Creighton University Athletics
Saturday, February 25
Philadelphia, PA
11:00 AM
Creighton University
at
Villanova
#19 Men's Basketball Closes February With Road Battle at Villanova
2/23/2023 4:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton seeks first sweep of Wildcats since 2014
Game #29: #19 Creighton Bluejays (18-10, 12-5 BIG EAST) at Villanova Wildcats (14-14, 8-9 BIG EAST)
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 • 11:00 a.m. CST • Philadelphia, Pa. • Wells Fargo Center
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | VU NOTES (PDF) |
Next Game
No. 19 Creighton (18-10, 12-5 BIG EAST) enters the stretch run of the BIG EAST season when it pays a visit to defending league tournament champion Villanova (14-14, 8-9 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Feb. 25th.
Wells Fargo Center (20,546) in Philadelphia, Pa., will host the action, which tips at 11 a.m. Central.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2022-23 season. John Bishop will call the action.
The audio is webcast at 1620thezone.com and can be heard on SiriusXM channel 134 or 202 and on SXM app channel 965.
In addition, Westwood One will carry a national radio broadcast of the game, with Scott Graham and Jon Crispin on the call and Jason Horowitz hosting the pregame and halftime show. That broadcast will air in select markets, as well as on WestwoodOne.com.
Telecast Information
Saturday's game will be called by Tim Brando and Nick Bahe and be televised on FOX.
The game will also be video webcast at https://www.foxsports.com/live.
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.
Scouting No. 19 Creighton
No. 19 Creighton started 6-0, including wins at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational over No. 21 Texas Tech and No. 9 Arkansas, then dropped its next six games. Since losing its BIG EAST opener at Marquette in mid-December, the Jays are 12-4 in league play with nine double-digit wins.
All-BIG EAST center Ryan Kalkbrenner (14.7 ppg., 6.7 rpg., 2.3 bpg.), who was named 2022 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, is third in the nation in field goal percentage (.706) this season. CU is 18-7 with him in the line-up this year, but 0-3 without him.
CU had three men named to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team last winter who are now sophomores. That trio includes Ryan Nembhard (12.1 ppg., 5.0 apg.) as well as Arthur Kaluma (11.9 ppg., 6.2 rpg.) and Trey Alexander (13.2 ppg., 4.0 rpg.).
Creighton's highest-impact newcomer has been South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman (13.1 ppg., 8.3 rpg.), who also owns the team lead with 11 double-doubles and 69 three-pointers made.
Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference and earned its best preseason AP poll ranking ever (No. 9), thanks to the return of 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's team that finished 23-12.
CU averages 76.1 points while allowing just 67.7 points per contest. CU shoots 46.8 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from deep and 75.7 percent at the line.
Scouting Villanova
Villanova is 14-14 this season and 8-9 in BIG EAST play after winning four of its last five contests, including Tuesday's 64-63 win at No. 16 Xavier.
Four men are averaging in double-figures, a quartet led by Caleb Daniels (15.6 ppg.) and Eric Dixon (15.4 ppg.).
Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Cam Whitmore averages 12.0 points per game, while Justin Moore recently returned from an Achilles injury and averaged 12.8 points and 2.8 assists per game while logging 33.0 minutes per game.
The Wildcats average 69.3 points per game on 43.5 percent shooting from the floor and 33.0 percent marksmanship from deep. One year after setting an NCAA single-season record for free throw percentage (83.0 percent), the Wildcats are leading the country with 82.4 percent shooting at the line.
The Series With Villanova
Villanova leads the all-time series with Creighton, 17-7, including a 10-2 mark in home games. However, both Bluejay victories have come at Wells Fargo Center, where Saturday's game will be held.
Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by double-figures, with CU winning four of those games. The teams traded lopsided blowouts last season, with CU winning 79-59 in Omaha on Dec. 17 and the Wildcats gaining revenge 75-41 in Pennsylvania 20 days later. The Wildcats won the rubber match in the BIG EAST Tournament final, 54-48. Creighton defeated Nova 66-61 on Feb. 4th in Omaha earlier this season.
Greg McDermott is 7-13 against Villanova and 1-0 against Kyle Neptune.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 294-147 record in his 13th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 574-342 in his 29th season, and is 443-278 in his 22nd Division I campaign.
McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native then coached Creighton to its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20.
McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
He is assisted by Alan Huss, Ryan Miller and Jalen Courtney-Williams.
With A Win...
- Creighton would improve to 14-1 this season against unranked teams when Ryan Kalkbrenner plays, including a 10-0 mark in BIG EAST action.
- Creighton would improve to 3-1 in games at Wells Fargo Center against Villanova, and 4-2 in the facility under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would sweep Villanova in the regular-season for the second time in 10 seasons as a BIG EAST rival, joining the 2013-14 campaign when CU won 96-68 and 101-80 over the Wildcats.
- Creighton would improve to 13-5 in league play, matching its 2019-20 BIG EAST record when it tied Villanova and Seton Hall for the conference's regular-season title.
- Creighton would improve to 4-1 on FOX this season.
- Creighton would improve to 5-5 in road games this season, 5-4 in BIG EAST road tilts and win for the fifth time in its last six road competitions.
- Creighton would ensure no tiebreakers will be needed to guarantee itself a top-five seed and subsequent first round bye in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Chase For A Title
Heading into the final three games of the regular-season, here's where the top four teams in the BIG EAST standings are positioned, and what remains for each team:
Team 2/24-26 2/28-3/1 3/4
MU (14-3) DPU @BU SJU
CU (12-5) @VU GU @DPU
XU (12-5) @SHU @PC BU
PC (12-5) @GU XU SHU
Kalkbrenner Approaches 1,000 Points
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 994 career points, which ranks tied for 45th-most in Bluejay history. He is six points from becoming the 45th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, something no Bluejay has done since Marcus Zegarowski did it on Jan. 20, 2021 vs. Providence.
Kalkbrenner, who owns a career-high of 24 points, has scored six or more points in 71-of-90 career games as a Bluejay and 24-of-25 appearances this winter.
Here's a list of Creighton's top scorers ever, as well as how long it took CU's last 20 men to reach 1,000 points.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 20 Bluejays
Name CU Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Marcus Zegarowski 75 01/20/21
Mitch Ballock 100 11/29/20
Ty-Shon Alexander 85 01/15/20
Khyri Thomas 94 02/10/18
Marcus Foster 54 01/17/18
Austin Chatman 138 03/11/15
Ethan Wragge 132 01/18/14
Gregory Echenique 101 03/24/13
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
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. 1,155 Ethan Wragge 2009-14
32. 1,152 Dane Watts 2004-08
33. 1,140 Khyri Thomas 2015-18
34. 1,116 Kenny Evans 1982-87
35. 1,115 Doug Brookins 1972-75
1,115 Daryl Stovall 1978-82
37. 1,093 Tim Powers 1964-67
38. 1,050 Reggie Morris 1982-86
39. 1,031 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
40. 1,024 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
41. 1,023 Rod Mason 1986-88
42. 1,013 Austin Chatman 2011-15
43. 1,006 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
44. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
45. 994 Chuck Officer 1960-62, 1963-64
994 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
47. 979 Terrell Taylor 1999-02
48. 967 David Wesely 1975-79
49. 965 Fritz Pointer 1963-66
50. 939 Cyril Baptiste 1969-71
Rejected!
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns a blocked shot in each of Creighton's last 23 games, including multiple rejections in all but five of those contests.
Last season Kalkbrenner had a block in 26 straight games from Nov. 16 - Feb. 26th, making him the first Bluejay with a swat in 20 straight games or longer since Benoit Benjamin began a streak of 28 consecutive contests with a rejection on Dec. 14, 1984, a streak that only ended when Big Ben left early for the NBA Draft.
Kalkbrenner Invites You To His Block Party
Ryan Kalkbrenner tied his career-high with six blocked shots on Jan. 3 vs. Seton Hall, giving him exactly 150 swats as a Bluejay. The six blocks are tied for the most by any BIG EAST player in a game this season, and the most in a conference game.
In 35 regular-season conference games played since the start of last season, Kalkbrenner owns 95 blocked shots compared to just 60 fouls.
Kalkbrenner ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 185, passing Chad Gallagher for sole possession of second place on Feb. 21 vs. No. 10 Marquette.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
185 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
174 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
Consistent Kalkbrenner
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been extremely consistent throughout his career, regardless of whether he's playing at home or on the road.
He owns near exact numbers in terms of points scored, blocks, steals, fouls, field goals made and free throws made.
Stat Home Road/Neutral
Games 43 47
Minutes 1,050 1,178
Points 496 498
Rebounds 259 277
Blocks 90 95
Steals 18 20
Assists 34 42
Fouls 69 69
FG Shooting 201-277 (.726) 203-329 (.617)
3FG Shooting 5-14 (.357) 2-15 (.133)
FT Shooting 89-126 (.706) 90-133 (.677)
Scheierman Closes In On 1,500 Points
Baylor Scheierman enters Saturday with 1,480 career points. The first 1,114 of those points came at South Dakota State, while he has scored 366 points as a Bluejay.
Scheierman averages 13.1 points per game this season. His season-high is 25 points, while his career-high is 28 points. He had a season-low five points in the first meeting this season against Villanova.
Scheierman also owns 404 career assists, including 84 this season. He's dished at least one helper in all but two games this season, and each of the last 20 contests in a row.
FOX Rocks
Saturday will mark Creighton's fifth and final scheduled appearance on FOX this season.
After a rough start on FOX, the network has been a good luck charm for the Bluejays in recent seasons, helping CU improve to 12-16 on the channel.
Creighton lost its first seven appearances and was 2-10 on FOX in its first six seasons as a BIG EAST member. Since then, Creighton is 10-6 on the network, and 3-1 this season including a Feb. 4 win over Villanova.
Creighton's Record on FOX Since 2013-14
Year W-L
2013-14 0-0
2014-15 0-0
2015-16 0-1
2016-17 0-4
2017-18 1-3 (lost first 2)
2018-19 1-2 (won last 1)
2019-20 2-0
2020-21 5-2 (won first 4)
2021-22 0-3
2022-23 3-1 (so far)
Rematch!
Creighton and Villanova will square off for just the second time since Nova won a 54-48 decision in the title game of the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament.
Three of the seven Bluejays to appear in that game are back, as Arthur Kaluma, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Trey Alexander combined for 36 points and 25 rebounds.
Of the eight Wildcats to play in that contest, six return. That group scored 32 points and 24 rebounds.
Creighton won the only previous meeting since then, 66-61, in Omaha on Feb. 4.
Repeat After Three
Few teams in the country have made as many three-pointers in the last 10 seasons as the teams featured in Saturday's match-up. Since 2013-14, Villanova leads the nation in that category with 3,261 trifectas, while Creighton is sixth with 2,993.
Creighton is 1-13 all-time when making eight three-pointers or less against Villanova (including three meetings in the 1950's long before the 3-point line existed), but 6-4 when making nine or more trifectas. CU has hit 81-of-174 treys (46.6%) in the seven wins, but 94-of-336 triples (28.0%) in the 17 losses.
Villanova has made nine or more three-pointers against Creighton in 12-of-21 meetings as BIG EAST rivals.
Creighton is 27-2 in its last 29 games (against all teams) when attempting 15 or fewer three-pointers.
Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton has made 3,867 three-pointers in 441 games, good for fourth-most nationally behind Belmont (4,093) and VMI (3,947). Villanova is third on that list with 3,871 treys.
Most 3FG Made Since 2013-14 (thru 2/22/23)
Rk. Team 3FG Games
1. Villanova 3,261 344
2. Belmont 3,178 323
3. North Florida 3,128 317
4. VMI 3,031 307
5. The Citadel 3,026 306
6. Creighton 2,993 331
The Cats Meow
Villanova has the second-best win percentage in the country since the start of the 2013-14 season, which coincides with the realignment of the BIG EAST. Villanova is 277-67 (.805), just behind a Gonzaga program that is 307-41 (.882). No one else has won more than 80 percent of its games.
Of the 90 different schools to play Villanova in that time, only 29 have actually beaten the Wildcats.
Creighton is one of 12 schools to post multiple victories over the Wildcats in that time. Creighton's seven victories over Villanova are tied for the most by any Wildcat opponent in that span with Marquette.
Something About Creighton
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Villanova has suffered only 67 losses, with just 13 of those coming by 15 points or more.
Five of those lopsided setbacks have come against Creighton, while eight other teams have done it once each.
Villanova's Largest Margins of Defeat Since 2013-14
Margin Score Date
28* Creighton 96, Villanova 68 1/20/14
27 Michigan 73, Villanova 46 11/14/18
26 Purdue 87, Villanova 61 3/23/19
25 Ohio State 76, Villanova 51 11/13/19
23 Oklahoma 78, Villanova 55 12/7/15
21 Creighton 101, Villanova 80 2/16/14
21 Baylor 57, Villanova 36 12/12/21
20 Georgetown 78, Villanova 58 1/19/15
20 Creighton 79, Villanova 59 12/17/21
16 Creighton 86, Villanova 70 2/13/21
16 Syracuse 78, Villanova 62 12/28/13
16 Kansas 81, Villanova 65 4/2/22
15* Creighton 76, Villanova 61 2/1/20
*at Wells Fargo Arena
Coming Off A Final Four Trip
- Creighton is 7-18 all-time against teams coming off a trip to the Final Four, but just 1-10 in true road games. Villanova appeared in last year's Final Four.
Creighton is 7-18 Against Teams
That Made The Final Four The Previous Year
(Home: 5-5, Away: 1-10, Neutral: 1-3)
Date Winner Loser Team Finish at Final Four
01/11/46 @Oklahoma State 53 Creighton 34 NCAA Champ
03/09/46 Oklahoma State 45 @Creighton 24 NCAA Champ
02/08/47 @Creighton 40 Oklahoma State 31 NCAA Champ
02/28/47 @Oklahoma State 52 Creighton 24 NCAA Champ
03/16/62 Cincinnati 66 vs. Creighton 46 NCAA Champ
01/26/63 @Ohio State 78 Creighton 73 Final Four
12/02/64 @Kansas State 96 Creighton 82 Final Four
12/29/70 Jacksonville 94 vs. Creighton 85 Final Four
02/17/71 @St. Bonaventure 104 Creighton 84 Final Four
03/08/75 Marquette 64 @Creighton 60 NCAA Runner-Up
02/07/78 @Marquette 82 Creighton 57 NCAA Champ
01/17/80 @Creighton 67 Indiana State 60 NCAA Runner-Up
01/28/80 DePaul 84 @Creighton 73 Final Four
02/09/80 Creighton 69 @Indiana State 64 NCAA Runner-Up
12/23/87 @UNLV 90 Creighton 59 Final Four
11/25/06 @Creighton 58 George Mason 56 Final Four
03/21/08 @Florida 82 Creighton 54 NCAA Champ
12/31/16 Villanova 80 @Creighton 70 NCAA Champ
02/25/17 @Villanova 79 Creighton 63 NCAA Champ
03/11/17 Villanova 74 vs. Creighton 60 NCAA Champ
01/13/19 Villanova 90 @Creighton 78 NCAA Champ
02/06/19 @Villanova 66 Creighton 59 (OT) NCAA Champ
03/19/19 @Creighton 70 Loyola Chicago 61 Final Four
11/29/19 Creighton 83 (OT) vs. Texas Tech 76 NCAA Runner-Up
02/04/23 @Creighton 66 Villanova 61 Final Four
02/25/23 Creighton at Villanova Final Four
The Race To 70
Creighton has scored 70 or more points in 15 of its 18 victories this season.
Creighton has averaged 84.71 points in seven all-time wins over Villanova, but just 60.82 in 17 losses against the Wildcats.
Villanova has surrendered 67.6 points per game this season.
On the other hand, Creighton is 16-3 this season when allowing fewer than 70 points.
Creighton is 5-0 all-time when scoring 79 points or more against the Wildcats, compared to a 2-17 record when scoring 78 points or fewer.
Endless Range In Philly in 2014
Creighton set a BIG EAST and school-record with 21 three-point baskets in a 28-point win at No. 4 Villanova in 2014 the first time the teams met as BIG EAST rivals at Wells Fargo Center.
Creighton's previous mark was 20, done vs. Chattanooga in 2005. The previous BIG EAST mark was 20, done by West Virginia vs. Marquette in 2006 and matched by Notre Dame vs. Villanova in 2011.
The 21 three-pointers are the third most by one team in a game between major conference teams since 1990.
Creighton broke the Wells Fargo Center record for three-pointers by a Villanova opponent late in the first half (the old mark was 12), and also set a mark for most points against 'Nova at the Wells Fargo Center with 96, passing the old mark of 90.
What A Start!
Creighton made a three-pointer on each of its first nine possessions in its 2014 win at No. 4 Villanova. Creighton started the game 7-for-7 from deep, missed a two-pointer but turned an offensive rebound into another trey, and then sank a trifecta on its ninth trip, as well.
That brings to mind all sorts of fun stats.
-According to Ken Pomeroy, Creighton became the first team since Indiana State in 2012 to make its first nine attempts from three-point range in a game. Pomeroy found evidence of six teams in the previous five years to make their first nine attempts from downtown.
-Pomeroy's research also indicated that Creighton was the only team in the previous five years to make nine straight three's without any other scores to start a game.
-Pomeroy also found that Creighton was the second team in the previous five years to score each of its first 30 points via the three-pointer. Miami (Ohio) had its first 33 points vs. Western Michigan on Jan. 28, 2012.
-Subsequent research by the Omaha World-Herald determined that of Creighton's 21 three-pointers, 17 were made from behind the NBA three-point line that was on the Wells Fargo Center floor.
Possession By Possession
Taking another look at the start of the 2014 game at Villanova, contested at Wells Fargo Center. Creighton made three-pointers on nine straight trips, including seven from Ethan Wragge.
Poss. # Time Result Score
1 19:37 Wragge 3FG CU 3-0
2 18:57 Wragge 3FG CU 6-0
3 18:20 Manigat 3FG CU 9-2
4 17:45 McDermott 3FG CU 12-5
5 17:03 Wragge 3FG CU 15-5
6 16:13 Wragge 3FG CU 18-5
7 15:49 Wragge 3FG CU 21-5
8 15:10 McDermott 2FG miss (off. rebound)
14:39 Wragge 3FG CU 24-5
9 13:55 Wragge 3FG CU 27-8
All's Well At Wells Fargo
Creighton has certainly seen some extremes during its recent trips to Wells Fargo Center.
Creighton closed its run as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 2013 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. The Bluejays defeated BIG EAST member Cincinnati (67-63) in the Second Round before dropping to No. 6 Duke, 66-50, in the Third Round. Creighton shot just 2-of-19 from three-point range in the loss, scoring a season-low 50 points.
In 2013-14, Creighton made a Wells Fargo Center record 21 three-pointers in a 28-point win over then-No. 4 Villanova, making 9-of-9 three-pointers on its first nine possessions of the game.
In 2018 against top-ranked Villanova at Wells Fargo Center, Creighton lost 98-78 as the Wildcats drained a program-record 19-of-39 three-point shots.
Most recently in 2020, Creighton defeated No. 8 Villanova 76-61 at Wells Fargo Center as Denzel Mahoney had 21 points off the bench and CU made 11-of-22 three-pointers.
Frequent Fliers
The shortest month of the year has also been the most grueling month for Creighton to say the least.
The Bluejays went 2-1 while hosting defending tournament champ Villanova (Feb. 4), No. 21 UConn (Feb. 11) and No. 10 Marquette (Feb. 21). Those three home games were decided by a total of 10 points.
In addition, Saturday will mark Creighton's fifth separate round trip to the East Coast this month, as it is 3-1 on the road so far in February.
The Bluejays have already posted double-digit road wins over Georgetown (Feb. 1), Seton Hall (Feb. 8) and St. John's (Feb. 18) in addition to a double-overtime loss at No. 24 Providence (Feb. 14) heading into Saturday's tilt at Villanova.
Due to its geographic location as the most Western-based school in the BIG EAST it shouldn't be much of a surprise, that Creighton will travel more than any other school in league play, as seen below:
School Estimated Distance Traveled
Creighton 19,966
Marquette 13,132
Providence 12,686
DePaul 11,968
UConn 11,832
Butler 11,404
Xavier 11,038
St. John's 10,088
Georgetown 9,842
Villanova 9,833
Seton Hall 9,830
Conference Average 11,965
League (Arena) Bound
Creighton will play its 48th game in a full-time NBA arena since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010 when it takes the floor on Saturday inside Wells Fargo Center, which is also the home to the Philadelphia 76ers.
In that time, Creighton is 23-24 in such games, including a 2-4 mark in the NCAA Tournament and a 9-8 record in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Creighton has played in eight different NBA arenas in that time, including Madison Square Garden (9-10), Fiserv Forum (4-1), Verizon Center/Capital One Arena (4-5), Wells Fargo Center (3-2), Bradley Center (2-3), AT&T Center (1-1), Golden 1 Center (0-1) and Spectrum Center (0-1).
