Men's Basketball Visits #19 Villanova on Wednesday

Game #14: Creighton Bluejays at #19 Villanova Wildcats
Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022 • 7:30 p.m. CST
Finneran Pavilion (6,500) • Villanova, Pa.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, 1620thezone.com; XM 382; SiriusXM app 972
Television: FS1 (Kevin Kugler, Bill Raftery)
Series History: Villanova leads, 15-6
Last Meeting: Creighton 79, #9 Villanova 59 on Dec. 17, 2021 in Omaha, Neb.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) |

Next Game
Creighton (10-3, 2-0 BIG EAST) visits defending BIG EAST Conference champion and No. 19 Villanova (9-4, 2-1 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, January 5.
   Tip-off at Finneran Pavilion in Villanova, Pa., is set for 7:30 p.m. Central.

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 Taylor Stormberg 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
Wednesday's game will be called by the tandem of Kevin Kugler and Bill Raftery, 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 10-3 this season, including double-digit wins over No. 9 Villanova (79-59) and No. 24 BYU (83-71). After back-to-back COVID-related cancellations by the opposition led to its longest in-season break (15 days) since 1968, the Bluejays returned to the court on Saturday with a 75-69 double-overtime win at Marquette.
   The Bluejays return seven lettermen but no starters from last year's team that finished 22-9 overall, runner-up in the BIG EAST, and reached the program's first Sweet 16 since 1974.
   Of CU's scholarship returners, only Ryan Kalkbrenner (12.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg., 2.9 bpg.), Alex O'Connell (11.8 ppg., 5.5 rpg.) and Shereef Mitchell (3.5 ppg.) are back after playing last year.
   The Bluejays brought in grad transfers Ryan Hawkins (14.5 ppg., 7.5 rpg.) and KeyShawn Feazell (3.8 ppg., 3.3 rpg.) to bolster the front line. Hawkins leads the squad with 32 three-pointers made and has averaged 23.0 points in three games against top-25 competition.
   Creighton also features the nation's No. 7 recruiting class, with Arthur Kaluma (8.2 ppg,. 4.8 rpg.) and four-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Ryan Nembhard (12.5 ppg., 4.6 apg.) starting every game to date.
   Creighton averages 72.7 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and has outrebounded foes by 5.5 caroms per contest. The Bluejays have held foes to 39.1 percent shooting and 65.2 points per contest.

Scouting #19 Villanova
Villanova is 9-4 on the season and ranked 19th nationally, having responded from back-to-back blowout losses at Baylor and at Creighton with impressive wins against nationally-ranked Xavier and Seton Hall. The Wildcats tested themselves with a challenging non-conference schedule that also included games away from home against Purdue, UCLA, Syracuse and Tennessee.
   Fifth-year senior Collin Gillespie (16.5 ppg., 3.2 apg., 1.5 spg.) leads the Wildcats in scoring, assists and steals. The Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year tops Nova with 42 three-point baskets and has made 86.5 percent of his free throw attempts.
   Justin Moore (14.8 ppg., 4.8 rpg.), Brandon Slater (10.8 ppg.) and Jermaine Samuels (10.5 ppg.) give the Wildcats four men who score in double-figures.
   Villanova averages 72.5 points per game and yields just 63.0 per contest. Nova shoots 42.3 percent from the field, including 35.4 percent from downtown, as well as 77.4 percent at the line.

The Series With Villanova
Villanova leads the all-time series with Creighton, 15-6, including a 9-2 mark in Pennsylvania. Both Bluejay road wins (in 2014 & 2020) came at Wells Fargo Center.
   Creighton swept the regular-season series in 2013-14 with a pair of victories by 20+ points, but the Wildcats won the next eight meetings before CU topped 'Nova in February of 2018.
   Each of the last four meetings have been decided by double-figures, with CU winning three of those games.
   Greg McDermott is 6-12 against Villanova and Jay Wright. Wright is 12-6 versus Creighton.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 263-128 record in his 12th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 543-323 in his 28th season, and is 412-259 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...
- Teams with Ryan Hawkins would improve to 170-11 at the college level, and 95-6 in league play.
- Creighton would start 3-0 in BIG EAST play for the second time ever, and first time since the 2013-14 club opened 5-0 in BIG EAST action.
- Creighton would improve to 27-36 all-time vs. top-25 teams under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would improve to 3-1 this season vs. top-25 teams and match Alabama, Gonzaga, Ohio State and Villanova for the most top-25 wins this season.
- Creighton would improve to 13-5 in its last 18 BIG EAST road games, including four top-25 victories.
- Creighton would improve to 9-1 in its last 10 BIG EAST games vs. top-25 teams at any site.
- Creighton would earn its seventh win vs. Villanova since 2013-14, the most of any Wildcat opponent in that time.
- Creighton would sweep both regular-season meetings against Villanova for the second time since 2013-14 (also doing it in 2013-14), while the rest of the BIG EAST has done it just once (Butler, 2016-17).
- Creighton would become the first team to beat Villanova twice by January 5th or earlier in the same season in the last 25 years.

