#18 Men's Basketball Faces Road Test at #1 Connecticut

Game #18: #18 Creighton Bluejays (13-4, 4-2) at #1 Connecticut Huskies (15-2, 5-1)
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024 • 6 p.m. CST • Storrs, Conn. • Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | UCONN NOTES |

Next Game
No. 18 Creighton (13-4, 4-2 BIG EAST) looks to stay unbeaten in 2024 during a challenging week against a pair of BIG EAST co-leaders that begins with the defending national champion.
   The trip starts on Wednesday, Jan. 17th when CU visits No. 1 Connecticut (15-2, 5-1 BIG EAST) at 6 p.m. Central.
   Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167) in Storrs, Conn., will host the action.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2023-24 season. John Bishop will call the action.
   The audio is webcast at 1620thezone.com and can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 81 as well as https://sxm.app.link/81.

Telecast Information
Wednesday's game will be called by John Fanta and Bill Raftery and be televised on FS1.
   The competition will also be video webcast at https://FoxSports.com/live. Cable authorization may be required.

Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.

Scouting No. 18 Creighton
Creighton is 13-4 this season, including home wins over Iowa (92-84), Alabama (85-82), No. 23 Providence (69-60) and St. John's (66-64), and road victories at Oklahoma State (79-65) and Nebraska (89-60). The Bluejays lost their first two BIG EAST games this season by a combined seven points but have reeled off four straight wins by an average of 13.3 points since then.
   The nucleus of the team is formed by three returning starters as senior forward Baylor Scheierman (18.0, 8.3 rpg., 3.9 apg), senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.9 ppg., 7.4 rpg., 2.5 bpg., 64.1 FG%), and junior guard Trey Alexander (16.3 ppg., 6.1 rpg., 4.5 apg.) all put their professional aspirations on hold and came back.
   Add in senior transfer Steven Ashworth (8.1 ppg,. 3.6 apg., 33.3 3FG%), the USBWA District VII Player of the Year last year at Utah State, and it's easy to see why CU was one of three BIG EAST teams picked in the top-10 nationally in the preseason.
   The Bluejays boast an offense that shoots 49.0 percent from the floor and 36.0 percent from three-point land while draining 10.4 three-pointers per contest (11th-best nationally), which contributes to CU's 79.9 points per game. The Jays also outrebound foes by 7.8 caroms per contest.
   CU's defense has held teams to 65.6 points per game and allowed opponents to make just 91 three-pointers all year. Creighton's 10.8 fouls per game are the fewest in the nation.

Scouting #1 Connecticut
The defending national champion, UConn is 15-2 this season and tied atop the BIG EAST Conference standings with a 5-1 conference mark.
   The Huskies notched double-digit non-conference wins over Indiana, Texas, North Carolina, Gonzaga and have won five in a row in league play since losing at Seton Hall in its BIG EAST opener.
   Five players average in double-figures, led by Cam Spencer (15.6 ppg., .468 3FG%), Alex Karaban (15.4 ppg., 5.8 rpg.), Tristen Newton (14.8 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 6.1 apg.) and Stephon Castle (10.1 ppg., 4.7 rpg.).
   Making UConn's start all the more impressive is that preseason All-American Donovan Clingan (13.9 ppg., 6.3 rpg.) has missed the past five games due to injury.
   As a team, UConn averages 83.1 points per game and allows just 65.5 points per contest. The Huskies shoot 50.8 percent from the field, 35.9 percent from deep and 72.9 percent from the floor while outrebounding teams by 8.5 caroms per contest.

The Series With Connecticut
Creighton is 6-1 all-time against UConn, with the seven meetings taking place in four different cities since 2020. All seven games have been decided by single-digits, and by a total of just 31 points.
   Creighton is 2-1 in road games against UConn, going 1-1 at Gampel Pavilion and 1-0 at XL Center.
   Greg McDermott is 6-1 against Connecticut.
   McDermott is 6-2 all-time in head-to-head meetings vs. Dan Hurley, as Hurley's Rhode Island team defeated Creighton 84-72 in the First Round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament in a game contested in Sacramento, Calif.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 313-154 record in his 14th season with the Bluejays. He ranks 16th among active coaches in victories with a career mark of 593-349 in his 30th season, and is 462-285 in his 23rd Division I campaign.
   McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
   McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
   He is assisted by Ryan Miller, Jalen Courtney-Williams and Derek Kellogg.

With A Win...
- Creighton would improve to 5-0 in 2024.
- Creighton would earn its first men's basketball win ever (in six tries) over the No. 1 team in the AP poll.
- Creighton would improve to 2-11 all-time against defending national champions.
- Creighton would earn a Top 10 win for the ninth straight season.
- Creighton would earn multiple Top 25 wins for the ninth straight season.
- Creighton would earn its second Top 25 win of the season, and 37th all-time under Greg McDermott.
- Creighton would improve to 37-61 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, 29 more victories than any other coach in CU history.
- Creighton would start league play 5-2 or better through seven games for the eighth time in 14 seasons under Greg McDermott.

Milestone Watch
Francisco Farabello owns 494 career points (including the 319 he scored at TCU), as he closes in on 500.
   Baylor Scheierman has made 298 career three-pointers and is two shy of 300 triples.
   Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 241 career blocked shots (nine shy of 250) and 197 career dunks (three shy of 200).

Basketball Schools
Creighton and Connecticut are two of just six schools nationally that are ranked in both the men's and women's basketball Associated Press polls this week.
   Joining the Bluejays and Huskies in that elite company are Baylor, Iowa State, Marquette and North Carolina.

Horseshoes, Hand Grenades, Huskies
Creighton has played Connecticut seven times in program history, and all seven games have been decided by single-digits.
   The average margin of 4.43 points per meeting is by far Creighton's closest with any other BIG EAST foe since joining the league in 2013.
   Avg. Margin   Opponent
   4.43   Connecticut
   6.82   Marquette
   8.42   Xavier
   10.17   Providence
   10.67   Seton Hall
   13.48   St. John's
   13.95   Butler
   14.08   Villanova
   14.30   Georgetown
   17.04   DePaul

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   36-51
vs. Top 10 Teams   5-31   12-23
vs. Top 10 on Road   1-28   4-12
vs. Top 25 on Road   2-63   9-24

Coming Off A Final Four Trip
Creighton is 8-19 all-time against teams coming off a trip to the Final Four, but just 1-11 in true road games (winning in 1980 at Indiana State) and 1-11 against defending national champions (winning in 1947 vs. Oklahoma State). UConn won last year's national title.
Creighton is 8-19 Against Teams
That Made The Final Four The Previous Year
(Home: 5-5, Away: 1-11, Neutral: 2-3)
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   @Villanova 79   Creighton 67   Final Four
03/09/23   Creighton 87   vs. Villanova 74   Final Four
01/17/24   Creighton at Connecticut   NCAA Champ

Ranking News & Notes
Wednesday's contest at No. 1 Connecticut is Creighton's third Top 25 opponent of the year, but it won't be the last. A few notes about the Top 25.
- Creighton is 54-166 all-time against top 25 teams.
- Creighton is 36-51 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, 28 more top 25 wins than any other coach in Creighton history. Prior to McDermott's arrival, Creighton was 18-115 all-time against top 25 foes.
- Creighton's 36 top 25 wins since McDermott took over in 2010 are tied for 33rd and more than schools like UCLA (33), Maryland (29), Arkansas (28), Auburn (18), Memphis (18), Nebraska (18),Houston (17), Wichita State (14), USC (13) and Saint Mary's (10) in that time.
- Creighton is 31-34 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 31 wins over ranked teams in that time are the 10th-most nationally. CU's 31 Top 25 wins trails only Villanova (37) among BIG EAST programs in that span.
- Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last 11 seasons (including 2023-24) and multiple ranked foes in each of the previous eight seasons (entering 2023-24).
- Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last 11 seasons. On a national basis, the only 14 teams with a top-25 win each of the last 11 seasons (including 2023-24) are Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
   Teams still trying to earn their first Top 25 win this season are Indiana, Kansas State, Oregon and Xavier.
- The Bluejays have beaten multiple top-25 foes each of the previous eight seasons (2015-16 to 2022-23), something only Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue, Texas Tech and Villanova can also claim (entering 2022-23). A win on Wednesday would extend that streak.
- Creighton owns at least one Top 10 win each of the previous eight seasons. The only schools with at least one top-10 win every season from 2015-16 to 2022-23 have been Creighton, Kansas, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech.
- Creighton's 12 Top 25 wins since the start of the 2021-22 season are tied for 11th-most. UConn's 13 such victories in that time rank seventh-most.
- Creighton is 9-24 in true road games vs. the top 25 under Greg McDermott, compared to a 2-63 mark before his arrival.
- Creighton is 4-1 all-time against ranked Connecticut teams.
- Last year Creighton played 14 games against Top 25 teams, tied for second-most in the nation. Only Texas (17) had more.
- Creighton's 14 games against Top 25 opponents last year were a program record, two more than the 12 played by the 2021-22 squad.
- Creighton's six Top 25 victories last year were tied for eighth-most nationally.
- Creighton's six top 25 wins last year tied a school-record first done in 2019-20.