Creighton in NBA Arenas Since 2010
Date Score NBA Arena
03/22/13 CU 67, Cincinnati 63 Wells Fargo Center#
03/24/13 Duke 66, CU 50 Wells Fargo Center#
01/20/14 CU 96, Villanova 68 Wells Fargo Center
02/09/14 St. John's 70, CU 65 Madison Square Garden
02/19/14 CU 85, Marquette 70 Bradley Center
03/04/14 Georgetown 75, CU 63 Verizon Center
03/13/14 CU 84, DePaul 62 Madison Square Garden$
03/14/14 CU 86, Xavier 78 Madison Square Garden$
03/15/14 Providence 65, CU 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/21/14 CU 76, Louisiana 66 AT&T Center#
03/23/14 Baylor 85, CU 55 AT&T Center#
01/03/15 Georgetown 76, CU 61 Verizon Center
01/14/15 Marquette 53, CU 52 Bradley Center
02/07/15 St. John's 84, CU 66 Madison Square Garden
03/11/15 CU 78, DePaul 63 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/15 Georgetown 60, CU 55 Madison Square Garden$
01/26/16 Georgetown 74, CU 73 Verizon Center
02/13/16 CU 65, Marquette 62 Bradley Center
03/10/16 Seton Hall 81, CU 73 Madison Square Garden$
01/25/17 Georgetown 71, CU 51 Verizon Center
03/04/17 Marquette 91, CU 83 Bradley Center
03/09/17 CU 70, Providence 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/10/17 CU 75, Xavier 72 Madison Square Garden$
03/11/17 Villanova 74, CU 60 Madison Square Garden$
03/17/17 Rhode Island 84, CU 72 Golden 1 Center#
01/06/18 CU 90, Georgetown 66 Capital One Arena
02/01/18 Villanova 98, CU 78 Wells Fargo Center
03/03/18 Marquette 85, CU 81 Bradley Center
03/08/18 Providence 72, CU 68 Madison Square Garden$
03/16/18 Kansas State 69, CU 59 Spectrum Center#
01/21/19 CU 91, Georgetown 87 Capital One Arena
03/03/19 CU 66, Marquette 60 Fiserv Forum
03/14/19 Xavier 63, CU 61 Madison Square Garden$
01/15/20 Georgetown 83, CU 80 Capital One Arena
02/01/20 CU 76, Villanova 61 Wells Fargo Center
02/18/20 CU 73, Marquette 65 Fiserv Forum
02/06/21 CU 71, Marquette 68 Fiserv Forum
03/11/21 CU 87, Butler 56 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/21 CU 59, UConn 56 Madison Square Garden$
03/13/21 Georgetown 73, CU 48 Madison Square Garden$
01/01/22 CU 75, Marquette 69 (2OT) Fiserv Forum
02/12/22 CU 80, Georgetown 66 Capital One Arena
03/10/22 CU 74, Marquette 63 Madison Square Garden$
03/11/22 CU 85, Providence 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/22 Villanova 54, CU 48 Madison Square Garden$
12/16/22 Marquette 69, CU 58 Fiserv Forum
02/01/23 CU 63, Georgetown 53 Capital One Arena
# NCAA Tournament $ BIG EAST Tournament
Deep Dive Into The Rankings
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked ninth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever.
The Oct. 17th announcement marked just the fifth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22) and 2020-21 (No. 11). All four of those Bluejay teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton was 10th in the AP poll released on Nov. 14th and Nov. 21 and was seventh last Nov. 28th. The team fell to No. 21 on Dec. 5th. After a two-month absence, Creighton returned to the Top 25 on Feb. 6th when it was tabbed 23rd and was then 18th last week. This week, the Jays came in at 19th.
The Nov. 28 week was the 21st time in program history that Creighton has been in the top-10 at any point, with all but one of those weeks happening under head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton's best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Including Feb. 20th, Creighton has been ranked 121 times in program history, with 93 of those weeks under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 151-61 all-time as a ranked team, including a 117-49 mark under McDermott. Creighton has been ranked at least one week in nine of McDermott's 13 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton was also ninth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever in the Coaches poll. The Jays remained ninth in the Nov. 14 Coaches poll and climbed to eighth in the Nov. 21 Coaches poll and were seventh on Nov. 28. CU was 21st on Dec. 5th. This week, the Jays are 19th in the USA Today poll.
The program's best slotting ever in the Coaches poll is fifth, done on Jan. 4, 2021.
Ranking News & Notes
Creighton is 29-31 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 29 wins over ranked teams in that time are the 10th-most nationally and two more than Gonzaga. CU's 29 top 25 wins trails only Villanova (34) among BIG EAST programs in that span.
- On a national basis, the only 17 teams with a top-25 win each of the last nine seasons (including 2022-23) are Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Xavier. Schools still trying to extend their streak to nine (or longer) this winter are Florida State and Michigan.
- The Bluejays have beaten multiple top-25 foes each of the last eight seasons (2015-16 to 2022-23), something only Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue and Texas Tech can also claim. Villanova can join that group with a win over No. 19 Creighton on Saturday.
Big Mac Attack
Greg McDermott's teams have consistently battled some of the best teams in the country.
The chart below shows how his teams have consistently outpaced some of his predecessors against top-25 foes.
Category Pre-McDermott Under McDermott
vs. Top 25 Teams 18-115 34-48
vs. Top 10 Teams 5-31 12-22
vs. Top 10 on Road 1-28 4-11
vs. Top 25 on Road 2-63 9-23
Another Top 25 Foe Bites The Dust
Through games of Feb. 22, Creighton's 11 top-25 games are tied for second-most nationally with Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, and trailing only the 12 played by Kansas.
Through games of Feb. 22nd, the only teams with more than Creighton's five top-25 victories this year are Iowa State (7), Kansas (7), Kansas State (7), Alabama (6) and Texas (6) while others with five top 25 wins include Marquette, Tennessee, Arizona and Missouri.
And when it comes to ranked teams, keep in mind that Creighton also played both Arizona State and Marquette before both teams moved into the top-25 later in the season after facing the Bluejays.
Creighton's Most Top-25 Wins, Season
Wins Season Top-25 Victims
6 2019-20 #8 Villanova, #10 Seton Hall,
#12 Texas Tech, #19 Marquette,
#21 Butler, #8 Seton Hall
5 2021-22 #9 Villanova, #11 Providence,
#17 UConn, #18 UConn, #24 BYU
5 2022-23 #9 Arkansas, #13 Xavier,
#19 Providence, #21 Texas Tech, #21 Connecticut
4 2016-17 #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
#16 Butler, #22 Xavier
4 2017-18 #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Hall,
#20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
3 2020-21 #5 Villanova, #22 Xavier, #23 UConn
2 1973-74 #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
2 2001-02 #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
2 2006-07 #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
2 2013-14 #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
2 2015-16 #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
2 2018-19 #10 Marquette, #16 Clemson
Most Games vs. Top 25 Teams, Season
Games Season Coach
12 (5-7) 2021-22 Greg McDermott
11 (5-6) 2022-23 Greg McDermott
10 (4-6) 2017-18 Greg McDermott
8 (1-7) 2014-15 Greg McDermott
8 (2-6) 2015-16 Greg McDermott
8 (6-2) 2019-20 Greg McDermott
Most Top 25 Wins Since Start of 2021-22 Season
Record Team
15-9 Kansas
12-7 Tennessee
12-11 Iowa State
11-7 Alabama
11-8 Marquette
10-3 Arizona
10-11 Villanova
10-13 Creighton
10-13 Texas Tech
9-4 Purdue
9-8 Baylor
9-12 Kansas State
9-13 TCU
9-13 Texas
BIG EAST Honors Black Fives Era
During the month of February, the BIG EAST Conference will celebrate Black History Month by partnering with the Black Fives Foundation, a nonprofit public charity whose mission is to research, preserve, showcase, teach, and honor the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball, to host 22 games honoring black athletes, coaches, and communities who played a critical part in the America's basketball history.
Prior to the integration of the National Basketball Association in 1950, a nationwide-barnstorming circuit was created of independent African American teams. This era, which ran from the early 1900s to 1950, became known as the "Black Fives" Era, referring to the five starting players on a basketball team whose skill, athleticism, and innovative style of play helped shaped and popularize the game.
For games against St. John's, Marquette and Villanova this month, Creighton will be wearing the name and logo of the Cudahy Rex to honor these pioneers.
Among The Best...EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 404 career field goals, meaning he's over 400 and now eligible to appear in the NCAA's record book for career field goal percentage.
The Florissant, Mo., native has attempted 606 career shots, putting him at 66.7 percent overall. That places the junior center eighth in field goal percentage in NCAA history.
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
.712 (480-674) Kris Bankston, Norfolk State 2019-Pres.
.678 (828-1222) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1976-81
.677 (441-651) Michael Bradley, Kentucky/Villanova 1998-01
.668 (566-847) Murray Brown, Florida State 1976-80
.6673 (740-1109) Evan Bradds, Belmont 2013-17
.6667 (404-606) Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2020-Pres.
.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
Ryan BucketGetter
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks third in the country in field goal percentage (.706) this season. That figure also ranks fourth-best in NCAA history among juniors, and 13th-best ever in a single-season by any player regardless of year of eligibility.
Best Season FG%, NCAA History (min. 5 FG/game)
Pct. (FG-FGA) Name, School Years
.800 (184-230) Devontae Cacock, UNCW 2016-17
.770 (211-274) Udoka Azubuike, Kansas 2017-18
.748 (181-242) Udoka Azubuike, Kansas 2019-20
.746 (235-315) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1980-81
.722 (179-248) Dwayne Davis, Florida 1988-89
.720 (136-189) Max Fiedler, Rice 2022-23*
.714 (210-294) Evan Bradds, Belmont 2015-16*
.713 (154-216) Keith Walker, Utica 1984-85
.710 (211-297) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1979-80*
.708 1(114-161) Josh Roberts, Manhattan 2022-23
.7075 (150-212) Adam Mark, Belmont 2001-02
.707 (133-188) Asbjorn Midtgaard, Grand Canyon 2020-21
.706 (151-214) Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2022-23*
.704 (254-361) Oliver Miller, Arkansas 1990-91*
.703 (163-232) Alan Williams, Princeton 1986-87
.702 (231-329) Mark McNamara, California 1981-82
.700 (173-247) Warren Kidd, MIddle Tennessee 1990-91
*Junior
The Kalkbrenner Difference
Here's a look at the difference with and without Ryan Kalkbrenner this season.
Stat Kalkbrenner Plays Kalkbrenner Out
Team W-L 18-7 0-3
Team FG% .476 .403
Team 3FG% .355 .338
Team FG/Game 28.0 27.0
Rebound Margin +5.4 -8.6
Off. Rebounds/Game 8.8 5.7
CU Points/Game 76.9 69.7
Opp. Points/Game 66.8 75.0
Scoring Margin +10.1 -5.3
Turnovers/Game 11.6 13.0
Opp. FG% .420 .440
Five Weapons
All five Creighton starters are averaging at least 11.9 points per game. Per research from FOX Sports, only six teams since 2009-10 have finished a season with five players averaging 12.0 or more.
Last season marked the first time since 1964-65 that Creighton had five men average in double-figures for an entire season.
Creighton has won 29 of its last 31 games when five or more players score in double-figures, losing only at No. 12 Xavier on Jan. 11, 2023 and at No. 24 Providence on Feb. 14, 2023.
Five Players Averaging 12.0+ PPG
Since 2009-10 (minimum 75 pct of team games)
Season Team/Players Final Record
2020-21 Richmond 14-9, 0-1 NIT
Francis (16.1), Golden (12.7), Gilyard (12.3), Cayo (12.2), Burton (12.0)
2017-18 Kansas 31-8, 4-1 NCAA
Graham (17.3), Mykhailiuk (14.6), Newman (14.2), Azubuike (13.0), Vick (12.1)
2017-18 William & Mary 19-12, Missed Postseason
Knight (18.5), Pierce (14.7), Cohn (14.2), Milon (13.0), Burchfield (12.6)
2016-17 UCLA 31-5, 2-1 NCAA
Leaf (16.3), Alford (15.5), Ball (14.6), Hamilton (14.1), Holiday (12.3)
2015-16 North Florida 22-12, 0-1 NIT
Moore (19.8), Beech (15.4), Daniels (12.3), Davenport (12.3), Mackey (12.0)
2012-13 North Carolina State 24-11, 0-1 NCAA
Leslie (15.1), Howell (12.7), Wood (12.6), Brown (12.4), Warren (12.1)
On A Roll
Creighton has won nine of its past 11 games, with the lone losses coming in double-overtime at then-No. 24 Providence and in the final 30 seconds against No. 10 Marquette. CU has collected three top-25 wins at home (No. 19 Providence, No. 13 Xavier, No. 21 Connecticut) as well as four double-digit road wins in that span.
In those 11 games, Creighton has outscored teams 75.3 - 65.9 and shot 81.1 percent from the line. All five starters have averaged at least 10.6 points per game during the run, while the bench has also contributed 115 points.
Stellar Six
Creighton is 4-2 in the last six games despite trailing in the second half of each, and three of those contests coming on the road. The streak started with CU's 66-61 win over Villanova on Feb. 4th.
The Bluejays have ridden their starters hard in that time, with Ryan Nembhard (40.2), Baylor Scheierman (37.4) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (37.8) all averaging at least 37 minutes per game.
Despite the heavy minutes, that trio is a combined 47-for-53 at the line (88.7 percent), with Scheierman 13-for-14.
As a team, Creighton's three-point shooting has improved to 37.2 percent in that time and the Jays are a stout 82.3 percent at the line. The Bluejay bench is 13-for-27 from deep (48.1 percent) in those five games.
Let It Fly
Creighton made 13-of-33 three-pointers in last Saturday's win against St. John's.
In 10 seasons in the BIG EAST, it was Creighton's 11th road game in league play in which the Jays have drained 13 or more trifectas, but first time since making 17-of-35 triples in a win at Seton Hall on Jan. 27, 2021.
Creighton is 10-1 in BIG EAST road games all-time when making 13 three-pointers or more.
Bench Points!
Creighton got tremendous production from its bench at St. John's, as the group scored 13 of CU's first 24 points and 20 points overall.
Shereef Mitchell made a career-high three three-pointers, Mason Miller's eight points were his most ever in a BIG EAST game and Francisco Farabello made his lone shot in his first action in four games.
Creighton's 20 bench points were its most since scoring 29 the last time it meant St. John's in mid-January, and came after combining for a total of 29 points in the six games since the first meeting with the Johnnies.
In Creighton's Feb. 4 win over Villanova, neither team scored a single bench point. It was Creighton's first game since at least 1986 with no bench points from either team. Creighton also did not score a bench point in the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament final against the Wildcats.
Spin Zone
Before you bemoan the fact that Creighton's bench ranks 343rd in the country with 11.46 points per game, keep in mind that the Bluejays rank 13th in the nation with 64.64 points per game by its starters.
If you're curious, Villanova is 72nd with 57.23 points per game by its starting five but 339th with 12.07 bench points per contest.
A Dozen Will Do
Creighton is 12-5 in the BIG EAST this season and is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the last four seasons.
Among the other BIG EAST or "Power 5" Conference schools, UCLA and Virginia have already joined Creighton in doing it a fourth straight season, while Baylor (currently 9-6 in league play), Illinois (9-7) and Kansas (11-4) are trying to get there.
.500 Or Better in League Play, Again
Creighton is 12-5 in league play, clinching a .500 mark or better in league play once again. It is the 27th time in the last 28 seasons that Creighton has gone .500 or better in league play.
The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous five seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall. The Wildcats are currently 8-9 in conference play and can't reach 12 wins this season, while Seton Hall is 9-8 and must win out.
February Favorites
Creighton is 5-2 this February. In the past four seasons, Creighton owns a 22-7 mark in BIG EAST games during the month of February, including a 7-3 record against top-25 competition.
That overall record ranks as the best in the BIG EAST, through games of Feb. 23.
BIG EAST Records in February, 2020 to Feb. 23, 2023
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 22 7 .786
Providence 18 9 .667
Connecticut 14 7 .667
Seton Hall 18 10 .643
Villanova 18 12 .600
Marquette 13 12 .520
Xavier 12 15 .444
Butler 12 19 .387
St. John's 11 17 .393
Georgetown 8 23 .258
DePaul 6 21 .222
Winning With Defense
Long revered for its offensive prowess, Creighton has turned into one of the nation's best defensive teams in recent seasons.
This year's team ranks 11th in KenPom's defensive efficiency ratings after being 19th a year ago.
In the final five minutes BIG EAST play this season, Bluejay opponents are shooting 35.3 percent from the floor (48-136), 20.0 percent from downtown (9-45) and have made just 49 free throws.
In league games only, Creighton leads the BIG EAST in points per game allowed (66.8) and field goal percentage defense (.410).
McDermott Among The Best
A Nov. 10th article on CBSSports.com ranked the nation's best Top 25 And 1 coaches, with Creighton's Greg McDermott making that list.
McDermott and Providence's Ed Cooley were the lone BIG EAST coaches named to the list.
McDermott and Cooley both rank in the top-13 in league history for BIG EAST victories and are the only two active coaches with 100 regular-season BIG EAST wins. The list contains six different coaches who have won at least one national title.
McDermott has been at his current job (13 seasons) longer than any active BIG EAST coach, but since his first three years were as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Cooley's 12 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
McDermott needed to coach in 173 BIG EAST regular-season games to earn his 100th conference win, 10th-fastest in league history.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches (2/23)
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 366 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2. 274 Jim Calhoun, UConn
3. 244 Jay Wright, Villanova
4. 198 John Thompson Sr., Georgetown
5. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
6. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
7. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
8. 118 Ed Cooley, Providence
9. 115 Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
10. 111 Rick Pitino, Providence/Louisville
11. 110 Rollie Massimino, Villanova
12. 107 Greg McDermott, Creighton
13. 105 Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
Fewest BIG EAST Games To 100 MBB League Wins
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 136 John Thompson Sr., Georgetown
2. 145 Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
3. 152 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
4. 154 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
5. 156 Rick Pitino, Providence/Louisville
6. 157 John Thompson III, Georgetown
7. 168 Jim Calhoun, UConn
8. 169 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
9. 172 Jay Wright, Villanova
10. 173 Greg McDermott, Creighton
11. 174 Rollie Massimino, Villanova
12. 190 Ed Cooley, Providence
13. 211 Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
It's Been A While
Creighton was ranked ninth in the preseason Associated Press poll and vaulted to seventh after a 6-0 start and trip to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational title game.
However, six straight losses from Nov. 23-Dec. 16 saw the Bluejays tumble not just out of the top 25, but to the point where it went back-to-back weeks (Dec. 19 & Dec. 26) where it didn't receive a single vote for the Top 25.
But a 12-4 stretch over 16 games from Dec. 22 - Feb. 19 has seen CU return to the rankings, where it is now 19th.
Per research from FOX Sports, the Bluejays are the first team in the last 14 seasons (since 2009-10) to be ranked at any time in a season after suffering through a six-game losing streak.
Alexander Inspired By Jim Jackson
Currently an analyst for FOX Sports, Jim Jackson was named UPI Player of the Year as a standout at Ohio State during the 1991-92 campaign.
The Feb. 11th win over UConn marked the third Creighton game this season with Jackson calling the game, and on each occasions the Jays have gotten a standout performance from sophomore guard Trey Alexander.
Jackson did five Creighton games last year -- CU's final five contests as it turns out -- when Alexander averaged 13.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Trey Alexander's Stats
Jackson Status PPG APG RPG 3FG% FT%
With Jim Jackson 17.8 3.5 3.8 .474 .800
8 game totals 142 28 30 18-38 32-40
Without Jim Jackson 8.9 2.4 3.9 .336 .811
55 game totals 487 131 214 46-137 107-132
Sold Out in Omaha
February 21st marked Creighton's fourth straight home sellout, the first time it has met or exceeded CHI Health Center Omaha's 17,352 capacity that many times in a row since the final six home games in 2019-20 when the Jays captured their first BIG EAST regular-season title.
It's also the first time Creighton's had four straight home crowds over 18,000 since a stretch of five straight games when it did it during the final four home games of 2013-14 and the home opener in 2014-15.
Creighton has now sold out six home games this season (Nebraska, Providence, Xavier, Villanova, UConn, Marquette) and played in front of 13 sellouts overall (also vs. Texas Tech, Arkansas and Arizona in Maui, as well as road games at UConn, Xavier, Providence and St. John's).
Creighton ranks sixth nationally this season with 17,172 fans per home game.
2022-23 NCAA Home Attendance Per Game Leaders
Through 2/22/23
Rank School Average
1. Kentucky 19,814
2. North Carolina 19,603
3. Arkansas 19,042
4. Syracuse 18,795
5. Tennessee 18,707
6. Creighton 17,172
7. Kansas 16,300
8. Indiana 15,952
9. Illinois 15,030
10. Wisconsin 14,938
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton's average home crowd of 17,172 this year ranks fourth-most in program history.
Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CHI Health Center Omaha, and now has done it each of the last 19 non-COVID seasons.
Creighton has led its conference in average home attendance every year (except the 2020-21 COVID season) since moving into CHI Health Center Omaha, which is in its 20th season.
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,413 Creighton 2016-17
17,314 Creighton 2019-20
17,172 Creighton 2022-23
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
17,048 Creighton 2014-15
17,000 Creighton 2017-18
Watch This
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Creighton senior Baylor Scheierman is a Top 10 candidate for the 2023 Julius Erving Award. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball.
A senior from Aurora, Neb., Scheierman is averaging 13.1 points per game and leads the nation's 19th-ranked team with 8.3 rebounds per game and 69 made three-pointers. He ranks 11th nationally with 7.39 defensive rebounds per game and 22nd with 11 double-doubles.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Julius Erving Award is composed of top men's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Award are Wendell Moore Jr., Duke (2022), Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (2021), Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
Home Grown Bluejays
The BIG EAST owns 57 transfers spread out amongst its 11 teams, but Creighton owns just two of them (Francisco Farabello and Baylor Scheierman). Only Villanova (1) has fewer, while Seton Hall owns a league-high 10 transfers.
Transfers On Roster, Current BIG EAST
10 Seton Hall
9 DePaul
8 Georgetown
7 Providence
5 St. John's
4 Connecticut
4 Xavier
4 Butler
3 Marquette
2 Creighton
1 Villanova
Among The Best
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 138 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 107 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to 2/23/23)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 138 40 .775
Creighton 107 75 .588
Providence 104 74 .584
Xavier 100 75 .571
Seton Hall 96 85 .530
Marquette 93 88 .514
Butler 84 100 .456
St. John's 70 112 .385
Georgetown 60 119 .335
DePaul 39 140 .218
Connecticut 34 19 .642
Pure Charity
Creighton has made 137-of-169 free throw attempts (81.1 percent) during the past 11 games.
For the season, Creighton is shooting 75.7 percent as a team from the charity stripe. That's the team's best mark since shooting 75.9 percent in 2012-13, and would be the second-best figure in Greg McDermott's 13-year tenure at CU.
In all games this season, Creighton is shooting 78.6 percent (99-for-126) in the final five minutes at the line this season.
Creighton made all 16 free throw attempts at St. John's last Saturday, which is believed to be the most attempts without a miss in program history. The Bluejays were a perfect 8-for-8 at the line in the final 80 seconds, and are now shooting a cool 79.5 percent at the line in true road games this season.
Double-Digit BIG EAST Wins
Creighton leads all teams in BIG EAST play with a +8.81 scoring margin, so it shouldn't be a shock that it also owns the league lead with nine double-digit conference wins this winter.
Creighton's six league victories by 15 points or more also top the conference, and are the most by any league school since Creighton had seven league wins by 15 or more in both 2020-21 and 2019-20. No BIG EAST team has had more than seven league wins by 15 or more points since Villanova had nine in 2017-18.
