Thursday, November 10
Omaha, Neb.
8:00 PM
Creighton University
vs
North Dakota
North Dakota Up Next For #9 Men's Basketball
11/8/2022 10:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bluejays seek 12th 2-0 start in the last 13 seasons
Game #2:Â North Dakota Fighting Hawks (1-0) at #9 Creighton Bluejays (1-0)
Thursday, Nov. 10 • 8:00 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES PDF | UND NOTES PDF |
Next Game
No. 9 Creighton (1-0) looks for its 12th 2-0 start in the past 13 seasons when it hosts North Dakota (1-0) on Thursday, Nov. 10th. Tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 8:00 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2022-23 season. John Bishop and former Bluejay Taylor Stormberg will call the action. Â
   The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com and can be heard on SiriusXM channel 135 or 203 or on the SXM app channel 966.
Telecast Information
Thursday's game will be called by Matt Schumacker and Nick Bahe and be televised on FS1. The game will also be video webcast on the FoxSports app or at http://foxsports.com/live. Cable authorization may be required.
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
Preseason expectations are at an all-time high for a Creighton team returns 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's squad that finished 23-12 and reached BIG EAST Tournament final as well as the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
   The Bluejays return 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner (13.1 ppg,. 7.7 rpg., 2.6 bpg. last year), who was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
   CU had three men named to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team last winter. That trio includes BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard (11.3 ppg., 3.9 apg.) as well as Arthur Kaluma (10.4 ppg., 5.4 rpg.) and Trey Alexander (7.4 ppg.).
   The Bluejays also return Shereef Mitchell (3.5 ppg.) and redshirts Mason Miller and Zander Yates, among others.
   Six newcomers will also help supplement the returning core, including transfers Francisco Farabello (4.7 ppg. at TCU) and Baylor Scheierman (16.2 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 4.5 apg. at South Dakota State).
   The Bluejays opened the season with a 72-60 victory over St. Thomas on Monday, with Kaluma (17 points, 8 rebounds) and Scheierman (11 points, 10 rebounds) leading the way.
   Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches and ranked ninth nationally in the preseason Associated Press and USA Today Top 25 polls.
  Â
Scouting North Dakota
North Dakota is 1-0 on the season after picking up a 65-57 victory at Incarnate Word on Monday. That came on the heels of a 6-25 record last season.
   Mitchell Sueker leads the returners with 9.9 points per game, while Matt Norman (9.1 ppg.) and Tsotne Tsartsidze (7.9 ppg., 5.3 rpg.) also are back.
   Norman (14 points) and B.J. Omot (11 points) led UND in Monday's road triumph.
   Last year's UND team finished season ranked 354th in KenPom's defensive numbers, and this year's squad was picked to finish in 10th place in the 10-team Summit League.
The Series With North Dakota
Creighton is 10-3 all-time against North Dakota, and 7-2 in Omaha. The teams met eight times between 1923-28, and most recently played in 2017 (a 111-68 CU win).
   Greg McDermott is 4-1 in his career against UND, including a 1-1 mark when he coached at North Dakota State, a 2-0 record when he coached at Iowa State and a 1-0 mark as Creighton's coach.
   McDermott has squared off against UND coach Paul Sather twice before, but both came in exhibition games when Sather coached at Division II Northern State. McDermott's first exhibition game as a Creighton coach came on Nov. 4, 2010 when CU defeated NSU 79-67. The teams also met on Nov. 1, 2013 when Creighton beat Northern State 89-61.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 277-137 record in his 13th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 557-332 in his 29th season, and is 426-268 in his 22nd 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 improve to 2-0 this season, and for the 12th time in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would improve to 10-3 all-time against North Dakota.
- Greg McDermott would improve to 15-0 against teams presently in the Summit League as the coach at Creighton.
McDermott Faces Old Club
Greg McDermott's first coaching job was at the University of North Dakota from 1989-94, where he served as an assistant coach.
   The 1989-90 team was inducted into the UND Hall of Fame in 2008. That club, under the direction of Rich Glas, went 28-7 and won the North Central Conference before finishing the season in the Elite Eight. One of the players on that team was current Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson, who would replace McDermott as Northern Iowa's head coach in 2006.
   While McDermott was in Grand Forks as a UND assistant, his son Doug McDermott, was born. Doug McDermott was named 2014 National Player of the Year after finishing his career at Creighton as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 career points. He was a First Round pick of the Denver Nuggets and now plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
   McDermott has faced North Dakota five times as a head coach, going 1-1 as UNI head coach, 2-0 as Iowa State's head coach and 1-0 as Creighton's coach.
Creighton Connections To Paul Sather
North Dakota coach Paul Sather got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant under current Creighton coach Greg McDermott at Wayne State College in 1997-98.
   Sather then moved on to be an assistant coach at Northern State from 1998-2004, where current Creighton assistant Ryan Miller was among his star players. Miller captained the 1998 team to a region championship and Elite Eight appearance, when he was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Year and an All-American.
Kalkbrenner Up For Naismith Award
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named one of 50 men's players to watch during the season-long competition for the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year honor, as announced by The Atlanta Tipoff Club.
   A junior from Florissant, Mo., Kalkbrenner averaged 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game while starting CU's first 34 contests last season. He was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice, BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-BIG EAST Tournament Team while ranking fourth nationally in both field goal percentage (.646) and offensive rebounds per game (3.9). He was the lone Bluejay named Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST last month for ninth-ranked team in the nation, who are predicted to win the BIG EAST.
   Kalkbrenner's recognition makes him the fourth different Bluejay in 13-year head coach Greg McDermott's tenure to be on a Naismith Award watch list. Doug McDermott was on the Preseason watch list in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 and was a finalist in 2012-13 before winning the award in 2013-14. Marcus Foster was named to the Midseason watch list in 2016-17, then made the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2017-18. More recently, Marcus Zegarowski was on the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2020-21.
   The midseason 30 team will be announced in February, and then the competition will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists in early March. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 21, 2023, and the winner of the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for Men's Player of the Year will be announced on April 2, 2023.
A One And A Two...
Not only is Creighton a perfect 13-0 in season-openers under Greg McDermott, but the Bluejays have started 2-0 in all but one campaign (2019-20)Â of the first 12 campaigns under McDermott as well.
Preseason Top 10
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked ninth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever.
   The Oct. 17th announcement marked just the fifth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22) and 2020-21 (No. 11). All four of those Bluejay teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament.
   It was also just the 19th time in program history that Creighton has been in the top-10 at any point, with all but one of those weeks happening under head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton's best ranking in program history is seventh, done four times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020 and Jan. 7, 2021).
   Creighton has now been ranked 114 times in program history, with 86 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 142-55 all-time as a ranked team, including a 108-43 mark under McDermott. Creighton has been ranked at least one week in nine of McDermott's 13 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
   Creighton was one of two BIG EAST Conference schools in the poll, joining No. 16 Villanova. North Carolina is atop the poll, just ahead of Gonzaga, Houston and Kentucky.
