Men's Basketball Earns #15 Preseason AP Ranking
10/14/2024 11:03:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Creighton opens the regular-season on Nov. 6 vs. UTRGV
OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men's basketball team is ranked 15th in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, the third straight season the Bluejays have been ranked among the nation's best in the preseason.
Monday's announcement marks the seventh 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), 2022-23 (No. 9) and 2023-24 (No. 8). All six of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with the last three most recent squads making the Sweet 16.
Creighton's best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Including today's ranking, Creighton has now been ranked 143 times in program history, with 115 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 175-73 all-time as a ranked team, including a 141-61 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 11 of McDermott's 15 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton is one of 13 schools ranked in the Top 25 of the Preseason AP poll each of the last three years, joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Narrow that list to just the Preseason Top 15 the past three seasons and only seven schools can claim that, with Creighton joining Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Creighton is one of three BIG EAST Conference schools in the poll, joining No. 3 Connecticut and No. 18 Marquette. Two of Creighton's December opponents, No. 1 Kansas (Dec. 4) and No. 2 Alabama (Dec. 14), are atop the poll. CU will also meet No. 13 Texas A&M on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas.
The Bluejays are scheduled to open the 2024-25 season on Oct. 26 with a charity exhibition game vs. No. 14 Purdue that will benefit the United Way of the Midlands' Disaster Relief Fund. Creighton then tips off the regular-season on Nov. 6 vs. UTRGV.
Single-game tickets for Creighton home games will go on sale on Wednesday, Oct. 16th at 10 a.m. Central via GoCreighton.com/buy, Ticketmaster or the box offices at D.J. Sokol Arena or CHI Health Center Omaha.
Associated Press Top 25
Oct. 14, 2024 (Preseason Poll)
Rk   School   W-L    PTS
1Â Â Â Kansas (30)Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 1449
2Â Â Â Alabama (14)Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 1428
3Â Â Â Connecticut (11)Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 1345
4Â Â Â Houston(4)Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 1343
5   Iowa State   0-0   1177
6Â Â Â Gonzaga (1)Â Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 1157
7   Duke   0-0   1154
8   Baylor   0-0   1109
9   North Carolina   0-0   1037
10   Arizona   0-0   905
11   Auburn   0-0   901
12   Tennessee   0-0   775
13Â Â Â Texas A&MÂ Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 737
14   Purdue   0-0   678
15   Creighton   0-0   631
16   Arkansas   0-0   625
17   Indiana   0-0   492
18   Marquette   0-0   484
19   Texas   0-0   332
20   Cincinnati   0-0   271
21   Florida   0-0   249
22Â Â Â UCLAÂ Â Â 0-0Â Â Â 210
23   Kentucky   0-0   191
24   Ole Miss   0-0   132
25   Rutgers   0-0   102
Others receiving votes:Â Illinois 92, St. John's 91, Xavier 73, Texas Tech 58, Wake Forest 37, Kansas State 30, Michigan State 29, Ohio State 29, Michigan 19, BYU 14, Oregon 12, McNeese State 11, Miami 11, Boise State 9, Saint Louis 9, Clemson 9, Providence 9, Mississippi State 6, VCU 6, Wisconsin 5, Saint Mary's 5, Louisville 4, UAB 4, Arkansas-Little Rock 3, Grand Canyon 3, Arizona State 2, San Diego State 2, Princeton 2, High Point 1, Maryland 1.
