Sunday, December 4
Omaha, Neb.
3:30 PM
Creighton University
vs
Nebraska
#7 Men's Basketball Returns Home To Face Nebraska
12/2/2022 8:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jays play lone home game in a five-week stretch
Game #9: Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3) at #7 Creighton Bluejays (6-2)
Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022 • 3:30 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | NU NOTES (PDF) |
Next Game
After a grueling stretch of four straight games away from home against unbeaten top-25 teams, No. 7 Creighton (6-2) finally returns for its lone home game in a five-week stretch when it welcomes in-state rival Nebraska (5-3) on Sunday.
Tip-off on First National Bank Court inside CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 3:30 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 Taylor Stormberg will call the action.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com and can be heard on SiriusXM channel 132 or 201 and on SXM app channel 964.
Telecast Information
Sunday's game will be called by Lane Grindle 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 on mobile devices at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting #7 Creighton
Creighton is 6-2 and ranked No. 7 nationally this season despite back-to-back losses. The Bluejays just finished a stretch of four straight games against unbeaten top-25 teams, going 2-2, beating No. 21 Texas Tech by 11, No. 9 Arkansas by three, losing to No. 14 Arizona by two and at No. 2 Texas by five.
The Bluejays return 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner (16.6 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 77.8 FG%), who was named 2022 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and ranks among the national leaders in field goal percentage this season.
CU had three men named to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team last winter who are now sophomores. That trio includes BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard (13.3 ppg., 5.8 apg.) as well as Arthur Kaluma (12.5 ppg., 4.8 rpg.) and Trey Alexander (11.6 ppg., 4.9 rpg.). Nembhard pumped in 25 and 20 points in his final two games in Maui to earn All-Tournament Team honors.
Creighton's highest-impact newcomer to date has been South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman (12.1 ppg., 9.5 rpg.), who also owns the team lead with four double-doubles and 22 three-pointers made.
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.
Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches and earned its best preseason poll ranking ever (No. 9).
The Bluejays average 81.8 points per game while allowing just 67.8 points per contest. CU shoots 49.8 percent from the floor, 35.0 percent from deep and 70.1 percent at the line while outrebounding foes by 7.6 caroms per contest.
Scouting Nebraska
Nebraska is 5-3 this season and coming off back-to-back lopsided wins over ACC teams Florida State and Boston College.
The Huskers, who lost their only true road game to date at St. John's, also have been defeated by Oklahoma and Memphis.
Six players average in double-figures for NU, a grouping led by big man Derrick Walker (15.0 ppg., 10.0 rpg.).
Keisei Tominaga (11.8 ppg.,), C.J. Wilcher (11.3 ppg.), Sam Griesel (10.5 ppg.), Emmanuel Bandoumel (10.1 ppg.) and Juwan Gary (10.1) also average more than 10 points.
The Cornhuskers average 70.8 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting from the floor, 32.6 percent from deep and 62.4 percent marksmanship at the line. NU allows 65.3 points per game and forces 14 turnovers per contest.
The Series With Nebraska
Creighton has won 19 of the past 23 regular-season match-ups, and leads the all-time series (including postseason) 29-26. Creighton has won nine of the last 10 meetings, with eight of those wins coming by double-digits.
Creighton won four of the first seven meetings in the history of the series before a 45-year break where the in-state rivals did not play each other. The series has been played at least once each season since 1977 and is CU's longest running non-conference series by a landslide.
Creighton has won 13 straight regular-season home games over Nebraska since a Dec. 6, 1995 loss in Omaha.
Greg McDermott is 16-4 all-time vs. Nebraska (10-2 as Creighton head coach) and 3-1 against Fred Hoiberg.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 282-139 record in his 13th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 562-334 in his 29th season, and is 431-270 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 5-0 this season against unranked teams.
- Creighton would win its 149th game all-time when playing as a ranked team.
- Creighton would take a four-game lead in the series against Nebraska for the first time, quite a turnaround from a 21-10 deficit it faced entering the 1999 encounter.
- Creighton would earn its 14th straight regular-season home win over the Cornhuskers.
- Greg McDermott would improve to 17-4 all-time vs. Nebraska (11-2 as Creighton coach) and 4-1 in head-to-head meetings vs. Fred Hoiberg. The 17 wins would be his second-most against any school, two behind his 19 triumphs vs. DePaul.
- Greg McDermott would win his 11th game as a Creighton coach against Nebraska, breaking a tie with Dana Altman for the most ever by a Bluejay men's basketball coach vs. NU.
Home Front
Creighton has spent most of the last two decades in the lead when hosting Nebraska in the regular-season.
Creighton raced to a 31-11 lead in 2005, a 40-13 edge in 2007, a 19-9 start in 2009, a 38-8 margin in 2013, an 18-4 advantage in 2015 and a 37-7 bulge in 2019. Most recently in 2020, it was just 44-40 at half before CU built up a lead as large as 27 in the second half.
In the past 11 regular-season meetings in Omaha Creighton has led for a combined 371:27 compared to NU's total of 40:05.
Creighton has opened up a double-digit lead in each regular-season game in Omaha, whereas Nebraska has not led by more than nine (that coming in 2003-04) in any of those contests.
Creighton vs Nebraska
Last 11 Regular-Season Meetings in Omaha
Date Time CU Led Biggest CU Lead Time NU Led
12/12/01 34:32 16 2:59
12/10/03 31:41 10 4:40
12/11/05 38:07 28 0:15
11/24/07 36:29 27 0:59
12/06/09 28:14 10 6:24
12/04/11 33:57 14 3:40
12/08/13 38:36 32 --
12/09/15 39:45 19 --
12/09/17 15:53 10 19:20
12/07/19 39:24 32 --
12/11/20 34:49 27 1:48
Big (Ten) Mac Attack
Creighton is 16-4 in its last 20 games against teams from the Big Ten. Creighton has outscored foes by an average of 7.85 points in those 20 games, which include 13 double-figure victories.
Greg McDermott is 29-16 in his career against teams that are currently in the Big Ten (not including USC/UCLA), including a 16-6 mark on the Creighton sideline.
Creighton is 8-1 under McDermott in home games against Big Ten programs.