   Among the opponents on Creighton's schedule who made the preseason top-25 are No. 12 Texas, No. 16 Villanova and No. 25 Texas Tech, as well as potential Maui Jim Maui Invitational foes Arkansas (No. 10), Arizona (No. 17) and San Diego State (No. 19).
   Creighton is also ninth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever in the coaches poll.
Top 10 Under McDermott
Prior to Greg McDermott's 2010 arrival, Creighton had spent one week ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in program history (10th on Jan. 20, 2003, when Dana Altman's team led by Kyle Korver lost at Steve Merfeld's Evansville team).
   Under McDermott, Creighton has spent 18 weeks in the top 10, including at least one week in five different seasons (1 week in 2012-13; 8 weeks in 2016-17, 3 weeks in 2019-20, 5 weeks in 2020-21 and 1 week so far this year).
   Creighton's best AP ranking ever is seventh, done three times (March 9, 2020; March 16, 2020; Jan. 4, 2021).
Making An Entrance
Since 1980, only three players have had a double-double in their first regular-season game in a Creighton uniform.
   Last year Ryan Nembhard (15 pts., 10 ast) and Ryan Hawkins (16 pts., 11 reb.) both did it, while on Monday Baylor Scheierman (11 pts., 10 reb.) joined them.
   Below is a list of some of Creighton's most famous players and how they performed in their regular-season debuts in a Bluejay uniform.
Name, Yr.   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Stl.   Min.   Result
Zegarowski, 2018Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 18Â Â Â W 78-67
Foster, 2016Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 28Â Â Â W 89-82
Patton, 2016Â Â Â 12Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 22Â Â Â W 89-82
Thomas, 2015Â Â Â 18Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 26Â Â Â W 93-70
McDermott, 2010Â Â Â 16Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 32Â Â Â W 71-57
Stinnett, 2007Â Â Â 23Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 26Â Â Â W 74-62
Tolliver, 2003Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 7Â Â Â W 79-44
Funk, 2002Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 21Â Â Â W 106-50
Kyle Korver, 1999Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 10Â Â Â W 70-62
Buford, 1995Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 19Â Â Â W 63-59
Harstad, 1987Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 21Â Â Â L 49-70
Gallagher, 1987Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 37Â Â Â L 49-70
Benjamin, 1982Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 22Â Â Â W 98-54
McKenna, 1977   14   3   7   ?   ?   W 95-66
Harmon, 1971   21   7   ?   ?   ?   W 74-62
C. Baptiste, 1969   24   17   ?   ?   ?   W 84-62
Portman, 1966   9   ?   ?   ?   ?   W 78-76
Silas, 1961   22   29   ?   ?   ?   W 85-51
Gibson, 1954   19   ?   ?   ?   ?   W 66-51
Hello, World
Creighton has four players who could make their regular-season Bluejay debuts on Thursday vs. North Dakota; Jasen Green, Ben Shtolzberg, Zander Yates and Evan Young. It's unlikely you'll see Green though, coach Greg McDermott indicated he's currently sidelined with a minor injury and is likely to redshirt.
   Below is a look at how Creighton's current players have done in their regular-season and Creighton debuts in a Division I uniform.
Name   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Stl.   Min.
Kaluma•   15   8   3   0   24
Nembhard•   15   4   10   1   36
Scheierman (CU)•   11   10   3   1   34
Mitchell•   8   6   3   3   28
Kalkbrenner   8   2   1   1   11
Miller      8   3   0   0   12
Alexander   5   4   1   2   22
King      5   2   0   0   9
Scheierman (SDSU)Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 21
Farabello (CU)Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 17
Davis      0   0   0   0   1
Osmani   0   0   0   0   1
Christofilis   0   1   0   0   2
Farabello (TCU)•   0   0   5   1   26
•indicates game started
Scheierman Reaches The Summit
Senior Baylor Scheierman was named Summit League Player of the Year last season at South Dakota State, which could be a good sign considering that Creighton opens the season with back-to-back Summit League foes.
   In two games against North Dakota last season, Scheierman averaged 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 57.7 percent shooting.
   Scheierman approached a triple-double in his Bluejay exhibition debut with 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in 18 minutes of work, then had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in Monday's win over St. Thomas.
An Area for Improvement
One area that Creighton will look to improve in 2022-23 is its marksmanship from behind the arc, as last year's 30.8 percent shooting from deep was its worst as a team since 1993-94.
   The Creighton staff is confident those numbers can improve as its talented freshman class is now sophomores.
   Last year's freshmen combined to shoot 27.2 percent from deep (85-313), but they're not the first Bluejay freshmen to struggle early on from downtown, as seen in the chart below of some other prominent marksmen.
   Even that chart is a little misleading, as Doug McDermott shot 15-of-53 (.283) from deep in his first 20 games of his freshman year before finishing 32-of-63 (.508) in his last 19 games. Likewise, Kyle Korver was shooting 11-for-41 (.268) from downtown after his first 14 contests before blistering the nets to the tune of 52-of-104 (.500).
   As a Freshman   Other College Years
Name   3FG-3FGA   3FG%   3FG-3FGA   3FG%
Ky. Korver   63-145   .434   308-674   .457
McDermott   47-116   .405   237-482   .492
Ty. Alexander   32-96   .333   178-469   .380
Ballock   44-135   .326   264-638   .414
Nembhard Takes Care of the Ball
One point of emphasis for Creighton in the offseason was to limit its turnovers.
   In Monday's win vs. St. Thomas, the Bluejays had just five turnovers in 63 possessions.
   Ryan Nembhard, who had seven assists and no turnovers prior to suffering a wrist injury in his final game last season at St. John's, opened his sophomore campaign with five assists and no turnovers on Monday.
Keeping It 100
Monday was Creighton's 100th non-conference home game under Greg McDermott. He enters Thursday evening 92-8 in those 100 games.
Leftover Nuggets
Some random nuggets from Monday.
• Creighton point guards Ryan Nembhard and Shereef Mitchell combined for six assists and no turnovers in 40 minutes of play vs. St. Thomas.
• Creighton's 85.7 percent shooting from the line (12-14) was CU's best in a season-opener since shooting an identical percentage vs. Alabama State (24-28) in the 2010-11 campaign.
• Trey Alexander had a career-high three blocked shots. He also registered his first regular-season dunk as a Bluejay.
• After trailing 57-56 with 9:58 left, Creighton held St. Thomas scoreless in 11 straight possessions during a decisive 14-0 run.
• Though Monday's game featured six lead changes, St. Thomas never led by more than one point and led for a grand total of 59 seconds.
• The last time Creighton scored 72 points in a season-opener had been 2001-02. That team shared the Missouri Valley Conference title, won the MVC Tournament title and defeated No. 15 Florida in the NCAA Tournament.
November Reign
Creighton is a 68-1 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th. The lone loss came in 2018 when it lost to Ohio State.
