many games by 20 or more points, as it did last Sunday at St. John's.
   However, each of the last 13 times it has happened, Creighton has answered with a victory in its next game, including Wednesday's victory vs. Georgetown.
   Three of CU's last five 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
03/07/08Â Â Â Illinois State 73, CU 49Â Â Â 03/18/09Â Â Â CU 73, Bowling Green 71
02/11/12Â Â Â Wichita State 89, #17 CU 68Â Â Â 02/14/12Â Â Â CU 88, Southern Illinois 69
03/23/14Â Â Â #23 Baylor 85, #16 CU 55Â Â Â 11/14/14Â Â Â CU 104, Central Arkansas 77
01/25/15Â Â Â #4 Villanova 71, CU 50Â Â Â 01/28/15Â Â Â CU 77, St. John's 74
01/31/15Â Â Â #21 Georgetown 67, CU 40Â Â Â 02/04/15Â Â Â CU 79, Xavier 72 (OT)
11/19/15Â Â Â #14 Indiana 86, CU 65Â Â Â 11/23/15Â Â Â CU 85, Rutgers 75
02/03/16Â Â Â #3 Villanova 83, CU 58Â Â Â 02/06/16Â Â Â CU 88, DePaul 66
01/25/17Â Â Â Georgetown 71, #16 CU 51Â Â Â 01/28/17Â Â Â #16 CU 83, DePaul 66
01/13/18Â Â Â #10 Xavier 92, #25 CU 70Â Â Â 01/17/18Â Â Â CU 80, #19 Seton Hall 63
02/01/18Â Â Â #1 Villanova 98, CU 78Â Â Â 02/07/18Â Â Â CU 76, DePaul 75
02/20/18Â Â Â Butler 93, CU 70Â Â Â 02/24/18Â Â Â CU 89, #3 Villanova 83 (OT)
11/28/19Â Â Â San Diego State 83, CU 52Â Â Â 11/29/19Â Â Â CU 83, #12 Texas Tech 76 (OT)
03/01/20Â Â Â St. John's 91, #10 CU 71Â Â Â 03/04/20Â Â Â #11 CU 91, Georgetown 76
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.
   Mitch Ballock has played in 98 games and owns 988 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
A Grand For Alexander; Ballock Next?
Ty-Shon Alexander ranks 26th in Creighton history on the all-time scoring list with 1,226 points. He's just 12 points behind Ben Walker (1997-01) for a spot in the top-25.
   Mitch Ballock owns 988 career points and is up to 44th on Creighton's scoring list.
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.   1,226   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-Pres.
   27.   1,196   Ray Yost   1951-54
   28.   1,172   Dick Harvey   1956-59
   29.   1,155   Ethan Wragge   2009-14
   30.   1,152   Dane Watts   2004-08
   31.   1,140   Khyri Thomas   2015-18
   32.   1,116   Kenny Evans   1982-87
   33.   1,115   Doug Brookins   1972-75
      1,115   Daryl Stovall   1978-82
   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.   988   Mitch Ballock   2017-Pres.
   45.   979   Terrell Taylor   1999-02
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 eight of those same teams at the same site, and won five of them.
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   Won 87-82
at St. John's   Lost 83-66   Lost 91-71
Seton Hall   Lost 81-75   March 7
Creighton & Seton Hall To The Wire
Creighton and Seton Hall have met 13 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 nine of them have had multiple one-point games.
   Also worth noting...there have been just five league games decided by one point this season (DePaul/Providence; Georgetown/St. John's; DePaul/Marquette; Providence/Marquette; Villanova/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 - Villanova
   2   Marquette - St. John's
   2   Marquette - DePaul
   2   DePaul - Providence
   1   (13 combinations)
In The Hunt
A 10-2 stretch over the past 12 games has put Creighton in the hunt for the BIG EAST regular-season title. The Bluejays are currently 12-5 in league play, tied for second with Villanova and one game behind league-leading Seton Hall with one game left.
   Creighton's last regular-season league title came in 2012-13, which was also its final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   Creighton's best finish since joining the BIG EAST came in its first year (2013-14), when it placed second. It's also worth noting that Creighton has finished tied for third in the BIG EAST each of the previous three seasons.
   Below is a look at the final game of the BIG EAST schedule:
Team   BE W-L      Final Game
Seton Hall   13-4      at Creighton
Creighton   12-5   Host Seton Hall
Villanova   12-5   at Georgetown
Providence   11-6   Host DePaul
Butler   9-8   at Xavier
Xavier   8-9   Host Butler
Marquette   8-9   at St. John's
Georgetown   5-12   Host Villanova
St. John's   4-13   Host Marquette
DePaul   3-14   at Providence
In Case Of A Tie
Creighton can finish as high as a tie for first place in the BIG EAST standings, but could also drop to as low as a tie for third place depending on Saturday's results.
   The Jays can still be the first, second or third seed in next week's BIG EAST Tournament.
