#24 Men's Basketball Meets #15 Xavier in BIG EAST Tourney Semifinals

Game #33: #24 Creighton Bluejays (21-11) vs. #15 Xavier Musketeers (24-8)
Friday, March 10, 2023 • 8:00 p.m. CST • New York, N.Y. • Madison Square Garden
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) |

• Coming off an 87-74 win over Villanova late last night, No. 24 Creighton (21-11) plays No. 15 Xavier (24- 8) at 8 p.m. Central on Friday evening at Madison Square Garden (19,812) in New York, N.Y.
   At stake...a spot in Saturday night's 5:30 p.m. Central championship game.

• Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson and Kristina Pink will call the game on FS1 and FoxSports.com/live, while John Bishop and Taylor Stormberg will handle the radio broadcast on 1620 the Zone, 101.9 The Keg and 1620TheZone.com. Live stats can be found at http://creighton.statbroadcast.com.

• Xavier owns a 21-17 lead in the series with Creighton, but the Bluejays are 2-1 against the Musketeers in the BIG EAST Tournament. Twenty-four of the 38 all-time meetings have been within five points in the final minute, including 10 of the last 17 games.
    Greg McDermott is 11-12 against Xavier, and 1-1 against Sean Miller. Miller is 2-4 against Creighton.
   Xavier won the first meeting this year on Jan. 11, 90-87 in Cincinnati before Creighton won the rematch 84-67 in Omaha on Jan. 28th.

• With a win...
   Creighton would advance to Saturday's 5:30 p.m. Central final against either No. 6 Marquette or No. 11 Connecticut in a game that will air on FOX, 1620 the Zone and 101.9 The Keg.
   Creighton would improve to 11-8 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament, including a 5-0 mark in the semifinals.
   Creighton would improve to 2-0 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament as a No. 3 seed, and 6-1 all-time in conference tournament action as a No. 3 seed (including the MVC Tournament).
   Creighton would improve to 1-2 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament against No. 2 seeds, having lost in the 2015 quarterfinals to Georgetown and in the 2022 finals to Villanova.
   Creighton would improve to 3-1 in the BIG EAST Tournament against Xavier, having beaten the Musketeers in the semifinals in 2014 and 2017 (and losing in the 2019 quarterfinals).
   Creighton would improve to 6-6 this year against top-25 teams, tying its most victories ever over top-25 foes in a season (also 2019-20).

• Last night's victory means that Creighton has won at least one conference tournament game in nine of the last 12 seasons (which includes three trips to the MVC Tournament). That's tied with Villanova for the most of any current league school in those 12 seasons.

• Greg McDermott improved to 10-8 all-time (.556) in BIG EAST Tournament play. Those 10 wins are the most among current BIG EAST coaches, one more than Ed Cooley's nine.

• While Creighton is searching for its first BIG EAST Tournament title, the Bluejays did win 12 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles (1978, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2013).

• Creighton has won 13 of its last 15 conference tournament games decided by four points or less.

• Creighton is 12-7 in its last 19 conference tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays. Limited to just BIG EAST Tournament play, CU is 3-5 when playing a better seed.

• If history holds, either Marquette or Xavier will lose on Friday night, as the top two seeds haven't met in a BIG EAST final since 2004.

• Since Connecticut rejoined the league three summers ago, Creighton leads the BIG EAST with 66 overall victories, just ahead of Villanova (65), Connecticut (63), Providence (61) and Xavier (60).

• Creighton is 16-19 all-time as a ranked team when facing a ranked team, including a 15-15 overall mark under Greg McDermott.

• In BIG EAST Conference games this season, Creighton led the league in scoring defense (67.2) and field goal percentage defense (.409).
   On the other hand, Xavier led the league in scoring offense (81.6) and field goal percentage (.497).

• Entering Friday, Creighton's 11 games played against top-25 teams are 10th-most nationally. The nine schools ahead of CU are all in the Big 12.
Most Top-25 Games Played This Season (as of 3/9)
   Games   School
   14   Oklahoma
   13   Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Oklahoma State
   12   West Virginia, TCU, Kansas State
   11   Creighton,

• Creighton has played 11 games this year against top-25 foes, one shy of the single-season program record set last season.
Most Games vs. Top 25 Teams, Season (entering 3/10)
   Games   Season   Coach
   12 (5-7)   2021-22   Greg McDermott
   11 (5-6)   2022-23   Greg McDermott
   10 (4-6)   2017-18   Greg McDermott