   Creighton has won 75 of its 77 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012 and Ohio State in 2018.
   Overall, Creighton is 105-20 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 324 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 20-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 266-58 (.821) 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 25,301-21,249 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.51 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 86 different times.
   Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 23 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
   Creighton is also 32-34 all-time in the 66 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 40-28 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 169-40 (.809) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 61 of those games. In that same span, CU owns an 92-8 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 285-58 (.831) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Â
Who's Back?
With Creighton returning eight of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2021-22 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Blocks   118 (79.2%)   31 (20.8%)
Assists   284 (60.9%)   182 (39.1%)
Starts   104 (59.4%)   71 (40.6%)
Points   1,360 (56.2%)   1,062 (43.8%)
Minutes   3,881 (54.9%)   3,194 (45.1%)
Charges Taken   7 (53.8%)   6 (46.2%)
Rebounds   663 (53.3%)   580 (46.7%)
Steals   98 (51.0%)   94 (49.0%)
3FG Made   83 (35.3%)   152 (64.7%)
Youth Is Served
In case you've forgotten, Creighton had at least one freshman on the floor for every second of every game last season, and actually had a late stretch of 1:28 vs. Colorado State when all five of its players on the floor were freshmen.
   All told, 3171:36 of Creighton's 7,075 total minutes (44.83 percent) were played by freshmen last season.
   By comparison, in 2020-21 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.
   In the season-opener, vs. St. Thomas, Creighton played its freshmen for a combined 19:35 out of 200 minutes (9.8 percent).
Freshmen   Time   Score   Margin
0 freshmen:   Never   --   --
1 freshman:Â Â Â 34:23Â Â Â 59-49Â Â Â +10
2 freshmen:Â Â Â 962:14Â Â Â 1,692-1,578Â Â Â +114
3 freshmen:Â Â Â 347:15Â Â Â 611-407Â Â Â +4
4 freshmen:Â Â Â 45:54Â Â Â 54-85Â Â Â (-31)
5 freshmen:Â Â Â 1:28Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â +3
Watch This
Creighton has four men that made a preseason watch list for their respective position.
   Ryan Nembhard is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's best point guard. Nembhard is the fourth different Bluejay in the last 12 years named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list, joining Antoine Young (2011-12), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
   Baylor Scheierman is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Julius Erving Award, given to the nation's best small forward. Scheierman is Creighton's first player in the nine seasons of the Julius Erving Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
   Arthur Kaluma is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Karl Malone Award, given to the nation's best power forward. Kaluma is Creighton's first player in the nine seasons of the Karl Malone Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
   Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation's best center. Kalkbrenner joins Justin Patton (2016-17) as Creighton's second player in the nine seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
   Creighton (4) is one of six schools with four or more MBB players on a watch list, joining Duke (5), Kentucky (5), Arizona (4), Gonzaga (4) and UCLA (4).
   CU's four watch list student-athletes match the totals of the rest of the BIG EAST combined (Xavier 2, Villanova 1, UConn 1).
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day on Oct. 18th at Madison Square Garden.
   It's the first time since 2012-13 that Creighton has been chosen as a preseason favorite in its league, though that recognition came in CU's final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   This is the 10th time Creighton has been tabbed as the preseason favorite (also 1989-90, 1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2011-12 and 2012-13), though the first nine occurrences all happened in the Missouri Valley Conference. Four of those MVC teams finished first (1990-91, 2000-01, 2008-09, 2012-13), while the other five took second place. Six of those nine Bluejay squads went on to win the MVC Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13) and seven of the nine squads played in the NCAA Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13).
   The Bluejays collected eight first-place votes and earned 98 points in the poll. Xavier was picked second in the poll with 86 points, including two first-place votes. Villanova, the defending BIG EAST Tournament champion, was one point behind Xavier with 85 points and received one first-place vote from the men's basketball head coaches, who did not vote for their own teams. Connecticut was picked fourth with 77 points and Providence was fifth with 62 points. St. John's and Seton Hall finished sixth and seventh with 62 and 52 points, respectively. Butler was eighth with 36 points, four points ahead of ninth-place Marquette with 32 points. Georgetown was 10th with 21 points and DePaul 11th with 12 points.
   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   4th   -
2022-23   1st   ??   Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
         Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a second season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 39 of the last 40 seasons. McDermott is in his ninth season in the NBA.
   Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
We're Jamming!
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 99 dunks in his career, including 69 last season. As a team, Creighton owned 132 dunks last season, including nine vs. Georgetown on Feb. 12th and eight vs. No. 18 UConn on March 2nd.
   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 Greg McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Year
74   Martin Krampelj   2018-19
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
69   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2021-22
50   Christian Bishop   2020-21
38   Christian Bishop   2019-20
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
21   Alex O'Connell   2021-22
21   Arthur Kaluma   2021-22
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
99   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
90   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
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
144Â Â Â 2016-17Â Â Â 25-10 (NCAA)
132Â Â Â 2021-22Â Â Â 23-12 (NCAA)
107Â Â Â 2017-18Â Â Â 21-12 (NCAA)
106Â Â Â 2018-19Â Â Â 20-15 (NIT)
90Â Â Â 2020-21Â Â Â 22-9 (NCAA)
60Â Â Â 2019-20Â Â Â 24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58Â Â Â 2015-16Â Â Â 20-15 (NIT)
56Â Â Â 2010-11Â Â Â 23-16 (CBI)
54Â Â Â 2012-13Â Â Â 28-8 (NCAA)
42Â Â Â 2011-12Â Â Â 29-6 (NCAA)
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 to 2021-22
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   3,624   4th  Â
FG Percentage   .477   4th  Â
3FG Percentage   .377   5th  Â
Assists   6,580   6th  Â
FG Made   11,240   8th  Â
Points   31,452   10th  Â
Wins   276   29th  Â
Winning Percentage   .669   32nd  Â
20 Wins, Again
Creighton had 23 wins in 2021-22, securing a seventh straight 20-win season.
   Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the previous seven seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
22 of 24 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 22 of the last 24 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
   Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 24 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 23 times, Creighton and Kentucky 22 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 24 Seasons
Team   20-Win Seasons     2021-22 W-L
Gonzaga   24   28-4
Kansas   24   34-6
Duke   23   32-7
Creighton   22   23-12
Kentucky   22   26-8
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 277 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.   277-137   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
Who Are These Guys?
After returning just two total starts in from its Sweet 16 squad team to open 2021-22, Creighton returns a 104 starts from last year's club.
   Creighton has won 20 or more games each of the previous seven times (and 11 of the last 12 times) it has returned 100 or more starts.
   Returning   Returning Starts    Final
Year   Starters   From Previous Year   W-L
2022-23Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 104Â Â Â ? ? ?
