#13 Men's Basketball Visits Xavier on Saturday

Game #23: #13 Creighton Bluejays at Xavier Musketeers
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 • 4:00 p.m. Central
Cintas Center • Cincinnati, Ohio
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM; www.1620thezone.com
SiriusXM: Sirius 133; XM 201; App 964
Television: FOX (Kevin Kugler, Nick Bahe)
Series History: Xavier leads, 17-16
Last Meeting: #13 Creighton 66, #22 Xavier 61 on 12/23/20 in Omaha, Neb.
CREIGHTON NOTES | XAVIER NOTES | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS

Next Game
No. 13 Creighton (17-5, 13-4 BIG EAST) opens its final road trip of the regular-season on Saturday, Feb. 27 when it visits Xavier (12-5, 5-5 BIG EAST).
   Tip-off at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, is set for 4 p.m. Central.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2020-21 season. KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games that start after 5 p.m. The game can also be heard on Sirius channel 133 or XM 201 or channel 964 on the SiriusXM app.
   John Bishop will call the action with Taylor Stormberg. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be televised nationally by FOX, with Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe handling the call.
   Of Creighton's last 153 games, all but the three contests at the 2018 Cayman Islands Classic have been televised. CU is 104-49 in those contests.

Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video 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 No. 13 Creighton
Creighton has won seven of its last eight games to improve to 17-5 overall and 13-4 in the BIG EAST Conference. The surge has vaulted the Bluejays into 13th in the latest AP Top 25 poll and 11th in the Coaches poll.
   CU's five losses have come by a combined 21 points, with each coming by seven points or less.
   The Bluejays return four starters and five of its top six scorers from last season's team that finished 24-7 and won a share of its first BIG EAST regular-season title. CU's 2019-20 team was ranked No. 7 in the year-end Associated Press poll.
   Junior point guard Marcus Zegarowski (14.9 ppg., 4.4 apg.) was an All-American last year and Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year. He took over CU's scoring lead after 25 points vs. Villanova.
   Senior wing Denzel Mahoney (14.0 ppg.) won the BIG EAST's Sixth Man Award last season and owns one more steal (31) than fellow senior Damien Jefferson (12.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg.).
   Not to be forgotten are junior forward Christian Bishop (11.9 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) and Mitch Ballock (10.5 ppg.). Bishop leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.705), while Ballock tops the league with 59 three-pointers made.
   Creighton leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.487), field goal percentage defense (.399) and scoring margin (+10.6).

Scouting Xavier
Xavier is 12-5 on the season, but just 4-5 in the past two months after an 8-0 start. The struggles started with XU's 66-61 loss at Creighton on Dec. 23rd.
   The Musketeers own non-conference wins over Bradley, Oklahoma and Cincinnati, but lost three of its past four contests.
   Playing a starring role this winter have been Paul Scruggs (13.9 ppg., 6.2 apg., 3.9 rpg., 1.7 spg.) and Zach Freemantle (16.9 ppg., 8.9 rpg.). Scruggs is tops in the league in assists, and Freemantle leads the BIG EAST in rebounds per game.
   Xavier features a high-octane offense that averages 76.5 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting from the floor. After shooting 63-for-159 (39.6%) from three-point range in non-conference play, XU has made just 29.4 percent from deep in league play.

The Series With Xavier
Xavier owns a 17-16 lead in the series with Creighton, including a 9-7 mark in Cincinnati.
   Creighton has won each of the past three meetings vs. Xavier, tying its longest winning streak ever against the Muskies. That includes CU's 66-61 victory over Xavier in Omaha just before Christmas.
   Twenty-two of the 33 all-time meetings have been within five points in the final minute, including eight of the last 12 games.
    McDermott is 10-8 against Xavier, and 4-2 versus Travis Steele.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 248-121 record in his 11th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 528-316 in 27 seasons, and is 397-252 in his 20th Division I campaign.
   McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title last season, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. For those efforts, he was recognized as the BIG EAST Coach of the Year as well as the USBWA District VI Coach of the Year, NABC District 5 Coach of the Year and Basketball Times Midlands District Coach of the Year.
   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, Paul Lusk and Terrence Rencher.

With A Win...
- Creighton would improve to 18-5 on the season with its eighth victory in the last nine games.
- Creighton would improve to 138-51 all-time (104-39 under Greg McDermott) as a nationally-ranked team, and 4-4 against Xavier.
- Creighton would improve to 10-4 all-time when ranked exactly 13th.
- Creighton would earn 14 victories in league play for the first time since the 2013-14 team finished its first BIG EAST season with a 14-4 mark.
- Creighton would join Villanova as the only visiting team to beat Xavier five times at Cintas Center.
- Creighton would set a program record with its eighth conference road win of the season.
- Creighton would tie the all-time series against Xavier at 17-all.
- Creighton would beat Xavier for the fourth consecutive time, its longest win streak ever in 34 all-time meetings against the Musketeers.
- Creighton would win its eighth straight game on FOX.
- Creighton would win its fifth straight conference road game for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

Milestone Watch
A few approaching milestones...
Christian Bishop
   - Is one block shy of 76 in his career, which would tie him for 10th in Creighton history.
Mitch Ballock
   - Is nine three-pointers from becoming third Bluejay with 300 in his career. It would also make him the first Bluejay with 300 career three-pointers and 300 career assists.
   - Is two steals shy of 100 in his career.
   - Is 19 rebounds shy of 500 in his career
   - Is 15 points from passing Ty-Shon Alexander for 25th on Creighton's all-time scoring list.
   - Is one league game shy of tying a BIG EAST record with his 72nd career conference game played.
Denzel Mahoney
   - Is one three-pointer shy of 200 in his collegiate career (including 121 at Southeast Missouri State).
Marcus Zegarowski
   - Is 13 three-pointers shy of becoming the 10th man with 200 three-pointers as a Bluejay.
Greg McDermott
   - Is two wins shy of 250 at Creighton and three wins shy of 400 as a Division I head coach.
Team
   - Is one win shy of setting a program record with eight conference road wins in the same season.
   - Is one league win shy of tying a program-record with its 14th BIG EAST win in a season.
   - Is two league wins shy of tying a program-record with 15 conference wins in a season.

