Men's Basketball Plays For BIG EAST Tourney Title vs. #8 Villanova

Game #33: #8 Villanova Wildcats vs. Creighton Bluejays
Saturday, March 12, 2022 • 5:30 p.m. CST
Madison Square Garden (19,812) • New York City, N.Y.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM; 1620thezone.com; XM 84; SiriusXM app 84; Westwood One
Television: FOX (Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson, Kristina Pink)
Series History: Villanova leads, 16-6
Last Meeting: #16 Villanova 75, Creighton 41 on 1/5/22 in Villanova, Pa.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF)

Next Game
Fourth-seeded Creighton (22-10, 12-7 BIG EAST) seeks its first BIG EAST Tournament title on Saturday, March 12 when it faces second-seeded and eighth-ranked Villanova (25-6, 16-4) for the league title.
   Tip-off in New York City, N.Y., at the "World's Most Famous Arena", Madison Square Garden (19,812), is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Central. The game is sold out.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2021-22 season. KOOO (101.9 FM) also broadcasts all home games.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Ross Ferrarini will call the action.
   The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
   Westwood One will also carry the game on regular radio stations across the country, on Westwood One Channels via the TuneIn mobile app, streamed online at WestwoodOneSports.com and on SiriusXM satellite radio on Sirius 84 and XM 84. Scott Graham and Austin Croshere will call the action.

Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be called by Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson and Kristina Pink and be televised on FOX.
   The game will also be video webcast online at http://foxsports.com/live or the FoxSports app.

Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
   Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.

Scouting Creighton
Picked to finish eighth in the preseason BIG EAST poll, Creighton has won nine of its last 11 games to improve to 22-10 overall and wrap up a fourth place finish (12-7) in the BIG EAST.
   The Bluejays owns five top-25 wins this season, having defeated No. 9 Villanova (79-59), No. 11 Providence (85-58), No. 17 UConn (59-55), No. 18 UConn (64-62) and No. 24 BYU (83-71), and are 5-1 on neutral floors this year.
   The Bluejays return seven lettermen but no starters from last year's team that finished 22-9 overall, runner-up in the BIG EAST, and reached the program's first Sweet 16 since 1974.
   Creighton has four players averaging at least 11.3 points per game, including the trio of Ryan Hawkins (14.3 ppg., 7.8 rpg.), Ryan Nembhard (11.3 ppg., 4.4 apg.) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (12.8 ppg., 7.6 rpg., 2.7 bpg.). Nembhard was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year despite suffering a wrist injury on Feb. 23 that will sideline him for the rest of the year.
   Alex O'Connell (11.4 ppg., 5.5 rpg.) had 27 points in a Valentine's Day win vs. Georgetown, his third game in the last month of 22 points or more.
   Not mentioned in that group is Arthur Kaluma (9.9 ppg., 4.9 rpg.), who's been CU's leading scorer with 31 points through two games this week at The Garden.
   More than 38 percent of Creighton's points this season have come from freshmen, who composed much of the team's top-10 recruiting class.
   Creighton averages 69.7 points per game while allowing 66.3 per game. CU shoots 45.4 percent from the floor, 31.5 percent from deep and 72.9 percent at the line. CU is +2.9 on the glass but have also turned the ball over 14.2 times per game.

Scouting #8 Villanova
Villanova is 25-7 on the season and ranked eighth nationally after finishing as runner-up to Providence in the BIG EAST Conference standings.
   Two-time BIG EAST Player of the Year Collin Gillespie (15.9 ppg., 3.3 apg.) leads the Wildcats in scoring and assists. He also tops Nova with 95 three-point baskets and has made 89.0 percent of his free throw attempts.
   Justin Moore (15.0 ppg., 5.1 rpg.), Caleb Daniels (10.2 ppg.) and Jermaine Samuels (10.5 ppg.) give the Wildcats four men who score in double-figures.
   Villanova averages 73.2 points per game and yields just 63.6 per contest. Nova shoots 44.0 percent from the field, including 36.3 percent from downtown. The Wildcats are on pace to set an all-time NCAA record for single-season free throw percentage and are currently at 82.7 percent.