Creighton's Last 20 Games vs. the Big Ten
Date Opponent Score
11/20/11 vs. Iowa (in Des Moines) W 82-59
12/04/11 Nebraska W 76-66
12/22/11 Northwestern W 87-79
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin (in Las Vegas) W 84-74
12/06/12 at Nebraska W 64-42
12/08/13 Nebraska W 82-67
12/07/14 at Nebraska W 65-55
11/19/15 at #14 Indiana L 65-86
11/23/15 vs. Rutgers (in Las Vegas) W 85-75
12/09/15 Nebraska W 83-67
11/15/16 #9 Wisconsin W 79-67
12/07/16 at Nebraska W 77-62
11/15/17 at #20 Northwestern W 92-88
12/09/17 Nebraska W 75-65
11/15/18 Ohio State L 60-69
12/08/18 at #24 Nebraska L 75-94
11/12/19 at Michigan L 69-79
12/07/19 Nebraska W 95-76
12/11/20 Nebraska W 98-74
11/16/21 at Nebraska W 77-69
I'll "Half" More Of That Please
Need one big reason why Creighton has won 19 of the past 23 regular-season meetings with Nebraska? Check out the quick starts the Bluejays have gotten off to on a consistent basis.
Creighton has led at halftime in 18 of the past 23 regular-season meetings, with eight double-digit leads at intermission in that span. Four of the five times that Creighton trailed it half, it came back to win the game anyway. Nebraska has led at halftime and beaten Creighton in the regular-season just once since Jan. 8, 1997, with that coming in December of 2018.
Also of note, Nebraska has scored more than 30 first half points in just four of the last 19 regular-season meetings vs. Creighton at all sites.
Creighton is 233-40 all-time under Greg McDermott when leading at halftime, and is 5-0 when up at half this winter.
Creighton vs Nebraska, Last 23 Reg.-Season Meetings
Date City Half Score Final Score
12/09/99 Omaha CU 40-38 CU 89-72
01/02/01 Lincoln NU 24-22 CU 62-61
12/12/01 Omaha CU 30-23 CU 76-70
12/21/02 Lincoln CU 46-35 CU 81-73
12/10/03 Omaha CU 33-23 CU 61-54
12/11/04 Lincoln NU 22-18 CU 50-48
12/11/05 Omaha CU 31-11 CU 70-44
11/18/06 Lincoln CU 31-28 NU 73-61
11/24/07 Omaha CU 47-20 CU 74-62
11/29/08 Lincoln CU 31-18 NU 54-52
12/06/09 Omaha CU 32-27 CU 67-61
12/05/10 Lincoln CU 29-21 NU 59-54
12/04/11 Omaha CU 32-29 CU 76-66
12/06/12 Lincoln CU 28-17 CU 64-42
12/08/13 Omaha CU 51-25 CU 82-67
12/07/14 Lincoln NU 28-27 CU 65-55
12/09/15 Omaha CU 36-30 CU 83-67
12/07/16 Lincoln CU 31-30 CU 77-62
12/09/17 Omaha NU 33-28 CU 75-65
12/08/18 Lincoln NU 47-34 NU 94-75
12/07/19 Omaha CU 48-22 CU 95-76
12/11/20 Omaha CU 44-40 CU 98-74
11/16/21 Lincoln CU 40-36 CU 77-69
One For The Record Books
Nebraska enters Sunday with a 5-3 record, while Creighton will bring a 6-2 mark into Sunday.
Creighton has finished with more wins than Nebraska in 23 of the last 24 seasons since the 1998-99 campaign.
Since the start of the 1998-99 season (including this winter), Creighton is 555-255, while Nebraska is 366-397 on the hardwood.
Year Nebraska Creighton
1998-99 20-13 22-9
1999-00 11-19 23-10
2000-01 14-16 24-8
2001-02 13-15 23-9
2002-03 11-19 29-5
2003-04 18-13 20-9
2004-05 14-14 23-1
2005-06 19-14 20-10
2006-07 17-14 22-11
2007-08 20-13 22-11
2008-09 18-13 27-8
2009-10 15-18 18-16
2010-11 19-13 23-16
2011-12 12-18 29-6
2012-13 15-18 28-8
2013-14 19-13 27-8
2014-15 13-18 14-18
2015-16 16-18 20-15
2016-17 12-19 25-10
2017-18 22-11 21-12
2018-19 19-17 20-15
2019-20 7-25 24-7
2020-21 7-20 22-9
2021-22 10-22 23-12
2022-23 5-3 so far 6-2 so far
All In The Family
Junior guard Shereef Mitchell is no stranger to the Nebraska/Creighton rivalry.
The Omaha native is the son of Alvin Mitchell, who played at Nebraska in 1996-97. Alvin Mitchell started had seven points, eight rebounds and three steals in NU's win over Creighton in 1996.
Shereef Mitchell is 3-0 in head-to-head meetings vs. Nebraska, averaging 5.4 points and 1.7 assists per game.
McDermott/Hoiberg Connections
Greg McDermott was head coach at Iowa State from 2006-10 before leaving to take the Creighton job. His replacement in Ames was none other than Fred Hoiberg, the current Nebraska coach.
Hoiberg left Iowa State to take the head coaching job with the NBA's Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2015. With the Bulls, he would coach Greg's son Doug McDermott, who would average 9.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game under Hoiberg.
Both Hoiberg and Doug McDermott attended Ames High School and led the school to a state title.
Family Rivalry
Sunday will see a family reunion on First National Bank Court when Nebraska assistant coach Ernie Zeigler faces off against his son, Creighton graduate assistant Trey Zeigler.
Both men are in their first season at their respective schools.
Ernie served as the head coach of Central Michigan in 2010-11 and 2011-12 when Trey starred for the Chippewas.
Good Start vs. Nebraska
As Creighton head coach, Greg McDermott owns a 10-2 record against Nebraska. He is the only Creighton men's basketball coach to win seven straight games over the Cornhuskers (2011-17), and his 10 overall victories is tied with Dana Altman (who was 10-7 against NU) among Bluejay men's basketball head coaches all-time.
McDermott owns a 16-4 record in his career against the Cornhuskers. The only other team he has beaten more as a head coach is DePaul (19-1).
Kalkbrenner's Big Night
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 20 points and 13 rebounds on 9-for-10 shooting at No. 2 Texas on Thursday.
That performance made him the nation's first player with a night with at least 20 points and 13 rebounds on 90 percent shooting from the field against a top-25 team since UCF's Tacko Fall had 20 points, 13 rebounds and made all 10 field goal attempts against No. 3 Villanova on a neutral floor at the Charleston Classic on Nov. 20, 2016.