10 Pt. BE Wins 15 Pt. BE Wins Team
9 6 Creighton
7 3 Marquette
7 3 Providence
6 4 Connecticut
5 4 Seton Hall
5 1 Xavier
4 3 Villanova
3 2 St. John's
1 1 Butler
1 0 DePaul
0 0 Georgetown
Foul Play
Creighton has committed just six personal fouls in two of the its last seven games, which no doubt contributes to its 13.0 fouls per game that is third-best nationally.
Creighton is one of five teams this year with multiple games of six fouls or fewer (joining Nebraska, Notre Dame, Richmond and South Diego State), and is the first club with back-to-back games of six fouls or less since Hofstra on Nov. 22 & 24, 2021 vs. Richmond and Molloy.
Creighton's defense is keyed by 2022 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner, who leads the league in blocks per game. In the past two seasons, Kalkbrenner has swatted 147 shots in 59 games played while collecting as many as four personal fouls just five times.
In Creighton's last eight games, Bluejay opponents have made a total of 16 free throws in the final 10 minutes of the second half (not including overtimes).
Bizarro World
In the preseason, most human "experts" had Creighton as a top-10 team, while the computers had the Jays closer to the 20-30 range.
Now that the season is past the midway point and into February, the tables have turned.
Creighton is currently ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll and 19th in the USA Today Coaches polls.
However, the Bluejays are 12th in KenPom, 12th in Bart Torvik, 12th in the Sagarin ratings and 14th in the NET through games of Feb. 22. Since Ryan Kalkbrenner returned on Dec. 22nd, Bart Torvik's site ranks Creighton seventh. Since Justin Moore returned on Jan. 29th, Villanova is 58th.
Top BIG EAST Starts
Creighton is off to an 12-5 start in BIG EAST play this season, tied for its third-best mark (also 2013-14 and 2020-21) through 17 games since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
Creighton started 13-4 in its debut season of 2013-14. A win on Wednesday would move CU to 13-5, matching its second-best 18-game BIG EAST start ever with 2019-20.
Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton is 5-4 in its 18th game of the league season, including wins in three of the previous four seasons.
Just Call Him Trey-lor Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman has made a three-point basket in all 28 games he's played this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 38 in a row if you include the end of his time at South Dakota State.
Ty-Shon Alexander owns the longest streak in Creighton history of 33, done from Feb. 27, 2018 - March 6, 2019.
It's worth noting that Kyle Korver's third-place streak of 28 games with a trey was snapped when he did not attempt a field goal in 24 minutes of play during an 83-56 win over UNI (and head coach Greg McDermott) on Feb. 9, 2002. Korver then drained a triple in 27 more games in a row, a stretch from Feb. 13, 2002 to Jan. 20, 2003 before it was snapped against Evansville (and head coach Steve Merfeld).
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
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
28 Baylor Scheierman Nov. 7, 2022 - Present
27 Kyle Korver Feb. 13, 2002-Jan. 20, 2003
25 Rodney Buford Jan. 25, 1997-Jan. 10, 1998
23 Ethan Wragge Nov. 8, 2013-Feb. 9, 2014
23 Mitch Ballock Nov. 12, 2019-Feb. 8, 2020
23 Marcus Zegarowski Dec. 17, 2020 - March 28, 2021
22 Khyri Thomas Jan. 28-Dec. 5, 2017
21 Ethan Wragge Jan. 3-March 24, 2010
20 Johnny Mathies Dec. 22, 2004-Feb. 28, 2005
20 Marcus Foster Dec. 31, 2017-March 16, 2018
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer
Nation's Longest Active Streaks (through 2/22/23)
Streak Name, School Next Game
63 Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall 2/24
59 Darius McGhee. Liberty 2/24
57 Jordan "Jelly" Walker, UAB 2/23
41 Taijon Jones, UNC Asheville 2/25
40 Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee 2/25
38 Baylor Scheierman, Creighton 2/25
34 Jarod Lucas, Nevada 2/24
Nembhard Nears Triple-Double
Benoit Benjamin owns all three triple-doubles in Creighton history, but each were of the point/rebound/block variety and done in the 1980's.
The Bluejays have never had a traditional point/rebound/assist triple-double, though Ryan Nembhard flirted with one on Jan. 28th when he had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists vs. Xavier.
Nembhard is the third Bluejay with at least eight points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Damien Jefferson (10 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists at St. John's on 12/17/20) and Khyri Thomas (16 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists vs. DePaul on 2/27/18).
Giving It 100
Creighton won a 104-76 game vs. St. John's on Jan. 25, bringing up a bevy of numbers related to the century mark.
Creighton improved to 64-3 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, while Greg McDermott rose to 22-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 100 or more points.
Creighton's 104 points were its second-most ever in regulation in a conference game, trailing only its 115 in a 35-point win vs. Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985. No BIG EAST team had scored 104 points or more in regulation since 2017.
It was Creighton's first game with 100+ points in regulation since Dec. 20, 2018 vs. Coe and the first time with 100+ points in regulation against a Division I team since Dec. 20, 2017 vs. USC Upstate.
It was Creighton's first game scoring 50 points or more in both halves since Dec. 20, 2018 vs. Coe and first time exceeding 50 points in both halves since posting 58 in each half of a 116-62 rout of USC Upstate on Dec. 20, 2017.
Creighton has not scored 100 points in a true road game since a 106-86 victory at UMKC on Dec. 18, 1989, though it has surpassed the century mark three times on neutral floors since then (most recently 100 on Nov. 20, 2017 vs. No. 22 UCLA).
After never coaching a team to 100 or more points in nine combined seasons at Northern Iowa and Iowa State, Creighton has now scored 100 or more points 23 times under Greg McDermott, tied for the 10th-most nationally as seen below:
Most Games With 100+ Points Since 2010-11
Rk. 100+ Pt. Games School
1. 46 Gonzaga
2. 36 VMI
3. 35 The Citadel
4. 34 North Carolina
5. 27 Charleston Southern
6. 26 Central Michigan
26 Fort Wayne
8. 25 Houston Christian
9. 24 Portland State
10. 23 Creighton
23 Indiana
23 Winthrop
Kalkbrenner Recognized For Defense
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 15 men on the Watch List for this year's Naismith Trophy Men's Defensive Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Jan. 26.
Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.3 blocked shots per game, which also ranks 12th nationally. Kalkbrenner also paces the conference with 2.8 blocked shots per league game.
Last season the Florissant, Mo., native became Creighton's third BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in six seasons following a vote of league coaches.
Kalkbrenner has also been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, the USBWA Oscar Robertson Midseason Watch List, the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List and Preseason Jersey Mike's Naismith Award Watch List during his junior campaign.
Last year the 10 semifinalists for the award were named on March 1st, with the list being trimmed to four finalists on March 16. Auburn's Walker Kessler was announced as the winner on April 3rd at the Final Four. Other past winners include Baylor's Davion Mitchell (2020-21), Kansas' Marcus Garrett (2019-20), Washington's Matisse Thybulle (2018-19) and West Virginia's Jevon Carter (2017-18).
Give Me 10
Currently 12-2 inside CHI Health Center Omaha, Creighton now owns at least 10 home wins for the 26th time in the last 27 seasons.
The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.
Creighton also has surpassed 200,000 total home fans for the season for the 17th time in the last 18 years. The only exception was the 2020-21 season that was impacted by COVID-19, which restricted crowds nationwide.
The Double-Digit Kid
Ryan Nembhard had his first points/rebounds double-double at Butler when he finished with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
It was the second double-double of his career, as he had 15 points and 10 assists in his Bluejay debut in November of 2021.
It took the sophomore all of 10 days to do it again, as he had 11 points and 10 rebounds (as well as eight assists) on Jan. 28 vs. No. 13 Xavier.
Though Creighton's never had a traditional points/rebounds/assists triple-double, Nembhard is the first Creighton player with (different) games of 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 10+ assists in his CU career since Austin Chatman in his career from 2011-15.
The last Bluejay with (different) games of 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 10+ assists in the same season was Grant Gibbs in 2011-12.
No Creighton player has had double-doubles in points/assists and points/rebounds in the same season since at least 1981-82.
Kalkbrenner On Watch List For An Oscar
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 50 players nationally to be named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List, the United States Basketball Writers Association announced.
Kalkbrenner is one of five BIG EAST players on the list, joining Souley Boum (Xavier), Bryce Hopkins (Providence), Adama Sonogo (Connecticut) and Joel Soriano (St. John's).
He is just the second different Creighton player in head coach Greg McDermott's 13 seasons to make the Midseason Watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, joining Doug McDermott in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. McDermott became the lone Creighton recipient ever to win the Oscar Robertson Trophy when he was recognized following the 2013-14 campaign.
Kalkbrenner leads Creighton with 14.8 points per game and leads the BIG EAST with 2.3 blocked shots per contest. He ranks third nationally in field goal percentage (.703) and is second on the Bluejays with 6.8 rebounds per game.
Butler's Two-Point Conversions Failed
Creighton held Butler to just 27.3 percent shooting from two-point range on Jan. 18th, the seventh-best defensive mark in Greg McDermott's 13 years on the Bluejay sideline.
Creighton's Best Defensive 2FG%, Since 2010-11
2FG% 2FG-2FGA Opponent (*BIG EAST) Date
.222 8-36 Maryland-Eastern Shore 12-15-17
.259 7-27 at Georgetown* 02-09-21
.263 5-19 Coe 12-20-18
.273 12-44 at Butler* 01-17-23
.282 11-39 Wagner 03-19-16
.289 11-38 Bemidji State 02-13-18
.292 14-48 Butler* 01-23-16
What's Luck Got To Do With It?
In the KenPom.com rankings through Feb. 22nd, Creighton ranks 351st of 363 teams in the site's "Luck" category, while Villanova is 329th-luckiest.
The KenPom.com site defines "Luck" as the deviation in winning percentage between a team's actual record and their expected record using the correlated gaussian method. The luck factor has nothing to do with the rating calculation, but a team that is very lucky (positive numbers) will tend to be rated lower by his system than their record would suggest.
Jays Surpass 26K at CHI
Creighton has scored 26,319 points all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha, surpassing 26,000 in the facility on Jan. 25 vs. St. John's.
Creighton has outscored the opposition 26,319-22,068 at the 20-year old facility in 336 all-time games in the building that count.
Creighton is 25-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CHI Health Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (CLCO Game #) Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04 1,000-787 (14) Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05 2,000-1,696 (28) Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06 3,000-2,504 (41) Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07 4,000-3,359 (56) Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07 5,000-4,174 (69) Kaleb Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08 6,000-5,048 (82) Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09 7,000-5,870 (95) Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10 8,000-6,750 (109) Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10 9,000-7,645 (123) Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
03/23/11 10,000-8,500 (136) Lawson FG vs. UCF
01/21/12 11,000-9,310 (148) McDermott FG vs. Ind. St.
12/19/12 12,000-10,136 (161) Echenique FG vs. Tulsa
11/23/13 13,000-10,922 (173) Artino FG vs. Tulsa
02/23/14 14,000-11,711 (185) Gibbs FG vs. Seton Hall
01/28/15 15,000-12,612 (198) Hanson FT vs. St. John's
12/28/15 16,000-13,498 (211) Huff FG vs. Coppin State
11/15/16 17,000-14,349 (224) Patton FG vs. #9 Wisconsin
01/28/17 18,000-15,166 (235) Hanson FG vs. DePaul
12/18/17 19,000-15,927 (246) Foster 3FG vs. UT Arlington
11/06/18 20,000-16,741 (258) Ballock 3FG vs. W. Illinois
02/03/19 21,000-17,619 (270) Zegarowski FG vs. Xavier
12/07/19 22,000-18,463 (282) Ballock 3FG vs. Nebraska
03/07/20 23,000-19,280 (294) Mahoney 3FG vs. #8 Seton Hall
02/13/21 24,000-20,103 (306) Zegarowski FG vs. #5 Villanova
02/14/22 25,000-20,950 (320) Hawkins 3FG vs. Georgetown
01/25/23 26,000-21,786 (333) Nembhard 3FG vs. St. John's
Turning Point, Again?
This year has some similarities to the 2019-20 season, shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from deep and 75.7 percent at the line while scoring 76.1 points per game and allowing 67.7 per contest.
Through 28 games the 2019-20 squad was 22-6 and shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from deep and 73.8 percent at the line while scoring 78.2 points per game and allowing 69.1 points per contest.
Creighton started the 2019-20 season with a 2-3 league record but the season flipped with a home win over Providence in mid-January. That team defeated Providence 78-74 on a go-ahead three-pointer by Marcus Zegarowski with 3.2 seconds left to start a four-game win streak. The Jays would win 11 of their final 13 games to finish 13-5 in league play and tie for the program's lone BIG EAST title in program history.
This year's team started with a 3-3 league record before a 73-67 win over Providence and is now 12-5 in conference play.
The Schedule...It Is Strong
Creighton ranks 88th nationally in winning percentage, but owns an NET of 14 (through Feb. 23) thanks in part to a challenging schedule that ranks eighth-toughest nationally among average opponent NET rankings.
Creighton has already played 20 games against teams with a top-100 NET ranking:
NET Opponent CU Result
7 at UConn L 60-69
7 UConn W 56-53
9 at Texas L 67-72
11 vs. Arizona L 79-81
13 at Marquette L 58-69
13 Marquette L 71-73
15 vs. Arkansas W 90-87
35 at Xavier L 87-90
35 Xavier W 84-67
40 Providence W 73-67
40 at Providence L 84-96 (2OT)
49 vs. Texas Tech W 76-65
71 Seton Hall W 83-61
71 at Seton Hall W 75-62
70 vs. Arizona State L 71-73
82 Villanova W 66-61
82 at Villanova Saturday
89 Nebraska L 53-63
94 vs. BYU L 80-83
97 St. John's W 104-76
97 at St. John's W 77-67
120 Butler W 78-56
120 at Butler W 73-52
137 UC Riverside W 80-51
171 DePaul W 80-65
171 at DePaul March 4
185 St. Thomas W 72-60
220 at Georgetown W 63-53
220 Georgetown Wednesday
277 North Dakota W 96-61
331 Holy Cross W 94-65
Scheierman Drains 200th Trey
Baylor Scheierman enters Saturday's tilt having made 228 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.7 percent clip.
Scheierman also owns 1,480 points, 866 rebounds, 404 assists and 117 career steals.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman is the nation's only player in the last 30 years with career totals of at least 200 three-pointers, 400 assists and 750 defensive rebounds.
Kaluma Pounds The Glass
Arthur Kaluma grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds on Jan. 7 at No. 4 UConn, four more than his previous best done twice previously.
Kaluma's 16 rebounds were the most by a Bluejay since joining the BIG EAST 10 years ago, and last matched on Nov. 12, 2012 when Gregory Echenique also had 16 boards vs. UAB.
After just one double-double in his first 45 career games, Kaluma posted back-to-back double-doubles vs. Seton Hall and UConn. He finished the Jan. 11 game at Xavier with 11 points and nine rebounds, coming up just one board short of joining Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Hawkins, Martin Krampelj and Doug McDermott (twice) as the only Bluejays to record three straight double-doubles since 1994-95.
Most Rebounds, Game, Since 1994-95
Reb. Player vs. Opponent Date
18 Kenny Lawson Jr. vs. St. Joseph's 12-11-2010
17 Doug McDermott at Bradley 02-11-2011
16 Donald Davenport at Missouri St. 01-21-1995
16 Kenny Lawson Jr. vs. Drake 01-01-2011
16 Doug McDermott at Akron 02-19-2011
16 Gregory Echenique vs. UAB 11-12-2012
16 Arthur Kaluma at UConn 01-07-2023
15 Ben Walker at Baylor 12-04-1999
15 Justin Carter vs. Kentucky 03-23-2009
15 Doug McDermott vs. Tulsa 11-23-2013
15 Ronnie Harrell Jr. vs. #23 UCLA 11-20-2017
15 Christian Bishop vs. Ohio 03-22-2021
15 Ryan Kalkbrenner at Georgetown 02-12-2022
SWAT Team
Creighton owned nine blocked shots in its Jan. 3rd victory over Seton Hall. The nine blocked shots were tied for the most in a game under 13th-year head coach Greg McDermott (also done 2/13/18 vs. Bemidji State and 11/27/21 vs. SIU Edwardsville).
The nine rejections also tied Creighton's CHI Health Center Omaha record for team blocked shots in a game (also done 1/9/08 vs. Evansville, 2/13/18 vs. Bemidji State and 11/27/21 vs. SIU Edwardsville).
Combined with its 11 three-pointers made, Creighton fell just one block away from its first game with 10 blocks and 10 three-pointers for the first time since Feb. 17, 2002 vs. Wichita State when it had 10 of each.
Fool Me Once...But Nine Times?
Creighton has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below.
Last year marked the sixth straight season that Creighton has finished in fourth place or better.
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 None
2022-23 1st ?? Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
Offense Under The Christmas Tree
Trey Alexander was averaging 4.5 points per game in mid-January a year ago before averaging 9.6 points in his final 20 outings for an overall 7.4 points per game average for his rookie campaign.
This season Alexander is averaging 13.2 points per game and has scored seven points or more in all but two contests.
Starting with his career-high 32 points vs. DePaul on Christmas Day, Alexander has averaged 15.1 points per game and scored in double-figures in all but three of those.
Alexander continues to be rock solid at the free throw line, making 80.0 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe. He made 10-of-11 foul shots on Jan. 14 vs. Providence, including 6-for-6 marksmanship down the stretch.
Nationally Relevant
Through games of Feb. 22, Creighton ranked third-best in the country in fewest fouls per game (13.0). The Jays are also sixth in defensive rebounds per game (28.86) and 41st in assist/turnover ratio (1.33).
Individually, Baylor Scheierman ranks 22nd nationally with 11 double-doubles and 11th with 7.39 defensive rebounds per game.
Teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner is third in field goal percentage (70.6%) among players to make five field goals per game and 12th with 2.33 blocks per game.
Ryan Nembhard ranks 42nd in assist/turnover ratio (2.46), 39th in assists per game (5.0) and 45th in total assists (140).
On The Rebound
Baylor Scheierman gets lots of attention for his shooting and passing skills, but he did lead the Summit League in rebounding last year as well.
Scheierman has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 12 games this season, and has 11 double-doubles to date. The 11 double-doubles rank 22nd nationally, while his 7.39 defensive rebounds per game are 11th-most in the country.
The Aurora, Neb., product's current 8.3 rebounds per game average is the best mark by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin averaged 14.1 rebounds per game in 1984-85, just ahead of Doug McDermott's 8.2 in 2011-12.
Scheierman remains on pace to become the first man in school history to average at least 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 three-pointers per game.
Earlier this year Scheierman became the first Bluejay with four straight double-doubles since Doug McDermott from Nov. 25-Dec. 10, 2011.
Since the 1994-95 season, Scheierman, Ryan Hawkins, Martin Krampelj and McDermott (twice) are the only four Bluejays to record three straight double-doubles.
Scheierman's 11 double-doubles equal the most in a season since Bob Harstad had 12 in 1990-91.
Most Double-Doubles, Season, Since 1987-88
D-D Creighton Player Year
13 Bob Harstad 1988-89
12 Bob Harstad 1989-90
11 Bob Harstad 1990-91
11 Doug McDermott 2011-12
11 Ryan Hawkins 2021-22
11 Baylor Scheierman 2022-23
10 Doug McDermott 2012-13
10 Chad Gallagher 1990-91
Most Double-Doubles Since 1987-88, Career
D-D Creighton Player Year
42 Bob Harstad 1987-91
37 Doug McDermott 2010-14
24 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
13 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
11 Rodney Buford 1995-99
11 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
11 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
11 Ryan Hawkins 2021-22
11 Baylor Scheierman 2022-Pres.
Fantastic Five
Much has been written about Creighton's starting five this season, and the success CU has had when Ryan Nembhard, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma and Baylor Scheierman are on the floor together.
The quintet has played 480:08 (of a possible 1,330 minutes) together this season, outscoring the opposition 934-778 in those minutes.
In 11 games against ranked foes, the group has been paired together for 240:43 (of a possible 450 minutes), and outscored opponents 471-429.
With All 5 Regular Starters On the Floor
Opponent CU Pts. Opp Pts. Diff. Time
St. Thomas 36 34 +2 20:10
North Dakota 41 31 +10 18:42
Holy Cross 24 11 +13 9:28
UC Riverside 37 14 +23 17:31
#21 Texas Tech 58 49 +9 22:36
#9 Arkansas 33 25 +8 19:36
#14 Arizona 50 51 (-1) 21:17
#2 Texas 44 40 +4 24:49
Nebraska 17 22 (-5) 15:22
Butler 20 19 +1 13:09
DePaul 40 24 +16 14:57
Seton Hall 28 15 +13 14:51
#4 Connecticut 41 40 +1 24:51
#12 Xavier 58 55 +3 23:19
#19 Providence 40 21 +19 19:19
Butler 27 23 +4 14:00
St. John's 35 32 +3 11:28
#13 Xavier 48 39 +9 22:40
Georgetown 36 23 +13 23:34
Villanova 46 45 +1 27:50
Seton Hall 40 25 +15 20:15
#21 Connecticut 17 22 (-5) 14:13
#24 Providence 67 70 (-3) 38:20
St. John's 36 31 +5 18:08
#10 Marquette 15 17 (-2) 9:43
TOTAL 934 778 +156 480:08
Arc's-manship
Creighton shoots 36.0 percent from three-point range in BIG EAST play, and it's been a telling stat.
In 12 league wins, Creighton is shooting 109-for-283 from deep (38.5 percent).
In five league losses, Creighton is shooting 33-for-111 from deep (29.7 percent).
Creighton is 72-4 under Greg McDermott when making at least half of its three-point attempts, including a 40-1 mark in the past 10 seasons. The lone loss as a BIG EAST member was a 106-104 overtime setback to No. 21 Marquette on Jan. 9, 2019.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, since McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton's 76 games shooting 50 percent or better from downtown trail only Weber State (80).
Big Fred's Big Night
Making his second career start, freshman center Fredrick King had career-highs with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots in the Dec. 12 game vs. Arizona State.
King was just the second Bluejay of any age in Greg McDermott's 13 years on the CU sideline to post a game with at least 16/11/5, joining Gregory Echenique (18 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks) vs. Houston Christian on Dec. 17, 2011.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, King is the seventh different freshmen with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and no turnovers in the same game since 2010-11, a list that includes Chet Holmgren, Armando Bacot, Mo Bamba, Anthony Davis (twice), Thik Bol and Chris Horton.
