Friday, November 3
Omaha, Neb.
7:00 PM
Creighton University
vs
Wayne State
Francisco Farabello
Photo by: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
#8 Men's Basketball Hosts Wayne State in Friday Exhibition Game
10/31/2023 6:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Bluejays have won 22 straight fall exhibition games
Exhibition Game #4:Â Wayne State Wildcats (0-0) at #8 Creighton Bluejays (3-0 exh.)
Friday, Nov. 3, 2023 • 7:00 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | WSC NOTES (PDF) | PROGRAM (PDF) | TICKETS | MEDIA GUIDE |
Next Game
No. 8 Creighton (3-0 exhibition) takes on Wayne State (0-0) in an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 3 to open the 2023-24 season.
   Tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2023-24 season, including Friday's exhibition.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Webcast Information
Friday's exhibition against Wayne State will not be televised, but it will be video webcast on FloSports, with the radio broadcast accompanying the video. FloSports requires a subscription, though if you already own an active account to watch Creighton Volleyball or Soccer (or didn't cancel your subscription after CU's games in the Bahamas), you will get the basketball game.
   Details on how to purchase an account at a significant discount is explained in great detail at http://GoCreighton.com/flosports. The exact link for the game (once you have a subscription) is http://gocreighton.com/2023WayneWebcast.
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 #8 Creighton
Ranked eighth nationally in the preseason AP and Coaches polls, Creighton has lofty expectations after coming one point shy of the program's first Final Four last March.
   The nucleus of the team is formed by three returning starters as senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg.., 2.1 bpg., 69.5 FG%), senior forward Baylor Scheierman (12.8 ppg., 8.3 rpg., 3.3 apg.) and junior guard Trey Alexander (13.6 ppg., 41.0 3FG%) all put their professional aspirations on hold and came back.
   Add in senior transfer Steven Ashworth (16.2 ppg., 4.8 apg., 43.4 3FG%), the USBWA District VII Player of the Year last year at Utah State, and it's easy to see why CU is one of three BIG EAST teams picked in the top-10 nationally.
   Other returners include sophomores Mason Miller (2.3 ppg., 37.0 3FG%) and Fredrick King (3.4 ppg.), as well as senior Francisco Farabello (3.0 ppg.).
   CU also boasts transfers Johnathan Lawson (Memphis) and Josh Townley-Thomas (North Platte CC) in addition to two redshirt freshmen and four true freshmen who will look to make an impact.
   The Bluejay season started with three double-digit victories in The Bahamas during an August exhibition tour.
   Creighton was picked to finish second of 11 teams in a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches.
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Scouting Wayne State
Wayne State is a Division II program that went 18-11 last season and won the South Division of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 13-9 league mark. However, WSC returns just two starters from that team and among the losses is all-time scoring (2,104) and rebounding (1,146) leader Jordan Janssen, who earned NABC All-Central Region honors.
   The Wildcats were picked to finish 11th in the NSIC this season, with redshirt sophomore guard Alec Millender listed as the Wildcat to Watch in the NSIC. A 6-3 guard from Chicago, Millender missed all of last season as a medical redshirt but he did average 10.0 points, 2.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds per contest for the Wildcats in 2021-22.
   The two starters that do return are junior center Cody McCullough (8.2 ppg., 7.8 rpg.) and junior guard Jay Saunders (6.3 ppg.).
The Series With Wayne State
Creighton and Wayne State have never met in a game that counted, though the Bluejays did defeat the Wildcats 93-46 in a 2016 exhibiton game in Omaha.
   Greg McDermott is 2-0 all-time against Wayne State in games that count, with both victories coming when he was coaching at Northern Iowa. His 2002-03 team won 71-40 and his 2004-05 club won 84-66 over the Wildcats.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 300-150 record entering his 14th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 580-345 entering his 30th season, and is 449-281 entering his 23rd 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 has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and its first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
   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 Ryan Miller, Jalen Courtney-Williams and Derek Kellogg.
A Nod To Mac
In the 2016 press release announcing his hiring at Wayne State, Jeff Kaminsky was quick to acknowledge those that had come before him, including current Creighton (and former Wayne State) coach Greg McDermott.
   "I have great respect for the tradition of the program and especially for what Coach McDermott was able to accomplish here. The city of Wayne and Wayne State College is appealing to me and my wife Cindy for a lot of reasons and we are looking forward to being a part of the community and WSC."      Â
From Wayne, America To The BIG EAST
Creighton's Greg McDermott got his head coaching start at Wayne State, where he inherited a team coming off back-to-back 7-20 seasons and led the Wildcats to a 116-53 record in six campaigns from 1994-2000.
   That run included back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2000, and four straight 20-win seasons.
   Since McDermott's departure, Wayne State has won more than 18 games just once (2018-19), and reached the NCAA Tournament just once (2020-21).
   To see just how impressive McDermott's work was at Wayne State, check out the stats below:
When?   Years   W-L   Pct.
16 years before McDermott   1978-94   187-298   .386
6 years with McDermott   1994-00   116-53   .686
23 years since McDermott   2000-23   284-360   .441
Ball Boys To NCAA Stars
Greg McDermott's final team at Wayne State in 1999-2000 tied for the league title, advanced to the Division II Sweet 16, and finished 26-6 overall.
   Nobody knew it at the time, but the most talented players would be the ones at the end of the bench serving water.
   Greg's son, Doug McDermott was 8 years old at the time. He went on to be a three-time First Team All-American, the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history, and an NBA Lottery pick who just started his 10th season in the NBA.
   Helping out Doug distribute water and towels was future Iowa point guard Mike Gesell, then 6, whose older brother Tim Gesell was a freshman on that team. Gesell went on to start 130-of-134 games at Iowa and finished his collegiate career with 1,072 points and 557 assists before embarking on a professional career.
Crowd Watch
Creighton's largest exhibition attendance in school history was 16,317 on Nov. 7, 2014 vs. Sioux Falls. Last year CU's exhibition vs. Drury drew 16,092.
   Wayne State played in front of a total of 15,241 fans in 2022-23, an average of 526 fans per contest. That included a high of 2,614 for game at Northern State.
   Creighton, meanwhile, has sold out of season tickets for the first time after selling 15,768 tickets.
McDermott's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 30-0 in fall exhibition games as a Division I head coach, including an 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 13-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs have been by double-digits.
   At Creighton the Bluejays have outscored foes by an average of 92.7 - 60.8 in fall exhibition games.
   Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date   McD School   Opponent   Result
2001-02   UNI   London Leopards   W 89-74
2001-02   UNI   Lake Superior State   W 74-63
2002-03   UNI   Dominican National Team   W 73-56
2002-03   UNI   H.P. Minnesota   W 90-76
2003-04   UNI   H.P. Minnesota   W 89-79
2003-04   UNI   Australian Select Team   W 92-58
2004-05   UNI   Dubuque   W 93-34
2004-05   UNI   SW Minnesota State   W 71-40
2005-06   UNI   Lewis   W 77-50
2005-06   UNI   Wayne State   W 74-57
11/03/06   Iowa State   EA Sports   W 58-57
11/06/06   Iowa State   Wayne State   W 55-41
11/01/07   Iowa State   Dubuque   W 66-38
11/04/07   Iowa State   EA Sports   W 74-63
11/08/08   Iowa State   Nebraska-Omaha   W 74-54
11/02/09   Iowa State   Black Hills State   W 96-47
11/06/09   Iowa State   UNC Pembroke   W 106-54
11/04/10   Creighton   Northern State   W 79-67
11/06/11   Creighton   Rockhurst   W 81-42
11/02/12   Creighton   Mary   W 89-51
11/01/13   Creighton   Northern State   W 89-61
11/07/14   Creighton   Sioux Falls   W 91-72
11/06/15   Creighton   Upper Iowa   W 113-77
11/04/16   Creighton   Wayne State   W 93-46
10/26/17   Creighton   Nebraska-Omaha   W 96-67
11/03/17   Creighton   UNC Pembroke   W 93-70
10/27/18   Creighton    Winona State   W 101-57
11/01/19   Creighton   McKendree   W 95-63
10/30/21   Creighton   Upper Iowa   W 76-61
10/30/22   Creighton   Drury   W 109-57
Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 54-6 since 1981 in fall exhibition games thanks to 22 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which eventually merged and changed their name to EA Sports and had three victories.