2021-22Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 23-12
2020-21Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 22-9
2019-20Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 136Â Â Â 24-7
2018-19Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 57Â Â Â 20-15
2017-18Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 21-12
2016-17Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 130Â Â Â 25-10
2015-16Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 20-15
2014-15Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 14-19
2013-14Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 144Â Â Â 27-8
2012-13Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 140Â Â Â 28-8
2011-12Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 29-6
2010-11Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 23-16
2009-10Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 106Â Â Â 18-16
2008-09Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 27-8
2007-08Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 44Â Â Â 22-11
2006-07Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 120Â Â Â 22-11
2005-06Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 134Â Â Â 20-10
2004-05Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 23-11
2003-04Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 20-9
2002-03Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 159Â Â Â 29-5
2001-02Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 23-9
2000-01Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 90Â Â Â 24-8
1999-00Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 23-10
1998-99Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 22-9
1997-98Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 18-10
1996-97Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 126Â Â Â 15-15
1995-96Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 100Â Â Â 14-15
1994-95Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 52Â Â Â 7-19
1993-94Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 73Â Â Â 7-22
1992-93Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 8-18
1991-92Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 9-19
1990-91Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 132Â Â Â 24-8
1989-90Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 127Â Â Â 21-12
1988-89Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 20-11
1987-88Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 16-16
1986-87Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 9-19
1985-86Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 48Â Â Â 12-16
1984-85Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 20-12
1983-84Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 17-14
1982-83Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 77Â Â Â 8-19
1981-82Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 7-20
1980-81Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 21-9
Multiple Choices
For the first time since 1964-65, Creighton had five men average in double-figures for an entire season last season. Last year's double-figure group included Ryan Hawkins (13.8 ppg.), Ryan Kalkbrenner (13.1), Alex O'Connell (11.8), Ryan Nembhard (11.3) and Arthur Kaluma (10.4).
   Creighton had not had five or more men finish a season averaging 10 or more points per game since the 1964-65 club had SIX men average in double- figures (Neil Johnson, 17.3; Elton McGriff, 15.0; Fritz Pointer, 14.3; Tim Powers, 12.6; Bob Miles, 11.9; Charlie Brown (11.6), though Johnson only played in 8-of-23 games.
   Creighton has won each of its last 25 games when five or more players score in double-figures, a streak that dates to Jan. 9, 2019 vs. Marquette.
Dynamic Duo
Creighton was one of 11 schools to earn at-large bids in the NCAA Tournament in both men's and women's basketball in 2021-22, a list that featured Arkansas, Baylor, Creighton, Indiana, Iowa State, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
   Those 11 schools, in addition to 13 others (Arizona, Delaware, Gonzaga, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Longwood, Montana State, Tennessee, Texas, UConn, Villanova and Virginia Tech) were the only 24 schools with both men's and women's basketball teams to make the Big Dance.
   This season, Creighton is one of nine teams with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men's and women's side, joining Arizona, Baylor, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 27 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including four such rallies last season. In its NCAA Tournament win vs. San Diego State, Creighton trailed 35-21 late in the first half.
   Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
   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 Under McDermott
Deficit   Opponent   Date
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
16   at Seton Hall   01/27/21
16   SIU Edwardsville   11/27/21
15   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   11/09/21
14   Evansville   02/21/12
14   vs. San Diego State   03/17/22
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
10Â Â Â UABÂ Â Â 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
McDermott's Coaching Tree
A bunch of former Greg McDermott protégés are thriving at the Division I level.
   Eric Henderson led South Dakota State to the first 18-0 season in Summit League history. The Jackrabbits went 30-5 after winning the Summit League Tournament and clinching an NCAAA bid.
   North Dakota State's Dave Richman went 23-10 overall and finished as the runner-up in the Summit League standings and Summit League Tournament to Henderson's SDSU team.
   Ben Jacobson won the MVC regular-season title while coaching Northern Iowa. The Panthers went 20-12 and reached the NIT.
   Drake's Darian DeVries led the Bulldogs to a 25-11 mark and runner-up finish in the MVC (to Jacobson's UNI team) in the regular-season and the league tournament. Drake played in the CBI.
   Steve Lutz led his Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team to a 24-12 record and a Southland Conference Tournament title in his first year as a head coach, with the Islanders reaching the NCAA Tournament First Four. He inherited a 5-19 team that hadn't won 20 games or had a winning record since 2016-17.
   TJ Otzelberger turned around Iowa State in his first year in Ames. He inherited a 2-22 team (0-18 Big 12) and turned it into a team that reached the Sweet 16 and finished 22-13.
   Patrick Sellers led Central Connecticut State to an 8-24 record in his first season with the Blue Devils, including a victory in the Northeast Conference Tournament.
   Paul Sather is the head coach at North Dakota after successful tenures at Black Hills State and Northern State.
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
03/20/06Â Â Â Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â L 53-52Â Â Â G. Diaz FTÂ Â Â :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 finished last season ranked 50th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 112 offense, and No. 19 defense. Creighton's No. 19 defense was its best mark in the 20 seasons of the KenPom era.
   Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom in six of the previous 11 seasons.
Year   Off. Rating   Def. Rating   Team W-L
2010-11Â Â Â 66Â Â Â 174Â Â Â 23-16
2011-12Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 166Â Â Â 29-6
2012-13Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 66Â Â Â 28-8
2013-14Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 27-8
2014-15Â Â Â 59Â Â Â 138Â Â Â 14-19
2015-16Â Â Â 43Â Â Â 76Â Â Â 20-15
2016-17Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 46Â Â Â 25-10
2017-18Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 21-12
2018-19Â Â Â 47Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 20-15
2019-20Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 24-7
2020-21Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 22-9
2021-22Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 23-12
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.   18,192   Marquette   02/20/22
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.42 points per home game (16,807 points in 209 home games), a figure that climbs to 83.96 points in non-conference home games (8,396 points in 100 home games).
   Creighton is 127-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Super Seven
Greg McDermott joined some select company when he directed his troops to a seventh NCAA Tournament last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
   McDermott is one of five head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven different NCAA Tournament teams.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   11
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   7
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 949 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 (through 11/9)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,162   UNLV   11/12
   2.   1,152   Duke   11/11
   3.   1,094   Western Kentucky   11/10
   4.   1,084   East Tennessee State   11/11
   5.   1,063   Oakland   11/11
   6.   1,061   Pacific   11/13
   7.   1,058   Texas   11/10
   8.   1,004   Marshall   11/14
   9.   997   Baylor   11/11
   10.   988   Princeton   11/11
   11.   983   Gonzaga   11/11
   12.   957   Long Island   11/14
   13.   949   Creighton   11/10
   14.   942   Mount St. Mary's   11/11
   15.   931   Tennessee State   11/12
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 949 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,463 trifectas, an average of 7.86 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 142 times, more than any figure.
   Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 266 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
   Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Bluejays are 46-9 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 22-18 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:   5 times   2: 17 times   3: 34 times
4:   73 times   5:  101 times   6: 101 times
7:  142 times   8:  119 times   9: 91 times
10: 77 times   11: 53 times   12: 52 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
Fun Fact
Creighton is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the previous three seasons.
   Among the other BIG EAST or "Power 5" Conference schools, only Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia have done so.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2022-32 season went on sale on October 14th.