   In the event of ties, here's how those will be broken according to the BIG EAST Tournament Manual tie-breaking procedures:
Two-Team Tie
1. Regular-season head-to-head results.
2. Each team's record vs. the team or group of tied teams occupying the highest position in the standings. If an advantage is not determined, proceed to the next team or group of tied teams in the standing for comparison. Continue down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.
3. Compare the Conference road record of the tied teams.
4. Compare all tied teams Conference-games only road record vs. the team(s) occupying the highest position in the final Conference regular-season standings, and then counting down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.
5. NET ranking as published by NCAA.com website following the last day of BIG EAST regular season competition.
6. Coin flip.
Multiple-Team Tie (3 or More Teams)
1. Teams are viewed as a "mini-conference" when comparing head-to-head results. The team with the best record vs. the other teams in the mini-conference gains the advantage. The team with the worst record vs. the other teams in the mini-conference is seeded the lowest.
   a. If only two teams have the same best winning percentage in the mini-conference, the higher seed goes to the team winning the head-to-head series.
   b. If the two teams split their two games, then proceed to Step 2 under "Two-Team ties" (above). To seed the remaining team(s) in this mini-conference, proceed to (e) below.
   c. If three or more (but not all) teams have the same best winning percentage in the original mini-conference, then those tied teams create a new mini-conference and follow this same procedure beginning of Step 1 (Multiple Team Tie).
   d. If all teams in the mini-conference have the same mini-conference record, proceed to Step 2 below.
   e. After the top or bottom teams in a mini-conference are determined, the remaining teams are ranked by their record in the original mini-conference.
      i. If there are any remaining teams tied by their record in the mini-conference, then head-to-head results will determine the higher seed.
      ii. If the teams split two games, then proceed back to the two-way breaking procedure.
      iii. If there are at least three teams remaining tied by their record in the mini-conference, they would then form a new mini-conference and follow the procedure again at the beginning of Step 1 (Multiple-Team Tie).
2. Compare each team's record vs. the team or group of tied teams occupying the highest position in the standings. If an advantage is not determined, proceed to the next team or group of tied teams in the standings for comparison. Continue down through the standings until one or more teams gains an advantage. If two teams have the exact same advantage (i.e., having the same and better record against a compared team relative to their mini-conference), they are separated at that point by the two-way tiebreaker procedure. The next step would take you back to Step 1 (e) (Multiple-Team Tie).
3. If more than two teams are still tied, a comparison of the tied teams Conference game only road records.
4. If more than two teams are still tied, a comparison of the tied teams Conference-games only road records vs. the team(s) occupying the highest position in the final Conference regular-season standings, and then continuing down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.
   When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, use each team's record against the collective tied teams as a group (prior to that group's own tie-breaking procedure), rather than the performance against individual tied teams.
   If at any point the multiple-teams tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tie-breaking procedures above will be applied. Once a team is eliminated from a multi-team comparison, it is dropped from further comparisons.
5. Coin flip.
Jefferson Moves On Up
Damien Jefferson tied his career-high last Sunday at St. John's with 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the floor.
   Jefferson's 60.5 percent shooting during league play ranks fourth in the BIG EAST, and climbs to 66.1 percent from two-point range.
   Jefferson's 20 points on Sunday exceeded his total of 18 points in the final 13 injury-plagued appearances for him last season, during which time he shot 7-for-24.
Ball Control Offense
Creighton leads the BIG EAST with a 1.42 assist/turnover ratio in all games.
   Mitch Ballock leads the league with a 3.37 assist/turnover ratio (91/27) in all games and a 3.5 assist/turnover ratio (56/16) in league play. For his career, Ballock owns an impressive 265/110 (2.41) assist/turnover ratio.
   Sophomore teammate Christian Bishop has turned his season around in that category as well. After 11 assists and 21 turnovers in non-conference play, Bishop owns 30 assists and 25 turnovers in league action.
   One final Bluejay with eye-popping numbers in the assist/turnover chart is junior Ty-Shon Alexander. Alexander has 43 assists and just 16 turnovers in league play this year. He also has a team-best 26 steals in conference action.
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Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton leads the BIG EAST with 78.4 points per game, 46.9 percent shooting from the field, 38.0 percent shooting from three-point territory, +8.3 scoring margin, 1.42 assist/turnover ratio and 15.70 assists per game.
   In KenPom.com ratings through Wednesday night, Creighton had the nation's fifth-best offense.
   If Creighton can finish in the top-10, it would be the fourth time in the last nine seasons that Creighton has had a top-10 offense per KenPom.
What's My Line?
Creighton is holding foes to 31.3 percent shooting from three-point range, a key reason why the Bluejays have out-scored foes by 192 points behind the arc.
   However, last Sunday, Creighton shot just 4-for-27 from deep while St. John's shot 14-for-22 from downtown. SJU's 63.6 percent marksmanship was the best figure one of Greg McDermott's Creighton teams has ever allowed.
   The tables turned on Wednesday, as Creighton made a season-high 17 three-pointers (on 36 attempts) while Georgetown drained 8-of-22 tries from downtown.
   Bluejay opponents are shooting 28.4 percent from downtown when CU wins, but 42.0 percent from deep in CU losses.
