Saturday, February 14
Omaha, Neb.
1:30 PM
Creighton University
vs
Villanova
Men's Basketball Set For Valentine's Day Match-up vs. Villanova
2/12/2026 6:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jays seek fifth straight win against Villanova
Game #26: Villanova Wildcats (19-5, 10-3 BIG EAST) at Creighton Bluejays (13-12, 7-7 BIG EAST)
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 • 1:30 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | VU NOTES | PROGRAM |
Next Game
Fourth-place Creighton (13-12, 7-7 BIG EAST) starts its toughest three-game stretch of the year on Saturday with a Valentine's Day game against third-place Villanova (19-5, 10-3 BIG EAST).
Tip-off on FNBO Court inside CHI Health Center Omaha. Tip-off in Omaha, Neb., is set for 1:30 p.m.
Promotional Schedule
Saturday is Alumni Day for Creighton Basketball, as more than 50 former student-athletes, coaches and managers will be recognized at halftime. The Pep Band will feature Creighton Alumni too.
Courtesy of Tenaska, 5,000 pom pons will be distributed.
Additionally, the first 500 students will receive a Nike shirt.
On the concourse there will be face painters and balloon artists.
Broadcast Information
The game will be broadcast on FOX and will be streamed at http://FoxSports.com/live.
Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe will announce.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2025-26 season.
John Bishop and Ravi Lulla will call the action. The audio is webcast live at 1620thezone.com.
Saturday's game can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 384, as well as being streamed on-line at https://sxm.app.link/SXM974.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 13-12 overall and 7-7 in BIG EAST play, good for a tie for fourth place.
Four of Creighton's top five scorers are newcomers, led by Josh Dix (11.9 ppg.), Austin Swartz (11.5 ppg.), Nik Graves (9.8 ppg., 3.8 apg.) and Blake Harper (8.9 ppg., 4.3 rpg.).
Coming on strong of late has been Jasen Green (10.8 ppg., 5.1 rpg.), while Isaac Traudt (6.9 ppg.) remains one of the most feared marksmen in the league.
Creighton's most productive returner, Jackson McAndrew (6.8 ppg., 4.5 rpg.), as well as key subs Hudson Greer (5.0 ppg.) and Josh Townley-Thomas (6.0 ppg.), have combined to play just 18 games due to injuries, and just nine games since the end of November.
Creighton is averaging 76.3 points per game and shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from three-point range and 75.0 percent at the line.
Scouting Villanova
Winners of four straight games, Villanova is 19-5 on the season and 10-3 in BIG EAST play. The Wildcats are 6-2 on the road, and an overtime loss at Connecticut is VU's only blemish away from home in league action.
Six Wildcats average at least 9.5 points per game, a group led by Tyler Perkins (13.5 ppg., 5.5 rpg.). Additionally, James Madison transfer Bryce Lindsay (12.7 ppg.), Grand Canyon transfer Duke Brennan (12.0 ppg., 10.6 rpg., .643 FG%) and true freshman Acaden Lewis (12.5 ppg., 5.3 apg.) also have made an immediate impact.
The Wildcats average 77.7 points per game and yield just 69.1 points per contest. VU shoots 46.0 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from deep and 69.0 percent at the line while winning the board battle by 1.6 caroms per contest.
The Series With Villanova
Villanova leads the all-time series with Creighton, 19-12, but the teams have split 12 meetings in Omaha.
Each of the last five meetings have been decided by seven points or less, and with three of those games having the road team win by exactly two points and another seeing the road team win by four points.
Greg McDermott is 12-16 against Villanova. He is also 10-10 against coach Kevin Willard, though the first 19 of those meetings took place when Willard was piloting the Seton Hall program. Willard is 11-10 all-time against Creighton, going 10-9 as Seton Hall's head coach, 1-0 as Iona's head coach and 0-1 as the Villanova coach against the Bluejays.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 363-183 record in his 16th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 643-378 in his 32nd season, and is 512-314 in 25 Division I campaigns.
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 Alan Huss, Derek Kellogg, Trey Zeigler, Mitch Ballock and Mike Nesbitt.
With A Win...
- Creighton would join Marquette (8 straight from 1/19/22 to 1/24/25) as the second team to beat Villanova five (or more) straight times since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013.
- Creighton would post a regular-season sweep over Villanova for the third time ever, and second straight season.
- Creighton would defeat Villanova for a program-record fifth straight meeting.
- Creighton would pick up its 13th win vs. Villanova since the start of the 2013-14 season, two more than Marquette for the most by any other school.
- Creighton would pick up its seventh home win over Villanova since the start of the 2013-14 season, tied with Marquette for the most by any team.
Milestone Watch
- Josh Dix owns 295 rebounds and is five shy of 300.
- Nik Graves has 288 career assists and is 12 away from 300. Graves also has 95 steals and is five short of 100.
- Jasen Green has 475 career points and is 25 away from 500.
- Creighton could make five or more three-pointers for a 97th straight game, which would be the longest streak by a BIG EAST team since former league member West Virginia had a streak of 97 games in a row from Feb. 12, 2005 to Jan. 6, 2008.
Won By One, Lost By One
Creighton defeated Seton Hall 69-68 last Saturday, its first win in a one-point game since defeating Xavier 94-93 on Jan. 21, 2026. Both games were in Omaha. The Jays followed it four days later with a 72-71 loss at DePaul.
Before the past few days, 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).
If you're curious, Creighton has not played three straight games decided by exactly one point since a stretch in 1974-75 against Boston College (W 62-61 on 12/28/74), Wake Forest (L 70-69 on 12/30/74) and Drake (W 71-70 on Jan. 2, 1975).
Creighton is now 13-12 in one-point games under Greg McDermott and 86-80 in program history in one-point games.
McDermott's 13 one-point victories are second-most in program history, trailing only the 19 by his predecessor, Dana Altman.
Creighton and Villanova have played three games to go to overtime, but have never played a game decided by exactly one point. It is worth noting that three of the last five CU-VU games have been decided by exactly two points.
Finding A Way
Since the start of the 2020-21 season Creighton and Xavier lead the BIG EAST with 22 victories by three points or fewer, one more Marquette (21). No one else owns more than 15.
Among Power 5 schools, Creighton's 22 wins by three points or less since the start of the 2020-21 campaign ranks tied for second-most nationally.
Most Wins by 3 or Less since 2020-21, Power 5 Teams
W L School
23 17 Arizona State
22 12 Creighton
22 12 Virginia
22 13 Minnesota
22 18 Xavier
21 13 Vanderbilt
21 14 Marquette
21 13 TCU
21 15 Wisconsin
21 17 Rutgers
20 6 Kansas
20 11 Oregon
Bouncing Back?
Creighton suffered a heartbreaking road loss in the final seconds, then meets Villanova.
While its accurate for this Saturday's game, it was also true last month when the Jays met Villanova.
Creighton lost to Seton Hall on a three-point play with 1.3 seconds left on Jan. 4th, only to turn around three days later to win at Villanova, 76-72.
Like...How?
Creighton's last three home wins have been something special, with all three requiring late game heroics.
On Jan. 13 against Georgetown, Creighton trailed 76-69 with 1:35 left. Eventually Austin Swartz tied the game with 17.8 seconds left in regulation, then Swartz won it on a three-pointer with 30.3 seconds remaining in overtime. CU won, 86-83.
On Jan. 21 vs. Xavier, Creighton trailed 93-92 with 4.3 seconds left with Swartz at the line. He missed the potential game-tying free throw, but chased down his own rebound and banked in the game-winner with 0.6 seconds left for the 94-93 win. Those heroics came after the Jays trailed 93-89 before a Blake Harper basket with 43.2 seconds left.
Those two games set the stage for last Saturday vs. Seton Hall. CU was down 67-58 with 1:27 left before a Fedor Zugic three-pointer, a Jasen Green tip-in and another Zugic trey made it a one-point game with 20.3 seconds left. After Seton Hall made 1-of-2 free throws, Nik Graves won it with a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left, 69-68.
Per KenPom.com, Creighton's win probability was as low as 1.5 percent vs. Seton Hall, 9.0 percent vs. Georgetown and 16.4 percent against Xavier.
CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 10-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003, including a 2-0 record this year.
Austin Swartz hit a shot with 0.6 seconds left to beat Xavier on January 21st, CU's first game-winner in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha since 2020.
With Swartz out of the line-up on Feb. 7th, Nik Graves buried a game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to stun Seton Hall.
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
01/21/26 Xavier W 94-93 Swartz FG :0.6
02/07/26 Seton Hall W 69-68 Graves 3FG :2.5
*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
All The Bounces
Saturday marks Creighton's first home game since Nik Graves' game-winner with 2.5 seconds left vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 4th.