Kalkbrenner is the only player since the start of the 2010-11 season to have a game like that in a true road game against a top-25 foe.
In his last four games in the continental U.S., Kalkbrener is shooting 34-for-37 from the field (91.9 percent), and 32-for-34 (94.1 percent) from two-point range.
Scoring Threat
Ryan Nembhard scored just 28 total points in Creighton's first four games, but has found his scoring rhythm in the past four games as the competition has gotten more fierce.
For the season, Nembhard averages 7.0 points per game vs. unranked teams compared to 19.5 per contest versus ranked foes.
Against ranked foes, Nembhard had 16 points vs. No. 21 Texas Tech, a career-high 25 points vs. No. 9 Arkansas, 20 points vs. No. 14 Arizona and 17 points at No. 2 Texas.
Nembhard had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in his first career road game last year at Nebraska. The 22 points were the most by a CU player in their first game vs. Nebraska since at least 1980.
Defensive Gauntlet
Through games of Dec. 1, Texas owns the nation's No. 3 defense per KenPom.com.
It's the latest in a run of stiff defenses the Bluejays have faced as it put up 76 points vs. Texas Tech's No. 15 defense, 90 points vs. Arkansas' No. 6 defense and 79 points vs. Arizona's No. 47 defense while in Maui.
Creighton owns the No. 10 offense this season and the No. 35 defense, per KenPom. Nebraska is 88th on offense and 115th defensively.
Rank & File
Thursday marked Creighton's fourth consecutive game against a ranked team, as the Bluejays defeated No. 21 Texas Tech and No. 9 Arkansas before falling to No. 14 Arizona at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational and at No. 2 Texas in the Big 12 - BIG EAST Battle.
It marked the first time ever that Creighton has played four straight games against top-25 teams.
When CU topped Texas Tech and Arkansas last Monday and Tuesday, it marked the first time in program history the Bluejays had beaten top-25 teams on consecutive days.
3-Ball Falling For Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman has made multiple three-pointers in every game this season, and exactly three trifectas in each of the past five games.
Going back to last season when he played for South Dakota State, Scheierman has made two or more three-pointers in each of his past 15 games.
Fantastic Five
Much has been written about Creighton's starting five this season, and the success CU has had when Ryan Nembhard, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma and Baylor Scheierman are on the floor together.
The quintet has played 154:09 (of a possible 320 minutes) together this season, outscoring the opposition 323-255 in those minutes.
In four games against ranked foes, the group has been paired together for 88:18 (of a possible 160 minutes) and outscored opponents 185-165.
Deep Dive Into The Rankings
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.
Creighton was 10th in the AP poll released on Nov. 14th and Nov. 21 and was seventh this past Monday.
This week is the 21st 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 five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Creighton has now been ranked 117 times in program history, with 89 of those weeks under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 148-59 all-time as a ranked team, including a 114-45 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 also ninth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever in the Coaches poll. The Jays remained ninth in the Nov. 14 Coaches poll and climbed to eighth in the Nov. 21 Coaches poll. This week CU is seventh. The program's best slotting ever in the Coaches poll is fifth, done on Jan. 4, 2021.
Sophomores Standing Tall
Legendary Marquette coach Al McGuire once said that the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. The Bluejay trio of Arthur Kaluma, Trey Alexander and Ryan Nembhard were all part of the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team last season, and all three are off to fantastic starts as sophomores.
This year the trio have combined to average 37.4 points per contest.
Collectively, they shoot 46.9 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from downtown and 79.5 percent at the line while also contributing 93 rebounds and 76 assists against just 40 turnovers.
Not Just A Basketball School
Creighton's men's basketball team is ranked seventh nationally, tied for its best mark ever in the AP poll, with wins over No. 21 Texas Tech and No. 9 Arkansas.
The 13th-ranked Bluejay women's basketball team, coached by former CU men's basketball walk-on Jim Flanery, were 6-0 (before Friday) with top-25 wins over No. 23 South Dakota State and No. 22 Nebraska. Flanery coached the team to its first Elite Eight last March. CU's current No. 13 ranking is also a program-best for the women.
They're not the only successful programs on campus, as the BIG EAST Tournament champion men's soccer team plays in the Elite Eight on Saturday afternoon at No. 4 Duke (on ESPN+) while the 14th-ranked women's volleyball team won its ninth straight BIG EAST regular-season title and will start its 11th straight NCAA Tournament run on Friday against Auburn (on ESPN+).
Creighton and Texas are the nation's only schools with top-15 teams in men's basketball and women's volleyball this week.
Creighton is the nation's only school with top-15 teams in men's basketball, women's basketball and women's volleyball at the moment.
The 8 & 8 Club
The season is just eight games old, but Creighton already has six different players who have had a game with at least eight points and eight rebounds.
Baylor Scheierman did in each of the first two games, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Arthur Kaluma did it in the first game, Fredrick King did it in the second game, Mason Miller did it in the third contest and Trey Alexander did it in the fourth game.
By comparison, in 35 games last season Creighton only had five players with eight points and eight rebounds in the same game (Kalkbrenner, Kaluma, Alexander, Ryan Hawkins and Alex O'Connell).
Nationally Relevant
Through games of Dec. 1, Creighton ranked second in the country in fewest fouls per game (11.38).
The Jays are also 15th in fewest turnovers per game (9.9), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.63) and 35th in rebound margin per game (+7.6).
Individually, Ryan Nembhard ranks fourth in assist/turnover ratio (5.11) and 18th in total assists (46).
Teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner is fourth in field goal percentage (77.8%) among players to make five field goals per game. Kalkbrenner is the only player shooting 75 percent or better who has made three or more three-pointers.
Additionally, Baylor Scheierman ranks sixth nationally with four double-doubles.
Wooden Award Watch List
The Creighton duo of Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner have been named to the Preseason Top 50 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy's®.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles in April.
Scheierman and Kalkbrenner give Creighton nine Preseason John R. Wooden Award Watch List recognitions in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott. Marcus Zegarowski made the list in 2020-21, one year after Ty-Shon Alexander was listed prior to the 2019-20 campaign. Others to make the list include Marcus Foster (2017-18), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17), Doug McDermott (2013-14, 2012-13 and 2011-12). Creighton's lone recipient of the John R. Wooden Award® is Doug McDermott, who was recognized following the completion of the 2013-14 campaign.