Against The Top 3
Creighton is 1-19 all-time against Top 3 teams, with the lone win coming on Feb. 24, 2018 against No. 3 Villanova. It would turn out to be Nova's final loss before rolling to a national title.
   Creighton is 0-5 all-time against top-ranked teams, 0-7 against second-ranked squads and 1-7 against third-ranked foes.
Creighton vs. Top 3 Teams
3/16/1962   vs. #2 Cincinnati   L 46-66
3/1/1971   #2 Marquette   L 61-66
2/19/1972   at #2 Marquette   L 61-70
12/20/1974   at #2 Indiana   L 53-71
1/21/1976   at #3 Marquette   L 62-76
2/7/1978   at #3 Marquette   L 57-82
1/27/1979   at #3 Indiana State   L 69-77
1/28/1980   #1 DePaul   L 73-84
2/9/1981   at #3 DePaul   L 57-83
12/19/2015   at #3 Oklahoma   L 74-87
2/3/2016   at #3 Villanova   L 58-83
12/31/2016   #1 Villanova   L 70-80
2/25/2017   at #2 Villanova   L 63-79
3/11/2017   vs. #2 Villanova   L 60-74
2/1/2018   at #1 Villanova   L 78-98
2/24/2018   #3 Villanova   W 89-83 (OT)
12/1/2018   #1 Gonzaga   L 92-103
3/28/2021   vs. #1 Gonzaga   L 65-83
3/19/2022   vs. #3 Kansas   L 72-79
12/1/2022   at #2 Texas   L 67-72
1/17/2024   at #1 Connecticut   6 p.m.

Ranked vs. Ranked
Creighton is 16-21 all-time as a ranked team when facing a ranked team, including a 15-17 overall mark under Greg McDermott.
Creighton's Top-25 vs. Top-25 Games
Date   CU Rank   Opponent Rank   Result
03/04/1974   #16   #14 South Carolina   L 69-78
03/14/1974   #19   vs. #14 Kansas   L 54-55
03/16/1974   #19   vs. #16 Louisville   W 80-71
03/08/1975   #13   #5 Marquette   L 60-64
12/31/2002   #15   at #19 Xavier   L 73-75
03/18/2012   #19   vs. #4 North Carolina   L 73-87
03/24/2013   #22   vs. #6 Duke   L 50-66
02/16/2014   #18   #6 Villanova   W 101-80
03/23/2014   #16   vs. #23 Baylor   L 55-85
11/15/2016   #22   #9 Wisconsin   W 77-69
12/31/2016   #10   #1 Villanova   L 70-80
01/11/2017   #8   #12 Butler   W 75-64
01/16/2017   #7   at #22 Xavier   W 72-67
01/31/2017   #22   at #16 Butler   W 76-67
02/25/2017   #23   at #2 Villanova   L 63-79
12/01/2017   #25   at #15 Gonzaga   L 74-91
12/28/2017   #25   at #23 Seton Hall   L 84-90
01/13/2018   #25   at #10 Xavier   L 70-92
02/12/2020   #23   at #10 Seton Hall   W 87-82
02/18/2020   #15   at #19 Marquette   W 73-65
02/23/2020   #15   #21 Butler   W 81-59
03/07/2020   #11   #8 Seton Hall   W 77-60
12/08/2020   #8   at #5 Kansas   L 72-73
12/21/2020   #13   #22 Xavier   W 66-61
01/23/2021   #11   #23 Connecticut   W 74-66
02/13/2021   #19   #5 Villanova   W 86-70
03/03/2021   #14   at #10 Villanova   L 60-72
03/28/2021   #19   vs. #1 Gonzaga   L 65-83
11/21/2022   #10   vs. #23 Texas Tech   W 76-65
11/22/2022   #10   vs. #9 Arkansas   W 90-87
11/23/2022   #10   vs. #14 Arizona   L 79-81
12/01/2022   #7   at #2 Texas   L 67-72
02/11/2023   #23   #21 Connecticut   W 56-53
02/14/2023   #18   at #24 Providence   L 86-94 (2OT)
02/21/2023   #19   #10 Marquette   L 71-73
03/10/2023   #24   vs. #15 Xavier   L 60-82
12/30/2023   #22   at #10 Marquette   L 67-72
01/17/2024   #18   at #1 Connecticut   6 p.m.

Why Is UConn #1?
One of the reasons that UConn is ranked No. 1 this week is because previous No. 1, Purdue, fell to a different team from the state of Nebraska last Tuesday when the Boilermakers lost to the Cornhuskers 86-70 in Lincoln.
   Creighton defeated that same Nebraska team 89-60 on the road on December 3rd.

Top 10 Wins Under McDermott
Creighton owns 12 Top 10 victories under Greg McDermott, with four of those coming in true road games. Here's a list of all 17 Top 10 wins in program history.
Creighton's Top 10 Wins All-Time
Date   Opponent   Score   Head Coach
12/13/63   #4 Arizona State   W 84-83   McManus
12/01/65   #10 Kansas State   W 83-75   McManus
01/29/70   #5 New Mexico State   W 72-68   Sutton
02/17/73   #7 Houston   W 78-77   Sutton
02/09/74   at #6 Marquette   W 75-69   Sutton
01/20/14   at #4 Villanova   W 96-68   McDermott
02/16/14   #6 Villanova   W 101-80   McDermott
02/09/16   #5 Xavier   W 70-56   McDermott
11/15/16   #9 Wisconsin   W 79-67   McDermott
02/24/18   #3 Villanova   W 89-83 (OT)   McDermott
03/03/19   at #10 Marquette   W 66-60   McDermott
02/01/20   at #8 Villanova   W 76-61   McDermott
02/12/20   at #10 Seton Hall   W 87-82   McDermott
03/07/20   #8 Seton Hall   W 77-60   McDermott
02/13/21   #5 Villanova   W 86-70   McDermott
12/17/21   #9 Villanova   W 79-59   McDermott
11/22/22   vs. #9 Arkansas   W 90-87   McDermott

Won By One
Creighton defeated St. John's 66-65 on Saturday, its first win in a one-point game since defeating Marquette 83-82 on Feb. 20, 2022.
   Creighton improved to 3-0 all-time in games to end in an 66-65 score, with all three games taking place in Greg McDermott's tenure.
   Creighton is now 10-10 in one-point games under Greg McDermott and 83-78 in program history in one-point games.
   Creighton had not played consecutive one-point games since Feb. 7, 2018 (won at DePaul, 76-75) and Feb. 10, 2018 (lost to #5 Xavier, 72-71).
   Connecticut is 1-2 in games decided by one point under Dan Hurley and hasn't won a regular-season BIG EAST game by exactly one point since defeating Cincinnati (84-83) on Jan. 23, 2008.

Just Call It Jayuary
Creighton is a perfect 4-0 this year in January after winning its final four games in January of 2023.
   Per Elias Sports Bureau, Creighton is one of 11 teams with an active streak of eight or more straight wins in the month of January.
   Baylor Scheierman (16.0 ppg., 10.8 rpg.) has averaged a double-double this month, with Ryan Kalkbrenner (18.0 ppg., 9.8 rpg., 3.3 bpg.) not far behind.

Strong League Start Projects To Postseason
Creighton has started 5-2 or better in league play in seven of Greg McDermott's first 13 seasons at the helm, and can make it eight out of 14 with a win on Wednesday.
   Six of those teams to start like that reached the NCAA Tournament, while a seventh reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.
   Each of Creighton's 15 teams since 1988-89 to start 5-2, 6-1 or 7-0 after seven games in league play have reached the postseason, a stretch that includes 10 NCAA Tournaments and five NIT's.

We're Calling It A Comeback
A few notes about Saturday's win over St. John's.
   - It was Creighton's first win after trailing by nine points or more (at any point) since overcoming an early 16-7 deficit vs. Butler on Dec. 22, 2022.
   - Creighton trailed 56-47 with 9:09 left vs. St. John's. It was the first time it's won a game when trailing by nine with 9:09 or less left since overcoming a 62-53 deficit with 2:29 left vs. San Diego State on March 17, 2022 in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. CU won that game in overtime, 72-69.
   - Creighton trailed 65-64 before Trey Alexander's game-winning free throws with 12.3 seconds left. It was the latest CU has trailed in a victory since that same win over San Diego State. On that day, CU trailed 62-60 before an Alexander basket with 11.2 seconds left tied a game that CU eventually won in overtime.