   A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since the 1981-82 season can be found on page four of this release.
A Head Start
Creighton got a jump start on the season with nine practices in July before heading to the Bahamas to play in three games during the first week of August.
   Creighton won all three games by 14 points or more, averaged 98.3 points., and outrebounded foes by 21.3 caroms per contest.
   Trey Alexander led CU by averaging 20.0 points before missing the final contest, but Ryan Kalkbrenner (11.0 ppg.), Baylor Scheierman (10.0 ppg.) and Fredrick King (10.0 ppg.) also scored at a double-digit clip.
   Steven Ashworth led CU with 15 assists, King and Brock Vice had a team-high 18 rebounds and Kalkbrenner topped the team with 10 swats.
Who's Back?
With Creighton returning seven of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2022-23 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Blocks   126 (82.9%)   26 (17.1%)
Rebounds   860 (67.9%)   411 (32.1%)
3FG Made   207 (64.9%)   112 (35.1%)
Points   1833 (64.8%)   995 (35.2%)
Steals   119 (64.3%)   66 (35.7%)
Minutes   4693 (63.0%)   2757 (37.0%)
Starts   111 (60.0%)   74 (40.0%)
Charges Taken   16 (59.3%)   11 (40.7%)
Assists   308 (53.0%)   273 (47.0%)
Preseason Top 10
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked eighth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever. That's one spot better than the previous best, done last year, when the Bluejays started the season ranked ninth.
   The announcement marks just the sixth 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), 2020-21 (No. 11) and 2022-23 (No. 9). All five of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with the last two making the Sweet 16 and last year's club reaching the Elite Eight.
   It's also the 23rd 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 123 times in program history, with 95 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 152-63 all-time as a ranked team, including a 118-51 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 10 of McDermott's 14 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
      Creighton is one of four schools to be ranked in the top-10 each of the past two seasons, joining Kansas, Duke and Houston.
   Along with No. 5 Marquette, No. 6 Connecticut and No. 8 Creighton, this year marked the first time since 2011-12 that the BIG EAST had three Preseason Top-10 teams.
   Creighton is also eighth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day.
   It's the second time in Creighton's 11 years in the BIG EAST Conference that the Bluejays have been picked second, as the 2020-21 squad was also picked second (and eventually finished second). The Bluejays also had three players receive recognition on one of the Preseason All-BIG EAST teams, tied with preseason favorite Marquette for the most in the league.
   The Bluejays collected four first-place votes and earned 92 points in the poll, trailing only Marquette's seven first-place votes and 96 overall points. Defending national champion Connecticut was tabbed third with 79 points, just ahead of Villanova's 76 for fourth place. Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino's first St. John's team garnered 59 points to be chosen fifth, just ahead of Xavier (57) and Providence (51). The bottom four teams in the poll are Georgetown (34), Seton Hall (30), Butler (16) and DePaul (15).
   Creighton finished 24-13 overall and 14-6 in BIG EAST play last season and are the only league team to return three of its scorers that averaged at least a dozen points per game. The Bluejays won three NCAA Tournament games to advance to its first Elite Eight since 1941.
   In 2023-24, Creighton will be led by senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection. Kalkbrenner becomes the first player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST honors multiple times, and along with Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Kolek from Marquette was one of two men to be named on every ballot.
   Joining Kalkbrenner with the Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST acclaim was junior guard Trey Alexander. Alexander was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice at the end of last season, as was teammate Baylor Scheierman. A senior guard from Aurora, Neb., Scheierman earned Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST plaudits in 2023-24.
   This year marks the second time that Creighton has had more than two players land on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, and comes 12 months after Creighton had four men listed prior to the 2022-23 campaign. Creighton last had two men named Preseason First Team All-Conference in 2006-07 (Anthony Tolliver, Nate Funk).
   Kolek was named 2023-24 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches, which comes as little surprise after the point guard was named 2023 BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP after leading the Golden Eagles to both the regular-season and tournament titles. Connecticut guard Stephon Castle was chosen BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year. The coaches, who were not permitted to select their own players, also chose an All-BIG EAST First Team, All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention. Â
   Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but one season since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time. The Bluejays are seeking an eighth straight finish in the top four of the league standings. CU's team two years ago was predicted to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, then ended up in fourth. Four years ago, a team picked seventh in the BIG EAST's preseason poll went 13-5 in league play to share its first league title with Villanova and Seton Hall. That Bluejay team ended the year ranked seventh in the entire nation.
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   3rd   Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
         Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
2023-24   2nd   ??   Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
         Baylor Scheierman (2nd)
Newcomer Report
Six players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform in the win vs. Drury as transfers Francisco Farabello and Baylor Scheierman, as well as freshmen Fredrick King, Ben Shtolzberg, Jasen Green and Evan Young. combined for 44 points, 23 rebounds and 15 assists in 84 minutes of action in Creighton's 109-57 triumph last year.
   Below is a look at how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts since 2018:
2022
Scheierman/Farabello/King
Shtolzberg/Green/Young
44 pts., 23 reb., 15 ast., 84 min (W 109-57)
2021
Alexander/Andronikashvili/Christofilis
Feazell/Hawkins/Kaluma/Kancleris
Miller/Nembhard/Yates
56 pts., 37 reb., 15 ast., 155 min (W 76-61)
2019
Mitchell/Windham/Zeil/Jones
25 pts., 18 reb., 0 ast., 68 min (W 95-63)
2018
Bishop/Canfield/Cashaw/
Froling/Jefferson/Zegarowski
40 pts., 20 reb., 9 ast., 96 min. (W 101-57)
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 100 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to 2022-23
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   3,943   3rd  Â
FG Percentage   .476   4th
Assists   7,161   6th  Â
3FG Percentage   .375   8th
FG Made   12,254   8th  Â
Points   34,280   9th  Â
Wins   300   24th  Â
Winning Percentage   .667   32nd
Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
Since Latrell Wrightsell in 1988, only four true freshmen have started Creighton's first exhibition game. The first was Khyri Thomas in 2015-16, while in 2018-19 Samson Froling got the starting nod. In 2021-22 both Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma started the first exhibition game.
   Since 1992-93, only six true freshmen have started Creighton's regular-season opener.
   Ryan Sears did so in 1997-98. The point guard would go on to start all 124 games of his CU career and remains the program's all-time career assist (570) and steals (283) leader.
   Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11, and he went on to start all 145 games of his career. He would graduate as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 career points and is the only three-time First Team All-American since 1986. He now plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
   Khyri Thomas got a start in 2015-16 and remained in CU's starting five each of his first 24 games, and 96-of-102 career contests with the Jays. He later spent parts three seasons in the NBA.
   Shereef Mitchell joined this elite group in 2019-20 when he got the starting nod against Kennesaw State.
   In 2021-22, both Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma started the opener vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, marking the first time Creighton started two true freshmen in a regular-season opener since 1991-92 (Eric Dantzler and Mike Amos). Both men ended up on the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team, with Nembhard being named Freshman of the Year.
   The last time Creighton started three true freshmen in a regular-season opener was 1987-88 (Chris Rodgers, Bob Harstad, Chad Gallagher).
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 111 starts from last year's team, its most sincee bringing back 124 starts from its 2020-21 club.
   Creighton has won 20 or more games each of the previous eight times (and 12 of the last 13 times) it has returned 100 or more starts.