   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.
Thursday, Nov. 10 • 8:00 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES PDF | UND NOTES PDF |
Next Game
No. 9 Creighton (1-0) looks for its 12th 2-0 start in the past 13 seasons when it hosts North Dakota (1-0) on Thursday, Nov. 10th. Tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 8:00 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2022-23 season. John Bishop and former Bluejay Taylor Stormberg will call the action. Â
   The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com and can be heard on SiriusXM channel 135 or 203 or on the SXM app channel 966.
Telecast Information
Thursday's game will be called by Matt Schumacker and Nick Bahe and be televised on FS1. The game will also be video webcast on the FoxSports app or at http://foxsports.com/live. Cable authorization may be required.
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
Preseason expectations are at an all-time high for a Creighton team returns 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's squad that finished 23-12 and reached BIG EAST Tournament final as well as the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
   The Bluejays return 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner (13.1 ppg,. 7.7 rpg., 2.6 bpg. last year), who was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
   CU had three men named to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team last winter. That trio includes BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard (11.3 ppg., 3.9 apg.) as well as Arthur Kaluma (10.4 ppg., 5.4 rpg.) and Trey Alexander (7.4 ppg.).
   The Bluejays also return Shereef Mitchell (3.5 ppg.) and redshirts Mason Miller and Zander Yates, among others.
   Six newcomers will also help supplement the returning core, including transfers Francisco Farabello (4.7 ppg. at TCU) and Baylor Scheierman (16.2 ppg., 7.8 rpg., 4.5 apg. at South Dakota State).
   The Bluejays opened the season with a 72-60 victory over St. Thomas on Monday, with Kaluma (17 points, 8 rebounds) and Scheierman (11 points, 10 rebounds) leading the way.
   Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches and ranked ninth nationally in the preseason Associated Press and USA Today Top 25 polls.
  Â
Scouting North Dakota
North Dakota is 1-0 on the season after picking up a 65-57 victory at Incarnate Word on Monday. That came on the heels of a 6-25 record last season.
   Mitchell Sueker leads the returners with 9.9 points per game, while Matt Norman (9.1 ppg.) and Tsotne Tsartsidze (7.9 ppg., 5.3 rpg.) also are back.
   Norman (14 points) and B.J. Omot (11 points) led UND in Monday's road triumph.
   Last year's UND team finished season ranked 354th in KenPom's defensive numbers, and this year's squad was picked to finish in 10th place in the 10-team Summit League.
The Series With North Dakota
Creighton is 10-3 all-time against North Dakota, and 7-2 in Omaha. The teams met eight times between 1923-28, and most recently played in 2017 (a 111-68 CU win).
   Greg McDermott is 4-1 in his career against UND, including a 1-1 mark when he coached at North Dakota State, a 2-0 record when he coached at Iowa State and a 1-0 mark as Creighton's coach.
   McDermott has squared off against UND coach Paul Sather twice before, but both came in exhibition games when Sather coached at Division II Northern State. McDermott's first exhibition game as a Creighton coach came on Nov. 4, 2010 when CU defeated NSU 79-67. The teams also met on Nov. 1, 2013 when Creighton beat Northern State 89-61.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 277-137 record in his 13th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 557-332 in his 29th season, and is 426-268 in his 22nd 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 improve to 2-0 this season, and for the 12th time in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would improve to 10-3 all-time against North Dakota.
- Greg McDermott would improve to 15-0 against teams presently in the Summit League as the coach at Creighton.
McDermott Faces Old Club
Greg McDermott's first coaching job was at the University of North Dakota from 1989-94, where he served as an assistant coach.
   The 1989-90 team was inducted into the UND Hall of Fame in 2008. That club, under the direction of Rich Glas, went 28-7 and won the North Central Conference before finishing the season in the Elite Eight. One of the players on that team was current Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson, who would replace McDermott as Northern Iowa's head coach in 2006.
   While McDermott was in Grand Forks as a UND assistant, his son Doug McDermott, was born. Doug McDermott was named 2014 National Player of the Year after finishing his career at Creighton as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 career points. He was a First Round pick of the Denver Nuggets and now plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
   McDermott has faced North Dakota five times as a head coach, going 1-1 as UNI head coach, 2-0 as Iowa State's head coach and 1-0 as Creighton's coach.
Creighton Connections To Paul Sather
North Dakota coach Paul Sather got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant under current Creighton coach Greg McDermott at Wayne State College in 1997-98.
   Sather then moved on to be an assistant coach at Northern State from 1998-2004, where current Creighton assistant Ryan Miller was among his star players. Miller captained the 1998 team to a region championship and Elite Eight appearance, when he was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Year and an All-American.
Kalkbrenner Up For Naismith Award
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named one of 50 men's players to watch during the season-long competition for the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year honor, as announced by The Atlanta Tipoff Club.
   A junior from Florissant, Mo., Kalkbrenner averaged 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game while starting CU's first 34 contests last season. He was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice, BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-BIG EAST Tournament Team while ranking fourth nationally in both field goal percentage (.646) and offensive rebounds per game (3.9). He was the lone Bluejay named Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST last month for ninth-ranked team in the nation, who are predicted to win the BIG EAST.
   Kalkbrenner's recognition makes him the fourth different Bluejay in 13-year head coach Greg McDermott's tenure to be on a Naismith Award watch list. Doug McDermott was on the Preseason watch list in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 and was a finalist in 2012-13 before winning the award in 2013-14. Marcus Foster was named to the Midseason watch list in 2016-17, then made the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2017-18. More recently, Marcus Zegarowski was on the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2020-21.
   The midseason 30 team will be announced in February, and then the competition will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists in early March. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 21, 2023, and the winner of the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for Men's Player of the Year will be announced on April 2, 2023.
A One And A Two...
Not only is Creighton a perfect 13-0 in season-openers under Greg McDermott, but the Bluejays have started 2-0 in all but one campaign (2019-20)Â of the first 12 campaigns under McDermott as well.
Preseason Top 10
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked ninth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever.
   The Oct. 17th announcement marked just the fifth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22) and 2020-21 (No. 11). All four of those Bluejay teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament.
   It was also just the 19th time in program history that Creighton has been in the top-10 at any point, with all but one of those weeks happening under head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton's best ranking in program history is seventh, done four times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020 and Jan. 7, 2021).
   Creighton has now been ranked 114 times in program history, with 86 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 142-55 all-time as a ranked team, including a 108-43 mark under McDermott. Creighton has been ranked at least one week in nine of McDermott's 13 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
   Creighton was one of two BIG EAST Conference schools in the poll, joining No. 16 Villanova. North Carolina is atop the poll, just ahead of Gonzaga, Houston and Kentucky.
   Among the opponents on Creighton's schedule who made the preseason top-25 are No. 12 Texas, No. 16 Villanova and No. 25 Texas Tech, as well as potential Maui Jim Maui Invitational foes Arkansas (No. 10), Arizona (No. 17) and San Diego State (No. 19).
