Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Season With Upper Iowa on Saturday

Exhibition Game #1
Upper Iowa Peacocks at Creighton Bluejays
Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021 • 7 p.m.
CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: None (Streaming Info at http://GoCreighton.com/FloSports)
Series History: Teams have never met in regular-season
Last Exhibition Meeting: Creighton 113, Upper Iowa 77 on 11/6/15 in Omaha, Neb.
CU NOTES (PDF) | LIVE VIDEO ($) | FLOSPORTS SUBSCRIPTION INFO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS

Next Game
Creighton (0-0 exhibition) takes on Upper Iowa (0-0 exhibition) in an exhibition game on Saturday, October 30 to open the 2021-22 season.
   Tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7:00 p.m.

COVID-19 Precautions at CU Athletic Events
Creighton University strongly encourages all fans to wear a face mask while attending indoor Creighton athletic events to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
   The University particularly encourages fans who are unvaccinated to wear a mask at all times during indoor Creighton athletic events for their own protection.
   Fans who have recently tested positive for COVID-19, or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, should not attend any Creighton athletic events, indoors or outdoors, for the health and safety of other guests for at least 10 days following a positive test or the onset of symptoms. They should also be fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications, and symptoms should be improving.
   In addition, fans who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 should follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines regarding being around others.
   Creighton will continue to closely monitor global, national and local COVID-19 data and trends, as well as public health guidelines, and adjust its response accordingly.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2021-22 season, including Saturday's exhibition.
   KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all regular-season home games.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

Broadcast Information
Saturday's exhibition against Upper Iowa will not be televised, but it will be video webcast on FloSports, with the radio broadcast accompanying the video. FloSports requires a subscription, though if you already own an active account to watch Creighton Volleyball or Soccer, you will get the basketball game.
   Details on how to purchase an account at a significant discount is explained in great detail at http://GoCreighton.com/flosports. The exact link for the game (once you have a subscription) is
http://GoCreighton.com/UIU-CU-2021webcast.

Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
   Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns seven lettermen but no starters from last year's team that finished 22-9 overall, runner-up in the BIG EAST, and reached the program's first Sweet 16 since 1974.
   Of CU's scholarship returners, only Ryan Kalkbrenner (5.9 ppg.), Alex O'Connell (3.4 ppg.) and Shereef Mitchell (3.3 ppg.) are back.
   The Bluejays brought in grad transfers KeyShawn Feazell (13.1 ppg., 9.9 rpg. at McNeese State) and Ryan Hawkins (22.6 ppg., 8.8 rpg. at Division II Northwest Missouri State) to bolster the front line.
   Creighton also features the nation's No. 7 recruiting class, including top-100 prospects Trey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma, Mason Miller and Ryan Nembhard. In addition, Rati Andronikashvili and Modestas Kancleris have been medically cleared after both men tore their ACL's three days apart last November and were forced to redshirt.

Scouting Upper Iowa
Upper Iowa returns all five starters and its top 12 scorers from a team that went 10-7 last season, including an 8-5 conference record in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference at the Division II level.
   Guard Jareese Williams led the Peacocks in scoring (17.5 ppg.), rebounding (6.2 ppg.) and three-pointers (60) last season.
   Not far behind with 16.8 points per game was guard Joe Smoldt, Lucas Duaz (15.2 ppg., 6.1 rpg.) and Jake Hilmer (14.8 ppg., 4.3 apg.).
   Last year's Upper Iowa team scored 87.5 points per game but also allowed 86.1 points per contest. The Peacocks averaged 10.9 three-pointers per game and connected at a 39.2 percent clip from deep, as well as 79.6 percent at the line.

The Series With Upper Iowa
Creighton and Upper Iowa have never met in the regular-season, though the Bluejays posted a 113-77 exhibition win over the Peacocks on Nov. 6, 2015.
   Greg McDermott is 1-1 in regular-season games vs. Upper Iowa, losing to the Peacocks when he was at Wayne State but winning when he was coaching Northern Iowa.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 253-125 record as he enters his 12th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 533-320 entering his 28th season, and is 402-256 entering his 21st Division I campaign.
   McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native led Creighton to its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20.
   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 is assisted by Alan Huss, Ryan Miller and Jalen Courtney-Williams.