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 166 points in 13 games, while Nova's reserve corps has scored 153 points in 13 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.

Up, Up, And Away
Since Feb. 19, 2019, Creighton owns a 34-11 mark in regular-season BIG EAST games. That's six 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. 3, 2022)
Team   After 2/19/19   '19-20   '20-21   '21-22   Total
Creighton   5-0   13-5   14-6   2-0   34-11
Villanova   2-3   13-5   11-4   2-1   28-13
Providence   3-2   12-6   9-10   3-0    27-18
Seton Hall   2-3   13-5   10-9   0-2   25-19
UConn   2-4#   10-8#   11-6   1-1    24-19
Butler   1-4   10-8   8-12   1-0    20-24
Xavier   4-1   8-10   6-7   1-1   19-19
Marquette   2-4   8-10   8-11   0-3   18-28
Georgetown   4-2   5-13   7-9   0-0    16-24
St. John's   1-4   5-13   10-9   0-0    16-26
DePaul   2-3   3-15   2-13   0-2    7-33
#includes 2018-19 and 2019-20 in the AAC

Heavyweight Showdown
Wednesday's game features the two winningest basketball programs in BIG EAST play since realignment in 2013-14.
   Villanova has 116 wins to lead the pack by a wide margin, but Creighton's 85 league victories are second-most.
Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins, 2013-14 to 1/3/22
Team   W   L   Pct.
Villanova   116   28   .806
Creighton   85   63   .574
Providence   82   66   .554
Xavier   81   60   .574
Seton Hall   76   71   .517
Butler   73   74   .497
Marquette   68   80   .459
Georgetown   58   84   .408
St. John's   55   90   .379
DePaul   30   113   .210
Connecticut   12   7   .632

Hawkins, Villanova or COVID?
It's tough to predict who will win the national title the first week of January, but if the past is any indication, there's a good chance an unstoppable force could be on the floor on Wednesday.
   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)

Ranking News & Notes
- Creighton is 26-36 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, 19 more top-25 wins than any other coach in Creighton history. Prior to McDermott's arrival, Creighton was 18-115 all-time against top-25 foes.
- Creighton's 26 top-25 wins since McDermott took over in 2010 are as many top-25 wins as UCLA (26) owns, and more than schools like Arizona (24), Maryland (21), Houston (14), LSU (14), Wichita State (14), USC (10), Memphis (9) and Saint Mary's (6) in that time.
- Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last eight seasons (including 2021-22), and multiple ranked foes in each of the last seven seasons (including 2021-22).
   On a national basis, the only 23 teams with a top-25 win each of the previous eight seasons (entering 2021-22) were Baylor, Clemson, Creighton, Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Xavier.
- Creighton is 21-19 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 21 wins over ranked teams in that time are 14th-most nationally, and trails only Villanova (27) among BIG EAST clubs.
- Creighton is 6-12 all-time against ranked Villanova teams, including a 2-7 mark in Pennsylvania.
- Creighton's first game ever against a ranked team came on Jan. 3, 1951 against No. 8 Villanova (VU won, 61-43).

