Men's Basketball Hosts #21 Xavier in Pink Out Game on Saturday

Game #19: #21 Xavier Musketeers at Creighton Bluejays
Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022 • 1:00 p.m.
CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, 1620thezone.com, KOOO 101.9 FM; XM 382; SiriusXM app 972
Television: FS1 (Vince Welch, Nick Bahe)
Series History: Xavier leads, 19-16
Last Meeting: #17 Xavier 80, Creighton 73 on 1/15/22 in Cincinnati, Ohio
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | XU NOTES (PDF)

Next Game
Creighton (12-6, 4-3 BIG EAST) closes the month on Saturday, Jan. 29, with a home game vs. No. 21 Xavier (14-5, 4-4 BIG EAST).
   Tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb., is set for 1 p.m.

COVID-19 Precautions at CU Athletic Events
Creighton University is requiring face coverings to be worn in all indoor spaces on its campuses and in all athletic venues, including CHI Health Center Omaha. These requirements will continue through March 4th, at which time the University will reassess conditions.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2021-22 season. KOOO (101.9 FM) also broadcasts all home games.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Tyler Clement will call the action.
   The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com and can be heard on channel 972 of the Sirius/XM app or XM channel 382.

Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be called by Vince Welch and Nick Bahe, and be televised on FS1.
   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 12-6 this season, including double-digit wins over No. 9 Villanova (79-59) and No. 24 BYU (83-71). The Bluejays are 4-3 in league play but 3-0 in conference home contests.
   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.
   Creighton has four players averaging at least 11 points per game, including the trio of Ryan Hawkins (12.9 ppg., 7.5 rpg.), Ryan Nembhard (11.2 ppg., 4.3 apg.) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (12.1 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 3.2 bpg.).
   Alex O'Connell (12.9 ppg.) had a career-high 22 points on Jan. 15 at Xavier, then outdid himself and scored 28 points in a Jan. 19 win vs. St. John's. He leads the BIG EAST in league action in field goal percentage (.552) and three-point percentage (.500) and is third in three-pointers per game (2.87).
   More than 39 percent of Creighton's points this season have come from freshmen, who composed much of the team's top-10 recruiting class.
   Creighton averages 70.1 points per game while allowing 65.8 per game. CU shoots 46.1 percent from the floor, 30.6 percent from deep and 70.9 percent at the line. The Jays are +4.7 on the glass but have also turned the ball over an average of 14.9 times per game.

Scouting #21 Xavier
Ranked 21st nationally, Xavier is 12-5 overall and 4-4 in BIG EAST action after losing 65-62 in the final seconds to Providence on Wednesday.
   Iowa transfer Jack Nunge has started just twice this season, but leads the Musketeers with 12.5 points per game and is second on the club with 7.2 rebounds per contest. Colby Jones (11.2 ppg., 8.2 rpg.) is one of the top sophomores in the league and Nate Johnson (10.7 pg.) a top marksman.
   Not to be forgotten about are Preseason All-BIG EAST choices Paul Scruggs (11.4 ppg., 4.6 rpg., 4.2 apg.) and Zach Freemantle (8.5 ppg., 5.0 rpg.).
   The Musketeers average 73.8 points per game on 44.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.1 percent shooting from deep and 71.8 percent marksmanship at the line. Xavier wins the rebound battle by 5.9 caroms per contest and holds foes to 64.3 points per game.

The Series With Xavier
Xavier owns a 19-16 lead in the series with Creighton, but Creighton owns a 7-5 edge in Omaha.
   The home team has won each of the past four meetings in the series.
   Twenty-three of the 35 all-time meetings have been within five points in the final minute, including nine of the last 14 games.
    McDermott is 10-10 against Xavier, and 4-4 versus Travis Steele.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 265-131 record in his 12th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 545-326 in his 28th season, and is 414-262 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 win improve to 4-0 in BIG EAST home games this season.
- Creighton would improve to 27-38 all-time vs. top-25 teams under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would improve to 3-3 this season vs. top-25 teams, tied for the fifth-most top-25 wins nationally.
- Creighton would improve to 9-3 in its last 12 BIG EAST games vs. top-25 teams at any site.
- Creighton would pick up its fourth Quad 1 win of the season.
- Creighton would pick up its third top-25 win in a season for just the fifth time. Each of the first four occurrences have been since 2016-17.
- Teams with Ryan Hawkins would improve to 172-14 at the college level, and 97-9 in league play, as Hawkins would avoid just his second losing streak in his six year college career.
- Win or lose, Creighton will extend its stretch of being .500 or better in league play to 27 games, the BIG EAST's only streak longer than 10.

