#15 Men's Basketball Hosts #14 Purdue Saturday in Charity Exhibition

Charity Exhibition Game #1
#14 Purdue Boilermakers at #15 Creighton Bluejays
| VIDEO (in Nebraska) | VIDEO (outside Nebraska) | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | PURDUE NOTES |
Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 • 7:00 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha

Next Game
No. 15 Creighton hosts No. 14 Purdue in a charity exhibition game on Saturday, October 26th.
    Net proceeds from the game will benefit the United Way of the Midlands Disaster Relief Fund, as parts of the Omaha area are still rebuilding following a series of 12 tornadoes on April 26th that included Nebraska's first EF-4 tornado since 2014.
    Tickets are still available for the contest, with tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., set for 7 p.m.

Television/Webcast Information
Saturday's game will be televised by Nebraska Public Media and online in the state of Nebraska at http://NebraskaPublicMedia.org/live.
    Outside of the state of Nebraska, the game will be video streamed behind a paywall for $6.99 at http://GoCreighton.com/watch.
    Larry Punteney and Nick Bahe will call the game.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2024-25 season, including Saturday's exhibition.
    John Bishop and former Bluejay Taylor Stormberg will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

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

Scouting #15 Creighton
Creighton returns three starters from last year's team that went 25-10 and reached the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years.
    CU had three men score over 600 points last season for the first time, but two of them (Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander) are now in the NBA.
    That leaves fifth-year senior Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.3 ppg., 7.6 rpg., 3.1 bpg.) with a lot of expectations on his broad shoulders, but the 7-foot-1 center is up to it. He was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and has been named a Preseason First Team All-American by CBS Sports, Fox Sports and Field of 68. In addition to being one of the most efficient shooters in NCAA history, Kalkbrenner is also a three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
    Senior Steven Ashworth (11.1 ppg.) is back to run the point guard spot, and junior Mason Miller returns on the wing after leading the BIG EAST with 45.4 percent marksmanship from three-point range.
    Supplementing that trio are transfers Pop Isaacs (Texas Tech) and Jamiya Neal (Arizona State), in addition to a Top 20 recruiting class, four men who redshirted last season, and key reserves Isaac Traudt (2.9 ppg.), Fredrick King (2.6 ppg.) and Jasen Green (1.6 ppg.).

Scouting #14 Purdue
Purdue returns three starters from last year's team that went 34-5 and reached the national title game. In addition to being unbeaten in 16 contests at Mackey Arena, the Boilermakers won 18 games away from home (7-3 away; 11-2 neutral) in one of the best seasons in program history,
    Three starters return, led by the dynamic backcourt duo of Braden Smith (12.0 ppg., 5.8 rpg., 7.5 apg.) and Fletcher Loyer (10.3 ppg.). Smith has been named Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year this winter.
    The Boilermakers have the tall task of trying to replace two-time Wooden Award winner Zach Edey (25.2 ppg., 12.2 rpg., 2.2 bpg.), as well as Lance Jones (11.7 ppg.).
    This year's squad is ranked 14th in the preseason AP poll and 13th in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll.

The Series With Purdue
Creighton and Purdue have met just once previously, a Jan. 4, 1961 regular-season game in West Lafayette won by the Boilermakers, 91-72.
    Purdue raced to a 50-28 halftime lead and were led by Terry Dischinger's 26 points, while Creighton was paced by Chuck Officer's 17 points.
    Greg McDermott is 1-0 all-time against Purdue, as his Iowa State team beat the Boilermakers 83-80 on Dec. 22, 2007 in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic.
    McDermott is 2-1 all-time against teams coached by Matt Painter, beating the Boilermakers in the aforementioned 2007 game in Las Vegas, while also splitting two games as Northern Iowa's head coach against Painter's lone Southern Illinois team in 2003-04.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 325-160 record entering his 15th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 605-355 entering his 31st season, and is 474-291 entering his 24th Division I campaign.
    McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and its first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
    McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
    He is assisted by Ryan Miller, Derek Kellogg and Trey Zeigler.