Ruthless Efficiency
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 22 points in 20 minutes of action in CU's Nov. 14 victory vs. Holy Cross.
It was just the 11th time in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott that CU has had a player score 20+ points in 20 minutes or less.
Devin Brooks, Gregory Echenique, Marcus Foster (2x), Martin Krampelj, Doug McDermott (3x) and Ethan Wragge (2x) have also done it.
Turnover Free At The Point
Ryan Nembhard's 12 assists without a turnover vs. Holy Cross on Nov. 14 made him just the fourth player in Bluejay history to accomplish that feat. He's the first to do it inside CHI Health Center Omaha and the first Bluejay to do it at any site since 2002.
Here's the single-game assist leaders at Creighton, along with their turnover statistics on that night:
Ast. Name, Opponent Date TO
17 Ralph Bobik vs. Bradley 01/22/74 0
Ralph Bobik at St. Francis (Pa.) 02/23/73 ??
16 Ralph Bobik vs. BYU 12/17/73 4
14 Maurice Watson Jr. at Providence 01/07/17 2
Maurice Watson Jr. at Seton Hall 01/09/16 4
13 Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Washington St. 11/18/16 4
Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Akron 12/03/16 5
Jason Bey vs. Southern Illinois 02/27/95 1
Latrell Wrightsell vs. Nebraska 12/07/91 1
12 Ryan Nembhard vs. Holy Cross 11/14/22 0
Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern 12/22/11 4
Tyler McKinney at Nebraska 12/21/02 0
Ed St. Fleur at CS-Sacramento 01/13/96 0
Latrell Wrightsell vs. N. Iowa 02/01/92 4
Duan Cole at Iowa State 01/16/90 5
Vernon Moore at Southern Illinois 01/17/85 2
Randy Eckker at Gonzaga 01/14/77 2
Randy Eckker at Bradley 01/12/77 4
Speaking Of Assists
Ryan Nembhard's 12 assists vs. Holy Cross were the second double-figure assist game of his Bluejay career, joining the 10 helpers he dished in his collegiate debut last November vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Nembhard is the seventh different Bluejay with 10 or more assists in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Maurice Watson Jr. (12 times), Grant Gibbs (4), Marcus Zegarowski (4), Austin Chatman (3), Antoine Young (2) and Malik Albert (1).
Also worth noting regarding Nembhard's big night? He played just 19 minutes in the win, making him the nation's only player with 12 assists against a Division I opponent this year while playing less than 30 minutes.
McDermott Among The Best
A Nov. 10th article on CBSSports.com ranked the nation's best Top 25 And 1 coaches, with Creighton's Greg McDermott making that list.
McDermott and Providence's Ed Cooley were the lone BIG EAST coaches named to the list.
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.
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 21 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 4 weeks so far this year).
Creighton's best AP ranking ever is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017; March 10, 2020; March 18, 2020; Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
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. Thus far, Creighton is second in the BIG EAST with 9.4 three-pointers made per game and also ranks second with 38.2 percent marksmanship from deep.
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. To date, CU leads the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio (117/71).
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, leads the BIG EAST with a 46/9 assist/turnover ratio this year, which ranks fourth-best nationally.
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 327 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 20-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 269-58 (.823) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (22-0).
Creighton's Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program's 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU's 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 25,571-21,426 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.68 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 87 different times, including once this year (Holy Cross).
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 172-40 (.810) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 62 of those games. In that same span, CU owns an 95-8 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 288-58 (.832) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
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.
Through eight games this season, Creighton's freshmen have played 208:25 of 1600 possible minutes (13.02 percent).
2021-22 Minute Breakdown
Freshmen Time Score Margin
0 freshmen: Never -- --
1 freshman: 34:23 59-49 +10
2 freshmen: 962:14 1,692-1,578 +114
3 freshmen: 347:15 611-407 +4
4 freshmen: 45:54 54-85 (-31)
5 freshmen: 1:28 5-2 +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 120 dunks in his career, including 69 last year. Only Martin Krampelj (121) has had more since Greg McDermott's arrival.
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
22 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2022-23
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
120 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
103 Christian Bishop 2018-21
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
28 Arthur Kaluma 2021-Pres.
25 Geoffrey Groselle 2012-16
25 Damien Jefferson 2018-21
Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Year Team W-L
144 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
132 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
107 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
106 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
90 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
60 2019-20 24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
56 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
54 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
42 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
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 Dec. 1, 2022
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 3,694 3rd
FG Percentage .477 4th
3FG Percentage .377 5th
Assists 6,697 6th
FG Made 11,485 8th
Points 32,106 9th
Wins 282 28th
Winning Percentage .670 33rd
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
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.
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 282 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
McDermott's .670 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. 282-139 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
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.
This year's team has five players averaging 12.0 points per game or more, Ryan Kalkbrenner (16.6), Trey Alexander (11.6)), Ryan Nembhard (13.3), Arthur Kaluma (12.5), Baylor Scheierman (12.1).
Creighton has won each of its last 26 games when five or more players score in double-figures, a streak that dates to Jan. 9, 2019 vs. Marquette.
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
2022-23 3 104 ? ? ?
2021-22 0 2 23-12
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
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
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
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
03/20/06 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 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.
Here's where Creighton ranked after games on Dec. 1.
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
2021-22 112 19 23-12
2022-23 10 35 6-2 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. 18,192 Marquette 02/20/22
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 956 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 12/1)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,168 UNLV 12/3
2. 1,160 Duke 12/3
3. 1,102 Western Kentucky 12/10
4. 1,091 East Tennessee State 12/3
5. 1,071 Oakland 12/3
6. 1,068 Pacific 12/3
7. 1,063 Texas 12/6
8. 1,010 Marshall 12/3
9. 1,003 Baylor 12/2
10. 994 Princeton 12/3
11. 989 Gonzaga 12/2
12. 962 Long Island 12/2
13. 956 Creighton 12/4
14. 949 Mount St. Mary's 12/3
15. 937 Tennessee State 12/3
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 956 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,525 trifectas, an average of 7.87 treys per game.
That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 143 times, more than any figure.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 269 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 50-10 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 23-19 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: 74 times 5: 101 times 6: 101 times
7: 143 times 8: 120 times 9: 92 times
10: 78 times 11: 53 times 12: 54 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
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.55 points per home game (17,077 points in 212 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.14 points in non-conference home games (8,666 points in 103 home games).