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 three other schools can also claim. Gonzaga's done it three times while Villanova and Iowa State have 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, Purdue and Villanova can also claim. Six other schools have beaten multiple top-25 foes in each of the previous six seasons --   Florida State, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State (1), Penn State, Texas Tech (1) 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

Big Mac On The Attack
Greg McDermott's teams have consistently battled some of the best teams in the country.
   The chart below shows how his teams have consistently outpaced those of his predecessors against top-25 foes.
Category   Pre-McDermott   Under McDermott
vs. Top 25 Teams   18-115   26-36
vs. Top 10 Teams   5-31   11-17
vs. Top 10 on Road   1-28   4-9
vs. Top 25 on Road   2-63   8-16

The Cats Meow
Villanova has the second-best win percentage in the country since the start of the 2013-14 season, which coincides with the realignment of the BIG EAST. Villanova is 242-49 (.832), just behind a Gonzaga program that is 267-34 (.887).
   Of the 84 different schools to play Villanova in that time, only 23 have actually beaten the Wildcats.
   Creighton is one of nine schools to post multiple victories over the Wildcats in that time. Creighton's six victories over Villanova are more than any other school.

McDermott On The Wright Path
Villanova's Jay Wright owns more wins at his current school than any other current BIG EAST coach, having led the Wildcats to 499 victories in 21 seasons. That's an average of 23.76 wins per season (counting this season and this year's wins) for Wright, and a .721 winning percentage in that time.
   His counterpart on Wednesday, Creighton's Greg McDermott, owns a record of 263-128 in his 12 seasons with the Bluejays (second among league coaches), an average of 21.92 wins per season. McDermott owns a .673 winning percentage at CU.
   Wright and McDermott are the only current BIG EAST coaches who have averaged 20 or more wins per season in their current position. In fact, only five league coaches (Jordan, McDermott, Cooley, Willard and Wright) have ever won 20 or more games in a season (as a head coach) at their current school.
   After 13 games of his 12th season at Villanova, Wright owned 245 wins and had been to seven NCAA Tournaments at VU, while McDermott owns 263 wins. He has coached CU to six NCAA bids to this point and had a seventh wiped away by COVID in 2020.
   Wright had a 251-140 record after exactly 391 games with the Wildcats, while McDermott is 263-128 through 391 games at Creighton thus far.

Something About Creighton
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Villanova has suffered only 49 losses, with just 12 of those coming by 15 points or more.
   Five of those setbacks have come against Creighton.
Villanova's Largest Margin of Defeat Since 2013-14
   Margin   Score   Date
   28   Creighton 96, Villanova 68   1/20/14
   27   Michigan 73, Villanova 46   11/14/18
   26   Purdue 87, Villanova 61   3/23/19
   25   Ohio State 76, Villanova 51   11/13/19
   23   Oklahoma 78, Villanova 55   12/7/15
   21   Creighton 101, Villanova 80   2/16/14
   21   Baylor 57, Villanova 36   12/12/21
   20   Georgetown 78, Villanova 58   1/19/15
   20   Creighton 79, Villanova 59   12/17/21
   16   Creighton 86, Villanova 70   2/13/21
   16   Syracuse 78, Villanova 62   12/28/13
   15   Creighton 76, Villanova 61   2/1/20

A Dozen, Cousin
Creighton's 79-59 win vs. Villanova on Dec. 17 was CU's third-largest margin of victory ever over a top-10 team. Each of the top three efforts on that chart, and five of the top six such wins, have come against Villanova.
Top-10 Wins By 12+ Points, CU History
Date   CU Rank   Opponent   Result   CU Coach
01/20/14   NR   at #4 Villanova   W 96-68   McDermott
02/16/14   18   #6 Villanova   W 101-80   McDermott
12/17/21   NR   #9 Villanova   W 79-59   McDermott
03/07/20   11   #8 Seton Hall   W 77-60   McDermott
02/13/21   19   #5 Villanova   W 86-70   McDermott
02/01/20   NR   at #8 Villanova   W 76-61   McDermott
02/09/16   NR   #5 Xavier   W 70-56   McDermott
11/15/16   22   #9 Wisconsin   W 79-67   McDermott