Run It Back
Last year's Creighton team finished second in the BIG EAST and went on to reach the program's first Sweet 16 since 1974.
   Through seven league games this season, Creighton has had the exact same result as it did a year ago against the same opponent/site.
   If that trend continues to hold true, Creighton will win its next five games.
Site/School   2020-21   2021-22
Villanova   CU 86-70   CU 79-59
at Marquette   CU 71-68   CU 75-69 (2OT)
at Villanova   VU 72-60   VU 75-41
at Xavier   XU 77-69   XU 80-73
St. John's   CU 97-79   CU 87-64
DePaul   CU 77-53   CU 60-47
at Butler   BU 70-66 (OT)   BU 72-55
Xavier   CU 66-61   Saturday
at UConn   CU 76-74 (OT)   Feb. 1
at Seton Hall   CU 83-81   Feb. 4
Butler   CU 93-73   Feb. 8
at Georgetown   CU 63-48   Feb. 12

Pink Out Auction Raises $24,165
Creighton raised $24,165 for this Saturday's "Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out" Pink Out game vs. Xavier.
   Below is the final numbers for each jersey/item in the auction this year, though there will be additional ways to donate to the cause on Saturday.
#1   $910   #2   $2,010   #4   $870
#5   $1,775   #10   $750   #11   $2,650
#13   $1,025   #14   $690   #15   $1,500
#21   $1,550   #22   $660   #23   $2,035
#24   $1,850   #44   $2,700   #55   $730
Greg McDermott's Shoes   $510   Ball 1: $380
Ball 2: $325 Ball 3: $355   Ball 4: $465     Ball 5: $425

Matching Donations On Gameday
As always the Creighton vs. Cancer Pink Out game directly supports cancer patients staying for free at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge right here in Omaha.
   This year The David Spence Cancer Foundation has generously agreed to match all donations to Hope Lodge raised at the game, up to $50,000.
   All fans – both at home and at the game are asked to consider a donation. Visit http://cancer.org/omahapinkout to make your gameday donation.

Creighton's Pink Out History
This year will mark Creighton's 12th Pink Out, which coincides with the arrival of head coach Greg McDermott. The Bluejays are 8-3 in the first 11 Pink Out games, while playing in front of an average of 17,903 fans per game (excluding 2021, when COVID limited attendance), as seen below:
Date   Result   Attendance
01/29/11   Creighton 83, Indiana State 69   16,044
01/28/12   Creighton 73, Bradley 59   18,436
02/02/13   Creighton 75, Bradley 58   18,111
01/25/14   Creighton 76, Georgetown 63   18,859
01/17/15   Providence 74, Creighton 65   17,640
01/30/16   Seton Hall 75, Creighton 65   17,924
01/28/17   Creighton 83, DePaul 66   17,611
01/27/18   Creighton 85, Georgetown 77   18,518
01/25/19   Creighton 75, Butler 61   18,089
01/26/20   Creighton 77, Xavier 66   17,796
02/03/21   Georgetown 86, Creighton 79   1,845

Yearly Pink Out Totals
Creighton has raised $331,260.18 since the start of the 2011-12 season during its annual men's basketball Pink Out.
2011-12:   $20,600
2012-13:   $24,444
2013-14:   $48,247.11
2014-15:   $16,384.03
2015-16:   $16,527.90
2016-17:   $26,361.64
2017-18:   $28,796
2018-19:   $19,595
2019-20:   $31,803.18
2020-21:   $40,381
2021-22:   $24,165
Additional Donations:   $25,988.32
11-Year Totals: $331,260.18

Creighton &, Xavier To The Wire
Since both teams officially joined the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, 15 of the 20 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-three of the 35 all-time meetings have been within five points in the final minute, including nine of the last 14 games.
   Creighton is 5-3 this season in games decided by eight points or less. Xavier is 6-2 in such games.

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 in 2019-20 and 6-7 last season.
   Creighton, meanwhile, entered this season having gone .500 or better in league play 26 of the past 27 seasons.

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 265 victories, which ranks 29th-most nationally in that time and 11 more than Xavier's 254 that rank 36th.
   Gonzaga (354), Kansas (337) and Kentucky (320) lead the nation in wins during the past 12 seasons, while Villanova (302) ranks seventh and is best among current BIG EAST schools.
   The 265 wins accumulated by Creighton ranks ahead of other schools with a national following such as Florida State (260), Purdue (259), Memphis (256), UCLA (256), Dayton (252), Maryland (251), UConn (243), Marquette (235) and Texas (232) among others.

Top 25 Success
A 79-59 win vs. No. 9 Villanova coupled with an 83-71 win vs. No. 24 BYU means Creighton owns a pair double-digit wins over top-25 competition this season, something only six other schools can also claim. Gonzaga's done it three times while Iowa State, Marquette, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Villanova have also done it twice.
   The Bluejays have now beaten multiple top-25 foes each of the last seven seasons (2015-16 to 2021-22), something only Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue, Texas Tech and Villanova can also claim. Four other schools have beaten multiple top-25 foes in each of the previous six seasons --   Florida State (1), Michigan, Penn State and West Virginia (1) but are still seeking two top-25 wins this winter.
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
   2   2021-22   #9 Villanova, #24 BYU

Trey's Bien
Creighton guard Trey Alexander was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Jan. 24th, the sixth time in 10 weeks a Bluejay has earned the league honor.
   Alexander averaged 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in a pair of Creighton wins last week.
   The Oklahoma City product had a career-high 11 points and four assists in Creighton's win on Wednesday vs. St. John's, adding five rebounds.
   In Saturday's come-from-behind win vs. DePaul, Alexander scored all of his new career-high 12 points after halftime as the Bluejays outscored the Blue Demons, 37-15. Alexander also finished the afternoon with seven rebounds, two assists and a career-high three steals.
   Creighton classmate Ryan Nembhard has already won the honor five times this season.