The McDermott-McKowen Connection
Creighton head coach Greg McDermott and Upper Iowa head coach Brooks McKowen have a relationship that dates more than 20 years when McDermott recruited McKowen to play for him at Northern Iowa.
   McKowen arrived as a highly-touted prospect, having been named Iowa's "Mr. Basketball" after setting state prep records for points in a season (1,002) and career (2,831) that still stand.
   At UNI, McKowen helped lead the Panthers to three trips to the NCAA Tournament, scoring 856 points and ranking second in school history with assists and fourth in games played.

McKowen Against Creighton
Though this will be just his second time as a head coach against Creighton, Upper Iowa's Brooks McKowen is no stranger to facing Creighton.
   McKowen played in eight career games for Northern Iowa against Creighton. He made a strong first impression, making 6-of-7 three-pointers on Jan. 14, 2004 while scoring 24 points in an 82-73 victory over Creighton at the UNI-Dome. That performance helped upset No. 24 Creighton, and end CU's best start (12-0) since 1942-43.
   McKowen lost his final seven games against Creighton, including all four contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   For his career, McKowen averaged 10.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 40.4 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from three-point range and 83.9 percent at the line in eight games against the Bluejays.

Upper Iowa Goes Up A Weight Class
Creighton is the first Division I team to face Upper Iowa this winter, but by no means is it the first time the Peacocks have stepped up a division in the preseason. Below is a summary of their last 14 seasons of exhibition games against Division I foes:
   In 2019, Drake beat Upper Iowa, 95-88.
   In 2018, Northern Iowa defeated Upper Iowa, 82-62 in a homecoming of sorts for Brooks McKowen.
   In 2015 Upper Iowa lost at Creighton, 113-77.
   In 2014 Upper Iowa fell 83-66 at eventual NCAA Tournament foe Northern Iowa.
   In 2013, Upper Iowa lost 85-83 at Bradley on a game decided by Walt Lemon Jr.'s game-winning shot with 0.2 left in regulation.
   In 2012 Upper Iowa lost 68-54 at Bradley and 73-62 at Southern Illinois. By comparison, Creighton's MVC regular-season and tournament champion club downed the Braves 80-62 and the Salukis 81-51 that same season on the road.
   In 2011, Drake bettered Upper Iowa by an 83-58 score. That same season, MVC Tournament champion Creighton won at Drake, 77-69.
   In the fall of 2010, Upper Iowa lost at Missouri State, 73-46. That same year, Creighton lost 67-66 in Springfield to the eventual MVC regular-season champion Bears.
   In 2009, Upper Iowa lost at Northern Iowa (67-39) and Drake (74-58).
   In 2008, Upper Iowa lost at Milwaukee (87-59) and at South Dakota State (69-65).
   In 2007, Upper Iowa lost at Oral Roberts (86-61) and at Milwaukee (78-53).

Crowd Watch
Creighton's largest exhibition attendance in school history was 16,317 on Nov. 7, 2014 vs. Sioux Falls. Creighton's 2019-20 exhibition game vs. McKendree attracted 15,340 fans, and in 2015-16 it drew 15,015 fans vs. Upper Iowa in an exhibition.
   Upper Iowa played in front of a total of 16,401 fans in 2019-20, an average of 537 fans per contest. That included a high of 3,112 at Northern State.

McDermott's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 28-0 in fall exhibition games as a Division I head coach, including an 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 11-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs have been by double-digits.
   Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date   McD School   Opponent   Result
2001-02   UNI   London Leopards   W 89-74
2001-02   UNI   Lake Superior State   W 74-63
2002-03   UNI   Dominican National Team   W 73-56
2002-03   UNI   H.P. Minnesota   W 90-76
2003-04   UNI   H.P. Minnesota   W 89-79
2003-04   UNI   Australian Select Team   W 92-58
2004-05   UNI   Dubuque   W 93-34
2004-05   UNI   SW Minnesota State   W 71-40
2005-06   UNI   Lewis   W 77-50
2005-06   UNI   Wayne State   W 74-57
11/03/06   Iowa State   EA Sports   W 58-57
11/06/06   Iowa State   Wayne State   W 55-41
11/01/07   Iowa State   Dubuque   W 66-38
11/04/07   Iowa State   EA Sports   W 74-63
11/08/08   Iowa State   Nebraska-Omaha   W 74-54
11/02/09   Iowa State   Black Hills State   W 96-47
11/06/09   Iowa State   UNC Pembroke   W 106-54
11/04/10   Creighton   Northern State   W 79-67
11/06/11   Creighton   Rockhurst   W 81-42
11/02/12   Creighton   Mary   W 89-51
11/01/13   Creighton   Northern State   W 89-61
11/07/14   Creighton   Sioux Falls   W 91-72
11/06/15   Creighton   Upper Iowa   W 113-77
11/04/16   Creighton   Wayne State   W 93-46
10/26/17   Creighton   Nebraska-Omaha   W 96-67
11/03/17   Creighton   UNC Pembroke   W 93-70
10/27/18   Creighton    Winona State   W 101-57
11/01/19   Creighton   McKendree   W 95-63

Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 52-6 since 1981 in fall exhibition games thanks to 20 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which eventually merged and changed their name to EA Sports and had three victories.
   A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since the 1981-82 season can be found on page four of this release.

Top-10 Class
Creighton signed four top-100 players en route to inking the No. 7 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports. That also ranks as the best class in the BIG EAST Conference. Here's how the nation's top-10 classes shake out:
1.   Memphis
2.   Michigan
3.   Gonzaga
4.   Tennessee
5.   Duke
6.   LSU
7.   Creighton
8.   Florida State
9.   Connecticut
10.   Kentucky

My Name Is...
Only five men who played for Creighton last season are back this winter, and none of them averaged more than 15 minutes per game.
   Per research by TCU, Creighton's 18.0 percent of minutes returning ranks third-lowest among all teams nationally, and is the least among all teams from the BIG EAST or a Power 5 Conference.
Lowest Percentage of Minutes Returning
School   Pct. of Minutes Returning
Tennessee-Martin      0.0
Portland      8.5
Creighton   18.0
Missouri   19.7
Duquesne   23.2
Iowa State   25.1
Robert Morris   26.3
Boston College   27.6
South Alabama   28.6
TCU   29.2

Who's Back?
With Creighton returning only five of the 15 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that much of the production from 2020-21 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Starts   2 (1.3%)   153 (98.7%)
3FG Made   25 (8.5%)   268 (91.5%)
Assists   68 (14.0%)   417 (86.0%)
Points   371 (15.8%)   1,984 (84.2%)
Minutes   1,124 (18.0%)   5,126 (82.0%)
Steals   39 (18.1%)   177 (81.9%)
Rebounds   207 (20.7%)   794 (79.3%)
Charges Taken   5 (29.4%)   12 (70.6%)
Blocks   39 (37.9%)   64 (62.1%)

Youth Is Served
Creighton has just seven non-freshmen on this year's roster, and is likely to play multiple freshmen on a consistent basis this season.
   By comparison, last season Creighton had a freshman on the floor just 32.4 percent of the time and had multiple freshmen on the floor just 17 minutes (of 1,250) all season (1.4 percent).

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked eighth in the preseason BIG EAST Conference poll that was selected via a vote of league coaches.
   Villanova was a unanimous selection to win the league, with Connecticut and Xavier finishing second and third, respectively. St. John's is fourth, followed by Seton Hall, Butler, Providence and Creighton. Rounding out the poll are Marquette, Georgetown and DePaul.
   Villanova standout Collin Gillespie was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, and was joined on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team by Nate Watson (Providence), Julian Champagnie (St. John's), Jared Rhoden (Seton Hall), Paul Scruggs (Xavier) and Zach Freemantle (Xavier).
   Creighton is the only school in the league that 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    T-1st   Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21    2nd    2nd   Marcus Zegarowski (1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)

Newcomer Report
Four players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform in 2019-20 in the win against McKendree as Shereef Mitchell, Jalen Windham, Nic Zeil and Kelvin Jones combined for 25 points, 18 rebounds and three steals in 68 minutes of action in Creighton's 95-63 triumph.
   This year's exhibition vs. Upper Iowa could mark the first action at Creighton for senior transfers KeyShawn Feazell and Ryan Hawkins, as well as freshmen Rati Andronikashvili, Modestas Kancleris, Trey Alexander, John Christofilis, Arthur Kaluma, Mason Miller, Ryan Nembhard and Zander Yates.
   Below is a look at how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts since 2017:
2019
Mitchell/Windham/Zeil/Jones
25 pts., 18 reb., 0 ast., 68 min (W 95-63)
2018
Bishop/Canfield/Cashaw/
Froling/Jefferson/Zegarowski
40 pts., 20 reb., 9 ast., 96 min. (W 101-57)
2017
Alexander/Ballock/Epperson/Joseph/Suarez
27 pts., 16 reb., 9 ast., 67 min. (W 96-67)

#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is a starter for the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 38 of the last 39 seasons.
   Last year five Bluejays appeared in an NBA game, as McDermott was joined by Ty-Shon Alexander, Justin Patton, Khyri Thomas and Anthony Tolliver.
   McDermott is in his eighth season in the NBA. Last year he with Indiana he averaged a career-high 13.6 points per game.
   Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.

Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 through 2020-21
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Percentage   .383   2nd
3FG Made   3,389   2nd
FG Percentage   .480   3rd
Assists   6,114   5th
FG Made   10,344   8th
Wins   253   27th
Winning Percentage   .669   34th

Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
Since Latrell Wrightsell in 1988, only two true freshmen have started Creighton's first exhibition game. The first was Khyri Thomas in 2015-16, while in 2018-19 Samson Froling got the starting nod.
   Since 1992-93, only four true freshmen have started Creighton's regular-season opener.
   Ryan Sears did so in 1997-98. The point guard would go on to start all 124 games of his CU career and remains the program's all-time career assist (570) and steals (283) leader.
   Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11, and he went on to start all 145 games of his career. He would graduate as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 career points and is the only three-time First Team All-American since 1986. He now plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
   Khyri Thomas got a start in 2015-16 and remained in CU's starting five each of his first 24 games, and 96-of-102 career contests with the Jays. He has spent parts of the previous three seasons in the NBA.
   Shereef Mitchell joined this elite group in 2019-20 when he got the starting nod against Kennesaw State.

Who Are These Guys?
For the first time since at least 1980-81, Creighton will not return any of its five starters as Mitch Ballock, Christian Bishop, Damien Jefferson, Denzel Mahoney and Marcus Zegarowski are all gone after combining to make 152-of-155 possible starts last season.
   In fact, there's only been four previous times in the last 40 years that just one starter has returned. Those four occurrences came in 1985-86 (went 12-16), 2007-08 (22-11), 2014-15 (14-19) and
2015-16 (20-15).
   Shereef Mitchell started two games last season when Zegarowski was injured, and no other active Bluejay has ever started a game for CU. In the previous 40 seasons, Creighton's always returned players who combined for at least 40 starts in the previous season.
   Returning   Returning Starts    Final
Year   Starters   From Previous Year   W-L
2021-22   0   2   ? ? ?
2020-21   5   124   22-9
2019-20   4   136   24-7
2018-19   2   57   20-15
2017-18   2   72   21-12
2016-17   4   130   25-10
2015-16   1   64   20-15
2014-15   1   49   14-19
2013-14   4   144   27-8
2012-13   4   140   28-8
2011-12   3   101   29-6
2010-11   4   123   23-16
2009-10   3   106   18-16
2008-09   3   83   27-8
2007-08   1   44   22-11
2006-07   4   120   22-11
2005-06   4   134   20-10
2004-05   2   58   23-11
2003-04   3   101   20-9
2002-03   5   159   29-5
2001-02   2   65   23-9
2000-01   3   90   24-8
1999-00   3   84   23-10
1998-99   3   84   22-9
1997-98   4   72   18-10
1996-97   4   126   15-15
1995-96   4   100   14-15
1994-95   2   52   7-19
1993-94   3   73   7-22
1992-93   2   64   8-18
1991-92   2   51   9-19
1990-91   4   132   24-8
1989-90   4   127   21-12
1988-89   4   123   20-11
1987-88   3   83   16-16
1986-87   2   65   9-19
1985-86   1   48   12-16
1984-85   4   124   20-12
1983-84   3   72   17-14
1982-83   3   77   8-19
1981-82   2   78   7-20
1980-81   4   112   21-9

21 of 23 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 21 of the last 23 seasons (entering 2021-22), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
   Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 23 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 22 times, Creighton and Kentucky 21 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 23 Seasons
Team   20-Win Seasons   2020-21 W-L
Gonzaga   23   31-1
Kansas   23   21-9
Duke   22   13-11
Creighton   21   22-9
Kentucky   21   9-16

Twenty Wins, Again
Creighton had 22 wins last season, its sixth consecutive campaign with 20 or more victories.
   Only six teams have won 20 games or more in each of the previous six seasons: Belmont, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 253 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .669 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.   253-125   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