Uniform Success at Cintas
Xavier has been near unbeatable at Cintas Center since its 2000 opening, going 280-48 (.854) in the facility. The Musketeers are also an impressive 136-35 (.795) all-time in conference home games at Cintas Center.
   By comparison, Creighton is 253-54 (.824) overall and 120-42 (.741) in league play all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha, another place where visiting teams have had trouble winning thanks to a tremendous home-court advantage.
   Creighton (4x) is one of nine visiting teams that have beaten Xavier at Cintas Center multiple times, joining Villanova (5x), Seton Hall (4x), Butler (3x), Marquette (3x), UMass (2x), Richmond (2x), Saint Louis (2x) and Saint Joseph's (2x). A win on Saturday would make Creighton the second visiting team with five wins over Xavier at Cintas Center, joining Villanova.
   One of those rare Musketeer home losses came on Nov. 30, 2004, when Creighton overcame an early 33-22 deficit (including 35-26 at half) to stun the Musketeers, 73-72, on a Tyler McKinney hoop with 21.5 ticks left. At the time, it was just Xavier's third non-conference home loss ever in the building.
   On Feb. 4, 2015, Creighton picked up a 79-72 overtime win at Cintas Center. The Bluejays overcame a seven-point second half deficit to force overtime, and outscored the Muskies 14-7 in the extra session to hand the X-Men their first home loss of the year.
   On January 16, 2017 in Cincinnati, No. 7 Creighton earned a 72-67 victory over No. 22 Xavier thanks to a 6-0 run in the final 50 seconds. Justin Patton had a tip-in with 49.0 left to give CU the lead, and Cole Huff and Khyri Thomas made insurance free throws after defensive stops. The win improved Creighton to 18-1 for the first time, but national assist leader Maurice Watson Jr. suffered a knee injury early in the first half and would miss the rest of the season.
   Last season Creighton won 77-65 in Cincinnati as five men scored in double-figures to help Greg McDermott earn his 500th win as a head coach.

More Than A Number
Saturday's match-up features a pair of teams who have traditionally excelled in their respective conferences.
   Xavier entered the 2019-20 season with a streak of 37 straight seasons in which it has finished .500 or better in league play before going 8-10 last season and seeing the streak end on a Kamar Baldwin buzzer-beater in the regular-season finale. This year's Musketeers team is 5-5 in league action with two games to play after Saturday.
   Including this season, Creighton has gone .500 or better in league play 26 of the past 27 seasons.

FOX Rocks
Saturday will mark the fifth time in seven weeks that Creighton will play in the Saturday afternoon window on FOX.
   After a rough start on FOX, the network has been a good luck charm for the Bluejays in recent seasons.
   Creighton lost its first seven appearances and was 2-10 on FOX in its first six seasons as a BIG EAST member.
   But over the past two seasons, Creighton is a perfect 6-0 on the network, going 2-0 in 2019-20 and 4-0 so far in 2020-21.
   CU currently owns a seven-game winning streak on the channel, having also won its final appearance in 2018-19. The Bluejays will also close the regular-season on FOX next Saturday vs. Butler.
Creighton's Record on FOX Since 2013-14
Year   W-L
2013-14   0-0
2014-15   0-0
2015-16   0-1
2016-17   0-4
2017-18   1-3 (lost first 2)
2018-19   1-2 (won last 1)
2019-20   2-0
2020-21   4-0

Creighton & Xavier To The Wire
Since both teams officially joined the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, 13 of the 18 meetings (including the BIG EAST Tournament) between Creighton and Xavier have been decided by eight points or less, with two games going to overtime.
   Twenty-two of the 33 all-time meetings have been within five points in the final minute, including eight of the last 12 games.
   Creighton is 7-5 this season in games decided by eight points or less.

Collecting W's
Creighton and Xavier enter Saturday's game with a ton of similarities since the start of the 2010-11 season. Creighton owns 248 victories, which ranks 29th-most nationally in that time and nine more than Xavier's 239 that rank tied for 33rd.
   Gonzaga (330), Kansas (316) and Kentucky (303) lead the nation in wins during the past 11 seasons, while Villanova (284) ranks seventh and is best among current BIG EAST schools.
   The 248 wins accumulated by Creighton ranks ahead of other schools with a national following such as Florida State (243), Memphis (239), Purdue (240), Maryland (237), UCLA (236), UConn (225), Marquette (218) and Texas (212) among others.

Winning On the Road
Creighton owns a 35-36 record in BIG EAST road games since the league's 2013-14 realignment. Those 35 victories trail only Villanova's 50.
   Since the start of the 2018-19 campaign, Creighton's 16 BIG EAST road wins lead the league.
BIG EAST Road Records (through 2/26)
Team   Since 2013-14   Since 2018-19
Butler   28-44   7-20
Connecticut   5-3   5-3
Creighton   35-36   16-10
DePaul   13-57   5-20
Georgetown   22-46   7-16
Marquette   27-44   12-14
Providence   33-39   11-16
Seton Hall   32-40   14-13
St. John's   19-54   8-20
Villanova   50-18   14-9
Xavier   31-34   9-13

Road Warriors
Creighton is 7-1 in its first eight BIG EAST road games this season. This year's 7-1 start on the road in league play is the program's best mark ever after eight road contests in a conference season.
   Creighton has never won eight conference road games in the same season, and still has road games remaining at Xavier and at Villanova.
   Creighton has won four straight conference road games in the same season for the first time since 2011-12. On Feb. 27th at Xavier, it'll seek a fifth straight conference road win for the first time since 2011-12.
   Creighton is the nation's only major conference (Power 5 or BIG EAST) team with seven league road wins this season.
   Creighton's lone road league loss this season came in overtime at Butler, a game that saw the Bluejays squander a 13-point lead in the final 7:30 of regulation.
   League Road   After   After   After
Year   Games 1-6 W-L   7 Road   8 Road   9 Road
2020-21   5-1   6-1   7-1   -
2019-20   3-3   4-3   5-3   5-4
2018-19   2-4   2-5   3-5   3-6
2017-18   2-4   3-4   3-5   3-6
2016-17   5-1   5-2   5-3   5-4
2015-16   4-2   4-3   4-4   4-5
2014-15   1-5   1-6   2-6   2-7
2013-14   4-2   5-2   5-3   5-4
2012-13   3-3   3-4   4-4   5-4
2011-12   5-1   5-2   6-2   7-2
2010-11   3-3   3-4   3-5   3-6
2009-10   2-4   2-5   2-6   3-6
2008-09   4-2   5-2   6-2   7-2
2007-08   3-3   3-4   3-5   3-6
2006-07   4-2   5-2   5-3   5-4
2005-06   3-3   4-3   4-4   4-5
2004-05   3-3   3-4   4-4   5-4
2003-04   4-2   4-3   4-4   4-5
2002-03   5-1   5-2   6-2   7-2
2001-02   5-1   6-1   6-2   7-2
2000-01   2-4   3-4   4-4   5-4
1999-00   2-4   3-4   3-5   4-5
1998-99   4-2   4-3   4-4   4-5
1997-98   4-2   5-2   5-3   5-4
1996-97   2-4   3-4   3-5   3-6