Below is a list of Creighton's victories under Greg McDermott in which it scored a go-ahead points in the final 30 seconds of a victory, which includes wins over Villanova in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Go-Ahead Points in Last 30 Seconds of Wins Under McDermott
Player Time Opponent Date
Kenny Lawson Jr. 18.1, Dunk Northern Arizona 11/14/10
Antoine Young 0.3, FG Long Beach St. 02/18/12
Josh Jones 22.6, FG Evansville 02/21/12
Doug McDermott 4.9, FG at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
Doug McDermott 2.8, 3FG St. John's 01/28/14
Marcus Foster 6.6, 3FG vs. Xavier 03/10/17
Marcus Foster 14.4, 3FG at DePaul 02/07/18
Marcus Zegarowski 3.2 3FG Providence 01/18/20
Christian Bishop 0.8, Dunk at Providence 01/02/21
Christian Bishop 16.0, 2 FT vs. UCSB 03/20/21
Ryan Nembhard 0.0, FG vs. Southern Illinois 11/22/21
Trey Alexander 26.2, 2 FT Villanova 02/04/23
Trey Alexander 12.3, 2 FT St. John's 01/13/24
Trey Alexander 28.4, 3FG at Seton Hall 01/20/24
Trey Alexander 0.2, FG at Villanova 03/09/24
Steven Ashworth 5.8, 3FG at Villanova 02/01/25
Austin Swartz 0.6, FG Xavier 01/21/26
Nik Graves 2.5, 3FG Seton Hall 02/07/26
Board Battle Looms Large
Creighton has been outrebounded by 2.2 caroms per contest in BIG EAST play, but the Jays have not won the board battle in any of its last 10 league contests.
In fact, the last time Creighton won the rebound battle came on Jan. 7 at Villanova, when CU owned a 39-30 edge on the glass.
Creighton is 7-1 this season when winning the rebound battle, while Villanova is 12-1 when owning a rebounding advantage this year.
FOX Rocks
Saturday will mark Creighton's third of four scheduled appearances on FOX this season.
After a rough start on FOX, the network has been a good luck charm for the Bluejays in recent seasons, helping CU improve to 22-21 on the channel since joining the BIG EAST.
Creighton lost its first seven appearances and was 2-10 on FOX in its first six seasons as a BIG EAST member. Since then, Creighton is 20-11 on the network, including victories in 10 of its last 14 games.
Creighton's Record on FOX Since 2013-14
Year W-L
2013-14 0-0
2014-15 0-0
2015-16 0-1
2016-17 0-4
2017-18 1-3 (lost first 2)
2018-19 1-2 (won last 1)
2019-20 2-0
2020-21 5-2 (won first 4)
2021-22 0-3
2022-23 3-2
2023-24 6-0
2024-25 4-2 (won first 4)
2025-26 0-2 (so far)
Saturday's Are For The Jays
The Villanova game is one of six conference home games that Creighton will have on a Saturday this season. That's a single-season school-record for CU -- regardless of conference affiliation.
Creighton has won 14 of its last 16 Saturday home games in BIG EAST play.
Creighton's .793 win percentage in Saturday league games at all sites and .875 win percentage in Saturday league home games since the start of the 2022-23 season both rank among the best marks among all Power 5 teams.
Best Saturday Win Percentages in League Play
(Power 5 Schools Since 2022-23 Started)
Team W L Pct.
Houston 24 4 .857
Connecticut 22 5 .815
North Carolina 29 7 .806
Creighton 23 6 .793
Duke 29 9 .763
Xavier 19 6 .760
Alabama 25 8 .758
Clemson 28 9 .757
Michigan State 13 5 .722
Purdue 10 4 .714
Best Saturday Home Win Percentages in League Play
(Power 5 Schools Since 2022-23 Started)
Team W L Pct.
Michigan State 8 0 1.000
Ohio State 5 0 1.000
Houston 11 1 .917
Connecticut 8 1 .889
Duke 15 2 .882
Creighton 14 2 .875
North Carolina 17 3 .850
Kansas 14 3 .824
BYU 13 3 .813
Florida 13 3 .813
Iowa State 13 3 .813
UCLA 12 3 .800
Iowa 8 2 .800
Home Sweet Home
Creighton won its final four BIG EAST home games in 2023-24, was 9-1 in BIG EAST home games last season, and has started 5-2 in league play at home this winter.
Creighton's 18-3 record is tied for the second-best mark in the conference by any school in its last 21 BIG EAST home games, as seen below:
Last 21 BIG EAST Home Games
W-L Team
19-2 Connecticut
19-2 St. John's
18-3 Creighton
16-5 Villanova
14-7 Marquette
13-8 Xavier
10-11 Seton Hall
9-12 Providence
8-13 Butler
8-13 Georgetown
7-14 DePaul
That's A Winner
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the only current BIG EAST team to own a .500 or better record in conference road games is Villanova.
Connecticut has a winning record since coming back to the BIG EAST, but falls below .500 when you include its 22-41 road record in the American.
BIG EAST Road Records Since 2013-14
W L School
73 43 Villanova
59 61 Creighton
51 67 Providence
50 65 Xavier
50 69 Marquette
50 70 Seton Hall
44 75 St. John's
39 81 Butler
37 19 Connecticut (59-60 including the American)
30 86 Georgetown
17 100 DePaul
Have We Met?
Of the 165 players listed on BIG EAST rosters just four years ago (2022-23), only 10 of those men are still playing for the same school. Four of those 10 men (Lucas, Gabriel, Sabourin, Wolf) have scored fewer than 10 career points.
Here's a list of who remains from 2022-23:
Team 2022-23 Roster Size Who's Still There?
Butler 13 -
Connecticut 16 Alex Karaban
Creighton 16 Jasen Green
DePaul 15 -
Georgetown 14 -
Marquette 18 Ben Gold, Sean Jones, Jonah Lucas, Chase Ross
Providence 14 Corey Floyd Jr.
Seton Hall 16 David Gabriel
St. John's 15 -
Villanova 12 -
Xavier 16 Ian Sabourin, Michael Wolf
Nova A Challenge
Creighton has been in the BIG EAST since 2013, but regular-season sweeps over Villanova have been rare.
The Bluejays have won both regular-season games against the Wildcats just twice previously, doing it in 2013-14 before repeating the feat last season.
Creighton won the first meeting at Finneran Pavilion, giving it another chance at history.
Rare Loss When Shooting Well
Creighton's typically been a tough team to beat when shooting the ball well from three-point range, as it did on Wednesday when the Jays made 14-of-27 shots (51.9 percent) from deep.
Creighton entered Wednesday's game at DePaul with an 82-4 mark under Greg McDermott when shooting 50 percent or better from three-point range, and had been 75-1 since Dec. 11, 2011.
Creighton's 82 wins when shooting 50 percent or better from deep since 2010-11 trail only Gonzaga's 83 such victories and is tied with Arizona's 82.
Valentine's Day History
Creighton is 13-9 all-time when playing on Valentine's Day, including a 3-1 record under Greg McDermott.
CU is 2-0 in home games on Feb. 14 under McDermott and 10-2 all-time at home on that day.
Perhaps Creighton's most notable win on Feb. 14 was in 2012, when the Jays set a Missouri Valley Conference record by shooting 77.5 percent from the field (31-40), including 12-of-14 marksmanship (85.7 percent) from three-point range.
Repeat After Three
Few teams in the country have made as many three-pointers in the last 13 seasons as the teams featured in Saturday's match-up. Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, Villanova is second in the nation in that category with 4,218 trifectas, while Creighton is fourth with 4,042.
Creighton is 3-15 all-time when making eight three-pointers or less against Villanova (including three meetings in the 1950's long before the 3-point line existed), but 9-4 when making nine or more trifectas. CU has hit 133-of-310 treys (42.9%) in the 12 wins, but 104-of-386 triples (26.7%) in the 19 losses.
Villanova has made nine or more three-pointers against Creighton in 15-of-28 meetings as BIG EAST rivals.
Per BartTorvik.com, Villanova ranks 39th nationally with 46.5 percent of its shot attempts coming from three-point range, while Creighton is 20th at 49.4 percent. The CU defense, however, allows just 32.1 percent of its opponents shots to come from three-point range, the nation's 13th-best mark.
Creighton is 27-2 in its last 29 games (against all teams) when attempting 15 or fewer three-pointers, though its season-low this year is 17 trifecta tries (vs. Oregon).
Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton has made 4,816 three-pointers in 536 games, good for second-most nationally behind Belmont (4,925). Villanova is fourth on that list with 4,732 treys.
Most 3FG Made Since 2010-11 (thru 2/11/26)
Rk. Team 3FG Games
1. Belmont 5,031 520
2. Creighton 4,916 546
3. North Florida 4,908 507
4. Villanova 4,828 543
5. VMI 4,763 496
Most 3FG Made Since 2013-14 (thru 2/11/26)
Rk. Team 3FG Games
1. North Florida 4,254 409
2. Villanova 4,218 444
3. Belmont 4,116 417
4. Creighton 4,042 436
5. Akron 3,930 420
Something About Creighton
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Villanova has suffered only 115 losses, with just 17 of those coming by 15 points or more.
Five of those lopsided setbacks have come against Creighton, two against UConn and Michigan, while eight other teams have done it once each.