Creighton is 130-6 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
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 12
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 7
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.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022 • 3:30 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | NU NOTES (PDF) |
Next Game
After a grueling stretch of four straight games away from home against unbeaten top-25 teams, No. 7 Creighton (6-2) finally returns for its lone home game in a five-week stretch when it welcomes in-state rival Nebraska (5-3) on Sunday.
Tip-off on First National Bank Court inside CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 3:30 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 Taylor Stormberg will call the action.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com and can be heard on SiriusXM channel 132 or 201 and on SXM app channel 964.
Telecast Information
Sunday's game will be called by Lane Grindle 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 on mobile devices at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting #7 Creighton
Creighton is 6-2 and ranked No. 7 nationally this season despite back-to-back losses. The Bluejays just finished a stretch of four straight games against unbeaten top-25 teams, going 2-2, beating No. 21 Texas Tech by 11, No. 9 Arkansas by three, losing to No. 14 Arizona by two and at No. 2 Texas by five.
The Bluejays return 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner (16.6 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 77.8 FG%), who was named 2022 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and ranks among the national leaders in field goal percentage this season.
CU had three men named to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team last winter who are now sophomores. That trio includes BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Ryan Nembhard (13.3 ppg., 5.8 apg.) as well as Arthur Kaluma (12.5 ppg., 4.8 rpg.) and Trey Alexander (11.6 ppg., 4.9 rpg.). Nembhard pumped in 25 and 20 points in his final two games in Maui to earn All-Tournament Team honors.
Creighton's highest-impact newcomer to date has been South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman (12.1 ppg., 9.5 rpg.), who also owns the team lead with four double-doubles and 22 three-pointers made.
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.
Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of league coaches and earned its best preseason poll ranking ever (No. 9).
The Bluejays average 81.8 points per game while allowing just 67.8 points per contest. CU shoots 49.8 percent from the floor, 35.0 percent from deep and 70.1 percent at the line while outrebounding foes by 7.6 caroms per contest.
Scouting Nebraska
Nebraska is 5-3 this season and coming off back-to-back lopsided wins over ACC teams Florida State and Boston College.
The Huskers, who lost their only true road game to date at St. John's, also have been defeated by Oklahoma and Memphis.
Six players average in double-figures for NU, a grouping led by big man Derrick Walker (15.0 ppg., 10.0 rpg.).
Keisei Tominaga (11.8 ppg.,), C.J. Wilcher (11.3 ppg.), Sam Griesel (10.5 ppg.), Emmanuel Bandoumel (10.1 ppg.) and Juwan Gary (10.1) also average more than 10 points.
The Cornhuskers average 70.8 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting from the floor, 32.6 percent from deep and 62.4 percent marksmanship at the line. NU allows 65.3 points per game and forces 14 turnovers per contest.
The Series With Nebraska
Creighton has won 19 of the past 23 regular-season match-ups, and leads the all-time series (including postseason) 29-26. Creighton has won nine of the last 10 meetings, with eight of those wins coming by double-digits.
Creighton won four of the first seven meetings in the history of the series before a 45-year break where the in-state rivals did not play each other. The series has been played at least once each season since 1977 and is CU's longest running non-conference series by a landslide.
Creighton has won 13 straight regular-season home games over Nebraska since a Dec. 6, 1995 loss in Omaha.
Greg McDermott is 16-4 all-time vs. Nebraska (10-2 as Creighton head coach) and 3-1 against Fred Hoiberg.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 282-139 record in his 13th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 562-334 in his 29th season, and is 431-270 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 5-0 this season against unranked teams.
- Creighton would win its 149th game all-time when playing as a ranked team.
- Creighton would take a four-game lead in the series against Nebraska for the first time, quite a turnaround from a 21-10 deficit it faced entering the 1999 encounter.
- Creighton would earn its 14th straight regular-season home win over the Cornhuskers.
- Greg McDermott would improve to 17-4 all-time vs. Nebraska (11-2 as Creighton coach) and 4-1 in head-to-head meetings vs. Fred Hoiberg. The 17 wins would be his second-most against any school, two behind his 19 triumphs vs. DePaul.
- Greg McDermott would win his 11th game as a Creighton coach against Nebraska, breaking a tie with Dana Altman for the most ever by a Bluejay men's basketball coach vs. NU.
Home Front
Creighton has spent most of the last two decades in the lead when hosting Nebraska in the regular-season.
Creighton raced to a 31-11 lead in 2005, a 40-13 edge in 2007, a 19-9 start in 2009, a 38-8 margin in 2013, an 18-4 advantage in 2015 and a 37-7 bulge in 2019. Most recently in 2020, it was just 44-40 at half before CU built up a lead as large as 27 in the second half.
In the past 11 regular-season meetings in Omaha Creighton has led for a combined 371:27 compared to NU's total of 40:05.
Creighton has opened up a double-digit lead in each regular-season game in Omaha, whereas Nebraska has not led by more than nine (that coming in 2003-04) in any of those contests.
Creighton vs Nebraska
Last 11 Regular-Season Meetings in Omaha
Date Time CU Led Biggest CU Lead Time NU Led
12/12/01 34:32 16 2:59
12/10/03 31:41 10 4:40
12/11/05 38:07 28 0:15
11/24/07 36:29 27 0:59
12/06/09 28:14 10 6:24
12/04/11 33:57 14 3:40
12/08/13 38:36 32 --
12/09/15 39:45 19 --
12/09/17 15:53 10 19:20
12/07/19 39:24 32 --
12/11/20 34:49 27 1:48
Big (Ten) Mac Attack
Creighton is 16-4 in its last 20 games against teams from the Big Ten. Creighton has outscored foes by an average of 7.85 points in those 20 games, which include 13 double-figure victories.
Greg McDermott is 29-16 in his career against teams that are currently in the Big Ten (not including USC/UCLA), including a 16-6 mark on the Creighton sideline.
Creighton is 8-1 under McDermott in home games against Big Ten programs.