Repeat After Three
Few teams in the country have made as many three-pointers in the last nine seasons as the team's featured in Wednesday's match-up. Since 2013-14, Villanova leads the nation in that category with 2,797 trifectas, while Creighton is fourth with 2,602.
   This season Villanova owns a BIG EAST-leading 9.9 three-pointers per game, while Creighton is 11th (last) in the league with 6.7 treys per game.
   Creighton is 0-11 all-time when making eight three-pointers or less against Villanova (including three meetings in the 1950's long before the 3-point line existed), but 6-4 when making nine or more trifectas. CU has hit 74-of-150 treys (49.3%) in the six wins, but 88-of-283 triples (31.1%) in the 15 losses.
   Villanova has made nine or more three-pointers against Creighton in 12-of-18 meetings as BIG EAST rivals.
   Creighton is 24-2 in its last 26 games when attempting 15 or fewer three-pointers.
   Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton has made 3,476 three-pointers in 391 games, good for second-most nationally behind Belmont (3,645). Villanova is fourth on that list with 3,407 treys.
   Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, Villanova is first and CU fourth nationally in 3FG.
Most 3FG Made Since 2013-14 (thru 1/3/2022)
Rk.   Team   3FG   Games
1.   Villanova   2,797   291
2.   Belmont   2,730   273
3.   North Florida   2,668   270
4.   Creighton   2,602   281
5.   Citadel   2,587   256

Wrapping Up Marquette
A few leftover tidbits from last Saturday's win at Marquette.
- Creighton improved to 4-0 all-time at Fiserv Forum with a 75-69 win at Marquette. Creighton is the only visiting NBA or NCAA team to win four times in the regular-season at the facility, where the Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette Golden Eagles are a combined 140-42.
- Saturday marked the second time ever that Creighton and Marquette had played a double-overtime game. The previous occasion came in 1930 and was won by Creighton 19-17.
- Including Saturday, 14 of the last 15 Marquette/Creighton meetings have been decided by eight points or less.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner became Creighton's third player in the last 12 years to have a game with at least 20 points and 12 rebounds, joining Kenny Lawson Jr. (once) and Doug McDermott (7x).
   Kalkbrenner, who also had four blocks at Marquette, is the first Bluejay with a 20/12/4 line since Chad Gallagher (25/12/4) on Feb. 12, 1990 at Bradley.
- Ryan Hawkins played 47:02 vs. Marquette, the most by a Bluejay since Austin Chatman played 47:08 vs. South Dakota on Dec. 9, 2014. It was the 28th time in his collegiate career he's played 40 minutes or more, and fourth time Hawkins has logged 45 minutes or more. His teams are 27-1 when he plays 40 minutes or more.
   In the game after playing 40 or more minutes in his career, Hawkins has averaged 21.1 points and 8.5 rebounds while playing 35.3 minutes per game. He's shot 56.3 percent from the field (205-364), 47.1 percent from three-point range (74-157) and 88.5 percent at the line (85-96). His teams are 26-1 in those games heading into Wednesday.

#1 In The Record Book; #44 In Your Program
Ryan Hawkins leads every active player at the Division I level in career points (2,286), rebounds (1,046) and field goals made (820).
   Hawkins also ranks in the top 10 among the nation's active Division I players in gams played (8th) and double-doubles (6th).
   And while it's not among the categories the NCAA tracks among active players, it's worth noting that Hawkins owns 99 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.

Working Overtime
Saturday's 75-69 win at Marquette was its first double-overtime game since a 91-88 win vs. South Dakota on Dec. 9, 2014 and Creighton's fourth consecutive victory in a game to go to double-overtime.
   Creighton is now 15-5 all-time in double-overtime games (not including an 0-1 record in triple-OT games).
   Of Creighton's previous 19 double-OT games, the Bluejays played a single-overtime game in its next contest twice, most recently on Dec. 9 & 13, 2014.
   Creighton is 60-50 all-time in all games with at least one overtime, including a 10-6 mark under Greg McDermott.

It's So Hard To Say Goodbye to 2021
Last Saturday marked Creighton's first game of the 2022 calendar season. Among the highlights from 2021...
- Creighton returned to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974.
- Creighton finished second in the BIG EAST regular-season standings and second in the BIG EAST Tournament while leading all schools with 15 wins against BIG EAST competition during the 2021 calendar year.
- Creighton owned a 24-10 record in the 2021 calendar year, including four top-25 victories.
- All three seniors on last year's team, in addition to Marcus Zegarowski, are currently playing in the G-League.
- Creighton replaced those men with the nation's No. 7 recruiting class, including four top-100 prospects.

