#15 Men's Basketball Faces Oklahoma State in BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle

Game #7: #15 Creighton Bluejays (5-1) at Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-3)
Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023 • 8 p.m. • Stillwater, Okla. • Gallagher-Iba Arena
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | OSU NOTES |

Next Game
No. 15 Creighton (5-1) plays its first true road game of the 2023-24 season when it ventures to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State (3-3) as part of the BIG EAST - Big 12 Battle.
   Tip-off at Gallagher Iba Arena (13,611) is scheduled for 8 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. John Bishop will call the action.
   The audio is webcast at 1620thezone.com and can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 119 or 201, as well as https://siriusxm.us/SXM964.

Telecast Information
Thursday's game will be called by Rich Hollenberg and Tim Welsh and be televised on ESPN2. The game will also be video webcast at https://www.watchespn.com. Cable authorization may be required.

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

Scouting #15 Creighton
Ranked No. 15 nationally in the Associated Press poll and No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches poll, Creighton is 5-1 this season but will be taking the floor for the first time since suffering its first loss of the season last Thursday vs. Colorado State in Kansas City, Mo.
   The nucleus of the team is formed by three returning starters as senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.3 ppg., 63.3 FG%), senior forward Baylor Scheierman (18.2, 7.0 rpg., 4.0 apg) and junior guard Trey Alexander (15.8 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 4.7 apg.) all put their professional aspirations on hold and came back.
   Add in senior transfer Steven Ashworth (8.0 ppg,. 3.5 apg., 41.4 3FG%), the USBWA District VII Player of the Year last year at Utah State, and it's easy to see why CU was one of three BIG EAST teams picked in the top-10 nationally in the preseason.
   Creighton's bench has provided 20.5 points per game to date, a group led by Francisco Farabello (6.2 ppg.; 40.0 3FG%), Fredrick King (6.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg.) and Isaac Traudt (6.3 ppg., 45.5 3FG%).
    Creighton was picked to finish second of 11 teams in a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches. It's No. 8 spot in the polls was its best preseason rank in program history.

Scouting Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is 3-3 on the season, including a 3-1 mark at home. The Cowboys have defeated Sam Houston, New Orleans and Houston Christian, and lost to Abilene Christian, St. Bonaventure and Notre Dame.
   Bryce Thompson (14.3 ppg.) leads a team with five double-digit scorers, just ahead of Javon Small (14.0 ppg., 5.6 apg, 5.6 rpg.), Jamyron Keller (14.0 ppg.), Mike Marsh (10.4 ppg., 7.0 rpg.) and John-Michael Wright (10.3 ppg.)
   Brandon Garrison leads OSU with 1.3 blocked shots per game.
   As a team, OSU averages 76.7 points per game and allows 66.5 points per contest. The Pokes shoot 46.1 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from downtown and 60.9 percent at the line while outrebounding foes by 4.0 caroms per contest.

The Series vs. Oklahoma State
Creighton is 21-19 all-time against Oklahoma State, but just 7-13 in games played in Stillwater.
   The series dates back to a 49-23 Bluejay win in 1929, as the teams played 16 times between 1929-1952 but have met just four times since then.
   Creighton has not won in Stillwater since 1943, and have scored 53 points or less in each its seven wins in the city.
   Creighton won the most recent meeting on Dec. 20, 1998, topping the then-No. 18 Cowboys 66-60 in Eddie Sutton's return to Omaha.
   Greg McDermott went 1-4 as Iowa State head coach against OSU, but has never coached against Mike Boynton, Jr.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 305-151 record in his 14th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 585-346 in his 30th season, and is 454-282 in 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.

With A Win...
- Creighton would improve to 6-1 or better after seven games for the eighth time in 14 seasons under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would improve to 22-19 all-time against Oklahoma State, and 8-13 in Stillwater.
- Creighton would earn its first win in Stillwater since 1943, snapping a five-game road losing streak against the Pokes.
- Creighton would improve to 20-2 since 2002 in the contest following a loss by 20 points or more.