Pure Charity
Creighton has shot 70 percent or better at the free throw line in each of its last 13 conference games.
   That ties the program's longest such streak since 2005-06, and is also the nation's longest active such streak, one game longer than New Orleans.
   Creighton is shooting 75.4 percent from the line this season, while last year's team set a program-record by converting 78.3 percent of its charity tosses.

What's In A Number
UConn ranks second in the nation in two-point field goal percentage (.618) while Creighton ranks third (.614).
   Creighton owns the fewest fouls per game in the nation. UConn ranks 225th.
   Creighton is one of nine teams nationally that has not had a player foul out this season.
   Creighton owns eight Top 25 road wins since the start of the 2016-17 campaign. Only Villanova (11), Michigan State (11), Baylor (10), Kansas (10) and Virginia (10) own more.
   Creighton has had 13 turnovers total in its last two games. Steven Ashworth owns nine assists and no turnovers in the past two games, and 24 assists and six turnovers for the year in league action.
   Saturday's win over St. John's marked Creighton's first win under Greg McDermott when the Bluejays were outrebounded and shot less than 37 percent from the field in the same game, having gone 0-18 previously. CU's last win when shooting under 37 percent from the field and being outrebounded was a 57-56 win vs. Wichita State on Jan. 16, 2010.

#1 vs. #2
Creighton and Connecticut are first and second in the league (all games) in scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage and rebound margin.
   In league play, Creighton is first in scoring defense (63.8) and field goal percentage defense (.386), while Connecticut leads the way in scoring offense (77.0) and field goal percentage (.497).

The Big Man
Ryan Kalkbrenner has averaged 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds over the course of the last three games.
   He's the second Bluejay in the BIG EAST era to average 20 & 10 over a three-game span, joining Ryan Hawkins (22.3 ppg. & 10.7 rpg.) from Feb. 17-23, 2022. Hawkins is also the lone Bluejay to do it over a four-game span in the BIG EAST era, averaging 20.2 points and 11.0 rebounds from Feb. 14-23, 2022.
   Nationally, the only other players to average 20 & 10 with three blocked shots per game over three straight games this year have been Purdue's Zach Edey, Dayton's DaRon Holmes II, UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg, Eastern Kentucky's Isaiah Cozart and Utah State's Great Osobor.

The Road Less Traveled
Creighton is the nation's only team in the top 18 of the NET with four or more true road wins this season.
   Additionally, Creighton is one of four BIG EAST teams with multiple road wins in league play thus far. Villanova (at Creighton and DePaul), Creighton (at Georgetown and DePaul), UConn (at Butler and Xavier) and Seton Hall has three (at Providence, Georgetown and Butler).
   Creighton is the nation's only "Power 6" team with four or more true road wins this season.
   Creighton's four true road wins by 14 points or more lead the country. Kansas State (2) is the only other "Power 6" school with more than one.
   This season marks the first time that Creighton has picked up multiple road wins by 25 points or more since 1963-64.

The Road Difference
Creighton has outscored teams by 66 points in its six true road games this season. That's the second-best mark in the nation, and better than all other "Power 6" schools (North Carolina is next-closest at +36).
Best Point Differential, True Road Games
   Rk.   Team   Road W-L   Differential
   1.   Princeton   6-1   +67
   2.   Creighton   4-2   +66
   3.   Memphis   5-1   +52
   4.   James Madison   6-1   +51
   5.   St. Bonaventure   3-1   +49
   6.   McNeese State   5-2   +47
       St. Thomas   5-4   +47
   8.   Grand Canyon   4-0   +46
   9.   SMU   3-2   +44
   10.   UMass-Lowell   6-3   +43
   11.   Saint Mary's   4-0   +42
   12.   Delaware   5-3   +38
       Western Carolina   8-2   +38
   14.   North Carolina   3-0   +36
   15.   Longwood   4-5   +33

Scheierman Makes Wooden Award Cut
Creighton's Baylor Scheierman has landed a spot on the Midseason Top 25 today for the John R. Wooden® Award presented by Principal®. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious individual honor.
   This year marks the seventh time in the past 13 seasons that Creighton is represented on the Wooden Award Midseason 25 list. Creighton's Doug McDermott won the Wooden Award following the 2013-14 season after also being a finalist in both 2011-12 and 2012-13. Maurice Watson Jr. was on the list of 25 in 2016-17 and Marcus Foster was among those listed a year later, as was Marcus Zegarowski in 2020-21. None of those three most recent men advanced to the final cut.
   The only other BIG EAST players to make the Midseason Top 25 list are Tyler Kolek and Tristen Newton.

McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott ranks 11th in league history with 113 regular-season league wins.
   McDermott, along with Ed Cooley and Rick Pitino, are the only three 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 (14 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 13 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches (thru 1/14)
   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.   122   Ed Cooley, Providence/G'Town
   9.   116   Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
   10.   115   Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
   11.   113   Greg McDermott, Creighton
   12.   110   Rollie Massimino, Villanova

No Bricks For This Mason
Mason Miller has made a three-pointer in each of Creighton's last 10 games, giving him one of the longest active streaks in the BIG EAST Conference.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer (Active), BIG EAST
   Streak   Name
   19   Kam Jones, Marquette
   17   Cam Spencer, Connecticut
   17   Pierre Brooks II, Butler
   10   Mason Miller, Creighton
   10   Alex Karaban, Connecticut

Pink Out Auction Is Underway
When Creighton hosts DePaul on Saturday, January 27 in its 13th Annual Pink Out game, presented by Methodist and CHI Health, Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game. Fans have the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt can be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.). Other items such as signed basketballs, Coach McDermott's game-worn sneakers, and more will be available to bid on!
    This year's auction began on Jan. 11th and will run through Sunday, January 21. All funds raised go to benefit the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Nebraska, which provides a free home away from home for cancer patients and their caregivers who must travel to Omaha to receive their lifesaving treatment.
   More than just a roof over their heads, it's a nurturing community that helps patients access the care they need. The annual Creighton University Men's Basketball Pink Out game has raised over $400,000 benefiting the Hope Lodge facility here in Omaha and the guests it serves.
   Donate online at cancer.org/pinkout, or visit the auction site to make a bid on a unique item at https://gocreighton.com/pinkoutauction.

Chairmen Of The Boards
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 702 rebounds, and has grabbed eight or more boards in seven of his last eight games.
   He enters Wednesday's contest 10th in program history, but can move up a spot or two with a strong effort.
   Reb.   Name   Years
   1,751   Paul Silas   1961-64
   1,126   Bob Harstad   1987-91
   1,088   Doug McDermott   2010-14
   1,005   Benoit Benjamin   1982-85
   979   Bob Portman   1966-69
   891   Chad Gallagher   1987-91
   762   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
   716   Rodney Buford   1995-99
   709   Rick Apke   1974-78
   702   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
   696   Wally Anderzunas   1965-67, 1968-69

Road Demolition
Last Tuesday's 84-58 win at DePaul was Creighton's 14th-largest margin in a road victory since 1949, and fifth-biggest in a league contest.
   Here's a list of the largest road victory margins in the past 75 years:
   Margin   Score   Date
   +35   CU 90, Portland 55   01/28/71
   +35   CU 93, DePaul 58   02/11/17
   +34   CU 93, Regis 59   01/16/73
   +33   CU 92, Cleveland State 59   01/06/72
   +31   CU 83, UC Irvine 52   02/19/74
   +30   CU 93, St. Ambrose 63   02/12/62
   +30   CU 81, Southern Illinois 51   01/27/13
   +30   CU 124, Miami Fla. 94   02/10/64
   +29   CU 92, Nevada 63   12/23/63
   +29   CU 89, Nebraska 60   12/03/23
   +28   CU 74, Indiana State 46   01/29/03
   +28   CU 96, #4 Villanova 68   01/20/14
   + 27   CU 93, Loyola (Chicago) 66   02/15/69
   +26   CU 85, South Dakota 59   12/19/61
   +26   CU 84, DePaul 58   01/09/24
   +25   CU 95, Memphis 70   03/02/63

Terrific Trio
The trio of Baylor Scheierman (18.0 ppg.), Trey Alexander (16.3) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.9) have accounted for 62.8 percent of Creighton's points this season.
   Creighton has not had three men finish a season averaging 14 points per game or more in the same year since 1983-84, when Benoit Benjamin (16.2), Vernon Moore (15.0) and Gregory Brandon (14.5 ppg.).

Miscellaneous Stats to Watch
Creighton's bench had 17 points in last Tuesday's victory at DePaul and has now won 38 straight games when scoring 16 or more bench points.
   Creighton scored 32 points in the paint last Tuesday at DePaul. The Jays are 9-0 when scoring 30 or more paint points this season.
   Creighton is 11-0 this year when it isn't outscored by 10 or more points in the paint this year.
   Creighton scored 12 second chance points in Saturday's win vs. St. John's. CU is 9-0 this year when scoring 11 or more second chance points and 18-3 since the start of last season when scoring 11 or more second chance points.