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 26 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including three such rallies this season. In Saturday's win vs. DePaul, CU trailed 34-23 a minute into the second half before beginning its push.
   Twelve of those 26 comebacks have come away from home.
   Creighton's comeback from 16 points down vs. SIUE on Nov. 27 was its biggest since rallying from 16 points down at Seton Hall on Jan. 27th.
   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
16   SIU Edwardsville   11/27/21
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
11   DePaul   01/22/22
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

Defense Steps Up
Creighton allowed just 15 points in the second half of last Saturday's victory vs. DePaul.
   It was the fewest points allowed in the second half of a game against a Division I team since the Bluejays did it twice in a 10-day span in 2001 when Alan Huss was wrapping up his senior season.
   DePaul's 47 points were the least allowed by Creighton in a conference game since joining the BIG EAST, and fewest since a 59-45 win vs. Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2013.

SWAT Team
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns a blocked shot in each of Creighton's last 16 games, including multiple rejections in all but two of those contests.
   Kaklbrenner is the first Bluejay with a swat in 16 straight games or longer since Gregory Echenique registered a rejection in the final 12 games of 2010-11 and continued it into the first five games of the 2011-12 campaign.
   Kalkbrenner owns multiple blocked shots in each of Creighton's last 10 wins.

Kalkbrenner Doubles Up
Midway into his sophomore season, Ryan Kalkbrenner has surpassed all of his totals from all of last season already.
   Last season Kalkbrenner had 182 points, 108 rebounds, 38 blocks and 29 dunks in 422 minutes. This year Kalkbrenner owns 217 points, 127 rebounds, 57 blocks and 37 dunks in 483 minutes.
   A big part of that has been his increased stamina. Even though his minutes per game have nearly doubled from 13.6 to 26.8 minutes per game, his per-minute stats have also risen.
Per 40 Minutes - Ryan Kalkbrenner
Year   PTS/40   REB/40   BLOCKS/40   DUNKS/40
2020-21   17.3   10.2   3.6   2.7
2021-22   18.0   10.5   4.7   3.1

All Ball
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks second in the BIG EAST and 10th nationally with 3.17 blocked shots per game, a figure that ranks as the best by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin averaged 5.06 blocks per game in 1984-85.
   Though he's got an uphill climb to catch Big Ben, Kalkbrenner is still on track to become the first Bluejay to average more than 2.00 blocks per game since Chad Gallagher (2.19) in 1990-91.
   Kalkbrenner's 57 swats are the second-most in school history by a sophomore, but still 100 behind Benjamin's 157 in 1983-84.
   Of Kalkbrenner's 57 blocked shots this year, only 11 have gone out of bounds, whereas Creighton has rebounded 30 of the rejections.
   Making the 7-foot-1 sophomore's accomplishments all the more impressive is that the big man owns 57 blocks but has been called for just 22 fouls. Through games of Jan. 26, that made him the nation's only player with more than 32 blocked shots and 22 personal fouls or less.
   Kalkbrenner owns 95 career blocked shots. He ranks ninth in Creighton history in that category.
Most Career Blocked Shots (Since 1979-80)
   Blk.   Name   Years
   411   Benoit Benjamin   1982-85
   183   Chad Gallagher   1987-91
   174   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
   153   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
   138   Brody Deren   2001-04
   136   Anthony Tolliver   2003-07
   109   Doug Swenson   1997-99
   104   Joe Dabbert   2000-04
   95   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Present
   82   Christian Bishop   2018-21

Most Blocked Shots, Season (Since 1979-80)
   Blk.   Name   Years
   162   Benoit Benjamin (Jr.)   1984-85
   157   Benoit Benjamin (So.)   1983-84
   92   Benoit Benjamin (Fr.)   1982-83
   70   Chad Gallagher (Sr.)   1990-91
   62   Chad Gallagher (Jr.)   1989-90
   62   Gregory Echenique (Sr.)   2012-13
   57   Doug Swenson (Jr.)   1997-98
   57   Anthony Tolliver (Sr.)   2006-07
   57   Gregory Echenique (Jr.)   2011-12
   57   Ryan Kalkbrenner (So.)   2021-22
   56   Brody Deren (Jr.)   2002-03
   56   Kenny Lawson Jr. (So.)   2008-09