Milestone Watch
Baylor Scheierman enters Thursday with 983 career rebounds, including 348 in 43 games as a Creighton Bluejay, as he continues his quest for 1,000 career rebounds. Scheierman's career-high is 18 rebounds, done in 2021, while playing for South Dakota State against Alabama.
   Trey Alexander has made 93 career three-pointers and is seven away from 100. While it's a long shot, both literally and figuratively, keep in mind that Alexander is one of four Bluejays ever to make seven or more three-pointers in a game multiple times, joining Kyle Korver, Ethan Wragge and Mitch Ballock.
   Ryan Kalkbrenner enters Thursday's tussle at Oklahoma State with 1,259 career points, just nine away from passing Wally Anderzunas (1965-67, 1968-69) for 25th place in Creighton history. Kalkbrenner can also pass Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson (1954-57) with 14 points.

Ain't Life Grand?
Baylor Scheierman owns 1,695 points, 983 rebounds, 466 assists and has made 272 career three-pointers in 133 total games when you combine his Creighton and South Dakota State stats.
   Creighton's only other players to reach 1,000 career rebounds have been Paul Silas (1,751), Bob Harstad (1,126), Doug McDermott (1,088) and Benoit Benjamin (1,005).
   If you're curious, how many games it took to get to 1,000 rebounds for each man, we've got you covered:
Games to 1,000 Rebounds
Name   GP   Opponent, Date
Paul Silas   47   at Utah State, 2/23/63
Benoit Benjamin   89   at Bradley, 3/5/85
Bob Harstad   115   Siena, 2/3/91
Doug McDermott   132   DePaul, 2/7/14

950+ Rebounds, 250+ 3FG Nationally, Since 1992-93
Name, School(s)   REB   3FG
Mike Daum, South Dakota State   1,236   271
Doug McDermott, Creighton   1,088   274
Kyle Singler, Duke   1,015   267
Alec Peters, Valparaiso   996   289
Tyrn Flowers, Massachusetts/Long Island   985   283
Baylor Scheierman, SDSU/Creighton   983   266

Can't Stop Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman made a three-point basket in all 37 games he played last season and each game this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 53 in a row if you his final 10 games at South Dakota State.
   Scheierman's streak of 43 straight as a Bluejay is the longest streak in Creighton history, 10 more than Ty-Shon Alexander's 33.
   Scheierman is also the only player in the nation who had made three or more three-pointers in every game his team has played this season.
   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
   43   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 (11/29)
   Streak   Name, School   Next Game
   71   Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall   12/2
   53   Baylor Scheierman, Creighton / S. Dakota St.   11/30

Scheierman Drains 250th Trey
Baylor Scheierman has made 266 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.5 percent clip.
   Scheierman also owns 1,695 points, 983 rebounds, 466 assists and 124 career steals.
   Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman is the nation's only player in the last 30 years with career totals of at least 250 three-pointers, 450 assists and 950 rebounds.
   Among the nation's active players Scheierman is fifth in rebounds, trailing only Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Fardaws Aimaq (California), Norchad Omier (Miami Fla.) and Enrique Freeman (Akron).

Good Things Come In 3's
Baylor Scheierman has made multiple three-pointers in each of the last 22 November games he's played in, and three or more triples in each of his last 10 November contests. Thursday will be the final November game of his college career.
   Scheierman is the first Bluejay to open the season with four straight games with three or more trifectas since Ty-Shon Alexander did it the first six games in 2018-19.
   Creighton's never had a player open a season with three or more three-pointers in each of its first seven games.

Coming Home
Junior guard Trey Alexander is an Oklahoma City native and is no doubt looking forward to Thursday's game in Stillwater, which is 66 miles away from Oklahoma City.
   When Creighton's non-conference schedule was announced in June, it was Alexander who tweeted "Homecoming in Stilly". He said on Monday that he's expecting around 35 friends and family to be in attendance on Thursday.
   Alexander earned the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2021 after averaging 23.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a senior. He played in three state title games for Heritage Hall High School, where he's the school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
   Oklahoma State gave Alexander his second scholarship offer back when he was in ninth grade.