Baylor Ball
Of the 1,082 career rebounds that Baylor Scheierman has snared, only 104 of them (9.6 percent) have come on the offensive glass.
   Scheierman leads all BIG EAST players with 127 defensive rebounds this season, but is tied for 44th with 14 offensive rebounds.
   Last year Scheierman became the only "Power 6" player in the last 25 seasons with at least 270 defensive rebounds and less than 40 offensive rebounds.
   Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman owns 22 career games of 10 or more rebounds without snaring an offensive board. That makes him one of just two players nationally since 2010-11 with more than 10 such contests, joining Weber State's Dillon Jones (21).

Alexander Surpasses 1,000 Points
Trey Alexander became the 46th player in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career points on Jan. 6 vs. No. 23 Providence. The milestone came in Alexander's 87th career contest.
   Here's a list of Creighton's top scorers ever, as well as how long it took CU's last 22 men to reach 1,000 points.
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.   1,438   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
   15.   1,437   Eddie Cole   1951-55
   16.   1,369   Gene Harmon   1971-74
   17.   1,361   Duan Cole   1987-92
   18.   1,342   Antoine Young   2008-12
   19.   1,313   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11
   20.   1,309   Ryan Sears   1997-01
   21.   1,304   Mitch Ballock   2017-21
   22.   1,303   Elton Tuttle   1951-54
   23.   1,293   Marcus Zegarowski   2018-21
   24.   1,292   Marcus Foster   2016-18
   26.   1,272   Bob Gibson   1954-57
   26.   1,267   Wally Anderzunas   1965-67, 1968-69
   27.   1,254   Gary Swain   1983-87
   28.   1,241   Ty-Shon Alexander   2017-20
   29.   1,238   Ben Walker   1997-01
   30.   1,196   Ray Yost   1951-54
   31.   1,172   Dick Harvey   1956-59
   32.   1,155   Ethan Wragge   2009-14
   33.   1,152   Dane Watts   2004-08
   34.   1,140   Khyri Thomas   2015-18
   35.   1,116   Kenny Evans   1982-87
   36.   1,115   Doug Brookins   1972-75
       1,115   Daryl Stovall   1978-82
   38.   1,093   Tim Powers   1964-67
   39.   1,050   Reggie Morris   1982-86
   40.   1,038   Trey Alexander   2021-Pres.
   41.   1,031   Johnny Mathies   2003-06

Games To 1,000 Points, Last 22 Bluejays
Name   CU Games to 1,000 pts.    Date
Trey Alexander   87   01/06/24
Ryan Kalkbrenner   91   02/25/23
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

Meet The Alexander's
Though they're not related, the stats of Ty-Shon Alexander (2017-20) and Trey Alexander (2021-Present) are pretty similar through 89 career games.
   That's a positive development considering that Ty-Shon was a First Team All-BIG EAST choice who helped Creighton to a share of the 2020 BIG EAST title and later played for the 2021 NBA runner-up Phoenix Suns.
Through 89 Career Games
Name   PTS   REB   AST   BLK   STL   FG%   3FG%   FT%
Ty-Shon   1079   330   194   19   77   .416   .366   .806
Trey   1038   390   259   37   83   .438   .354   .813

It's Miller's Time
Mason Miller never scored more than nine points as he averaged 2.8 points per game in his first 42 contests at Creighton. But in his last nine games, he's averaged 8.2 points per game, including different games of 17 and 11 points.
   Miller leads the BIG EAST in three-point percentage at 50.0 percent.
   In his career Miller is shooting 43.5 percent from deep, sinking 47-of-108 triple tries, seventh-best in program history. The only men to finish a Creighton career better (min. 100 three-point attempts) than 45 percent have been Doug McDermott (.458), Booker Woodfox (.455) and Kyle Korver (.453). McDermott (3), Korver (2) and Woodfox (1) combined for six Conference Player of the Year awards.

Scheierman The Scorer?
Baylor Scheierman is tied for first in the BIG EAST Conference in scoring at 18.0 points per game, but does own a league-high 306 points scored.
   Before being held to nine points on Jan. 6 vs. Providence, Scheierman had become just the third Creighton player in the last 25 seasons to score in double-figures each of the first 14 games of a year, joining Doug McDermott (all 35 games in 2011-12) and Marcus Foster (first 15 in 2017-18).
   The fifth-year senior is aiming to become the first Creighton player to lead the BIG EAST in scoring since Doug McDermott in 2013-14. McDermott led the nation with 26.7 points per game en route to National Player of the Year accolades.
   Keep in mind that Scheierman has proven he can do way more than score. Two years ago at South Dakota State, Scheierman led the Summit League in the rare combination of both rebounds and assists.

Triple Trouble
Baylor Scheierman has made 298 three-pointers over the course of 144 collegiate games, but he'd never had seven three-pointers in the same game until Dec. 30th at Marquette.
   Scheierman's performance was tied for 10th-most in program history. The only other Bluejay to make seven triples against a top 10 foe had been Ethan Wragge's nine trifectas at No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20, 2014.
   3FG   Name, Opponent   Date
   11   Mitch Ballock vs. DePaul   03/09/19
   9   Kyle Korver vs. Evansville   01/15/03
       Ethan Wragge at Villanova   01/20/14
   8   Tad Ackerman at Drake   01/23/95
       Kyle Korver at Xavier   12/31/02
       Terrell Taylor vs. Florida   03/15/02
       Isaiah Zierden at DePaul   01/17/16
       Mitch Ballock vs. Marquette   12/14/20
       Ryan Hawkins at Georgetown   02/12/22
   7   Gary Swain vs. Nebraska-Omaha   12/11/86
       Ryan Sears vs. Wyoming   12/06/97
       Kyle Korver vs. Notre Dame   11/26/02
       Kyle Korver vs. Fresno State   02/22/03
       Nate Funk at Nebraska   11/18/06
       Booker Woodfox at Saint Joseph's   12/06/08
       Ethan Wragge at Saint Joseph's   11/16/13
       Doug McDermott vs. DePaul   03/13/14
       Cole Huff vs. Seton Hall   03/10/16
       Ty-Shon Alexander vs. Clemson   11/21/18
       Mitch Ballock at Nebraska   12/08/18
       Marcus Zegarowski vs. Butler   02/23/20
       Mitch Ballock at Seton Hall   01/27/21
       Trey Alexander vs. DePaul   12/25/22
       Trey Alexander vs. Georgetown   03/01/23
       Baylor Scheierman at Marquette   12/30/23

Fool Me Once...But Nine Times?
Creighton has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication all but one year since joining the league in 2013, as seen below.
   Last year marked the seventh straight year 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   -
2022-23   1st   3rd   Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
           Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
2023-24   2nd   ??   Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
           Baylor Scheierman (2nd)

Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (57) than any other school in the last five seasons, three more than Villanova's 53.
   Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 143 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 113 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to 1/15/24)
Team   W   L   Pct.
Creighton   57   26   .687
Villanova   54   25   .84
Providence   50   30   .625
Seton Hall   49   33   .598
Marquette   47   35   .573
UConn   42   20   .677
Xavier   39   36   .520
St. John's   34   48   .415
Butler   32   52   .381
Georgetown   15   64   .190
DePaul   14   64   .179

Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to 1/15/24)
Team   W   L   Pct.
Villanova   144   43   .770
Creighton   113   78   .592
Providence   108   80   .574
Xavier   105   78   .574
Seton Hall   102   88   .537
Marquette   99   91   .521
Butler   86   106   .448
St. John's   74   116   .389
Georgetown   61   126   .326
UConn   42   20   .677
DePaul   39   147   .210

A Good Start
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 17 games under Greg McDermott.
Creighton Stats Through 17 Games, Since 2010-11
Year   W-L   FG%   3FG%   FT%   PPG   Opp PPG
2023-24   13-4   .490   .360   .754   79.9   65.6
2022-23   9-8   .465   .358   .725   76.7   68.9
2021-22   12-5   .468   .319   .709   70.9   65.5
2020-21   13-4   .485   .369   .667   80.2   69.4
2019-20   13-4   .464   .360   .721   77.1   68.1
2018-19   10-7   .511   .439   .662   84.5   77.4
2017-18   14-3   .515   .385   .746   89.9   72.0
2016-17   16-1   .537   .414   .683   86.8   71.5
2015-16   12-5   .496   .388   .691   85.2   74.4
2014-15   9-8   .420   .336   .749   69.4   65.8
2013-14   15-2   .491   .433   .753   82.6   65.0
2012-13   16-1   .522   .453   .754   79.8   61.7
2011-12   15-2   .514   .457   .699   82.2   69.3
2010-11   12-5   .437   .326   .749   67.4   62.8

A Dozen Will Do
Creighton finished 14-6 in the BIG EAST last season and is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the previous four seasons.
   Among the other BIG EAST or "Power 5" Conference schools, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia have also done it the previous four years.
   Creighton has now owned a .500 mark or better in league play 27 times in the last 28 seasons.
   The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous six seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.