   The 31.3 percent shooting from three-point range by CU opponents is on pace to be the third-best mark in program history. In fact, the only time CU held foes under 31 percent from deep was in 1995-96 (29.2%).
   Here's how the three-point shooting has broken down in CU's games this season, including the seven losses:
Category   CU 3FG (%)   Opp 3FG (%)
In CU's 23 wins   247-592 (.417)   161-566 (.284)
In CU's 7 losses   41-165 (.248)   63-150 (.420)
at Michigan   7-20 (.350)   9-23 (.391)
vs. San Diego State   4-23 (.174)   11-18 (.611)
at #11 Butler   4-22 (.182)   6-19 (.316)
#16 Villanova   3-14 (.214)   6-33 (.182)
at Georgetown   13-32 (.406)   5-15 (.333)
at Providence   6-27 (.222)   12-20 (.600)
at St. John's   4-27 (.148)   14-22 (.636)
McDermott Coaches Them Up
Creighton University's Greg McDermott is one of 15 men named to the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Late 2020 Season Watch List, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. McDermott is one of three BIG EAST coaches on the list, as he's joined by LaVall Jordan (Butler) and Kevin Willard (Seton Hall).
   McDermott has guided a Creighton team that was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST to a No. 11 spot in this week's Associated Press poll, and a No. 12 slotting in the most recent NET.
   The Bluejays (3), Michigan State (4) and Wisconsin (3) are the nation's only teams with three or more top-25 road wins this season, and on Jan. 11 McDermott became the 27th active Division I coach to reach 500 career wins. Creighton's success has come despite the loss of key returnees Davion Mintz and Jacob Epperson for the season due to injury.
   The 10 semifinalists will be announced on March 6, and the finalists will be revealed on March 18. The winner of the 2020 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's Coach of the Year will be announced on April 5, at the Naismith Awards Brunch in Atlanta.
   Should he win, McDermott would join his son Doug McDermott as the only father/son tandem in history to have won both a Naismith Coach of the Year and Player of the Year award.
   The McDermott's also have a chance to become the BIG EAST's first men's basketball father/son tandem in history to have won both a Coach of the Year and Player of the Year award.
Mr. Perfect
Marcus Zegarowski became the 71st player in NCAA history to be perfect on seven or more three-point attempts during Creighton's win vs. No. 21 Butler on Feb. 23rd.
   Zegarowski was 5-for-5 from deep in the first half and made his only two attempts from distance after the break before checking out after CU took a 61-32 lead with 12 minutes left.
   Zegarowski is the third player in the country with a 7-for-7 (or better) performance form three-point land this season, joining South Dakota's Tyler Hagedom (8-8) vs. Texas Southern on Nov. 15 and Florida State's Devin Vassell vs. Virginia Tech on Feb. 1.
   Zegarowski broke Kyle Korver's Creighton record for most three-point attempts without a miss, as Korver opened his senior year with a 6-for-6 showing from distance vs. Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002.
Single-Game 3-Point Percentage Leaders, CU History
   Pct.   Name, Opponent (min. 5 3 FGA)   Date
   1.000   Marcus Zegarowski (7-7) vs. Butler   02/23/20
      Kyle Korver (6-6) vs. Texas-Arlington   11/17/02
      Porter Moser (5-5) vs. Bradley   01/21/89
      Ben Walker (5-5) vs. Evansville   02/28/00
      Michael Lindeman (5-5) vs. Bradley   02/08/03
   .917   Mitch Ballock (11-12) vs. DePaul   03/09/19
   .857   Kyle Korver (6-7) vs. Missouri State   01/19/00
      Ryan Sears (6-7) at Indiana State   02/04/01
      Booker Woodfox (6-7) vs. Indiana St.   01/19/08
      Doug McDermott (6-7) vs. Indiana St.   03/09/13
      Rick Kreklow (6-7) vs. Marquette   02/14/15
   Zegarowski is also the fourth player in BIG EAST history to be 7-for-7 or better from three-point range in a league game:
Single-Game 3-Point Percentage Leaders
BIG EAST History (League Games Only)
   Pct.   Name, Opponent   Date
   1.000   CU's Marcus Zegarowski vs. Butler   02/23/20
      BU's Kellen Dunham vs. Seton Hall   03/08/14
      MU's Jerel McNeal vs. Cincinnati   01/04/09
      WVU's Da'Sean Butler at St. John's   02/06/10
Zegarowski Named Player of the Week
Marcus Zegarowski was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Feb. 24 after helping Creighton to a pair of top-25 wins. The Massachusetts native averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in wins over No. 19 Marquette and No. 21 Butler.
   He is Creighton Basketball's first Player of the Week since Ty-Shon Alexander on Jan. 28, 2019.
   Zegarowski made 69.6 percent of his shots from the field (16-23), shooting 87.5 percent from three-point range (7-8) and 75 percent at the line (3-4). The Bluejays never trailed against Butler, and never trailed in the final 29 minutes vs. the Golden Eagles.