Creighton/OSU Connections
Hall of Fame coach Eddie Sutton's first Division I head coaching job was at Creighton, where he patrolled the Bluejay sideline from 1969-74 and went 82-50.    Sutton later coached at Arkansas and Kentucky before leading Oklahoma State to 368 wins from 1990-2006.
   Current Oklahoma State assistant coach Scott Sutton is the son of Eddie Sutton. He was born in Omaha in 1970.
   Another Oklahoma State staffer who will look familiar to Creighton fans is associate head coach Terrence Rencher, who was an assistant on Greg McDermott's staff from 2019-21.

BIG EAST - Big 12 Battle History
Both Creighton and Oklahoma State are playing in the BIG EAST - Big 12 Battle for the fifth time, and each school is in search of its second win in the event.
   Creighton beat Oklahoma (83-73) in Omaha in 2019, lost at #5 Kansas (73-72) in 2020, lost to No. 19 Iowa State (64-58) in Omaha in 2021 and last season fell 72-67 at No. 2 Texas.
   Oklahoma State lost in Stillwater to Georgetown in 2019 (81-74), won at Marquette 70-62 in 2020, lost at home to Xavier in 2021 (77-71) and last season lost to No. 8 Connecticut (74-64) in Storrs.

Bouncing Back
Creighton doesn't lose many games by 20 or more points, as it did on Nov. 23 against Colorado State in its last game.
   Since Jan. 1, 2002, Creighton has answered with a victory in its next game 19 of the last 21 times it has happened.
Creighton's Losses by 20+ Points Since 2002
Date   Loss by 20+ Points   Next Game   Result
02/28/04   Missouri State 70, CU 46   03/01/04   CU 75, Wichita State 61
02/16/08   Bradley 87, CU 59   02/19/08   CU 88, Missouri State 67
03/21/08   Florida 82, CU 54   11/16/08   CU 82, New Mexico 75
01/03/09   Illinois State 86, CU 64   01/06/09   Northern Iowa 69, CU 66
03/07/09   Illinois State 73, CU 49   03/18/09   CU 73, Bowling Green 71
02/11/12   Wichita State 89, #17 CU 68   02/14/12   CU 88, Southern Illinois 69
03/23/14   #23 Baylor 85, #16 CU 55   11/14/14   CU 104, Central Arkansas 77
01/25/15   #4 Villanova 71, CU 50   01/28/15   CU 77, St. John's 74
01/31/15   #21 Georgetown 67, CU 40   02/04/15   CU 79, Xavier 72 (OT)
11/19/15   #14 Indiana 86, CU 65   11/23/15   CU 85, Rutgers 75
02/03/16   #3 Villanova 83, CU 58   02/06/16   CU 88, DePaul 66
01/25/17   Georgetown 71, #16 CU 51   01/28/17   #16 CU 83, DePaul 66
01/13/18   #10 Xavier 92, #25 CU 70   01/17/18   CU 80, #19 Seton Hall 63
02/01/18   #1 Villanova 98, CU 78   02/07/18   CU 76, DePaul 75
02/20/18   Butler 93, CU 70   02/24/18   CU 89, #3 Villanova 83 (OT)
11/28/19   San Diego State 83, CU 52   11/29/19   CU 83, #12 Texas Tech 76 (OT)
03/01/20   St. John's 91, #10 CU 71   03/04/20   #11 CU 91, Georgetown 76
03/13/21   Georgetown 73, CU 48   03/20/21   #19 CU 63, UC Santa Barbara 62
01/05/22   #19 Villanova 75, CU 41   01/15/22   #17 Xavier 80, CU 73
02/26/22   #11 Providence 72, CU 51   03/02/22   CU 64, #18 UConn 62
03/10/23   #15 Xavier 82, #24 CU 60   03/17/23   CU 72, NC State 63
11/23/23   Colorado St. 69, #8 CU 48   11/30/23   Thursday at Oklahoma State