Villanova's Largest Margins of Defeat Since 2013-14
Margin Score Date
28 Creighton 96, Villanova 68 1/20/14
28 Michigan 89, Villanova 61 12/9/25
27 Michigan 73, Villanova 46 11/14/18
26 Purdue 87, Villanova 61 3/23/19
25 Ohio State 76, Villanova 51 11/13/19
24 Connecticut 78, Villanova 54 2/24/24
23 Oklahoma 78, Villanova 55 12/7/15
21 Creighton 101, Villanova 80 2/16/14
21 Baylor 57, Villanova 36 12/12/21
20 Georgetown 78, Villanova 58 1/19/15
20 Creighton 79, Villanova 59 12/17/21
20 St. John's 70, Villanova 50 1/24/24
17 Connecticut 73, Villanova 56 3/13/25
16 Creighton 86, Villanova 70 2/13/21
16 Syracuse 78, Villanova 62 12/28/13
16 Kansas 81, Villanova 65 4/2/22
15 Creighton 76, Villanova 61 2/1/20
The Cats Meow
Villanova has the 11th-best win percentage in the country since the start of the 2013-14 season, which coincides with the realignment of the BIG EAST. Villanova is 392-151 (.722) in that time.
Of the 104 different schools to play Villanova in that time, only 38 have actually beaten the Wildcats.
Creighton is one of 15 schools to post multiple victories over the Wildcats in that time. Creighton's 12 victories over Villanova are one more than Marquette for the most by any Wildcat opponent in that span.
Creighton is the only team to beat Villanova on the road four or more times since 2013-14.
The Race To 79
Creighton is 7-0 all-time when scoring 79 points or more against Villanova, compared to a 5-19 record when scoring 78 points or fewer.
Creighton has averaged 81.09 points in 12 all-time wins over Villanova, but just 61.42 in 19 losses against the Wildcats.
Villanova has surrendered 69.1 points per game this season. The Wildcats have allowed an average of 66.4 points in their 19 wins but 79.4 points per game in their five losses.
Creighton is 9-1 this season when scoring 79 points or more and 12-2 when scoring more than 75 points.
Graves Stepping Up
Nik Graves game-winner last Saturday should come as no surprise...he's been playing his best basketball of the season of late.
Graves leads Creighton in points (66) and assists (30) in Creighton's last six games.
Graves said postgame it was the first game-winner of his college career.
He Doesn't Miss
Geoffrey Groselle is in his first season as a graduate assistant sitting right behind the Bluejay bench, but he continues to have a magic touch.
Groselle closely watches each play on an iPad, making instant judgement calls on whether or not CU should risk a timeout by asking the officials to review the previous play, then relaying his advice along to head coach Greg McDermott.
With Groselle's input, Creighton has challenged five different plays this season...and won all five reviews.
As a Bluejay center from 2011-16, Groselle made 232-of-339 career shots. His 68.4 percent accuracy is the best field goal percentage in Creighton history by any player with 300 or more attempts.
Name What Was Reviewed CU Correct?
Marquette, 12/20 Deflected Pass Yes
Butler, 12/30 Deflected Rebound Yes
at Seton Hall, 1/4 Deflected Rebound Yes
at Marquette, 1/27 Deflected Loose Ball Yes
at Georgetown, 2/4 Deflected Loose Ball Yes
New Five
Creighton used its sixth different starting line-up last Saturday as Isaac Traudt replaced an injured Austin Swartz.
Nine different Creighton players have started four or more games this season, and seven of those men have started at least 12 times. Josh Dix has started each contest, the only Bluejay that can say that.
It was the sixth different starting line-up combination that Creighton has used this season. In Greg McDermott's 16 years patrolling the Bluejay sideline, this year's six different line-ups are tied for the third-most he's used over the course of an entire campaign.
Different Starting Lineups Under Greg McDermott
Year Entire Season
2010-11 5
2011-12 1
2012-13 1
2013-14 3
2014-15 10
2015-16 6
2016-17 4
2017-18 5
2018-19 5
2019-20 3
2020-21 3
2021-22 4
2022-23 2
2023-24 2
2024-25 7
2025-26 6 so far
McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott ranks sixth in BIG EAST history with 145 regular-season league wins. The five coaches ahead of him all have won at least one national title.
McDermott, along with Ed Cooley, Rick Pitino and Kevin Willard are the only four active coaches with 100 regular-season BIG EAST wins.
McDermott has been at his current job (16 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 15 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches (2/13)
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 366 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2. 274 Jim Calhoun, UConn
3. 244 Jay Wright, Villanova
4. 198 John Thompson Jr., Georgetown
5. 152 Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
6. 145 Greg McDermott, Creighton
7. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
8. 134 Ed Cooley, Providence/G'Town
9. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
10. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
4 x 4
After opening league play with lopsided wins by 41 and 21 points, each of Creighton's last five league victories have come by four points or less.
It's the first time Creighton has had five league wins in a row, all by four points or less.
Creighton's five league wins by four points or less ties a single-season program record, something also done in 1980-81, 1990-91 and 2021-22. Each of CU's first three teams to do it played in the NCAA Tournament.
The First 15 in the BIG EAST
Saturday marks Creighton's 15th BIG EAST game this season. Creighton is currently 7-7.
Creighton is 7-5 all-time in its 15th BIG EAST game of a season, including a 5-2 record since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Creighton -- First 15 BIG EAST Games, Since 2013-14
Year First 15 BE W-L Final W-L Postseason
2025-26 7-7 so far ? ? ? ? ? ?
2024-25 11-4 15-5 NCAA
2023-24 9-6 14-6 NCAA
2022-23 11-4 13-7 NCAA
2021-22 9-6 12-7 NCAA
2020-21 10-5 14-4 NCAA
2019-20 10-5 13-5 Canceled
2018-19 6-9 9-9 NIT
2017-18 8-7 10-8 NCAA
2016-17 9-6 10-8 NCAA
2015-16 8-7 9-9 NIT
2014-15 3-12 4-14 --
2013-14 12-3 14-4 NCAA
No DQ's Here
Creighton is one of two teams nationally that has not had a player foul out this season, a group that also includes Yale.
Last year Creighton was tied for 19th nationally with only four foul out disqualifications
In 2023-24, Creighton was the only team in the country without a player to foul out.
In 2022-23, Creighton's two foul outs were tied for second-fewest in the nation.
In the last four seasons (2022-23 to present), Creighton has only had only six players foul out in 131 games.
Give Me 10
Last Saturday's victory over Seton Hall was Creighton's 10th home win of the winter.
It's the 29th time in the last 30 seasons CU has had 10 or more home victories.
The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.
Crowded House
Creighton has attracted a league-leading 216,588 fans at home this season. Additionally, CU's 16,661 fans per home game leads the league and ranks seventh-best nationally.
This is the 20th straight non-COVID affected season that Creighton has attracted 200,000 or more home fans.
Average Home Attendance Leaders (2/13)
Rk. Team Average Next Home Game
1. Kentucky 19,678 2/17
2. North Carolina 19,011 2/14
3. Tennessee 18,915 2/14
4. Arkansas 18,681 2/14
5. BYU 18,066 2/14
6. Syracuse 17,063 2/14
7. Creighton 16,661 2/14
8. NC State 15,518 2/14
9. Louisville 15,338 2/21
10. Kansas 15,308 2/21
Pink Out Men's Jersey Auction Raises $43,535.28
Creighton raised $43,535.28 during the jersey auction for its Jan. 31 Pink Out game vs. Connecticut, with proceeds going to benefit the Hope Lodge.
Combined with donations at the door and a $30,000 matching donation from Nebraska Cancer Specialists, CU raised $99,588.58 overall in 2025-26.
Bluejay players wore pink shooting shirts and pink-trimmed jerseys for the game, and fans had 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 annual Creighton Pink Out games, donations and matching funds (in MBB/WBB/VB) have raised $1,190,303.50 (including the 2025-26 auction) benefiting the Hope Lodge facility in Omaha and the guests it serves.
This year's men's basketball jersey auction ran from Jan. 15-25 and raised $43,535.28. Below is the final numbers for each men's basketball jersey/item in the auction this year.
#0 $3,350 #1 $2,600 #2 $2,700
#4 $3,800 #5 $1,775 #7 $3,155
#9 $3,050 #10 $3,000 #12 $1,000
#13 $860 #17 $1,525 #23 $2,775
#27 $1,450 #32 $1,226 #41 $2,800
#53 $2,900 Mac's Shoes: $406.01 Golf: $2,800
Ball 1: 347 Ball 2: $375 Ball 3: $460
Ball 4: $445 Basll 5: $450 Mac's Tie: $286.27
Yearly Pink Out Totals
Creighton has raised $1,190,303.50 since the start of the 2011-12 season during its annual men's and basketball Pink Out auctions, plus additional money collected on gameday, underwriting, matching donations and volleyball/women's basketball jersey auctions.
The numbers below show the annual figures for the men's basketball jersey auction unless otherwise noted.
2011-12: $20,600
2012-13: $24,444
2013-14: $48,247.11
2014-15: $16,384.03
2015-16: $16,527.90
2016-17: $26,361.64
2017-18: $28,796
2018-19: $19,595
2019-20: $31,803.18
2020-21: $40,381
2021-22: $24,165
2022-23: $27,432
2023-24: $36,002.46
2024-25: $43,995.92
2025-26: $43,535.28
MBB Auction Totals = $448,270.52
WBB/VB Auctions + Additional Donations: $742,032.98
15-Year Totals: $1,190,303.50
Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (89) than any other school in the last six seasons, seven more than Connecticut's 82.