   Returning   Returning Starts    Final
Year   Starters   From Previous Year   W-L
2023-24Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 111Â Â Â ? ? ?
2022-23Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 104Â Â Â 24-13
2021-22Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 23-12
2020-21Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 22-9
2019-20Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 136Â Â Â 24-7
2018-19Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 57Â Â Â 20-15
2017-18Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 21-12
2016-17Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 130Â Â Â 25-10
2015-16Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 20-15
2014-15Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 14-19
2013-14Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 144Â Â Â 27-8
2012-13Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 140Â Â Â 28-8
2011-12Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 29-6
2010-11Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 23-16
2009-10Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 106Â Â Â 18-16
2008-09Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 27-8
2007-08Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 44Â Â Â 22-11
2006-07Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 120Â Â Â 22-11
2005-06Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 134Â Â Â 20-10
2004-05Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 23-11
2003-04Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 20-9
2002-03Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 159Â Â Â 29-5
2001-02Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 23-9
2000-01Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 90Â Â Â 24-8
1999-00Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 23-10
1998-99Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 22-9
1997-98Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 18-10
1996-97Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 126Â Â Â 15-15
1995-96Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 100Â Â Â 14-15
1994-95Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 52Â Â Â 7-19
1993-94Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 73Â Â Â 7-22
1992-93Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 8-18
1991-92Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 9-19
1990-91Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 132Â Â Â 24-8
1989-90Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 127Â Â Â 21-12
1988-89Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 20-11
1987-88Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 16-16
1986-87Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 9-19
1985-86Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 48Â Â Â 12-16
1984-85Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 20-12
1983-84Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 17-14
1982-83Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 77Â Â Â 8-19
1981-82Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 7-20
1980-81Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 21-9
Four Of A Kind
Creighton has four players that were named to a Preseason Watch List in Steven Ashworth (Bob Cousy Point Guard), Trey Alexander (Jerry West Shooting Guard), Baylor Scheierman (Julius Erving Small Forward) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center).
   Creighton is one of six schools to have four men listed at a position, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette and UConn.
   Those same four men were named to CBS Sports Preseason Top 100 And 1 player listings, with Kalkbrenner (5), Alexander (12), Scheierman (26) and Ashworth (76) making CU the only school with three of the top 30 players or four of the top 76 players. Kansas and Duke were the only other teams with four players listed in the Top 100 And 1.
Downtown Duo
Only two players nationally that are returning in 2023-24 had 120+ assists, 87+ three-pointers and 38+ steals in 2022-23.
   Baylor Scheierman and Steven Ashworth.
   Both will play for Creighton this season.
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a third season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 40 of the last 41 seasons. McDermott is in his 10th season in the NBA. Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver.
Let's Go On A Run
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022 and 2023. That makes CU one of seven teams in the country to have a win in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, joining Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and UCLA.
   The only other time that Creighton has won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons came in 2012, 2013 and 2014, also under Greg McDermott.
   Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
   Creighton is one of seven teams to post 22 or more wins in each of the last four seasons, joining Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Liberty, San Diego State and Southern California.
   Creighton is one of just eight teams to have reached at least two of the last three Sweet 16s. Gonzaga, Houston and UCLA have done it each of the last three seasons, while Alabama, Creighton, Michigan and Villanova have done it twice each.
23 of 25 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 23 of the last 25 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 25 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 24 times, Creighton and Kentucky 23 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 25 Seasons
Team   20-Win Seasons     2022-23 W-L
Gonzaga   25   31-6
Kansas   25   28-8
Duke   24   27-9
Creighton   23   24-13
Kentucky   23   22-12
Dynamic Duo
Creighton is also one of eight schools to have men's and women's basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous two seasons, a list that includes Creighton, Gonzaga, Liberty, Princeton, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo and UConn.
   This season, Creighton is one of eight teams with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men's and women's side, joining Baylor, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Southern California, Tennessee and Texas.
   The only five schools to be ranked in the preseason men's and women's basketball Top 25 of the AP Poll both this season and last season are Baylor, Creighton, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
   Creighton is one of 11 schools to make the NCAA Tournament in both men's and women's basketball each of the past two seasons, a list that consists of Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
   The only schools with at-large bids in each of the previous two years in both men's and women's basketball are Baylor, Creighton, Indiana and Miami (Fla.).
A Dozen Will Do
Creighton finished 14-6 in the BIG EAST last season and is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the previous four seasons.
   Among the other BIG EAST or "Power 5" Conference schools, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia have also done it the previous four years.
   Creighton has now owned a .500 mark or better in league play 27 times in the last 28 seasons.
   The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous six seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.
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.
   Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
   If you're curious, CU's largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit   Opponent   Date
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
16   at Seton Hall   01/27/21
16   SIU Edwardsville   11/27/21
15   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   11/09/21
14   Evansville   02/21/12
14   vs. San Diego State   03/17/22
13   at Saint Joseph's   11/16/13
13   Xavier   01/12/14
13   #22 Xavier   12/23/20
12   Saint Joseph's   12/11/10
12   at DePaul   01/17/16
12   East Tennessee State   11/11/18
11   at Wichita State   12/31/11
11   Northern Iowa   01/10/12
11   vs. Alabama   03/16/12
11   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/16
11   vs. Connecticut   03/12/21
11   DePaul   01/22/22
10Â Â Â UABÂ Â Â 11/14/12
10   vs. Drake   03/02/12
10   at Nebraska   12/07/14
10   South Dakota   12/09/14
10   St. John's   01/03/18
10   at DePaul   02/07/18
10   Bemidji State   02/13/18
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 300 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .667 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.   300-150   Greg McDermott   2010-Pres.
3.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-1935
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-1969
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-1981
CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 8-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003.
   The last time such a game happened was in 2020 when Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski hit a shot with 3.2 seconds left to beat Providence.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
11/26/05   Dayton   W 91-90*   Funk FG   :5.7
01/28/06   Wichita St.   W 57-55   Tolliver FG   :0.0
11/25/06   George Mason   W 58-56   Watts FT   :7.5
03/18/08   Rhode Island   W 74-73   Witter 3FG   :3.2
01/13/10   Southern Illinois   W 71-69   Young FG   :1.3
02/18/12   Long Beach St.   W 81-79   Young FG   :0.3
01/28/14   St. John's   W 63-60   McDermott 3FG   :2.8
01/18/20   Providence   W 78-74   Zegarowski 3FG   :3.2
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
03/20/06Â Â Â Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â L 53-52Â Â Â G. Diaz FTÂ Â Â :2.6
01/20/07   Southern Illinois   L 58-57   B. Mullins FG   :4.1
01/10/15   #19 Seton Hall   L 68-67   S. Gibbs 3FG   :2.2
02/16/15   #19 Butler   L 58-56   R. Jones FG   :1.9
03/07/15   Xavier   L 74-73   D. Davis FT's   :6.3
01/12/16   #12 Providence   L 50-48   K. Dunn FG   :0.0
02/22/17   Providence   L 68-66   K. Cartwright 3FG   :2.4
02/10/18   #5 Xavier   L 71-72   Q. Goodin FT's   :0.3
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.   18,509   Villanova   02/04/23
   13.   18,495   Marquette   02/17/18
   14.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   15.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   16.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   17.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   18.   18,321   #3 Villanova   02/24/18
   19.   18,294   #19 Iowa State   12/04/21
   20.   18,286   #21 Connecticut   02/12/23
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 338 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 21-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 278-60 (.822) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (22-0).
   Creighton's Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program's 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU's 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
   Creighton has outscored its opponents 26,418-22,127 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.70 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 89 different times, including three times this year (Holy Cross, DePaul, Georgetown).
   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 32-36 all-time in the 68 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 40-29 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 181-42 (.812) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 64 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 95-9 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 297-60 (.832) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
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Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.38 points per home game (17,924 points in 223 home games), a figure that climbs to 83.84 points in non-conference home games (8,719 points in 104 home games).