Starting Strong After Seven
Creighton is in search of its eighth start of 6-1 or better through seven games under Greg McDermott, and third consecutive. CU's last three teams to start 6-1 combined to win six postseason games.
   W-L After 7   Year   Final W-L (Postseason)
   7-0   2011-12   29-6 (NCAA, 1-1)
   6-1   2012-13   28-8 (NCAA. 1-1)
   6-1   2014-15   14-19 (None)
   7-0   2016-17   25-10 (NCAA, 0-1)
   6-1   2018-19   20-15 (NIT, 2-1)
   6-1   2021-22   23-12 (NCAA, 1-1)
   6-1   2022-23   24-13 (NCAA, 3-1)

Rare Off Night
Creighton's 27.9 percent shooting against Colorado State was a rare aberration for a Bluejay offense that came into the game ranked 11th nationally in points per game (91.2) and sixth in the country in field goal percentage (53.9).
   In Greg McDermott's 14 years on the Bluejay sideline, the only worse games were vs. Providence on Jan. 12, 2016 (25.8%) and on Jan. 31, 2015 (20.8%) vs. Georgetown.

Road Openers
Creighton is 6-7 under Greg McDermott in its first true road game of the season.
   The road opener has been the barometer for Creighton's postseason plans in the previous 13 years. Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament all six times it has won the road opener, and missed the NCAA Tournament four of the other six years where a postseason was contested.
   CU would have made the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was canceled even though it lost its road opener that year.
Creighton in Road Openers, Last 13 Years
Year   Opponent   Score   CU in NCAA's?
2010-11   Northwestern   L 52-65   No (CBI)
2011-12   UAB   W 70-60   Yes
2012-13   Nebraska   W 64-42   Yes
2013-14   Saint Joseph's   W 83-79   Yes
2014-15   Tulsa   L 64-77   No
2015-16   #14 Indiana   L 65-86   No (NIT)
2016-17   Nebraska   W 77-62   Yes
2017-18   #20 Northwestern   W 92-88   Yes
2018-19   Nebraska   L 75-94   No (NIT)
2019-20   Michigan   L 69-79   No (Postseason CCD)
2020-21   #5 Kansas   L 72-73   Yes
2021-22   at Nebraska   W 77-69   Yes
2022-23   at #2 Texas   L 67-72   Yes

Bahamas Bounce
Creighton is coming off a trip to the Bahamas in August, which it hopes will prepare the team for early victories as past trips have done.
   This year's team is off to a 5-1 start after going to The Bahamas.
   A 2019 trip to Australia helped the Bluejays open the year 12-2.
   A 2015 trip to Italy helped the Bluejays start the season 5-1.
   A 2011 trip to the Bahamas helped get the Bluejays ready for a 7-0 start.
   A 2007 trip to Canada paid dividends as Creighton started 5-0.
   In 2003, the Bluejays also went to Canada and started the subsequent season 12-0.

Kalkbrenner Eyes Top 25 Of Scoring Chart
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,259 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 26th in program history. 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.   1,259   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
   27.   1,254   Gary Swain   1983-87

   Kalkbrenner also ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 210.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
   Blk.   Name   Years
   411   Benoit Benjamin   1982-85
   210   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 510 of 767 career shots, putting him at 66.5 percent overall. That places the senior center fourth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 500 or more field goals and at least four field goals per game.
   However, Kalkbrenner is first among all such players who have ever attempted 40 or more three-point field goal attempts.
Best Career FG%, NCAA History (min. 500 FG, 4FG/game)
   Pct. (FG-FGA)   Name, School   Years
   .678 (828-1222)   Steve Johnson, Oregon State   1976-81
   .668 (566-847)   Murray Brown, Florida State   1976-80
   .667 (740-1109)   Evan Bradds, Belmont   2013-17
   .665 (510-767)   Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   2020-Pres.
   .664 (702-1058)   Todd MacCulloch, Washington   1995-99