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 171 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 145 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to Feb. 13, 2026)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 89 42 .679
UConn 82 28 .745
Villanova 81 45 .643
Marquette 75 55 .577
St. John's 71 58 .550
Providence 68 60 .531
Seton Hall 66 64 .508
Xavier 63 60 .512
Butler 49 83 .371
Georgetown 29 97 .230
DePaul 23 104 .181
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to Feb. 8, 2026)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 171 63 .731
Creighton 145 94 .607
Xavier 129 102 .558
Marquette 127 111 .534
Providence 126 110 .534
Seton Hall 119 119 .500
St. John's 111 126 .468
Butler 103 137 .429
UConn 82 28 .745
Georgetown 76 159 .323
DePaul 48 188 .203
Merfeld Gets Hall Call
Longtime Creighton men's basketball staffer Steve Merfeld is part of the 2026 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame induction class.
The Hall of Fame Banquet is scheduled for Sunday, September 27th at the Glacier Canyon Lodge of the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
Merfeld is a Wisconsin native who graduated from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1984 and then got his coaching start at St. John's Military Academy in 1984. He served as an assistant coach at Bowling Green (1986-96) and Hampton (1996-97) before serving as head coach at Hampton from 1997-2002.
Merfeld then went on to be head coach at Evansville from 2002-07 and an assistant coach at Bradley before joining the Greg McDermott's original Creighton staff as an assistant coach in 2010. He has been the Bluejays' assistant to the head coach since 2013.
Graves Does It
Nik Graves had 16 points, nine assists and no turnovers in CU's Jan. 21 victory vs. Xavier. He's just the second Creighton player in the last 20 years with at least 16 points and nine assists without a turnover, joining Antoine Young.
Young did it on March 21, 2011 vs. Davidson (22 points, 9 assists) vs. Davidson, then again two days later vs. Central Florida (16 points, 10 assists). Both of those games were in the CBI.
Graves' performance made him the first Bluejay to ever post at least nine assists without a turnover in a BIG EAST game.
Nik The Quik
Nik Graves went nuclear in the first half of Creighton's Dec. 20 game vs. Marquette, scoring 17 points in a span of just 2:55. His 17 points were the most by any Bluejay in a half this season.
Graves entered the game with a season-high of 15 points in the South Dakota game before catching fire against the Golden Eagles.
Here's how it happened:
Time Play CU Score After Points
11:22 Graves Floater Down 15-14
10:56 Graves Jumper Up 16-15
10:07 Graves 3FG Up 21-15
9:03 Graves 3FG Up 27-17
8:46 Graves 3FG Up 30-17
8:24 Graves 3FG Up 33-17
8:24 Graves FT Up 34-17
They Did What?
Creighton led 49-22 at half and walloped Xavier, 98-57, on Dec. 17 in Cincinnati. It led to a plethora of eyebrow-raising stats.
- It was Creighton's largest halftime lead since leading Houston Christian 39-12 at the break on Nov. 13, 2024.
, - It was Creighton's largest halftime lead in a BIG EAST game since leading Georgetown 51-24 at the break on March 1, 2023, and tied for its third-largest ever in BIG EAST play.
- It is believed to be Creighton's largest halftime lead in a conference road game since at least 1948. Creighton's last halftime lead away from home of 27 points or more was also a 49-22 lead, which came on Nov. 30, 1990 in Iowa City, Iowa, against UTSA.
- It was Creighton's largest margin of victory ever in a conference road game, topping its 93-58 win at DePaul on Feb. 11, 2017.
- It was tied for Creighton's second-largest margin of victory ever in a conference game at any site, trailing only a 69-25 win vs. Saint Louis on Jan. 9, 1943 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
That Saint Louis game was also a league lid-lifter.
- It tied Creighton's largest margin of victory ever in a BIG EAST game at any site, matching a 100-59 win vs. St. John's on Feb. 28, 2016.
- Creighton's 98-57 win was the second-largest road win in a BIG EAST Conference game ever, trailing only UConn's 99-57 win at Seton Hall on Feb. 11, 2006. It was also tied for the eighth-largest BIG EAST victory margin in league history, regardless of site.
- Creighton's 41 point win at Xavier matched the combined margin of victory in Creighton's eight previous wins in Cincinnati over the Musketeers. CU had never before won at Xavier by more than 12 points.
- It was the largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST opener by any team, surpassing Villanova's 84-46 win vs. West Virginia on Jan. 5, 2005.
- Creighton's 98 points were its most ever in a conference road win, one more than its output on Jan. 20, 2024 in a 97-94 triple-overtime win at Seton Hall, and two more than its previous high in regulation in a conference road win done on Jan. 20, 2014 at No. 4 Villanova in a 96-68 win.
- Creighton's 98 points were the most Xavier has ever allowed inside Cintas Center, which opened in 2000.
- Along with the Creighton women defeating Omaha 92-48 that same day in Omaha, it was the first time a BIG EAST school posted 40+ point wins in men's and women's basketball on the same day since Nov. 6, 2018, when Seton Hall dominated Wagner in both sports.
The only other time in history that Creighton MBB and WBB had wins of 40+ points on the same day was Nov. 27, 1982, when the men beat Wisconsin-Platteville 98-54 and the women topped SIU Edwardsville 99-59, but both of those games were in Omaha.
- Creighton's men and women both made 16 three-pointers. It was the first time a BIG EAST school had both its men's and women's programs make 15+ three-pointers on the same day since Creighton did it on March 23, 2024. On that day, the CU men did it in a double-overtime win vs. Oregon, while the women did it in a victory against UNLV. Both of those were NCAA Tournament contests.
- It was Xavier's largest halftime deficit since trailing Duke 55-24 at half on Dec. 20, 2008 in East Rutherford, N.J., in an eventual 82-64 loss.
- It was Xavier's largest halftime deficit ever in a BIG EAST game (previously 48-22 vs. UConn on Jan. 28, 2024), and largest halftime deficit in a BIG EAST home game since trailing 44-28 vs. Seton Hall on Dec. 30, 2020.
- It was Xavier's second-largest loss ever in a conference game, trailing only its 99-56 loss at UConn on Jan. 28, 2024.
- It was Xavier's largest loss in a home game in program history, eclipsing an 86-48 loss to Dayton on March 5, 1977.
- Xavier's previous largest loss at Cintas Center (which opened in 2000) was a 64-42 loss to Oral Roberts on Dec. 18, 2011.
Triple Trouble
Austin Swartz made a career-high eight three-pointers on Jan. 13 vs. Georgetown. Swartz's performance was tied for fourth-most trifectas in a game in program history.
In the last 15 seasons, Swartz is just the third player to score at least 33 points, make eight or more three-pointers and shoot at least 75 percent from the field in the same BIG EAST game. He joins current CU assistant coach Mitch Ballock on March 9, 2019, when he made 12-of-14 shots (including 11-for-13 from 3) to score 39 points vs. DePaul, as well as former Marquette standout Kam Jones vs. DePaul on Feb. 21, 2024 when Jones had 34 points, made 8-of-10 three-pointers and shot 12-for-15 from the field.
Swartz has now made seven or more three-pointers twice this season, making him just the fifth different Bluejay to ever do that along with Trey Alexander (2022-23), Mitch Ballock (2018-19 and 2020-21), Kyle Korver (2002-03), Ethan Wragge (2013-14). Korver did it four times in 2002-03, making him the only Bluejay with three (or more) such games in the same season.
With another game of seven or more three-pointers in the next seven weeks, Swartz can join Rutgers' Jerome Coleman (in 2001-02) as the only players in the last 30 years with three or more BIG EAST games in the same season with seven trifectas or more. No one's had multiple BIG EAST games of eight or more three-pointers in the same campaign during the last 30 years.
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
Austin Swartz vs. Georgetown 01/13/26
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
Steven Ashworth vs. Butler 03/08/25
Austin Swartz at Xavier 12/17/25
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 33 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including rallies from 10 points down this season at Villanova (25-15 on Jan. 7) and at home against both Georgetown (36-26 on Jan. 13) and Seton Hall (63-53 on Feb. 7th).
Fifteen of those 33 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
17 vs. DePaul 03/13/25
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
11 St. John's 12/31/24
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
10 Georgetown 02/23/25
10 at Villanova 01/07/26
10 Georgetown 01/13/26
10 Seton Hall 02/07/26
Making An Impact
The 7th Annual Silver Waves Media 100 Most Impactful High Major Coaches List was unveiled on Jan. 12th.
Creighton had three coaches on the list, as Alan Huss, Derek Kellogg and Trey Zeigler were all recognized. Not only was Trey Zeigler honored, but so was his dad Ernie Zeigler, who is an assistant coach at Nebraska.
The only eight schools with at least three coaches honored on the list were Florida (4), Kansas (4), BYU, Creighton, Duke, Illinois, Stanford and Texas.
Jays Reach 30K at CHI
Creighton has outscored its opponents 30,221-25,328 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.74 points per game in 384 all-time games in the building that count.
Creighton is 28-2 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CHI Health Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (CHI 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 FG vs. Villanova
11/13/24 28,000-23,388 (357) Isaacs 3FG vs. Hou. Christian
02/26/25 29,000-24,231 (370) Kalkbrenner FG vs. DePaul
01/13/26 30,000-25,082 (381) Dix FT vs. Georgetown
Bench Boost
Creighton scored 43 (at Xavier) and 41 (vs. Marquette) bench points in its first two league games, a fact that's even more incredible when you consider that the Bluejays had gone 147 straight BIG EAST games without scoring 40+ points off the bench dating to Jan. 13, 2018.
