Men's Basketball Starts Homestand With SIUE on Saturday

Game #7: SIU Edwardsville Cougars at Creighton Bluejays
Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021 • 5 p.m.
CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com; KOOO (101.9 FM)
Broadcast: FS2 (Vince Welch, Jess Settles)
Series History: Creighton leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Creighton 103, SIU Edwardsville 66 on Nov. 25, 2017 in Omaha, Neb.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | SIUE NOTES (PDF)

Next Game
Fresh off a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Creighton (5-1) starts a three-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 27 when it hosts SIU Edwardsville (2-4).
   The Bluejays and Cougars will tip off at 5 p.m. on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb.

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.
   KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com and can be heard on channel 984 of the Sirius/XM app.

Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be called by Vince Welch and Jess Settles and be televised on FS2.
   The game will also be video webcast online at http://foxsports.com/live or the FoxSports app.

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

Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 5-1 this season with wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kennesaw State, Nebraska, Brown and Southern Illinois. CU's lone loss came to Colorado State on a night in which the Rams drained a school-record 20 three-pointers.
   The Bluejays return 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 (12.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg., 2.0 bpg.), Alex O'Connell (12.5 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) and Shereef Mitchell (2.5 ppg.) are back after playing last season.
   The Bluejays brought in grad transfers KeyShawn Feazell (6.0 ppg., 4.0 rpg.) and Ryan Hawkins (13.0 ppg., 7.0 rpg.) to bolster the front line.
   Creighton also features the nation's No. 7 recruiting class, with Ryan Nembhard (14.2 ppg., 5.2 apg.) and Arthur Kaluma (9.2 ppg,. 4.3 rpg.) starting every game to date.
   Creighton averages 73.8 points per game on 51.0 percent shooting from the field and has outrebounded foes by 8.3 caroms per contest. The Bluejays have held foes to 39.6 percent shooting and 67.7 points per contest.

Scouting SIU Edwardville
SIU Edwardsville is 2-4 this season, with wins over Knox (75-37) and Youngstown State (69-66) as well as losses away from home to Marquette (88-77), Chicago State (67-56), Niagara (70-60) and St. Thomas (86-73).
   Ray'Sean Taylor leads the Cougars with 16.8 points and 2.0 steals per game and also has drained a team-best 14 three-pointers. Shaun Doss Jr. (12.8 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) and Shamar Wright (10.0 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) also average in double-figures. Courtney Carter paces SIUE with 18 assists.
   SIUE shoots 42.4 percent from the field, 28.5 percent from three-point range and 61.1 percent at the line while scoring 68.3 points per game. The Cougars are +3.7 on the glass per game but have 23 more turnovers than assists.

The Series vs. SIUE
Creighton defeated SIUE 103-66 on Nov. 25, 2017, in the only previous meeting against the Cougars as Martin Krampelj led five Bluejays in double-figures with 20 points.
   Creighton led 43-33 at halftime before outscoring SIUE 60-33 after the break.
   Greg McDermott is 2-0 in his career against SIUE, beating the Cougars by 36 in 2009 when he was coaching at Iowa State and by 37 in 2017 as Creighton coach.
   McDermott has never coached against Brian Barone.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 258-126 record in his 12th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 538-321 in his 28th season, and is 407-257 in 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 then coached 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.

With A Win...
- Creighton would start 6-1 or better for the sixth time under Greg McDermott, and first time since 2018-19.
- Teams with Ryan Hawkins would improve to 165-9 at the college level.
- Creighton would improve to 2-0 all-time against SIU Edwardsville.
- Creighton would improve to 2-0 this week against teams that have names starting with "Southern Illinois".
- Creighton would win its sixth straight home game dating back to last season.
- Creighton would win its 21st straight non-conference home game.

At The Buzzer!
Creighton returns home after a thrilling finish in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Ryan Nembhard drove the length of the court in the final 5.2 seconds to sink a floater as time expired to give Creighton a 66-64 win vs. Southern Illinois.
   Ironically enough, the game-ending play was installed several years ago by former Bluejay assistant Paul Lusk, himself a Southern Illinois grad.
   The basket was Creighton's first go-ahead shot as time expired since Booker Woodfox beat Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals on March 6, 2009.
   Prior to Woodfox, Creighton's last previous buzzer-beater had also come against Wichita State, as Anthony Tolliver's shot from the right baseline beat Wichita State on Jan. 28, 2006.
   Nate Funk also hit a buzzer-beater to beat Greg McDermott's Northern Iowa team on Jan. 15, 2005 in Cedar Falls.
   Shots by those four men remain the only game-winning buzzer-beaters by Creighton since the start of the 1999-2000 season.