Almost a Trey-Double?
Trey Alexander finished CU's Nov. 16 win vs. Iowa with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, finishing just shy of becoming CU's first player in history to record a traditional points/rebounds/assists triple-double.
   Alexander had six of his nine assists in the first 12:21 of the second half, but CU's only basket in the final 7:39 was a score by Alexander himself.
   Creighton's only triple-doubles in history all came from Benoit Benjamin. "Big Ben" had 24 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks vs. Tulsa on Feb. 16, 1984, had 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks vs. Southern Illinois on Jan. 17, 1985 and had 29 points, 12 rebounds and a school-record 12 blocks on Feb. 2, 1985 vs. Bradley.
   Alexander isn't the only current Bluejay to finish a game one assist shy of a triple-double, as Baylor Scheierman and 12 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in last year's BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal win over Villanova.
   Alexander's performance was still good enough for his first career double-double, as his 11 rebounds were a career-high and his nine assists matched his career-best.

Trey's Bien
Trey Alexander has made the leap in his junior season. Here's how the start of the year compares to his first two years combined.
Category   2023-24   2021-23
Games Played   6   72
20-Point Games   4   5
Dunks   4   2
Double-Doubles   1   0
Points Per Game   15.8   10.6
Rebounds Per Game   6.5   4.0
Assists Per Game   4.7   2.5
Steals Per Game   1.0   0.9

Nationally Speaking
Through games of Nov. 26th, Creighton is all over the NCAA stat leaders. The Bluejays rank in the top 20 in eight different categories.
   Rank   Category   Stat
   1   Fouls Per Game   8.5
   2   Three-Pointers Per Game   12.3
   8   Effective FG%   .597
   6   Three-Point Attempts Per Game   31.8
   13   Assist/Turnover Ratio   1.75
   15   Defensive Rebounds Per Game   31.00
   16   Rebound Margin   +11.2
   17   Scoring Margin   20.3

This Is 20/20
Trey Alexander started his junior season with 20 points vs. Florida A&M, 21 points vs. North Dakota State, 23 points vs. Iowa and 20 points vs. Texas Southern
   That made him just the second Bluejay in the last 25 years to score 20 or more in each of CU's first four games, joining Doug McDermott in 2013-14. McDermott did it the first six games of his senior season in 2013-14 and went on to be named National Player of the Year that season.
   Alexander is the first Bluejay to score 20 points or more in four consecutive games at any time of year since Marcus Foster did it in seven consecutive contests from Jan. 16-Feb. 10, 2018.

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 991 straight games. The streak is the nation's 10th-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 (11/27)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,197   UNLV   11/28
   2.   1,195   Duke   11/29
   3.   1,121   East Tennessee State   11/29
   4.   1,101   Texas   11/30
       1,101   Oakland   11/29
   6.   1,099   Pacific   11/29
   7.   1,041   Marshall   12/2
   8.   1,025   Gonzaga   11/28
   9.   1,025   Princeton   11/29
   10.   991   Creighton   11/30
       991   Long Island   12/2
   12.   979   Mount St. Mary's   12/1

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 991 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,859 trifectas, an average of 7.93 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 287 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 68-15 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 28-26 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: 102 times
7:   147 times   8:   124 times   9: 93 times
10: 83 times   11: 57 times   12: 57 times
13: 45 times   14: 21 times   15: 7 times
16: 8 times   17: 3 times   18: 1 time
19: 2 times   20: 1 time   21: 1 time   22: 1 time

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. CU is currently No. 15 in the AP poll.
   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.
   This week is the 25th in program history that Creighton has been in the top-10 at any point, with all but one of those occasions 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 126 times in program history, with 98 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 156-64 all-time as a ranked team, including a 123-52 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 preseason 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 was also eighth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever. CU is 14th in the Nov. 27th Coaches poll.