Jays Don't Foul...Do You Follow?
Creighton leads the nation with just 10.76 fouls per game...let's take a minute to appreciate just how few that is.
   Creighton has committed three fouls or less in eight halves this year.
   Creighton has had more than nine fouls in just two halves this season, which means its opponents have been in the double-bonus just twice.
   Creighton has allowed just seven made free throws in a 1-and-1 situation all year, and just four made free throws in the double bonus all season.
   Here's a look at how many fouls Creighton has been called for this season by half:
Creighton Fouls By Half
Opponent   First Half   Second Half
Florida A&M   4   5
North Dakota State   1   3
Iowa   6   8
Texas Southern   1   6
Loyola (Chicago)   3   7
Colorado State   2   5
Oklahoma State   6   7
Nebraska   7   7
Central Michigan   3   2
UNLV   5   5
Alabama   9   7
Villanova   5   4 (4 more in OT)
#10 Marquette   5   11
Georgetown   4   6
#23 Providence   5   6
DePaul   6   10
Total   72   99 (4 more in OT)

3 & D
Creighton leads the nation in fewest fouls per game (10.7) and is 11th in three-pointers per game (10.4).
   Per Basketball-Reference.com, in its Dec. 9 romp over Central Michigan the Jays became the nation's only team since at least 2010-11 to score 102+ points and commit 5 fouls or less in the same game against a Division I opponent.

Biggest in the BIG EAST
Creighton's average height of 78.56 inches puts the Bluejays as the nation's 11th-tallest team, and the biggest in the BIG EAST.
   The second-tallest team in the BIG EAST is Connecticut, which ranks tied for 24th-biggest at 78.29 inches per player.

Jays Pass 27K at CHI
Creighton has scored 27,181 points all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha, passing the 27,000 mark on Dec. 20 vs. Villanova.
   Creighton has outscored the opposition 27,181-22,714 at the 21-year old facility in 347 all-time games in the building that count.
   Creighton is 25-2 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
12/20/23   27,000-22,535 (345)   Kalkbrenner lay-up vs. Villanova

Kalkbrenner's A Handful
Ryan Kalkbrenner swatted a season-high five shots on Dec. 16 at UNLV.
   It was the ninth time in his Bluejay career that he's had five or more rejections. During his four years at Creighton, all his teammates have combined for one such game, a five-swat effort by Fredrick King last year in Las Vegas. Kalkbrenner is the only Creighton player with multiple games of five or more swats since the Bluejays joined the BIG EAST in 2013 as King, Jacob Epperson and Justin Patton have each done it once.
   Kalkbrenner's 241 career blocked shots rank third among the nation's active players.
   Kalkbrenner enters Wednesday's game at UConn on the heels of back-to-back games with four blocked shots. It's the fifth time in Kalkbrenner's career that he's done that in consecutive games. No other CU player has done it since Anthony Tolliver in 2007.

Seeing Three's
Creighton has made 14 or more three-pointers in five different games this year, third-most nationally behind BYU (8) and Indiana State (6). It's already tied for the second-most games of 14 three-pointers in any year under Greg McDermott, trailing only the 2018-19 squad that did it eight times in 35 games.
   Creighton owns four different games this season in which it has made 10 or more three-pointers than its opponent, which is also second-most.
   The Bluejays have had three different games this season in which they've made 10 or more triples before halftime.
   Creighton has made three or more three-pointers in all but two halves this season.

Circling The Target
Benoit Benjamin has the only three triple-doubles in Creighton history, but each one consisted of 10 or more points, rebounds and blocks.
   Though that means Creighton's never had a traditional points/rebound/assist triple-double, it seems like both Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman are flirting with one seemingly every time out.
   Here's a look at games this season when those men have had at least six points, six rebounds and six assists.
6+ Points, 6+ Rebounds, 6+ Assists This Season
Name   Opponent   Pts.   Reb.   Ast.
Alexander   Iowa   23   11   9
Scheierman   Texas Southern   23   9   6
Alexander   Texas Southern   20   7   8
Scheierman   Central Michigan   13   6   9
Alexander   Central Michigan   15   7   8
Scheierman   at UNLV   16   7   7
Scheierman   Alabama   20   6   9
Alexander   at #10 Marquette   18   6   6

Don't Forget The Two's
While attention tends to focus on Creighton's proficiency from three-point range, the Bluejays are also pretty efficient from inside the arc.
   Through games of Jan. 14, CU ranked third in the country in two-point percentage (.614) in 2023-24 and third-best nationally (.548) among Division I schools to have played 100 or more games since Greg McDermott's arrival in 2010-11.
   Creighton shot 26-for-32 (.813) from two-point range on Dec. 9 vs. Central Michigan, just the third time in Greg McDermott's 14 seasons at CU its converted on better than 80 percent of its two-point shots. The only better game was when it shot 22-for-26 (.846) in a March 2, 2013 win over Wichita State in CU's final regular-season game as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Century Mark
Creighton's 109 point effort on Dec. 9 vs. Central Michigan was the 25th time under Greg McDermott that Creighton has scored 100 or more points.
   That ranks third-most among all Power 5/BIG EAST teams nationally in that span, trailing only North Carolina (37) and Iowa (26).
   No other BIG EAST team has cracked the century mark more than 12 times since 2010-11.
   Greg McDermott's teams at Northern Iowa (153 games) and Iowa State (127 games) never scored more than 100 points in any game.

Road Dubs
Before its Dec. 13 loss at UNLV, Creighton had started 2-0 on the road this season, doing so in impressive fashion in both games.
   On Nov. 30 Creighton beat Oklahoma State 79-65, its second-biggest non-conference home loss since 1978.
   Four days later on Dec. 3, Creighton won 89-60 at Nebraska, handing the Cornhuskers their largest non-conference home loss since 1938.
   It's the first time that Creighton has won its first two true road games since 2016-17, when the Jays won their first five road contests.
   It's also just the 12th time in the last 50 seasons that CU has won each of its first two true road games. Ten of the 11 most recent teams to do so made the NCAA Tournament, and each won 20 or more games.
Started 2-0 Or Better On The Road, Last 50 Years
   Road W's to Start   Season   Final W-L (Postseason)
   2   1976-77   21-7 (NCAA)
   2   1980-81   21-9 (NCAA)
   2   1998-99   22-9 (NCAA)
   3   1999-00   23-10 (NCAA)
   2   2002-03   29-5 (NCAA)
   4   2003-04   20-9 (NIT)
   2   2004-05   23-11 (NCAA)
   2   2011-12   29-6 (NCAA)
   4   2012-13   28-8 (NCAA)
   4   2013-14   27-8 (NCAA)
   5   2016-17   25-10 (NCAA)
   2   2023-24   TBD

Forty Time
In its 13 wins, Creighton has scored 578 points before halftime (44.46 per game), and put up 40 or more points in the first half 10 of the 13 contests.
   In its four losses the Jays have averaged just 61.25 points per game, and 27.8 first half points.
   Creighton has won 16 games in a row when scoring more than 40 first half points.

Hoop Dreams
Creighton shot 65.1 percent from the field on Dec. 9 vs. Central Michigan.
   In Greg McDermott's tenure at Creighton, the Bluejays had only surpassed that figure three times previously, and not since 2013.
Best FG%, Single-Game, Under Greg McDermott
FG% (FG-FGA)   Opponent   Date
.775 (31-40)   at Southern Illinois   02/14/12
.704 (38-54)   Campbell   11/25/11
.702 (33-47)   Wichita State   03/02/13
.651 (41-63)   Central Michigan   12/09/23
.648 (35-54)   Longwood   11/20/12

Powerful Performance
One of the few question marks heading into the season was which player would step up at the power forward position.
   On Dec. 9 against Central Michigan, the platoon of Mason Miller, Isaac Traudt and Jasen Green each played a starring role.
   The trio combined for 39 points and nine rebounds in 45 minutes of action. They shot 14-for-16 from the field, including 9-for-11 from three-point range. Both Miller and Traudt finished off a four-point play.
   For the season Miller leads the BIG EAST with 50.0 percent marksmanship from three-point land while Traudt is third at 43.2 percent.