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. 2, only 137 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 freshmen (true, redshirt or otherwise) more than 22 minutes per game.
   And speaking of freshman minutes, Nembhard ranks third nationally among all freshmen with 35.3 minutes per game. The next-closest freshman from a Power 5 or BIG EAST program is Nebraska's Bryce McGowens (33.6 mpg.).

Nembhard A Consistent Threat
Ryan Nembhard scored in double-figures each of Creighton's first six games and has had nine points or more in all but one outing this winter.
   In the last 27 years, the only other newcomers to score in double-figures during CU's first six games had been true freshman Doug McDermott (8 straight in 2010-11), redshirt freshman Justin Patton (8 in 2016-17) and Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster (8 in 2016-17), who was a junior.
   Nembhard's 163 points through 13 games are the most by any Bluejay true freshman since Benoit Benjamin had 170 in 1982-83.
   For comparison, Doug McDermott had 157 points through 13 games and 185 points after the 14th career game of his freshman season. He would finish his career with 3,150 in 145 career games to rank fifth in NCAA history.
Most Points, Newcomers First 13 Games Since 1995-96
   Pts.   Name, Class   Year   After 14
   244   Marcus Foster, Jr.   2016-17   266
   188   Ryan Hawkins, Sr.   2021-22   ? ? ?
   165   Justin Patton, Fr.   2016-17   183
   163   Ryan Nembhard, Fr.   2021-22   ? ? ?
   162   Maurice Watson Jr., Jr.   2015-16   179
   157   Doug McDermott, Fr.    2010-11   185
   149   Cole Huff, Jr.   2015-16   163
   148   P'Allen Stinnett, Fr.   2007-08   161
   145   Gregory Echenique, So.   2010-11   148
   145   Rodney Buford, Fr.   1995-96   157
   142   Brody Deren, So.   2001-02   146
   131   Ryan Sears, Fr.   1997-98   142
   128   Darryl Ashford, Jr.   2009-10   134
   128   Doug Swenson, Jr.   1997-98   138
   128   Khyri Thomas, Fr.   2015-16   130
   118   Nick Porter, Jr.   2005-06   128
   117   Edward St. Fleur, Jr.   1995-96   129

More Like Ryan Streakbrenner
Ryan Kalkbrenner has a couple of impressive streaks going.
   In the last five games, he's had 10, 9, 9, 9 and 12 rebounds, which makes him the first Bluejay with five straight games of 9+ rebounds since Doug McDermott had a run of 9, 11, 12, 12 and 10 from Nov. 20-Dec. 10, 2011.
   Kalkbrenner's streak of eight straight games with multiple swats is CU's longest since Livan Pyfrom had a nine game stretch from Jan. 17-Feb. 14, 2001.

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 110 when it has two freshmen or less on the court, but have been outscored by 12 points when it has three or more freshmen on the floor.
   All told, 1219:51 of Creighton's 2,650 total minutes (46.03 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:   320:54   620-515   +105
3 freshmen:   137:51   230-239   (-9)
4 freshmen:   26:02   36-42   (-6)
5 freshmen:   1:28   5-2   +3

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 15th nationally (per BartTorvik.com) with its shooting 56.7 percent from two-point range. That's its second-best mark ever under Greg McDermott (59.0 in 2017-18) and includes a 62.3 percent mark from inside the paint.
   Defensively, Creighton is holding the opposition to 42.4 percent shooting from two-point range, the nation's 14th-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 47.0 percent in the paint this season.

Nembhard Wins Fourth Freshman Honor
Ryan Nembhard was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the fourth time in six weeks, the league announced on Monday, Dec. 20.
   Nembhard averaged 10.5 points, 6.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds as Creighton went 1-1. He was previously honored on Nov. 15, Nov. 22 and Nov. 29.
   The Aurora, Ontario, Canada native opened his week with seven points, eight assists and his first career blocked shot in a one-point loss against Arizona State. He bounced back with 14 points, four assists and three rebounds in his BIG EAST debut, a 79-59 win vs. No. 9 Villanova.

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)

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 five contests this winter with at least seven swats.
   Creighton is 10-4 all-time under McDermott when blocking seven or more shots, and the four losses have come by a combined 10 points.
   Creighton's 5.23 blocked shots per game as a team is its best figure since averaging 6.03 blocks per game in 1984-85.
   Creighton is 6-0 this season when blocking six shots or more. Villanova has had its shot blocked 32 times all season in 13 games and been swatted six or more times in a game just once (Syracuse).