   The sophomore started his week with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in Tuesday's 73-65 win at Marquette. Zegarowski made 7-of-11 shots from the field, including 4-of-4 marksmanship in the second half, in Creighton's third top-25 road win of the month.
   On Sunday vs. Butler, Zegarowski tied a BIG EAST single-game record by making 7-of-7 three point shots en route to 25 points in only 25 minutes. He was 5-for-5 from downtown in the first half as Creighton raced to its largest halftime lead (40-21) in league play since 2017. He would make 9-of-12 shots overall, also adding three rebounds, an assist and a steal.
   Zegarowski was also named the National Player of the Week by the USBWA for his efforts, the first Bluejay with such an honor since Doug McDermott earned the accolade twice in 2013-14.
Winning Away From Home
Creighton went 6-5 in true road games this season.
   In the previous 21 seasons Creighton has posted six road wins or more on 11 occasions, making the NCAA Tournament nine of those times. Creighton has won either a regular-season title or reached the conference tournament final in 10 of those 11 such campaigns.
Year   Road W-L   League Road W-L   Postseason
2019-20Â Â Â 6-5Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â TBD
2016-17Â Â Â 7-4Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â NCAA (0-1)
2013-14Â Â Â 7-4Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â NCAA (1-1)
2012-13Â Â Â 7-5Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â NCAA (1-1)
2011-12Â Â Â 10-3Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â NCAA (1-1)
2008-09Â Â Â 8-4Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â NIT (1-1)
2004-05Â Â Â 7-5Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â NCAA (0-1)
2003-04Â Â Â 6-6Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â NIT (0-1)
2002-03Â Â Â 7-4Â Â Â 6-3Â Â Â NCAA (0-1)
2001-02Â Â Â 7-5Â Â Â 7-2Â Â Â NCAA (1-1)
2000-01Â Â Â 7-5Â Â Â 5-4Â Â Â NCAA (0-1)
1999-00Â Â Â 8-6Â Â Â 4-5Â Â Â NCAA (0-1)
Big Night For Bishop
Christian Bishop had the best night of his career on Feb. 23 vs. No. 21 Butler.
   Bishop had career-highs in points (19), blocks (4) and steals (3) while tying his previous best in assists (5).
   The sophomore forward had five dunks while shooting 7-of-10 from the field and making 5-of-6 free throws.
   Bishop followed that game up with five more assists last Sunday at St. John's.
   After 11 assists and 21 turnovers in non-conference play, Bishop owns 30 assists and 25 turnovers in league action.
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 230 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .664 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.   230-116   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
23 Wins And Counting
Creighton enters Saturday with a 23-7 record. In 102 seasons of Bluejay Basketball, the Jays just the program's 15th team to earn 23 or more wins and only nine have won 24 times or more.
   This year's club is just the ninth squad to reach 23+ wins before the league tourney. Only five teams in program history had 24+ wins before the league tourney.
   Prior to Greg McDermott's arrival, Creighton MBB won 23+ games nine times in 93 seasons. This season marks McDermott's sixth time in 10 years with 23+ victories on the Bluejay sideline. Creighton has averaged 23.0 wins per season under McDermott.
Most Creighton MBB Wins, Season
      Pre   Pre-Post   Postseason
Year   Final W-L   Tourney   Season   Tournament
2002-03Â Â Â 29-5Â Â Â 26-4Â Â Â 29-4Â Â Â NCAA
2011-12Â Â Â 29-6Â Â Â 25-5Â Â Â 28-5Â Â Â NCAA
2012-13Â Â Â 28-8Â Â Â 24-7Â Â Â 27-7Â Â Â NCAA
2008-09Â Â Â 27-8Â Â Â 25-6Â Â Â 26-7Â Â Â NIT
2013-14Â Â Â 27-8Â Â Â 24-6Â Â Â 26-7Â Â Â NCAA
2016-17Â Â Â 25-10Â Â Â 23-8Â Â Â 25-9Â Â Â NCAA
1990-91Â Â Â 24-8Â Â Â 20-7Â Â Â 23-7Â Â Â NCAA
2000-01Â Â Â 24-8Â Â Â 23-6Â Â Â 24-7Â Â Â NCAA
1921-22Â Â Â 23-5Â Â Â 23-5Â Â Â 23-5Â Â Â didn't exist
1973-74Â Â Â 23-7Â Â Â 21-7Â Â Â 21-7Â Â Â NCAA
2001-02Â Â Â 23-9Â Â Â 19-8Â Â Â 22-8Â Â Â NCAA
1999-00Â Â Â 23-10Â Â Â 20-9Â Â Â 23-9Â Â Â NCAA
2004-05Â Â Â 23-11Â Â Â 20-10Â Â Â 23-10Â Â Â NCAA
2010-11Â Â Â 23-16Â Â Â 18-14Â Â Â 19-15Â Â Â CBI
2019-20   23-7 so far   23-7 so far   TBD   TBD
20 Wins, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 20 of the last 22 seasons (including 2019-20), 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 22 years: Duke (22), Gonzaga (22) and Kansas (22).
   Kentucky has done it 21 times.