The Series With Villanova
Villanova leads the all-time series with Creighton, 16-6, including a 1-0 mark on neutral floors.
   The only previous BIG EAST Tournament meeting came in the 2017 final, won by Wildcats 74-60.
   Each of the last five meetings have been decided by double-figures, with CU winning three of those games. The teams traded lopsided blowouts this year, with CU winning 79-59 in Omaha on Dec. 17 and the Wildcats gaining revenge 75-41 in Pennsylvania 20 days later.
   Greg McDermott is 6-13 against Villanova and Jay Wright. Wright is 13-6 versus Creighton.

Previously vs. Villanova
Creighton won the first meeting on Dec. 17 by a 79-59 count in Omaha. CU led 39-30 at the break and was up 58-54 with eight minutes left before closing the game on a 21-5 run.
   Ryan Hawkins led CU with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while freshmen Ryan Nembhard (14 points) and Trey Alexander (10 points) made their BIG EAST debuts in double-figures. Collin Gillespie topped the Wildcats with 16 points.
   The rematch couldn't have been any more different, as the Wildcats routed CU 75-41 at Finneran Pavilion on the VU campus.
   Justin Moore had 22 points in the rematch to lead Nova, while CU was led by 13 points from Alex O'Connell.
   Combined over the two match-ups, Jermaine Samuels led Villanova with 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Alex O'Connell paced CU with 12. 5 points per contest.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 275-135 record in his 12th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 555-330 in his 28th season, and is 424-266 in his 21st Division I campaign.
   McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native then coached Creighton to its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20.
   McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
   He is assisted by Alan Huss, Ryan Miller and Jalen Courtney-Williams.
With A Win...
- Creighton would win its first BIG EAST Tournament title in program history.
- Creighton would win its 13th league tournament title all-time, joining the 12 from its days in the Missouri Valley Conference (1978, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2013).
- Creighton would beat top-25 teams on back-to-back days for the first time ever.
- Creighton would improve to 10-7 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament, including a 1-3 mark in the finals.
- Improve to 3-1 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament as a No. 4 seed, and 9-7 all-time in conference tournament action as a No. 4 seed (including the MVC Tournament).
- Creighton would improve to 1-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament against Villanova, avenging a 2017 loss in the final.
- Teams with Ryan Hawkins would improve to 182-18 at the college level, and 43-1 at neutral sites.
- Creighton would improve to 6-5 vs. top-25 teams this season, matching the program record (done in 2019-20) with its sixth top-25 victory of the year. The six top-25 wins would trail only Villanova (7) and Texas Tech (7) nationally in 2021-22.
- Creighton would improve to 13-5 in its last 18 BIG EAST games vs. top-25 teams at any site.
- Creighton would improve to 8-2 against the teams that earned the top five seeds in this year's BIG EAST Tournament.
- Creighton would earn its seventh win vs. Villanova since 2013-14, two more than any other Wildcat opponent in that time.
- Creighton would clinch its 23rd all-time NCAA Tournament bid, and seventh trip to the Big Dance under Greg McDermott.

Conference Tournament History
Creighton is 9-7 all-time in its eighth appearance at the BIG EAST Tournament, which includes trips to the finals in 2014, 2017, 2021 and 2022. That doesn't include the 2020 trip that was halted at halftime of the quarterfinal round game vs. St. John's.
   Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton is 1-0 in the opening round, 4-4 in the quarterfinals, 4-0 in the semifinals and 0-3 in championship games.
   Creighton lost in the title game to Providence in 2014 (65-58), Villanova in 2017 (74-60) and Georgetown (73-48) in 2021.
   Including 2022, Creighton has won at least one conference tournament game in eight of the last 11 seasons (which includes three trips to the MVC Tournament). That's tied with Villanova for the most of any current league school.
   Greg McDermott owns 16 wins in conference tournaments at CU. The only active BIG EAST men's basketball coach with more league tournament wins at their current school is Jay Wright (26).
   Creighton also enjoyed a highly-successful run at the MVC Tournament in the previous three decades. The Bluejays owned a 43-20 all-time record in MVC Tournament play. Creighton's 12 MVC Tournament titles were seven more than any other school, while its 43 wins and .683 winning percentage in league tourney action also remain tops in event history.
   Creighton was 19-12 in the quarterfinals, 12-7 in the semifinals and 12-1 in the championship games as a Valley member. Creighton won the MVC Tournament nine of the last 13 times it won its first game in the event.
   Creighton won its MVC Tournament titles in 1978, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2013.