CU also scored 40 bench points vs. Xavier on Jan. 21st.
Creighton had not scored 40+ bench points in consecutive games (conference or otherwise) since doing it vs. Presbyterian (43) and Longwood (56) in November of 2012.
40+ Points in BIG EAST Play
Year 40+ Bench Points Opponent
2013-14: 0 of 18 -
2014-15: 2 of 18 @SJU, SJU
2015-16: 1 of 18 DPU
2016-17: 0 of 18 -
2017-18: 1 of 18 @XU
2018-19: 0 of 18 -
2019-20: 0 of 18 -
2020-21: 0 of 20 -
2021-22: 0 of 19 -
2022-23: 0 of 20 -
2023-24: 0 of 20 -
2024-25: 0 of 20 -
2025-26: 3 of 14 so far @XU, MU, XU
Most Creighton Bench Points in BIG EAST Play
Bench Pts. Opponent Date
51 DePaul 02/06/16
46 at Xavier 01/13/18
45 at St. John's 02/07/15
44 St. John's 01/28/15
43 at Xavier 12/17/25
41 Marquette 12/20/25
40 Xavier 01/21/26
Deep Thoughts
Greg McDermott talked in the off-season about how this year's squad figured to be the deepest team he's ever had at Creighton, and the results have proven him right.
Creighton's bench has outscored foes 680-540 this season. That +140 figure would be CU's best year-end mark since 2017-18 (+229). The 680 points are CU's most bench points since scoring 806 bench points in 2017-18.
Creighton's bench has accounted for 35.64 percent of CU's scoring, and 27.20 points per game. That's the most bench points per game since the 2007-08 team averaged 36.91 bench points per game and actually outscored the starting line-up (34.61 ppg.).
Creighton entered this season with 48 straight wins when scoring 17 or more bench points, but are just 11-10 this year when scoring 17 points or more off the bench.
Creighton's loss on Jan. 10 when scoring 38 bench points vs. St. John's was CU's most bench points in a loss since scoring 46 at No. 10 Xavier on Jan. 13, 2018.
Non-Con Success
Creighton went 6-5 in regular-season non-conference play this season. It's the 29th straight season that the Bluejays have had a .500 record or better in regular-season non-conference game. The last Bluejay team that wasn't was CU's 1996-97 team that went 5-6.
Creighton's last team to lose five regular-season non-conference games was its 2022-23 squad that finished the year in the Elite Eight.
Below is a look at Creighton's annual regular-season non-conference marks under Greg McDermott.
W-L Year Year-End W-L (Postseason)
8-5 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
11-1 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
11-2 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
10-2 2013-14 27-8 (NCAA)
9-4 2014-15 14-19 (None)
9-4 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
13-0 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
11-2 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
9-4 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
11-2 2019-20 24-7 (None due to COVID-19)
4-1 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
8-3 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
6-5 2022-23 24-13 (NCAA)
9-2 2023-24 25-10 (NCAA)
7-4 2024-25 25-11 (NCAA)
6-5 2025-26 TBD
Sharing Is Caring
Creighton's 31 assists at Xavier were its second-most ever in a game under Greg McDermott, trailing only the 32 vs. USC Upstate on Dec. 20, 2017 in a 116-62 win.
Nationally, Creighton became the first road team with 31 or more assists in a Power 5 conference game since Washington at California on March 3, 2005.
Creighton's 31 assists were the most in a regular-season BIG EAST game by any school since Xavier had 32 vs. Georgetown on Jan. 21, 2023, and tied for the third-most in any league game since 1996-97. Creighton's 31 assists were also its most ever in any BIG EAST game.
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.77 points per home game (21,728 points in 269 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.31 points in non-conference home games (10,371 points in 123 home games).
Creighton is 163-7 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Sixty Percent Club
Creighton shot 60.3 percent in its Dec. 17 win at Xavier. Since Greg McDermott was hired at Creighton, the Bluejays have shot 60 percent or better 33 times.
Here's that list, as well as several others, per Basketball-Reference.com, through Feb. 11.
Most Games, 60%+ FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 50 (50-0) Gonzaga
2. 33 (33-0) Creighton
3. 30 (30-0) Kansas
30 (29-1) Northern Colorado
5. 29 (29-0) Indiana
Most Games, 50%+ FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 323 (313-10) Gonzaga
2. 232 (216-16) Belmont
3. 229 (216-13) Kansas
4. 226 (211-15) Creighton
5. 223 (211-12) Duke
Most Games, 50%+ 3FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 92 (81-11) Weber State
2. 89 (79-10) UCLA
3. 87 (82-5) Creighton
87 (72-15) Michigan State
5. 86 (83-3) Gonzaga
Best Field Goal Percentage, Since 2010-11
Rk. FG% Team
1. .508 Gonzaga
2. .483 Belmont
3. .478 Kansas
4. .476 Creighton
.476 Duke
Best 2-Point Field Goal Percentage, Since 2010-11
(includes teams that have been Division I 10+ years)
Rk. 2FG% Team
1. .574 Gonzaga
.574 Belmont
3. .553 Creighton
4. .541 Furman
.541 Duke
Austin Powers
Austin Swartz had 27 points in 23 minutes of CU's Dec. 17 road win at Xavier.
He's just the seventh Bluejay in the last 20 seasons with 25+ points in 25 minutes or less, and joined Cole Huff as one of two Bluejays with a game of 27+ points in 23 minutes or less since 1991-92.
25+ Points in 25 Minutes or Less
Creighton Players Since 1991-92
PTS MIN Name, Opponent Date
26 25 Dane Watts vs. Mississippi Valley State 11/17/07
25 18 Doug McDermott vs. Hou. Christian 12/17/11
27 24 Geoffrey Groselle vs. North Texas 12/21/15
28 22 Cole Huff vs. DePaul 02/06/16
25 25 Marcus Zegarowski vs. #21 Butler 02/23/20
25 23 Trey Alexander vs. Georgetown 03/01/23
27 23 Austin Swartz at Xavier 12/17/25
Triple Option
Creighton made 16 three-pointers in its Dec. 17 victory at Xavier. It was tied for the third-most three-pointers ever by the Bluejays in a road game.
Most 3FG Made in a Road Game, Creighton History
3FG 3FGA Opponent Date
21 35 at #4 Villanova 01/20/14
17 35 at Seton Hall 01/27/21
16 36 at Georgetown 01/06/18
16 33 at Xavier 12/17/25
Preseason All-BIG EAST Votes Revealed
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of 2025 BIG EAST Media Day on October 21.
It marks the fourth straight year the Bluejays have been tabbed for a top-three finish and the third time CU has been picked exactly third in the BIG EAST poll, having also happened in 2013-14 as well as 2016-17.
Defending league champion St. John's garnered 7-of-11 first place votes and was chosen atop the poll with 97 points, just ahead of Connecticut. The Huskies collected four first place votes and 94 points. Creighton was third with 80 points, just ahead of Providence (64) and Marquette (60). The second half of the league poll consists of Georgetown (57), Villanova (50), Xavier (33), DePaul (29), Butler (26) and Seton Hall (15).
Creighton finished 25-11 overall and 15-5 in BIG EAST play last season and returns starters Jackson McAndrew (7.8 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) and Jasen Green (4.9 ppg., 3.2 rpg.) along with a talented crop of newcomers.
Three of those newcomers join McAndrew with Preseason All-BIG EAST accolades, giving CU four honorees for the first time since its 2022-23 team that eventually finished the season in the Elite Eight. Owen Freeman was voted a Preseason All- BIG EAST First Team selection and Josh Dix was a Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team choice. McAndrew and Nik Graves were both Preseason All-BIG EAST Third Team honorees.
Freeman is the eighth different Bluejay to earn Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team recognition, and first to do it prior to playing a game with the Bluejays. It also means CU has had a First Team pick each of the last four seasons, as Trey Alexander was chosen prior to 2023-24 and Ryan Kalkbrenner was honored each of the previous three campaigns.
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 10th straight finish in the top four of the league standings.
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 (POY, 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 T-2nd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
Baylor Scheierman (2nd)
2024-25 2nd 2nd Ryan Kalkbrenner (POY, 1st); Steven Ashworth (3rd)
2025-26 3rd ? ? ? Owen Freeman (1st); Josh Dix (2nd)
Jackson McAndrew (3rd); Nik Graves (3rd)
League Of Their Own
Creighton has finished with a .500 mark or better in league play 29 times in the previous 30 seasons, one of six schools nationally that can say that.
The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous 10 seasons are Creighton and Villanova.
Creighton is also the only "Power 5" school with an active streak of six years or longer with 12 or more league wins.
Most Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Last 30 Seasons (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
30 Duke
30 Kansas
30 Gonzaga
29 Creighton
29 Kentucky
29 Michigan State
Consecutive Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Power 5 Schools (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
36 Kansas
30 Duke
14 Oregon
13 Villanova
10 Creighton
10 Houston
10 Florida
Consecutive Seasons 12+ League Wins
Power 5 Schools (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
6 Creighton
Best BIG EAST Years
Creighton's 15 league wins last season set a program record for most conference wins in any of its first 12 seasons in the BIG EAST. It was the third straight season CU won 14 league games or more, something only Villanova (2013-14 to 2017-18) and Connecticut (1993-94 to 1995-96) have done in BIG EAST history.