   Creighton and Florida have done it 20 times, though Florida is still trying to reach it for a 21st time in this stretch, and Syracuse is trying to join Creighton by doing it for a 20th time in those 22 campaigns.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 22 Years
(Records through 3/4)
Team   20-Win Seasons   2019-20 W-L   Next Game
Gonzaga   22*   29-2   3/9
Kansas   22*   27-3   3/7
Duke   22*   24-6   3/7
Kentucky   21*   24-6   3/7
Creighton   20*   23-7   3/7
Florida   20   19-11   3/7
Syracuse   19   17-13   3/7
*20-win season total includes 2019-20
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   20-32
vs. Top 10 Teams   5-31   8-14
vs. Top 10 on Road   1-28   4-7
vs. Top 25 on Road   2-63   8-14
Ranking News & Notes
- Creighton is 20-32 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, 13 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 three 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 five 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, Oklahoma State, Oregon, NC State, Seton Hall, South Carolina, Syracuse, Temple, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin and Xavier.
- Creighton is 15-15 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 15 wins over ranked teams in that time is tied for 14th nationally, and trails only Villanova (21) among BIG EAST clubs. Â
- Creighton beat four ranked teams in the same month for the first time in program history in February when it defeated No. 8 Villanova, No. 10 Seton Hall, No. 19 Marquette and No. 21 Butler.
- Creighton, Michigan State and Wisconsin are the only teams with three or more top-25 road wins this season.
- Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the nation's only teams with four top-25 wins in the same month of February have been Creighton (4 in 2019-20), Providence (5 in 2019-20) and Kansas (4 in 2015-16).
Top 25 Success
Creighton has five wins over top-25 teams this season, breaking a school-record set in 2016-17. This is Creighton's ninth team with multiple top-25 wins in a season, and fifth consecutive.
Most Top-25 Wins, Season
   Wins   Season   Top-25 Victims
   5   2019-20   #8 Villanova, #10 Seton Hall,
         #12 Texas Tech, #19 Marquette, #21 Butler
   4   2016-17   #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
         #16 Butler, #22 Xavier
   4   2017-18   #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Hall,
         #20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
   2   1973-74   #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
   2   2001-02   #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
   2   2006-07   #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
   2   2013-14   #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
   2   2015-16   #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
   2   2018-19   #10 Marquette, #16 Clemson
Top 25 Jays
The Creighton men's basketball team is ranked 11th in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, earning a spot in the poll for the sixth time this season (also 25th on Jan. 13th, 21st on Feb. 3rd, 23rd on Feb. 10, 15th on Feb. 17 and 10th on Feb. 24).
   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 94 weeks in program history, with 66 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 119-46 all-time as a ranked team.
   Creighton is 85-34 all-time under McDermott when ranked in the top-25, including a 49-8 mark in home games.
   Creighton is also the 14th-ranked team in this week's USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll.
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 91 three-pointers this season, while Alexander has drained 78 treys. Ballock has already broken the previous program record for three-pointers made by a junior of 82 by Tad Ackerman in 1994-95.
   Ballock has become the second player in Creighton history with 80 or more three-pointers in multiple seasons, joining legendary marksman Kyle Korver. Ballock, however, is the first player to do it in consecutive campaigns, though Alexander can join him with two more treys this winter.
Most 3-Pointers Made by a Creighton Junior
   3FG-FGA   3FG%   Name   Year
   91-210   .433   Mitch Ballock   2019-20
   82-210   .390   Tad Ackerman   1994-95
   79-184   .429   Kyle Korver   2001-02
   78-175   .446   Ethan Wragge   2012-13
   78-194   .402   Ty-Shon Alexander   2019-20
   77-157   .490   Doug McDermott   2012-13
   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
   91-210   .433   Mitch Ballock   2019-20
   82-210   .390   Tad Ackerman   1994-95
   79-184   .429   Kyle Korver*   2001-02
   78-175   .446   Ethan Wragge   2012-13
   78-194   .402   Ty-Shon Alexander   2019-20
   77-157   .490   Doug McDermott*   2012-13
   76-175   .434   Rod Mason   1987-88
*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
   3.13   100   32   Kyle Korver   2001-02
   3.03   91   30   Mitch Ballock   2019-20
   2.88   95   33   Marcus Foster   2017-18
Ballock & Alexander Reach 200 Treys
Mitch Ballock leads Creighton with 91 three-point baskets this season, which gives him 230 in his Bluejay career. That puts him in fifth place in program history in that category. Classmate Ty-Shon Alexander is up to seventh place with 207 career treys.
   Ballock and teammate Ty-Shon Alexander have 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 15th nationally with 91 three-pointers made and 13th in three-point percentage (.433).
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.   230   Mitch Ballock   2017-Pres.
   6.   212   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   7.   207   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-Pres.
   8.   206   Jahenns Manigat   2010-14
   9.   200   Nate Funk   2002-07
   10.   185   Matt Roggenburk   1986-90
Iron Man Mitch
Junior Mitch Ballock leads the BIG EAST with 35.87 minutes per game, a number that climbs to 37.06 minutes per contest in league play, as he's played all but 56 minutes in CU's first 17 league games. CU is the nation's only team with three men averaging 34.5 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 six players in minutes per game.