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 its Missouri Valley Conference days 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.
   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)

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 Nov. 26, 2023
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   4,017   3rd
FG Percentage   .476   4th
3FG Percentage   .375   6th
Assists   7,266   6th
FG Made   12,435   8th
Points   34,784   9th
Wins   305   24th
Winning Percentage   .669   32nd

Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 111 starts from last year's team, its most since 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
2023-24   3   111   ? ? ?
2022-23   3   104   24-13
2021-22   0   2   23-12
2020-21   5   124   22-9
2019-20   4   136   24-7
2018-19   2   57   20-15
2017-18   2   72   21-12
2016-17   4   130   25-10
2015-16   1   64   20-15
2014-15   1   49   14-19
2013-14   4   144   27-8
2012-13   4   140   28-8
2011-12   3   101   29-6
2010-11   4   123   23-16
2009-10   3   106   18-16
2008-09   3   83   27-8
2007-08   1   44   22-11
2006-07   4   120   22-11
2005-06   4   134   20-10
2004-05   2   58   23-11
2003-04   3   101   20-9
2002-03   5   159   29-5
2001-02   2   65   23-9
2000-01   3   90   24-8
1999-00   3   84   23-10
1998-99   3   84   22-9
1997-98   4   72   18-10
1996-97   4   126   15-15
1995-96   4   100   14-15
1994-95   2   52   7-19
1993-94   3   73   7-22
1992-93   2   64   8-18
1991-92   2   51   9-19
1990-91   4   132   24-8
1989-90   4   127   21-12
1988-89   4   123   20-11
1987-88   3   83   16-16
1986-87   2   65   9-19
1985-86   1   48   12-16
1984-85   4   124   20-12
1983-84   3   72   17-14
1982-83   3   77   8-19
1981-82   2   78   7-20
1980-81   4   112   21-9

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.
   Last but not least, both Alexander and Kalkbrenner were two of 20 players on the NABC's Preseason Division I Player of the Year Watch List. The only other schools with two players on that list were Duke and USC.

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 are playing for Creighton this season.

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 was 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
10   UAB   11/14/12
10   vs. Drake   03/02/12
10   at Nebraska   12/07/14
10   South Dakota   12/09/14
10   St. John's   01/03/18
10   at DePaul   02/07/18
10   Bemidji State   02/13/18

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 305 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .669 winning percentage is Creighton's best since Arthur A. Schabinger's .714 win rate more than 85 years ago.
   Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton History
Rk.   W-L   Name   Years
1.   327-176   Dana Altman   1994-2010
2.   305-151   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
03/20/06   Miami (Fla.)   L 53-52   G. Diaz FT   :2.6
01/20/07   Southern Illinois   L 58-57   B. Mullins FG   :4.1
01/10/15   #19 Seton Hall   L 68-67   S. Gibbs 3FG   :2.2
02/16/15   #19 Butler   L 58-56   R. Jones FG   :1.9
03/07/15   Xavier   L 74-73   D. Davis FT's   :6.3
01/12/16   #12 Providence   L 50-48   K. Dunn FG   :0.0
02/22/17   Providence   L 68-66   K. Cartwright 3FG   :2.4
02/10/18   #5 Xavier   L 71-72   Q. Goodin FT's   :0.3

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 342 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 21-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 282-60 (.824) 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 26,786-22,375 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.90 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 89 different times.
   Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 23 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
   Creighton is also 32-36 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 185-42 (.815) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 64 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 99-9 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 301-60 (.834) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.58 points per home game (18,292 points in 227 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.14 points in non-conference home games (9,087 points in 108 home games).
   Creighton is 139-6 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   13
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
2010-11   66   174   98
2011-12   5   166   28
2012-13   5   66   15
2013-14   2   124   17
2014-15   59   138   79
2015-16   43   76   40
2016-17   32   46   28
2017-18   25   58   30
2018-19   47   83   55
2019-20   3   78   12
2020-21   25   32   22
2021-22   112   19   50
2022-23   23   14   12
2023-24   20   25   15

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

#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.

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.

#15 Men's Basketball Faces Oklahoma State in BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle

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Players Mentioned

Trey Alexander

Steven Ashworth

Francisco Farabello

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Arthur Kaluma

Fredrick King

Ryan Nembhard

Baylor Scheierman

Isaac Traudt

Brock Vice