   Creighton is also ninth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever in the coaches poll.
Top 10 Under McDermott
Prior to Greg McDermott's 2010 arrival, Creighton had spent one week ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in program history (10th on Jan. 20, 2003, when Dana Altman's team led by Kyle Korver lost at Steve Merfeld's Evansville team).
   Under McDermott, Creighton has spent 18 weeks in the top 10, including at least one week in five different seasons (1 week in 2012-13; 8 weeks in 2016-17, 3 weeks in 2019-20, 5 weeks in 2020-21 and 1 week so far this year).
   Creighton's best AP ranking ever is seventh, done three times (March 9, 2020; March 16, 2020; Jan. 4, 2021).
Making An Entrance
Since 1980, only three players have had a double-double in their first regular-season game in a Creighton uniform.
   Last year Ryan Nembhard (15 pts., 10 ast) and Ryan Hawkins (16 pts., 11 reb.) both did it, while on Monday Baylor Scheierman (11 pts., 10 reb.) joined them.
   Below is a list of some of Creighton's most famous players and how they performed in their regular-season debuts in a Bluejay uniform.
Name, Yr.   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Stl.   Min.   Result
Zegarowski, 2018Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 18Â Â Â W 78-67
Foster, 2016Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 28Â Â Â W 89-82
Patton, 2016Â Â Â 12Â Â Â 8Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 22Â Â Â W 89-82
Thomas, 2015Â Â Â 18Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 26Â Â Â W 93-70
McDermott, 2010Â Â Â 16Â Â Â 7Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 32Â Â Â W 71-57
Stinnett, 2007Â Â Â 23Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 26Â Â Â W 74-62
Tolliver, 2003Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 7Â Â Â W 79-44
Funk, 2002Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 21Â Â Â W 106-50
Kyle Korver, 1999Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 10Â Â Â W 70-62
Buford, 1995Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 19Â Â Â W 63-59
Harstad, 1987Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 21Â Â Â L 49-70
Gallagher, 1987Â Â Â 10Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 37Â Â Â L 49-70
Benjamin, 1982Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 22Â Â Â W 98-54
McKenna, 1977   14   3   7   ?   ?   W 95-66
Harmon, 1971   21   7   ?   ?   ?   W 74-62
C. Baptiste, 1969   24   17   ?   ?   ?   W 84-62
Portman, 1966   9   ?   ?   ?   ?   W 78-76
Silas, 1961   22   29   ?   ?   ?   W 85-51
Gibson, 1954   19   ?   ?   ?   ?   W 66-51
Hello, World
Creighton has four players who could make their regular-season Bluejay debuts on Thursday vs. North Dakota; Jasen Green, Ben Shtolzberg, Zander Yates and Evan Young. It's unlikely you'll see Green though, coach Greg McDermott indicated he's currently sidelined with a minor injury and is likely to redshirt.
   Below is a look at how Creighton's current players have done in their regular-season and Creighton debuts in a Division I uniform.
Name   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.   Stl.   Min.
Kaluma•   15   8   3   0   24
Nembhard•   15   4   10   1   36
Scheierman (CU)•   11   10   3   1   34
Mitchell•   8   6   3   3   28
Kalkbrenner   8   2   1   1   11
Miller      8   3   0   0   12
Alexander   5   4   1   2   22
King      5   2   0   0   9
Scheierman (SDSU)Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 6Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 21
Farabello (CU)Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 17
Davis      0   0   0   0   1
Osmani   0   0   0   0   1
Christofilis   0   1   0   0   2
Farabello (TCU)•   0   0   5   1   26
•indicates game started
Scheierman Reaches The Summit
Senior Baylor Scheierman was named Summit League Player of the Year last season at South Dakota State, which could be a good sign considering that Creighton opens the season with back-to-back Summit League foes.
   In two games against North Dakota last season, Scheierman averaged 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists on 57.7 percent shooting.
   Scheierman approached a triple-double in his Bluejay exhibition debut with 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in 18 minutes of work, then had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in Monday's win over St. Thomas.
An Area for Improvement
One area that Creighton will look to improve in 2022-23 is its marksmanship from behind the arc, as last year's 30.8 percent shooting from deep was its worst as a team since 1993-94.
   The Creighton staff is confident those numbers can improve as its talented freshman class is now sophomores.
   Last year's freshmen combined to shoot 27.2 percent from deep (85-313), but they're not the first Bluejay freshmen to struggle early on from downtown, as seen in the chart below of some other prominent marksmen.
   Even that chart is a little misleading, as Doug McDermott shot 15-of-53 (.283) from deep in his first 20 games of his freshman year before finishing 32-of-63 (.508) in his last 19 games. Likewise, Kyle Korver was shooting 11-for-41 (.268) from downtown after his first 14 contests before blistering the nets to the tune of 52-of-104 (.500).
   As a Freshman   Other College Years
Name   3FG-3FGA   3FG%   3FG-3FGA   3FG%
Ky. Korver   63-145   .434   308-674   .457
McDermott   47-116   .405   237-482   .492
Ty. Alexander   32-96   .333   178-469   .380
Ballock   44-135   .326   264-638   .414
Nembhard Takes Care of the Ball
One point of emphasis for Creighton in the offseason was to limit its turnovers.
   In Monday's win vs. St. Thomas, the Bluejays had just five turnovers in 63 possessions.
   Ryan Nembhard, who had seven assists and no turnovers prior to suffering a wrist injury in his final game last season at St. John's, opened his sophomore campaign with five assists and no turnovers on Monday.
Keeping It 100
Monday was Creighton's 100th non-conference home game under Greg McDermott. He enters Thursday evening 92-8 in those 100 games.
Leftover Nuggets
Some random nuggets from Monday.
• Creighton point guards Ryan Nembhard and Shereef Mitchell combined for six assists and no turnovers in 40 minutes of play vs. St. Thomas.
• Creighton's 85.7 percent shooting from the line (12-14) was CU's best in a season-opener since shooting an identical percentage vs. Alabama State (24-28) in the 2010-11 campaign.
• Trey Alexander had a career-high three blocked shots. He also registered his first regular-season dunk as a Bluejay.
• After trailing 57-56 with 9:58 left, Creighton held St. Thomas scoreless in 11 straight possessions during a decisive 14-0 run.
• Though Monday's game featured six lead changes, St. Thomas never led by more than one point and led for a grand total of 59 seconds.
• The last time Creighton scored 72 points in a season-opener had been 2001-02. That team shared the Missouri Valley Conference title, won the MVC Tournament title and defeated No. 15 Florida in the NCAA Tournament.
November Reign
Creighton is a 68-1 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th. The lone loss came in 2018 when it lost to Ohio State.
   Creighton has won 75 of its 77 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012 and Ohio State in 2018.
   Overall, Creighton is 105-20 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 324 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 20-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 266-58 (.821) 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 25,301-21,249 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.51 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 86 different times.
   Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 23 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
   Creighton is also 32-34 all-time in the 66 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 40-28 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 169-40 (.809) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 61 of those games. In that same span, CU owns an 92-8 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 285-58 (.831) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Â
Who's Back?
With Creighton returning eight of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2021-22 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Blocks   118 (79.2%)   31 (20.8%)
Assists   284 (60.9%)   182 (39.1%)
Starts   104 (59.4%)   71 (40.6%)
Points   1,360 (56.2%)   1,062 (43.8%)
Minutes   3,881 (54.9%)   3,194 (45.1%)
Charges Taken   7 (53.8%)   6 (46.2%)
Rebounds   663 (53.3%)   580 (46.7%)
Steals   98 (51.0%)   94 (49.0%)
3FG Made   83 (35.3%)   152 (64.7%)
Youth Is Served
In case you've forgotten, Creighton had at least one freshman on the floor for every second of every game last season, and actually had a late stretch of 1:28 vs. Colorado State when all five of its players on the floor were freshmen.
   All told, 3171:36 of Creighton's 7,075 total minutes (44.83 percent) were played by freshmen last season.
   By comparison, in 2020-21 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.
   In the season-opener, vs. St. Thomas, Creighton played its freshmen for a combined 19:35 out of 200 minutes (9.8 percent).
Freshmen   Time   Score   Margin
0 freshmen:   Never   --   --
1 freshman:Â Â Â 34:23Â Â Â 59-49Â Â Â +10
2 freshmen:Â Â Â 962:14Â Â Â 1,692-1,578Â Â Â +114
3 freshmen:Â Â Â 347:15Â Â Â 611-407Â Â Â +4
4 freshmen:Â Â Â 45:54Â Â Â 54-85Â Â Â (-31)
5 freshmen:Â Â Â 1:28Â Â Â 5-2Â Â Â +3
Watch This
Creighton has four men that made a preseason watch list for their respective position.
   Ryan Nembhard is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's best point guard. Nembhard is the fourth different Bluejay in the last 12 years named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list, joining Antoine Young (2011-12), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
   Baylor Scheierman is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Julius Erving Award, given to the nation's best small forward. Scheierman is Creighton's first player in the nine seasons of the Julius Erving Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
   Arthur Kaluma is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Karl Malone Award, given to the nation's best power forward. Kaluma is Creighton's first player in the nine seasons of the Karl Malone Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
   Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation's best center. Kalkbrenner joins Justin Patton (2016-17) as Creighton's second player in the nine seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
   Creighton (4) is one of six schools with four or more MBB players on a watch list, joining Duke (5), Kentucky (5), Arizona (4), Gonzaga (4) and UCLA (4).
   CU's four watch list student-athletes match the totals of the rest of the BIG EAST combined (Xavier 2, Villanova 1, UConn 1).
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day on Oct. 18th at Madison Square Garden.
   It's the first time since 2012-13 that Creighton has been chosen as a preseason favorite in its league, though that recognition came in CU's final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
   This is the 10th time Creighton has been tabbed as the preseason favorite (also 1989-90, 1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2011-12 and 2012-13), though the first nine occurrences all happened in the Missouri Valley Conference. Four of those MVC teams finished first (1990-91, 2000-01, 2008-09, 2012-13), while the other five took second place. Six of those nine Bluejay squads went on to win the MVC Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13) and seven of the nine squads played in the NCAA Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13).
   The Bluejays collected eight first-place votes and earned 98 points in the poll. Xavier was picked second in the poll with 86 points, including two first-place votes. Villanova, the defending BIG EAST Tournament champion, was one point behind Xavier with 85 points and received one first-place vote from the men's basketball head coaches, who did not vote for their own teams. Connecticut was picked fourth with 77 points and Providence was fifth with 62 points. St. John's and Seton Hall finished sixth and seventh with 62 and 52 points, respectively. Butler was eighth with 36 points, four points ahead of ninth-place Marquette with 32 points. Georgetown was 10th with 21 points and DePaul 11th with 12 points.
   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   4th   -
2022-23   1st   ??   Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
         Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a second season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 39 of the last 40 seasons. McDermott is in his ninth season in the NBA.
   Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
We're Jamming!
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 99 dunks in his career, including 69 last season. As a team, Creighton owned 132 dunks last season, including nine vs. Georgetown on Feb. 12th and eight vs. No. 18 UConn on March 2nd.
   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 Greg McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Year
74   Martin Krampelj   2018-19
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
69   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2021-22
50   Christian Bishop   2020-21
38   Christian Bishop   2019-20
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
21   Alex O'Connell   2021-22
21   Arthur Kaluma   2021-22
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
99   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
90   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
72   Justin Patton   2016-17
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
144Â Â Â 2016-17Â Â Â 25-10 (NCAA)
132Â Â Â 2021-22Â Â Â 23-12 (NCAA)
107Â Â Â 2017-18Â Â Â 21-12 (NCAA)
106Â Â Â 2018-19Â Â Â 20-15 (NIT)
90Â Â Â 2020-21Â Â Â 22-9 (NCAA)
60Â Â Â 2019-20Â Â Â 24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58Â Â Â 2015-16Â Â Â 20-15 (NIT)
56Â Â Â 2010-11Â Â Â 23-16 (CBI)
54Â Â Â 2012-13Â Â Â 28-8 (NCAA)
42Â Â Â 2011-12Â Â Â 29-6 (NCAA)
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 to 2021-22
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   3,624   4th  Â
FG Percentage   .477   4th  Â
3FG Percentage   .377   5th  Â
Assists   6,580   6th  Â
FG Made   11,240   8th  Â
Points   31,452   10th  Â
Wins   276   29th  Â
Winning Percentage   .669   32nd  Â
20 Wins, Again
Creighton had 23 wins in 2021-22, securing a seventh straight 20-win season.
   Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the previous seven seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
22 of 24 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 22 of the last 24 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
   Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 24 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 23 times, Creighton and Kentucky 22 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 24 Seasons
Team   20-Win Seasons     2021-22 W-L
Gonzaga   24   28-4
Kansas   24   34-6
Duke   23   32-7
Creighton   22   23-12
Kentucky   22   26-8
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 277 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.   277-137   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
Who Are These Guys?
After returning just two total starts in from its Sweet 16 squad team to open 2021-22, Creighton returns a 104 starts from last year's club.
   Creighton has won 20 or more games each of the previous seven times (and 11 of the last 12 times) it has returned 100 or more starts.
   Returning   Returning Starts    Final
Year   Starters   From Previous Year   W-L
2022-23Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 104Â Â Â ? ? ?