Four of CU's seven teams to win 12 or more BIG EAST games reached the BIG EAST Tournament final, with the prematurely cancelled 2019-20 campaign being one of the exceptions.
Creighton's 15 conference wins last year matched its most as a member of any league, as it picked up 15 conference wins in 2002-03 when it was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
At the end of last season, Creighton had now set or tied program records for most conference wins in a one-year span (15), two-year span (29), three-year span (43), four-year span (55), five-year span (69), six-year span (82) and seven-year span (91).
Creighton has finished first or second in the BIG EAST in four of the last six seasons, and top four in the league each of the previous nine campaigns.
Creighton's Most BIG EAST Wins, Season
W-L Year BIG EAST Tourney
15-5 2024-25 TBA
14-4 2013-14 Lost in Final
14-6 2020-21 Lost in Final
14-6 2022-23 Lost in Semi's
14-6 2023-24 Lost in Quarterfinals
13-5 2019-20 Tourney Cancelled
12-7 2021-22 Lost in Final
Creighton's Most Conference Wins, Season
W-L Year League
15-3 2002-03 MVC
15-5 2024-25 BIG EAST
14-4 2000-01 MVC
14-4 2001-02 MVC
14-4 2008-09 MVC
14-4 2011-12 MVC
14-4 2013-14 BIG EAST
14-6 2020-21 BIG EAST
14-6 2022-23 BIG EAST
14-6 2023-24 BIG EAST
Availability Reports
The BIG EAST is now requiring availability reports prior to each league game, with plans calling for the information will be released three hours prior to each conference contest.
The league website with that information is
https://bigeast.com/sports/2025/11/26/2526_mbb_availability_reports.aspx .
Three's Company
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 96 straight games, the nation's second-longest active streak.
It's the longest streak by a BIG EAST team since former league member West Virginia had a streak of 97 games in a row from Feb. 12, 2005 to Jan. 6, 2008.
Longest Active Streaks of 5+ 3FG Made (2/13)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 123 North Florida 2/14
2. 96 Creighton 2/14
3. 93 Wofford 2/14
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,081 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 (2/11)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,288 Duke 2/14
2. 1,284 UNLV 2/13
3. 1,217 East Tennessee State 2/14
4. 1,192 Oakland 2/12
5. 1,188 Pacific 2/14
6. 1,186 Texas 2/14
7. 1,124 Marshall 2/14
8. 1,120 Gonzaga 2/14
9. 1,103 Princeton 2/13
10. 1,081 Creighton 2/14
11. 1,071 Long Island 2/12
12. 1,066 Mount St. Mary's 2/13
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 1,081 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,758 trifectas, an average of 8.10 treys per game.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 338 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 114-34 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 39-39 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: 106 times 6: 114 times
7: 156 times 8: 136 times 9: 96 times
10: 94 times 11: 67 times 12: 65 times
13: 55 times 14: 27 times 15: 9 times
16: 10 times 17: 5 times 18: 1 time
19: 2 times 20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
Seeking the Pefect Blend
Creighton's roster includes nine newcomers and seven returners. CU has yet to play a single possession with five returners on the floor at the same time.
# of Newcomers CU Pts.-Opp Pts. % of Pts. by CU
0 Newcomers on Floor Hasn't Happened n/a
1 Newcomer on Floor 55-51 .519
2 Newcomers on Floor 460-472 .494
3 Newcomers on Floor 721-688 .512
4 Newcomers on Floor 611-612 .500
5 Newcomers on Floor 61-51 .545
Newcomers Lead The Way
For the season, 1,272 of Creighton's 1,908 points have been scored by newcomers, an astounding 66.67 percent. This shouldn't be too much of a shock though, as only 28.0 percent of last year's points returned.
By comparison, newcomers on last year's team were responsible for only 36.6 percent of the points.
McDermott's Coaching Tree
Greg McDermott's coaching tree includes 11 men who are currently a head coach at the Division I level, including three men at Power 5 schools.
Here's a list:
Darian DeVries - Indiana
Eric Henderson - Drake
Ben Jacobson - Northern Iowa
Steve Lutz - Oklahoma State
Ryan Miller - Murray State
TJ Otzelberger - Iowa State
Bryan Petersen - South Dakota State
David Richman - North Dakota State
Daniyal Robinson - North Texas
Paul Sather - North Dakota
Patrick Sellers - Central Connecticut State
Postseason Success
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. That makes CU one of four teams in the country to have a win in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, joining Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston.
This is the first time that Creighton Basketball has won an NCAA Tournament game in five straight years. The only other CU program in any sport to win an NCAA Tournament game in five straight seasons is Creighton Volleyball (2015-19).
Even though a certain NCAA bid was wiped away in 2020 by COVID-19, Creighton has still appeared in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2021-25).
The only previous time that Creighton Men's Basketball has appeared in five straight NCAA Tournaments was from 1999-2003.
Creighton is one of 13 teams to have appeared in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2021-25). That list consists of Alabama, Baylor, Connecticut, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, San Diego State, Tennessee and Texas.
Ain't Too Proud To Brag
Creighton has won 20 or more games in each of the past 10 seasons, tied for the nation's fourth-longest active streak. Kansas leads the way with 36, followed by Gonzaga (28), Oregon (15) and Belmont (15). Houston and Creighton both have 10.
Creighton has won 22 games or more in six straight seasons. Only Gonzaga (28) and Houston (8) have longer streaks.
Creighton is one of two schools to have men's and women's basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous four seasons, a list that includes Creighton and UConn.
Creighton is one of two teams in the nation with 25 or more wins in both men's basketball and women's basketball each of the previous two seasons. That list consists of Creighton and Gonzaga.
Most Consecutive 20-Win Seasons
Team Consec. 20-Win Seasons (entering 2025-26)
Kansas 36
Gonzaga 28
Belmont 15
Oregon 15
Creighton 10
Houston 10
Most Consecutive 22-Win Seasons
Team Consec. 22-Win Yrs. (entering 2025-26)
Gonzaga 28
Houston 8
Creighton 6
25 of 27 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 25 of the previous 27 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Entering 2025-26, just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the previous 27 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 26 times, Creighton and Kentucky 25 times each.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 27 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons (Entering 2025-26)
Gonzaga 27
Kansas 27
Duke 26
Creighton 25
Kentucky 25
Arizona 23
Florida 23
Michigan State 23
BYU 22
Memphis 22
North Carolina 22
Ohio State 22
Wisconsin 22
Most 20-Win Seasons, Head Coaches Since 2010-11
20-Win Seasons (2010-11 to 20224-25) Name, Team
15 Mark Few, Gonzaga
15 Bill Self, Kansas
15 Dana Altman, Oregon
14 Greg McDermott, Creighton
14 John Calipari, Kentucky and Arkansas
Two Dozen, Cousin
Creighton is one of 15 schools to have won 24 games or more in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024- 25. That group consists of Alabama, Arizona, Charleston, Connecticut, Creighton, Drake, Duke, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Houston, Purdue, Saint Mary's, Tennessee, Utah State and VCU.
Sweetness!
Creighton is one of just nine teams to have reached at least three of the last five Sweet 16s.
Houston has done it each of the previous five seasons, while Alabama, Arkansas and Gonzaga have done it four times each.
Doing it three times in the previous five seasons are Duke, Michigan, Purdue, Tennessee, UCLA and Creighton.
Most Sweet 16's, Previous Five Seasons
# Team Years
5 Houston 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
4 Alabama 2021 - 2023 2024 2025
4 Arkansas 2021 2022 2023 - 2025
4 Gonzaga 2021 2022 2023 2024 -
3 Creighton 2021 - 2023 2024 -
3 UCLA 2021 2022 2023 - -
3 Duke - 2022 - 2024 2025
3 Michigan 2021 2022 - - 2025
3 Purdue - 2022 - 2024 2025
3 Tennessee - - 2023 2024 2025
Coaching Consistency Is Key
Between women's basketball coach Jim Flanery (465) and men's basketball coach Greg McDermott (363), Creighton is the nation's only school with a pair of active head coaches with at least 360 victories at their current school.
Flanery (hired in 2002) and McDermott (2010) also make Creighton one of three schools to have the same men's and women's basketball head coaches each of the last 15 seasons, joining Boise State (Leon Rice and Gordy Presnell) and Northern Iowa (Ben Jacobsen and Tanya Warren).
Jacobsen played on teams McDermott assisted at North Dakota from 1989-93 and later replaced McDermott as head coach at UNI In 2006, while Warren was a former Creighton player and assistant and is one of two women in program history to have her number retired.
Stability is Key
One reason for Creighton's extended run of success has been the continuity within its coaching staff. The Bluejays have had just two head coaches in the last 32 years, Dana Altman (1994-2010) and Greg McDermott (2010-Present).