Barone Returns To Omaha
SIUE head coach Brian Barone is the son of former Creighton head coach Tony Barone, who led the Bluejay program from 1985-91.
   The Barone family moved to Omaha when Brian was seven years old and departed for College Station, Texas, when Brian was 13 and his dad was hired by Texas A&M.
   Tony Barone went 102-82 as Bluejay head coach and took Creighton to the 1989 and 1991 NCAA Tournaments. He was inducted into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

Kalkbrenner Playing Big
In his last four games, sophomore center Ryan Kalkbrenner has set career-highs in rebounds (9 vs. Nebraska), points (19 vs. Brown) and blocked (5 vs. Southern Illinois).
   Kalkbrenner has had 10 or more points and five or more rebounds in each of the past five contests, compared to four total such lines during his 2020-21 freshman campaign that spanned 31 contests.
   The last Bluejay with five straight games of a 10/5 line was Christian Bishop's streak of six in a row from Jan. 30-Feb. 24, 2021.

R2 Repeats As Freshman of the Week
Ryan Nembhard was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the second time in as many weeks on Nov. 22nd.
   Nembhard averaged 15.7 points, 4.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while helping Creighton to a 2-1 week. He shot 53.3 percent from the field (16-30), including 63.6 percent from deep (7-11), as well as 66.7 percent (8-12) at the line.
   The Aurora, Ontario, Canada native opened his week with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in a win at Nebraska. His 22 points were the most by any Bluejay in their first career game vs. Nebraska in more than 40 years, and he also had CU's first 20/5/5 game by a freshman in 40+ years.
   Three days later in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Nembhard had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 78-57 win at Brown. He then added 15 points, five assists and four rebounds vs. Colorado State.

Nembhard Earns All-Tourney Honors
Ryan Nembhard earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Paradise Jam after averaging 12.3 points, 4.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals in three games.
   Nembhard shot 55.6 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 60 percent from the line and made a shot at the buzzer vs. Southern Illinois in the third-place game.
   He is CU's first true freshman to pick up All-Tournament Team honors at any event since Doug McDermott was named to the Global Sports Hy-Vee Challenge All-Tournament Team in 2010.

Putting The Jam In Paradise Jam
Creighton had 17 dunks in three games at the Paradise Jam, including eight against Colorado State on Nov. 21, and now owns 28 dunks through six games this season.
   Ryan Kalkbrenner leads CU with 14 of those slams after he threw down 29 dunks all of last season in 31 games played.
   CU's 28 dunks are easily its most through six games during any of Greg McDermott's 12 seasons as Creighton head coach, surpassing the 24 through six games by the 2016-17 team. Kalkbrenner's 14 slams to date trail only Justin Patton's 17 dunks through six games in the McDermott era.
   CU's 2016-17 team finished with 144 dunks in 35 games, with Patton owning 72 of those slams.

Nembhard A Consistent Threat
Ryan Nembhard has scored in double-figures each of Creighton's first six games.
   In the last 27 years, the only other newcomers to score in double-figures during CU's first three games have been true freshman Doug McDermott (8 straight in 2010-11), redshirt freshman Justin Patton (8 in 2016-17) and Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster (8 in 2016-17), who was a junior.
   Nembhard's 85 points through six games are the most by any Bluejay freshman since Doug McDermott had 86 points at that point in 2010-11 The two CU freshmen since 1994-95 to score 72 or more points through six games (P'Allen Stinnett and McDermott) both went on to be named Conference Freshman of the Year.
Most Points, Newcomers First 6 Games Since 1994-95
   Pts.   Name, Class   Year   After 7
   107   Marcus Foster, Jr.   2016-17   129
   86   Doug McDermott, Fr.    2010-11   106
   85   Ryan Nembhard, Fr.   2021-22   ? ? ?
   78   Cole Huff, Jr.   2015-16   88
   78   Ryan Hawkins, Sr.   2021-22   ? ? ?
   77   Maurice Watson Jr., Jr.   2015-16   87
   76   Tad Ackerman, Jr.   1994-95   86
   73   P'Allen Stinnett, Fr.   2007-08   86
   72   Terrell Taylor, Fr.   1999-00   85
   71   Edward St. Fleur, Jr.   1995-96   76
   70   Devin Brooks, Jr.   2013-14   73
   70   Justin Patton, Fr.   2016-17   91
   69   Ryan Sears, Fr.   1997-98   90
   66   Darryl Ashford, Jr.   2009-10   79
   65   Damien Jefferson, So.   2018-19   83
   63   Ethan Wragge, Fr.   2009-10   63
   62   Brody Deren, So.   2001-02   81
   61   Rodney Buford, Fr.   1995-96   87
   60   Marcus Zegarowski, Fr.   2018-19   71