McDermott's Exhibition History
Greg McDermott is 31-0 in fall exhibition games as a Division I head coach, including an 10-0 mark at UNI, a 7-0 record at Iowa State, and a 14-0 mark at Creighton. All but one of his triumphs have been by double-digits, as the Bluejays have outscored foes by an average of 92.77 - 60.39 in fall exhibition games.
    Below is a list of McDermott's exhibition games at the Division I level.
Greg McDermott's Division I Exhibition Scores
Date    McD School    Opponent    Result
2001-02    UNI    London Leopards    W 89-74
2001-02    UNI    Lake Superior State    W 74-63
2002-03    UNI    Dominican National Team    W 73-56
2002-03    UNI    H.P. Minnesota    W 90-76
2003-04    UNI    H.P. Minnesota    W 89-79
2003-04    UNI    Australian Select Team    W 92-58
2004-05    UNI    Dubuque    W 93-34
2004-05    UNI    SW Minnesota State    W 71-40
2005-06    UNI    Lewis    W 77-50
2005-06    UNI    Wayne State    W 74-57
11/03/06    Iowa State    EA Sports    W 58-57
11/06/06    Iowa State    Wayne State    W 55-41
11/01/07    Iowa State    Dubuque    W 66-38
11/04/07    Iowa State    EA Sports    W 74-63
11/08/08    Iowa State    Nebraska-Omaha    W 74-54
11/02/09    Iowa State    Black Hills State    W 96-47
11/06/09    Iowa State    UNC Pembroke    W 106-54
11/04/10    Creighton    Northern State    W 79-67
11/06/11    Creighton    Rockhurst    W 81-42
11/02/12    Creighton    Mary    W 89-51
11/01/13    Creighton    Northern State    W 89-61
11/07/14    Creighton    Sioux Falls    W 91-72
11/06/15    Creighton    Upper Iowa    W 113-77
11/04/16    Creighton    Wayne State    W 93-46
10/26/17    Creighton    Nebraska-Omaha    W 96-67
11/03/17    Creighton    UNC Pembroke    W 93-70
10/27/18    Creighton     Winona State    W 101-57
11/01/19    Creighton    McKendree    W 95-63
10/30/21    Creighton    Upper Iowa    W 76-61
10/30/22    Creighton    Drury    W 109-57
11/04/23    Creighton    Wayne State    W 95-48

Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 55-6 since 1981 in fall exhibition games thanks to 23 straight victories. The only team since 1994 to beat Creighton in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which eventually merged and changed their name to EA Sports and had three victories.
    A complete listing of Creighton's exhibition games since the 1981-82 season can be found on page four of this release.

Who's Back?
With Creighton returning six of the 11 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2023-24 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat    Returners    Departures
Blocks    119 (83.2%)    24 (16.8%)
Starts    105 (60.0%)    70 (40.0%)
Minutes    3684 (51.3%)    3491 (48.7%)
Rebounds    636 (51.1%)    608 (48.9%)
Points    1383 (49.1%)    1432 (50.9%)
3FG Made    171 (45.6%)    204 (54.4%)
Assists    226 (38.4%)    362 (61.6%)
Steals    42 (31.3%)    92 (68.7%)
Charges Taken    4 (30.8%)    9 (69.2%)

Preseason Top 15
The Creighton men's basketball team was 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.
    This year'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 this year's preseason 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 and No. 14 Purdue on Saturday.
    Creighton is also 14th in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, one spot behind Purdue.

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day.
    It marks the second straight year CU has been picked second, and fourth time in the past five seasons the Bluejays have been tabbed for a top-two finish. CU's 2020-21 squad and 2023-24 teams were also both picked second, and eventually finished in second place, while the 2022-23 squad that eventually reached the Elite Eight was picked first and finished in third place.
    Connecticut, the defending BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion and the reigning national champion, was chosen to finish first in the poll. The Huskies received all possible 10 first-place votes and 100 points from the league's head coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
    Creighton will be led by Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection for the third time and also earned his first Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year accolade. Kalkbrenner remains the only player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST honors multiple times. The only other Bluejays to be named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year have been Doug McDermott (2013-14) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
    Joining Kalkbrenner with Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST acclaim was Connecticut's Alex Karaban, Marquette's Kam Jones, Providence's Bryce Hopkins, St. John's Kadary Richmond and Villanova's Eric Dixon.
    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 a ninth straight finish in the top four of the league standings. CU's team three years ago was predicted to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, then ended up in fourth. Five years ago, a team picked seventh in the BIG EAST's preseason poll went 13-5 in league play to share its first league title with Villanova and Seton Hall. That Bluejay team ended the year ranked seventh in the entire nation.
Creighton's BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year     Preseason     Actual     Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14     3rd     2nd     Doug McDermott (POY, 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)
2024-25    2nd    ??    Ryan Kalkbrenner (POY, 1st); Steven Ashworth (3rd)