Creighton's Last 20 Games vs. the Big Ten
Date Opponent Score
11/20/11 vs. Iowa (in Des Moines) W 82-59
12/04/11 Nebraska W 76-66
12/22/11 Northwestern W 87-79
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin (in Las Vegas) W 84-74
12/06/12 at Nebraska W 64-42
12/08/13 Nebraska W 82-67
12/07/14 at Nebraska W 65-55
11/19/15 at #14 Indiana L 65-86
11/23/15 vs. Rutgers (in Las Vegas) W 85-75
12/09/15 Nebraska W 83-67
11/15/16 #9 Wisconsin W 79-67
12/07/16 at Nebraska W 77-62
11/15/17 at #20 Northwestern W 92-88
12/09/17 Nebraska W 75-65
11/15/18 Ohio State L 60-69
12/08/18 at #24 Nebraska L 75-94
11/12/19 at Michigan L 69-79
12/07/19 Nebraska W 95-76
12/11/20 Nebraska W 98-74
11/16/21 at Nebraska W 77-69
I'll "Half" More Of That Please
Need one big reason why Creighton has won 19 of the past 23 regular-season meetings with Nebraska? Check out the quick starts the Bluejays have gotten off to on a consistent basis.
Creighton has led at halftime in 18 of the past 23 regular-season meetings, with eight double-digit leads at intermission in that span. Four of the five times that Creighton trailed it half, it came back to win the game anyway. Nebraska has led at halftime and beaten Creighton in the regular-season just once since Jan. 8, 1997, with that coming in December of 2018.
Also of note, Nebraska has scored more than 30 first half points in just four of the last 19 regular-season meetings vs. Creighton at all sites.
Creighton is 233-40 all-time under Greg McDermott when leading at halftime, and is 5-0 when up at half this winter.
Creighton vs Nebraska, Last 23 Reg.-Season Meetings
Date City Half Score Final Score
12/09/99 Omaha CU 40-38 CU 89-72
01/02/01 Lincoln NU 24-22 CU 62-61
12/12/01 Omaha CU 30-23 CU 76-70
12/21/02 Lincoln CU 46-35 CU 81-73
12/10/03 Omaha CU 33-23 CU 61-54
12/11/04 Lincoln NU 22-18 CU 50-48
12/11/05 Omaha CU 31-11 CU 70-44
11/18/06 Lincoln CU 31-28 NU 73-61
11/24/07 Omaha CU 47-20 CU 74-62
11/29/08 Lincoln CU 31-18 NU 54-52
12/06/09 Omaha CU 32-27 CU 67-61
12/05/10 Lincoln CU 29-21 NU 59-54
12/04/11 Omaha CU 32-29 CU 76-66
12/06/12 Lincoln CU 28-17 CU 64-42
12/08/13 Omaha CU 51-25 CU 82-67
12/07/14 Lincoln NU 28-27 CU 65-55
12/09/15 Omaha CU 36-30 CU 83-67
12/07/16 Lincoln CU 31-30 CU 77-62
12/09/17 Omaha NU 33-28 CU 75-65
12/08/18 Lincoln NU 47-34 NU 94-75
12/07/19 Omaha CU 48-22 CU 95-76
12/11/20 Omaha CU 44-40 CU 98-74
11/16/21 Lincoln CU 40-36 CU 77-69
One For The Record Books
Nebraska enters Sunday with a 5-3 record, while Creighton will bring a 6-2 mark into Sunday.
Creighton has finished with more wins than Nebraska in 23 of the last 24 seasons since the 1998-99 campaign.
Since the start of the 1998-99 season (including this winter), Creighton is 555-255, while Nebraska is 366-397 on the hardwood.
Year Nebraska Creighton
1998-99 20-13 22-9
1999-00 11-19 23-10
2000-01 14-16 24-8
2001-02 13-15 23-9
2002-03 11-19 29-5
2003-04 18-13 20-9
2004-05 14-14 23-1
2005-06 19-14 20-10
2006-07 17-14 22-11
2007-08 20-13 22-11
2008-09 18-13 27-8
2009-10 15-18 18-16
2010-11 19-13 23-16
2011-12 12-18 29-6
2012-13 15-18 28-8
2013-14 19-13 27-8
2014-15 13-18 14-18
2015-16 16-18 20-15
2016-17 12-19 25-10
2017-18 22-11 21-12
2018-19 19-17 20-15
2019-20 7-25 24-7
2020-21 7-20 22-9
2021-22 10-22 23-12
2022-23 5-3 so far 6-2 so far
All In The Family
Junior guard Shereef Mitchell is no stranger to the Nebraska/Creighton rivalry.
The Omaha native is the son of Alvin Mitchell, who played at Nebraska in 1996-97. Alvin Mitchell started had seven points, eight rebounds and three steals in NU's win over Creighton in 1996.
Shereef Mitchell is 3-0 in head-to-head meetings vs. Nebraska, averaging 5.4 points and 1.7 assists per game.
McDermott/Hoiberg Connections
Greg McDermott was head coach at Iowa State from 2006-10 before leaving to take the Creighton job. His replacement in Ames was none other than Fred Hoiberg, the current Nebraska coach.
Hoiberg left Iowa State to take the head coaching job with the NBA's Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2015. With the Bulls, he would coach Greg's son Doug McDermott, who would average 9.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game under Hoiberg.
Both Hoiberg and Doug McDermott attended Ames High School and led the school to a state title.
Family Rivalry
Sunday will see a family reunion on First National Bank Court when Nebraska assistant coach Ernie Zeigler faces off against his son, Creighton graduate assistant Trey Zeigler.
Both men are in their first season at their respective schools.
Ernie served as the head coach of Central Michigan in 2010-11 and 2011-12 when Trey starred for the Chippewas.
Good Start vs. Nebraska
As Creighton head coach, Greg McDermott owns a 10-2 record against Nebraska. He is the only Creighton men's basketball coach to win seven straight games over the Cornhuskers (2011-17), and his 10 overall victories is tied with Dana Altman (who was 10-7 against NU) among Bluejay men's basketball head coaches all-time.
McDermott owns a 16-4 record in his career against the Cornhuskers. The only other team he has beaten more as a head coach is DePaul (19-1).
Kalkbrenner's Big Night
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 20 points and 13 rebounds on 9-for-10 shooting at No. 2 Texas on Thursday.
That performance made him the nation's first player with a night with at least 20 points and 13 rebounds on 90 percent shooting from the field against a top-25 team since UCF's Tacko Fall had 20 points, 13 rebounds and made all 10 field goal attempts against No. 3 Villanova on a neutral floor at the Charleston Classic on Nov. 20, 2016.
Kalkbrenner is the only player since the start of the 2010-11 season to have a game like that in a true road game against a top-25 foe.