High Wire Act
Creighton is 7-1 in conference road games this season. Since a 94-76 win at St. John's on Dec. 17th, five of Creighton's last seven league road tilts have been tied at some point in the last 3:02 of regulation. In one of the games that wasn't, Creighton won by three after Marquette missed a tying three-pointer in the final seconds.
   Creighton beat UConn 76-74 in overtime on Dec. 20th, as Damien Jefferson tied the game with 0.2 seconds left in regulation.
   Creighton won 67-65 at Providence on Jan. 2nd on Christian Bishop's dunk with 0.8 seconds left.
   Creighton lost 70-66 in overtime at Butler on Jan. 16th.
   On Jan. 27th at Seton Hall, Mitch Ballock's three-pointer with 37.8 seconds left broke an 81-all tie and helped Creighton to an 85-81 victory.
   On Jan. 30th at DePaul, Creighton trailed 60-59 before Denzel Mahoney made two free throws with 3:02 left to start a game-ending 10-2 run.
   In Creighton's eight BIG EAST road games this season, Marcus Zegarowski is averaging 15.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range.
   Denzel Mahoney is averaging 12.0 points per game and Damien Jefferson averages 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.
   Mitch Ballock is averaging 11.8 points per game and shooting 43.1 percent from downtown.
   In 17 league games at all sites, Creighton has outscored the opposition 138-133 in the final three minutes of regulation (plus overtime), limiting foes to 37.2 percent shooting from the field and 31.5 percent marksmanship from beyond the arc. Creighton has also upped its own accuracy at the charity stripe to 68.7 percent in crunch time.

On A Roll
Creighton has won the last three games by margins of 15, 16 and 24, the first time during its eight seasons in the BIG EAST that it has won three straight contests in league play by 15 points or more.
   When's the last season Creighton won three straight regular-season conference games by 15 points or more? How about 1943, when the Hall of Fame coach Eddie Hickey guided Creighton to Missouri Valley Conference wins vs. Washington (45-26), Washington (51-36) and Saint Louis (61-40).
   That 1942-43 squad started the season 16-0 before losing 43-42 to Washington & Jefferson in the NIT back in the day when the NIT was considered the premier postseason event.
   Hickey's 1935-36 team also did it in three straight games.
   The last time Creighton won four straight games, all in league play and by 15 points or more was during the 1923-24 campaign.

Give Me 10
Wednesday's win vs. DePaul was Creighton's 10th home win of the season. It's the 24th time in the last 25 seasons CU has done that.
   The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.

Quad Squad
Creighton owns an 10-2 record against teams that are either Quad 1 (3-1) or Quad 2 (7-1) this season according to Thursday's edition of the NET.
   Creighton (10-2) is one of nine clubs nationwide with 10 or more victories against teams in the top two quadrants, joining Gonzaga (12-0), Alabama (12-5), Ohio State (12-5), Illinois (11-5), Iowa (11-6), West Virginia (11-6), Michigan (10-1) and Purdue (10-7).
   Creighton's three Quad 1 wins are tied for 23rd-most nationally, while its seven Quad 2 victories are tied for second-most in the NCAA.
   Two of Creighton's remaining three regular-season games are currently slated to be Quad 1 games, as the Jays still visit Villanova and Xavier.
   Creighton was 20th in the Feb. 25th edition of the NET, while Xavier was 59th.

Seeking 14
Creighton owns 13 league wins with three conference games left in the season.
   Creighton's 2002-03 squad led by Kyle Korver finished 15-3 in league play.
   Only five additional Bluejay teams (2000-01, 2001-02, 2008-09, 2011-12, 2013-14) have won as many as 14 league contests.

Up Is Down; Down Is Up
Creighton stands in second place in the BIG EAST standings with an 13-4 league record, trailing only Villanova's 10-2 mark.
   What's unusual is how Creighton got to this point. The Bluejays are a perfect 8-0 against the four teams it has met who have a win percentage of .470 or better in league play (2-0 vs. Seton Hall, UConn and St. John's; 1-0 vs. Xavier, 1-0 vs. Villanova).
   Just as unlikely is that Creighton is 5-4 against the schools who are under .470 in BIG EAST action, having gone 1-1 vs. Providence, Marquette and Georgetown, 2-0 vs. DePaul and 0-1 vs. Butler.

Up, Up, And Away
Since Feb. 19, 2019, Creighton owns a 30-9 mark in regular-season BIG EAST games. That's five more wins than anyone else in the league in that time.
   Not only that, but Creighton owned the most wins to close the 2018-19 season after Feb. 19th, tied for the most wins in 2019-20, and has the most wins in 2020-21 as well.
Conference Records Since Feb. 19, 2019
Team   After 2/19/19   '19-20   '20-21   Total
Creighton   5-0   13-5   13-4   31-9
Seton Hall   2-3   13-5   10-7   25-15
Villanova   2-3   13-5   10-2   25-10
Providence   3-2   12-6   8-9   23-17
UConn   2-4#   10-8#   8-6   20-18
Butler   1-4   10-8   7-11   18-23
Xavier   4-1   8-10   5-5   17-16
Marquette   2-4   8-10   6-10   16-24
Georgetown   4-2   5-13   5-8   14-23
St. John's   1-4   5-13   8-9   14-26
DePaul   2-3   3-15   2-11   7-29
#includes 2018-19 and 2019-20 in the AAC

Double-Double Duo
Creighton had a pair of players record a double-double in the Feb. 13 victory vs. Villanova as Christian Bishop (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Damien Jefferson (10 points, 10 rebounds) each did it.
   Bishop (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Jefferson (10 points, 10 rebounds) also accomplished the feat earlier this season in CU's Dec. 17 win at St. john's.
   Before Bishop and Jefferson (twice), the last Bluejay duo to record double-doubles in the same contest since Dec. 9, 2017, when both Martin Krampelj and Ronnie Harrell Jr. did it.

Bishop The Ultimate Chess Piece
Christian Bishop is a tad undersized to play the center position, but his versatility has made him a match-up nightmare for some opponents.
   Bishop has averaged 14.7 points and 8.2 rebounds over the past six games, a stretch that started with Creighton's Jan. 30 win at DePaul. In that same span, he's made 34-of-44 field goal attempts (77.3 percent).
   For the year, Bishop is shooting 70.5 percent from the field, far ahead of the next best competitor in the BIG EAST (Nate Watson, 59.8 percent).
   Bishop has scored 13 points or more in six consecutive games, the longest double-figure scoring streak of his career.

Backcourt Combo Lights Up Wildcats
Marcus Zegarowski (25) and Mitch Ballock (20) combined for 45 points in Creighton's 86-70 win vs. No. 5 Villanova on Feb. 13.
   It marked just the second time in their 82 games as teammates that both men scored 20 or more points in the same contest.
   It also happened on March 4, 2020, when both guards scored exactly 20 points in a 91-76 win vs. Georgetown.

Not Just A Hoops Powerhouse
Creighton is one of six schools in the country to have a top-25 team in both volleyball and men's basketball this week.
   Creighton is joined in that elite grouping by Texas, Baylor, Ohio State, Missouri and Wisconsin.
    While Creighton's 23rd-ranked volleyball team is idle this weekend before facing DePaul next weekend in Omaha, the Bluejays' 13th-ranked men's basketball squad has a game remaining with Xavier this week.