Newcomer Report
Six players (Pop Isaacs, Jamiya Neal, Larry Johnson, Fedor Žugic, Ty Davis and Jackson McAndrew) could make their fall exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform against Purdue.
    Below is a look at how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts since 2018:
2023
Ashworth/Lawson/Knox/Thomas
Vice/Dotzler/Townley-Thomas/Traudt
44 pts., 23 reb., 15 ast., 84 min. (W 109-57)
2022
Scheierman/Farabello/King
Shtolzberg/Green/Young
44 pts., 23 reb., 15 ast., 84 min. (W 109-57)
2021
Alexander/Andronikashvili/Christofilis
Feazell/Hawkins/Kaluma/Kancleris
Miller/Nembhard/Yates
56 pts., 37 reb., 15 ast., 155 min. (W 76-61)
2019
Mitchell/Windham/Zeil/Jones
25 pts., 18 reb., 0 ast., 68 min. (W 95-63)
2018
Bishop/Canfield/Cashaw/
Froling/Jefferson/Zegarowski
40 pts., 20 reb., 9 ast., 96 min. (W 101-57)

Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 100 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to 2023-24
Category    CU Stat    CU Rank
3FG Made    4,318    2nd
2FG Percentage    .549    3rd
FG Percentage    .477    4th
Assists    7,749    5th
3FG Percentage    .375    5th
FG Made    13,270    7th
Points    37,095    9th
Wins    325    24th
Winning Percentage    .670    30th

Lusk Returns On Opposite Bench
Saturday's contest marks a return to Omaha for assistant coach Paul Lusk, who served on Greg McDermott's staff with the Bluejays for three seasons from 2018-19 to 2020-21. His son, Jack Lusk, is a 2023 graduate of Elkhorn North High School and on the Boilermaker squad.

New Court Debuts
When Creighton plays its charity exhibition game against Purdue, it'll do so while playing on a new basketball court designed to tell the story of Creighton University and the program's proud history.
    The court was designed by GLGR out of Beaverton, Ore., and produced by Ledford Sports Floors out of Jenks, Okla.
    The court includes multiple intricate features that merit up-close inspection to gain a full appreciation for the attention to detail in the new Creighton-centric design.
• Six numbers will appear on the west sideline, three in front of each bench, to recognize the retired jersey numbers for No. 3 (Doug McDermott), No. 25 (Kyle Korver), No. 30 (Bob Harstad), No. 33 (Bob Portman), No. 35 (Paul Silas) and No. 45 (Bob Gibson).
• Within the eye of the Bluejay logo at midcourt will be the number 1916, a nod to Creighton's first recognized year of intercollegiate basketball.
• Just inside the three-point line will be text of seven core Jesuit values, such as "Women and Men For and With Others". It is believed that Creighton will be the nation's first Division I team with its school motto included inside its basketball court.
• Also inside the three-point line are Heritage logos to honor Creighton's history.
• The new color scheme also features an updated courtside gradient, in addition to a feather pattern inside the three-point line, a nod to Creighton's Bluejay nickname.

Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
Since Latrell Wrightsell in 1988, only four true freshmen have started Creighton's first exhibition game. The first was Khyri Thomas in 2015-16, while in 2018-19 Samson Froling got the starting nod. In 2021-22 both Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma started the first exhibition game.
    Since 1992-93, only six true freshmen have started Creighton's regular-season opener.
    Ryan Sears did so in 1997-98. The point guard would go on to start all 124 games of his CU career and remains the program's all-time career assist (570) and steals (283) leader.
    Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11, and he went on to start all 145 games of his career. He would graduate as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 career points and is the only three-time First Team All-American since 1986. He now plays for the Sacramento Kings.
    Khyri Thomas got a start in 2015-16 and remained in CU's starting five each of his first 24 games, and 96-of-102 career contests with the Jays. He later spent parts three seasons in the NBA.
    Shereef Mitchell joined this elite group in 2019-20 when he got the starting nod against Kennesaw State.
    In 2021-22, both Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma started the opener vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, marking the first time Creighton started two true freshmen in a regular-season opener since 1991-92 (Eric Dantzler and Mike Amos). Both men ended up on the BIG EAST's All-Freshman Team, with Nembhard being named Freshman of the Year.
    The last time Creighton started three true freshmen in a regular-season opener was 1987-88 (Chris Rodgers, Bob Harstad, Chad Gallagher).

Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 105 starts from last year's team, the fifth time in the past six seasons its returned at least 100 starts.
    Creighton has won 20 or more games each of the previous nine times (and 13 of the last 14 times) it has returned 100 or more starts.
    Returning    Returning Starts     Final
Year    Starters    From Previous Year    W-L
2024-25    3    105    ? ? ?
2023-24    3    111    25-10
2022-23    3    104    24-13
2021-22    0    2    23-12
2020-21    5    124    22-9
2019-20    4    136    24-7
2018-19    2    57    20-15
2017-18    2    72    21-12
2016-17    4    130    25-10
2015-16    1    64    20-15
2014-15    1    49    14-19
2013-14    4    144    27-8
2012-13    4    140    28-8
2011-12    3    101    29-6
2010-11    4    123    23-16
2009-10    3    106    18-16
2008-09    3    83    27-8
2007-08    1    44    22-11
2006-07    4    120    22-11
2005-06    4    134    20-10
2004-05    2    58    23-11
2003-04    3    101    20-9
2002-03    5    159    29-5
2001-02    2    65    23-9
2000-01    3    90    24-8
1999-00    3    84    23-10
1998-99    3    84    22-9
1997-98    4    72    18-10
1996-97    4    126    15-15
1995-96    4    100    14-15
1994-95    2    52    7-19
1993-94    3    73    7-22
1992-93    2    64    8-18
1991-92    2    51    9-19
1990-91    4    132    24-8
1989-90    4    127    21-12
1988-89    4    123    20-11
1987-88    3    83    16-16
1986-87    2    65    9-19
1985-86    1    48    12-16
1984-85    4    124    20-12
1983-84    3    72    17-14
1982-83    3    77    8-19
1981-82    2    78    7-20
1980-81    4    112    21-9

#ProJays
Creighton could have three alums in the NBA this season.
    Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is with the Sacramento Kings as he begins his 11th year in the NBA.
    Baylor Scheierman was a First Round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
    Trey Alexander went undrafted, but was signed on a two-way contract by the Denver Nuggets.
    These men give Creighton at least one NBA player for the 41st time in the last 42 seasons.
    Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.

Let's Go On A Run
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. That makes CU one of five teams in the country to have a win in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments, joining Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston and Kansas.
    This is the first time that Creighton has won an NCAA Tournament game in four straight years.

Ain't Too Proud To Brag
Creighton (9 straight seasons) is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the previous nine seasons joining Kansas (35), Gonzaga (27), Belmont (14), Oregon (9) and Houston (9).
    Creighton (5 straight seasons) is also one of five teams to post 22 or more wins in each of the previous five seasons, joining Gonzaga (27), Houston (7), San Diego State (5) and Baylor (5).
    Creighton was one of six teams in the nation with 25 or more wins in both men's basketball and women's basketball last season. That list consists of Creighton, Gonzaga, NC State, South Carolina, UConn and Vermont.
    Creighton is one of four schools to have men's and women's basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous three seasons, a list that included Creighton, Gonzaga, Princeton and UConn.

24 of 26 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 24 of the previous 26 seasons (1998-99 to 2023-24), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
    Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 26 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 25 times, Creighton and Kentucky 24 times each.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 26 Seasons
Team                 20-Win Seasons
Gonzaga    26
Kansas    26
Duke    25
Creighton    24
Kentucky    24
Arizona    22
Florida    22
Ohio State    22
Michigan State    22
BYU    21
Memphis    21
North Carolina    21
Wisconsin    21

Most Consecutive 22-Win Seasons
Team                 Consec. 22-Win Years
Gonzaga    27
Houston    7
Creighton    5
San Diego State    5
Baylor    5

Sweetness!
Creighton is one of just five teams to have reached at least three of the last four Sweet 16s.
    Gonzaga and Houston have done it each of the last four seasons, while Alabama, UCLA and Creighton have done it three times each.
    This is the first time Creighton has been in the Sweet 16 in back-to-back tournaments.
Most Sweet 16's, Last Four Years
    #    Team    Years
    4    Gonzaga    2021    2022    2023    2024
    4    Houston    2021    2022    2023    2024
    3    Creighton    2021        -    2023    2024
    3    UCLA    2021    2022    2023         -
    3    Alabama    2021       -    2023    2024