In his last four games in the continental U.S., Kalkbrener is shooting 34-for-37 from the field (91.9 percent), and 32-for-34 (94.1 percent) from two-point range.
Scoring Threat
Ryan Nembhard scored just 28 total points in Creighton's first four games, but has found his scoring rhythm in the past four games as the competition has gotten more fierce.
For the season, Nembhard averages 7.0 points per game vs. unranked teams compared to 19.5 per contest versus ranked foes.
Against ranked foes, Nembhard had 16 points vs. No. 21 Texas Tech, a career-high 25 points vs. No. 9 Arkansas, 20 points vs. No. 14 Arizona and 17 points at No. 2 Texas.
Nembhard had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in his first career road game last year at Nebraska. The 22 points were the most by a CU player in their first game vs. Nebraska since at least 1980.
Defensive Gauntlet
Through games of Dec. 1, Texas owns the nation's No. 3 defense per KenPom.com.
It's the latest in a run of stiff defenses the Bluejays have faced as it put up 76 points vs. Texas Tech's No. 15 defense, 90 points vs. Arkansas' No. 6 defense and 79 points vs. Arizona's No. 47 defense while in Maui.
Creighton owns the No. 10 offense this season and the No. 35 defense, per KenPom. Nebraska is 88th on offense and 115th defensively.
Rank & File
Thursday marked Creighton's fourth consecutive game against a ranked team, as the Bluejays defeated No. 21 Texas Tech and No. 9 Arkansas before falling to No. 14 Arizona at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational and at No. 2 Texas in the Big 12 - BIG EAST Battle.
It marked the first time ever that Creighton has played four straight games against top-25 teams.
When CU topped Texas Tech and Arkansas last Monday and Tuesday, it marked the first time in program history the Bluejays had beaten top-25 teams on consecutive days.
3-Ball Falling For Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman has made multiple three-pointers in every game this season, and exactly three trifectas in each of the past five games.
Going back to last season when he played for South Dakota State, Scheierman has made two or more three-pointers in each of his past 15 games.
Fantastic Five
Much has been written about Creighton's starting five this season, and the success CU has had when Ryan Nembhard, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma and Baylor Scheierman are on the floor together.
The quintet has played 154:09 (of a possible 320 minutes) together this season, outscoring the opposition 323-255 in those minutes.
In four games against ranked foes, the group has been paired together for 88:18 (of a possible 160 minutes) and outscored opponents 185-165.
Deep Dive Into The Rankings
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.
Creighton was 10th in the AP poll released on Nov. 14th and Nov. 21 and was seventh this past Monday.
This week is the 21st 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 five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Creighton has now been ranked 117 times in program history, with 89 of those weeks under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 148-59 all-time as a ranked team, including a 114-45 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 also ninth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever in the Coaches poll. The Jays remained ninth in the Nov. 14 Coaches poll and climbed to eighth in the Nov. 21 Coaches poll. This week CU is seventh. The program's best slotting ever in the Coaches poll is fifth, done on Jan. 4, 2021.
Sophomores Standing Tall
Legendary Marquette coach Al McGuire once said that the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. The Bluejay trio of Arthur Kaluma, Trey Alexander and Ryan Nembhard were all part of the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team last season, and all three are off to fantastic starts as sophomores.
This year the trio have combined to average 37.4 points per contest.
Collectively, they shoot 46.9 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from downtown and 79.5 percent at the line while also contributing 93 rebounds and 76 assists against just 40 turnovers.
Not Just A Basketball School
Creighton's men's basketball team is ranked seventh nationally, tied for its best mark ever in the AP poll, with wins over No. 21 Texas Tech and No. 9 Arkansas.
The 13th-ranked Bluejay women's basketball team, coached by former CU men's basketball walk-on Jim Flanery, were 6-0 (before Friday) with top-25 wins over No. 23 South Dakota State and No. 22 Nebraska. Flanery coached the team to its first Elite Eight last March. CU's current No. 13 ranking is also a program-best for the women.
They're not the only successful programs on campus, as the BIG EAST Tournament champion men's soccer team plays in the Elite Eight on Saturday afternoon at No. 4 Duke (on ESPN+) while the 14th-ranked women's volleyball team won its ninth straight BIG EAST regular-season title and will start its 11th straight NCAA Tournament run on Friday against Auburn (on ESPN+).
Creighton and Texas are the nation's only schools with top-15 teams in men's basketball and women's volleyball this week.
Creighton is the nation's only school with top-15 teams in men's basketball, women's basketball and women's volleyball at the moment.
The 8 & 8 Club
The season is just eight games old, but Creighton already has six different players who have had a game with at least eight points and eight rebounds.
Baylor Scheierman did in each of the first two games, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Arthur Kaluma did it in the first game, Fredrick King did it in the second game, Mason Miller did it in the third contest and Trey Alexander did it in the fourth game.
By comparison, in 35 games last season Creighton only had five players with eight points and eight rebounds in the same game (Kalkbrenner, Kaluma, Alexander, Ryan Hawkins and Alex O'Connell).
Nationally Relevant
Through games of Dec. 1, Creighton ranked second in the country in fewest fouls per game (11.38).
The Jays are also 15th in fewest turnovers per game (9.9), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.63) and 35th in rebound margin per game (+7.6).
Individually, Ryan Nembhard ranks fourth in assist/turnover ratio (5.11) and 18th in total assists (46).
Teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner is fourth in field goal percentage (77.8%) among players to make five field goals per game. Kalkbrenner is the only player shooting 75 percent or better who has made three or more three-pointers.
Additionally, Baylor Scheierman ranks sixth nationally with four double-doubles.
Wooden Award Watch List
The Creighton duo of Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner have been named to the Preseason Top 50 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy's®.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles in April.
Scheierman and Kalkbrenner give Creighton nine Preseason John R. Wooden Award Watch List recognitions in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott. Marcus Zegarowski made the list in 2020-21, one year after Ty-Shon Alexander was listed prior to the 2019-20 campaign. Others to make the list include Marcus Foster (2017-18), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17), Doug McDermott (2013-14, 2012-13 and 2011-12). Creighton's lone recipient of the John R. Wooden Award® is Doug McDermott, who was recognized following the completion of the 2013-14 campaign.
Ruthless Efficiency
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 22 points in 20 minutes of action in CU's Nov. 14 victory vs. Holy Cross.