   Creighton is 135-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Elite Eight
Greg McDermott guided his team to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, and most among basketball coaches.
   McDermott is one of five head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   12
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   8
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished last season ranked 12th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 23 offense, and No. 14 defense. Creighton's No. 14 defense was its best mark in the 21 seasons of the KenPom era.
   Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom seven times in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott and a top-25 defense twice.
Year   Off. Rating   Def. Rating   Overall Rank
2010-11Â Â Â 66Â Â Â 174Â Â Â 98
2011-12Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 166Â Â Â 28
2012-13Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 66Â Â Â 15
2013-14Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 17
2014-15Â Â Â 59Â Â Â 138Â Â Â 79
2015-16Â Â Â 43Â Â Â 76Â Â Â 40
2016-17Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 46Â Â Â 28
2017-18Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 30
2018-19Â Â Â 47Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 55
2019-20Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 12
2020-21Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 22
2021-22Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 50
2022-23Â Â Â 23Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 12
Kalkbrenner Repeats As Top Defender
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named 2023 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
   Kalkbrenner became just the 11th player in league history to win the recognition more than once, joining the likes of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Kris Dunn and Allen Iverson among those to win the award multiple times, and is the first repeat winner since former Bluejay guard Khyri Thomas in 2017 and 2018.
   Between Kalkbrenner and Thomas, Creighton has now had a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in four of the previous seven seasons.
Most BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Honors
   Honors   Name, School   Years (*ties)
   4   Patrick Ewing, Georgetown   1982, 83, 84, 85
   3   Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown   1989, 90*, 92
   2   Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown   1990, 91
   2   Allen Iverson, Georgetown   1995, 96
   2   Etan Thomas, Syracuse   1999, 00
   2   John Linehan, Providence   2001, 02
   2   Emeka Okafor, Connecticut   2003, 04
   2   Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut   2008, 09
   2   Kris Dunn, Providence   2015*, 16
   2   Khyri Thomas, Creighton   2017*, 18
   2   Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   2022, 23
Kalkbrenner Surpasses 1,000 Points
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,167 career points, as he became the 45th men's player in Creighton history to surpass 1,000 on Feb. 25, 2023 at Villanova. He was the first Bluejay to score 1,000 since Marcus Zegarowski did it on Jan. 20, 2021 vs. Providence.
   He currently ranks 31st in program history, which is also 18th-most by any Bluejay after three full seasons (or less).
   Here's a list of Creighton's top scorers ever:
Most Career Points, Creighton History
   Rank   Pts.   Name   Years
   1.   3,150   Doug McDermott   2010-14
   2.   2,116   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   3.   2,110   Bob Harstad    1987-91
   4.   1,983   Chad Gallagher    1987-91
   5.   1,876   Bob Portman    1966-69
   6.   1,801   Kyle Korver   1999-03
   7.   1,754   Nate Funk   2002-07
   8.   1,682   Rick Apke    1974-78
   9.   1,661   Paul Silas   1961-64
   10.   1,654   Vernon Moore    1981-85
   11.   1,575   Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
   12.   1,526   John C. Johnson   1975-79
   13.   1,500   Kevin McKenna   1977-81
   14.   1,437   Eddie Cole   1951-55
   15.   1,369   Gene Harmon   1971-74
   16.   1,361   Duan Cole   1987-92
   17.   1,342   Antoine Young   2008-12
   18.   1,313   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
   19.   1,309   Ryan Sears   1997-01
   20.   1,304   Mitch Ballock   2017-21
   21.   1,303   Elton Tuttle   1951-54
   22.   1,293   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-21
   23.   1,292   Marcus Foster   2016-18
   24.   1,272   Bob Gibson   1954-57
   25.   1,267   Wally Anderzunas   1965-67, 1968-69
   26.   1,254   Gary Swain   1983-87
   27.   1,241   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-20
   28.   1,238   Ben Walker   1997-01
   29.   1,196   Ray Yost   1951-54
   30.   1,172   Dick Harvey   1956-59
   31.   1,167   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
   Kalkbrenner also ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 199.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
   Blk.   Name   Years
   411   Benoit Benjamin   1982-85
   199   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
   183   Chad Gallagher   1987-91
   174   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
   153   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
Among The Best...EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 472 of 707 career shots, putting him at 66.8 percent overall. That places the senior center sixth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 400 or more field goals and at least four field goals per game.
Best Career FG%, NCAA History (min. 400 FG, 4FG/game)
   Pct. (FG-FGA)   Name, School   Years
   .746 (469-629)   Udoka Azubuike, Kansas   2016-20
   .740 (497-672)   Tacko Fall, UCF   2015-19
   .678 (828-1222)   Steve Johnson, Oregon State   1976-81
   .677 (441-651)   Michael Bradley, Kentucky/Villanova   1998-01
   .6682 (566-847)   Murray Brown, Florida State   1976-80
   .6676 (472-707)   Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   2020-Pres.
   .6673 (740-1109)   Evan Bradds, Belmont   2013-17
   .665 (411-618)   Lee Campbell, MTSU, Missouri State   1987-90
   .664 (496-747)   Warren Kidd, Middle Tennessee State   1990-93
   .664 (702-1058)   Todd MacCulloch, Washington   1995-99
   .662 (476-719)   Joe Senser, West Chester   1975-79
Scheierman Drains 200th Trey
Baylor Scheierman has made 246 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.5 percent clip.
   Scheierman also owns 1,586 points, 941 rebounds, 442 assists and 121 career steals.
   Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman is the nation's only player in the last 30 years with career totals of at least 225 three-pointers, 425 assists and 900 rebounds.
Can't Stop Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman made a three-point basket in all 37 games he played last season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 47 in a row if you include the end of his time at South Dakota State.
   Scheierman's streak is the longest streak in Creighton history, four more than Ty-Shon Alexander's 33.
   Also listed is the nation's longest active streaks of games with a three-pointer, per the FOX Sports research team.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Creighton History
   Streak   Name   Dates of Streak
   37   Baylor Scheierman   Nov. 7, 2022 - Present
   33   Ty-Shon Alexander   Feb. 27, 2018-March 6, 2019
   31   Booker Woodfox   Nov. 25, 2008-March 23, 2009
   28   Kyle Korver   Feb. 4, 2001-Feb. 6, 2002
   27   Kyle Korver   Feb. 13, 2002-Jan. 20, 2003
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer
Nation's Longest Active Streaks
   Streak   Name, School   Next Game
   65   Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall   11/6
   48   Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee   11/6
   47   Baylor Scheierman, Creighton / S. Dakota St.   11/7
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 985 straight games. The streak is the nation's 12th-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
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,192   UNLV   11/8
   2.   1,189   Duke   11/6
   3.   1,127   Western Kentucky   11/6
   4.   1,115   East Tennessee State   11/6
   5.   1,094   Oakland   11/6
   6.   1,095   Texas   11/6
   7.   1,092   Pacific   11/6
   8.   1,035   Marshall   11/6
   9.   1,030   Baylor   11/7
   10.   1,020   Gonzaga   11/10
   11.   1,019   Princeton   11/6
   12.   985   Long Island   11/8
      985   Creighton   11/7
   14.   974   Mount St. Mary's   11/7
   15.   963   Tennessee State   11/6
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 985 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,785 trifectas, an average of 7.90 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly seven three-pointers 147 times, more than any figure.
   Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 282 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 63-15 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 28-25 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:   5 times   2: 19 times   3: 36 times
4:   75 times   5:  103 times   6: 101 times
7:  147 times   8:  124 times   9: 93 times
10: 82 times   11: 57 times   12: 56 times
13: 45 times   14: 19 times   15: 7 times
16: 8 times   17: 3 times   19: 2 times
20: 1 time   21: 1 time   22: 1 time
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2023-24 season went on sale on September 28th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Friday, Nov. 3, 2023 • 7:00 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO ($) | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | WSC NOTES (PDF) | PROGRAM (PDF) | TICKETS | MEDIA GUIDE |
Next Game
No. 8 Creighton (3-0 exhibition) takes on Wayne State (0-0) in an exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 3 to open the 2023-24 season.
   Tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 7 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2023-24 season, including Friday's exhibition.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Webcast Information
Friday's exhibition against Wayne State will not be televised, but it will be video webcast on FloSports, with the radio broadcast accompanying the video. FloSports requires a subscription, though if you already own an active account to watch Creighton Volleyball or Soccer (or didn't cancel your subscription after CU's games in the Bahamas), you will get the basketball game.
   Details on how to purchase an account at a significant discount is explained in great detail at http://GoCreighton.com/flosports. The exact link for the game (once you have a subscription) is http://gocreighton.com/2023WayneWebcast.
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 #8 Creighton
Ranked eighth nationally in the preseason AP and Coaches polls, Creighton has lofty expectations after coming one point shy of the program's first Final Four last March.
   The nucleus of the team is formed by three returning starters as senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg.., 2.1 bpg., 69.5 FG%), senior forward Baylor Scheierman (12.8 ppg., 8.3 rpg., 3.3 apg.) and junior guard Trey Alexander (13.6 ppg., 41.0 3FG%) all put their professional aspirations on hold and came back.
   Add in senior transfer Steven Ashworth (16.2 ppg., 4.8 apg., 43.4 3FG%), the USBWA District VII Player of the Year last year at Utah State, and it's easy to see why CU is one of three BIG EAST teams picked in the top-10 nationally.
   Other returners include sophomores Mason Miller (2.3 ppg., 37.0 3FG%) and Fredrick King (3.4 ppg.), as well as senior Francisco Farabello (3.0 ppg.).
   CU also boasts transfers Johnathan Lawson (Memphis) and Josh Townley-Thomas (North Platte CC) in addition to two redshirt freshmen and four true freshmen who will look to make an impact.
   The Bluejay season started with three double-digit victories in The Bahamas during an August exhibition tour.
   Creighton was picked to finish second of 11 teams in a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches.
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Scouting Wayne State
Wayne State is a Division II program that went 18-11 last season and won the South Division of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 13-9 league mark. However, WSC returns just two starters from that team and among the losses is all-time scoring (2,104) and rebounding (1,146) leader Jordan Janssen, who earned NABC All-Central Region honors.
   The Wildcats were picked to finish 11th in the NSIC this season, with redshirt sophomore guard Alec Millender listed as the Wildcat to Watch in the NSIC. A 6-3 guard from Chicago, Millender missed all of last season as a medical redshirt but he did average 10.0 points, 2.7 assists and 2.4 rebounds per contest for the Wildcats in 2021-22.
   The two starters that do return are junior center Cody McCullough (8.2 ppg., 7.8 rpg.) and junior guard Jay Saunders (6.3 ppg.).
The Series With Wayne State
Creighton and Wayne State have never met in a game that counted, though the Bluejays did defeat the Wildcats 93-46 in a 2016 exhibiton game in Omaha.
   Greg McDermott is 2-0 all-time against Wayne State in games that count, with both victories coming when he was coaching at Northern Iowa. His 2002-03 team won 71-40 and his 2004-05 club won 84-66 over the Wildcats.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 300-150 record entering his 14th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 580-345 entering his 30th season, and is 449-281 entering his 23rd 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 has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and its first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
   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 Ryan Miller, Jalen Courtney-Williams and Derek Kellogg.
A Nod To Mac
In the 2016 press release announcing his hiring at Wayne State, Jeff Kaminsky was quick to acknowledge those that had come before him, including current Creighton (and former Wayne State) coach Greg McDermott.
   "I have great respect for the tradition of the program and especially for what Coach McDermott was able to accomplish here. The city of Wayne and Wayne State College is appealing to me and my wife Cindy for a lot of reasons and we are looking forward to being a part of the community and WSC."      Â
From Wayne, America To The BIG EAST
Creighton's Greg McDermott got his head coaching start at Wayne State, where he inherited a team coming off back-to-back 7-20 seasons and led the Wildcats to a 116-53 record in six campaigns from 1994-2000.
   That run included back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999 and 2000, and four straight 20-win seasons.
   Since McDermott's departure, Wayne State has won more than 18 games just once (2018-19), and reached the NCAA Tournament just once (2020-21).
   To see just how impressive McDermott's work was at Wayne State, check out the stats below:
When?   Years   W-L   Pct.
16 years before McDermott   1978-94   187-298   .386
6 years with McDermott   1994-00   116-53   .686
23 years since McDermott   2000-23   284-360   .441
Ball Boys To NCAA Stars
Greg McDermott's final team at Wayne State in 1999-2000 tied for the league title, advanced to the Division II Sweet 16, and finished 26-6 overall.
   Nobody knew it at the time, but the most talented players would be the ones at the end of the bench serving water.
   Greg's son, Doug McDermott was 8 years old at the time. He went on to be a three-time First Team All-American, the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history, and an NBA Lottery pick who just started his 10th season in the NBA.
   Helping out Doug distribute water and towels was future Iowa point guard Mike Gesell, then 6, whose older brother Tim Gesell was a freshman on that team. Gesell went on to start 130-of-134 games at Iowa and finished his collegiate career with 1,072 points and 557 assists before embarking on a professional career.
Crowd Watch
Creighton's largest exhibition attendance in school history was 16,317 on Nov. 7, 2014 vs. Sioux Falls. Last year CU's exhibition vs. Drury drew 16,092.
   Wayne State played in front of a total of 15,241 fans in 2022-23, an average of 526 fans per contest. That included a high of 2,614 for game at Northern State.
   Creighton, meanwhile, has sold out of season tickets for the first time after selling 15,768 tickets.
McDermott's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 30-0 in fall exhibition games as a Division I head coach, including an 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 13-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs have been by double-digits.
   At Creighton the Bluejays have outscored foes by an average of 92.7 - 60.8 in fall exhibition games.
   Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date   McD School   Opponent   Result
2001-02   UNI   London Leopards   W 89-74
2001-02   UNI   Lake Superior State   W 74-63
2002-03   UNI   Dominican National Team   W 73-56
2002-03   UNI   H.P. Minnesota   W 90-76
2003-04   UNI   H.P. Minnesota   W 89-79
2003-04   UNI   Australian Select Team   W 92-58
2004-05   UNI   Dubuque   W 93-34
2004-05   UNI   SW Minnesota State   W 71-40
2005-06   UNI   Lewis   W 77-50
2005-06   UNI   Wayne State   W 74-57
11/03/06   Iowa State   EA Sports   W 58-57
11/06/06   Iowa State   Wayne State   W 55-41
11/01/07   Iowa State   Dubuque   W 66-38
11/04/07   Iowa State   EA Sports   W 74-63
11/08/08   Iowa State   Nebraska-Omaha   W 74-54
11/02/09   Iowa State   Black Hills State   W 96-47
11/06/09   Iowa State   UNC Pembroke   W 106-54
11/04/10   Creighton   Northern State   W 79-67
11/06/11   Creighton   Rockhurst   W 81-42
11/02/12   Creighton   Mary   W 89-51
11/01/13   Creighton   Northern State   W 89-61
11/07/14   Creighton   Sioux Falls   W 91-72
11/06/15   Creighton   Upper Iowa   W 113-77
11/04/16   Creighton   Wayne State   W 93-46
10/26/17   Creighton   Nebraska-Omaha   W 96-67
11/03/17   Creighton   UNC Pembroke   W 93-70
10/27/18   Creighton    Winona State   W 101-57
11/01/19   Creighton   McKendree   W 95-63
10/30/21   Creighton   Upper Iowa   W 76-61
10/30/22   Creighton   Drury   W 109-57
Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 54-6 since 1981 in fall exhibition games thanks to 22 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which eventually merged and changed their name to EA Sports and had three victories.