Zegarowski Earns National Honor
NCAA.com correspondent Andy Katz named Creighton guard Marcus Zegarowski as his National Player of the Week on Feb. 15th.
   The junior averaged 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists as Creighton picked up double-digit wins vs. Georgetown and No. 5 Villanova.
   Zegarowski opened his week with nine points, six rebounds, and four assists as Creighton defeated Georgetown on the road, 63-48. He also had two of Creighton's school-record 19 steals in the triumph.
   Zegarowski finished his week with a season-high 25 points in Creighton's 86-70 victory vs. No. 5 Villanova and added five assists and three rebounds. He made 10-of-18 field goal attempts in the victory, and his 17 points in the first half matched the most by a Bluejay all season before intermission.

Three-Ballock, Corner Pocket
Mitch Ballock enters Saturday's game with 291 career three-pointers made, which ranks ninth nationally among active players.
   He's nine three-pointers shy of becoming the third Bluejay to make 300 or more trifectas, as he can join Kyle Korver (371) and Ethan Wragge (334) in that elite grouping. Ballock would be the first of that trio to drain 300 three-pointers while also dishing 300 or more career assists (currently 323 and counting).
   Ballock has played in 121 games in his career. Korver reached 300 treys in his 108th game as a Bluejay, while Wragge achieved that milestone in his 134th career contest.

Inbounds, In Range
Mitch Ballock has frequently displayed his long-range marksmanship. Per research from WhiteAndBlueReview.com writer Matt DeMarinis using Synergy Sports database, Ballock has made 7-of-11 three-pointers this season taken from between 30-40 feet away.
   Over the past two seasons, he's 12-of-24 from 30-40 feet away.

Top 25 Success
Creighton had six wins over top-25 teams last season, breaking the school-record of four set in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
   This year's team owns top-25 wins vs. No. 5 Villanova, No. 22 Xavier and No. 23 UConn. It marks the 10th Bluejay team in history with multiple top-25 victories, and sixth straight year that's happened.
   On a national basis, the only 11 teams that have posted multiple top-25 wins in each of the last six seasons (including 2020-21) are Baylor, Creighton, Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue, Texas Tech, Villanova and West Virginia.
   The following schools have had multiple top-25 wins each year from 2015-16 to 2019-20, but aren't yet there in 2020-21: Duke, Kentucky, Oregon, Seton Hall and Virginia.
Creighton's Most Top-25 Wins, Season
   Wins   Season   Top-25 Victims
   6   2019-20   #8 Villanova, #10 Seton Hall,
           #12 Texas Tech, #19 Marquette,
           #21 Butler, #8 Seton Hall
   4   2016-17   #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
           #16 Butler, #22 Xavier
   4   2017-18   #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Hall,
           #20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
   3   2020-21   #5 Villanova, #22 Xavier, #23 UConn
   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

Points Taken (Away)
Creighton allowed just 48 points in its 15-point victory at Georgetown on Feb. 9th in its best defensive effort of the season.
   It's the fewest points the Jays have allowed in a league game since joining the BIG EAST in 2013, and least against a Power 5 or BIG EAST team since holding Nebraska to 42 in 2012.
   Georgetown's 48 points were its fewest in a game since scoring 48 points in back-to-back games in January of 2013 vs. Marquette and Pitt.
   Below is a list of the top seven defensive efforts by Creighton against a BIG EAST team since joining the league. Three of the top six have come this season.
Fewest Points Allowed vs. BIG EAST since 2013-14
   Pts. Allowed   School, Date   Result
   48   at Georgetown, 2/9/21   CU 63-48
   49   Marquette, 12/31/13   CU 67-49
   50   Providence, 1/12/16   PC 50-48
   53   at Marquette, 1/14/15   MU 53-52
   53   Seton Hall, 1/6/21   CU 89-53
   53   DePaul, 2/24/21   CU 77-53
   54   Xavier, 2/3/19   CU 76-54

Defensive Dandy
Creighton limited Georgetown to 27.6 percent shooting on Feb. 9th. That's CU's best performance in terms of field goal percentage defense against a BIG EAST foe since joining the league in 2013.
   It was also the poorest field goal percentage by a Georgetown team since shooting 25 percent (12-48) vs. Cincinnati on Feb. 23, 2011.
Best FG% Defense vs. BIG EAST since 2013-14
   FG% Defense   School, Date   FG-FGA
   .276   at Georgetown, 2/9/21   16-58
   .296   Providence, 1/12/16   16-54
   .300   Xavier, 2/9/16   21-70
   .309   at DePaul, 2/11/17   17-55
   .328   Butler, 1/23/16   21-64
   .333   at Seton Hall, 2/9/19   20-60
   .333   Seton Hall, 1/6/21   17-51

Men of Steal
Creighton picked up 19 steals on Feb. 9th at Georgetown to break a school-record of 18 set five times previously.
   The Bluejays had previously pilfered 18 swipes five times previously, doing so at Cleveland State (12/18/91), vs. Illinois State (12/12/99), vs. Savannah State (11/29/07), vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11/20/08) and vs. DePaul (2/15/20).
   Creighton's 11 steals in the first half were its most in any half since also having 11 in the first half vs. Southern on Dec. 15, 2008.
   Among the Bluejays who established or tied career-highs in steals were Denzel Mahoney (4), Mitch Ballock (4) and Shereef Mitchell (3). Ballock had all four of his steals in a span of 98 seconds that saw the Hoyas turn it over on five straight trips.

Denzel A Leading Man
In five career games as a Bluejay against a top-10 opponent, Denzel Mahoney has averaged 16.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game to help CU to a 4-1 mark. Mahoney has made 50.9 percent (29-57) of his shots from the floor, 42.3 percent (11-26) from three-point range and 100 percent (12-12) at the charity stripe.
   Four of his top 14 single-game scoring efforts at CU have come in games against top-10 teams.
Denzel Mahoney's Top Scoring Games at Creighton
   Points   Opponent   Date
   29   at Butler   01/16/21
   24   St. John's   01/09/21
   22   Georgetown   02/03/21
   21   at #8 Villanova   02/01/20
   21   Marquette   12/14/20
   20   Nebraska   12/11/20
   20   #23 Connecticut   01/23/21
   19   at Georgetown   01/15/20
   19   at #5 Kansas   12/08/20
   18   St. John's   02/08/20
   18   at #10 Seton Hall   02/12/20
   17   Nebraska-Omaha   12/01/20
   16   #8 Seton Hall   03/08/20
   16   at St. John's   12/17/20

The Big 10
Creighton is 13-4 in league play after its victory vs. Villanova on Feb. 13th.
   Creighton has now won 10 or more league games in 22 of the last 25 seasons.