You've Been Blocked!
Ryan Kalkbrenner had five blocked shots on both Nov. 22 vs. Southern Illinois and Nov. 27 vs. SIUE. Just how rare is that? In Greg McDermott's 12 years on the Creighton sideline, the only Bluejay with multiple games of 5+ blocks in the same season had been Gregory Echenique, who did it in 2010-11 (2x) as well as 2012-13 (4x).
   Kalkbrenner owns seven different games this season with five blocks or more, with three of those coming against top-25 foes (BYU, Villanova, Xavier).
   Kalkbrenner became the first Bluejay with five swats in consecutive games since Benoit Benjamin did it in six straight games from Jan. 27-Feb. 14, 1985. Benjamin had a streak of 7, 12, 6, 5, 5 and 6 rejections during that stretch.
   Benjamin set MVC records that still stand with 411 career blocks and 162 rejections in 1984-85.

Block Party
After owning seven or more blocked shots in a game just nine times in Greg McDermott's first 11 seasons on the Bluejay sideline, Creighton has eight contests this winter with at least seven swats.
   Creighton is 11-6 all-time under McDermott when blocking seven or more shots, and the six losses have come by a combined 34 points.
   Creighton's 5.22 blocked shots per game as a team this winter is its best figure since averaging 6.03 blocks per game in 1984-85.
   Creighton is 7-2 this season when blocking six shots or more.

Not Your Ordinary Freshman
Arthur Kaluma had a season-high 20 points on Jan. 19 vs. St. John's.
   Kaluma (9.1 ppg.) and classmate Ryan Nembhard (11.2 ppg.) are attempting to become the seventh and eighth Creighton freshmen in the past 28 seasons to average at least 10 points per game.
   In that span, five previous Bluejay freshmen have averaged 10.5 points per game or more, and each was named league Freshman of the Year.
   Before this season, Creighton hadn't had a freshman score 20 points in a game since Marcus Zegarowski vs. Coe on Dec. 20, 2018.
CU Freshmen With 20+ Point Games, Since 1994-95
   20+ Point Games   Name   Season
   6   Rodney Buford   1995-96
   6   Doug McDermott   2010-11
   5   Justin Patton   2016-17
   4   P'Allen Stinnett   2007-08
   3   Kyle Korver   1999-00
   2   Terrell Taylor   1999-00
   1   Ryan Sears   1999-00
   1   Ben Walker   1999-00
   1   Ethan Wragge   2009-10
   1   Toby Hegner   2014-15
   1   Khyri Thomas   2015-16
   1   Mitch Ballock   2017-18
   1   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-19
   1   Ryan Nembhard   2021-22
   1   Arthur Kaluma   2021-22

Most Points Per Game, CU Freshmen, Since 1994-95
   PPG   Name   Season
   14.9   *Doug McDermott   2010-11
   14.5   *Rodney Buford   1995-96
   12.9   *Justin Patton   2015-16
   12.6   *P'Allen Stinnett   2007-08
   11.2   Ryan Nembhard   2021-22
   10.5   *Ryan Sears   1997-98
   10.4   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-19
*Went on to win league Freshman of the Year

Home Court Advantage
Creighton has won its first three BIG EAST home games by 20 (Villanova), 23 (St. John's) and 13 (DePaul) points.
   It's the first time Creighton has won its initial three league games at home by double-figures since 2012-13.
   That 2012-13 team, which finished 28-8 overall and 13-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play to win the regular-season title, actually won its first six league games by double-digits.

Filling The Gym
Creighton ranks sixth nationally this season with 16,357 fans per home game.
2021-22 NCAA Home Attendance Per Game Leaders
Through 1/26/22
   Rank   School   Average
   1.   Kentucky   19,030
   2.   Arkansas   18,853
   3.   North Carolina   17,669
   4.   Syracuse   17,382
   5.   Tennessee   16,879
   6.   Creighton   16,357
   7.   Kansas   16,220
   8.   Wisconsin   16,035
   9.   Indiana   15,315

Arthur The Great?
Since 1983-84, Arthur Kaluma is just Creighton's fifth player to average 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds as a true freshman.
   The only others to do it are Doug McDermott (2010-11), Rodney Buford (1995-96), Bob Harstad (1987-88) and Chad Gallagher (1987-88).
   What do McDermott, Buford, Harstad and Gallagher have in common? They rank as the top four career scorers in Creighton Basketball history.
8 PPG & 4 RPG as True Freshmen Since 1983-84
Name, Fr. Year   Fr. PPG   Fr. RPG   Career Pts.
Doug McDermott, 2010-11   14.9   7.2   3,150
Rodney Buford, 1995-96   14.5   4.2   2,116
Bob Harstad, 1987-88   9.0   8.5   2,110
Chad Gallagher, 1987-88   11.4   5.3   1,983
Arthur Kaluma, 2021-22   9.1   4.6   164