Top 25 Men & Women
Creighton is one of 12 schools with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men's and women's side in 2024-25, joining Alabama, Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas and UCLA.
    The only five schools to be ranked in the preseason men's and women's basketball Top 25 of the AP Poll each of the last three seasons are Baylor, Creighton, North Carolina and Texas.
    Creighton is one of eight schools to make the NCAA Tournament in both men's and women's basketball each of the previous three seasons, a list that consists of Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
    Creighton is one of 14 schools that won an NCAA Tournament game last season in both men's and women's basketball: Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Colorado, Creighton, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee, Texas, and UConn.

A Dozen Will Do
Creighton has owned a .500 mark or better in league play 28 times in the previous 29 seasons, one of seven schools nationally that can say that.
    The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous nine seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.
    Among the other "Power 5" Conference schools, only Virginia (7 straight years) also has an active streak of five years or longer with 12 or more league wins.
Most Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Previous 29 Seasons
    Seasons    Team
    29    Duke
    29    Kansas
    29    Gonzaga
    28    Kentucky
    28    Michigan State
    28    Creighton
    28    Murray State

Consecutive Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Power 5 Schools
    Seasons    Team
    35    Kansas
    29    Duke
    13    Virginia
    13    Oregon
    12    Villanova
    9    Creighton
    9    Houston
    9    Seton Hall
    9    Florida

Consecutive Seasons 12+ League Wins
Power 5 Schools
    Seasons    Team
    7    Virginia
    5    Creighton

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 1,020 straight games. That ranks as 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 After 2023-24
    Rk.    Streak    School    Next Game
    1.    1,228    UNLV    11/4
    2.    1,225    Duke    11/4
    3.    1,158    East Tennessee State    11/4
    4.    1,133    Oakland    11/4
    5.    1,128    Pacific    11/4
    6.    1,127    Texas    11/4
    7.    1,067    Marshall    11/4
    8.    1,058    Gonzaga    11/4
    9.    1,050    Princeton    11/4
    10.    1,020    Creighton    11/6
    11.    1,013    Long Island    11/4
    12.    1,006    Mount St. Mary's    11/4

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 1,020 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,160 trifectas, an average of 8.00 treys per game.
    Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 303 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 84-20 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 32-30 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: 107 times
7:   149 times    8:   127 times    9: 94 times
10: 85 times    11: 59 times    12: 60 times
13: 49 times    14: 24 times    15: 9 times
16: 8 times    17: 4 times    18: 1 time
19: 2 times    20: 1 time    21: 1 time    22: 1 time

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 325 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list, just two wins from tying Dana Altman.
    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.    325-160    Greg McDermott    2010-Pres.
3.    165-66    Arthur A. Schabinger     1922-1935
4.    138-118    John J. "Red" McManus     1959-1969
5.    130-64    Tom Apke    1974-1981

CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 8-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003.
    The last time such a game happened was in 2020 when Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski hit a shot with 3.2 seconds left to beat Providence.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date    Opponent    Score    Player/Score    Time
11/26/05    Dayton    W 91-90*    Funk FG    :5.7
01/28/06    Wichita St.    W 57-55    Tolliver FG    :0.0
11/25/06    George Mason    W 58-56    Watts FT    :7.5
03/18/08    Rhode Island    W 74-73    Witter 3FG    :3.2
01/13/10    Southern Illinois    W 71-69    Young FG    :1.3
02/18/12    Long Beach St.    W 81-79    Young FG    :0.3
01/28/14    St. John's    W 63-60    McDermott 3FG    :2.8
01/18/20    Providence    W 78-74    Zegarowski 3FG    :3.2
*double-overtime

Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date    Opponent    Score    Player/Score    Time
03/20/06    Miami (Fla.)    L 53-52    G. Diaz FT    :2.6
01/20/07    Southern Illinois    L 58-57    B. Mullins FG    :4.1
01/10/15    #19 Seton Hall    L 68-67    S. Gibbs 3FG    :2.2
02/16/15    #19 Butler    L 58-56    R. Jones FG    :1.9
03/07/15    Xavier    L 74-73    D. Davis FT's    :6.3
01/12/16    #12 Providence    L 50-48    K. Dunn FG    :0.0
02/22/17    Providence    L 68-66    K. Cartwright 3FG    :2.4
02/10/18    #5 Xavier    L 71-72    Q. Goodin FT's    :0.3

Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
      Rank    Att.    Opponent    Date
    1.    18,868    Providence    03/08/14
    2.    18,859    Georgetown    01/25/14
    3.    18,831    #1 Villanova    12/31/16
    4.    18,797    #6 Villanova    02/16/14
    5.    18,759    #1 Gonzaga    12/01/18
    6.    18,742    Seton Hall    02/23/14
    7.    18,735    Wichita State    02/11/12
    8.    18,613    Wichita State    03/02/13
    9.    18,571    DePaul    01/22/24
    10.    18,525    Marquette    12/31/13
    11.    18,519    #8 Seton Hall    03/07/20
    12.    18,518    Georgetown    01/27/18
    13.    18,509    Villanova    02/04/23
    14.    18,495    Marquette    02/17/18
    15.    18,494    Illinois State    02/09/13
    16.    18,458    Evansville    12/29/12
    17.    18,436    Bradley    01/28/12
    18.    18,323    DePaul    02/07/14
    19.    18,321    #3 Villanova    02/24/18
    20.    18,294    #19 Iowa State    12/04/21

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 354 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 21-year-old facility.
    The Bluejays own a 292-62 (.825) record all-time at the facility, and is 22-1 there on Friday's.
    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 27,802-23,230 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.92 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 91 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 41-29 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
    Creighton is 195-44 (.816) 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 311-62 (.834) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.79 points per home game (19,308 points in 239 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.37 points in non-conference home games (9,281 points in 110 home games).
    Creighton is 147-7 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.

Nine Is Divine
Greg McDermott has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament nine times at Creighton. 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    9
Dana Altman    Men's Basketball    7
Brent Vigness    Softball    7
Jim Flanery    Women's Basketball    7

Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished the 2023-24 season ranked 11th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 9 offense, and No. 24 defense.
    Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom eight times in 14 seasons under Greg McDermott and a top-25 defense three times.
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    9    24    11
2024-25    3    25    12

Kalkbrenner A Top Defender
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24 for the third straight season.
    Kalkbrenner is just the third player in league history to win the recognition three times or more, joining Georgetown greats Patrick Ewing (4x) and Alonzo Mourning (3x).
    Between Kalkbrenner and 2017 & 2018 winner Khyri Thomas, Creighton has now had a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in five of the previous eight 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
    3    Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton    2022, 23, '24
    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

Kalkbrenner In The Top 10
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,771 career points, as he became the 45th men's player in Creighton history to surpass 1,000 on Feb. 25, 2023 at Villanova. Here's a list of Creighton's top scorers ever.
Most Career Points, Creighton History
    Rank    Pts.    Name    Years
    1.    3,150    Doug McDermott    2010-14
    2.    2,116    Rodney Buford    1995-99
    3.    2,110    Bob Harstad     1987-91
    4.    1,983    Chad Gallagher     1987-91
    5.    1,876    Bob Portman     1966-69
    6.    1,801    Kyle Korver    1999-03
    7.    1,771    Ryan Kalkbrenner    2020-Pres.
    8.    1,754    Nate Funk    2002-07
    9.    1,682    Rick Apke     1974-78
    10.    1,661    Paul Silas    1961-64

    Kalkbrenner also ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 306. Kalkbrenner had 107 swats last year and enters this year 105 behind Benoit Benjamin.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
    Blk.    Name    Years
    411    Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
    306    Ryan Kalkbrenner    2020-Pres.
    183    Chad Gallagher    1987-91
    174    Gregory Echenique    2010-13

Among The Best...EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 713 of 1,080 career shots, putting him at 66.0 percent overall. That places the senior center fourth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 700 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. 700 FG, 4FG/game)
    Pct. (FG-FGA)    Name, School    Years
    .678 (828-1222)    Steve Johnson, Oregon State    1976-81
    .667 (740-1109)    Evan Bradds, Belmont    2013-17
    .664 (702-1058)    Todd MacCulloch, Washington    1995-99
    .660 (713-1080)    Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton    2020-Pres.

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2024-25 season went on sale on October 16th.
    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.

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