.500 Or Better in League Play, Again
Creighton is 13-4 in league play, clinching a .500 mark or better in league play once again. It is the 26th time in the last 27 seasons that Creighton has gone .500 or better in league play.
   The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous four seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall. Those same three schools are atop the 2020-21 BIG EAST ledger.

Been There, Done That
There's already been a lot of similarities between this season and last season for Creighton.
   Consider that both teams...
- Lost at Georgetown in 18th game to fall to 13-5, then won next three games.
- Started 9-4 in league play.
- Moved to 10-4 in league play with a win at Marquette.
   Last year's Creighton team earned a share of the program's first BIG EAST regular-season title ever.

Zegarowski Makes Naismith Midseason List
Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski is one of 30 players named by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on its Midseason Team for Naismith Men's Player of the Year.
   This year's list features representation from 25 different schools across 10 conferences. Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa and Villanova are the four programs with multiple midseason candidates, with Gonzaga owning a nation-best three players. The list will be cut to 10 semifinalists on March 4 and again to four finalists on March 16.
   The winner of the 2021 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy will be announced on April 4, one day before the NCAA national championship game. Dayton's Obi Toppin won the award in 2020. Creighton's lone recipient of the award was Doug McDermott following the 2013-14 season.

Zegarowski On The Marc
Since missing a pair of games in mid-January, junior point guard Marcus Zegarowski has returned to play at an elite level.
   In his last nine contests, Zegarowski has averaged 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game while owning an assist/turnover ratio of 2.27.
   Zegarowski has shot 78.1 percent at the charity stripe in those contests, and connected on 38.6 percent of his three-point tries in that span.

A Nice Problem To Have
Creighton continues to find ways to win when scoring 69 points or less. The Bluejays own five wins this winter when scoring 69 point or less, a figure that exceeds its total number of wins (4) in that situation during the previous four years combined.
   This year is the first season since 2012-13 that Creighton has won five games in the same season when scoring 69 points or less.

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 904 straight games. The streak is the nation's 15th-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 (2/24)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next
   1.   1,124   UNLV   2/26
   2.   1,108   Duke   2/27
   3.   1,067   Arkansas   2/27
   4.   1,052   Western Kentucky   2/26
   5.   1,048   East Tennessee State   2/27
   6.   1,028   Oakland   3/2
   7.   1,028   Pacific   2/25
   8.   1,016   Texas   2/27
   9.   964   Marshall   2/26
   10.   958   Princeton   Season Canceled
   11.   950   Baylor   2/27
   12.   940   Gonzaga   2/25
   13.   924   Long Island   2/25
   14.   907   Mount St. Mary's   2/25
   15.   904   Creighton   2/27
   16.   897   Tennessee State   2/25
   17.   886   East Carolina   2/27

Let It Fly
Creighton made 17-of-35 three-pointers on Jan. 27th at Seton Hall. The 17 three-pointers were tied for fifth-most in program history for a single game, and second-most ever in a road contest.
   Creighton started the night by making 8-of-9 three-point shots and would also hit 6-of-8 trifectas in the final 5:22.
Creighton's Most 3-Pointers, Game
   Rk.   3FG-3FGA   Opponent   Date
   1.   22-37   Coe   12-20-18
   2.   21-35   at #4 Villanova   01-20-14
   3.   20-30   Chattanooga   02-19-05
   4.   19-34   USC Upstate   12-20-17
   5.   17-33   #21 Marquette   01-09-19
       17-36   Georgetown   03-04-20
       17-35   at Seton Hall   01-27-21
   8.   16-30   Evansville   01-04-99
       16-27   Drake   01-08-13
       16-25   Chicago State   12-29-13
       16-26   vs. Ole Miss   11-21-16
       16-33   Alcorn State   11-12-17
       16-36   at Georgetown   01-06-18
       16-36   St. John's   01-09-21

Ballock Surpasses 275 Treys
Mitch Ballock owns 291 three-pointers in his Bluejay career, including a season-high eight on Dec. 14 vs. Marquette. That puts him in third place in program history in that category, and ahead of Doug McDermott (274).
   His 232 career treys entering the year were second-most in school history after a junior season, trailing only Kyle Korver (242).
   Ballock ranked 19th nationally with 93 three-pointers made and 11th in three-point percentage (.435) last season.
Most Career 3FG, Creighton History
Rank       3FG   Name   Years
   1.   371   Kyle Korver   1999-03
   2.   334   Ethan Wragge   2009-14
   3.   291   Mitch Ballock   2017-Pres.
   4.   274   Doug McDermott   2010-14
   5.   245   Ryan Sears   1997-01
   6.   212   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   7.   210   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-20
   8.   206   Jahenns Manigat   2010-14
   9.   200   Nate Funk   2002-07
   10.   189   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-Pres.
   11.   185   Matt Roggenburk   1986-90

The Great Eight
Mitch Ballock made nine three-pointers in Creighton's first five games of the season before erupting on Dec. 14 vs. Marquette. The senior guard from Eudora, Kan., made 8-of-14 three-pointers en route to 26 points.
   His eight trifectas were tied for fourth-most in a game in Bluejay history, but three behind his record 11 vs. DePaul on March 9, 2019.
   Ballock joined Kyle Korver as the only players in school history with multiple games of eight or more triples.
   In addition, Ballock's 14 three-point attempts were also tied for fourth-most in program history and one behind the program record.
   Ballock owns 173 career three-pointers in BIG EAST play, which ranks seventh all-time.
   Ballock's 26 points were the most by a Bluejay in any conference opener since 2012, when Doug McDermott scored 29 points vs. Evansville. That came when CU belonged to the Missouri Valley Conference.
3-Pointers Made, Game, Creighton History
   3FG   Name, Opponent   Date
   11   Mitch Ballock vs. DePaul   03/09/19
   9   Kyle Korver vs. Evansville   01/15/03
       Ethan Wragge at Villanova   01/20/14
   8   Tad Ackerman at Drake   01/23/95
       Kyle Korver at Xavier   12/31/02
       Terrell Taylor vs. Florida   03/15/02
       Isaiah Zierden at DePaul   01/17/16
       Mitch Ballock vs. Marquette   12/14/20

Most Career 3FG Made, BIG EAST Games Only
   Rank   3FG   Name, School
   1.   245   Markus Howard, Marquette
   2.   201   Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
   3.   189   Colin Falls, Notre Dame
   4.   183   Gerry McNamara, Syracuse
   5.   180   Myles Powell, Seton Hall
   6.   178   Steve Edwards, Miami (Fla.)
   7.   173   Mitch Ballock, Creighton
   8.   172   Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati

Big Wins In The BIG EAST
Creighton never trailed in its 89-53 win over Seton Hall on Jan. 6th. The 36-point win was Creighton's second-largest ever in BIG EAST action.
   The 36-point loss tied for Seton Hall's third-largest ever in league play for the charter member of the BIG EAST, and was its largest league setback since falling 99-57 vs. UConn on Feb. 11, 2006.
Creighton's Largest BIG EAST Winning Margins
Margin   Score   Date
41   at Creighton 100, St. John's 59   02/28/16
36   at Creighton 89, Seton Hall 53   01/06/21
35   Creighton 93, at DePaul 58   02/11/17
29   at Creighton 93, DePaul 64   02/15/20
28   at Creighton 88, Butler 60   01/14/14
28   Creighton 68, at #4 Villanova 68   01/20/14
25   at Creighton 82, DePaul 57   02/27/18

No. 13 Bluejays
After starting the year ranked 11th in both the AP and Coaches polls, Creighton ascended into the top 10 for three weeks in the AP edition. CU is currently 13th in the AP poll and 11th in the Coaches poll.
   The No. 13 AP ranking is six spots behind the best mark in program history, which was done on Jan. 16, 2017, March 9, 2020, March 16, 2020 and Jan. 4, 2021.
   Creighton is one of six teams that have been ranked in all 21 AP polls since Feb. 3, 2020, joining Gonzaga (92), Villanova (37), Baylor (34), Houston (23) and Iowa (23). The 21 straight weeks in the rankings is the longest stretch in program history, four more than the 17-week streak done from Feb. 27, 2012 - Feb. 4, 2013.
   After being ranked 30th in the inaugural NET rankings that were released on Jan. 4th, Creighton was 20th in Thursday's (Feb. 25) latest update.

Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton continues to be highly regarded by KenPom.com, and is currently 15th. That includes the nation's No. 11 offense, and No. 40 defense.
   Creighton has not finished with a top-35 defense since 2006-07, and has not finished better than 30th since 2001-02.
   Last season was the fourth different time in Greg McDermott's first 10 seasons that Creighton has had a top-10 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   11   40   17-5 so far

Major Success
Among teams in the leagues considered the "Power Five", plus the BIG EAST, Creighton has enjoyed almost more success than anyone else recently.
   Creighton's 41 victories since the start of the 2019-20 season trail only Kansas and Baylor.
Best Records Since 2019-20 (through 2/24)
(Power 5 Conferences + BIG EAST)
Team   2019-20   2020-21   Total
Kansas   28-3   17-8   45-11
Baylor   26-4   18-0   44-4
Creighton   24-7   17-5   41-12
USC   22-9   19-4   41-13
Ohio State   21-10   18-5   39-15
Florida State   26-5   14-3   40-8
Villanova   24-7   15-3   39-10

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 22 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. Eleven of those 22 comebacks have come away from home.
   Creighton's comeback from 16 points down at Seton Hall on Jan. 27th 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.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
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
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

Ballock Over 1,200; Zegarowski Over 1,000
Mitch Ballock owns 1,227 career points after surpassing the 1,000 point mark on Nov. 29 vs. North Dakota State in CU's season-opener, which was also his 100th career game.
   Ballock entered last season's BIG EAST Tournament with 996 points and scored nine points in the first half vs. St. John's on March 12th, but those points were erased when the game was abandoned at halftime.
   Marcus Zegarowski became the 44th Bluejay in school history to surpass 1,000 career points on Jan. 20 vs. Providence when he scored 17 points. Zegarowski needed 75 games to reach the milestone.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 19 Bluejays
Name   CU Games to 1,000 pts.    Date
Marcus Zegarowski   75   01/20/21
Mitch Ballock   100   11/29/20
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

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.   1,241   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-20
   26.   1,238   Ben Walker   1997-01
   27.   1,227   Mitch Ballock   2017-Pres.
   28.   1,196   Ray Yost   1951-54
   29.   1,172   Dick Harvey   1956-59
   30.   1,155   Ethan Wragge   2009-14
   31.   1,152   Dane Watts   2004-08
   32.   1,140   Khyri Thomas   2015-18
   33.   1,132   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-Pres.
   34.   1,116   Kenny Evans   1982-87

Are You Experienced?
Year after year, one common theme to success in college basketball is to have veteran players. This year's Creighton team is full of experienced players.
   CU's starting five features two juniors and three seniors who have combined for 20 years of college experience. They've combined for 4,256 career points at Creighton, and 5,500 career points if you add in Mahoney and Jefferson's points at their previous stops.
   Off the bench, Alex O'Connell and Jacob Epperson are in their fourth college campaign, Antwann Jones in his third year and Shereef Mitchell in his second season. Of the regular Bluejay rotation, only Ryan Kalkbrenner is a freshman.
   On February 27th, Creighton's potential starting five (Mitch Ballock, Christian Bishop, Damien Jefferson, Denzel Mahoney and Marcus Zegarowski) will be a collective 41,031 days old. By comparison, the starting line-up used by the Chicago Bulls in its first four games this season (Wendell Carter Jr., Zach Lavine, Lauri Markkanen, Coby White and Patrick Williams) will be a combined 40,982 days old on Feb. 27th.
   Creighton has gotten 48.8 percent of its scoring from its four seniors (Mahoney, Jefferson, Ballock and Alex O'Connell). In BIG EAST road games, the seniors have scored 51.6 percent of CU's 591 points, with the junior class contributing an additional 34.7 percent of the points.
Category   Points   Pct. of Team's Pts.
Freshmen   147   8.5%
Sophomores   168    9.7%
Juniors   576    33.1%
Seniors   848    48.8%

Moving On Up
Last year Damien Jefferson scored in double-figures in just 13-of-30 contests, and he finished the season averaging 9.4 points per game.
   This year, the senior forward has scored in double-figures in 17-of-22 games and he's upped his average to 12.0 points per contest.
   Jefferson pumped in a career-high 26 points on Jan. 20th vs. Providence, six more than his previous best.

They Scored How Many?
Creighton put up 56 points in the first half on Jan. 9 vs. St. John's, its highest output before intermission in a league game since joining the BIG EAST.
   After a total of eight halves of 52 points or more in its first seven years in the league, Creighton has already scored 52 points or more in three different halves this BIG EAST season.
   Creighton's Highest Scoring BIG EAST Halves
   Points   Opponent (Half)   Date
   56   Xavier (2nd)   01/12/14
   56   St. John's (1st)   01/09/21
   54   at #4 Villanova (1st)   01/20/14
   54   Marquette (2nd)   01/21/17
   54   at DePaul (2nd)   02/11/17
   53   Butler (1st)   01/14/14
   53   St. John's (1st)   02/28/16
   53   #23 Seton Hall (1st)   12/28/17
   53   Marquette (1st)   02/17/18
   53   at St. John's (2nd)   12/17/20
   52   Seton Hall (2nd)   01/09/21
   51   #6 Villanova (1st)   02/16/14
   51   DePaul (2nd)   02/15/20
   50   #6 Villanova (1st)   02/16/14
   50   Seton Hall (1st)   12/28/16
   50   at Georgetown (2nd)   01/21/19
   50   DePaul (2nd)   03/09/19

Numbers Never Lie (Unless they Do)
Need some other random figures to watch?
Creighton is 16-1 all-time when Marcus Zegarowski has 19 or more points, 7-0 when he has eight or more assists and 27-5 when he makes three or more three-pointers.
   Creighton is 15-2 all-time when Mitch Ballock scores 17 or more points, 10-0 when he has six or more assists and 12-0 when he makes three or more free throws.
   Creighton is 17-4 all-time when Christian Bishop has seven or more rebounds.
   Finally, Creighton is also 20-2 when Shereef Mitchell grabs two or more rebounds, and also 19-2 when he dishes multiple assists.