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 23 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including three last season. Twelve of those 23 comebacks have come away from home.
   Creighton's comeback from 16 points down at Seton Hall on Jan. 27th last season was its largest since trailing by 18 vs. No. 18 Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014.
   In that Seton Hall game Creighton trailed 68-52 with 10:40 to play before rallying to win thanks to a 33-13 run. It was the first time that Creighton overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to win since trailing 35-24 vs. No. 18 Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014, and the first road win after trailing by 10 or more points at halftime since overcoming a 32-21 margin at half in a 65-59 win at Missouri State on Feb. 24, 2009.
   If you're curious, CU's largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Since 2010-11
Deficit   Opponent   Date
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
16   at Seton Hall   01/27/21
14   Evansville   02/21/12
13   at Saint Joseph's   11/16/13
13   Xavier   01/12/14
13   #22 Xavier   12/23/20
12   Saint Joseph's   12/11/10
12   at DePaul   01/17/16
12   East Tennessee State   11/11/18
11   at Wichita State   12/31/11
11   Northern Iowa   01/10/12
11   vs. Alabama   03/16/12
11   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/16
11   vs. Connecticut   03/12/21
10   UAB   11/14/12
10   vs. Drake   03/02/12
10   at Nebraska   12/07/14
10   South Dakota   12/09/14
10   St. John's   01/03/18
10   at DePaul   02/07/18
10   Bemidji State   02/13/18

CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 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
03/20/06   Miami (Fla.)   L 53-52   G. Diaz FT   :2.6
01/20/07   Southern Illinois   L 58-57   B. Mullins FG   :4.1
01/10/15   #19 Seton Hall   L 68-67   S. Gibbs 3FG   :2.2
02/16/15   #19 Butler   L 58-56   R. Jones FG   :1.9
03/07/15   Xavier   L 74-73   D. Davis FT's   :6.3
01/12/16   #12 Providence   L 50-48   K. Dunn FG   :0.0
02/22/17   Providence   L 68-66   K. Cartwright 3FG   :2.4
02/10/18   #5 Xavier   L 71-72   Q. Goodin FT's   :0.3

Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
      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.   18,519   Seton Hall   03/07/20
   11.   18,518   Georgetown   01/27/18
   12.   18,495   Marquette   02/17/18
   13.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   14.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   15.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   16.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   17.   18,321   #3 Villanova   02/24/18
   18.   18,257   #5 Xavier   02/10/18
   19.   18,191   DePaul   02/27/18
   20.   18,160   Central Arkansas   11/14/14

Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton continued to be highly regarded by KenPom.com, and finished last season 22nd. That includes the nation's No. 25 offense, and No. 32 defense.
   Creighton had not finished with a top-35 defense since 2006-07, and has not finished better than 30th since 2001-02.
   Last season was the sixth different time in the last 10 seasons that Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom.
Year   Off. Rating   Def. Rating   Team W-L
2010-11   66   174   23-16
2011-12   5   166   29-6
2012-13   5   66   28-8
2013-14   2   124   27-8
2014-15   59   138   14-19
2015-16   43   76   20-15
2016-17   32   46   25-10
2017-18   25   58   21-12
2018-19   47   83   20-15
2019-20   3   78   24-7
2020-21   25   32   22-9

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 308 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 18-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 254-54 (.825) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (21-0).
   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 24,184-20,244 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.79 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 85 different times.
   Creighton is also 29-33 all-time in the 62 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 35-27 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 157-36 (.813) at CHI Health Center Omaha since 2010-11 and hasn't trailed in 60 of those games. In that same span, CU owns an 87-6 home 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 273-54 (.835) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Home Run
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Creighton is averaging 81.30 points per home game (15,690 points in 193 home games), a figure that climbs to 85.14 points in non-conference home games (7,918 points in 93 home games).
   Creighton is 122-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2021-22 season went on sale on October 18th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

Men's Basketball Opens Exhibition Season With Upper Iowa on Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Trey Alexander

Rati Andronikashvili

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

John Christofilis

KeyShawn Feazell

Ryan Hawkins

Damien Jefferson

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Arthur Kaluma

Modestas Kancleris

Denzel Mahoney

Mason Miller

Shereef Mitchell

Ryan Nembhard

Alex O'Connell

Zander Yates

Marcus Zegarowski

Nic Zeil