Eight Tourney Titles Since 1999
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles since 1999. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this (entering this March) are Gonzaga (18), Duke (12), Winthrop (12), Kentucky (10), New Mexico State (10), Kansas (9), Iona (9), Belmont (8), Creighton (8), Montana (8), Murray State (8) and Utah State (8).
   Including 2022, Creighton has appeared in four title games since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013. That trails only Villanova (6), and are twice as many as Providence (2) and Seton Hall (2). Xavier and Georgetown have advanced to one final apiece.

Random League Tournament Facts
-Creighton has won 13 of its last 15 conference tournament games decided by four points or less.
-Creighton is 11-6 in its last 17 conference tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.
-The top two seeds haven't met in a BIG EAST final since 2004.
-Creighton went 4-2 in its final six conference games this year. It's the 12th time CU has been exactly 4-2 in its final six league games, and it usually precedes great success. In the previous 11 occurrences, Creighton has won the league tournament eight times, lost in the final twice and went 1-1 once (and are currently 2-0 in 2022).
-The last No. 4 seed to win the BIG EAST Tournament was Providence (against Creighton) in 2014.
-Creighton is 8-7 all-time in eight previous conference tournament appearances as a No. 4 seed, including one title, and 2-1 as a No. 4 seed in BIG EAST Tournament play. CU won the 2000 MVC Tournament as a No. 4 seed, with current assistant coach Alan Huss the starting center on that club.
Creighton As the #4 Seed (8-7)
   Year   League   Record
   1979   MVC   0-1
   1984   MVC   2-1
   2000   MVC   3-0
   2004   MVC   0-1
   2006   MVC   0-1
   2008   MVC   1-1
   2010   MVC   0-1
   2018   BIG EAST   0-1
   2022   BIG EAST   2-0 so far

Double Time
Creighton defeated Marquette 74-63 and Providence 85-58 and is seeking a third consecutive double-figure win at the conference tournament.
   Creighton last won three league tourney games by double-figures in the same season in 2004-05 as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. That team, like CU's 2021-22 squad, owned a 22-10 record heading into the league tournament.
   The last team to win three straight BIG EAST Tournament games by double-digits was Villanova in 2018.

The 200 Club
Saturday's BIG EAST Tournament final will be the 200th that Ryan Hawkins has been on the sidelines for since enrolling in college way back in 2016.
   Hawkins redshirted for a 35-1 national championship team at Northwest Missouri State in 2016-17, and since has gone 146-17 in the games he has played in.

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

Reserve Corps
Creighton's used its bench for 79:13 during the BIG EAST Tournament, while Villanova has used its bench for 83:42 thus far.
   However, Creighton's also tipped off one game earlier than Nova during each night.
   Creighton's bench owns 20 points this week at The Garden, while Villanova has scored 18.

Blowout City
Friday's 85-58 win was Creighton's second-largest margin of victory over a ranked team in program history, trailing only a 96-68 win at No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20, 2014.
   Of Creighton's nine all-time victories over a top-25 team by 15 points or more, five of them have come against Villanova, including one game in 2020 and two such games in 2021.
Largest Margin, Creighton's Top 25 Wins
   Margin   Opponent   Score   Date
   28   at #4 Villanova   W 96-68   1/20/14
   27   vs. #11 Providence   W 85-58   3/11/22
   22   #21 Butler   W 81-59   2/23/20
   21   #6 Villanova   W 101-80   2/16/14
   20   #9 Villanova   W 79-59   12/17/21
   17   #8 Seton Hall   W 77-60   3/7/20
   17   #19 Seton Hall   W 80-63   1/17/18
   16   #5 Villanova   W 86-70   2/13/21
   15   at #8 Villanova   W 76-61   2/1/20