Balance Is Big
All five Creighton starters are averaging 10.5 points or more this season, and the Bluejays have had at least five men score in double-digits in six contests overall.
   Creighton has won 19 games in a row when five or more players score 10 or more points.
   Nine different players have scored 10 or more points in a game this season, a list that doesn't include Jacob Epperson. Epperson's done it four times as a Bluejay in 2017-18 or 2018-19.
   In the last 5:01 of play at UConn, Creighton had 12 points, with each starter scoring either two or three points.
   In league play, all five Bluejay starters are averaging 11.4 points per game or more.

High-Powered Offense
Creighton has pumped in 93 or more points in five games this season, one of 13 teams in the country (with Iowa, Gonzaga, Baylor, Bryant, The Citadel, Eastern Kentucky, Sam Houston State, Southern Utah, LSU, Oral Roberts, St. John's and McNeese State) who can say that. Last year's BIG EAST champion squad only cracked the 93-point barrier three times all season.
   Creighton is 47-3 in 11 seasons under Greg McDermott when scoring 93 points or more. The nation's only teams to score 93+ more than 50 times since 2010-11 are Gonzaga (71), North Carolina (68), Belmont (52), BYU (51) and Marshall (51).
   By comparison, McDermott's teams scored 93+ points just once in his four seasons at Iowa State (96 on 11/22/09 vs. Mississippi Valley State), and also just once in five years at Northern Iowa (99 on 12/1/04 vs. Iowa State).

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 307 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 18-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 253-54 (.824) 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 24,091-20,171 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 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 156-36 (.813) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 60 of those games. McDermott 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 272-54 (.834) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Dame Time
Damien Jefferson came two assists shy of producing Creighton's first traditional triple-double when he posted 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on Thursday at St. John's.
   His performance made him the only Creighton player in the last 34 seasons with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight or more assists in the same game.
   Creighton has had only three triple-doubles in program history, but all three were of the points/rebounds/blocks variety by Benoit Benjamin.
   Jefferson is just the second Bluejay player with a game of at least eight points, rebounds and assists in 11 seasons under Greg McDermott. Khyri Thomas had 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists vs. DePaul on Feb. 27, 2018.
   Here's a list of Creighton players with at least 7+ points, 7+ rebounds and 7+ assists in the same game since 1987-88.
7+ Point, 7+ Rebound, 7+ Assist Games, Since 1987-88
   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Name   Date
   16   9   7   Mike Amos   1/30/1993
   24   11   7   Rodney Buford   11/18/1998
   25   8   8   Ryan Sears   1/8/2000
   9   7   10   Grant Gibbs   12/19/2011
   12   10   7   Grant Gibbs   1/13/2012
   12   7   9   Austin Chatman   11/11/2013
   9   7   7   Austin Chatman   1/25/2014
   7   9   7   Khyri Thomas   12/9/2015
   16   8   7   Maurice Watson Jr.   1/26/2016
   14   12   7   Khyri Thomas   2/28/2017
   16   8   8   Khyri Thomas   2/27/2018
   10   10   8   Damien Jefferson   12/17/2020

Big Ryan's Big Night
Freshman center Ryan Kalkbrenner had a season-high 15 points in just 16 minutes of work on Dec. 17 at St. John's, including four baskets in a three-minute span during the decisive 22-4 second half run.
   For the season, Kalkbrenner has averaged 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocked shots while playing just 13.9 minutes per game. Kalkbrenner ranks tied for sixth nationally among freshmen with 31 blocked shots, and first in the BIG EAST among classmates.
   Kalkbrenner became CU's first true freshman since Benoit Benjamin (1982-83) to have a blocked shot in each of CU's first three games of the season.
   Creighton is 17-2 this year when he makes a field goal, and 0-3 when he does not. The Bluejays are also 13-2 when he blocks a shot, and 4-3 when he does not. Finally, CU is 7-0 when Kalkbrenner scores 10 or more points.

Win The Turnover Battle
Creighton forced Nebraska into 25 turnovers on Dec. 11, picking up 16 steals in the process.
   The 25 turnovers tied the most in any of Greg McDermott's 351 games on the Creighton sideline along with a 2012 game vs. Tulsa.
   Creighton's 38 points off Nebraska's 25 turnovers included 11 points in transition.
   The team's 38 points off turnovers were the most since Creighton began tracking points off turnovers for every game starting in 2004-05.

3's Are Falling
Creighton is tied for seventh in the country with six different games of 13 three-pointers this year. Among power conference teams, no one has done it more.
   Creighton has three of the six players in the BIG EAST with 49 or more three-pointers made, with Mitch Ballock (59) leading the way, five more than Marcus Zegarowski (54) and 10 ahead of Denzel Mahoney (49). Julian Champagnie (St. John's) has made 55, Jair Bolden (Butler) has canned 54 and Jahvon Blair (Georgetown) has drained 49.

O'Connell Makes Creighton Debut
A vote by the NCAA Division I Council on Dec. 16 made Alex O'Connell immediately eligible. He made his debut one day later at St. John's with six points, two rebounds a steal, and an assist in 12 minutes of action.
   A senior guard from Roswell, Ga., O'Connell had not played in Creighton's first six games this season while sitting out after an off-season transfer from Duke University. He had been awaiting a ruling on a waiver that Creighton had filed on his behalf with the NCAA.
   While at Duke, O'Connell appeared in 101 games, including 14 starts. He contributed 431 points and 182 rebounds for the Blue Devils with single-game highs of 20 points, seven rebounds and four steals.
   Though a senior, O'Connell will also be eligible to return to Creighton for the 2021-22 season as a result of a previous NCAA decision that indicated winter sport student-athletes who compete during 2020-21 in Division I will receive both an additional season of competition and an additional year in which to complete it.
   Creighton is 13-3 since O'Connell became eligible.