• Entering this Friday, Creighton's five top-25 victories this year were tied for sixth-most nationally.
Most Top-25 Wins This Season (as of 3/9)
   Wins   School
   9   Iowa State,
   7   Kansas, Texas, Kansas State, TCU
   5   Creighton, Baylor, Xavier, Illinois, Alabama, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee, Marquette, Indiana, Arizona

• Creighton's five top-25 wins this season are tied for second-most in program history, one behind the record set in 2019-20. CU can win its sixth game over a ranked team on Friday night vs. No. 15 Xavier.
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

• Through games of March 9, Creighton's 10 top-25 wins in the past two seasons are tied for sixth-most nationally.
Most Top 25 Wins Since Start of 2021-22 Season (entering 3/10)
   Wins   Team
   15   Kansas
   14   Iowa State
   12   Tennessee
   11   Marquette, Villanova
   10   Arizona, Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech

• Baylor Scheierman has made a three-point basket in all 32 games he's played this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 42 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, which means Scheierman can tie the record on Friday.
   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
   32   Baylor Scheierman   Nov. 7, 2022 - Present
   31   Booker Woodfox   Nov. 25, 2008-March 23, 2009
   28   Kyle Korver   Feb. 4, 2001-Feb. 6, 2002
   27   Kyle Korver   Feb. 13, 2002-Jan. 20, 2003

Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer
Nation's Longest Active Streaks (through 3/9/23)
   Streak   Name, School   Next Game
   65   Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall   Postseason TBA
   61   Jordan "Jelly" Walker, UAB   3/10
   45   Taijon Jones, UNC Asheville   NCAA Tourney
   44   Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee   3/10
   42   Baylor Scheierman, Creighton   3/10

• Baylor Scheierman had 12 points, 12 rebounds and a season-high nine assists in Thursday's win vs. Villanova, falling just one assist of Creighton's first point/rebound/assist triple-double in program history.
   The only Bluejay to ever produce a triple-double is Benoit Benjamin, who did it three times but did it in points/rebounds/blocks.
   Scheierman's 13 double-doubles this season are the most by any Creighton player since Bob Harstad in 1988-89.

• Creighton owns 100 dunks as a team this season. Of those, 52 have come from Ryan Kalkbrenner, who owns 150 dunks in his three-year career.

• Creighton has won 20 or more games in 23 of the last 25 seasons (including 2022-23), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally. The only other schools that can say that are Gonzaga (all 25 years), Kansas (25), Duke (24), Kentucky (23) and Creighton (23).

• Creighton has 21 wins in 2022-23, securing an eighth straight 20-win season. Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.

• Creighton made 19-of-22 free throws on Thursday vs. Villanova and is now shooting 76.4 percent on the season at the stripe.
   Creighton's records for free throw percentage go back to 1951-52, and CU has never had a team finish better than the 75.9 percent that the 2012-13 squad converted.

• Ryan Kalkbrenner had 21 points on Thursday night, his second straight game with 20 or more points.
   No Bluejay has had 20 points or more in three straight games since Marcus Zegarowski in December of 2019.

• Ryan Kalkbrenner had two blocked shots on Thursday, giving him a league-high 64 this season.
   Earlier in the day he was named one of 25 finalists for the Lefty Driesell Award, which is given to the nation's best defensive player.
   Earlier in the week Field of 68 tabbed Kalkbrenner its National Defensive Player of the Year.

• Baylor Scheierman tied Creighton's BIG EAST Tournament single-game records in both assists (9) and rebounds (12) last night.
   Last year he led the Summit League in both categories.

• Here's a look at some of Creighton's single-game BIG EAST Tournament records that were broken or tied on Thursday.
- Rebounds, Game (12) - Baylor Scheierman (tied)
- Rebounds, Half (8) - Baylor Scheierman (tied)
- Assists, Game (9) - Baylor Scheierman (tied)
- Team Points, Game (94)
- Team Points, Half (55)
- Team Free Throws Made, Half (18)
- Team Assists, Game (22)
- Team Assists, Half (13)
- Team Points, Game (94)

• Speaking of Creighton's BIG EAST Tournament career records, there's a few that could fall on Friday, or have already been shattered.
   Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 81 career BIG EAST Tournament points. The Creighton record is 94 by Doug McDermott.