Freshmen With 16 Pts., 11 Reb., 5 Blk, 0 Turnovers
(Since 2010-11)
Name, School Date PTS REB BLK
Anthony Davis, Kentucky 01/17/12 27 14 7
Anthony Davis, Kentucky 03/25/12 18 11 6
Chris Horton, Austin Peay 12/05/12 21 11 5
Thik Bol, Southern Illinois 02/19/17 19 11 6
Mo Bamba, Texas 12/29/17 22 15 8
Armando Bacot, N. Carolina 11/29/19 23 12 6
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga 03/17/22 19 17 7
Fredrick King, Creighton 12/12/22 16 11 5
King Him!
After 38 total points and 25 total rebounds in the first 10 games of his college career, Fredrick King put together back-to-back double-doubles after being pressed into a starting role when Ryan Kalkbrenner was sidelined by a non-COVID illness in mid-December. King had 16 points and 11 rebounds vs. Arizona State on Dec. 12th, then added 16 points and 10 rebounds at Marquette four days later.
King is CU's freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Justin Patton had three in 2016-17.
King is CU's first true freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Doug McDermott had nine in 2010-11. McDermott had also been the last Bluejay freshman with back-to-back double-doubles, having done it on Feb. 1 and Feb. 5, 2011.
For his efforts, King was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Dec. 19.
After shooting 8-for-8 vs. Marquette, King was 3-for-3 from the field against Butler to move him to 11-for-11 in league play with eight dunks. He is currently 22-for-33 from the field with 13 dunks in conference contests.
Simply Perfect
Below is a list of Creighton players to shoot 100 percent from the field on eight or more attempts in a game since the start of the 1991-92 campaign:
Most FGA, 100% Shooting, Since 1991-92
FGA Name, Opponent Date
11 Anthony Tolliver vs. Illinois State 01/01/07
10 Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. Holy Cross 11/14/22
8 Geoffrey Groselle vs. Coppin State 12/28/15
8 Justin Patton vs. Loyola (Md.) 12/07/16
8 Fredrick King at Marquette 12/16/22
Trèy's Bien
Sophomore Trey Alexander scored a career-high 32 points in a Christmas Day win over DePaul, easily surpassing his previous high of 18 points.
Alexander had 14 points in the first half and 18 more after the break. He made a career-high seven three-pointers.
Creighton's largest lead of the game was 17, done four times. Each came after an Alexander hoop.
Alexander was the first Bluejay in more than 55 years to have a game with 30 or more points before finishing a game with 20-29 points.
Trèy's Bien, Part II
Creighton made 16 three-point shots in its Christmas Day victory over DePaul, including 10 in the first half.
It was Creighton's most three-pointers in a game since sinking 17 trifectas at Seton Hall on Jan. 27, 2021.
CU made 10 triples in the first half of that Seton Hall contest, which was also the last time CU made 10 treys in one half.
Individually, Trey Alexander made a career-high seven three-pointers. That's the most by any Bluejay since Ryan Hawkins made eight shots from downtown at Georgetown on Feb. 12, 2022.
Paul Silas Passes Away at 79
Paul Silas, Creighton's first Academic All-American and one of the top players in Bluejay men's basketball history, passed away at the age of 79 on Dec. 11th.
Silas was recruited to Creighton by John J. "Red" McManus out of McClymonds High School in Oakland, Calif., the same high school that produced Bill Russell. Silas arrived on campus in 1960 when freshmen were ineligible to play for the varsity but quickly made a difference a year later when he led CU to the 1961-62 NCAA Tournament and the team closed with a 21-5 record. His 1963-64 team returned to the Big Dance and finished 22-7.
Silas is the only player in NCAA history with three or more seasons of 557 rebounds and owns the top three single-season rebound totals in Bluejay annals, including 631 as a senior in 1963-64. That figure remains fifth-most in NCAA history and is the most by any player since 1960. He's first in CU history with 1,751 rebounds, ninth in career points (1,661), third in career scoring average (20.51) and also in the top-10 in field goals made (8th) and free throws made (6th).
Silas' 21.6 career rebounds per game are third-most in NCAA history and his 1,751 rebounds are sixth in NCAA history as well as the most ever by a three-year player. Silas, along with Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore and Kermit Washington is one of five players to average at least 20 points and 20 rebounds for an NCAA career. Silas owns the top 29 single-game rebound performances in Creighton history, including a 38 rebound effort vs. Centenary on Feb. 19, 1962 that ranks tied for ninth-most in NCAA history.
He was the first Creighton student-athlete to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1963-64, was a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, and received the College of Business Administration's Alumni Merit Award in 1993.
In an old article, Silas boasted about his education, saying "I'm more proud of my academic success at Creighton than of all my athletic accomplishments. What Creighton University does for an athlete or any student is that they teach you how to think, how to deal with everyday living. What I learned at Creighton has helped me close the gap between professional sports and the business world."
A two-time All-Star and five-time NBA All-Defensive team member, he scored 11,782 points and grabbed 12,357 rebounds while winning three titles (Boston 1974 & 1976, Seattle 1979) during a 16-year NBA career from 1964-80. He later coached 12 seasons in the NBA for the Clippers, Hornets, Bobcats and Cavalier organizations. He was LeBron James' first NBA head coach. His son, Stephen Silas, is the current head coach of the NBA's Houston Rockets.
Silas was inducted into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 1974, the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Sophomores Standing Tall
Legendary Marquette coach Al McGuire once said that the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. The Bluejay trio of Arthur Kaluma, Trey Alexander and Ryan Nembhard were all part of the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team last season, and all three are off to fantastic starts as sophomores.
This year the trio have combined to average 37.2 points per contest.
Collectively, they shoot 43.1 percent from the field (359-832), 36.1 percent from downtown (117-324) and 78.9 percent at the line (206-261) while also contributing 395 rebounds and 256 assists against just 159 turnovers.
Creighton is 22-5 in the last two seasons when all three men play and they combine for 13 or more rebounds.
An Area for Improvement
One area that Creighton will look to improve in 2022-23 is its marksmanship from behind the arc, as last year's 30.8 percent shooting from deep was its worst as a team since 1993-94.
The Creighton staff is confident those numbers can improve as its talented freshman class is now sophomores. Thus far, Creighton is third in the BIG EAST with 8.7 three-pointers made per game and fourth with 35.3 percent marksmanship from deep.
Last year's freshmen combined to shoot 27.2 percent from deep (85-313), but they're not the first Bluejay freshmen to struggle early on from downtown, as seen in the chart below of some other prominent marksmen.
Even that chart is a little misleading, as Doug McDermott shot 15-of-53 (.283) from deep in his first 20 games of his freshman year before finishing 32-of-63 (.508) in his last 19 games. Likewise, Kyle Korver was shooting 11-for-41 (.268) from downtown after his first 14 contests before blistering the nets to the tune of 52-of-104 (.500).
As a Freshman Other College Years
Name 3FG-3FGA 3FG% 3FG-3FGA 3FG%
Ky. Korver 63-145 .434 308-674 .457
McDermott 47-116 .405 237-482 .492
Ty. Alexander 32-96 .333 178-469 .380
Ballock 44-135 .326 264-638 .414
Tr. Alexander 18-64 .281 46-111 .414
Nembhard 33-106 .311 40-113 .354
Kaluma 27-102 .265 31-00 .310
Big Fred's World
Fredrick King had four points (on two dunks) and three blocked shots in his first career start on Saturday vs. BYU.
King was the first Bluejay true freshman to start a game at center since Kenton Walker on Feb. 5, 2008, when the Jays topped UNI, 74-50.
One of the other Creighton starters that night was Nick Bahe, who was on the call for FS1 for each of King's first two starts.
King is the first true freshman center to make multiple starts for Creighton since Joel Templeman in 1994-95.
Holiday Hoops Proves Popular
Creighton's Christmas Day victory over DePaul scored 2.99 million viewers on FOX - the network's most-watched college hoops game ever.
Per FOX Sports PR, it was the most-watched college basketball game on any network this season, far ahead of the Kentucky/Michigan State game on ESPN (2.03 million).
In the last three years, the only regular-season game higher was North Carolina/Duke in Mike Krzyzewski's final home game last March (3.98 million) on ESPN.
Wooden Award Watch List
The Creighton duo of Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner have been named to the Preseason Top 50 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy's®.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles in April.
Scheierman and Kalkbrenner give Creighton nine Preseason John R. Wooden Award Watch List recognitions in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott. Marcus Zegarowski made the list in 2020-21, one year after Ty-Shon Alexander was listed prior to the 2019-20 campaign. Others to make the list include Marcus Foster (2017-18), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17), Doug McDermott (2013-14, 2012-13 and 2011-12). Creighton's lone recipient of the John R. Wooden Award® is Doug McDermott, who was recognized following the completion of the 2013-14 campaign.
Speaking Of Assists
Ryan Nembhard's 12 assists vs. Holy Cross were the second double-figure assist game of his Bluejay career, joining the 10 helpers he dished in his collegiate debut last November vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Nembhard is the seventh different Bluejay with 10 or more assists in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Maurice Watson Jr. (12 times), Grant Gibbs (4), Marcus Zegarowski (4), Austin Chatman (3), Antoine Young (2) and Malik Albert (1).
Also worth noting regarding Nembhard's big night? He played just 19 minutes in the win, making him the nation's only player with 12 assists against a Division I opponent this year while playing less than 30 minutes.
Turnover Free At The Point
Ryan Nembhard's 12 assists without a turnover vs. Holy Cross on Nov. 14 made him just the fourth player in Bluejay history to accomplish that feat. He's the first to do it inside CHI Health Center Omaha and the first Bluejay to do it at any site since 2002.
Here's the single-game assist leaders at Creighton, along with their turnover statistics on that night:
Ast. Name, Opponent Date TO
17 Ralph Bobik vs. Bradley 01/22/74 0
Ralph Bobik at St. Francis (Pa.) 02/23/73 ??
16 Ralph Bobik vs. BYU 12/17/73 4
14 Maurice Watson Jr. at Providence 01/07/17 2
Maurice Watson Jr. at Seton Hall 01/09/16 4
13 Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Washington St. 11/18/16 4
Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Akron 12/03/16 5
Jason Bey vs. Southern Illinois 02/27/95 1
Latrell Wrightsell vs. Nebraska 12/07/91 1
12 Ryan Nembhard vs. Holy Cross 11/14/22 0
Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern 12/22/11 4
Tyler McKinney at Nebraska 12/21/02 0
Ed St. Fleur at CS-Sacramento 01/13/96 0
Latrell Wrightsell vs. N. Iowa 02/01/92 4
Duan Cole at Iowa State 01/16/90 5
Vernon Moore at Southern Illinois 01/17/85 2
Randy Eckker at Gonzaga 01/14/77 2
Randy Eckker at Bradley 01/12/77 4
Kalkbrenner Up For Naismith Award
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named one of 50 players to watch during the season-long competition for the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year honor, as announced by The Atlanta Tipoff Club.
A junior from Florissant, Mo., Kalkbrenner averaged 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game while starting CU's first 34 contests last season. He was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice, BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-BIG EAST Tournament Team while ranking fourth nationally in both field goal percentage (.646) and offensive rebounds per game (3.9). He was the lone Bluejay named Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST last month for ninth-ranked team in the nation, who are predicted to win the BIG EAST.
Kalkbrenner's recognition makes him the fourth different Bluejay in 13-year head coach Greg McDermott's tenure to be on a Naismith Award watch list. Doug McDermott was on the Preseason watch list in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 and was a finalist in 2012-13 before winning the award in 2013-14. Marcus Foster was named to the Midseason watch list in 2016-17, then made the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2017-18. More recently, Marcus Zegarowski was on the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2020-21.
The midseason 30 team will be announced in February, and then the competition will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists in early March. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 21, 2023, and the winner of the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for Men's Player of the Year will be announced on April 2, 2023.
Top 10 Under McDermott
Prior to Greg McDermott's 2010 arrival, Creighton had spent one week ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in program history (10th on Jan. 20, 2003, when Dana Altman's team led by Kyle Korver lost at Steve Merfeld's Evansville team).
Under McDermott, Creighton has spent 21 weeks in the top 10, including at least one week in five different seasons (1 week in 2012-13; 8 weeks in 2016-17, 3 weeks in 2019-20, 5 weeks in 2020-21 and 4 weeks so far this year).
Creighton's best AP ranking ever is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017; March 10, 2020; March 18, 2020; Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 337 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 20-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 277-60 (.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 26,319-22,068 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.61 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 88 different times, including twice this year (Holy Cross, DePaul).
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 180-42 (.811) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 63 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 296-60 (.831) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.29 points per home game (17,825 points in 222 home games), a figure that climbs to 83.84 points in non-conference home games (8,719 points in 104 home games).
Creighton is 134-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points, with four of those losses coming against Marquette.
Who's Back?
With Creighton returning eight of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2021-22 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 118 (79.2%) 31 (20.8%)
Assists 284 (60.9%) 182 (39.1%)
Starts 104 (59.4%) 71 (40.6%)
Points 1,360 (56.2%) 1,062 (43.8%)
Minutes 3,881 (54.9%) 3,194 (45.1%)
Charges Taken 7 (53.8%) 6 (46.2%)
Rebounds 663 (53.3%) 580 (46.7%)
Steals 98 (51.0%) 94 (49.0%)
3FG Made 83 (35.3%) 152 (64.7%)
Youth Is Served
In case you've forgotten, Creighton had at least one freshman on the floor for every second of every game last season, and actually had a late stretch of 1:28 vs. Colorado State when all five of its players on the floor were freshmen.
All told, 3171:36 of Creighton's 7,075 total minutes (44.83 percent) were played by freshmen last season.
By comparison, in 2020-21 Creighton had a freshman on the floor just 32.4 percent of the time and had multiple freshmen on the floor just 17 minutes (of 1,250) all season (1.4 percent). Only 7.5 percent (465:52 of 6250) of CU's overall minutes were played by freshmen in 2020-21.
Through 28 games this season, Creighton's freshmen have played 628:31 of 5,850 possible minutes (10.75 percent).
2021-22 Minute Breakdown
Freshmen Time Score Margin
0 freshmen: Never -- --
1 freshman: 34:23 59-49 +10
2 freshmen: 962:14 1,692-1,578 +114
3 freshmen: 347:15 611-407 +4
4 freshmen: 45:54 54-85 (-31)
5 freshmen: 1:`28 5-2 +3
Watch This
Creighton has four men that made a preseason watch list for their respective position.
Ryan Nembhard is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's best point guard. Nembhard is the fourth different Bluejay in the last 12 years named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list, joining Antoine Young (2011-12), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
Baylor Scheierman is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Julius Erving Award, given to the nation's best small forward. Scheierman is Creighton's first player in the nine seasons of the Julius Erving Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Arthur Kaluma is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Karl Malone Award, given to the nation's best power forward. Kaluma is Creighton's first player in the nine seasons of the Karl Malone Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation's best center. Kalkbrenner joins Justin Patton (2016-17) as Creighton's second player in the nine seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Creighton (4) is one of six schools with four or more MBB players on a watch list, joining Duke (5), Kentucky (5), Arizona (4), Gonzaga (4) and UCLA (4).
CU's four watch list student-athletes match the totals of the rest of the BIG EAST combined (Xavier 2, Villanova 1, UConn 1).
20 Wins, Again
Creighton had 23 wins in 2021-22, securing a seventh straight 20-win season.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the previous seven seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
22 of 24 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 22 of the last 24 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 24 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 23 times, Creighton and Kentucky 22 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 24 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons 2021-22 W-L
Gonzaga 24 28-4
Kansas 24 34-6
Duke 23 32-7
Creighton 22 23-12
Kentucky 22 26-8
More Than Just Being Tall
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 143 dunks in his career, including 69 last year. He has more career dunks than any other Bluejay player since Greg McDermott's arrival in 2010.
Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, and 25 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Year
74 Martin Krampelj 2018-19
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
69 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2021-22
50 Christian Bishop 2020-21
45 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2022-23
38 Christian Bishop 2019-20
36 Gregory Echenique 2012-13
33 Martin Krampelj 2017-18
30 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
29 Marcus Foster 2017-18
29 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-21
24 Gregory Echenique 2010-11
23 Marcus Foster 2016-17
23 Fredrick King 2022-23
22 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
21 Alex O'Connell 2021-22
21 Arthur Kaluma 2021-22
20 Khyri Thomas 2017-18
Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Years
143 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
121 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
103 Christian Bishop 2018-21
90 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
52 Marcus Foster 2016-18
51 Khyri Thomas 2015-18
38 Will Artino 2011-15
37 Arthur Kaluma 2021-Pres.
33 Zach Hanson 2013-17
25 Geoffrey Groselle 2012-16
25 Damien Jefferson 2018-21
Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Year Team W-L
144 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
132 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
107 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
106 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
90 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
89 2022-23 18-10 so far (Postseason TBD)
60 2019-20 24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
56 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
54 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
42 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 100 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Feb. 22, 2023
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 3,867 4th
FG Percentage .476 4th
Assists 7,020 6th
3FG Percentage .376 6th
FG Made 12,012 8th
Points 33,584 10th
Wins 294 28th
Winning Percentage .667 33rd
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 27 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including four such rallies last season. In its NCAA Tournament win vs. San Diego State, Creighton trailed 35-21 late in the first half.
Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
If you're curious, CU's largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
16 at Seton Hall 01/27/21
16 SIU Edwardsville 11/27/21
15 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21
14 Evansville 02/21/12
14 vs. San Diego State 03/17/22
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
13 #22 Xavier 12/23/20
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
12 at DePaul 01/17/16
12 East Tennessee State 11/11/18
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
11 vs. Ole Miss 11/21/16
11 vs. Connecticut 03/12/21
11 DePaul 01/22/22
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
10 St. John's 01/03/18
10 at DePaul 02/07/18
10 Bemidji State 02/13/18
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 294 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. 294-147 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
Super Seven
Greg McDermott joined some select company when he directed his troops to a seventh NCAA Tournament last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
McDermott is one of five head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven different NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 12
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 7
McDermott's Coaching Tree
A bunch of former Greg McDermott protégés are thriving at the Division I level.
Eric Henderson led South Dakota State to the first 18-0 season in Summit League history. The Jackrabbits went 30-5 after winning the Summit League Tournament and clinching an NCAAA bid.
North Dakota State's Dave Richman went 23-10 overall and finished as the runner-up in the Summit League standings and Summit League Tournament to Henderson's SDSU team.
Ben Jacobson won the MVC regular-season title while coaching Northern Iowa. The Panthers went 20-12 and reached the NIT.
Drake's Darian DeVries led the Bulldogs to a 25-11 mark and runner-up finish in the MVC (to Jacobson's UNI team) in the regular-season and the league tournament. Drake played in the CBI.
Steve Lutz led his Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team to a 24-12 record and a Southland Conference Tournament title in his first year as a head coach, with the Islanders reaching the NCAA Tournament First Four. He inherited a 5-19 team that hadn't won 20 games or had a winning record since 2016-17.
TJ Otzelberger turned around Iowa State in his first year in Ames. He inherited a 2-22 team (0-18 Big 12) and turned it into a team that reached the Sweet 16 and finished 22-13.
Patrick Sellers led Central Connecticut State to an 8-24 record in his first season with the Blue Devils, including a victory in the Northeast Conference Tournament.
Paul Sather is the head coach at North Dakota after successful tenures at Black Hills State and Northern State.
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a second season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 39 of the last 40 seasons. McDermott is in his ninth season in the NBA.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished last season ranked 50th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 112 offense, and No. 19 defense. Creighton's No. 19 defense was its best mark in the 20 seasons of the KenPom era.
Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom in six of the previous 11 seasons.
Since 2002 every national champion has been a KenPom top 40 offense and a KenPom top 22 defense.
Here's where Creighton ranked after games of Feb. 22.
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 27 11 12
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
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day on Oct. 18th at Madison Square Garden.
It's the first time since 2012-13 that Creighton has been chosen as a preseason favorite in its league, though that recognition came in CU's final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
This is the 10th time Creighton has been tabbed as the preseason favorite (also 1989-90, 1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2011-12 and 2012-13), though the first nine occurrences all happened in the Missouri Valley Conference. Four of those MVC teams finished first (1990-91, 2000-01, 2008-09, 2012-13), while the other five took second place. Six of those nine Bluejay squads went on to win the MVC Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13) and seven of the nine squads played in the NCAA Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13).
The Bluejays collected eight first-place votes and earned 98 points in the poll. Xavier was picked second in the poll with 86 points, including two first-place votes. Villanova, the defending BIG EAST Tournament champion, was one point behind Xavier with 85 points and received one first-place vote from the men's basketball head coaches, who did not vote for their own teams. Connecticut was picked fourth with 77 points and Providence was fifth with 62 points. St. John's and Seton Hall finished sixth and seventh with 62 and 52 points, respectively. Butler was eighth with 36 points, four points ahead of ninth-place Marquette with 32 points. Georgetown was 10th with 21 points and DePaul 11th with 12 points.
Creighton is the only school in the league that has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below:
Creighton's BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year Preseason Actual Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14 3rd 2nd Doug McDermott (1st)
2014-15 9th T-9th -
2015-16 9th 6th -
2016-17 3rd T-3rd Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18 5th T-3rd Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19 9th T-3rd Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20 7th T-1st Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21 2nd 2nd Marcus Zegarowski (1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)
2021-22 8th 4th None
2022-23 1st ?? Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 976 straight games. The streak is the nation's 13th-longest active streak.
Creighton's last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (through 2/22)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,187 UNLV 2/24
2. 1,181 Duke 2/25
3. 1,121 Western Kentucky 2/23
4. 1,113 East Tennessee State 2/25
5. 1,091 Oakland 2/23
6. 1,088 Pacific 2/23
7. 1,085 Texas 2/25
8. 1,033 Marshall 2/24
9. 1,024 Baylor 2/25
10. 1,012 Princeton 2/25
11. 1,010 Gonzaga 2/23
12. 983 Long Island 2/25
13. 976 Creighton 2/25
14. 969 Mount St. Mary's 2/24
15. 959 Tennessee State 2/23
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 976 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,698 trifectas, an average of 7.89 treys per game.