Elite Freshmen
Ryan Nembhard is averaging 14.2 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 55.2 percent from the field this season.
   Since 2010-11, Nembhard is one of just 11 freshmen in the nation to average at least 14.2 points and 5.2 assists per game, a list that includes Trae Young, R.J. Cole, Markelle Fultz, Sharife Cooper, Dennis Smith, Tremont Waters, Jalen Pickett, Lonzo Ball, Elijah Hawkins and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
   Of the 11 freshmen to average 14.2 points and 5.2 assists per game since 2010-11, Nembhard and Ball are the only men to do so while shooting better than 50 percent from the field.

Glass Cleaners
Creighton is outrebounding teams by 8.3 caroms per contest this season. CU won the board battle by six or more in each of its first five contests before tying Southern Illinois on Monday.
   How good is CU's current rebounding margin? It'd be the best mark in more than 40 years, as the only club since 1980 to be +6 or better on the boards was the 1983-84 squad that finished +6.7.
   The commitment to rebounding has been a team effort. All seven Bluejays to appear in all six games this winter are averaging at least 3.7 rebounds per game, led by Ryan Hawkins (7.0 rpg.). Hawkins enters Saturday's contest with 990 career rebounds when you include his Division II stats.

Name Game
Creighton plays Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Monday, then is off until Sunday when it plays Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
   Creighton also went from playing games in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands to playing a team (SIUE) whose most recent game came against St. Thomas.

Back on FS2
Each of Creighton's next two games will appear on FS2, a network that the Bluejays have experienced great success on.
   CU is 14-1 all-time on FS2, including a 103-66 win vs. SIU Edwardsville in 2017. CU has outscored foes by an average of 89.93 - 66.67 in those contests, with all but one of victories coming by double-figures.
   Saturday marks CU's first game on the network since Nov. 16, 2019 vs. Louisiana Tech.

Five Threats To Score
All five Creighton starters are averaging at least 9.2 points per game this season, a fact made all the more impressive when you consider that these men owned a total of ZERO career starts as a Bluejay entering this winter.
   Creighton has won 22 straight games when five or more players have 10 points or more.

Wins On Wins on Wins
Last Sunday's loss vs. Colorado State was the first time in the six-year college career of Ryan Hawkins that one of his teams lost on a neutral floor. The Northwest Missouri State transfer is now 39-1 on neutral sites when you include his 2-1 mark this year.
   He enters Saturday's game vs. SIUE with a team record of 164-9 (.948) at all sites, and he's never lost consecutive games at the college level.

Nembhard's Big Day
Playing his first collegiate road game, freshman point guard Ryan Nembhard thrived in a hostile environment in Lincoln. The Canadian native had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists.
   Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, the only other Bluejays with a 20/5/5 game were Mitch Ballock (1), Marcus Foster (3), Grant Gibbs (1), Doug McDermott (2), Khyri Thomas (2), Maurice Watson Jr. (2) and Marcus Zegarowski (3).
   Nembhard is CU's first freshman with a 20/5/5 line since at least 1981-82.
   Nembhard's 22 points were the most by a Bluejay of any year in their first game vs. Nebraska since at least 1980.

Hawk Talk
Ryan Hawkins finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on Nov. 16 at Nebraska. It was just the fourth 15/10/5 game in Greg McDermott's 12 seasons at Creighton, and first since Khyri Thomas had 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a Nov. 15, 2017 Gavitt Tipoff Games win at Northwestern.
   The only others with a 15/10/5 game under McDermott were Austin Chatman (17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014) and Doug McDermott (30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists at Seton Hall on Jan. 4, 2014).
   Hawkins's performance was CU's first 15/10/5 line without a turnover since at least 1980-81.

Like A Hawk
Ryan Hawkins had 10 or more rebounds in each of CU's first three games. He's the first Bluejay to do that to start a season since Benoit Benjamin's streak of 27 consecutive double-figure rebounding games to open his junior campaign in 1984-85.
   Hawkins owns 38 games with 10 or more rebounds in his college career.

Winning With Defense
Creighton's made its reputation on the offensive side with its "Let It Fly" philsophy, but the Bluejays have won thanks in large part to their defense so far this season.
   Creighton held each of its first four opponents under 40 percent from the field for the first time since at least 1980-81.
   Creighton is holding teams to 39.6 percent shooting this season, which would also be the program's best mark in more than 40 years.