Kaluma In Elite Company
Arthur Kaluma is one of three freshmen nationally from the BIG EAST or a Power Five Conference to be averaging at least 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots per game.
   He's joined by a pair of projected top-3 NBA Draft picks, Duke's Paolo Banchero and Auburn's Jabari Smith.
Power 5/BIG EAST Frosh With 8 PPG/4 RPG/0.7 BPG
Name, School   PPG   RPG   BPG
Paolo Banchero, Duke   17.9   7.9   0.9
Jabari Smith, Auburn   15.2   6.5   1.1
Arthur Kaluma, Creighton   9.1   4.6   0.7

BIG EAST Pacesetters
- Ryan Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 3.4 offensive rebounds per game.
- Ryan Hawkins leads the BIG EAST with 7.6 defensive rebounds per game in league action.
- Alex O'Connell leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.552) and three-point percentage (.500) in league action.
- Creighton leads the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.461) in all games.
- CU is the best in the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage defense (.284) in conference games, while Xavier's offense ranks 10th (of 11) at 30.1 percent from deep in league contests.

What's The Difference?
Creighton is off to a 4-3 start in league play, but the difference in a number of categories really jump out.
Stat   4 BE Wins   3 BE Losses
Points/Game   75.2   56.3
Points Allowed/Game   59.8   75.7
Reb. Margin   +13.0   -6.0
Offensive Rebounds/Game   14.3   6.0
3FG/Game   9.3   4.7
A/TO Ratio   61/64   29/50
CU's FG% Defense   .365   .432
After Halftime Score   160-119   89-135
Ryan Hawkins PPG   15.3   7.0
Ryan Kalkbrenner Reb./Game   10.5   4.0
R. Andronikashvili Assists/Game   3.3   0.3

Iron Men
Creighton's Ryan Nembhard ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 34.0 minutes per game as he attempts to become the first freshman to lead the BIG EAST in minutes per game (all games) in the last 15 seasons.
   Nembhard's 34.0 minutes per game average in all games is on pace to be the most by a BIG EAST freshman in 10 years, as Providence's LaDontae Henton (37.2), St. John's Maurice Harkless (36.1) and St. John's D'Angelo Harrison (35.3) all did it in 2011-12. No BIG EAST freshman has averaged more than 34 minutes per game since.

O'Connell Can
Senior Alex O'Connell had six points on Saturday vs. DePaul, snapping a streak in which he had scored in double-figures in seven straight games.
   He scored a career-high 22 points at No. 17 Xavier on Jan. 15th, making 7-of-10 shots, 4-of-6 three-pointers and all four free throw tries, before upping that with a new high of 28 points vs. St. John's on Jan. 19, including a career-high six three-pointers.
   After scoring in double-figures just 13-of-101 games at Duke and 3-of-24 contests last season at Creighton, O'Connell has scored 10 or more points in 14-of-18 battles this season.
   The Georgia native is averaging 12.9 points per game overall this season and 15.4 points per game in BIG EAST action. Both figures lead the team.

Chairmen Of The Boards
Creighton is 9-0 this season when grabbing 10 or more offensive rebounds. The Bluejays average 11.75 offensive rebounds in its 12 wins, compared to 7.33 offensive boards in its six losses.
   One big reason for CU's success on the offensive glass has been Ryan Kalkbrenner. The sophomore leads the league in that category (3.4 orpg.) grabbed 13 offensive rebounds in two wins last week (7 vs. St. John's, 6 vs. DePaul).
   Creighton is undefeated over the past two seasons when grabbing 10 or more offensive rebounds, going 14-0 since a loss on March 1, 2020 to St. John's.

Up, Up And Away
Since Feb. 19, 2019, Creighton owns a 36-14 mark in regular-season BIG EAST games. That's two 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 had the most wins in 2020-21 as well.
Conference Records Since Feb. 19, 2019
(Through Jan. 27, 2022)
Team   After 2/19/19   '19-20   '20-21   '21-22   Total
Creighton   5-0   13-5   14-6   4-3   36-14
Villanova   2-3   13-5   11-4   8-2   34-14
Providence   3-2   12-6   9-10   7-1   31-19
UConn   2-4#   10-8#   11-6   5-2    28-20
Seton Hall   2-3   13-5   10-9   3-6   28-23
Marquette   2-4   8-10   8-11   7-3   25-28
Xavier   4-1   8-10   6-7   4-4   22-22
Butler   1-4   10-8   8-12   3-6   22-30
St. John's   1-4   5-13   10-9   3-4   19-30
Georgetown   4-2   5-13   7-9   0-6   16-30
DePaul   2-3   3-15   2-13   1-8   8-39
#includes 2018-19 and 2019-20 in the AAC

Among The Best
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 122 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 87 league victories are second-most.
Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins, 2013-14 to 1/27/22
Team   W   L   Pct.
Villanova   122   29   .808
Creighton   87   66   .569
Providence   85   67   .559
Xavier   84   63   .571
Seton Hall   79   74   .520
Butler   75   80   .484
Marquette   75   80   .484
Georgetown   58   89   .395
St. John's   57   94   .377
DePaul   31   119   .207
Connecticut   16   8   .667