BIG EAST Minutes Per Game Leaders
   Rank   Name, Team   G   MIN   MPG
   1.   Mitch Ballock, CU   30   1076   35.87
   2.   Charlie Moore, DPU   30   1067   35.57
   3.   Naji Marshall, XU   29   1025   35.34
   4.   Ty-Shon Alexander, CU   30   1038   34.60
   5.   Jagan Mosely, GU   30   1036   34.53
   6.   Marcus Zegarowski, CU   30   1034   34.47
Creighton Minutes Per Game Leaders Since 1994-95
   Rank   MPG   Name   Year
   1.   35.9   Mitch Ballock   2019-20
   2.   35.7   Antoine Young   2010-11
   3.   35.033   Edward St. Fleur   1996-97
   4.   35.030   Ryan Sears   1999-00
   5.   34.6   Ty-Shon Alexander   2019-20
   6.   34.48   Nate Funk   2006-07
   7.   34.47   Marcus Zegarowski   2019-20
   8.   33.84   Ryan Sears   2000-01
   9.   33.79   Austin Chatman   2014-15
   10.   33.7   Doug McDermott   2013-14
High Octane Offense
Creighton has cranked up the offense in the last month, scoring 94 points vs. St. John's, 87 points at Seton Hall and 93 vs. DePaul. In each case, it was at least seven more points than the previous high allowed by that opponent.
   Creighton scored 92 points in the first meeting vs. Marquette, the most points allowed all season by the Golden Eagles. In addition, CU's 81 points were the most allowed by Butler all year in regulation.
   Creighton has scored 90+ points four times in BIG EAST play this season. Combined, the rest of the BIG EAST has eclipsed 90 points just three times: Villanova (at DePaul), Marquette (vs. Georgetown) and St. John's (vs. Creighton).
The Race To 70
Creighton has scored 70 or more points in 22 of its 23 victories this season, and is 22-2 when reaching that plateau this winter.
   Creighton is also 13-1 this season when allowing fewer than 70 points.
Alexander The Great
Ty-Shon Alexander is in the midst of the best stretch of his career on both ends of the floor.
   The junior guard has scored in double-figures in each of the past 14 games, and made multiple three-pointers in 13 of those 14 contests.
   Starting with CU's Jan. 11 win at Xavier, Alexander has averaged 18.2 points per game while shooting 41-of-101 from three-point range (39.8 percent). He also owns a 37/12 assist/turnover ratio and owns 19 steals in that time while playing an average of 34.9 minutes per game.
   Creighton is 11-3 in this stretch.
   Alexander owns 509 points this year, reaching 500 points for a second consecutive year
   . Only nine Bluejays have done this previously (Doug McDermott 4x; Bob Harstad 3x; Rodney Buford 3x; Paul Silas 3x; Bob Portman 2x; Marcus Foster 2x; Chad Gallagher 2x; Nate Funk 2x; Rick Apke 2x).
Jays2K
Creighton has 2,351 points this season, surpassing 2,000 points for the 14th straight season. Making that even more impressive is that CU did it just 8-of-12 seasons from 1994-95 to 2005-06. This year's team is averaging 78.4 points per game.
   Greg McDermott is 66-4 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 60-4 mark on the Creighton sideline.
   Creighton is 63-3 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, and had a streak of 36 straight wins
when scoring triple-digits since a 1977 loss to North
Texas State snapped in the Jan. 9, 2019 loss to Marquette (106-104).
Road Warriors
Creighton went 5-4 on the road in BIG EAST play, with three of those victories coming by 10 or more points (by 12 at Xavier, by 15 at DePaul, by 15 at Villanova).
   There have been only seven other occasions this season in which a road team has won a BIG EAST game by 10 points or more...Butler (at Providence), Providence (at Georgetown), Seton Hall (at Xavier), St. John's (at DePaul), Villanova (at St. John's and at DePaul) 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).
   Creighton also leads the BIG EAST with 15 home wins this season, and is 20-1 in its last 21 home games against all teams. The Bluejays are 39-24 all-time in BIG EAST home games.
   Home teams are 50-35 in BIG EAST play to date.
.500 Or Better in League Play, Again
Creighton is 12-5 in league play and has clinched a .500 mark or better once again. It's the 24th time in the last 25 seasons that Creighton has gone .500 or better in league play.
   Xavier is 8-9 in the league this winter and enters Saturday's home game vs. Butler needing one win to extend its streak of 37 straight seasons in which it has finished .500 or better in league play. That's the nation's longest active streak, five seasons more than Murray State's 32. The rest of the top-five consists of Kansas (30), Kentucky (30) and Gonzaga (30).
   The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the last four seasons are Creighton, Xavier, Villanova and Seton Hall.
18 And Up
Creighton had four men score exactly 18 points on Feb. 12th at Seton Hall, as Damien Jefferson, Marcus Zegarowski, Ty-Shon Alexander and Denzel Mahoney all reached that mark.