Preseason Acclaim
Junior guard Marcus Zegarowski was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year on Oct. 28th. In addition, senior guard Mitch Ballock was also voted as a Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST performer in the annual survey of league coaches.
   The Bluejays, along with Kansas, are one of six schools with a Watch List candidate for both the Bob Cousy and Jerry West Awards, joining Baylor (MaCio Teague & Jared Butler), Florida State (MJ Walker & Scottie Barnes), Gonzaga (Joel Ayayi & Jalen Suggs), Kansas (Ochai Agbaji & Marcus Garrett) and Villanova (Justin Moore & Collin Gillespie).
   Zegarowski is Creighton's second player ever named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, joining Doug McDermott (2013-14). McDermott would go on to win BIG EAST Player of the Year honors, as well as 14 National Player of the Year accolades, at season's end.
   In addition, both men have been recognized among the best in the nation at their position. Zegarowski is one of 20 players on the Preseason Watch List for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, and Ballock one of 20 players on the Preseason Watch List for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.

Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 81.23 points per home game (15,597 points in 192 home games), a figure that climbs to 85.14 points in non-conference home games (7,918 points in 93 home games).
   Creighton is 121-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.

Jays Mourn Loss Of Two Greats
Two prominent members of the Creighton Basketball family passed away in the off-season, as Eddie Sutton died on May 23rd and Bob Gibson lost his battle with pancreatic cancer a few months later on October 2nd. Both men were 84.
   Sutton went 82-50 as Creighton's head coach and athletic director between 1969-74. His 806-329 overall mark in 37 years of coaching ranks 11th on the all-time Division I wins list. In April he was announced as part of the Class of 2020 that will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame -- part of a group that also contains Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. However, COVID-19 has pushed that induction ceremony back to 2021.
   Gibson starred in both baseball and basketball with the Bluejays from 1954-57, finishing his college career third with 1,272 career points (he's currently 22nd). He remains in the top-five in CU history in free throws made (418), free throw attempts (575) and scoring average (20.19 ppg.), and his No. 45 basketball jersey is retired. He would play a year with the Harlem Globetrotters before joining the St. Louis Cardinals organization full-time. Gibson is a member of the Hall of Fame's for Creighton Athletics (1968 induction), Missouri Valley Conference (2005) and St. Louis Cardinals (2014), and was honored with a spot on Major League Baseball's All-Century Team in 1999. Gibson was named the best athlete in state history by the Omaha World-Herald in both 2005 and 2015, one spot ahead of Gale Sayers. Tragically, Sayers died nine days before Gibson.

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked second in the preseason BIG EAST Conference poll that was selected via a vote of league coaches.
   Villanova earned 9-of-11 first place votes to top the poll with 99 points, just ahead of Creighton's two first place votes and 91 overall points. Third in the poll was Providence (79), who was just ahead of UConn (69), Seton Hall (67) and Marquette (50).
   Rounding out the bottom half of the poll were Xavier (47) in seventh place, Butler (37), St. John's (33), DePaul (20) and Georgetown (13).
   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.
   Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski was tabbed Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, and was joined on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team by Charlie Moore (DePaul), David Duke (Providence), Sandro Mamukelashvili (Seton Hall), Collin Gillespie (Villanova) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova).
   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    T-1st   Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21    2nd    TBD   Marcus Zegarowski (1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)

In Search of 20
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 20 of the last 22 seasons (entering 2020-21), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
   Just three schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the previous 22 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
   Kentucky has done it 21 times. Creighton and Florida have done it 20 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 22 Years (before 2020-21)
Team   20-Win Seasons   2020-21 W-L   Next Game
Gonzaga   22   22-0   2/25
Kansas   22   17-8   2/27
Duke   22   11-8   2/27
Kentucky   21   8-13   2/27
Creighton   20   17-5   2/27
Florida   20   12-6   2/27

Guess Who's Back? Back Again
Creighton brings back nearly 70-80 percent of last year's statistical contributions in virtually every category:
Category   Last Year   Returning   Pct. Back
Dunks   60   52   86.7%
Assists   489   400   81.8%
Starts   155   124   80.0%
Points Per Game   78.3   62   79.2%
Minutes   6,225   4,687   75.3%
Field Goals Made   866   646   74.6%
Points   2,428   1,768   72.8%
Rebounds   1,004   729   72.6%
Blocked Shots   79   57   72.2%
Steals   203   143   70.4%
3-Point Field Goals Made   302   212   70.2%
Free Throws Made   394   264   67.0%
Charges Taken   39   19   48.7%

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 248 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.   248-121   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

#ProJays
Creighton has three players in the NBA this season,   Doug McDermott (Indiana Pacers), Ty-Shon Alexander (Phoenix Suns) and Justin Patton (Houston Rockets).
   Including 2020-21, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 37 of the last 38 years.
   McDermott is in his seventh season in the NBA, and third with the Indiana Pacers. He averaged a career-high 10.3 points per game last season and is the only player in the NBA to rank in the top-20 in three-point percentage each of the previous three seasons. This year he's averaging 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.
   Alexander bypassed his senior season to turn pro. After going undrafted, he signed a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns. He made his NBA debut on December 27th.
   Patton was in the G-League with the Westchester Knicks but last Friday signed a 2-way contract and was called up by the Houston Rockets.
   In addition, three other Bluejays played in the NBA last season but are currently in the G-League or unsigned...Kyle Korver, Anthony Tolliver and Khyri Thomas.

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 904 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,142 trifectas, an average of 7.90 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 136 times, more than any figure.
   Only four times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 257 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 275 consecutive contests (since 0-7 at Drake on 1/23/13).
   Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Bluejays are 34-4 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 7-8 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:    71 times   5:   95 times   6: 95 times
7:   136 times   8:   115 times   9: 85 times
10: 74 times   11: 52 times   12: 48 times
13: 43 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

Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 through Feb. 24, 2021
Category   CU St   CU Rank
3FG Percentage   .384   2nd
3FG Made   3,310   2nd
FG Percentage   .481   3rd
Assists   5,980   4th
FG Made   10,105   8th
Wins   248   29th
Winning Percentage   .672   32nd

Getting Votes A Good Sign
Creighton was ranked 11th in the Associated Press preseason poll.
   It's the sixth time that Creighton has picked up votes in the preseason poll under Greg McDermott. Each of the first four times that happened, the Bluejays would finish top three in the league, reach the finals of the conference tournament, and play in the NCAA Tournament. Last year's team shared the BIG EAST title before the Conference and NCAA Tournaments were canceled.
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   T-1st; BIG EAST    No Tourney
2020-21   11th   TBD   TBD

Torn ACL's End Two Seasons Early
Creighton will be without Rati Andronikashvili and Modestas Kancleris during the 2020-21 season after both men tore the anterior cruciate ligaments in their left knee three days apart during practices in early November.
   Andronikashvili was injured on Nov. 1, with Kancleris three days last on Nov. 4. The two men, who are roommates, hail from the countries of Georgia and Lithuania, respectively.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Rati Andronikashvili

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

Jacob Epperson

Damien Jefferson

Antwann Jones

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Modestas Kancleris

Denzel Mahoney

Shereef Mitchell

Alex O'Connell

Marcus Zegarowski