Nembhard Bags Fifth Freshman Honor
Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the fifth time this season on Monday, Jan. 17th.
   Nembhard had 18 points, six assists, three steals and two rebounds in an 80-73 defeat at #17 Xavier on Saturday. Nembhard's eight field goals were a season-best while his three steals matched his personal high.
   The Aurora, Ontario, Canada product was previously honored on Nov. 15, Nov. 22, Nov. 29 and Dec. 20, while the rest of the league's freshmen have combined to win four total accolades.
   Nembhard is Creighton men's basketball's first player named Freshman or Newcomer of the Week five times in the same season since Doug McDermott was recognized as Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week seven times in 2010-11.

Hawkins, Villanova or COVID?
It's tough to predict who will win the national title in mid-January, but if the past is any indication, there was a good chance an unstoppable force was on the floor at Finneran Pavilion on Jan. 5th.
   Each of the past six basketball seasons have seen either Villanova, Ryan Hawkins or COVID-19 emerge above all others end the season.
   Villanova won the Division I national title in 2015-16 and 2017-18.
   Hawkins was part of the Northwest Missouri State teams that won national titles at the Division II level in 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2020-21.
   COVID-19 ended the 2019-20 season, a year in which Creighton and Villanova were likely headed towards top-three seeds. Meanwhile, Hawkins' Northwest Missouri State team was the top-ranked squad in the Division II ranks and finished with 31-1 overall record and on a 23-game win streak.
Year   National Champion
2015-16   Villanova
2016-17   Ryan Hawkins (Northwest Missouri State)
2017-18   Villanova
2018-19   Ryan Hawkins (Northwest Missouri State)
2019-20   COVID-19
2020-21   Ryan Hawkins (Northwest Missouri State)

How's This, For Starters?
Creighton and Villanova are the only two teams in the BIG EAST Conference to have used the same starting five for every game this season.
   Creighton's bench has scored 214 points in 18 games, while Nova's reserve corps have scored 233 points in 20 games.
   What makes it all the more impressive is that the five men to start for Creighton this year had combined for ZERO combined starts as Bluejays entering the season, whereas Villanova's Collin Gillespie (87), Justin Moore (41), Jermaine Samuels (76) and Brandon Slater (2) had 206 career starts as a Wildcat entering this winter.

Frosh Watch
Creighton is winning at a regular rate despite playing three freshmen (Trey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma, Ryan Nembhard) more than 22 minutes per game.
   On a national basis through Jan. 26, only 155 players classified as freshmen (true, redshirt or otherwise) were playing 22 minutes per game per Basketball-Reference.com.
   Only seven of those freshmen are from the BIG EAST, and besides Alexander, Kaluma and Nembhard the only other true freshmen in the BIG EAST playing 22 minutes per game or more are Georgetown's Aminu Mohammed and Butler's Jayden Taylor.
   CU is the only team nationally to play three true freshmen more than 22 minutes per game.
   And speaking of freshman minutes, Nembhard ranks sixth nationally among all freshmen with 34.0 minutes per game. The next-closest freshman from a Power 5 or BIG EAST program is Nebraska's Bryce McGowens (33.6 mpg.).

Youth Is Served
Creighton has just seven non-freshmen on this year's roster, and is playing 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 outscored teams by 121 when it has two freshmen or less on the court, but have been outscored by 45 points when it has three or more freshmen on the floor.
   All told, 1700:35 of Creighton's 3,650 total minutes (46.59 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). Only 7.5 percent (465:52 of 6250) of CU's overall minutes were played by freshmen in 2020-21.
Freshmen   Time   Score   Margin
0 freshmen:   Never   --   --
1 freshmen:   33:45   54-49   +5
2 freshmen:   454:30   853-737   +116
3 freshmen:   173:55   305-321   (-16)
4 freshmen:   40:22   44-76   (-32)
5 freshmen:   1:28   5-2   +3

We're Jamming!
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 37 dunks this season and 66 in his career. As a team, Creighton owns 70 dunks this season. Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, and 25 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Year
74   Martin Krampelj   2018-19
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
50   Christian Bishop   2020-21
38   Christian Bishop   2019-20
37   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2021-22
36   Gregory Echenique   2012-13
33   Martin Krampelj   2017-18
30   Gregory Echenique   2011-12
29   Marcus Foster   2017-18
29   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-21
24   Gregory Echenique   2010-11
23   Marcus Foster   2016-17
22   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2010-11
20   Khyri Thomas   2017-18

Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Years
121   Martin Krampelj   2015-19
103   Christian Bishop   2018-21
90   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
66   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
52   Marcus Foster   2016-18
51   Khyri Thomas   2015-18
38   Will Artino   2011-15
33   Zach Hanson   2013-17
25   Geoffrey Groselle   2012-16
25   Damien Jefferson   2018-21

Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Year   Team W-L
144   2016-17   25-10 (NCAA)
107   2017-18   21-12 (NCAA)
106   2018-19   20-15 (NIT)
90   2020-21   22-9 (NCAA)
72   2021-22   12-6 so far
60   2019-20   24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58   2015-16   20-15 (NIT)
56   2010-11   23-16 (CBI)
54   2012-13   28-8 (NCAA)
42   2011-12   29-6 (NCAA)
35   2013-14   27-8 (NCAA)
29   2014-15   14-19

Our 2, D Too
Unlike past Creighton teams that thrived from three-point land, this year's Bluejay squad is dominating from two-point range.
   Creighton ranks 27th nationally (per BartTorvik.com) with its shooting 55.4 percent from two-point range. That's its second-best mark ever under Greg McDermott (59.0 in 2017-18) and includes a 60.2 percent mark from inside the paint.
   Defensively, Creighton is holding the opposition to 43.1 percent shooting from two-point range, the nation's 10th-best figure. That's CU's best mark under McDermott, far surpassing the 45.5 percent mark allowed by the 2012-13 club. Bluejay foes are shooting just 47.4 percent in the paint this season.

#1 In The Record Book; #44 In Your Program
Ryan Hawkins leads every active player at the Division I level in career rebounds (1,083) and is second in points (2,331) and field goals made (834).
   Hawkins also ranks in the top 11 among the nation's active Division I players in double-doubles (6th), games played (10th), three-pointers made (10th) and steals (11th).
   And while it's not among the categories the NCAA tracks among active players, it's worth noting that Hawkins owns 103 career games of 10 or more points. The NCAA Division I record in that category is 135, done by former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott.

Only In 2020-21 (Let's Hope)
Though Creighton's 14 BIG EAST wins last season were three more than any other team in the BIG EAST, the Bluejays were the second seed in the conference tournament since the league decided before the season to go by winning percentage to determine a league champion and seeds.
   The BIG EAST wasn't alone in this. It was one of eight leagues that saw the top team in winning percentage not be the same team that had the most conference wins.
Wins Leader Not League Champ, Nationally, in 2020-21
League   Conf. Wins Leader   Conf. Champ
American   Houston, 14-3   Wichita St., 11-2
BIG EAST   Creighton, 14-6   Villanova, 11-4
Big 10   Illinois, 16-4   Michigan, 14-3
Conf-USA   UAB, 13-5   Louisiana Tech, 12-4
MEAC   Norfolk St., 8-4   North Carolina A&T, 7-1
   Coppin State, 8-4
MWC   Utah State, 15-4   San Diego St., 14-3
Pac-12   USC, 15-5   Oregon, 14-4
Summit   South Dakota, 11-4   South Dakota St., 9-3
   N. Dakota St., 11-4

Conference Openers Have Gone Well
Creighton owns a 17-7 record in its last 24 conference openers after a 79-59 win vs. Villanova in its last outing.
   Greg McDermott is 12-9 all-time in conference openers as a Division I head coach, including an 8-4 mark at Creighton (6-3 in the BIG EAST).
   The last team to win a share of any BIG EAST regular-season title after losing the league opener was the 2012-13 Georgetown club. No squad has won an outright title after losing the league opener since Notre Dame won the West Division in 2000-01. And no team has won a league outright title in a one-division BIG EAST after losing the league lid-lifter since Georgetown in 1988-89.
Yearly League Openers Under Greg McDermott
Year   Won (Final W-L)   Lost (Final W-L)
2010-11   Illinois St. (10-8)
2011-12       Missouri St. (14-4)
2012-13   Evansville (13-5)
2013-14   Marquette (14-4)
2014-15       Providence (4-14)
2015-16   St. John's (9-9)
2016-17   Seton Hall (10-8)
2017-18       Seton Hall (10-8)
2018-19   Providence (9-9)
2019-20   Marquette (13-5)
2020-21       Marquette (14-6)
2021-22   #9 Villanova (TBD)

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)
2021-22   8th   ? ? ?   --

Wins On Wins on Wins
Creighton's Nov. 21 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 40-1 on neutral sites when you include his 3-1 mark this year.
   He enters Saturday's game vs. Xavier with a team record of 171-14 (.924) at all sites. He's lost consecutive games in his career just once, and is coming off a loss on Wednesday.
   CU's January 1st win at Marquette marked the 100th conference game of Hawkins' college career. He's currently 96-9 in league games.

Hawkins Scores 25
Ryan Hawkins scored 25 points vs. No. 19 Iowa State. It was the 96th time in his career that the Atlantic, Iowa native scored in double-figures, and 46th time he's scored 20 points or more in a game.
   Hawkins' 25 points were the most by a Bluejay in any game this season, and most by any CU player against a top-25 team since Marcus Zegarowski scored 25 points in an 86-70 win vs. No. 5 Villanova on Feb. 13, 2021.
   Hawkins then scored 25 points against No. 24 BYU in his next outing, making him the first Bluejay with back-to-back games of 25 or more points since Marcus Foster had consecutive 29 point efforts on Feb. 7 & 10, 2018.
   Hawkins is the first Bluejay with multiple games of 25+ points vs. top-25 teams in the same season since Ty-Shon Alexander in 2018-19. Marcus Foster in 2017-18 is the last person with three such games in a season.