   It's the first time that Creighton has had four men score 18 or more points in the same game since at least 1981.
How Many Days???
After just two top-25 road wins from 1949-2013, Creighton has picked up eight such victories in the past seven seasons.
   On two occasions (from 1949-74 and from 1978-2014) there was a gap of more than 9,000 days. Most recently, the Bluejays have won top-25 road games in a 15-day span three times since 2017.
Date   Top 25 Road Win   Days Until Next Top 25 Road Win
01/20/49   First AP Poll introduced   9,151
02/09/74Â Â Â CU 75, #6 Marquette 69Â Â Â 1,449
01/28/78Â Â Â CU 72, #13 Indiana St. 64Â Â Â 13,141
01/20/14Â Â Â CU 96, #6 Villanova 68Â Â Â 1,092
01/16/17Â Â Â CU 72, #22 Xavier 67Â Â Â 15
01/31/17Â Â Â CU 76, #16 Butler 67Â Â Â 288
11/15/17Â Â Â CU 92, #20 Northwestern 88Â Â Â 473
03/03/19Â Â Â CU 66, #10 Marquette 60Â Â Â 335
02/01/20Â Â Â CU 76, #8 Villanova 61Â Â Â 11
02/12/20Â Â Â #23 CU 87, #10 Seton Hall 82Â Â Â 6
02/18/20Â Â Â #15 CU 73, #21 Marquette 65Â Â Â TBD
Jays Earn Another Top 10 Road Win
Since the start of the 2013-14 season when Creighton joined the BIG EAST, the Bluejays own four top-10 road wins. Creighton beat No. 4 Villanova in 2014, No. 10 Marquette in 2019, No. 8 Villanova in 2020 and No. 10 Seton Hall in 2020.
   The four top-10 road wins in those seven seasons rank tied for the fourth-most nationally, trailing only Kansas (7), Duke (5) and Oklahoma (5) and equal with Michigan (4).
   Since 2013-14, only 13 teams in the country have posted multiple top-10 road wins in the same season, a group that includes just Creighton, Seton Hall and Florida State this winter.
   This year marks Creighton's first season with multiple top-10 road wins in program history.
You Can Only Hope To Contain Him
Mitch Ballock was 0-for-3 from deep at No. 10 Seton Hall on Feb. 12, snapping his 23-game streak of games with a made a three-pointer that had ranked tied for the sixth-longest streak in program history.
   Creighton is 12-0 this season when Ballock makes four or more three-pointers, but also 2-0 when he's held without a trey.
   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).
3-Pointers, By Average
Creighton has made 9.60 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)
   9.60   2019-20   288   30   23-7 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)
Alexander A Finalist For Jerry West Award
Creighton's Ty-Shon Alexander is one of five finalists 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 10 to just five 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.
7 Games And Counting
Creighton's bench has scored 453 points this season, an average of 15.1 points per contest.
   However, on Feb. 5 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.
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 on Feb. 5, Mahoney has still averaged 12.7 points per game over CU's last 12 contests, which includes eight 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 310-268 since Mahoney became eligible on Dec. 17th.
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 March 4, 2020
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
3FG Made   3,082   2nd
Assists   5,611   3rd
3FG Percentage   .385   3rd
FG Percentage   .480   5th
FG Made   9,437   9th
Wins   230   30th
Winning Percentage   .665   34th
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 231 free throws in BIG EAST play, while its opponents have attempted just 250 (making 178).
   Creighton is 14-0 this season in all games when owning as many or more free throw makes than the opposition has attempted, and won its last 17 games overall when that occurs.
History After 30 Games
Creighton has started 23-7 to date. It's the seventh time in the past 20 seasons that Creighton has won at least 23 of its first 30 games.
   Of the six most recent teams to start 23-7 or better, five made the NCAA Tournament and one other reached the NIT.
   This is the fifth time under Greg McDermott that Creighton has started 23-7 or better after exactly 30 games. All four previous teams would advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Records After 30 Games Under Greg McDermott
W-L   Year   Postseason   Final W-L
23-7Â Â Â 2019-20Â Â Â TBDÂ Â Â TBD
17-13Â Â Â 2018-19Â Â Â NITÂ Â Â 20-15
21-9Â Â Â 2017-18Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 21-12
23-7Â Â Â 2016-17Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 25-10
18-12Â Â Â 2015-16Â Â Â NITÂ Â Â 20-15
13-17   2014-15   None   14-19
24-6Â Â Â 2013-14Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 27-8
23-7Â Â Â 2012-13Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 28-8
25-5Â Â Â 2011-12Â Â Â NCAAÂ Â Â 29-6
17-13Â Â Â 2010-11Â Â Â CBIÂ Â Â 23-16
Toe The Line
Ty-Shon Alexander ranks second in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage, draining 117-of-136 attempts (86.0 percent).
   Alexander has attempted 19 free throws in Creighton's seven losses (2.7 attempts per loss), and 117 foul shots in CU's 23 victories (5.1 attempts per win).
   Creighton is 9-1 this season when Alexander attempts six or more free throws this season.
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.