That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly seven three-pointers 146 times, more than any figure.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 279 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 58-15 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 27-22 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1: 5 times 2: 18 times 3: 35 times
4: 75 times 5: 102 times 6: 101 times
7: 146 times 8: 123 times 9: 92 times
10: 81 times 11: 56 times 12: 55 times
13: 45 times 14: 19 times 15: 7 times
16: 8 times 17: 3 times 19: 1 time
20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2022-32 season went on sale on October 14th. Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.7
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 • 11:00 a.m. CST • Philadelphia, Pa. • Wells Fargo Center
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | VU NOTES (PDF) |
Next Game
No. 19 Creighton (18-10, 12-5 BIG EAST) enters the stretch run of the BIG EAST season when it pays a visit to defending league tournament champion Villanova (14-14, 8-9 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Feb. 25th.
Wells Fargo Center (20,546) in Philadelphia, Pa., will host the action, which tips at 11 a.m. Central.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2022-23 season. John Bishop will call the action.
The audio is webcast at 1620thezone.com and can be heard on SiriusXM channel 134 or 202 and on SXM app channel 965.
In addition, Westwood One will carry a national radio broadcast of the game, with Scott Graham and Jon Crispin on the call and Jason Horowitz hosting the pregame and halftime show. That broadcast will air in select markets, as well as on WestwoodOne.com.
Telecast Information
Saturday's game will be called by Tim Brando and Nick Bahe and be televised on FOX.
The game will also be video webcast at https://www.foxsports.com/live.
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.
Scouting No. 19 Creighton
No. 19 Creighton started 6-0, including wins at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational over No. 21 Texas Tech and No. 9 Arkansas, then dropped its next six games. Since losing its BIG EAST opener at Marquette in mid-December, the Jays are 12-4 in league play with nine double-digit wins.
All-BIG EAST center Ryan Kalkbrenner (14.7 ppg., 6.7 rpg., 2.3 bpg.), who was named 2022 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, is third in the nation in field goal percentage (.706) this season. CU is 18-7 with him in the line-up this year, but 0-3 without him.
CU had three men named to the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team last winter who are now sophomores. That trio includes Ryan Nembhard (12.1 ppg., 5.0 apg.) as well as Arthur Kaluma (11.9 ppg., 6.2 rpg.) and Trey Alexander (13.2 ppg., 4.0 rpg.).
Creighton's highest-impact newcomer has been South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman (13.1 ppg., 8.3 rpg.), who also owns the team lead with 11 double-doubles and 69 three-pointers made.
Creighton was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference and earned its best preseason AP poll ranking ever (No. 9), thanks to the return of 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's team that finished 23-12.
CU averages 76.1 points while allowing just 67.7 points per contest. CU shoots 46.8 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from deep and 75.7 percent at the line.
Scouting Villanova
Villanova is 14-14 this season and 8-9 in BIG EAST play after winning four of its last five contests, including Tuesday's 64-63 win at No. 16 Xavier.
Four men are averaging in double-figures, a quartet led by Caleb Daniels (15.6 ppg.) and Eric Dixon (15.4 ppg.).
Preseason BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Cam Whitmore averages 12.0 points per game, while Justin Moore recently returned from an Achilles injury and averaged 12.8 points and 2.8 assists per game while logging 33.0 minutes per game.
The Wildcats average 69.3 points per game on 43.5 percent shooting from the floor and 33.0 percent marksmanship from deep. One year after setting an NCAA single-season record for free throw percentage (83.0 percent), the Wildcats are leading the country with 82.4 percent shooting at the line.
The Series With Villanova
Villanova leads the all-time series with Creighton, 17-7, including a 10-2 mark in home games. However, both Bluejay victories have come at Wells Fargo Center, where Saturday's game will be held.
Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by double-figures, with CU winning four of those games. The teams traded lopsided blowouts last season, with CU winning 79-59 in Omaha on Dec. 17 and the Wildcats gaining revenge 75-41 in Pennsylvania 20 days later. The Wildcats won the rubber match in the BIG EAST Tournament final, 54-48. Creighton defeated Nova 66-61 on Feb. 4th in Omaha earlier this season.
Greg McDermott is 7-13 against Villanova and 1-0 against Kyle Neptune.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 294-147 record in his 13th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 574-342 in his 29th season, and is 443-278 in his 22nd Division I campaign.
McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native then coached Creighton to its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20.
McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
He is assisted by Alan Huss, Ryan Miller and Jalen Courtney-Williams.
With A Win...
- Creighton would improve to 14-1 this season against unranked teams when Ryan Kalkbrenner plays, including a 10-0 mark in BIG EAST action.
- Creighton would improve to 3-1 in games at Wells Fargo Center against Villanova, and 4-2 in the facility under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would sweep Villanova in the regular-season for the second time in 10 seasons as a BIG EAST rival, joining the 2013-14 campaign when CU won 96-68 and 101-80 over the Wildcats.
- Creighton would improve to 13-5 in league play, matching its 2019-20 BIG EAST record when it tied Villanova and Seton Hall for the conference's regular-season title.
- Creighton would improve to 4-1 on FOX this season.
- Creighton would improve to 5-5 in road games this season, 5-4 in BIG EAST road tilts and win for the fifth time in its last six road competitions.
- Creighton would ensure no tiebreakers will be needed to guarantee itself a top-five seed and subsequent first round bye in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Chase For A Title
Heading into the final three games of the regular-season, here's where the top four teams in the BIG EAST standings are positioned, and what remains for each team:
Team 2/24-26 2/28-3/1 3/4
MU (14-3) DPU @BU SJU
CU (12-5) @VU GU @DPU
XU (12-5) @SHU @PC BU
PC (12-5) @GU XU SHU
Kalkbrenner Approaches 1,000 Points
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 994 career points, which ranks tied for 45th-most in Bluejay history. He is six points from becoming the 45th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points, something no Bluejay has done since Marcus Zegarowski did it on Jan. 20, 2021 vs. Providence.
Kalkbrenner, who owns a career-high of 24 points, has scored six or more points in 71-of-90 career games as a Bluejay and 24-of-25 appearances this winter.
Here's a list of Creighton's top scorers ever, as well as how long it took CU's last 20 men to reach 1,000 points.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 20 Bluejays
Name CU Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Marcus Zegarowski 75 01/20/21
Mitch Ballock 100 11/29/20
Ty-Shon Alexander 85 01/15/20
Khyri Thomas 94 02/10/18
Marcus Foster 54 01/17/18
Austin Chatman 138 03/11/15
Ethan Wragge 132 01/18/14
Gregory Echenique 101 03/24/13
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
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. 1,155 Ethan Wragge 2009-14
32. 1,152 Dane Watts 2004-08
33. 1,140 Khyri Thomas 2015-18
34. 1,116 Kenny Evans 1982-87
35. 1,115 Doug Brookins 1972-75
1,115 Daryl Stovall 1978-82
37. 1,093 Tim Powers 1964-67
38. 1,050 Reggie Morris 1982-86
39. 1,031 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
40. 1,024 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-10
41. 1,023 Rod Mason 1986-88
42. 1,013 Austin Chatman 2011-15
43. 1,006 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
44. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
45. 994 Chuck Officer 1960-62, 1963-64
994 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
47. 979 Terrell Taylor 1999-02
48. 967 David Wesely 1975-79
49. 965 Fritz Pointer 1963-66
50. 939 Cyril Baptiste 1969-71
Rejected!
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns a blocked shot in each of Creighton's last 23 games, including multiple rejections in all but five of those contests.
Last season Kalkbrenner had a block in 26 straight games from Nov. 16 - Feb. 26th, making him the first Bluejay with a swat in 20 straight games or longer since Benoit Benjamin began a streak of 28 consecutive contests with a rejection on Dec. 14, 1984, a streak that only ended when Big Ben left early for the NBA Draft.
Kalkbrenner Invites You To His Block Party
Ryan Kalkbrenner tied his career-high with six blocked shots on Jan. 3 vs. Seton Hall, giving him exactly 150 swats as a Bluejay. The six blocks are tied for the most by any BIG EAST player in a game this season, and the most in a conference game.
In 35 regular-season conference games played since the start of last season, Kalkbrenner owns 95 blocked shots compared to just 60 fouls.
Kalkbrenner ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 185, passing Chad Gallagher for sole possession of second place on Feb. 21 vs. No. 10 Marquette.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
185 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
174 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
Consistent Kalkbrenner
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been extremely consistent throughout his career, regardless of whether he's playing at home or on the road.
He owns near exact numbers in terms of points scored, blocks, steals, fouls, field goals made and free throws made.
Stat Home Road/Neutral
Games 43 47
Minutes 1,050 1,178
Points 496 498
Rebounds 259 277
Blocks 90 95
Steals 18 20
Assists 34 42
Fouls 69 69
FG Shooting 201-277 (.726) 203-329 (.617)
3FG Shooting 5-14 (.357) 2-15 (.133)
FT Shooting 89-126 (.706) 90-133 (.677)
Scheierman Closes In On 1,500 Points
Baylor Scheierman enters Saturday with 1,480 career points. The first 1,114 of those points came at South Dakota State, while he has scored 366 points as a Bluejay.
Scheierman averages 13.1 points per game this season. His season-high is 25 points, while his career-high is 28 points. He had a season-low five points in the first meeting this season against Villanova.
Scheierman also owns 404 career assists, including 84 this season. He's dished at least one helper in all but two games this season, and each of the last 20 contests in a row.
FOX Rocks
Saturday will mark Creighton's fifth and final scheduled appearance on FOX this season.
After a rough start on FOX, the network has been a good luck charm for the Bluejays in recent seasons, helping CU improve to 12-16 on the channel.
Creighton lost its first seven appearances and was 2-10 on FOX in its first six seasons as a BIG EAST member. Since then, Creighton is 10-6 on the network, and 3-1 this season including a Feb. 4 win over Villanova.
Creighton's Record on FOX Since 2013-14
Year W-L
2013-14 0-0
2014-15 0-0
2015-16 0-1
2016-17 0-4
2017-18 1-3 (lost first 2)
2018-19 1-2 (won last 1)
2019-20 2-0
2020-21 5-2 (won first 4)
2021-22 0-3
2022-23 3-1 (so far)
Rematch!
Creighton and Villanova will square off for just the second time since Nova won a 54-48 decision in the title game of the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament.
Three of the seven Bluejays to appear in that game are back, as Arthur Kaluma, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Trey Alexander combined for 36 points and 25 rebounds.
Of the eight Wildcats to play in that contest, six return. That group scored 32 points and 24 rebounds.
Creighton won the only previous meeting since then, 66-61, in Omaha on Feb. 4.
Repeat After Three
Few teams in the country have made as many three-pointers in the last 10 seasons as the teams featured in Saturday's match-up. Since 2013-14, Villanova leads the nation in that category with 3,261 trifectas, while Creighton is sixth with 2,993.
Creighton is 1-13 all-time when making eight three-pointers or less against Villanova (including three meetings in the 1950's long before the 3-point line existed), but 6-4 when making nine or more trifectas. CU has hit 81-of-174 treys (46.6%) in the seven wins, but 94-of-336 triples (28.0%) in the 17 losses.
Villanova has made nine or more three-pointers against Creighton in 12-of-21 meetings as BIG EAST rivals.
Creighton is 27-2 in its last 29 games (against all teams) when attempting 15 or fewer three-pointers.
Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton has made 3,867 three-pointers in 441 games, good for fourth-most nationally behind Belmont (4,093) and VMI (3,947). Villanova is third on that list with 3,871 treys.
Most 3FG Made Since 2013-14 (thru 2/22/23)
Rk. Team 3FG Games
1. Villanova 3,261 344
2. Belmont 3,178 323
3. North Florida 3,128 317
4. VMI 3,031 307
5. The Citadel 3,026 306
6. Creighton 2,993 331
The Cats Meow
Villanova has the second-best win percentage in the country since the start of the 2013-14 season, which coincides with the realignment of the BIG EAST. Villanova is 277-67 (.805), just behind a Gonzaga program that is 307-41 (.882). No one else has won more than 80 percent of its games.
Of the 90 different schools to play Villanova in that time, only 29 have actually beaten the Wildcats.
Creighton is one of 12 schools to post multiple victories over the Wildcats in that time. Creighton's seven victories over Villanova are tied for the most by any Wildcat opponent in that span with Marquette.
Something About Creighton
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Villanova has suffered only 67 losses, with just 13 of those coming by 15 points or more.
Five of those lopsided setbacks have come against Creighton, while eight other teams have done it once each.
Villanova's Largest Margins of Defeat Since 2013-14
Margin Score Date
28* Creighton 96, Villanova 68 1/20/14
27 Michigan 73, Villanova 46 11/14/18
26 Purdue 87, Villanova 61 3/23/19
25 Ohio State 76, Villanova 51 11/13/19
23 Oklahoma 78, Villanova 55 12/7/15
21 Creighton 101, Villanova 80 2/16/14
21 Baylor 57, Villanova 36 12/12/21
20 Georgetown 78, Villanova 58 1/19/15
20 Creighton 79, Villanova 59 12/17/21
16 Creighton 86, Villanova 70 2/13/21
16 Syracuse 78, Villanova 62 12/28/13
16 Kansas 81, Villanova 65 4/2/22
15* Creighton 76, Villanova 61 2/1/20
*at Wells Fargo Arena
Coming Off A Final Four Trip
- Creighton is 7-18 all-time against teams coming off a trip to the Final Four, but just 1-10 in true road games. Villanova appeared in last year's Final Four.
Creighton is 7-18 Against Teams
That Made The Final Four The Previous Year
(Home: 5-5, Away: 1-10, Neutral: 1-3)
Date Winner Loser Team Finish at Final Four
01/11/46 @Oklahoma State 53 Creighton 34 NCAA Champ
03/09/46 Oklahoma State 45 @Creighton 24 NCAA Champ
02/08/47 @Creighton 40 Oklahoma State 31 NCAA Champ
02/28/47 @Oklahoma State 52 Creighton 24 NCAA Champ
03/16/62 Cincinnati 66 vs. Creighton 46 NCAA Champ
01/26/63 @Ohio State 78 Creighton 73 Final Four
12/02/64 @Kansas State 96 Creighton 82 Final Four
12/29/70 Jacksonville 94 vs. Creighton 85 Final Four
02/17/71 @St. Bonaventure 104 Creighton 84 Final Four
03/08/75 Marquette 64 @Creighton 60 NCAA Runner-Up
02/07/78 @Marquette 82 Creighton 57 NCAA Champ
01/17/80 @Creighton 67 Indiana State 60 NCAA Runner-Up
01/28/80 DePaul 84 @Creighton 73 Final Four
02/09/80 Creighton 69 @Indiana State 64 NCAA Runner-Up
12/23/87 @UNLV 90 Creighton 59 Final Four
11/25/06 @Creighton 58 George Mason 56 Final Four
03/21/08 @Florida 82 Creighton 54 NCAA Champ
12/31/16 Villanova 80 @Creighton 70 NCAA Champ
02/25/17 @Villanova 79 Creighton 63 NCAA Champ
03/11/17 Villanova 74 vs. Creighton 60 NCAA Champ
01/13/19 Villanova 90 @Creighton 78 NCAA Champ
02/06/19 @Villanova 66 Creighton 59 (OT) NCAA Champ
03/19/19 @Creighton 70 Loyola Chicago 61 Final Four
11/29/19 Creighton 83 (OT) vs. Texas Tech 76 NCAA Runner-Up
02/04/23 @Creighton 66 Villanova 61 Final Four
02/25/23 Creighton at Villanova Final Four
The Race To 70
Creighton has scored 70 or more points in 15 of its 18 victories this season.
Creighton has averaged 84.71 points in seven all-time wins over Villanova, but just 60.82 in 17 losses against the Wildcats.
Villanova has surrendered 67.6 points per game this season.
On the other hand, Creighton is 16-3 this season when allowing fewer than 70 points.
Creighton is 5-0 all-time when scoring 79 points or more against the Wildcats, compared to a 2-17 record when scoring 78 points or fewer.
Endless Range In Philly in 2014
Creighton set a BIG EAST and school-record with 21 three-point baskets in a 28-point win at No. 4 Villanova in 2014 the first time the teams met as BIG EAST rivals at Wells Fargo Center.
Creighton's previous mark was 20, done vs. Chattanooga in 2005. The previous BIG EAST mark was 20, done by West Virginia vs. Marquette in 2006 and matched by Notre Dame vs. Villanova in 2011.
The 21 three-pointers are the third most by one team in a game between major conference teams since 1990.
Creighton broke the Wells Fargo Center record for three-pointers by a Villanova opponent late in the first half (the old mark was 12), and also set a mark for most points against 'Nova at the Wells Fargo Center with 96, passing the old mark of 90.
What A Start!
Creighton made a three-pointer on each of its first nine possessions in its 2014 win at No. 4 Villanova. Creighton started the game 7-for-7 from deep, missed a two-pointer but turned an offensive rebound into another trey, and then sank a trifecta on its ninth trip, as well.
That brings to mind all sorts of fun stats.
-According to Ken Pomeroy, Creighton became the first team since Indiana State in 2012 to make its first nine attempts from three-point range in a game. Pomeroy found evidence of six teams in the previous five years to make their first nine attempts from downtown.
-Pomeroy's research also indicated that Creighton was the only team in the previous five years to make nine straight three's without any other scores to start a game.
-Pomeroy also found that Creighton was the second team in the previous five years to score each of its first 30 points via the three-pointer. Miami (Ohio) had its first 33 points vs. Western Michigan on Jan. 28, 2012.
-Subsequent research by the Omaha World-Herald determined that of Creighton's 21 three-pointers, 17 were made from behind the NBA three-point line that was on the Wells Fargo Center floor.
Possession By Possession
Taking another look at the start of the 2014 game at Villanova, contested at Wells Fargo Center. Creighton made three-pointers on nine straight trips, including seven from Ethan Wragge.
Poss. # Time Result Score
1 19:37 Wragge 3FG CU 3-0
2 18:57 Wragge 3FG CU 6-0
3 18:20 Manigat 3FG CU 9-2
4 17:45 McDermott 3FG CU 12-5
5 17:03 Wragge 3FG CU 15-5
6 16:13 Wragge 3FG CU 18-5
7 15:49 Wragge 3FG CU 21-5
8 15:10 McDermott 2FG miss (off. rebound)
14:39 Wragge 3FG CU 24-5
9 13:55 Wragge 3FG CU 27-8
All's Well At Wells Fargo
Creighton has certainly seen some extremes during its recent trips to Wells Fargo Center.
Creighton closed its run as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference during the 2013 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Center. The Bluejays defeated BIG EAST member Cincinnati (67-63) in the Second Round before dropping to No. 6 Duke, 66-50, in the Third Round. Creighton shot just 2-of-19 from three-point range in the loss, scoring a season-low 50 points.
In 2013-14, Creighton made a Wells Fargo Center record 21 three-pointers in a 28-point win over then-No. 4 Villanova, making 9-of-9 three-pointers on its first nine possessions of the game.
In 2018 against top-ranked Villanova at Wells Fargo Center, Creighton lost 98-78 as the Wildcats drained a program-record 19-of-39 three-point shots.
Most recently in 2020, Creighton defeated No. 8 Villanova 76-61 at Wells Fargo Center as Denzel Mahoney had 21 points off the bench and CU made 11-of-22 three-pointers.
Frequent Fliers
The shortest month of the year has also been the most grueling month for Creighton to say the least.
The Bluejays went 2-1 while hosting defending tournament champ Villanova (Feb. 4), No. 21 UConn (Feb. 11) and No. 10 Marquette (Feb. 21). Those three home games were decided by a total of 10 points.
In addition, Saturday will mark Creighton's fifth separate round trip to the East Coast this month, as it is 3-1 on the road so far in February.
The Bluejays have already posted double-digit road wins over Georgetown (Feb. 1), Seton Hall (Feb. 8) and St. John's (Feb. 18) in addition to a double-overtime loss at No. 24 Providence (Feb. 14) heading into Saturday's tilt at Villanova.
Due to its geographic location as the most Western-based school in the BIG EAST it shouldn't be much of a surprise, that Creighton will travel more than any other school in league play, as seen below:
School Estimated Distance Traveled
Creighton 19,966
Marquette 13,132
Providence 12,686
DePaul 11,968
UConn 11,832
Butler 11,404
Xavier 11,038
St. John's 10,088
Georgetown 9,842
Villanova 9,833
Seton Hall 9,830
Conference Average 11,965
League (Arena) Bound
Creighton will play its 48th game in a full-time NBA arena since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010 when it takes the floor on Saturday inside Wells Fargo Center, which is also the home to the Philadelphia 76ers.
In that time, Creighton is 23-24 in such games, including a 2-4 mark in the NCAA Tournament and a 9-8 record in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Creighton has played in eight different NBA arenas in that time, including Madison Square Garden (9-10), Fiserv Forum (4-1), Verizon Center/Capital One Arena (4-5), Wells Fargo Center (3-2), Bradley Center (2-3), AT&T Center (1-1), Golden 1 Center (0-1) and Spectrum Center (0-1).
Creighton in NBA Arenas Since 2010
Date Score NBA Arena
03/22/13 CU 67, Cincinnati 63 Wells Fargo Center#
03/24/13 Duke 66, CU 50 Wells Fargo Center#
01/20/14 CU 96, Villanova 68 Wells Fargo Center
02/09/14 St. John's 70, CU 65 Madison Square Garden
02/19/14 CU 85, Marquette 70 Bradley Center
03/04/14 Georgetown 75, CU 63 Verizon Center
03/13/14 CU 84, DePaul 62 Madison Square Garden$
03/14/14 CU 86, Xavier 78 Madison Square Garden$
03/15/14 Providence 65, CU 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/21/14 CU 76, Louisiana 66 AT&T Center#
03/23/14 Baylor 85, CU 55 AT&T Center#
01/03/15 Georgetown 76, CU 61 Verizon Center
01/14/15 Marquette 53, CU 52 Bradley Center
02/07/15 St. John's 84, CU 66 Madison Square Garden
03/11/15 CU 78, DePaul 63 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/15 Georgetown 60, CU 55 Madison Square Garden$
01/26/16 Georgetown 74, CU 73 Verizon Center
02/13/16 CU 65, Marquette 62 Bradley Center
03/10/16 Seton Hall 81, CU 73 Madison Square Garden$
01/25/17 Georgetown 71, CU 51 Verizon Center
03/04/17 Marquette 91, CU 83 Bradley Center
03/09/17 CU 70, Providence 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/10/17 CU 75, Xavier 72 Madison Square Garden$
03/11/17 Villanova 74, CU 60 Madison Square Garden$
03/17/17 Rhode Island 84, CU 72 Golden 1 Center#
01/06/18 CU 90, Georgetown 66 Capital One Arena
02/01/18 Villanova 98, CU 78 Wells Fargo Center
03/03/18 Marquette 85, CU 81 Bradley Center
03/08/18 Providence 72, CU 68 Madison Square Garden$
03/16/18 Kansas State 69, CU 59 Spectrum Center#
01/21/19 CU 91, Georgetown 87 Capital One Arena
03/03/19 CU 66, Marquette 60 Fiserv Forum
03/14/19 Xavier 63, CU 61 Madison Square Garden$
01/15/20 Georgetown 83, CU 80 Capital One Arena
02/01/20 CU 76, Villanova 61 Wells Fargo Center
02/18/20 CU 73, Marquette 65 Fiserv Forum
02/06/21 CU 71, Marquette 68 Fiserv Forum
03/11/21 CU 87, Butler 56 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/21 CU 59, UConn 56 Madison Square Garden$
03/13/21 Georgetown 73, CU 48 Madison Square Garden$
01/01/22 CU 75, Marquette 69 (2OT) Fiserv Forum
02/12/22 CU 80, Georgetown 66 Capital One Arena
03/10/22 CU 74, Marquette 63 Madison Square Garden$
03/11/22 CU 85, Providence 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/22 Villanova 54, CU 48 Madison Square Garden$
12/16/22 Marquette 69, CU 58 Fiserv Forum
02/01/23 CU 63, Georgetown 53 Capital One Arena
# NCAA Tournament $ BIG EAST Tournament
Deep Dive Into The Rankings
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked ninth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever.