The Ryan Express
Creighton has started three players with the first name of Ryan in each game this winter, as Ryan Nembhard, Ryan Hawkins and Ryan Kalkbrenner are all entrenched as starters.
   In the Nov. 16 win at Nebraska, Nembhard, Hawkins and Kalkbrenner combined for 49 points, 24 rebounds, 11 assists and five blocked shots.
   For the season, the "Ryan Express" has contributed 53.9 percent of Creighton's blocked shots, 53.6 percent of its points, 50.5 percent of its assists and 43.6 percent of its rebounds grabbed.
   Creighton had not started multiple players with the same first name in the same regular-season game since Nov. 18, 2006, when both Nick Porter and Nick Bahe started against Nebraska.
   Creighton has not had a season in which three players with the same first name all started at least once in the regular-season since at least 1980.
   With so many men named Ryan (not to mention assistant coach Ryan Miller), the Bluejay staff has gone to referring to Hawkins as "Hawk", the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner as "Big Ryan" and Nembhard as "R2", in honor of his uniform number, as well as "Coach Miller".

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. Creighton has had at least one freshman on the floor for every second of every game this season, and actually had a late stretch of 1:28 vs. Colorado State when all five of its players on the floor were freshmen.
   Creighton has out-scored teams by 65 when it two freshmen or less on the court, but have been out-scored by 28 when it has three or more freshmen on the floor.
   All told, 520:51 of Creighton's 1,200 total minutes (43.40 percent) have been played by freshmen 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).
Freshmen   Time   Score   Margin
0 freshmen:   Never   --   --
1 freshmen:   28:44   47-39   +8
2 freshmen:   148:56   299-242   +57
3 freshmen:   56:33   84-116   (-32)
4 freshmen:   4:19   8-7   +1
5 freshmen:   1:28   5-2   +3

Seeking 6-1
Creighton has started 5-1 for the ninth time in 12 seasons under Greg McDermott.
   With a win on Saturday, the Bluejays will start 6-1 or better for the sixth time under McDermott, and first time since 2018-19.

Playing With The Lead
In 310 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 85 of those contests, a staggering 27.4 percent of the time.
     Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is
159-36 and hasn't trailed in 60 of those games. He owns an 89-6 record vs. non-conference teams at CHI Health Center Omaha, including 20 straight wins.

Assists 'R' Us
Ryan Nembhard's 10 assists in CU's season-opener were the most by a Bluejay freshman in any game since Marcus Zegarowski had 10 on March 9, 2018 vs. DePaul. He was the nation's ONLY freshman with 10+ assists on the opening night of the college basketball season.
   Prior to Nembhard, no Bluejay (of any year) had dished 10 or more assists in a season-opener since Edward St. Fleur on Nov. 22, 1996 at Wyoming.

Making An Entrance
Arthur Kaluma (15) and Ryan Nembhard (15) became CU's first true freshmen to debut with 10 points or more since Khyri Thomas had 18 points vs. Texas Southern in 2015.
   Nembhard (15 pts., 10 ast) and Ryan Hawkins (16 pts., 11 reb.) were the first Bluejays since at least 1980 with double-doubles in the season-opener of their debut campaign. No CU player (of any year) had started the season with a double-double since Will Artino (14 pts., 10 reb.) in 2014-15 vs. Central Arkansas.
   Kaluma's eight rebounds were the most by a true freshman in the regular-season opener since Martin Krampelj in 2015 and the most by any Bluejay freshman since redshirt freshman Justin Patton snared eight rebounds in his 2016 debut.
   Kaluma had four blocked shots on Nov. 9 vs. UAPB. The last previous Bluejay newcomer with multiple blocked shots in a season-opener? That'd be Artino on Nov. 11, 2011 vs. North Carolina A&T. Kaluma's four swats were the most by any Bluejay (of any year) on Opening Day since Jeffrey Day had five swats vs. Alcorn State to open the 2004-05 campaign..
   Kaluma (15 & 8) became Creighton's second freshman since at least 1973 to debut with 15+ points and 5+ rebounds, joining Doug McDermott (16 & 7) in 2010.
   Ryan Hawkins grabbed 11 rebounds vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the most by a Bluejay since Damien Jefferson had 12 in 2018. Other than Jefferson, no one's had more than 11 rebounds in their CU debut since Cyril Baptiste snared 17 caroms in 1969. When Hawkins followed with 10 rebounds vs. Kennesaw State, he became CU's first player (of any year) with 10+ rebounds in CU's first two games since Doug Swenson in 1998-99.

Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
Between 1992-93 and 2020-21, only four true freshmen started Creighton's regular-season opener. Then on Nov. 9 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, both Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma got the nod on opening night. Nembhard had 15 points and 10 assists while Kaluma owned 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
   This season marked the first time Creighton started two true freshmen in a regular-season opener since 1991-92 (Eric Dantzler and Mike Amos).
   About the other true freshmen to start...
   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 past three seasons in the NBA.
   Shereef Mitchell joined this elite group in 2019-20 when he got the starting nod against Kennesaw State. Mitchell finished with eight points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 28 minutes of work.

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

Working Away From Home
Creighton has already won three games away from CHI Health Center Omaha, having won at Nebraska as well as neutral-site games in the U.S. Virgin Islands both vs. Brown and Southern Illinois.
   In Greg McDermott's 12 seasons as Creighton head coach, it marks just the fourth time that CU has won three or more road/neutral games in the month of November, joining the 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2018-19 clubs.

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 24 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including one this season. Twelve of those 24 comebacks have come away from home.
   Creighton's comeback from 15 points down in the season-opener vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff was its biggest since rallying from 16 points down at Seton Hall on Jan. 27th.
   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.
   The comeback win vs. UAPB marked Creighton's biggest rally in a season-opener since overcoming a 16 point hole in 2008 vs. New Mexico and 17 point deficit vs. DePaul in its 2007 opener. Tuesday's FS1 analyst, Nick Bahe, was on that 2007 Bluejay team and on staff for the 2008 club.
   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
15   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   11/09/21
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

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 919 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,257 trifectas, an average of 7.90 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 139 times, more than any figure.
   Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 261 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
   Creighton has also made a trifecta in the first half of 290 straight games (since going 0-7 vs. Drake on Jan. 23, 2013). That streak was in serious jeopardy on Opening Day this season as CU missed its first 14 three-point tries before a man named Trey (Alexander) extended the streak.
   Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Bluejays are 37-6 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 12-10 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:    5 times   2: 15 times   3: 31 times
4:    71 times   5:   98 times   6: 96 times
7:   139 times   8:   115 times   9: 88 times
10: 77 times   11: 52 times   12: 49 times
13: 44 times   14: 18 times   15: 7 times
16: 7 times   17: 3 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 919 straight games. The streak is the nation's 14th-longest active streak.
   Creighton's last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. 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 (11/24)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next
   1.   1,135   UNLV   11/27
   2.   1,119   Duke   11/26
   3.   1,081   Arkansas   11/28
   4.   1,067   Western Kentucky   11/27
   5.   1,057   East Tennessee State   11/27
   6.   1,038   Oakland   12/2
   7.   1,036   Pacific   11/26
   8.   1,028   Texas   11/29
   9.   974   Marshall   11/27
   10.   967   Baylor   11/25
   11.   964   Princeton   11/28
   12.   956   Gonzaga   11/26
   13.   930   Long Island   11/27
   14.   919   Creighton   11/27
   15.   917   Mount St. Mary's   11/27
   16.   904   Tennessee State   11/28

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%)

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)

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 Nov. 24, 2021
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   3,425   2nd
3FG Percentage   .382   3rd
FG Percentage   .480   3rd
Assists   6,205   5th
FG Made   10,521   8th
Points   29,473   8th
Wins   258   27th
Winning Percentage   .672   33rd

#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.

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 had ever started a game for CU prior to CU's Nov. 9 season-opener. 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

In Search Of 20 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 258 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .672 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.   258-126   Greg McDermott   2010-Pres.
3.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-1935
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-1969
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-1981

CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 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
2021-22   69   87   5-1 so far

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 310 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 19-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 256-54 (.826) 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 24,325-20,365 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.77 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 85 different times.
   Creighton is also 30-33 all-time in the 63 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 37-27 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 159-36 (.815) at CHI Health Center Omaha since 2010-11 and hasn't trailed in 60 of those games. In that same span, CU owns an 89-6 home record vs. non-conference teams, with 20 straight wins.
   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 275-54 (.836) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Home Run
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Creighton is averaging 81.18 points per home game (15,831 points in 195 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.83 points in non-conference home games (8,059 points in 95 home games).
   Creighton is 123-6 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 Starts Homestand With SIUE on Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

KeyShawn Feazell

Ryan Hawkins

Damien Jefferson

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Arthur Kaluma

Denzel Mahoney

Shereef Mitchell

Ryan Nembhard

Alex O'Connell

Marcus Zegarowski