Repeat After Three
Few teams in the country have made as many three-pointers in the last nine seasons as the team's featured in Saturday's match-up. Since 2013-14, Villanova leads the nation in that category with 2,967 trifectas, while Creighton is fifth with 2,733.
   Creighton is 0-12 all-time when making eight three-pointers or less against Villanova (including three meetings in the 1950's long before the 3-point line existed), but 6-4 when making nine or more trifectas. CU has hit 74-of-150 treys (49.3%) in the six wins, but 91-of-307 triples (29.6%) in the 16 losses.
   Villanova has made nine or more three-pointers against Creighton in 12-of-19 meetings as BIG EAST rivals.
   Creighton is 25-2 in its last 27 games when attempting 15 or fewer three-pointers.
   Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton has made 3,607 three-pointers in 410 games, good for third-most nationally behind Belmont (3,797) and VMI (3,648). Villanova is fourth on that list with 3,577 treys.
Most 3FG Made Since 2013-14 (thru 3/11/2022)
Rk.   Team   3FG   Games
1.   Villanova   2,967   310
2.   Belmont   2,882   292
3.   North Florida   2,831   288
4.   Citadel   2,800   276
5.   Creighton   2,733   300

The Cats Meow
Villanova has the second-best win percentage in the country since the start of the 2013-14 season, which coincides with the realignment of the BIG EAST. Villanova is 258-52 (.832), just behind a Gonzaga program that is 282-35 (.890). No one else has won more than 80 percent of its games.
   Of the 84 different schools to play Villanova in that time, only 23 have actually beaten the Wildcats.
   Creighton is one of 11 schools to post multiple victories over the Wildcats in that time. Creighton's six victories over Villanova are more than any other school, one more than the five owned by Butler, Seton Hall and Marquette.

McDermott On The Wright Path
Villanova's Jay Wright owns more wins at his current school than any other current BIG EAST coach, having led the Wildcats to 515 victories in 21 seasons. That's an average of 24.52 wins per season (counting this season and this year's wins) for Wright, and a .724 winning percentage in that time.
   His counterpart on Saturday, Creighton's Greg McDermott, owns a record of 275-135 in his 12 seasons with the Bluejays (second among league coaches), an average of 22.92 wins per season. McDermott owns a .671 winning percentage at CU.
   Wright and McDermott are the only current BIG EAST coaches who have averaged 20 or more wins per season in their current position. In fact, only six league coaches (Hurley, Jordan, McDermott, Cooley, Willard and Wright) have ever won 20 or more games in a season (as a head coach) at their current school.
   After 32 games of his 12th season at Villanova, Wright owned 257 wins and had been to seven NCAA Tournaments at VU, while McDermott owns 275 wins. He has coached CU to six NCAA bids to this point and had a seventh wiped away by COVID in 2020.
   Wright had a 266-144 record after exactly 410 games with the Wildcats, while McDermott is 275-135 through 410 games at Creighton thus far.

Something About Creighton
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Villanova has suffered only 52 losses, with just 12 of those coming by 15 points or more.
   Five of those lopsided setbacks have come against Creighton.
Villanova's Largest Margin of Defeat Since 2013-14
   Margin   Score   Date
   28   Creighton 96, Villanova 68   1/20/14
   27   Michigan 73, Villanova 46   11/14/18
   26   Purdue 87, Villanova 61   3/23/19
   25   Ohio State 76, Villanova 51   11/13/19
   23   Oklahoma 78, Villanova 55   12/7/15
   21   Creighton 101, Villanova 80   2/16/14
   21   Baylor 57, Villanova 36   12/12/21
   20   Georgetown 78, Villanova 58   1/19/15
   20   Creighton 79, Villanova 59   12/17/21
   16   Creighton 86, Villanova 70   2/13/21
   16   Syracuse 78, Villanova 62   12/28/13
   15   Creighton 76, Villanova 61   2/1/20

Among The Best
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 130 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 95 league victories are second-most.
Men's MBB BIG EAST Wins, 2013-14 to End 2021-22
Team   W   L   Pct.
Villanova   130   31   .807
Creighton   95   70   .576
Providence   92   69   .571
Xavier   88   70   .557
Seton Hall   87   76   .534
Marquette   79   85   .482
Butler   78   88   .473
St. John's   62   101   .380
Georgetown   58   102   .370
DePaul   36   125   .224
Connecticut   24   12   .667