Here's a list of major conference schools to have a coach with 300 wins at that school, and their predecessor also had 300 wins at the school:
School Former Coach Current Coach
Creighton Dana Altman Greg McDermott
Kansas Roy Williams Bill Self
Michigan State Jud Heathcote Tom Izzo
Purdue Gene Keady Matt Painter
Long Run
Greg McDermott is in his 16th season on the Creighton sideline in 2025-26. That's tied for the 15th-longest active run of any men's coach with his current team as a Division I head coach.
Most Consecutive Years as Head Coach, Current Team
Years Name School
1995-Pr. Tom Izzo Michigan State
1998-Pr. Greg Kampe Oakland
1999-Pr. Mark Few Gonzaga
1999-Pr. James Jones Yale
2001-Pr. Randy Bennett Saint Mary's
2002-Pr. Bill Self Kansas
2003-Pr. Scott Drew Baylor
2005-Pr. Matt Painter Purdue
2006-Pr. Ben Jacobsen Northern Iowa
2006-Pr. Bill Coen Northeastern
2007-Pr. Mark Schmidt St. Bonaventure
2007-Pr. Brent Reed Lehigh
2007-Pr. Tommy Amaker Harvard
2009-Pr. LaVelle Moton North Carolina Central
2010-Pr. Greg McDermott Creighton
2010-Pr. Andy O'Toole Robert Morris
2010-Pr. Tad Boyle Colorado
2010-Pr. Leon Rice Boise State
2010-Pr. Dana Altman Oregon
2010-Pr. Russell Turner UC Irvine
2010-Pr. Brad Brownell Clemson
The McDermott Era
Greg McDermott owns 363 wins at Creighton since his arrival in 2010-11. It's the eighth-most of programs that have had the same coach the entire time.
Schools With Most Wins Since 2010-11, Only 1 Coach
(Through games of Feb. 12)
Rk. Wins School Coach Next
1. 476 Gonzaga Mark Few 2/14
2. 445 Kansas Bill Self 2/14
3. 406 Saint Mary's Randy Bennett 2/14
4. 394 Michigan State Tom Izzo 2/13
5. 379 Purdue Matt Painter 2/14
6. 378 Oregon Dana Altman 2/14
7. 370 Baylor Scott Drew 2/14
8. 363 Creighton Greg McDermott 2/14
National Ranks In The McDermott Era
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 200 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Feb. 11, 2026
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 4,916 2nd
2FG Percentage .553 3rd
FG Percentage .476 5th
Assists 8,759 5th
3FG Percentage .371 8th
FG Made 14,921 8th
Points 41,720 8th
Wins 363 25th
Winning Percentage .665 33rd
Among The Best
CBS Sports conducted a pair of surveys during the summer that highlight Greg McDermott as one of the best in the country at what he does.
Who is the best X's and O's coach in college basketball right now? (Asked to roughly 100 coaches)
1. Matt Painter (Purdue): 19%
2. Dan Hurley (UConn): 18%
3. Greg McDermott (Creighton): 16%
4. Kelvin Sampson (Houston): 7%
5. Ben McCollum (Iowa): 5%
6. Randy Bennett (Saint Mary's): 4%
Tom Izzo (Michigan State): 4%
Dusty May Michigan): 4%
Bill Self (Kansas): 4%
10. Rick Barnes (Tennessee): 2%
Chris Collins (Northwestern): 2%
Grant McCasland (Texas Tech): 2%
Nate Oats (Alabama): 2%
Rick Pitino (St. John's): 2%
Mark Schmidt (St. Bonaventure): 2%
Others: 7%
Who are the best college basketball coaches? (Asked to 6 CBB writers)
1. Dan Hurley, Connecticut
2. Kelvin Sampson, Houston
3. Rick Pitino, St. John's
4. Bill Self, Kansas
5. Matt Painter, Purdue
6. Nate Oats, Alabama
7. Todd Golden, Florida
8. Tom Izzo, Michigan State
9. Mark Few, Gonzaga
10. Scott Drew, Baylor
11. Jon Scheyer, Duke
12. Dusty May, Michigan
13. Rick Barnes, Tennessee
14. John Calipari, Arkansas
15. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
16. Mark Pope, Kentucky
17. Greg McDermott, Creighton
18. Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
19. Brad Underwood, Illinois
20. Pat Kelsey, Louisville
21. TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State
22. Chris Beard, Ole Miss
23. Mick Cronin, UCLA
24. Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's
25. Shaka Smart, Marquette
And 1. Ben McCollum, Iowa
Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Not counting 2019-20, when there was no postseason, Creighton has made the postseason each of the 12 most recent times in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year.
Ten of those postseason trips were NCAA Tournament berths. The last time that didn't hold true was 1991-92, when CU shot 51.0 percent in the opener but finished just 9-19.
Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in 10 of its last 14 season-openers, including 50 percent (37-for-74) on Wednesday vs. South Dakota.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage 50+%
Since 1993-94
FG% Year Opponent Postseason
.541 1997-98 UMKC NIT
.524 1998-99 Towson State NCAA
.569 2000-01 Western Illinois NCAA
.594 2002-03 UT Arlington NCAA
.500 2012-13 North Texas NCAA
.556 2013-14 Alcorn State NCAA
.528 2015-16 Texas Southern NIT
.508 2016-17 UMKC NCAA
.558 2017-18 Yale NCAA
.524 2019-20 Kennesaw St. Postseason Ccd.
.585 2021-22 Ark.-Pine Bluff NCAA
.567 2023-24 Florida A&M NCAA
.600 2024-25 UTRGV NCAA
.500 2025-26 South Dakota ? ? ?
The Push For 90
Of Creighton's 26 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, 13 have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Put another way...of CU's 20 teams (before 2025-26) to score 90 points in an opener, 13 would reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here's a look at Creighton's 12 most recent teams (before 2025-26) to score 90 or more points in a season-opener:
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
97-65 North Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 27-8 NCAA
104-77 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 14-19 --
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 20-15 NIT
92-76 Yale 11/10/17 21-12 NCAA
90-77 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21 23-12 NCAA
105-54 Florida A&M 11/07/23 25-10 NCAA
99-86 UTRGV 11/06/24 25-11 NCAA
92-76 South Dakota 11/05/25 ? ? ? ? ? ?
NBA Jays
There are five former Creighton players in the NBA this season.
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is with the Sacramento Kings as he begins his 12th year in the NBA. He was a Lottery pick in 2014 by the Denver Nuggets.
Baylor Scheierman is in his second year with the Boston Celtics after being a First Round pick in 2024.
Trey Alexander, who was named 2024-25 G-League Rookie of the Year in the Denver Nuggets organization, is now on a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
There is palpable buzz around Ryan Kalkbrenner, a Second Round pick of the Charlotte Hornets, in his rookie campaign.
Lastly, former Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard is on a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Nembhard played two years at Creighton before finishing his career at Gonzaga.
These men give Creighton at least one NBA player for the 42nd time in the last 43 seasons.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
Who's Back?
With Creighton returning only seven of the 15 men who appeared in a game last season -- including its top three scorers -- much of the production is gone.
Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
3FG Made 135 (39.2%) 209 (60.8%)
Minutes 2661 (36.7%) 4589 (63.3%)
Rebounds 426 (34.4%) 811 (65.6%)
Starts 61 (33.9%) 119 (66.1%)
Steals 43 (33.1%) 87 (66.9%)
Points 761 (28.0%) 1956 (72.0%)
Assists 112 (18.2%) 503 (81.8%)
Blocks 28 (17.4%) 133 (82.6%)
Charges Taken 2 (16.7%) 10 (83.3%)
Preseason Top 25
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked 23rd in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, the fourth straight season the Bluejays have been ranked among the nation's best in the preseason.
This year's announcement marks the eighth 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), 2023-24 (No. 8) and 2024-25 (No. 15). All seven of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with three of the four 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 148 times in program history, with 120 of those under the direction of Greg McDermott. Creighton is 180-78 all-time as a ranked team, including a 146-66 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 12 of McDermott's 16 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton has been one of 11 schools ranked in the Top 25 of the Preseason AP poll each of the last four years, joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Creighton was one of three BIG EAST Conference schools in the poll, joining No. 4 Connecticut and No. 5 St. John's.
Among Creighton's non-conference opponents in the poll are preseason No. 21 Gonzaga and preseason No. 16 Iowa State.
Creighton was also ranked 23rd in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll.
Let's Go On A Run
Creighton unleashed a 23-0 run on Iowa State during its exhibition meeting, turning an early 8-4 deficit into a 27-8 lead over a span of just under seven minutes (6:57).
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season, it was Creighton's largest run in any game, including exhibitions. Below is that list.
Longest Creighton Runs Since 2021-22
Run Opponent (Score change) Date
23-0* #16 Iowa State (4-8 to 27-8) 10/17/25
21-0* Upper Iowa (32-29 to 53-29) 10//30/21
20-0 Texas Southern (61-44 to 81-44) 11/18/23
19-0 vs. #11 Providence (37-27 to 56-27) 03/11/22
19-0 Georgetown (0-0 to 19-0) 03/01/23
18-0 Houston Christian (19-9 to 37-9) 11/13/24
*exhibition game
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 61 starts from last year's team (31 by Jackson McAndrew, 25 by Jasen Green, 4 by Isaac Traudt, 1 by Ty Davis), its fewest since the 2021-22 team returned just two starts.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2025-26 2 61 ? ? ?