All Ball
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks first in the BIG EAST with 2.92 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.
   Making the 7-foot-1 sophomore's accomplishments all the more impressive is that the big man owns 38 blocks but has been called for just 17 fouls. That makes him one of two players nationally (with Indiana All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis) with at least 25 blocks and 17 or fewer fouls.

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 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.
   Kalkbrenner had his third game this season with five swats on Dec. 11 vs. No. 24 BYU, then did it again on Dec. 17 vs. No. 9 Villanova.

Strong League Start Projects To Postseason
Creighton has started 5-2 or better in league play in seven of Greg McDermott's first 11 seasons at the helm.
   Six of those teams to start like that reached the NCAA Tournament, while a seventh reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.
   Each of Creighton's 15 teams since 1988-89 to start 5-2, 6-1 or 7-0 after seven games in league play have reached the postseason, a stretch that includes 10 NCAA Tournaments and five NIT's.
   Last year CU started 6-1 in league play and finished in second place at 14-6 overall in BIG EAST action.

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)

Looking At McDermott's Home Run
The Dec. 17 win vs. No. 9 Villanova marked Greg McDermott's 200th home game as head coach at Creighton.
   He's currently 162-38 on the Bluejay sideline at CHI Health Center Omaha.

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 Wednesday's game vs. Villanova with a team record of 169-11 (.939) at all sites, and has never lost consecutive games at the college level.
   Last Saturday's win at Marquette marked the 100th conference game of Hawkins' college career. He's currently 94-6 in those 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 CU's top three scorers.
   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 69.1 percent of Creighton's blocked shots, 54.9 percent of its points, 47.6 percent of its assists, 49.4 percent of its rebounds grabbed and 43.4 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 2,286 career points and 1,046 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.

A Good Start
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 13 games under Greg McDermott. Notably, the Bluejays have been 9-4 or better each campaign.
Creighton Stats Through 13 Games, Since 2010-11
Year   W-L   FG%   3FG%   FT%   PPG   Opp PPG
2021-22   10-3   .475   .316   .690   72.7   65.2
2020-21   10-3   .494   .380   .662   81.9   69.0
2019-20   11-2   .471   .374   .702   78.9   67.9
2018-19   9-4   .525   .448   .621   85.2   74.4
2017-18   10-3   .518   .383   .734   91.7   73.0
2016-17   13-0   .539   .446   .672   89.8   72.0
2015-16   9-4   .506   .402   .670   87.4   75.2
2014-15   9-4   .432   .348   .748   72.2   64.5
2013-14   11-2   .485   .431   .762   81.7   63.7
2012-13   12-1   .508   .425   .755   79.5   61.4
2011-12   11-2   .501   .451   .692   83.1   69.1
2010-11   9-4   .431   .316   .752   67.1   62.2

Speaking of Defense
Creighton had nine blocked shots on Nov. 27 vs. SIUE, tying its most in any game in Greg McDermott's 12 seasons. CU also had nine rejections on Feb. 13, 2018 vs. Division II Bemidji State. The nine swats were CU's most against a Division I foe since also posting nine at Evansville on Jan. 3, 2010.
   Of Creighton's nine blocks, eight came in the second half. Seven of those came in the final 15 minutes, when SIUE went just 2-of-16 from the floor.
   Also noteworthy was CU's defense beyond the arc. SIUE made just 1-of-15 three-point tries, tying the fewest trifectas made by a Bluejay opponent under McDermott. It was the fifth time it had happened, and first occasion since No. 5 Xavier shot 1-of-21 on Feb. 9, 2016.

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 25 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including two this season. Twelve of those 25 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
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

Putting The Jam In Paradise Jam
Creighton had 17 dunks in three games at the Paradise Jam, including eight against Colorado State on Nov. 21. The Bluejays own 55 dunks through 13 games this season, including five in the win over Villanova.
   CU's 55 dunks are its second-most through 13 games during any of Greg McDermott's 12 seasons as Creighton head coach, trailing only the 57 through 13 games of a season by the 2016-17 team.
   Ryan Kalkbrenner leads CU with 27 of those slams after he threw down 29 dunks all of last season in 31 games played. The sophomore's 27 slams to date trail only Justin Patton's 31 dunks through 13 games in the McDermott era.
   CU's 2016-17 team finished with 144 dunks in 35 games, with Patton owning 72 of those slams.