The Oct. 17th announcement marked just the fifth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22) and 2020-21 (No. 11). All four of those Bluejay teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton was 10th in the AP poll released on Nov. 14th and Nov. 21 and was seventh last Nov. 28th. The team fell to No. 21 on Dec. 5th. After a two-month absence, Creighton returned to the Top 25 on Feb. 6th when it was tabbed 23rd and was then 18th last week. This week, the Jays came in at 19th.
The Nov. 28 week was the 21st time in program history that Creighton has been in the top-10 at any point, with all but one of those weeks happening under head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton's best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Including Feb. 20th, Creighton has been ranked 121 times in program history, with 93 of those weeks under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 151-61 all-time as a ranked team, including a 117-49 mark under McDermott. Creighton has been ranked at least one week in nine of McDermott's 13 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton was also ninth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever in the Coaches poll. The Jays remained ninth in the Nov. 14 Coaches poll and climbed to eighth in the Nov. 21 Coaches poll and were seventh on Nov. 28. CU was 21st on Dec. 5th. This week, the Jays are 19th in the USA Today poll.
The program's best slotting ever in the Coaches poll is fifth, done on Jan. 4, 2021.
Ranking News & Notes
Creighton is 29-31 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 29 wins over ranked teams in that time are the 10th-most nationally and two more than Gonzaga. CU's 29 top 25 wins trails only Villanova (34) among BIG EAST programs in that span.
- On a national basis, the only 17 teams with a top-25 win each of the last nine seasons (including 2022-23) are Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Xavier. Schools still trying to extend their streak to nine (or longer) this winter are Florida State and Michigan.
- The Bluejays have beaten multiple top-25 foes each of the last eight seasons (2015-16 to 2022-23), something only Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue and Texas Tech can also claim. Villanova can join that group with a win over No. 19 Creighton on Saturday.
Big Mac Attack
Greg McDermott's teams have consistently battled some of the best teams in the country.
The chart below shows how his teams have consistently outpaced some of his predecessors against top-25 foes.
Category Pre-McDermott Under McDermott
vs. Top 25 Teams 18-115 34-48
vs. Top 10 Teams 5-31 12-22
vs. Top 10 on Road 1-28 4-11
vs. Top 25 on Road 2-63 9-23
Another Top 25 Foe Bites The Dust
Through games of Feb. 22, Creighton's 11 top-25 games are tied for second-most nationally with Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, and trailing only the 12 played by Kansas.
Through games of Feb. 22nd, the only teams with more than Creighton's five top-25 victories this year are Iowa State (7), Kansas (7), Kansas State (7), Alabama (6) and Texas (6) while others with five top 25 wins include Marquette, Tennessee, Arizona and Missouri.
And when it comes to ranked teams, keep in mind that Creighton also played both Arizona State and Marquette before both teams moved into the top-25 later in the season after facing the Bluejays.
Creighton's Most Top-25 Wins, Season
Wins Season Top-25 Victims
6 2019-20 #8 Villanova, #10 Seton Hall,
#12 Texas Tech, #19 Marquette,
#21 Butler, #8 Seton Hall
5 2021-22 #9 Villanova, #11 Providence,
#17 UConn, #18 UConn, #24 BYU
5 2022-23 #9 Arkansas, #13 Xavier,
#19 Providence, #21 Texas Tech, #21 Connecticut
4 2016-17 #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
#16 Butler, #22 Xavier
4 2017-18 #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Hall,
#20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
3 2020-21 #5 Villanova, #22 Xavier, #23 UConn
2 1973-74 #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
2 2001-02 #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
2 2006-07 #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
2 2013-14 #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
2 2015-16 #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
2 2018-19 #10 Marquette, #16 Clemson
Most Games vs. Top 25 Teams, Season
Games Season Coach
12 (5-7) 2021-22 Greg McDermott
11 (5-6) 2022-23 Greg McDermott
10 (4-6) 2017-18 Greg McDermott
8 (1-7) 2014-15 Greg McDermott
8 (2-6) 2015-16 Greg McDermott
8 (6-2) 2019-20 Greg McDermott
Most Top 25 Wins Since Start of 2021-22 Season
Record Team
15-9 Kansas
12-7 Tennessee
12-11 Iowa State
11-7 Alabama
11-8 Marquette
10-3 Arizona
10-11 Villanova
10-13 Creighton
10-13 Texas Tech
9-4 Purdue
9-8 Baylor
9-12 Kansas State
9-13 TCU
9-13 Texas
BIG EAST Honors Black Fives Era
During the month of February, the BIG EAST Conference will celebrate Black History Month by partnering with the Black Fives Foundation, a nonprofit public charity whose mission is to research, preserve, showcase, teach, and honor the pre-NBA history of African Americans in basketball, to host 22 games honoring black athletes, coaches, and communities who played a critical part in the America's basketball history.
Prior to the integration of the National Basketball Association in 1950, a nationwide-barnstorming circuit was created of independent African American teams. This era, which ran from the early 1900s to 1950, became known as the "Black Fives" Era, referring to the five starting players on a basketball team whose skill, athleticism, and innovative style of play helped shaped and popularize the game.
For games against St. John's, Marquette and Villanova this month, Creighton will be wearing the name and logo of the Cudahy Rex to honor these pioneers.
Among The Best...EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 404 career field goals, meaning he's over 400 and now eligible to appear in the NCAA's record book for career field goal percentage.
The Florissant, Mo., native has attempted 606 career shots, putting him at 66.7 percent overall. That places the junior center eighth in field goal percentage in NCAA history.
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
.712 (480-674) Kris Bankston, Norfolk State 2019-Pres.
.678 (828-1222) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1976-81
.677 (441-651) Michael Bradley, Kentucky/Villanova 1998-01
.668 (566-847) Murray Brown, Florida State 1976-80
.6673 (740-1109) Evan Bradds, Belmont 2013-17
.6667 (404-606) Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2020-Pres.
.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
Ryan BucketGetter
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks third in the country in field goal percentage (.706) this season. That figure also ranks fourth-best in NCAA history among juniors, and 13th-best ever in a single-season by any player regardless of year of eligibility.
Best Season FG%, NCAA History (min. 5 FG/game)
Pct. (FG-FGA) Name, School Years
.800 (184-230) Devontae Cacock, UNCW 2016-17
.770 (211-274) Udoka Azubuike, Kansas 2017-18
.748 (181-242) Udoka Azubuike, Kansas 2019-20
.746 (235-315) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1980-81
.722 (179-248) Dwayne Davis, Florida 1988-89
.720 (136-189) Max Fiedler, Rice 2022-23*
.714 (210-294) Evan Bradds, Belmont 2015-16*
.713 (154-216) Keith Walker, Utica 1984-85
.710 (211-297) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1979-80*
.708 1(114-161) Josh Roberts, Manhattan 2022-23
.7075 (150-212) Adam Mark, Belmont 2001-02
.707 (133-188) Asbjorn Midtgaard, Grand Canyon 2020-21
.706 (151-214) Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2022-23*
.704 (254-361) Oliver Miller, Arkansas 1990-91*
.703 (163-232) Alan Williams, Princeton 1986-87
.702 (231-329) Mark McNamara, California 1981-82
.700 (173-247) Warren Kidd, MIddle Tennessee 1990-91
*Junior
The Kalkbrenner Difference
Here's a look at the difference with and without Ryan Kalkbrenner this season.
Stat Kalkbrenner Plays Kalkbrenner Out
Team W-L 18-7 0-3
Team FG% .476 .403
Team 3FG% .355 .338
Team FG/Game 28.0 27.0
Rebound Margin +5.4 -8.6
Off. Rebounds/Game 8.8 5.7
CU Points/Game 76.9 69.7
Opp. Points/Game 66.8 75.0
Scoring Margin +10.1 -5.3
Turnovers/Game 11.6 13.0
Opp. FG% .420 .440
Five Weapons
All five Creighton starters are averaging at least 11.9 points per game. Per research from FOX Sports, only six teams since 2009-10 have finished a season with five players averaging 12.0 or more.
Last season marked the first time since 1964-65 that Creighton had five men average in double-figures for an entire season.
Creighton has won 29 of its last 31 games when five or more players score in double-figures, losing only at No. 12 Xavier on Jan. 11, 2023 and at No. 24 Providence on Feb. 14, 2023.
Five Players Averaging 12.0+ PPG
Since 2009-10 (minimum 75 pct of team games)
Season Team/Players Final Record
2020-21 Richmond 14-9, 0-1 NIT
Francis (16.1), Golden (12.7), Gilyard (12.3), Cayo (12.2), Burton (12.0)
2017-18 Kansas 31-8, 4-1 NCAA
Graham (17.3), Mykhailiuk (14.6), Newman (14.2), Azubuike (13.0), Vick (12.1)
2017-18 William & Mary 19-12, Missed Postseason
Knight (18.5), Pierce (14.7), Cohn (14.2), Milon (13.0), Burchfield (12.6)
2016-17 UCLA 31-5, 2-1 NCAA
Leaf (16.3), Alford (15.5), Ball (14.6), Hamilton (14.1), Holiday (12.3)
2015-16 North Florida 22-12, 0-1 NIT
Moore (19.8), Beech (15.4), Daniels (12.3), Davenport (12.3), Mackey (12.0)
2012-13 North Carolina State 24-11, 0-1 NCAA
Leslie (15.1), Howell (12.7), Wood (12.6), Brown (12.4), Warren (12.1)
On A Roll
Creighton has won nine of its past 11 games, with the lone losses coming in double-overtime at then-No. 24 Providence and in the final 30 seconds against No. 10 Marquette. CU has collected three top-25 wins at home (No. 19 Providence, No. 13 Xavier, No. 21 Connecticut) as well as four double-digit road wins in that span.
In those 11 games, Creighton has outscored teams 75.3 - 65.9 and shot 81.1 percent from the line. All five starters have averaged at least 10.6 points per game during the run, while the bench has also contributed 115 points.
Stellar Six
Creighton is 4-2 in the last six games despite trailing in the second half of each, and three of those contests coming on the road. The streak started with CU's 66-61 win over Villanova on Feb. 4th.
The Bluejays have ridden their starters hard in that time, with Ryan Nembhard (40.2), Baylor Scheierman (37.4) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (37.8) all averaging at least 37 minutes per game.
Despite the heavy minutes, that trio is a combined 47-for-53 at the line (88.7 percent), with Scheierman 13-for-14.
As a team, Creighton's three-point shooting has improved to 37.2 percent in that time and the Jays are a stout 82.3 percent at the line. The Bluejay bench is 13-for-27 from deep (48.1 percent) in those five games.
Let It Fly
Creighton made 13-of-33 three-pointers in last Saturday's win against St. John's.
In 10 seasons in the BIG EAST, it was Creighton's 11th road game in league play in which the Jays have drained 13 or more trifectas, but first time since making 17-of-35 triples in a win at Seton Hall on Jan. 27, 2021.
Creighton is 10-1 in BIG EAST road games all-time when making 13 three-pointers or more.
Bench Points!
Creighton got tremendous production from its bench at St. John's, as the group scored 13 of CU's first 24 points and 20 points overall.
Shereef Mitchell made a career-high three three-pointers, Mason Miller's eight points were his most ever in a BIG EAST game and Francisco Farabello made his lone shot in his first action in four games.
Creighton's 20 bench points were its most since scoring 29 the last time it meant St. John's in mid-January, and came after combining for a total of 29 points in the six games since the first meeting with the Johnnies.
In Creighton's Feb. 4 win over Villanova, neither team scored a single bench point. It was Creighton's first game since at least 1986 with no bench points from either team. Creighton also did not score a bench point in the 2022 BIG EAST Tournament final against the Wildcats.
Spin Zone
Before you bemoan the fact that Creighton's bench ranks 343rd in the country with 11.46 points per game, keep in mind that the Bluejays rank 13th in the nation with 64.64 points per game by its starters.
If you're curious, Villanova is 72nd with 57.23 points per game by its starting five but 339th with 12.07 bench points per contest.
A Dozen Will Do
Creighton is 12-5 in the BIG EAST this season and is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the last four seasons.
Among the other BIG EAST or "Power 5" Conference schools, UCLA and Virginia have already joined Creighton in doing it a fourth straight season, while Baylor (currently 9-6 in league play), Illinois (9-7) and Kansas (11-4) are trying to get there.
.500 Or Better in League Play, Again
Creighton is 12-5 in league play, clinching a .500 mark or better in league play once again. It is the 27th time in the last 28 seasons that Creighton has gone .500 or better in league play.
The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous five seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall. The Wildcats are currently 8-9 in conference play and can't reach 12 wins this season, while Seton Hall is 9-8 and must win out.
February Favorites
Creighton is 5-2 this February. In the past four seasons, Creighton owns a 22-7 mark in BIG EAST games during the month of February, including a 7-3 record against top-25 competition.
That overall record ranks as the best in the BIG EAST, through games of Feb. 23.
BIG EAST Records in February, 2020 to Feb. 23, 2023
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 22 7 .786
Providence 18 9 .667
Connecticut 14 7 .667
Seton Hall 18 10 .643
Villanova 18 12 .600
Marquette 13 12 .520
Xavier 12 15 .444
Butler 12 19 .387
St. John's 11 17 .393
Georgetown 8 23 .258
DePaul 6 21 .222
Winning With Defense
Long revered for its offensive prowess, Creighton has turned into one of the nation's best defensive teams in recent seasons.
This year's team ranks 11th in KenPom's defensive efficiency ratings after being 19th a year ago.
In the final five minutes BIG EAST play this season, Bluejay opponents are shooting 35.3 percent from the floor (48-136), 20.0 percent from downtown (9-45) and have made just 49 free throws.
In league games only, Creighton leads the BIG EAST in points per game allowed (66.8) and field goal percentage defense (.410).
McDermott Among The Best
A Nov. 10th article on CBSSports.com ranked the nation's best Top 25 And 1 coaches, with Creighton's Greg McDermott making that list.
McDermott and Providence's Ed Cooley were the lone BIG EAST coaches named to the list.
McDermott and Cooley both rank in the top-13 in league history for BIG EAST victories and are the only two active coaches with 100 regular-season BIG EAST wins. The list contains six different coaches who have won at least one national title.
McDermott has been at his current job (13 seasons) longer than any active BIG EAST coach, but since his first three years were as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Cooley's 12 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
McDermott needed to coach in 173 BIG EAST regular-season games to earn his 100th conference win, 10th-fastest in league history.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches (2/23)
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 366 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2. 274 Jim Calhoun, UConn
3. 244 Jay Wright, Villanova
4. 198 John Thompson Sr., Georgetown
5. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
6. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
7. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
8. 118 Ed Cooley, Providence
9. 115 Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
10. 111 Rick Pitino, Providence/Louisville
11. 110 Rollie Massimino, Villanova
12. 107 Greg McDermott, Creighton
13. 105 Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
Fewest BIG EAST Games To 100 MBB League Wins
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 136 John Thompson Sr., Georgetown
2. 145 Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
3. 152 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
4. 154 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
5. 156 Rick Pitino, Providence/Louisville
6. 157 John Thompson III, Georgetown
7. 168 Jim Calhoun, UConn
8. 169 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
9. 172 Jay Wright, Villanova
10. 173 Greg McDermott, Creighton
11. 174 Rollie Massimino, Villanova
12. 190 Ed Cooley, Providence
13. 211 Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
It's Been A While
Creighton was ranked ninth in the preseason Associated Press poll and vaulted to seventh after a 6-0 start and trip to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational title game.
However, six straight losses from Nov. 23-Dec. 16 saw the Bluejays tumble not just out of the top 25, but to the point where it went back-to-back weeks (Dec. 19 & Dec. 26) where it didn't receive a single vote for the Top 25.
But a 12-4 stretch over 16 games from Dec. 22 - Feb. 19 has seen CU return to the rankings, where it is now 19th.
Per research from FOX Sports, the Bluejays are the first team in the last 14 seasons (since 2009-10) to be ranked at any time in a season after suffering through a six-game losing streak.
Alexander Inspired By Jim Jackson
Currently an analyst for FOX Sports, Jim Jackson was named UPI Player of the Year as a standout at Ohio State during the 1991-92 campaign.
The Feb. 11th win over UConn marked the third Creighton game this season with Jackson calling the game, and on each occasions the Jays have gotten a standout performance from sophomore guard Trey Alexander.
Jackson did five Creighton games last year -- CU's final five contests as it turns out -- when Alexander averaged 13.2 points, 5.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Trey Alexander's Stats
Jackson Status PPG APG RPG 3FG% FT%
With Jim Jackson 17.8 3.5 3.8 .474 .800
8 game totals 142 28 30 18-38 32-40
Without Jim Jackson 8.9 2.4 3.9 .336 .811
55 game totals 487 131 214 46-137 107-132
Sold Out in Omaha
February 21st marked Creighton's fourth straight home sellout, the first time it has met or exceeded CHI Health Center Omaha's 17,352 capacity that many times in a row since the final six home games in 2019-20 when the Jays captured their first BIG EAST regular-season title.
It's also the first time Creighton's had four straight home crowds over 18,000 since a stretch of five straight games when it did it during the final four home games of 2013-14 and the home opener in 2014-15.
Creighton has now sold out six home games this season (Nebraska, Providence, Xavier, Villanova, UConn, Marquette) and played in front of 13 sellouts overall (also vs. Texas Tech, Arkansas and Arizona in Maui, as well as road games at UConn, Xavier, Providence and St. John's).
Creighton ranks sixth nationally this season with 17,172 fans per home game.
2022-23 NCAA Home Attendance Per Game Leaders
Through 2/22/23
Rank School Average
1. Kentucky 19,814
2. North Carolina 19,603
3. Arkansas 19,042
4. Syracuse 18,795
5. Tennessee 18,707
6. Creighton 17,172
7. Kansas 16,300
8. Indiana 15,952
9. Illinois 15,030
10. Wisconsin 14,938
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton's average home crowd of 17,172 this year ranks fourth-most in program history.
Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CHI Health Center Omaha, and now has done it each of the last 19 non-COVID seasons.
Creighton has led its conference in average home attendance every year (except the 2020-21 COVID season) since moving into CHI Health Center Omaha, which is in its 20th season.
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,413 Creighton 2016-17
17,314 Creighton 2019-20
17,172 Creighton 2022-23
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
17,048 Creighton 2014-15
17,000 Creighton 2017-18
Watch This
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Creighton senior Baylor Scheierman is a Top 10 candidate for the 2023 Julius Erving Award. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball.
A senior from Aurora, Neb., Scheierman is averaging 13.1 points per game and leads the nation's 19th-ranked team with 8.3 rebounds per game and 69 made three-pointers. He ranks 11th nationally with 7.39 defensive rebounds per game and 22nd with 11 double-doubles.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Julius Erving Award is composed of top men's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Award are Wendell Moore Jr., Duke (2022), Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (2021), Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
Home Grown Bluejays
The BIG EAST owns 57 transfers spread out amongst its 11 teams, but Creighton owns just two of them (Francisco Farabello and Baylor Scheierman). Only Villanova (1) has fewer, while Seton Hall owns a league-high 10 transfers.
Transfers On Roster, Current BIG EAST
10 Seton Hall
9 DePaul
8 Georgetown
7 Providence
5 St. John's
4 Connecticut
4 Xavier
4 Butler
3 Marquette
2 Creighton
1 Villanova
Among The Best
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 138 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 107 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to 2/23/23)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 138 40 .775
Creighton 107 75 .588
Providence 104 74 .584
Xavier 100 75 .571
Seton Hall 96 85 .530
Marquette 93 88 .514
Butler 84 100 .456
St. John's 70 112 .385
Georgetown 60 119 .335
DePaul 39 140 .218
Connecticut 34 19 .642
Pure Charity
Creighton has made 137-of-169 free throw attempts (81.1 percent) during the past 11 games.
For the season, Creighton is shooting 75.7 percent as a team from the charity stripe. That's the team's best mark since shooting 75.9 percent in 2012-13, and would be the second-best figure in Greg McDermott's 13-year tenure at CU.
In all games this season, Creighton is shooting 78.6 percent (99-for-126) in the final five minutes at the line this season.
Creighton made all 16 free throw attempts at St. John's last Saturday, which is believed to be the most attempts without a miss in program history. The Bluejays were a perfect 8-for-8 at the line in the final 80 seconds, and are now shooting a cool 79.5 percent at the line in true road games this season.
Double-Digit BIG EAST Wins
Creighton leads all teams in BIG EAST play with a +8.81 scoring margin, so it shouldn't be a shock that it also owns the league lead with nine double-digit conference wins this winter.
Creighton's six league victories by 15 points or more also top the conference, and are the most by any league school since Creighton had seven league wins by 15 or more in both 2020-21 and 2019-20. No BIG EAST team has had more than seven league wins by 15 or more points since Villanova had nine in 2017-18.
10 Pt. BE Wins 15 Pt. BE Wins Team
9 6 Creighton
7 3 Marquette
7 3 Providence
6 4 Connecticut
5 4 Seton Hall
5 1 Xavier
4 3 Villanova
3 2 St. John's
1 1 Butler
1 0 DePaul
0 0 Georgetown
Foul Play
Creighton has committed just six personal fouls in two of the its last seven games, which no doubt contributes to its 13.0 fouls per game that is third-best nationally.