Scheierman's Week Earns Honors
Baylor Scheierman was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week and Oscar Robertson U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week on Dec. 4th after helping the Bluejays to a pair of double-digit road wins over Power 5 teams.
   Scheierman averaged 22.5 points and 9.0 rebounds during the week, sinking nine three-pointers.
   Scheierman had 21 points, eight rebounds and two steals in a BIG EAST – Big 12 Battle victory at Oklahoma State. The 79-65 loss was OSU's second-largest non-conference home loss in 45 years.
   The Aurora, Neb,. product concluded his week by scoring 20 of his game-high 24 points in the first half of Creighton's 89-60 win over Nebraska, matching its largest margin of victory ever over its in-state rival. Scheierman made six three-pointers in the first half to remain (at the time) the nation's only player with three or more three-pointers in every team game this season.
   Scheierman contributed 10 rebounds for his 40th career double-double, which also moved him over 1,000 career rebounds. The loss was Nebraska's largest in a non-conference home game since 1938.

Big Half Baylor
Baylor Scheierman has had at least 20 points before halftime twice this season.
   He had 21 points in the first 20 minutes against Loyola Chicago on Nov. 22, then poured in 20 points in the first half on Dec. 3 at Nebraska. Scheierman is the first Bluejay with multiple games of 20+ points at halftime in the same season since Marcus Foster did it three times in 2017-18 (22 vs. UT Arlington, 21 vs. Butler, 20 vs. Georgetown).
   For the year, Scheierman leads Creighton with 10.47 points per game before halftime. No Creighton player has averaged more than 10 points per first half since Doug McDermott averaged 14.0 points per first half in 2013-14, a season that saw McDermott lead the nation in scoring.

On The Triple
Baylor Scheierman drained six three-pointers before halftime on Dec. 3 at Nebraska.
   No Creighton player had done that since Trey Alexander had six triples in the first half vs. Georgetown on March 1, 2023.
   In case you're wondering, the Creighton record for three-pointers in a half is eight, done in a pair of memorable victories.
   Ethan Wragge made eight three-pointers in a 96-68 win at No. 4 Villanova in 2014, while Terrell Taylor made eight after a scoreless first half in a double-overtime win vs. No. 15 Florida in 2002, though some of those trifectas came during the overtime sessions.

Ain't Life Grand?
Baylor Scheierman owns 1,892 points, 1,082 rebounds, 509 assists and has made 298 career three-pointers in 144 total games when you combine his Creighton and South Dakota State stats.
   Creighton's only other players to reach 1,000 career rebounds (only at Creighton) have been Paul Silas (1,751), Bob Harstad (1,126), Doug McDermott (1,088) and Benoit Benjamin (1,005).
   If you're curious, how many games it took to get to 1,000 rebounds for each man, we've got you covered:
Games to 1,000 Rebounds
Name   GP   Opponent, Date
Paul Silas   47   at Utah State, 2/23/63
Benoit Benjamin   89   at Bradley, 3/5/85
Bob Harstad   115   Siena, 2/3/91
Doug McDermott   132   DePaul, 2/7/14
Baylor Scheierman*   135   at Nebraska, 12/3/23
*includes games at South Dakota State

1,000+ Rebounds, 274+ 3FG Nationally, Since 1992-93
**Stats earned at Division I schools only**
Name, School(s)   REB   3FG
Doug McDermott, Creighton   1,088   274
Baylor Scheierman, SDSU/Creighton   1,082   298

1,050+ Rebounds, 500 Assists Nationally, Since 1992-93
**Stats earned at Division I schools only**
Name, School(s)   REB   AST
Brian Voelkel, Vermont   1,168   679
John Konchar, IPFW   1,149   553
Baylor Scheierman, SDSU/Creighton   1,082   509

Can't Stop Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman made a three-point basket in all 37 games he played last season and each of his first 11 contests this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 58 in a row if you include his final 10 games at South Dakota State in 2021-22. The streak ended on Dec. 20, 2023 vs. Villanova, when Scheierman went 0-for-7 from deep.
   Scheierman's streak of 48 straight as a Bluejay was the longest streak in Creighton history, 15 more than Ty-Shon Alexander's 33.
   Scheierman was also the only player in the nation who had made three or more three-pointers in every game his team has played this season until the streak was snapped on Dec. 9 vs. Central Michigan.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Creighton History
   Streak   Name   Dates of Streak
   48   Baylor Scheierman   Nov. 7, 2022 - Dec. 16, 2023
   33   Ty-Shon Alexander   Feb. 27, 2018-March 6, 2019
   31   Booker Woodfox   Nov. 25, 2008-March 23, 2009
   28   Kyle Korver   Feb. 4, 2001-Feb. 6, 2002
   27   Kyle Korver   Feb. 13, 2002-Jan. 20, 2003

Scheierman Drains 275th Trey
Baylor Scheierman has made 298 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.0 percent clip.
   Scheierman also owns 1,892 points, 1,082 rebounds, 509 assists and 135 career steals.
   Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman is the nation's only player in the last 30 years with career totals of at least 250 three-pointers, 450 assists and 1,000 rebounds.
   Scheierman is one of 21 players since 2010-11 with 480 or more assists and 280 or more three-pointers. Scheierman's 1,082 rebounds are well ahead of the next-most (658 by ASU/Toledo guard Marreon Jackson).
   Among the nation's active players Scheierman is fifth in rebounds, trailing only Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Fardaws Aimaq (California), Norchad Omier (Miami Fla.) and Enrique Freeman (Akron).

Road Openers
Creighton is 7-7 under Greg McDermott in its first true road game of the season.
   The road opener has been the barometer for Creighton's postseason plans in the previous 13 years. Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament all six times it has won the road opener, and missed the NCAA Tournament four of the other six years where a postseason was contested.
   That's encouraging since CU defeated Oklahoma State 79-65 in its road opener this winter.
   CU would have made the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was canceled even though it lost its road opener that year.
Creighton in Road Openers, Last 14 Years
Year   Opponent   Score   CU in NCAA's?
2010-11   Northwestern   L 52-65   No (CBI)
2011-12   UAB   W 70-60   Yes
2012-13   Nebraska   W 64-42   Yes
2013-14   Saint Joseph's   W 83-79   Yes
2014-15   Tulsa   L 64-77   No
2015-16   #14 Indiana   L 65-86   No (NIT)
2016-17   Nebraska   W 77-62   Yes
2017-18   #20 Northwestern   W 92-88   Yes
2018-19   Nebraska   L 75-94   No (NIT)
2019-20   Michigan   L 69-79   No (Postseason CCD)
2020-21   #5 Kansas   L 72-73   Yes
2021-22   Nebraska   W 77-69   Yes
2022-23   #2 Texas   L 67-72   Yes
2023-24   Oklahoma State   W 79-65   TBD

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

Sultan of Swat
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 241.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
   Blk.   Name   Years
   411   Benoit Benjamin   1982-85
   241   Ryan Kalkbrenner   2020-Pres.
   183   Chad Gallagher   1987-91
   174   Gregory Echenique   2010-13
   153   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2006-11

Among The Best...EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 581 of 877 career shots, putting him at 66.25 percent overall. That places the senior center fifth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 500 or more field goals and at least four field goals per game.
   However, Kalkbrenner is first among all such players who have ever attempted 50 or more three-point field goal attempts.
Best Career FG%, NCAA History (min. 500 FG, 4FG/game)
   Pct. (FG-FGA)   Name, School   Years
   .678 (828-1222)   Steve Johnson, Oregon State   1976-81
   .668 (566-847)   Murray Brown, Florida State   1976-80
   .667 (740-1109)   Evan Bradds, Belmont   2013-17
   .6635 (702-1058)   Todd MacCulloch, Washington   1995-99
   .6625 (581-877)   Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   2020-Pres.
   .658 (508-772)   Max Fiedler, Rice   2019-Pres.
   .656 (552-841)   Kevin Magee UC Irvine   1980-82

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

Trey's Bien
Trey Alexander has made the leap in his junior season. Here's how the start of the year compares to his first two years combined.
Category   2023-24   2021-23
Games Played   17   72
20-Point Games   8   5
Dunks   5   2
Double-Doubles   2   0
Points Per Game   16.3   10.6
Rebounds Per Game   6.1   4.0
Assists Per Game   4.5   2.5

Nationally Speaking
Through games of Jan. 14th, Creighton is all over the NCAA stat leaders. The Bluejays rank in the top 15 of seven different categories.
   Rank   Category   Stat
   1   Fouls Per Game   10.8
   4   Defensive Rebounds Per Game   30.65
   6   Average Home Attendance   16,976
   7   Total Home Attendance   152,788
   9   Effective FG%   .578
   11   Three-Pointers Per Game   10.4
   13   Three-Point Attempts Per Game   28.9

Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played more than 150 Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Jan. 13, 2024
Category   CU Stat   CU Rank
3FG Made   4,120   2nd
2-Point FG Percentage   .548   3rd
FG Percentage   .477   4th
Assists   7,444   6th
3-Point FG Percentage   .375   6th
FG Made   12,747   7th
Points   35,639   9th
Wins   313   24th
Winning Percentage   .670   31st

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

A Head Start
Creighton got a jump start on the season with nine practices in July before heading to the Bahamas to play in three games during the first week of August.
   Creighton won all three games by 14 points or more, averaged 98.3 points, and outrebounded foes by 21.3 caroms per contest.
   Trey Alexander led CU by averaging 20.0 points before missing the final contest, but Ryan Kalkbrenner (11.0 ppg.), Baylor Scheierman (10.0 ppg.) and Fredrick King (10.0 ppg.) also scored at a double-digit clip.
   Steven Ashworth led CU with 15 assists, King and Brock Vice had a team-high 18 rebounds and Kalkbrenner topped the team with 10 swats.