Highs & Lows
Creighton's 85-58 win vs. No. 11 Providence on Friday night was the largest margin of victory all season for the Bluejays. When CU went up 84-52 late in the contest, it was the largest lead all season for the Jays.
   On the contrary, Creighton fell 75-41 on Jan. 5 at No. 9 Villanova the last time it faced the Wildcats. That 34-point setback was CU's largest margin of defeat since a 95-61 loss at Western Kentucky on Dec. 19, 2001.

To Foul Or Not To Foul
Creighton opponents have made just 298 free throws all season (9.3 per game) and accounted for just 14.0 percent of the points scored against the Bluejays.
   Creighton has committed just 13.4 fouls per contest, a figure that ranks fourth-fewest nationally.
   Per BartTorvik.com, Villanova ranks 157th nationally in Free Throw Rate (FT/FGA) at 30.8 percent, compared to Creighton's No. 292 ranking at 26.2 percent. Defensively, Creighton's 20.3 percent figure in defensive free throw rate ranks fourth-best nationally.

Friday's Tidbits
- Creighton is 17-0 this season and has won 25 straight games when holding foes under 40 percent shooting from the field. The Jays held Marquette (39.7%) and Providence (30.8%) below that mark. CU continues to lead the BIG EAST in field goal percentage defense (.397).
- Ryan Hawkins improved to 42-1 in his career on neutral floors with Friday's win. His teams are now 181-18 since he enrolled in college, and lost consecutive games just twice in six seasons. Saturday will be the 200th game as a collegian since he enrolled at Northwest Missouri State.
- Rati Andronikashvili's three-pointer vs. Marquette was his first trey since Dec. 17, 2021, when he made a pair of trifectas in the league-opener vs. Villanova. Andronikashvili made another trey on Friday vs. Providence.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner had four offensive rebounds on Friday and now owns 121 this season. Creighton's offensive rebounding records go back 35 years, and he passes Bob Harstad (with 118 in 1988-89) for the most in a single campaign.
- Ryan Hawkins played all 40 minutes in Thursday's victory. It was the 30th time in Hawkins' college career that he's played 40 minutes or more, and third time this winter. Hawkins has played 36 minutes or more in each of CU's last 11 games.
   For the season, Creighton has had at least one player named Ryan on the floor for all but 42:01 of action and has been outscored 83-49 in that time.
- Creighton has nine dunks at the BIG EAST Tournament, including slams from Arthur Kaluma (3), Ryan Kalkbrenner (4), KeyShawn Feazell (1) and Alex O'Connell (1). The Bluejays own 126 dunks this season, with more than half (66) of those coming from Kalkbrenner.
- Arthur Kaluma has started strong in six games since returning from injury, leading CU with 57 points before halftime in those contests. Kaluma owned nine points before the break in Thursday's win and had 15 points at intermission on Friday.
- Ryan Kalkbrenner is shooting 76.6 percent on neutral floors this season, while Ryan Hawkins has made 45.9 percent of his three-point attempts on neutral floors this season.
- Creighton's 27 point win was the largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST Tournament semifinal game since Boston College also beat Seton Hall by 27 points in 2001.
- Creighton's win vs. top-seeded Providence last night marked the first time a top seed has lost by more than three points since 2010 (Georgetown beat Syracuse by 7).
- Creighton's win was the most lopsided loss by a No. 1 seed in BIG EAST Tournament history, surpassing Villanova's 18-point loss to Georgetown in the 1982 final, and the No. 1 seed had not lost by double-figures at the BIG EAST Tournament (not including years with divisional play) since 1997, when Boston College beat Villanova by 12 in the final.
- Creighton's largest victory margin in a BIG EAST Tournament game came on March 11, 2021 (exactly one year earlier) when it beat Butler 87-56 in the quarterfinal round.