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 6-2 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)   141-83 (.629)
Multiple Choices
Creighton had five men score in double-figures on in BIG EAST road wins at Xavier (Jan. 11), at DePaul (Jan. 22) and at No. 10 Seton Hall (Feb. 12), as well as 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 eight times this year.
   Creighton has won 13 straight games when five or more players score in double-digits.
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 unbeaten against another league foe is Villanova at DePaul.
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.
McDermott Climbs BIG EAST Charts
Greg McDermott owns 68 career regular-season BIG EAST wins, which ranks 19th in league history. He is one behind former Marquette coach Buzz Williams for 18th place.
    Of the 25 men with 50 or more regular-season BIG EAST wins, McDermott's .544 win percentage in league play ranks 15th-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. and Steve Lappas.
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 28 active Division I men's coaches 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 March 4, 2020)
Rank   W-L   Coach, Current School
   1.   1156-350   Mike Krzyzewski, Duke  Â
   2.   963-398   Jim Boeheim, Syracuse  Â
   3.   884-251   Roy Williams, North Carolina  Â
   4.   880-372   Bob Huggins, West Virginia  Â
   5.   779-517   Cliff Ellis, Coastal Carolina  Â
---
   25.   524-203   Gregg Marshall, Wichita State
   26.   510-311   Greg McDermott, Creighton
      510-371   Jeff Jones, Old Dominion
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 20 contests, Jefferson has averaged 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, while Mahoney checks in at 11.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest.
   Jefferson has scored nine or more points in 14 of the last 19 games, while Mahoney has reached double-figures in 13 of his 20 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).
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.
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 11-of-30 opponents under 40 percent this season after doing it a total of seven times in 35 games a year ago.
   Creighton is 94-17 (.847) 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 41.9 percent shooting (its' best since .407 in 2012-13), a figure that ranks 121st-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 third 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 91 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 5.0 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.
Birds of Trey
Creighton's backcourt features three of the nation's best shooters, as Ty-Shon Alexander, Mitch Ballock and Marcus Zegarowski have combined to shoot 239-for-576 (41.5 percent) as a group from deep.
   Alexander, Ballock and Zegarowski are one of two trios in the country with 70 or more three-pointers through games of March 4th, joining North Florida. 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.
   Creighton is 21-3 all-time when Alexander, Ballock and Zegarowski all score in double-figures, including a 14-1 mark this winter with 14 straight victories.
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 881 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 6,923 trifectas, an average of 7.86 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 244 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
   Creighton has also made at least one three-pointer before halftime in 252 consecutive contests (since 0-7 at Drake on 1/23/13).
   The Bluejays are also 22-1 this year when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 1-6 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:   70 times   5:  95 times   6: 90 times
7:  134 times   8:  113 times   9: 85 times
10: 72 times   11: 50 times   12: 47 times
13: 41 times   14: 15 times   15: 7 times
16: 6 times   17: 2 times   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 881 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 3/4)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,101   UNLV   3/5
   2.   1,089   Duke   3/7
   3.   1,041   Arkansas   3/7
   4.   1,035   Western Kentucky   3/7
   5.   1,024   East Tennessee State   3/7
   6.   1,012   Pacific   3/7
   7.   1,000   Oakland   3/5
   8.   995   Texas   3/7
   9.   956   Princeton   3/6
   10.   945   Marshall   3/7
   11.   932   Baylor   3/7
   12.   917   Gonzaga   3/9
   13.   907   Long Island   3/7
   14.   888   Mount St. Mary's   Season Over
   15.   884   Cornell   3/6
   16.   881   Creighton   3/7
   17.   875   Tennessee State   3/5
   18.   871   East Carolina   3/8
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 81.15 points per home game (14,444 points in 178 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.99 points in non-conference home games (7,564 points in 89 home games).
   Creighton is 115-5 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 success as past trips have done.
   This year's team is off to a 23-7 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 (Memphis Grizzlies), Doug McDermott (Indiana Pacers, Justin Patton (Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks) and Khyri Thomas (Detroit Pistons) have all been with NBA organizations.
   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 42.84 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 40.7 percent from three-point range this season and averages 6.4 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 3.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game this season. He was traded from Portland to Sacramento on January 18th. His contract was bought out on Feb. 29 and on March 2 he joined the Memphis Grizzlies.
   McDermott is in his sixth season in the NBA, and second with the Indiana Pacers. He is averaging 10.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game this year while shooting 44.5 percent from three-point range (fifth-best in the NBA this season). He also ranks 19th in NBA history in career three-point percentage (.4134). 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 six 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 was traded on January 24th to the Dallas Mavericks organization, then released, and cleared waivers before signing with the Wisconsin Herd, the G-League affiliate for the Milwaukee Bucks.
   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 six games this winter for Detroit, but underwent foot surgery on Nov. 13th and has seven points in limited action.
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.
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 292 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 17-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 242-51 (.826) 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 22,938-19,223 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.68 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 84 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 145-33 (.815) 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 261-51 (.837) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
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.   18,148   #21 Butler   02/23/20
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
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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