   Kalkbrenner tied McDermott's career record for BIG EAST Tournament field goals made with 34.
   Kalkbrenner already owned CU's record for career BIG EAST Tournament records, a figure he extended to 35 with three caroms on Thursday.
   Kalkbrenner's .739 career field goal percentage (34-46) in BIG EAST Tournament play is also a program record.
   Kalkbrenner's 21 free throws attempted is a career record for CU in BIG EAST Tourney action. His 13 makes at the charity stripe are one shy of Austin Chatman's record.
   Kalkbrenner has played in 171 career BIG EAST Tournament minutes. That's five shy of Chatman's career mark.
   Kalkbrenner has played in five BIG EAST Tournament wins, tied with Zach Hanson for most in program history.

• Creighton had 55 points in the second half of Thursday's win over Villanova.
   It was the most points that Creighton has scored in the half of any game since January 9, 2021 (vs. St. John's), and more than the 48 total points it managed against the Wildcats in last year's BIG EAST final for the entire game.
   Creighton's previous high for points in a half was the 49 it scored in its inaugural half of BIG EAST Tournament basketball on March 13, 2014 vs. DePaul.
   The 55 points were also CU's most ever in any half against Villanova, one more than the 54 it scored in January of 2014 when it made a three-pointer in each of its first nine possessions of the game.

• Creighton never trailed in Thursday's 87-74 win over Villanova.
   It was Creighton's fourth wire-to-wire win this season, and first in BIG EAST Tournament play since a March 11, 2021 quarterfinal round win over Butler.
   Creighton's only other game without trailing in 26 all-time meetings against Villanova came on Jan. 20, 2014, a game in which CU made a three-pointer in each of its first nine possessions of the game.
   Creighton has trailed for a total of 2:14 over its last three games, all victories.

• Friday marks Ryan Nembhard's 20th birthday.
   After an injury last season forced him to miss the final eight games of the year, the sophomore floor leader made his Madison Square Garden debut with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists last night.
   After Creighton closed out Villanova last night as the clock struck midnight, the Bluejays had Nembhard advance Creighton sticker on the BIG EAST Tournament bracket outside its locker room as the team serenaded the sophomore standout.

• Friday, March 10th, is the sixth anniversary of the last time Creighton and Xavier met in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals.
   That game is a memorable one in Creighton lore, as Marcus Foster's pull-up three-pointer with 6.6 seconds left broke a tie and gave the Bluejays the 75-72 win.

• Jim Jackson will be the FS1 analyst on Friday when Creighton meets Xavier. That's a great thing, since he's witnessed the best of Trey Alexander the previous eight times he's broadcasted the Jays in the past two seasons.
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   9.3   2.4   3.9   .361   .812
   59 game totals   554   141   234   60-163   116-142

• Tonight will be Creighton's 50th game in an NBA arena in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott. The Bluejays are 24-25 in those so far, including a 10-10 mark at Madison Square Garden.

• All five Creighton starters are averaging at least 12.1 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 31 of its last 33 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.
   In two meetings this season against Xavier, all five Bluejay starters are averaging 14.0 points per game or more.
Five Players Averaging 12.0+ PPG
Since 2009-10 (minimum 75 pct of team games)
Season   Team/Players   Final Record
2022-23   Creighton   21-11, TBD
Kalkbrenner (15.3), Alexander (13.7), Scheierman (12.7), Nembhard (12.1), Kaluma (12.1)
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)

• Arthur Kaluma played some of his best basketball down the stretch last season, and if yesterday is any indication, that could once again be proving true.
   Kaluma had 18 points and four assists without a turnover vs. Villanova on Thursday while being matched up against potential Lottery pick Cam Whitmore quite frequently.
   In four career games inside Madison Square Garden, Kaluma has averaged 14.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game to help CU go 3-1.

• Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 980 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 3/9)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,192   UNLV   Postseason ?
   2.   1,185   Duke   3/10
   3.   1,127   Western Kentucky   Postseason ?
   4.   1,115   East Tennessee State   Next Season
   5.   1,094   Oakland   Next Season
   6.   1,092   Pacific   Next Season
   7.   1,089   Texas   3/10
   8.   1,035   Marshall   Postseason ?
   9.   1,028   Baylor   Postseason ?
   10.   1,014   Princeton   3/11
   11.   1,015   Gonzaga   Postseason ?
   12.   985   Long Island   Next Season
   13.   980   Creighton   3/10
   14.   974   Mount St. Mary's   Next Season
   15.   963   Tennessee State   Postseason ?

#24 Men's Basketball Meets #15 Xavier in BIG EAST Tourney Semifinals

Players Mentioned

Trey Alexander

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Arthur Kaluma

Ryan Nembhard

Baylor Scheierman

Related Videos