Who's Back?
With Creighton returning seven of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2022-23 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat   Returners   Departures
Blocks   126 (82.9%)   26 (17.1%)
Rebounds   860 (67.9%)   411 (32.1%)
3FG Made   207 (64.9%)   112 (35.1%)
Points   1833 (64.8%)   995 (35.2%)
Steals   119 (64.3%)   66 (35.7%)
Minutes   4693 (63.0%)   2757 (37.0%)
Starts   111 (60.0%)   74 (40.0%)
Charges Taken   16 (59.3%)   11 (40.7%)
Assists   308 (53.0%)   273 (47.0%)

Preseason Top 10
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked eighth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever. That's one spot better than the previous best, done last year, when the Bluejays started the season ranked ninth. CU is ranked 18th in the January 15th AP poll.
   The announcement marks just the sixth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22), 2020-21 (No. 11) and 2022-23 (No. 9). All five of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with the last two making the Sweet 16 and last year's club reaching the Elite Eight.
   Creighton has been ranked in the Top 10 on 27 different occasions in program history, with all but one of those occasions happening under head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton's best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
   Creighton has now been ranked 131 times in program history, with 104 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 163-67 all-time as a ranked team, including a 129-55 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 10 of McDermott's 14 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
       Creighton is one of four schools to be ranked in the preseason top-10 each of the past two seasons, joining Kansas, Duke and Houston.
   Along with No. 5 Marquette, No. 6 Connecticut and No. 8 Creighton, this year marked the first time since 2011-12 that the BIG EAST had three Preseason Top-10 teams.
   Creighton was also eighth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever. CU is 15th in the Jan. 15th Coaches poll.

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day.
   It's the second time in Creighton's 11 years in the BIG EAST Conference that the Bluejays have been picked second, as the 2020-21 squad was also picked second (and eventually finished second). The Bluejays also had three players receive recognition on one of the Preseason All-BIG EAST teams, tied with preseason favorite Marquette for the most in the league.
   The Bluejays collected four first-place votes and earned 92 points in the poll, trailing only Marquette's seven first-place votes and 96 overall points. Defending national champion Connecticut was tabbed third with 79 points, just ahead of Villanova's 76 for fourth place. Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino's first St. John's team garnered 59 points to be chosen fifth, just ahead of Xavier (57) and Providence (51). The bottom four teams in the poll are Georgetown (34), Seton Hall (30), Butler (16) and DePaul (15).
   Creighton finished 24-13 overall and 14-6 in BIG EAST play last season and are the only league team to return three of its scorers that averaged at least a dozen points per game. The Bluejays won three NCAA Tournament games to advance to its first Elite Eight since 1941.
   In 2023-24, Creighton will be led by senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection. Kalkbrenner becomes the first player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST honors multiple times, and along with Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Kolek from Marquette was one of two men to be named on every ballot.
   Joining Kalkbrenner with the Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST acclaim was junior guard Trey Alexander. Alexander was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice at the end of last season, as was teammate Baylor Scheierman. A senior guard from Aurora, Neb., Scheierman earned Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST plaudits in 2023-24.
   This year marks the second time that Creighton has had more than two players land on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, and comes 12 months after Creighton had four men listed prior to the 2022-23 campaign. Creighton last had two men named Preseason First Team All-Conference in its Missouri Valley Conference days in 2006-07 (Anthony Tolliver, Nate Funk).
   Kolek was named 2023-24 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches, which comes as little surprise after the point guard was named 2023 BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP after leading the Golden Eagles to both the regular-season and tournament titles. Connecticut guard Stephon Castle was chosen BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year. The coaches, who were not permitted to select their own players, also chose an All-BIG EAST First Team, All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.
   Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but one season since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time. The Bluejays are seeking an eighth straight finish in the top four of the league standings. CU's team two years ago was predicted to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, then ended up in fourth. Four years ago, a team picked seventh in the BIG EAST's preseason poll went 13-5 in league play to share its first league title with Villanova and Seton Hall. That Bluejay team ended the year ranked seventh in the entire nation.

Four Of A Kind
Creighton has four players that were named to a Preseason Watch List in Steven Ashworth (Bob Cousy Point Guard), Trey Alexander (Jerry West Shooting Guard), Baylor Scheierman (Julius Erving Small Forward) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center).
   Creighton is one of six schools to have four men listed at a position, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette and UConn.
   Those same four men were named to CBS Sports Preseason Top 100 And 1 player listings, with Kalkbrenner (5), Alexander (12), Scheierman (26) and Ashworth (76) making CU the only school with three of the top 30 players or four of the top 76 players. Kansas and Duke were the only other teams with four players listed in the Top 100 And 1.
   Last but not least, both Alexander and Kalkbrenner were two of 20 players on the NABC's Preseason Division I Player of the Year Watch List. The only other schools with two players on that list were Duke and USC.

Downtown Duo
Only two players nationally that are returning in 2023-24 had 120+ assists, 87+ three-pointers and 38+ steals in 2022-23.
   Baylor Scheierman and Steven Ashworth.
   Both are playing for Creighton this season.

Let's Go On A Run
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022 and 2023. That makes CU one of seven teams in the country to have a win in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, joining Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and UCLA.
   The only other time that Creighton has won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons came in 2012, 2013 and 2014, also under Greg McDermott.
   Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
   Creighton is one of seven teams to post 22 or more wins in each of the last four seasons, joining Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Liberty, San Diego State and Southern California.
   Creighton is one of just eight teams to have reached at least two of the last three Sweet 16s. Gonzaga, Houston and UCLA have done it each of the last three seasons, while Alabama, Creighton, Michigan and Villanova have done it twice each.

23 of 25 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 23 of the previous 25 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
   Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 25 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 24 times, Creighton and Kentucky 23 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 25 Seasons
Team   20-Win Seasons       2022-23 W-L
Gonzaga   25   31-6
Kansas   25   28-8
Duke   24   27-9
Creighton   23   24-13
Kentucky   23   22-12

Dynamic Duo
Creighton is also one of eight schools to have men's and women's basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous two seasons, a list that includes Creighton, Gonzaga, Liberty, Princeton, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo and UConn.
   This season, Creighton was one of eight teams with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men's and women's side, joining Baylor, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Southern California, Tennessee and Texas.
   The only five schools to be ranked in the preseason men's and women's basketball Top 25 of the AP Poll both this season and last season are Baylor, Creighton, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
   Creighton is one of 11 schools to make the NCAA Tournament in both men's and women's basketball each of the past two seasons, a list that consists of Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
   The only schools with at-large bids in each of the previous two years in both men's and women's basketball are Baylor, Creighton, Indiana and Miami (Fla.).