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. Those three men are also three of CU's top four scorers (along with Alex O'Connell).
   In the Dec. 11 win vs. No. 24 BYU, Nembhard, Hawkins and Kalkbrenner combined for 56 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
    For the season, the "Ryan Express" has contributed 71.3 percent of Creighton's blocked shots, 51.6 percent of its points, 48.8 percent of its assists, 49.2 percent of its rebounds grabbed and 44.8 percent of its steals.
   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".

Elite Company For Hawkins
In 1991 when Creighton was in the Missouri Valley Conference, former Bluejay Bob Harstad (along with Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Xavier McDaniel) was one the answers to the trivia question of "Who are the only four players in MVC history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds"?
   Years later, Doug McDermott finished his career with 3,150 points and 1,088 rebounds, though not all those rebounds came while playing within The Valley.
   So what's the point, you're asking? Creighton senior Ryan Hawkins owns 2,331 career points and 1,083 career rebounds, though the majority of his totals were accumulated at the Division II level at Northwest Missouri State.
   Entering this season, only 117 players in NCAA history have achieved 2,000 points and 1,000 points at the Division I level.

At The Buzzer!
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 on Nov. 22 in the third-place game of the Paradise Jam.
   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.

Five Threats To Score
All five Creighton starters are averaging at least 9.1 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.

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.

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.

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' 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 42 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" philosophy, 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 39.5 percent shooting this season, which would also be the program's best mark in more than 40 years.

Playing With The Lead
In 317 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 85 of those contests, a staggering 26.8 percent of the time.
     Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is
164-38 and hasn't trailed in 60 of those games. He owns an 91-8 record vs. non-conference teams at CHI Health Center Omaha.

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.

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 931 straight games. The streak is the nation's 13th-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 (1/26)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next
   1.   1,149   UNLV   1/28
   2.   1,132   Duke   1/29
   3.   1,081   Western Kentucky   1/27
   4.   1,073   East Tennessee State   1/29
   5.   1,050   Oakland   1/27
   6.   1,047   Pacific   1/27
   7.   1,043   Texas   1/29
   8.   988   Marshall   1/27
   9.   982   Baylor   1/29
   10.   975   Princeton   1/29
   11.   967   Gonzaga   1/27
   12.   944   Long Island   1/27
   13.   931   Creighton   1/29
   14.   929   Mount St. Mary's   1/27
   15.   918   Tennessee State   1/27

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 931 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,339 trifectas, an average of 7.88 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 263 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 302 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 41-7 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 15-14 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:    5 times   2: 16 times   3: 33 times
4:    71 times   5:   99 times   6: 99 times
7:   139 times   8:   116 times   9: 90 times
10: 77 times   11: 53 times   12: 49 times
13: 44 times   14: 19 times   15: 7 times
16: 7 times   17: 3 times   19: 1 time
20: 1 time   21: 1 time   22: 1 time

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%)

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 Jan. 26, 2022
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   3,507   3rd
3FG Percentage   .380   3rd
FG Percentage   .479   3rd
Assists   6,360   5th
FG Made   10,820   8th
Points   30,291   9th
Wins   265   29th
Winning Percentage   .669   31st

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

#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.

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.

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

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

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 265 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .669 winning percentage is Creighton's best since Arthur A. Schabinger's .714 win rate more than 85 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.   265-131   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

Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton continued to be highly regarded by KenPom.com, and finished last season 22nd. That included 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.
   Creighton has finished with an offensive and defending rating in the top-83 nationally every season since 2015-16. Nationally, the only nine other schools that can claim that (entering 2021-22) are Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Maryland, Purdue, Texas Tech and Villanova.
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   94   40   12-6 so far

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   #8 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.   18,294   #19 Iowa State   12/04/21
   19.   18,257   #5 Xavier   02/10/18
   20.   18,191   DePaul   02/27/18

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 317 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 19-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 261-56 (.823) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (22-0).
   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 24,816-20,777 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.74 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 85 different times.
   Creighton is also 32-33 all-time in the 65 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-11 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 39-27 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 164-38 (.812) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 60 of those games. In that same span, CU owns an 91-8 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 280-56 (.833) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Home Run
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Creighton is averaging 80.80 points per home game (16,322 points in 202 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.08 points in non-conference home games (8,324 points in 99 home games).
   Creighton is 125-6 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 Hosts #21 Xavier in Pink Out Game on Saturday

Players Mentioned

Trey Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

Ryan Hawkins

Damien Jefferson

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Arthur Kaluma

Denzel Mahoney

Shereef Mitchell

Ryan Nembhard

Alex O'Connell

Marcus Zegarowski

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