   A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since the 1981-82 season can be found on page four of this release.
A Head Start
Creighton got a jump start on the season with nine practices in July before heading to the Bahamas to play in three games during the first week of August.
   Creighton won all three games by 14 points or more, averaged 98.3 points., and outrebounded foes by 21.3 caroms per contest.
   Trey Alexander led CU by averaging 20.0 points before missing the final contest, but Ryan Kalkbrenner (11.0 ppg.), Baylor Scheierman (10.0 ppg.) and Fredrick King (10.0 ppg.) also scored at a double-digit clip.
   Steven Ashworth led CU with 15 assists, King and Brock Vice had a team-high 18 rebounds and Kalkbrenner topped the team with 10 swats.
Who's Back?
With Creighton returning seven of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2022-23 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Blocks   126 (82.9%)   26 (17.1%)
Rebounds   860 (67.9%)   411 (32.1%)
3FG Made   207 (64.9%)   112 (35.1%)
Points   1833 (64.8%)   995 (35.2%)
Steals   119 (64.3%)   66 (35.7%)
Minutes   4693 (63.0%)   2757 (37.0%)
Starts   111 (60.0%)   74 (40.0%)
Charges Taken   16 (59.3%)   11 (40.7%)
Assists   308 (53.0%)   273 (47.0%)
Preseason Top 10
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked eighth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever. That's one spot better than the previous best, done last year, when the Bluejays started the season ranked ninth.
   The announcement marks just the sixth 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), 2020-21 (No. 11) and 2022-23 (No. 9). All five of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with the last two making the Sweet 16 and last year's club reaching the Elite Eight.
   It's also the 23rd 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 123 times in program history, with 95 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 152-63 all-time as a ranked team, including a 118-51 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 10 of McDermott's 14 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
      Creighton is one of four schools to be ranked in the top-10 each of the past two seasons, joining Kansas, Duke and Houston.
   Along with No. 5 Marquette, No. 6 Connecticut and No. 8 Creighton, this year marked the first time since 2011-12 that the BIG EAST had three Preseason Top-10 teams.
   Creighton is also eighth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day.
   It's the second time in Creighton's 11 years in the BIG EAST Conference that the Bluejays have been picked second, as the 2020-21 squad was also picked second (and eventually finished second). The Bluejays also had three players receive recognition on one of the Preseason All-BIG EAST teams, tied with preseason favorite Marquette for the most in the league.
   The Bluejays collected four first-place votes and earned 92 points in the poll, trailing only Marquette's seven first-place votes and 96 overall points. Defending national champion Connecticut was tabbed third with 79 points, just ahead of Villanova's 76 for fourth place. Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino's first St. John's team garnered 59 points to be chosen fifth, just ahead of Xavier (57) and Providence (51). The bottom four teams in the poll are Georgetown (34), Seton Hall (30), Butler (16) and DePaul (15).
   Creighton finished 24-13 overall and 14-6 in BIG EAST play last season and are the only league team to return three of its scorers that averaged at least a dozen points per game. The Bluejays won three NCAA Tournament games to advance to its first Elite Eight since 1941.
   In 2023-24, Creighton will be led by senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection. Kalkbrenner becomes the first player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST honors multiple times, and along with Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Kolek from Marquette was one of two men to be named on every ballot.
   Joining Kalkbrenner with the Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST acclaim was junior guard Trey Alexander. Alexander was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice at the end of last season, as was teammate Baylor Scheierman. A senior guard from Aurora, Neb., Scheierman earned Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST plaudits in 2023-24.
   This year marks the second time that Creighton has had more than two players land on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, and comes 12 months after Creighton had four men listed prior to the 2022-23 campaign. Creighton last had two men named Preseason First Team All-Conference in 2006-07 (Anthony Tolliver, Nate Funk).
   Kolek was named 2023-24 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches, which comes as little surprise after the point guard was named 2023 BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP after leading the Golden Eagles to both the regular-season and tournament titles. Connecticut guard Stephon Castle was chosen BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year. The coaches, who were not permitted to select their own players, also chose an All-BIG EAST First Team, All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention. Â
   Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but one season since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time. The Bluejays are seeking an eighth straight finish in the top four of the league standings. CU's team two years ago was predicted to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, then ended up in fourth. Four years ago, a team picked seventh in the BIG EAST's preseason poll went 13-5 in league play to share its first league title with Villanova and Seton Hall. That Bluejay team ended the year ranked seventh in the entire nation.
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   3rd   Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
         Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
2023-24   2nd   ??   Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
         Baylor Scheierman (2nd)
Newcomer Report
Six players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform in the win vs. Drury as transfers Francisco Farabello and Baylor Scheierman, as well as freshmen Fredrick King, Ben Shtolzberg, Jasen Green and Evan Young. combined for 44 points, 23 rebounds and 15 assists in 84 minutes of action in Creighton's 109-57 triumph last year.
   Below is a look at how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts since 2018:
2022
Scheierman/Farabello/King
Shtolzberg/Green/Young
44 pts., 23 reb., 15 ast., 84 min (W 109-57)
2021
Alexander/Andronikashvili/Christofilis
Feazell/Hawkins/Kaluma/Kancleris
Miller/Nembhard/Yates
56 pts., 37 reb., 15 ast., 155 min (W 76-61)
2019
Mitchell/Windham/Zeil/Jones
25 pts., 18 reb., 0 ast., 68 min (W 95-63)
2018
Bishop/Canfield/Cashaw/
Froling/Jefferson/Zegarowski
40 pts., 20 reb., 9 ast., 96 min. (W 101-57)
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 100 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to 2022-23
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   3,943   3rd  Â
FG Percentage   .476   4th
Assists   7,161   6th  Â
3FG Percentage   .375   8th
FG Made   12,254   8th  Â
Points   34,280   9th  Â
Wins   300   24th  Â
Winning Percentage   .667   32nd
Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
Since Latrell Wrightsell in 1988, only four true freshmen have started Creighton's first exhibition game. The first was Khyri Thomas in 2015-16, while in 2018-19 Samson Froling got the starting nod. In 2021-22 both Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma started the first exhibition game.
   Since 1992-93, only six true freshmen have started Creighton's regular-season opener.
   Ryan Sears did so in 1997-98. The point guard would go on to start all 124 games of his CU career and remains the program's all-time career assist (570) and steals (283) leader.
   Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11, and he went on to start all 145 games of his career. He would graduate as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 career points and is the only three-time First Team All-American since 1986. He now plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
   Khyri Thomas got a start in 2015-16 and remained in CU's starting five each of his first 24 games, and 96-of-102 career contests with the Jays. He later spent parts three seasons in the NBA.
   Shereef Mitchell joined this elite group in 2019-20 when he got the starting nod against Kennesaw State.
   In 2021-22, both Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma started the opener vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, marking the first time Creighton started two true freshmen in a regular-season opener since 1991-92 (Eric Dantzler and Mike Amos). Both men ended up on the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team, with Nembhard being named Freshman of the Year.
   The last time Creighton started three true freshmen in a regular-season opener was 1987-88 (Chris Rodgers, Bob Harstad, Chad Gallagher).
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 111 starts from last year's team, its most sincee bringing back 124 starts from its 2020-21 club.
   Creighton has won 20 or more games each of the previous eight times (and 12 of the last 13 times) it has returned 100 or more starts.
   Returning   Returning Starts    Final
Year   Starters   From Previous Year   W-L
2023-24Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 111Â Â Â ? ? ?