It was just the 11th time in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott that CU has had a player score 20+ points in 20 minutes or less.
Devin Brooks, Gregory Echenique, Marcus Foster (2x), Martin Krampelj, Doug McDermott (3x) and Ethan Wragge (2x) have also done it.
Turnover Free At The Point
Ryan Nembhard's 12 assists without a turnover vs. Holy Cross on Nov. 14 made him just the fourth player in Bluejay history to accomplish that feat. He's the first to do it inside CHI Health Center Omaha and the first Bluejay to do it at any site since 2002.
Here's the single-game assist leaders at Creighton, along with their turnover statistics on that night:
Ast. Name, Opponent Date TO
17 Ralph Bobik vs. Bradley 01/22/74 0
Ralph Bobik at St. Francis (Pa.) 02/23/73 ??
16 Ralph Bobik vs. BYU 12/17/73 4
14 Maurice Watson Jr. at Providence 01/07/17 2
Maurice Watson Jr. at Seton Hall 01/09/16 4
13 Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Washington St. 11/18/16 4
Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Akron 12/03/16 5
Jason Bey vs. Southern Illinois 02/27/95 1
Latrell Wrightsell vs. Nebraska 12/07/91 1
12 Ryan Nembhard vs. Holy Cross 11/14/22 0
Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern 12/22/11 4
Tyler McKinney at Nebraska 12/21/02 0
Ed St. Fleur at CS-Sacramento 01/13/96 0
Latrell Wrightsell vs. N. Iowa 02/01/92 4
Duan Cole at Iowa State 01/16/90 5
Vernon Moore at Southern Illinois 01/17/85 2
Randy Eckker at Gonzaga 01/14/77 2
Randy Eckker at Bradley 01/12/77 4
Speaking Of Assists
Ryan Nembhard's 12 assists vs. Holy Cross were the second double-figure assist game of his Bluejay career, joining the 10 helpers he dished in his collegiate debut last November vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Nembhard is the seventh different Bluejay with 10 or more assists in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Maurice Watson Jr. (12 times), Grant Gibbs (4), Marcus Zegarowski (4), Austin Chatman (3), Antoine Young (2) and Malik Albert (1).
Also worth noting regarding Nembhard's big night? He played just 19 minutes in the win, making him the nation's only player with 12 assists against a Division I opponent this year while playing less than 30 minutes.
McDermott Among The Best
A Nov. 10th article on CBSSports.com ranked the nation's best Top 25 And 1 coaches, with Creighton's Greg McDermott making that list.
McDermott and Providence's Ed Cooley were the lone BIG EAST coaches named to the list.
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.
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 21 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 4 weeks so far this year).
Creighton's best AP ranking ever is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017; March 10, 2020; March 18, 2020; Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
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. Thus far, Creighton is second in the BIG EAST with 9.4 three-pointers made per game and also ranks second with 38.2 percent marksmanship from deep.
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. To date, CU leads the BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio (117/71).
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, leads the BIG EAST with a 46/9 assist/turnover ratio this year, which ranks fourth-best nationally.
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 327 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 20-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 269-58 (.823) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (22-0).
Creighton's Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program's 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU's 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 25,571-21,426 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.68 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 87 different times, including once this year (Holy Cross).
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 172-40 (.810) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 62 of those games. In that same span, CU owns an 95-8 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 288-58 (.832) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
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.
Through eight games this season, Creighton's freshmen have played 208:25 of 1600 possible minutes (13.02 percent).
2021-22 Minute Breakdown
Freshmen Time Score Margin
0 freshmen: Never -- --
1 freshman: 34:23 59-49 +10
2 freshmen: 962:14 1,692-1,578 +114
3 freshmen: 347:15 611-407 +4
4 freshmen: 45:54 54-85 (-31)
5 freshmen: 1:28 5-2 +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 120 dunks in his career, including 69 last year. Only Martin Krampelj (121) has had more since Greg McDermott's arrival.
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
22 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2022-23
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
120 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
103 Christian Bishop 2018-21
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
28 Arthur Kaluma 2021-Pres.
25 Geoffrey Groselle 2012-16
25 Damien Jefferson 2018-21
Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Year Team W-L
144 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
132 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
107 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
106 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
90 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
60 2019-20 24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
56 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
54 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
42 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
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 Dec. 1, 2022
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 3,694 3rd
FG Percentage .477 4th
3FG Percentage .377 5th
Assists 6,697 6th
FG Made 11,485 8th
Points 32,106 9th
Wins 282 28th
Winning Percentage .670 33rd
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
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.
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 282 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
McDermott's .670 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. 282-139 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
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.
This year's team has five players averaging 12.0 points per game or more, Ryan Kalkbrenner (16.6), Trey Alexander (11.6)), Ryan Nembhard (13.3), Arthur Kaluma (12.5), Baylor Scheierman (12.1).
Creighton has won each of its last 26 games when five or more players score in double-figures, a streak that dates to Jan. 9, 2019 vs. Marquette.
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
2022-23 3 104 ? ? ?
2021-22 0 2 23-12
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
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
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
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
03/20/06 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 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.
Here's where Creighton ranked after games on Dec. 1.
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
2021-22 112 19 23-12
2022-23 10 35 6-2 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. 18,192 Marquette 02/20/22
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 956 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 12/1)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,168 UNLV 12/3
2. 1,160 Duke 12/3
3. 1,102 Western Kentucky 12/10
4. 1,091 East Tennessee State 12/3
5. 1,071 Oakland 12/3
6. 1,068 Pacific 12/3
7. 1,063 Texas 12/6
8. 1,010 Marshall 12/3
9. 1,003 Baylor 12/2
10. 994 Princeton 12/3
11. 989 Gonzaga 12/2
12. 962 Long Island 12/2
13. 956 Creighton 12/4
14. 949 Mount St. Mary's 12/3
15. 937 Tennessee State 12/3
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 956 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,525 trifectas, an average of 7.87 treys per game.
That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 143 times, more than any figure.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 269 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 50-10 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 23-19 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: 74 times 5: 101 times 6: 101 times
7: 143 times 8: 120 times 9: 92 times
10: 78 times 11: 53 times 12: 54 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
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.55 points per home game (17,077 points in 212 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.14 points in non-conference home games (8,666 points in 103 home games).
Creighton is 130-6 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
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 12
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 7
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.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Players Mentioned
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/ 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