Creighton is one of five teams this year with multiple games of six fouls or fewer (joining Nebraska, Notre Dame, Richmond and South Diego State), and is the first club with back-to-back games of six fouls or less since Hofstra on Nov. 22 & 24, 2021 vs. Richmond and Molloy.
Creighton's defense is keyed by 2022 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner, who leads the league in blocks per game. In the past two seasons, Kalkbrenner has swatted 147 shots in 59 games played while collecting as many as four personal fouls just five times.
In Creighton's last eight games, Bluejay opponents have made a total of 16 free throws in the final 10 minutes of the second half (not including overtimes).
Bizarro World
In the preseason, most human "experts" had Creighton as a top-10 team, while the computers had the Jays closer to the 20-30 range.
Now that the season is past the midway point and into February, the tables have turned.
Creighton is currently ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll and 19th in the USA Today Coaches polls.
However, the Bluejays are 12th in KenPom, 12th in Bart Torvik, 12th in the Sagarin ratings and 14th in the NET through games of Feb. 22. Since Ryan Kalkbrenner returned on Dec. 22nd, Bart Torvik's site ranks Creighton seventh. Since Justin Moore returned on Jan. 29th, Villanova is 58th.
Top BIG EAST Starts
Creighton is off to an 12-5 start in BIG EAST play this season, tied for its third-best mark (also 2013-14 and 2020-21) through 17 games since joining the league in the summer of 2013.
Creighton started 13-4 in its debut season of 2013-14. A win on Wednesday would move CU to 13-5, matching its second-best 18-game BIG EAST start ever with 2019-20.
Since joining the BIG EAST, Creighton is 5-4 in its 18th game of the league season, including wins in three of the previous four seasons.
Just Call Him Trey-lor Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman has made a three-point basket in all 28 games he's played this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 38 in a row if you include the end of his time at South Dakota State.
Ty-Shon Alexander owns the longest streak in Creighton history of 33, done from Feb. 27, 2018 - March 6, 2019.
It's worth noting that Kyle Korver's third-place streak of 28 games with a trey was snapped when he did not attempt a field goal in 24 minutes of play during an 83-56 win over UNI (and head coach Greg McDermott) on Feb. 9, 2002. Korver then drained a triple in 27 more games in a row, a stretch from Feb. 13, 2002 to Jan. 20, 2003 before it was snapped against Evansville (and head coach Steve Merfeld).
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
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
28 Baylor Scheierman Nov. 7, 2022 - Present
27 Kyle Korver Feb. 13, 2002-Jan. 20, 2003
25 Rodney Buford Jan. 25, 1997-Jan. 10, 1998
23 Ethan Wragge Nov. 8, 2013-Feb. 9, 2014
23 Mitch Ballock Nov. 12, 2019-Feb. 8, 2020
23 Marcus Zegarowski Dec. 17, 2020 - March 28, 2021
22 Khyri Thomas Jan. 28-Dec. 5, 2017
21 Ethan Wragge Jan. 3-March 24, 2010
20 Johnny Mathies Dec. 22, 2004-Feb. 28, 2005
20 Marcus Foster Dec. 31, 2017-March 16, 2018
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer
Nation's Longest Active Streaks (through 2/22/23)
Streak Name, School Next Game
63 Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall 2/24
59 Darius McGhee. Liberty 2/24
57 Jordan "Jelly" Walker, UAB 2/23
41 Taijon Jones, UNC Asheville 2/25
40 Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee 2/25
38 Baylor Scheierman, Creighton 2/25
34 Jarod Lucas, Nevada 2/24
Nembhard Nears Triple-Double
Benoit Benjamin owns all three triple-doubles in Creighton history, but each were of the point/rebound/block variety and done in the 1980's.
The Bluejays have never had a traditional point/rebound/assist triple-double, though Ryan Nembhard flirted with one on Jan. 28th when he had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists vs. Xavier.
Nembhard is the third Bluejay with at least eight points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Damien Jefferson (10 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists at St. John's on 12/17/20) and Khyri Thomas (16 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists vs. DePaul on 2/27/18).
Giving It 100
Creighton won a 104-76 game vs. St. John's on Jan. 25, bringing up a bevy of numbers related to the century mark.
Creighton improved to 64-3 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, while Greg McDermott rose to 22-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 100 or more points.
Creighton's 104 points were its second-most ever in regulation in a conference game, trailing only its 115 in a 35-point win vs. Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985. No BIG EAST team had scored 104 points or more in regulation since 2017.
It was Creighton's first game with 100+ points in regulation since Dec. 20, 2018 vs. Coe and the first time with 100+ points in regulation against a Division I team since Dec. 20, 2017 vs. USC Upstate.
It was Creighton's first game scoring 50 points or more in both halves since Dec. 20, 2018 vs. Coe and first time exceeding 50 points in both halves since posting 58 in each half of a 116-62 rout of USC Upstate on Dec. 20, 2017.
Creighton has not scored 100 points in a true road game since a 106-86 victory at UMKC on Dec. 18, 1989, though it has surpassed the century mark three times on neutral floors since then (most recently 100 on Nov. 20, 2017 vs. No. 22 UCLA).
After never coaching a team to 100 or more points in nine combined seasons at Northern Iowa and Iowa State, Creighton has now scored 100 or more points 23 times under Greg McDermott, tied for the 10th-most nationally as seen below:
Most Games With 100+ Points Since 2010-11
Rk. 100+ Pt. Games School
1. 46 Gonzaga
2. 36 VMI
3. 35 The Citadel
4. 34 North Carolina
5. 27 Charleston Southern
6. 26 Central Michigan
26 Fort Wayne
8. 25 Houston Christian
9. 24 Portland State
10. 23 Creighton
23 Indiana
23 Winthrop
Kalkbrenner Recognized For Defense
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 15 men on the Watch List for this year's Naismith Trophy Men's Defensive Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Jan. 26.
Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.3 blocked shots per game, which also ranks 12th nationally. Kalkbrenner also paces the conference with 2.8 blocked shots per league game.
Last season the Florissant, Mo., native became Creighton's third BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in six seasons following a vote of league coaches.
Kalkbrenner has also been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, the USBWA Oscar Robertson Midseason Watch List, the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List and Preseason Jersey Mike's Naismith Award Watch List during his junior campaign.
Last year the 10 semifinalists for the award were named on March 1st, with the list being trimmed to four finalists on March 16. Auburn's Walker Kessler was announced as the winner on April 3rd at the Final Four. Other past winners include Baylor's Davion Mitchell (2020-21), Kansas' Marcus Garrett (2019-20), Washington's Matisse Thybulle (2018-19) and West Virginia's Jevon Carter (2017-18).
Give Me 10
Currently 12-2 inside CHI Health Center Omaha, Creighton now owns at least 10 home wins for the 26th time in the last 27 seasons.
The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.
Creighton also has surpassed 200,000 total home fans for the season for the 17th time in the last 18 years. The only exception was the 2020-21 season that was impacted by COVID-19, which restricted crowds nationwide.
The Double-Digit Kid
Ryan Nembhard had his first points/rebounds double-double at Butler when he finished with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
It was the second double-double of his career, as he had 15 points and 10 assists in his Bluejay debut in November of 2021.
It took the sophomore all of 10 days to do it again, as he had 11 points and 10 rebounds (as well as eight assists) on Jan. 28 vs. No. 13 Xavier.
Though Creighton's never had a traditional points/rebounds/assists triple-double, Nembhard is the first Creighton player with (different) games of 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 10+ assists in his CU career since Austin Chatman in his career from 2011-15.
The last Bluejay with (different) games of 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 10+ assists in the same season was Grant Gibbs in 2011-12.
No Creighton player has had double-doubles in points/assists and points/rebounds in the same season since at least 1981-82.
Kalkbrenner On Watch List For An Oscar
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 50 players nationally to be named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List, the United States Basketball Writers Association announced.
Kalkbrenner is one of five BIG EAST players on the list, joining Souley Boum (Xavier), Bryce Hopkins (Providence), Adama Sonogo (Connecticut) and Joel Soriano (St. John's).
He is just the second different Creighton player in head coach Greg McDermott's 13 seasons to make the Midseason Watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy, joining Doug McDermott in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. McDermott became the lone Creighton recipient ever to win the Oscar Robertson Trophy when he was recognized following the 2013-14 campaign.
Kalkbrenner leads Creighton with 14.8 points per game and leads the BIG EAST with 2.3 blocked shots per contest. He ranks third nationally in field goal percentage (.703) and is second on the Bluejays with 6.8 rebounds per game.
Butler's Two-Point Conversions Failed
Creighton held Butler to just 27.3 percent shooting from two-point range on Jan. 18th, the seventh-best defensive mark in Greg McDermott's 13 years on the Bluejay sideline.
Creighton's Best Defensive 2FG%, Since 2010-11
2FG% 2FG-2FGA Opponent (*BIG EAST) Date
.222 8-36 Maryland-Eastern Shore 12-15-17
.259 7-27 at Georgetown* 02-09-21
.263 5-19 Coe 12-20-18
.273 12-44 at Butler* 01-17-23
.282 11-39 Wagner 03-19-16
.289 11-38 Bemidji State 02-13-18
.292 14-48 Butler* 01-23-16
What's Luck Got To Do With It?
In the KenPom.com rankings through Feb. 22nd, Creighton ranks 351st of 363 teams in the site's "Luck" category, while Villanova is 329th-luckiest.
The KenPom.com site defines "Luck" as the deviation in winning percentage between a team's actual record and their expected record using the correlated gaussian method. The luck factor has nothing to do with the rating calculation, but a team that is very lucky (positive numbers) will tend to be rated lower by his system than their record would suggest.
Jays Surpass 26K at CHI
Creighton has scored 26,319 points all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha, surpassing 26,000 in the facility on Jan. 25 vs. St. John's.
Creighton has outscored the opposition 26,319-22,068 at the 20-year old facility in 336 all-time games in the building that count.
Creighton is 25-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CHI Health Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (CLCO Game #) Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04 1,000-787 (14) Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05 2,000-1,696 (28) Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06 3,000-2,504 (41) Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07 4,000-3,359 (56) Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07 5,000-4,174 (69) Kaleb Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08 6,000-5,048 (82) Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09 7,000-5,870 (95) Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10 8,000-6,750 (109) Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10 9,000-7,645 (123) Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
03/23/11 10,000-8,500 (136) Lawson FG vs. UCF
01/21/12 11,000-9,310 (148) McDermott FG vs. Ind. St.
12/19/12 12,000-10,136 (161) Echenique FG vs. Tulsa
11/23/13 13,000-10,922 (173) Artino FG vs. Tulsa
02/23/14 14,000-11,711 (185) Gibbs FG vs. Seton Hall
01/28/15 15,000-12,612 (198) Hanson FT vs. St. John's
12/28/15 16,000-13,498 (211) Huff FG vs. Coppin State
11/15/16 17,000-14,349 (224) Patton FG vs. #9 Wisconsin
01/28/17 18,000-15,166 (235) Hanson FG vs. DePaul
12/18/17 19,000-15,927 (246) Foster 3FG vs. UT Arlington
11/06/18 20,000-16,741 (258) Ballock 3FG vs. W. Illinois
02/03/19 21,000-17,619 (270) Zegarowski FG vs. Xavier
12/07/19 22,000-18,463 (282) Ballock 3FG vs. Nebraska
03/07/20 23,000-19,280 (294) Mahoney 3FG vs. #8 Seton Hall
02/13/21 24,000-20,103 (306) Zegarowski FG vs. #5 Villanova
02/14/22 25,000-20,950 (320) Hawkins 3FG vs. Georgetown
01/25/23 26,000-21,786 (333) Nembhard 3FG vs. St. John's
Turning Point, Again?
This year has some similarities to the 2019-20 season, shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from deep and 75.7 percent at the line while scoring 76.1 points per game and allowing 67.7 per contest.
Through 28 games the 2019-20 squad was 22-6 and shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 38.5 percent from deep and 73.8 percent at the line while scoring 78.2 points per game and allowing 69.1 points per contest.
Creighton started the 2019-20 season with a 2-3 league record but the season flipped with a home win over Providence in mid-January. That team defeated Providence 78-74 on a go-ahead three-pointer by Marcus Zegarowski with 3.2 seconds left to start a four-game win streak. The Jays would win 11 of their final 13 games to finish 13-5 in league play and tie for the program's lone BIG EAST title in program history.
This year's team started with a 3-3 league record before a 73-67 win over Providence and is now 12-5 in conference play.
The Schedule...It Is Strong
Creighton ranks 88th nationally in winning percentage, but owns an NET of 14 (through Feb. 23) thanks in part to a challenging schedule that ranks eighth-toughest nationally among average opponent NET rankings.
Creighton has already played 20 games against teams with a top-100 NET ranking:
NET Opponent CU Result
7 at UConn L 60-69
7 UConn W 56-53
9 at Texas L 67-72
11 vs. Arizona L 79-81
13 at Marquette L 58-69
13 Marquette L 71-73
15 vs. Arkansas W 90-87
35 at Xavier L 87-90
35 Xavier W 84-67
40 Providence W 73-67
40 at Providence L 84-96 (2OT)
49 vs. Texas Tech W 76-65
71 Seton Hall W 83-61
71 at Seton Hall W 75-62
70 vs. Arizona State L 71-73
82 Villanova W 66-61
82 at Villanova Saturday
89 Nebraska L 53-63
94 vs. BYU L 80-83
97 St. John's W 104-76
97 at St. John's W 77-67
120 Butler W 78-56
120 at Butler W 73-52
137 UC Riverside W 80-51
171 DePaul W 80-65
171 at DePaul March 4
185 St. Thomas W 72-60
220 at Georgetown W 63-53
220 Georgetown Wednesday
277 North Dakota W 96-61
331 Holy Cross W 94-65
Scheierman Drains 200th Trey
Baylor Scheierman enters Saturday's tilt having made 228 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.7 percent clip.
Scheierman also owns 1,480 points, 866 rebounds, 404 assists and 117 career steals.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman is the nation's only player in the last 30 years with career totals of at least 200 three-pointers, 400 assists and 750 defensive rebounds.
Kaluma Pounds The Glass
Arthur Kaluma grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds on Jan. 7 at No. 4 UConn, four more than his previous best done twice previously.
Kaluma's 16 rebounds were the most by a Bluejay since joining the BIG EAST 10 years ago, and last matched on Nov. 12, 2012 when Gregory Echenique also had 16 boards vs. UAB.
After just one double-double in his first 45 career games, Kaluma posted back-to-back double-doubles vs. Seton Hall and UConn. He finished the Jan. 11 game at Xavier with 11 points and nine rebounds, coming up just one board short of joining Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Hawkins, Martin Krampelj and Doug McDermott (twice) as the only Bluejays to record three straight double-doubles since 1994-95.
Most Rebounds, Game, Since 1994-95
Reb. Player vs. Opponent Date
18 Kenny Lawson Jr. vs. St. Joseph's 12-11-2010
17 Doug McDermott at Bradley 02-11-2011
16 Donald Davenport at Missouri St. 01-21-1995
16 Kenny Lawson Jr. vs. Drake 01-01-2011
16 Doug McDermott at Akron 02-19-2011
16 Gregory Echenique vs. UAB 11-12-2012
16 Arthur Kaluma at UConn 01-07-2023
15 Ben Walker at Baylor 12-04-1999
15 Justin Carter vs. Kentucky 03-23-2009
15 Doug McDermott vs. Tulsa 11-23-2013
15 Ronnie Harrell Jr. vs. #23 UCLA 11-20-2017
15 Christian Bishop vs. Ohio 03-22-2021
15 Ryan Kalkbrenner at Georgetown 02-12-2022
SWAT Team
Creighton owned nine blocked shots in its Jan. 3rd victory over Seton Hall. The nine blocked shots were tied for the most in a game under 13th-year head coach Greg McDermott (also done 2/13/18 vs. Bemidji State and 11/27/21 vs. SIU Edwardsville).
The nine rejections also tied Creighton's CHI Health Center Omaha record for team blocked shots in a game (also done 1/9/08 vs. Evansville, 2/13/18 vs. Bemidji State and 11/27/21 vs. SIU Edwardsville).
Combined with its 11 three-pointers made, Creighton fell just one block away from its first game with 10 blocks and 10 three-pointers for the first time since Feb. 17, 2002 vs. Wichita State when it had 10 of each.
Fool Me Once...But Nine Times?
Creighton has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below.
Last year marked the sixth straight season that Creighton has finished in fourth place or better.
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 None
2022-23 1st ?? Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
Offense Under The Christmas Tree
Trey Alexander was averaging 4.5 points per game in mid-January a year ago before averaging 9.6 points in his final 20 outings for an overall 7.4 points per game average for his rookie campaign.
This season Alexander is averaging 13.2 points per game and has scored seven points or more in all but two contests.
Starting with his career-high 32 points vs. DePaul on Christmas Day, Alexander has averaged 15.1 points per game and scored in double-figures in all but three of those.
Alexander continues to be rock solid at the free throw line, making 80.0 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe. He made 10-of-11 foul shots on Jan. 14 vs. Providence, including 6-for-6 marksmanship down the stretch.
Nationally Relevant
Through games of Feb. 22, Creighton ranked third-best in the country in fewest fouls per game (13.0). The Jays are also sixth in defensive rebounds per game (28.86) and 41st in assist/turnover ratio (1.33).
Individually, Baylor Scheierman ranks 22nd nationally with 11 double-doubles and 11th with 7.39 defensive rebounds per game.
Teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner is third in field goal percentage (70.6%) among players to make five field goals per game and 12th with 2.33 blocks per game.
Ryan Nembhard ranks 42nd in assist/turnover ratio (2.46), 39th in assists per game (5.0) and 45th in total assists (140).
On The Rebound
Baylor Scheierman gets lots of attention for his shooting and passing skills, but he did lead the Summit League in rebounding last year as well.
Scheierman has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 12 games this season, and has 11 double-doubles to date. The 11 double-doubles rank 22nd nationally, while his 7.39 defensive rebounds per game are 11th-most in the country.
The Aurora, Neb., product's current 8.3 rebounds per game average is the best mark by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin averaged 14.1 rebounds per game in 1984-85, just ahead of Doug McDermott's 8.2 in 2011-12.
Scheierman remains on pace to become the first man in school history to average at least 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 three-pointers per game.
Earlier this year Scheierman became the first Bluejay with four straight double-doubles since Doug McDermott from Nov. 25-Dec. 10, 2011.
Since the 1994-95 season, Scheierman, Ryan Hawkins, Martin Krampelj and McDermott (twice) are the only four Bluejays to record three straight double-doubles.
Scheierman's 11 double-doubles equal the most in a season since Bob Harstad had 12 in 1990-91.
Most Double-Doubles, Season, Since 1987-88
D-D Creighton Player Year
13 Bob Harstad 1988-89
12 Bob Harstad 1989-90
11 Bob Harstad 1990-91
11 Doug McDermott 2011-12
11 Ryan Hawkins 2021-22
11 Baylor Scheierman 2022-23
10 Doug McDermott 2012-13
10 Chad Gallagher 1990-91
Most Double-Doubles Since 1987-88, Career
D-D Creighton Player Year
42 Bob Harstad 1987-91
37 Doug McDermott 2010-14
24 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
13 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
11 Rodney Buford 1995-99
11 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
11 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
11 Ryan Hawkins 2021-22
11 Baylor Scheierman 2022-Pres.
Fantastic Five
Much has been written about Creighton's starting five this season, and the success CU has had when Ryan Nembhard, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma and Baylor Scheierman are on the floor together.
The quintet has played 480:08 (of a possible 1,330 minutes) together this season, outscoring the opposition 934-778 in those minutes.
In 11 games against ranked foes, the group has been paired together for 240:43 (of a possible 450 minutes), and outscored opponents 471-429.
With All 5 Regular Starters On the Floor
Opponent CU Pts. Opp Pts. Diff. Time
St. Thomas 36 34 +2 20:10
North Dakota 41 31 +10 18:42
Holy Cross 24 11 +13 9:28
UC Riverside 37 14 +23 17:31
#21 Texas Tech 58 49 +9 22:36
#9 Arkansas 33 25 +8 19:36
#14 Arizona 50 51 (-1) 21:17
#2 Texas 44 40 +4 24:49
Nebraska 17 22 (-5) 15:22
Butler 20 19 +1 13:09
DePaul 40 24 +16 14:57
Seton Hall 28 15 +13 14:51
#4 Connecticut 41 40 +1 24:51
#12 Xavier 58 55 +3 23:19
#19 Providence 40 21 +19 19:19
Butler 27 23 +4 14:00
St. John's 35 32 +3 11:28
#13 Xavier 48 39 +9 22:40
Georgetown 36 23 +13 23:34
Villanova 46 45 +1 27:50
Seton Hall 40 25 +15 20:15
#21 Connecticut 17 22 (-5) 14:13
#24 Providence 67 70 (-3) 38:20
St. John's 36 31 +5 18:08
#10 Marquette 15 17 (-2) 9:43
TOTAL 934 778 +156 480:08
Arc's-manship
Creighton shoots 36.0 percent from three-point range in BIG EAST play, and it's been a telling stat.
In 12 league wins, Creighton is shooting 109-for-283 from deep (38.5 percent).
In five league losses, Creighton is shooting 33-for-111 from deep (29.7 percent).
Creighton is 72-4 under Greg McDermott when making at least half of its three-point attempts, including a 40-1 mark in the past 10 seasons. The lone loss as a BIG EAST member was a 106-104 overtime setback to No. 21 Marquette on Jan. 9, 2019.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, since McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton's 76 games shooting 50 percent or better from downtown trail only Weber State (80).
Big Fred's Big Night
Making his second career start, freshman center Fredrick King had career-highs with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots in the Dec. 12 game vs. Arizona State.
King was just the second Bluejay of any age in Greg McDermott's 13 years on the CU sideline to post a game with at least 16/11/5, joining Gregory Echenique (18 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks) vs. Houston Christian on Dec. 17, 2011.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, King is the seventh different freshmen with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and no turnovers in the same game since 2010-11, a list that includes Chet Holmgren, Armando Bacot, Mo Bamba, Anthony Davis (twice), Thik Bol and Chris Horton.