2021-22Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 23-12
2020-21Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 22-9
2019-20Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 136Â Â Â 24-7
2018-19Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 57Â Â Â 20-15
2017-18Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 21-12
2016-17Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 130Â Â Â 25-10
2015-16Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 20-15
2014-15Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 14-19
2013-14Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 144Â Â Â 27-8
2012-13Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 140Â Â Â 28-8
2011-12Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 29-6
2010-11Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 23-16
2009-10Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 106Â Â Â 18-16
2008-09Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 27-8
2007-08Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 44Â Â Â 22-11
2006-07Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 120Â Â Â 22-11
2005-06Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 134Â Â Â 20-10
2004-05Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 23-11
2003-04Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 20-9
2002-03Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 159Â Â Â 29-5
2001-02Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 23-9
2000-01Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 90Â Â Â 24-8
1999-00Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 23-10
1998-99Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 22-9
1997-98Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 18-10
1996-97Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 126Â Â Â 15-15
1995-96Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 100Â Â Â 14-15
1994-95Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 52Â Â Â 7-19
1993-94Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 73Â Â Â 7-22
1992-93Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 8-18
1991-92Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 9-19
1990-91Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 132Â Â Â 24-8
1989-90Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 127Â Â Â 21-12
1988-89Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 20-11
1987-88Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 16-16
1986-87Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 9-19
1985-86Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 48Â Â Â 12-16
1984-85Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 20-12
1983-84Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 17-14
1982-83Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 77Â Â Â 8-19
1981-82Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 7-20
1980-81Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 21-9
Multiple Choices
For the first time since 1964-65, Creighton had five men average in double-figures for an entire season last season. Last year's double-figure group included Ryan Hawkins (13.8 ppg.), Ryan Kalkbrenner (13.1), Alex O'Connell (11.8), Ryan Nembhard (11.3) and Arthur Kaluma (10.4).
   Creighton had not had five or more men finish a season averaging 10 or more points per game since the 1964-65 club had SIX men average in double- figures (Neil Johnson, 17.3; Elton McGriff, 15.0; Fritz Pointer, 14.3; Tim Powers, 12.6; Bob Miles, 11.9; Charlie Brown (11.6), though Johnson only played in 8-of-23 games.
   Creighton has won each of its last 25 games when five or more players score in double-figures, a streak that dates to Jan. 9, 2019 vs. Marquette.
Dynamic Duo
Creighton was one of 11 schools to earn at-large bids in the NCAA Tournament in both men's and women's basketball in 2021-22, a list that featured Arkansas, Baylor, Creighton, Indiana, Iowa State, LSU, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
   Those 11 schools, in addition to 13 others (Arizona, Delaware, Gonzaga, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Longwood, Montana State, Tennessee, Texas, UConn, Villanova and Virginia Tech) were the only 24 schools with both men's and women's basketball teams to make the Big Dance.
   This season, Creighton is one of nine teams with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men's and women's side, joining Arizona, Baylor, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 27 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including four such rallies last season. In its NCAA Tournament win vs. San Diego State, Creighton trailed 35-21 late in the first half.
   Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
   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 Under McDermott
Deficit   Opponent   Date
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
16   at Seton Hall   01/27/21
16   SIU Edwardsville   11/27/21
15   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   11/09/21
14   Evansville   02/21/12
14   vs. San Diego State   03/17/22
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
10Â Â Â UABÂ Â Â 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
McDermott's Coaching Tree
A bunch of former Greg McDermott protégés are thriving at the Division I level.
   Eric Henderson led South Dakota State to the first 18-0 season in Summit League history. The Jackrabbits went 30-5 after winning the Summit League Tournament and clinching an NCAAA bid.
   North Dakota State's Dave Richman went 23-10 overall and finished as the runner-up in the Summit League standings and Summit League Tournament to Henderson's SDSU team.
   Ben Jacobson won the MVC regular-season title while coaching Northern Iowa. The Panthers went 20-12 and reached the NIT.
   Drake's Darian DeVries led the Bulldogs to a 25-11 mark and runner-up finish in the MVC (to Jacobson's UNI team) in the regular-season and the league tournament. Drake played in the CBI.
   Steve Lutz led his Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team to a 24-12 record and a Southland Conference Tournament title in his first year as a head coach, with the Islanders reaching the NCAA Tournament First Four. He inherited a 5-19 team that hadn't won 20 games or had a winning record since 2016-17.
   TJ Otzelberger turned around Iowa State in his first year in Ames. He inherited a 2-22 team (0-18 Big 12) and turned it into a team that reached the Sweet 16 and finished 22-13.
   Patrick Sellers led Central Connecticut State to an 8-24 record in his first season with the Blue Devils, including a victory in the Northeast Conference Tournament.
   Paul Sather is the head coach at North Dakota after successful tenures at Black Hills State and Northern State.
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
03/20/06Â Â Â Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â L 53-52Â Â Â G. Diaz FTÂ Â Â :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 finished last season ranked 50th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 112 offense, and No. 19 defense. Creighton's No. 19 defense was its best mark in the 20 seasons of the KenPom era.
   Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom in six of the previous 11 seasons.
Year   Off. Rating   Def. Rating   Team W-L
2010-11Â Â Â 66Â Â Â 174Â Â Â 23-16
2011-12Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 166Â Â Â 29-6
2012-13Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 66Â Â Â 28-8
2013-14Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 27-8
2014-15Â Â Â 59Â Â Â 138Â Â Â 14-19
2015-16Â Â Â 43Â Â Â 76Â Â Â 20-15
2016-17Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 46Â Â Â 25-10
2017-18Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 21-12
2018-19Â Â Â 47Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 20-15
2019-20Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 24-7
2020-21Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 22-9
2021-22Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 23-12
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.   18,192   Marquette   02/20/22
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.42 points per home game (16,807 points in 209 home games), a figure that climbs to 83.96 points in non-conference home games (8,396 points in 100 home games).
   Creighton is 127-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Super Seven
Greg McDermott joined some select company when he directed his troops to a seventh NCAA Tournament last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
   McDermott is one of five head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven different NCAA Tournament teams.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   11
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   7
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 949 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 (through 11/9)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,162   UNLV   11/12
   2.   1,152   Duke   11/11
   3.   1,094   Western Kentucky   11/10
   4.   1,084   East Tennessee State   11/11
   5.   1,063   Oakland   11/11
   6.   1,061   Pacific   11/13
   7.   1,058   Texas   11/10
   8.   1,004   Marshall   11/14
   9.   997   Baylor   11/11
   10.   988   Princeton   11/11
   11.   983   Gonzaga   11/11
   12.   957   Long Island   11/14
   13.   949   Creighton   11/10
   14.   942   Mount St. Mary's   11/11
   15.   931   Tennessee State   11/12
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 949 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,463 trifectas, an average of 7.86 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 142 times, more than any figure.
   Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 266 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
   Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Bluejays are 46-9 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 22-18 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:   5 times   2: 17 times   3: 34 times
4:   73 times   5:  101 times   6: 101 times
7:  142 times   8:  119 times   9: 91 times
10: 77 times   11: 53 times   12: 52 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
Fun Fact
Creighton is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the previous three seasons.
   Among the other BIG EAST or "Power 5" Conference schools, only Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia have done so.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2022-32 season went on sale on October 14th.
   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.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballMeet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Ty Davis
Friday, August 15