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Though much is made of the influx of freshmen on this year's Creighton team, the Bluejays are 7-2 this season in games decided by five points or less.
   Since the start of last season, Creighton is 10-2 in one-possession games (decided by 3 or less). Those 10 victories by three points or less are tied for third-most nationally (Texas and Drake have 11) in that span and is the most among BIG EAST schools. Villanova has played three games at Madison Square Garden this season and won those by 1, 3 and 6 points.
   Creighton has won games this season by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 points.

Top 25 Success
A 79-59 win vs. No. 9 Villanova, an 83-71 win vs. No. 24 BYU and a 85-58 win vs. No. 11 Providence means Creighton owns three double-digit wins over top-25 competition this season, something only six other schools can also claim. Gonzaga has done it five times, Texas Tech has done it four times. Creighton, Marquette, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Villanova have done it three times.
   The Bluejays have now beaten multiple top-25 foes each of the last seven seasons (2015-16 to 2021-22), something only Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue, Texas Tech and Villanova can also claim. Four other schools have beaten multiple top-25 foes in each of the previous six seasons --   Florida State (1), Michigan (1), Penn State (1) and West Virginia (1) but are still seeking a second top-25 win this winter.
Creighton's Most Top-25 Wins, Season
   Wins   Season   Top-25 Victims
   6   2019-20   #8 Villanova, #10 Seton Hall,
           #12 Texas Tech, #19 Marquette,
           #21 Butler, #8 Seton Hall
   5   2021-22   #9 Villanova, #17 UConn,
           #18 UConn, #24 BYU
   4   2016-17   #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
           #16 Butler, #22 Xavier
   4   2017-18   #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Hall,
           #20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
   3   2020-21   #5 Villanova, #22 Xavier, #23 UConn
   2   1973-74   #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
   2   2001-02   #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
   2   2006-07   #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
   2   2013-14   #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
   2   2015-16   #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
   2   2018-19   #10 Marquette, #16 Clemson

Ranking News & Notes
- Creighton is 47-155 all-time against top-25 teams, including a 5-5 mark this season. The only teams with more top-25 wins this year are Villanova (8), Texas Tech (7), Marquette (6) and Tennessee (6).
- Creighton has never defeated top-25 teams on consecutive days, something it can accomplish on Saturday with a win vs. No. 8 Villanova.
- Creighton has defeated top-25 teams in consecutive games just twice previously. CU beat No. 20 Northwestern and No. 23 in November of 2017 and also downed No. 19 Marquette and No. 21 Butler in February of 2020.
- Creighton is 29-40 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, 22 more top-25 wins than any other coach in Creighton history. Prior to McDermott's arrival, Creighton was 18-115 all-time against top-25 foes.
- Creighton is 5-7 in neutral site games vs. the top-25 under Greg McDermott, compared to a 5-22 mark before his arrival.
- Creighton's 29 top-25 wins since McDermott took over in 2010 are 37th-most nationally and more than schools like Arizona (27), Maryland (23), LSU (17), Auburn (16), Houston (14), Wichita State (14), USC (11), Memphis (11) and Saint Mary's (7) in that time.
- Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last eight seasons (including 2021-22), and multiple ranked foes in each of the last seven seasons (including 2021-22).
   On a national basis, the only 19 teams with a top-25 win each of the last eight seasons (including 2021-22) are Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Xavier. Clemson, Louisville, South Carolina and Syracuse are still seeking their first top-25 win this season.
- Creighton is 24-23 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 24 wins over ranked teams in that time are 14th-most nationally, one behind Gonzaga and Iowa for 12th place. CU's 24 top-25 wins trails only Villanova (32) among BIG EAST programs.

Stepping It Up
Ryan Hawkins has averaged 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 10 contests against ranked teams, shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 37.7 percent from three-point range and 87.0 percent at the line.
   By comparison, Hawkins averages 14.3 points and 7.5 rebounds against unranked foes, shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from downtown and 76.7 percent from the stripe.