2022-23Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 104Â Â Â 24-13
2021-22Â Â Â 0Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 23-12
2020-21Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 22-9
2019-20Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 136Â Â Â 24-7
2018-19Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 57Â Â Â 20-15
2017-18Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 21-12
2016-17Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 130Â Â Â 25-10
2015-16Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 20-15
2014-15Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 14-19
2013-14Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 144Â Â Â 27-8
2012-13Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 140Â Â Â 28-8
2011-12Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 29-6
2010-11Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 23-16
2009-10Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 106Â Â Â 18-16
2008-09Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 27-8
2007-08Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 44Â Â Â 22-11
2006-07Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 120Â Â Â 22-11
2005-06Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 134Â Â Â 20-10
2004-05Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 23-11
2003-04Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 20-9
2002-03Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 159Â Â Â 29-5
2001-02Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 23-9
2000-01Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 90Â Â Â 24-8
1999-00Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 23-10
1998-99Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 22-9
1997-98Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 18-10
1996-97Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 126Â Â Â 15-15
1995-96Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 100Â Â Â 14-15
1994-95Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 52Â Â Â 7-19
1993-94Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 73Â Â Â 7-22
1992-93Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 8-18
1991-92Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 9-19
1990-91Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 132Â Â Â 24-8
1989-90Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 127Â Â Â 21-12
1988-89Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 20-11
1987-88Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 16-16
1986-87Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 9-19
1985-86Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 48Â Â Â 12-16
1984-85Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 20-12
1983-84Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 17-14
1982-83Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 77Â Â Â 8-19
1981-82Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 7-20
1980-81Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 21-9
Four Of A Kind
Creighton has four players that were named to a Preseason Watch List in Steven Ashworth (Bob Cousy Point Guard), Trey Alexander (Jerry West Shooting Guard), Baylor Scheierman (Julius Erving Small Forward) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center).
   Creighton is one of six schools to have four men listed at a position, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette and UConn.
   Those same four men were named to CBS Sports Preseason Top 100 And 1 player listings, with Kalkbrenner (5), Alexander (12), Scheierman (26) and Ashworth (76) making CU the only school with three of the top 30 players or four of the top 76 players. Kansas and Duke were the only other teams with four players listed in the Top 100 And 1.
Downtown Duo
Only two players nationally that are returning in 2023-24 had 120+ assists, 87+ three-pointers and 38+ steals in 2022-23.
   Baylor Scheierman and Steven Ashworth.
   Both will play for Creighton this season.
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a third season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 40 of the last 41 seasons. McDermott is in his 10th season in the NBA. Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver.
Let's Go On A Run
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022 and 2023. That makes CU one of seven teams in the country to have a win in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, joining Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and UCLA.
   The only other time that Creighton has won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons came in 2012, 2013 and 2014, also under Greg McDermott.
   Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
   Creighton is one of seven teams to post 22 or more wins in each of the last four seasons, joining Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Liberty, San Diego State and Southern California.
   Creighton is one of just eight teams to have reached at least two of the last three Sweet 16s. Gonzaga, Houston and UCLA have done it each of the last three seasons, while Alabama, Creighton, Michigan and Villanova have done it twice each.
23 of 25 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 23 of the last 25 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 25 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 24 times, Creighton and Kentucky 23 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 25 Seasons
Team   20-Win Seasons     2022-23 W-L
Gonzaga   25   31-6
Kansas   25   28-8
Duke   24   27-9
Creighton   23   24-13
Kentucky   23   22-12
Dynamic Duo
Creighton is also one of eight schools to have men's and women's basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous two seasons, a list that includes Creighton, Gonzaga, Liberty, Princeton, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo and UConn.
   This season, Creighton is one of eight teams with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men's and women's side, joining Baylor, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Southern California, Tennessee and Texas.
   The only five schools to be ranked in the preseason men's and women's basketball Top 25 of the AP Poll both this season and last season are Baylor, Creighton, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
   Creighton is one of 11 schools to make the NCAA Tournament in both men's and women's basketball each of the past two seasons, a list that consists of Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
   The only schools with at-large bids in each of the previous two years in both men's and women's basketball are Baylor, Creighton, Indiana and Miami (Fla.).
A Dozen Will Do
Creighton finished 14-6 in the BIG EAST last season and is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the previous four seasons.
   Among the other BIG EAST or "Power 5" Conference schools, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia have also done it the previous four years.
   Creighton has now owned a .500 mark or better in league play 27 times in the last 28 seasons.
   The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous six seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.
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.
   Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
   If you're curious, CU's largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit   Opponent   Date
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
16   at Seton Hall   01/27/21
16   SIU Edwardsville   11/27/21
15   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   11/09/21
14   Evansville   02/21/12
14   vs. San Diego State   03/17/22
13   at Saint Joseph's   11/16/13
13   Xavier   01/12/14
13   #22 Xavier   12/23/20
12   Saint Joseph's   12/11/10
12   at DePaul   01/17/16
12   East Tennessee State   11/11/18
11   at Wichita State   12/31/11
11   Northern Iowa   01/10/12
11   vs. Alabama   03/16/12
11   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/16
11   vs. Connecticut   03/12/21
11   DePaul   01/22/22
10Â Â Â UABÂ Â Â 11/14/12
10   vs. Drake   03/02/12
10   at Nebraska   12/07/14
10   South Dakota   12/09/14
10   St. John's   01/03/18
10   at DePaul   02/07/18
10   Bemidji State   02/13/18
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 300 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .667 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.   300-150   Greg McDermott   2010-Pres.
3.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-1935
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-1969
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-1981
CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 8-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003.
   The last time such a game happened was in 2020 when Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski hit a shot with 3.2 seconds left to beat Providence.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
11/26/05   Dayton   W 91-90*   Funk FG   :5.7
01/28/06   Wichita St.   W 57-55   Tolliver FG   :0.0
11/25/06   George Mason   W 58-56   Watts FT   :7.5
03/18/08   Rhode Island   W 74-73   Witter 3FG   :3.2
01/13/10   Southern Illinois   W 71-69   Young FG   :1.3
02/18/12   Long Beach St.   W 81-79   Young FG   :0.3
01/28/14   St. John's   W 63-60   McDermott 3FG   :2.8
01/18/20   Providence   W 78-74   Zegarowski 3FG   :3.2
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
03/20/06Â Â Â Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â L 53-52Â Â Â G. Diaz FTÂ Â Â :2.6
01/20/07   Southern Illinois   L 58-57   B. Mullins FG   :4.1
01/10/15   #19 Seton Hall   L 68-67   S. Gibbs 3FG   :2.2
02/16/15   #19 Butler   L 58-56   R. Jones FG   :1.9
03/07/15   Xavier   L 74-73   D. Davis FT's   :6.3
01/12/16   #12 Providence   L 50-48   K. Dunn FG   :0.0
02/22/17   Providence   L 68-66   K. Cartwright 3FG   :2.4
02/10/18   #5 Xavier   L 71-72   Q. Goodin FT's   :0.3
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.   18,509   Villanova   02/04/23
   13.   18,495   Marquette   02/17/18
   14.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   15.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   16.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   17.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   18.   18,321   #3 Villanova   02/24/18
   19.   18,294   #19 Iowa State   12/04/21
   20.   18,286   #21 Connecticut   02/12/23
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 338 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 21-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 278-60 (.822) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (22-0).
   Creighton's Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program's 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU's 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
   Creighton has outscored its opponents 26,418-22,127 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.70 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 89 different times, including three times this year (Holy Cross, DePaul, Georgetown).
   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 32-36 all-time in the 68 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 40-29 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 181-42 (.812) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 64 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 95-9 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 297-60 (.832) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
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Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.38 points per home game (17,924 points in 223 home games), a figure that climbs to 83.84 points in non-conference home games (8,719 points in 104 home games).
   Creighton is 135-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Elite Eight
Greg McDermott guided his team to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, and most among basketball coaches.
   McDermott is one of five head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   12
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   8
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished last season ranked 12th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 23 offense, and No. 14 defense. Creighton's No. 14 defense was its best mark in the 21 seasons of the KenPom era.
   Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom seven times in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott and a top-25 defense twice.
Year   Off. Rating   Def. Rating   Overall Rank
2010-11Â Â Â 66Â Â Â 174Â Â Â 98
2011-12Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 166Â Â Â 28
2012-13Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 66Â Â Â 15
2013-14Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 17
2014-15Â Â Â 59Â Â Â 138Â Â Â 79
2015-16Â Â Â 43Â Â Â 76Â Â Â 40
2016-17Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 46Â Â Â 28
2017-18Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 30
2018-19Â Â Â 47Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 55
2019-20Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 12
2020-21Â Â Â 25Â Â Â 32Â Â Â 22
2021-22Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 19Â Â Â 50
2022-23Â Â Â 23Â Â Â 14Â Â Â 12
Kalkbrenner Repeats As Top Defender
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named 2023 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
   Kalkbrenner became just the 11th player in league history to win the recognition more than once, joining the likes of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Kris Dunn and Allen Iverson among those to win the award multiple times, and is the first repeat winner since former Bluejay guard Khyri Thomas in 2017 and 2018.
   Between Kalkbrenner and Thomas, Creighton has now had a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in four of the previous seven seasons.
Most BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Honors
   Honors   Name, School   Years (*ties)
   4   Patrick Ewing, Georgetown   1982, 83, 84, 85
   3   Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown   1989, 90*, 92
   2   Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown   1990, 91
   2   Allen Iverson, Georgetown   1995, 96
   2   Etan Thomas, Syracuse   1999, 00
   2   John Linehan, Providence   2001, 02
   2   Emeka Okafor, Connecticut   2003, 04
   2   Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut   2008, 09
   2   Kris Dunn, Providence   2015*, 16
   2   Khyri Thomas, Creighton   2017*, 18
   2   Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   2022, 23
Kalkbrenner Surpasses 1,000 Points
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,167 career points, as he became the 45th men's player in Creighton history to surpass 1,000 on Feb. 25, 2023 at Villanova. He was the first Bluejay to score 1,000 since Marcus Zegarowski did it on Jan. 20, 2021 vs. Providence.
   He currently ranks 31st in program history, which is also 18th-most by any Bluejay after three full seasons (or less).
   Here's a list of Creighton's top scorers ever:
Most Career Points, Creighton History
   Rank   Pts.   Name   Years
   1.   3,150   Doug McDermott   2010-14
   2.   2,116   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   3.   2,110   Bob Harstad    1987-91
   4.   1,983   Chad Gallagher    1987-91
   5.   1,876   Bob Portman    1966-69
   6.   1,801   Kyle Korver   1999-03
   7.   1,754   Nate Funk   2002-07
   8.   1,682   Rick Apke    1974-78
   9.   1,661   Paul Silas   1961-64
   10.   1,654   Vernon Moore    1981-85
   11.   1,575   Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
   12.   1,526   John C. Johnson   1975-79
   13.   1,500   Kevin McKenna   1977-81
   14.   1,437   Eddie Cole   1951-55
   15.   1,369   Gene Harmon   1971-74
   16.   1,361   Duan Cole   1987-92
   17.   1,342   Antoine Young   2008-12
   18.   1,313   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
   19.   1,309   Ryan Sears   1997-01
   20.   1,304   Mitch Ballock   2017-21
   21.   1,303   Elton Tuttle   1951-54
   22.   1,293   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-21
   23.   1,292   Marcus Foster   2016-18
   24.   1,272   Bob Gibson   1954-57
   25.   1,267   Wally Anderzunas   1965-67, 1968-69
   26.   1,254   Gary Swain   1983-87
   27.   1,241   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-20
   28.   1,238   Ben Walker   1997-01
   29.   1,196   Ray Yost   1951-54
   30.   1,172   Dick Harvey   1956-59
   31.   1,167   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
   Kalkbrenner also ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 199.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
   Blk.   Name   Years
   411   Benoit Benjamin   1982-85
   199   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
   183   Chad Gallagher   1987-91
   174   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
   153   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
Among The Best...EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 472 of 707 career shots, putting him at 66.8 percent overall. That places the senior center sixth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 400 or more field goals and at least four field goals per game.
Best Career FG%, NCAA History (min. 400 FG, 4FG/game)
   Pct. (FG-FGA)   Name, School   Years
   .746 (469-629)   Udoka Azubuike, Kansas   2016-20
   .740 (497-672)   Tacko Fall, UCF   2015-19
   .678 (828-1222)   Steve Johnson, Oregon State   1976-81
   .677 (441-651)   Michael Bradley, Kentucky/Villanova   1998-01
   .6682 (566-847)   Murray Brown, Florida State   1976-80
   .6676 (472-707)   Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   2020-Pres.
   .6673 (740-1109)   Evan Bradds, Belmont   2013-17
   .665 (411-618)   Lee Campbell, MTSU, Missouri State   1987-90
   .664 (496-747)   Warren Kidd, Middle Tennessee State   1990-93
   .664 (702-1058)   Todd MacCulloch, Washington   1995-99
   .662 (476-719)   Joe Senser, West Chester   1975-79
Scheierman Drains 200th Trey
Baylor Scheierman has made 246 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.5 percent clip.
   Scheierman also owns 1,586 points, 941 rebounds, 442 assists and 121 career steals.
   Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman is the nation's only player in the last 30 years with career totals of at least 225 three-pointers, 425 assists and 900 rebounds.
Can't Stop Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman made a three-point basket in all 37 games he played last season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 47 in a row if you include the end of his time at South Dakota State.
   Scheierman's streak is the longest streak in Creighton history, four more than Ty-Shon Alexander's 33.
   Also listed is the nation's longest active streaks of games with a three-pointer, per the FOX Sports research team.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Creighton History
   Streak   Name   Dates of Streak
   37   Baylor Scheierman   Nov. 7, 2022 - Present
   33   Ty-Shon Alexander   Feb. 27, 2018-March 6, 2019
   31   Booker Woodfox   Nov. 25, 2008-March 23, 2009
   28   Kyle Korver   Feb. 4, 2001-Feb. 6, 2002
   27   Kyle Korver   Feb. 13, 2002-Jan. 20, 2003
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer
Nation's Longest Active Streaks
   Streak   Name, School   Next Game
   65   Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall   11/6
   48   Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee   11/6
   47   Baylor Scheierman, Creighton / S. Dakota St.   11/7
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 985 straight games. The streak is the nation's 12th-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
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,192   UNLV   11/8
   2.   1,189   Duke   11/6
   3.   1,127   Western Kentucky   11/6
   4.   1,115   East Tennessee State   11/6
   5.   1,094   Oakland   11/6
   6.   1,095   Texas   11/6
   7.   1,092   Pacific   11/6
   8.   1,035   Marshall   11/6
   9.   1,030   Baylor   11/7
   10.   1,020   Gonzaga   11/10
   11.   1,019   Princeton   11/6
   12.   985   Long Island   11/8
      985   Creighton   11/7
   14.   974   Mount St. Mary's   11/7
   15.   963   Tennessee State   11/6
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 985 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,785 trifectas, an average of 7.90 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly seven three-pointers 147 times, more than any figure.
   Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 282 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 63-15 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 28-25 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:   5 times   2: 19 times   3: 36 times
4:   75 times   5:  103 times   6: 101 times
7:  147 times   8:  124 times   9: 93 times
10: 82 times   11: 57 times   12: 56 times
13: 45 times   14: 19 times   15: 7 times
16: 8 times   17: 3 times   19: 2 times
20: 1 time   21: 1 time   22: 1 time
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2023-24 season went on sale on September 28th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball vs. Colorado State Press Conference - 10/25/25
Saturday, October 25
MBB: Creighton vs. Iowa State Exhibition
Friday, October 17
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Iowa State. Press Conference - 10/17/25
Tuesday, October 14
Creighton Men's Basketball Availability - 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