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.

Kalkbrenner Playing Big
In his last 11 games, sophomore center Ryan Kalkbrenner has set career-highs in rebounds (12 at Marquette), points (20 at Marquette) and blocked (5 on four occasions).
   Kalkbrenner has had 10 or more points in 10 of the past 12 contests, compared to seven total double-figure outings in his 2020-21 freshman campaign that spanned 31 contests.

Five Threats To Score
All five Creighton starters are averaging at least 8.2 points per game this season, a fact made all the more impressive when you consider that these men owned a total of ZERO career starts as a Bluejay entering this winter.
   Creighton has won 22 straight games when five or more players have 10 points or more.

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 41 games with 10 or more rebounds in his college career, including each of CU's last three games. No Bluejay has had four straight games of 10+ rebounds since Gregory Echenique in January of 2012.

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

Playing With The Lead
In 315 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 85 of those contests, a staggering 27.0 percent of the time.
     Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is
162-38 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.

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

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 926 straight games. The streak is the nation's 14th-longest active streak.
   Creighton's last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
   Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (1/3)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next
   1.   1,143   UNLV   1/8
   2.   1,125   Duke   1/4
   3.   1,088   Arkansas   1/4
   4.   1,076   Western Kentucky   1/8
   5.   1,065   East Tennessee State   1/5
   6.   1,044   Pacific   1/6
   7.   1,043   Oakland   1/5
   8.   1,036   Texas   1/4
   9.   983   Marshall   1/8
   10.   975   Baylor   1/4
   11.   970   Princeton   1/7
   12.   963   Gonzaga   1/6
   13.   938   Long Island   1/6
   14.   926   Creighton   1/5
   15.   923   Mount St. Mary's   1/6
   16.   910   Tennessee State   1/6

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 926 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,308 trifectas, an average of 7.89 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 262 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 297 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 40-6 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 14-12 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:    5 times   2: 15 times   3: 31 times
4:    71 times   5:   99 times   6: 99 times
7:   139 times   8:   116 times   9: 89 times
10: 77 times   11: 53 times   12: 49 times
13: 44 times   14: 18 times   15: 7 times
16: 7 times   17: 3 times   19: 1 time
20: 1 time   21: 1 time   22: 1 time

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. 1, 2022
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   3,476   2nd
3FG Percentage   .381   3rd
FG Percentage   .479   4th
Assists   6,301   5th
FG Made   10,703   8th
Points   29,975   8th
Wins   263   27th
Winning Percentage   .673   31st

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

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

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

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 263 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .673 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.   263-128   Greg McDermott   2010-Pres.
3.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-1935
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-1969
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-1981

CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 8-8 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in the fall of 2003.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
11/26/05   Dayton   W 91-90*   Funk FG   :5.7
01/28/06   Wichita St.   W 57-55   Tolliver FG   :0.0
11/25/06   George Mason   W 58-56   Watts FT   :7.5
03/18/08   Rhode Island   W 74-73   Witter 3FG   :3.2
01/13/10   Southern Illinois   W 71-69   Young FG   :1.3
02/18/12   Long Beach St.   W 81-79   Young FG   :0.3
01/28/14   St. John's   W 63-60   McDermott 3FG   :2.8
01/18/20   Providence   W 78-74   Zegarowski 3FG   :3.2
*double-overtime

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

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 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   57   56   10-3 so far

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 315 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 19-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 259-56 (.822) 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 24,669-20,666 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.71 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 85 different times.
   Creighton is also 31-33 all-time in the 63 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 38-27 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 162-38 (.815) 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 278-56 (.832) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Home Run
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Creighton is averaging 80.88 points per home game (16,175 points in 200 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.08 points in non-conference home games (8,324 points in 99 home games).
   Creighton is 124-6 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 Visits #19 Villanova on Wednesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Trey Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Christian Bishop

KeyShawn Feazell

Ryan Hawkins

Damien Jefferson

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Arthur Kaluma

Denzel Mahoney

Shereef Mitchell

Ryan Nembhard

Alex O'Connell

Marcus Zegarowski