Ring Bearers
Creighton's current full-time coaching staff and players have combined for 11 postseason Division I conference tournament titles as student-athletes or assistant/head coaches, but none have won a BIG EAST Tournament.
   Assistant coach Alan Huss was on Creighton's 1999 and 2000 MVC Tourney champs, while Greg McDermott owns three MVC Tourney titles under his belt (one as Northern Iowa coach, two as Creighton coach). CU assistant coach Ryan Miller was an assistant coach on the 2012 New Mexico team that won the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
   In addition, Alex O'Connell won an ACC Tournament title while at Duke in 2019 and Ryan Hawkins won four straight MIAA titles (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) at Northwest Missouri State.
   Here's a breakdown of how many conference tournament titles each person has been a part of:
Name      Titles Won    Years With A Title
Ryan Hawkins   4   2017#, 2018#, 2019#, 2020#
Greg McDermott   3   2004@, 2012*, 2013*
Alan Huss   2   1999^, 2000^
Alex O'Connell   1   2019$
Ryan Miller   1   2012!
@ won a MVC title as a head coach at Northern Iowa
* won two MVC titles as a head coach at Creighton
^ won two MVC titles as a player at Creighton
$ won an ACC title as a player at Duke
! won a MWC title as an assistant at New Mexico
# won four MIAA titles as a player at Northwest Missouri St.

Previous All-Tourney Picks
This week marks Creighton's eighth trip to the BIG EAST Tournament, not counting the 2020 abbreviated trek that was halted at halftime of its first game.
   In the previous seven trips played to completion, the only men to earn All-Tournament Team honors has been Doug McDermott and Austin Chatman, who helped take CU to the finals in 2014, Marcus Foster, who led the Jays to the 2017 title tilt, and Marcus Zegarowski when CU reached the final in 2021.
   McDermott scored 94 points in his three games, making 34-of-63 shots from the field, 14-of-28 three-point shots and 12-of-14 attempts from the line. He set a BIG EAST Tournament record for points in a half (since broken) when he scored 27 in the first half vs. DePaul.
   Chatman averaged 8.7 points, 6.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game while directing the Bluejay offense. He made 9-of-16 shots from the floor.
   In 2017 Foster averaged 16.3 points, 3.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game at The Garden. His three-pointer in the closing seconds of the semifinal lifted Creighton to a 75-72 win and advanced the Bluejays to their second title game in four seasons.
   In 2021, Zegarowski averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 61.5 percent from three-point range as the Bluejays reached the finals.
   Creighton has never had a BIG EAST Tournament MVP. It's last conference tournament MVP was Doug McDermott in both 2012 and 2013 when CU belonged to the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Case For Creighton
Should Creighton not win the automatic bid at the BIG EAST Tournament, the Bluejays still have a compelling case for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Consider the following...
- Creighton owns five wins against teams that were in the AP Top 25. That includes a 79-59 win vs. No. 9 Villanova, an 85-58 win vs. No. 11 Providence, a 59-55 win at No. 17 Connecticut, a 64-62 win vs. No. 18 Connecticut and an 83-71 win on a neutral floor vs. No. 24 BYU.
- Creighton owns seven Quad 1 wins and four Quad 2 wins.
- Creighton swept home and road meetings with UConn and St. John's, beat Marquette three times (home, road and neutral), and destroyed BIG EAST champ Providence (85-58) on a neutral floor.
- Creighton is 11-6 away from home this season, including a 6-5 record in true road games and a 5-1 mark on neutral courts.
- Eight of Creighton's 10 losses have come to teams that have been ranked multiple weeks this season.
- Creighton is 10-3 in its last 13 games despite six of those being true road contests and another two being neutral site games.
- Creighton has improved rapidly throughout the course of the year while replacing all five starters from last year's Sweet 16 team. The Bluejays are the nation's only team with three true freshmen averaging 25 minutes per game or more.
- Creighton has won despite injuries wreaking havoc throughout the season. The Bluejays played four games without Arthur Kaluma, and rallied from behind to defeat UConn, Marquette and St. John's despite mid-game injuries to Ryan Kalkbrenner, Alex O'Connell and Ryan Nembhard.

Men's Basketball Plays For BIG EAST Tourney Title vs. #8 Villanova

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Trey Alexander

Rati Andronikashvili

KeyShawn Feazell

Ryan Hawkins

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Arthur Kaluma

Ryan Nembhard

Alex O'Connell

Marcus Zegarowski