Freshmen With 16 Pts., 11 Reb., 5 Blk, 0 Turnovers
(Since 2010-11)
Name, School Date PTS REB BLK
Anthony Davis, Kentucky 01/17/12 27 14 7
Anthony Davis, Kentucky 03/25/12 18 11 6
Chris Horton, Austin Peay 12/05/12 21 11 5
Thik Bol, Southern Illinois 02/19/17 19 11 6
Mo Bamba, Texas 12/29/17 22 15 8
Armando Bacot, N. Carolina 11/29/19 23 12 6
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga 03/17/22 19 17 7
Fredrick King, Creighton 12/12/22 16 11 5
King Him!
After 38 total points and 25 total rebounds in the first 10 games of his college career, Fredrick King put together back-to-back double-doubles after being pressed into a starting role when Ryan Kalkbrenner was sidelined by a non-COVID illness in mid-December. King had 16 points and 11 rebounds vs. Arizona State on Dec. 12th, then added 16 points and 10 rebounds at Marquette four days later.
King is CU's freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Justin Patton had three in 2016-17.
King is CU's first true freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Doug McDermott had nine in 2010-11. McDermott had also been the last Bluejay freshman with back-to-back double-doubles, having done it on Feb. 1 and Feb. 5, 2011.
For his efforts, King was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Dec. 19.
After shooting 8-for-8 vs. Marquette, King was 3-for-3 from the field against Butler to move him to 11-for-11 in league play with eight dunks. He is currently 22-for-33 from the field with 13 dunks in conference contests.
Simply Perfect
Below is a list of Creighton players to shoot 100 percent from the field on eight or more attempts in a game since the start of the 1991-92 campaign:
Most FGA, 100% Shooting, Since 1991-92
FGA Name, Opponent Date
11 Anthony Tolliver vs. Illinois State 01/01/07
10 Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. Holy Cross 11/14/22
8 Geoffrey Groselle vs. Coppin State 12/28/15
8 Justin Patton vs. Loyola (Md.) 12/07/16
8 Fredrick King at Marquette 12/16/22
Trèy's Bien
Sophomore Trey Alexander scored a career-high 32 points in a Christmas Day win over DePaul, easily surpassing his previous high of 18 points.
Alexander had 14 points in the first half and 18 more after the break. He made a career-high seven three-pointers.
Creighton's largest lead of the game was 17, done four times. Each came after an Alexander hoop.
Alexander was the first Bluejay in more than 55 years to have a game with 30 or more points before finishing a game with 20-29 points.
Trèy's Bien, Part II
Creighton made 16 three-point shots in its Christmas Day victory over DePaul, including 10 in the first half.
It was Creighton's most three-pointers in a game since sinking 17 trifectas at Seton Hall on Jan. 27, 2021.
CU made 10 triples in the first half of that Seton Hall contest, which was also the last time CU made 10 treys in one half.
Individually, Trey Alexander made a career-high seven three-pointers. That's the most by any Bluejay since Ryan Hawkins made eight shots from downtown at Georgetown on Feb. 12, 2022.
Paul Silas Passes Away at 79
Paul Silas, Creighton's first Academic All-American and one of the top players in Bluejay men's basketball history, passed away at the age of 79 on Dec. 11th.
Silas was recruited to Creighton by John J. "Red" McManus out of McClymonds High School in Oakland, Calif., the same high school that produced Bill Russell. Silas arrived on campus in 1960 when freshmen were ineligible to play for the varsity but quickly made a difference a year later when he led CU to the 1961-62 NCAA Tournament and the team closed with a 21-5 record. His 1963-64 team returned to the Big Dance and finished 22-7.
Silas is the only player in NCAA history with three or more seasons of 557 rebounds and owns the top three single-season rebound totals in Bluejay annals, including 631 as a senior in 1963-64. That figure remains fifth-most in NCAA history and is the most by any player since 1960. He's first in CU history with 1,751 rebounds, ninth in career points (1,661), third in career scoring average (20.51) and also in the top-10 in field goals made (8th) and free throws made (6th).
Silas' 21.6 career rebounds per game are third-most in NCAA history and his 1,751 rebounds are sixth in NCAA history as well as the most ever by a three-year player. Silas, along with Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore and Kermit Washington is one of five players to average at least 20 points and 20 rebounds for an NCAA career. Silas owns the top 29 single-game rebound performances in Creighton history, including a 38 rebound effort vs. Centenary on Feb. 19, 1962 that ranks tied for ninth-most in NCAA history.
He was the first Creighton student-athlete to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1963-64, was a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, and received the College of Business Administration's Alumni Merit Award in 1993.
In an old article, Silas boasted about his education, saying "I'm more proud of my academic success at Creighton than of all my athletic accomplishments. What Creighton University does for an athlete or any student is that they teach you how to think, how to deal with everyday living. What I learned at Creighton has helped me close the gap between professional sports and the business world."
A two-time All-Star and five-time NBA All-Defensive team member, he scored 11,782 points and grabbed 12,357 rebounds while winning three titles (Boston 1974 & 1976, Seattle 1979) during a 16-year NBA career from 1964-80. He later coached 12 seasons in the NBA for the Clippers, Hornets, Bobcats and Cavalier organizations. He was LeBron James' first NBA head coach. His son, Stephen Silas, is the current head coach of the NBA's Houston Rockets.
Silas was inducted into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 1974, the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Sophomores Standing Tall
Legendary Marquette coach Al McGuire once said that the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. The Bluejay trio of Arthur Kaluma, Trey Alexander and Ryan Nembhard were all part of the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team last season, and all three are off to fantastic starts as sophomores.
This year the trio have combined to average 37.2 points per contest.
Collectively, they shoot 43.1 percent from the field (359-832), 36.1 percent from downtown (117-324) and 78.9 percent at the line (206-261) while also contributing 395 rebounds and 256 assists against just 159 turnovers.
Creighton is 22-5 in the last two seasons when all three men play and they combine for 13 or more rebounds.
An Area for Improvement
One area that Creighton will look to improve in 2022-23 is its marksmanship from behind the arc, as last year's 30.8 percent shooting from deep was its worst as a team since 1993-94.
The Creighton staff is confident those numbers can improve as its talented freshman class is now sophomores. Thus far, Creighton is third in the BIG EAST with 8.7 three-pointers made per game and fourth with 35.3 percent marksmanship from deep.
Last year's freshmen combined to shoot 27.2 percent from deep (85-313), but they're not the first Bluejay freshmen to struggle early on from downtown, as seen in the chart below of some other prominent marksmen.
Even that chart is a little misleading, as Doug McDermott shot 15-of-53 (.283) from deep in his first 20 games of his freshman year before finishing 32-of-63 (.508) in his last 19 games. Likewise, Kyle Korver was shooting 11-for-41 (.268) from downtown after his first 14 contests before blistering the nets to the tune of 52-of-104 (.500).
As a Freshman Other College Years
Name 3FG-3FGA 3FG% 3FG-3FGA 3FG%
Ky. Korver 63-145 .434 308-674 .457
McDermott 47-116 .405 237-482 .492
Ty. Alexander 32-96 .333 178-469 .380
Ballock 44-135 .326 264-638 .414
Tr. Alexander 18-64 .281 46-111 .414
Nembhard 33-106 .311 40-113 .354
Kaluma 27-102 .265 31-00 .310
Big Fred's World
Fredrick King had four points (on two dunks) and three blocked shots in his first career start on Saturday vs. BYU.
King was the first Bluejay true freshman to start a game at center since Kenton Walker on Feb. 5, 2008, when the Jays topped UNI, 74-50.
One of the other Creighton starters that night was Nick Bahe, who was on the call for FS1 for each of King's first two starts.
King is the first true freshman center to make multiple starts for Creighton since Joel Templeman in 1994-95.
Holiday Hoops Proves Popular
Creighton's Christmas Day victory over DePaul scored 2.99 million viewers on FOX - the network's most-watched college hoops game ever.
Per FOX Sports PR, it was the most-watched college basketball game on any network this season, far ahead of the Kentucky/Michigan State game on ESPN (2.03 million).
In the last three years, the only regular-season game higher was North Carolina/Duke in Mike Krzyzewski's final home game last March (3.98 million) on ESPN.
Wooden Award Watch List
The Creighton duo of Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner have been named to the Preseason Top 50 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy's®.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles in April.
Scheierman and Kalkbrenner give Creighton nine Preseason John R. Wooden Award Watch List recognitions in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott. Marcus Zegarowski made the list in 2020-21, one year after Ty-Shon Alexander was listed prior to the 2019-20 campaign. Others to make the list include Marcus Foster (2017-18), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17), Doug McDermott (2013-14, 2012-13 and 2011-12). Creighton's lone recipient of the John R. Wooden Award® is Doug McDermott, who was recognized following the completion of the 2013-14 campaign.
Speaking Of Assists
Ryan Nembhard's 12 assists vs. Holy Cross were the second double-figure assist game of his Bluejay career, joining the 10 helpers he dished in his collegiate debut last November vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Nembhard is the seventh different Bluejay with 10 or more assists in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Maurice Watson Jr. (12 times), Grant Gibbs (4), Marcus Zegarowski (4), Austin Chatman (3), Antoine Young (2) and Malik Albert (1).
Also worth noting regarding Nembhard's big night? He played just 19 minutes in the win, making him the nation's only player with 12 assists against a Division I opponent this year while playing less than 30 minutes.
Turnover Free At The Point
Ryan Nembhard's 12 assists without a turnover vs. Holy Cross on Nov. 14 made him just the fourth player in Bluejay history to accomplish that feat. He's the first to do it inside CHI Health Center Omaha and the first Bluejay to do it at any site since 2002.
Here's the single-game assist leaders at Creighton, along with their turnover statistics on that night:
Ast. Name, Opponent Date TO
17 Ralph Bobik vs. Bradley 01/22/74 0
Ralph Bobik at St. Francis (Pa.) 02/23/73 ??
16 Ralph Bobik vs. BYU 12/17/73 4
14 Maurice Watson Jr. at Providence 01/07/17 2
Maurice Watson Jr. at Seton Hall 01/09/16 4
13 Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Washington St. 11/18/16 4
Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Akron 12/03/16 5
Jason Bey vs. Southern Illinois 02/27/95 1
Latrell Wrightsell vs. Nebraska 12/07/91 1
12 Ryan Nembhard vs. Holy Cross 11/14/22 0
Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern 12/22/11 4
Tyler McKinney at Nebraska 12/21/02 0
Ed St. Fleur at CS-Sacramento 01/13/96 0
Latrell Wrightsell vs. N. Iowa 02/01/92 4
Duan Cole at Iowa State 01/16/90 5
Vernon Moore at Southern Illinois 01/17/85 2
Randy Eckker at Gonzaga 01/14/77 2
Randy Eckker at Bradley 01/12/77 4
Kalkbrenner Up For Naismith Award
Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named one of 50 players to watch during the season-long competition for the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year honor, as announced by The Atlanta Tipoff Club.
A junior from Florissant, Mo., Kalkbrenner averaged 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game while starting CU's first 34 contests last season. He was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice, BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-BIG EAST Tournament Team while ranking fourth nationally in both field goal percentage (.646) and offensive rebounds per game (3.9). He was the lone Bluejay named Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST last month for ninth-ranked team in the nation, who are predicted to win the BIG EAST.
Kalkbrenner's recognition makes him the fourth different Bluejay in 13-year head coach Greg McDermott's tenure to be on a Naismith Award watch list. Doug McDermott was on the Preseason watch list in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 and was a finalist in 2012-13 before winning the award in 2013-14. Marcus Foster was named to the Midseason watch list in 2016-17, then made the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2017-18. More recently, Marcus Zegarowski was on the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2020-21.
The midseason 30 team will be announced in February, and then the competition will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists in early March. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 21, 2023, and the winner of the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for Men's Player of the Year will be announced on April 2, 2023.
Top 10 Under McDermott
Prior to Greg McDermott's 2010 arrival, Creighton had spent one week ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in program history (10th on Jan. 20, 2003, when Dana Altman's team led by Kyle Korver lost at Steve Merfeld's Evansville team).
Under McDermott, Creighton has spent 21 weeks in the top 10, including at least one week in five different seasons (1 week in 2012-13; 8 weeks in 2016-17, 3 weeks in 2019-20, 5 weeks in 2020-21 and 4 weeks so far this year).
Creighton's best AP ranking ever is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017; March 10, 2020; March 18, 2020; Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 337 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 20-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 277-60 (.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 26,319-22,068 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.61 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 88 different times, including twice this year (Holy Cross, DePaul).
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 180-42 (.811) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 63 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 296-60 (.831) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.29 points per home game (17,825 points in 222 home games), a figure that climbs to 83.84 points in non-conference home games (8,719 points in 104 home games).
Creighton is 134-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points, with four of those losses coming against Marquette.
Who's Back?
With Creighton returning eight of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2021-22 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 118 (79.2%) 31 (20.8%)
Assists 284 (60.9%) 182 (39.1%)
Starts 104 (59.4%) 71 (40.6%)
Points 1,360 (56.2%) 1,062 (43.8%)
Minutes 3,881 (54.9%) 3,194 (45.1%)
Charges Taken 7 (53.8%) 6 (46.2%)
Rebounds 663 (53.3%) 580 (46.7%)
Steals 98 (51.0%) 94 (49.0%)
3FG Made 83 (35.3%) 152 (64.7%)
Youth Is Served
In case you've forgotten, Creighton had at least one freshman on the floor for every second of every game last season, and actually had a late stretch of 1:28 vs. Colorado State when all five of its players on the floor were freshmen.
All told, 3171:36 of Creighton's 7,075 total minutes (44.83 percent) were played by freshmen last season.
By comparison, in 2020-21 Creighton had a freshman on the floor just 32.4 percent of the time and had multiple freshmen on the floor just 17 minutes (of 1,250) all season (1.4 percent). Only 7.5 percent (465:52 of 6250) of CU's overall minutes were played by freshmen in 2020-21.
Through 28 games this season, Creighton's freshmen have played 628:31 of 5,850 possible minutes (10.75 percent).
2021-22 Minute Breakdown
Freshmen Time Score Margin
0 freshmen: Never -- --
1 freshman: 34:23 59-49 +10
2 freshmen: 962:14 1,692-1,578 +114
3 freshmen: 347:15 611-407 +4
4 freshmen: 45:54 54-85 (-31)
5 freshmen: 1:`28 5-2 +3
Watch This
Creighton has four men that made a preseason watch list for their respective position.
Ryan Nembhard is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's best point guard. Nembhard is the fourth different Bluejay in the last 12 years named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list, joining Antoine Young (2011-12), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
Baylor Scheierman is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Julius Erving Award, given to the nation's best small forward. Scheierman is Creighton's first player in the nine seasons of the Julius Erving Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Arthur Kaluma is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Karl Malone Award, given to the nation's best power forward. Kaluma is Creighton's first player in the nine seasons of the Karl Malone Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation's best center. Kalkbrenner joins Justin Patton (2016-17) as Creighton's second player in the nine seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Creighton (4) is one of six schools with four or more MBB players on a watch list, joining Duke (5), Kentucky (5), Arizona (4), Gonzaga (4) and UCLA (4).
CU's four watch list student-athletes match the totals of the rest of the BIG EAST combined (Xavier 2, Villanova 1, UConn 1).
20 Wins, Again
Creighton had 23 wins in 2021-22, securing a seventh straight 20-win season.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the previous seven seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
22 of 24 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 22 of the last 24 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 24 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 23 times, Creighton and Kentucky 22 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 24 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons 2021-22 W-L
Gonzaga 24 28-4
Kansas 24 34-6
Duke 23 32-7
Creighton 22 23-12
Kentucky 22 26-8
More Than Just Being Tall
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 143 dunks in his career, including 69 last year. He has more career dunks than any other Bluejay player since Greg McDermott's arrival in 2010.
Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, and 25 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Year
74 Martin Krampelj 2018-19
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
69 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2021-22
50 Christian Bishop 2020-21
45 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2022-23
38 Christian Bishop 2019-20
36 Gregory Echenique 2012-13
33 Martin Krampelj 2017-18
30 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
29 Marcus Foster 2017-18
29 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-21
24 Gregory Echenique 2010-11
23 Marcus Foster 2016-17
23 Fredrick King 2022-23
22 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
21 Alex O'Connell 2021-22
21 Arthur Kaluma 2021-22
20 Khyri Thomas 2017-18
Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Years
143 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
121 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
103 Christian Bishop 2018-21
90 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
52 Marcus Foster 2016-18
51 Khyri Thomas 2015-18
38 Will Artino 2011-15
37 Arthur Kaluma 2021-Pres.
33 Zach Hanson 2013-17
25 Geoffrey Groselle 2012-16
25 Damien Jefferson 2018-21
Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Year Team W-L
144 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
132 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
107 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
106 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
90 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
89 2022-23 18-10 so far (Postseason TBD)
60 2019-20 24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
56 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
54 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
42 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 100 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Feb. 22, 2023
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 3,867 4th
FG Percentage .476 4th
Assists 7,020 6th
3FG Percentage .376 6th
FG Made 12,012 8th
Points 33,584 10th
Wins 294 28th
Winning Percentage .667 33rd
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 27 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including four such rallies last season. In its NCAA Tournament win vs. San Diego State, Creighton trailed 35-21 late in the first half.
Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
If you're curious, CU's largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
16 at Seton Hall 01/27/21
16 SIU Edwardsville 11/27/21
15 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21
14 Evansville 02/21/12
14 vs. San Diego State 03/17/22
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
13 #22 Xavier 12/23/20
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
12 at DePaul 01/17/16
12 East Tennessee State 11/11/18
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
11 vs. Ole Miss 11/21/16
11 vs. Connecticut 03/12/21
11 DePaul 01/22/22
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
10 St. John's 01/03/18
10 at DePaul 02/07/18
10 Bemidji State 02/13/18
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 294 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. 294-147 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
Super Seven
Greg McDermott joined some select company when he directed his troops to a seventh NCAA Tournament last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history.
McDermott is one of five head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven different NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 12
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 7
McDermott's Coaching Tree
A bunch of former Greg McDermott protégés are thriving at the Division I level.
Eric Henderson led South Dakota State to the first 18-0 season in Summit League history. The Jackrabbits went 30-5 after winning the Summit League Tournament and clinching an NCAAA bid.
North Dakota State's Dave Richman went 23-10 overall and finished as the runner-up in the Summit League standings and Summit League Tournament to Henderson's SDSU team.
Ben Jacobson won the MVC regular-season title while coaching Northern Iowa. The Panthers went 20-12 and reached the NIT.
Drake's Darian DeVries led the Bulldogs to a 25-11 mark and runner-up finish in the MVC (to Jacobson's UNI team) in the regular-season and the league tournament. Drake played in the CBI.
Steve Lutz led his Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team to a 24-12 record and a Southland Conference Tournament title in his first year as a head coach, with the Islanders reaching the NCAA Tournament First Four. He inherited a 5-19 team that hadn't won 20 games or had a winning record since 2016-17.
TJ Otzelberger turned around Iowa State in his first year in Ames. He inherited a 2-22 team (0-18 Big 12) and turned it into a team that reached the Sweet 16 and finished 22-13.
Patrick Sellers led Central Connecticut State to an 8-24 record in his first season with the Blue Devils, including a victory in the Northeast Conference Tournament.
Paul Sather is the head coach at North Dakota after successful tenures at Black Hills State and Northern State.
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a second season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 39 of the last 40 seasons. McDermott is in his ninth season in the NBA.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished last season ranked 50th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 112 offense, and No. 19 defense. Creighton's No. 19 defense was its best mark in the 20 seasons of the KenPom era.
Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom in six of the previous 11 seasons.
Since 2002 every national champion has been a KenPom top 40 offense and a KenPom top 22 defense.
Here's where Creighton ranked after games of Feb. 22.
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 27 11 12
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
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day on Oct. 18th at Madison Square Garden.
It's the first time since 2012-13 that Creighton has been chosen as a preseason favorite in its league, though that recognition came in CU's final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
This is the 10th time Creighton has been tabbed as the preseason favorite (also 1989-90, 1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2011-12 and 2012-13), though the first nine occurrences all happened in the Missouri Valley Conference. Four of those MVC teams finished first (1990-91, 2000-01, 2008-09, 2012-13), while the other five took second place. Six of those nine Bluejay squads went on to win the MVC Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13) and seven of the nine squads played in the NCAA Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13).
The Bluejays collected eight first-place votes and earned 98 points in the poll. Xavier was picked second in the poll with 86 points, including two first-place votes. Villanova, the defending BIG EAST Tournament champion, was one point behind Xavier with 85 points and received one first-place vote from the men's basketball head coaches, who did not vote for their own teams. Connecticut was picked fourth with 77 points and Providence was fifth with 62 points. St. John's and Seton Hall finished sixth and seventh with 62 and 52 points, respectively. Butler was eighth with 36 points, four points ahead of ninth-place Marquette with 32 points. Georgetown was 10th with 21 points and DePaul 11th with 12 points.
Creighton is the only school in the league that has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below:
Creighton's BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year Preseason Actual Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14 3rd 2nd Doug McDermott (1st)
2014-15 9th T-9th -
2015-16 9th 6th -
2016-17 3rd T-3rd Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18 5th T-3rd Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19 9th T-3rd Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20 7th T-1st Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21 2nd 2nd Marcus Zegarowski (1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)
2021-22 8th 4th None
2022-23 1st ?? Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 976 straight games. The streak is the nation's 13th-longest active streak.
Creighton's last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (through 2/22)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,187 UNLV 2/24
2. 1,181 Duke 2/25
3. 1,121 Western Kentucky 2/23
4. 1,113 East Tennessee State 2/25
5. 1,091 Oakland 2/23
6. 1,088 Pacific 2/23
7. 1,085 Texas 2/25
8. 1,033 Marshall 2/24
9. 1,024 Baylor 2/25
10. 1,012 Princeton 2/25
11. 1,010 Gonzaga 2/23
12. 983 Long Island 2/25
13. 976 Creighton 2/25
14. 969 Mount St. Mary's 2/24
15. 959 Tennessee State 2/23
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 976 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,698 trifectas, an average of 7.89 treys per game.
That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly seven three-pointers 146 times, more than any figure.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 279 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 58-15 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 27-22 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1: 5 times 2: 18 times 3: 35 times
4: 75 times 5: 102 times 6: 101 times
7: 146 times 8: 123 times 9: 92 times
10: 81 times 11: 56 times 12: 55 times
13: 45 times 14: 19 times 15: 7 times
16: 8 times 17: 3 times 19: 1 time
20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2022-32 season went on sale on October 14th. Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.7
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