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 27 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point.
   Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
   If you're curious, CU's largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit   Opponent   Date
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
16   at Seton Hall   01/27/21
16   SIU Edwardsville   11/27/21
15   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   11/09/21
14   Evansville   02/21/12
14   vs. San Diego State   03/17/22
13   at Saint Joseph's   11/16/13
13   Xavier   01/12/14
13   #22 Xavier   12/23/20
12   Saint Joseph's   12/11/10
12   at DePaul   01/17/16
12   East Tennessee State   11/11/18
11   at Wichita State   12/31/11
11   Northern Iowa   01/10/12
11   vs. Alabama   03/16/12
11   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/16
11   vs. Connecticut   03/12/21
11   DePaul   01/22/22
10   UAB   11/14/12
10   vs. Drake   03/02/12
10   at Nebraska   12/07/14
10   South Dakota   12/09/14
10   St. John's   01/03/18
10   at DePaul   02/07/18
10   Bemidji State   02/13/18

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,002 straight games. The streak is the nation's 10th-longest active streak.
   Creighton's last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
   Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (1/15)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   1,208   UNLV   1/16
   2.   1,205   Duke   1/20
   3.   1,141   East Tennessee State   1/17
   4.   1,116   Oakland   1/17
   5.   1,115   Pacific   1/18
   6.   1,110   Texas   1/17
   7.   1,053   Marshall   1/18
   8.   1,037   Gonzaga   1/18
   9.   1,036   Princeton   1/20
   10.   1,002   Creighton   1/17
   11.   1,000   Long Island   1/19
   12.   990   Mount St. Mary's   1/19

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 1,002 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,962 trifectas, an average of 7.95 treys per game.
   That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly seven three-pointers 148 times, more than any figure.
   Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 292 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 73-17 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 31-27 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:    5 times   2: 19 times   3: 36 times
4:    75 times   5:   104 times   6: 104 times
7:   148 times   8:   126 times   9: 93 times
10: 84 times   11: 57 times   12: 59 times
13: 45 times   14: 22 times   15: 8 times
16: 8 times   17: 3 times   18: 1 time
19: 2 times   20: 1 time   21: 1 time   22: 1 time

Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
      Rank   Att.   Opponent   Date
   1.   18,868   Providence   03/08/14
   2.   18,859   Georgetown   01/25/14
   3.   18,831   #1 Villanova   12/31/16
   4.   18,797   #6 Villanova   02/16/14
   5.   18,759   #1 Gonzaga   12/01/18
   6.   18,742   Seton Hall   02/23/14
   7.   18,735   Wichita State   02/11/12
   8.   18,613   Wichita State   03/02/13
   9.   18,525   Marquette   12/31/13
   10.   18,519   #8 Seton Hall   03/07/20
   11.   18,518   Georgetown   01/27/18
   12.   18,509   Villanova   02/04/23
   13.   18,495   Marquette   02/17/18
   14.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   15.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   16.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   17.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   18.   18,321   #3 Villanova   02/24/18
   19.   18,294   #19 Iowa State   12/04/21
   20.   18,286   #21 Connecticut   02/12/23

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 347 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 21-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 286-61 (.824) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (22-0).
   Creighton's Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program's 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU's 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
   Creighton has outscored its opponents 27,181-22,714 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.87 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 90 different times.
   Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 23 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
   Creighton is also 32-36 all-time in the 68 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-11 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 40-29 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 189-43 (.815) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 65 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 101-9 home record (.918) 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 305-61 (.833) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.55 points per home game (18,687 points in 232 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.37 points in non-conference home games (9,281 points in 110 home games).
   Creighton is 141-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 313 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .670 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.   313-154   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

Elite Eight
Greg McDermott guided his team to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, and most among basketball coaches.
   McDermott is one of three head coaches in Creighton history to lead eight or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name   Sport   NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth   Volleyball   13
Bob Warming   Men's Soccer   11
Greg McDermott   Men's Basketball   8
Dana Altman   Men's Basketball   7
Brent Vigness   Softball   7

Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished last season ranked 12th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 23 offense, and No. 14 defense. Creighton's No. 14 defense was its best mark in the 21 seasons of the KenPom era.
   Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom seven times in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott and a top-25 defense twice.
Year   Off. Rating   Def. Rating   Overall Rank
2010-11   66   174   98
2011-12   5   166   28
2012-13   5   66   15
2013-14   2   124   17
2014-15   59   138   79
2015-16   43   76   40
2016-17   32   46   28
2017-18   25   58   30
2018-19   47   83   55
2019-20   3   78   12
2020-21   25   32   22
2021-22   112   19   50
2022-23   23   14   12
2023-24   23   15   15

Kalkbrenner Repeats As Top Defender
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named 2023 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
   Kalkbrenner became just the 11th player in league history to win the recognition more than once, joining the likes of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Kris Dunn and Allen Iverson among those to win the award multiple times, and is the first repeat winner since former Bluejay guard Khyri Thomas in 2017 and 2018.
   Between Kalkbrenner and Thomas, Creighton has now had a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in four of the previous seven seasons.
Most BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Honors
   Honors   Name, School   Years (*ties)
   4   Patrick Ewing, Georgetown   1982, 83, 84, 85
   3   Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown   1989, 90*, 92
   2   Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown   1990, 91
   2   Allen Iverson, Georgetown   1995, 96
   2   Etan Thomas, Syracuse   1999, 00
   2   John Linehan, Providence   2001, 02
   2   Emeka Okafor, Connecticut   2003, 04
   2   Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut   2008, 09
   2   Kris Dunn, Providence   2015*, 16
   2   Khyri Thomas, Creighton   2017*, 18
   2   Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton   2022, 23

Creighton Retires McDermott's No. 3 Jersey
Creighton Men's Basketball retired Doug McDermott's No. 3 jersey prior to its Dec. 20 game vs. Villanova. McDermott was a three-time All-American (2012, 2013, 2014) and consensus National Player of the Year (2014) during an incredible four-year career spanning from 2010-14.
   McDermott finished his career with an NCAA-record 135 double-figure scoring games and wrapped up his time on The Hilltop with 3,150 points, which was fifth in NCAA history. He was named winner of the Oscar Robertson, John R. Wooden and Naismith trophies as the National Player of the Year in 2013-14, when he led the country in scoring and helped Creighton to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
   The son of current Bluejay head coach Greg McDermott, Doug McDermott was a three-time Conference Player of the Year and remains the sport's only three-time Associated Press First Team All-American since 1985.
   McDermott received his Marketing degree from Creighton in 2014 and is currently in his 10th year in the NBA, as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
   McDermott's number hangs in the rafters on the west side of the arena alongside five other Bluejay greats (#25 Kyle Korver, #30 Bob Harstad, #33 Bob Portman, #35 Paul Silas, #45 Bob Gibson).

McDermott In The NBA
Doug McDermott is in his 10th year in an NBA career that saw him selected 11th overall by Denver, with stops in Chicago, Oklahoma City, New York, Dallas, Indiana and San Antonio.
   He is averaging 6.4 points per game this season and shooting 46.8 percent from three-point range for the Spurs, which ranks fourth in the NBA.
   In his career, McDermott has played in 624 games and averaged 9.2 points per game. He ranks 21st in NBA history with 41.3 percent marksmanship from three-point range in his career.

11 Crazy Stats on Doug McDermott
What better time than now to remind you of some of the highlights of Doug McDermott's Creighton career?
   1) In 2013-14 he was honored as National Player of the Year by the USBWA (Oscar Robertson Trophy), John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Adolph F. Rupp Trophy, Associated Press, NABC, CollegeInsider.com Lute Olson Award, Sporting News, Basketball Times, NBCSports.com, CBSSports.com, BleacherReport.com, USA Today and Dick Vitale.
   In addition, he was also honored with the Senior CLASS Award that takes into account his off-court contributions.
   2) Doug McDermott finished his career fifth (he's currently seventh) in NCAA history with 3,150 career points. He broke the previous Creighton career scoring record of 2,116 (held by Rodney Buford) during his junior season.
   3) Doug McDermott was featured on the cover of the March 17, 2014 edition of Sports Illustrated as the magazine tried to recreate an epic 1977 cover shot that featured Larry Bird.
   4) Creighton went 16-0 at home during Doug McDermott's senior year and never trailed in the second half at any point in those home contests.
   5) Creighton went 21-0 in his career when Doug McDermott scored 31 points or more.
   6) Doug McDermott surpassed 3,000 career points in his final home game, a Senior Day win over Providence with Warren Buffett in attendance. McDermott scored a career-high 45 points in the victory.
   7) Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in points per game as a sophomore (22.9), second as a junior (23.2) and first as a senior (26.7).
   8) Doug McDermott set a BIG EAST record by being named BIG EAST Player of the Week eight times in 2013-14. In the nine weeks he was not named Player of the Week, he still averaged 23.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 89.1 percent at the line.
   9) Doug McDermott remains the Associated Press' only three-time First Team All-American since 1984-85.
   10) Doug McDermott made 1,141 career field goals, which ranked 10th in NCAA history when he graduated. Of those, he made 498 shots off the backboard, 145 shots with his left hand and had just 19 dunks.
   11) Former Villanova coach Jay Wright was pretty effusive with his praise after coaching against Doug McDermott on Feb. 16, 2014, saying
   "I think he's as complete a player, and I do not use that term loosely, with size, as I've ever seen. With 6-8, 6-9, there's nothing he can't do. He can take you off the dribble. He guards, he's tough as hell guarding. He defends. He rebounds. He moves without the ball. He seals. He's the best post player that we've played against and he's the best perimeter player, and maybe one of the best passers, and he's 6-8, 6-9. I think he's as good a basketball player as I've seen."

#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a third season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 40 of the last 41 seasons. McDermott is in his 10th season in the NBA. Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver.

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2023-24 season went on sale on September 28th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

#18 Men's Basketball Faces Road Test at #1 Connecticut

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Francisco Farabello

Jasen Green

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Arthur Kaluma

Fredrick King

Mason Miller

Ryan Nembhard

Baylor Scheierman

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Brock Vice