2024-25 3 105 25-11
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
McDermott Is Wins Leader
Greg McDermott has 363 victories at Creighton, passing his predecessor Dana Altman (327) for the most in program history in CU's Nov. 13, 2024 win vs. Houston Christian.
McDermott broke a different record on Jan. 21, 2025 at DePaul when he coached his 504th game on the Bluejay sideline, breaking the mark of 503 held by Altman.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton MBB History
Rk. W-L Name Years
1. 363-183 Greg McDermott 2010-Pres.
2. 327-176 Dana Altman 1994-2010
3. 165-66 Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-1935
4. 138-118 John J. "Red" McManus 1959-1969
5. 130-64 Tom Apke 1974-1981
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. 18,650 #2 Connecticut 01/31/26
9. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
10. 18,571 DePaul?? 01/22/24
11. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
12. 18,519 #8 Seton Hall 03/07/20
13. 18,518 Georgetown 01/27/18
14. 18,509 Villanova 02/04/23
15. 18,495 Marquette 02/17/18
16. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
17. 18,475 Nebraska 11/22/24
18. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
19. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
20. 18,430 Seton Hall 01/25/25
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 384 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the now 23-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 317-67 (.826) record all-time at the facility.
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 30,221-25,328 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.74 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 95 different times, including twice this year (Maryland Eastern Shore and Utah Tech).
Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 25 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 36-40 all-time in the 76 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-15 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 43-33 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 220-49 (.818) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 68 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 112-11 home record (.911) 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 335-67 (.833) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Perfect 10
Greg McDermott has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament 10 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 10 or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 14
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 10
Jim Flanery Women's Basketball 8
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished the 2024-25 season ranked 35th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 33 offense, and No. 44 defense.
Creighton has finished with a top-25 offense per KenPom eight times and a top-25 defense three times in 15 completed seasons under Greg McDermott.
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 33 44 35
2025-26 (2/11) 61 121 75
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 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.
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026 • 1:30 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | VU NOTES | PROGRAM |
Next Game
Fourth-place Creighton (13-12, 7-7 BIG EAST) starts its toughest three-game stretch of the year on Saturday with a Valentine's Day game against third-place Villanova (19-5, 10-3 BIG EAST).
Tip-off on FNBO Court inside CHI Health Center Omaha. Tip-off in Omaha, Neb., is set for 1:30 p.m.
Promotional Schedule
Saturday is Alumni Day for Creighton Basketball, as more than 50 former student-athletes, coaches and managers will be recognized at halftime. The Pep Band will feature Creighton Alumni too.
Courtesy of Tenaska, 5,000 pom pons will be distributed.
Additionally, the first 500 students will receive a Nike shirt.
On the concourse there will be face painters and balloon artists.
Broadcast Information
The game will be broadcast on FOX and will be streamed at http://FoxSports.com/live.
Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe will announce.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2025-26 season.
John Bishop and Ravi Lulla will call the action. The audio is webcast live at 1620thezone.com.
Saturday's game can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 384, as well as being streamed on-line at https://sxm.app.link/SXM974.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 13-12 overall and 7-7 in BIG EAST play, good for a tie for fourth place.
Four of Creighton's top five scorers are newcomers, led by Josh Dix (11.9 ppg.), Austin Swartz (11.5 ppg.), Nik Graves (9.8 ppg., 3.8 apg.) and Blake Harper (8.9 ppg., 4.3 rpg.).
Coming on strong of late has been Jasen Green (10.8 ppg., 5.1 rpg.), while Isaac Traudt (6.9 ppg.) remains one of the most feared marksmen in the league.
Creighton's most productive returner, Jackson McAndrew (6.8 ppg., 4.5 rpg.), as well as key subs Hudson Greer (5.0 ppg.) and Josh Townley-Thomas (6.0 ppg.), have combined to play just 18 games due to injuries, and just nine games since the end of November.
Creighton is averaging 76.3 points per game and shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from three-point range and 75.0 percent at the line.
Scouting Villanova
Winners of four straight games, Villanova is 19-5 on the season and 10-3 in BIG EAST play. The Wildcats are 6-2 on the road, and an overtime loss at Connecticut is VU's only blemish away from home in league action.
Six Wildcats average at least 9.5 points per game, a group led by Tyler Perkins (13.5 ppg., 5.5 rpg.). Additionally, James Madison transfer Bryce Lindsay (12.7 ppg.), Grand Canyon transfer Duke Brennan (12.0 ppg., 10.6 rpg., .643 FG%) and true freshman Acaden Lewis (12.5 ppg., 5.3 apg.) also have made an immediate impact.
The Wildcats average 77.7 points per game and yield just 69.1 points per contest. VU shoots 46.0 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from deep and 69.0 percent at the line while winning the board battle by 1.6 caroms per contest.
The Series With Villanova
Villanova leads the all-time series with Creighton, 19-12, but the teams have split 12 meetings in Omaha.
Each of the last five meetings have been decided by seven points or less, and with three of those games having the road team win by exactly two points and another seeing the road team win by four points.
Greg McDermott is 12-16 against Villanova. He is also 10-10 against coach Kevin Willard, though the first 19 of those meetings took place when Willard was piloting the Seton Hall program. Willard is 11-10 all-time against Creighton, going 10-9 as Seton Hall's head coach, 1-0 as Iona's head coach and 0-1 as the Villanova coach against the Bluejays.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 363-183 record in his 16th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 643-378 in his 32nd season, and is 512-314 in 25 Division I campaigns.
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 Alan Huss, Derek Kellogg, Trey Zeigler, Mitch Ballock and Mike Nesbitt.
With A Win...
- Creighton would join Marquette (8 straight from 1/19/22 to 1/24/25) as the second team to beat Villanova five (or more) straight times since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013.
- Creighton would post a regular-season sweep over Villanova for the third time ever, and second straight season.
- Creighton would defeat Villanova for a program-record fifth straight meeting.
- Creighton would pick up its 13th win vs. Villanova since the start of the 2013-14 season, two more than Marquette for the most by any other school.
- Creighton would pick up its seventh home win over Villanova since the start of the 2013-14 season, tied with Marquette for the most by any team.
Milestone Watch
- Josh Dix owns 295 rebounds and is five shy of 300.
- Nik Graves has 288 career assists and is 12 away from 300. Graves also has 95 steals and is five short of 100.
- Jasen Green has 475 career points and is 25 away from 500.
- Creighton could make five or more three-pointers for a 97th straight game, which would be the longest streak by a BIG EAST team since former league member West Virginia had a streak of 97 games in a row from Feb. 12, 2005 to Jan. 6, 2008.
Won By One, Lost By One
Creighton defeated Seton Hall 69-68 last Saturday, its first win in a one-point game since defeating Xavier 94-93 on Jan. 21, 2026. Both games were in Omaha. The Jays followed it four days later with a 72-71 loss at DePaul.
Before the past few days, 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).
If you're curious, Creighton has not played three straight games decided by exactly one point since a stretch in 1974-75 against Boston College (W 62-61 on 12/28/74), Wake Forest (L 70-69 on 12/30/74) and Drake (W 71-70 on Jan. 2, 1975).
Creighton is now 13-12 in one-point games under Greg McDermott and 86-80 in program history in one-point games.
McDermott's 13 one-point victories are second-most in program history, trailing only the 19 by his predecessor, Dana Altman.
Creighton and Villanova have played three games to go to overtime, but have never played a game decided by exactly one point. It is worth noting that three of the last five CU-VU games have been decided by exactly two points.
Finding A Way
Since the start of the 2020-21 season Creighton and Xavier lead the BIG EAST with 22 victories by three points or fewer, one more Marquette (21). No one else owns more than 15.
Among Power 5 schools, Creighton's 22 wins by three points or less since the start of the 2020-21 campaign ranks tied for second-most nationally.
Most Wins by 3 or Less since 2020-21, Power 5 Teams
W L School
23 17 Arizona State
22 12 Creighton
22 12 Virginia
22 13 Minnesota
22 18 Xavier
21 13 Vanderbilt
21 14 Marquette
21 13 TCU
21 15 Wisconsin
21 17 Rutgers
20 6 Kansas
20 11 Oregon
Bouncing Back?
Creighton suffered a heartbreaking road loss in the final seconds, then meets Villanova.
While its accurate for this Saturday's game, it was also true last month when the Jays met Villanova.
Creighton lost to Seton Hall on a three-point play with 1.3 seconds left on Jan. 4th, only to turn around three days later to win at Villanova, 76-72.
Like...How?
Creighton's last three home wins have been something special, with all three requiring late game heroics.
On Jan. 13 against Georgetown, Creighton trailed 76-69 with 1:35 left. Eventually Austin Swartz tied the game with 17.8 seconds left in regulation, then Swartz won it on a three-pointer with 30.3 seconds remaining in overtime. CU won, 86-83.
On Jan. 21 vs. Xavier, Creighton trailed 93-92 with 4.3 seconds left with Swartz at the line. He missed the potential game-tying free throw, but chased down his own rebound and banked in the game-winner with 0.6 seconds left for the 94-93 win. Those heroics came after the Jays trailed 93-89 before a Blake Harper basket with 43.2 seconds left.
Those two games set the stage for last Saturday vs. Seton Hall. CU was down 67-58 with 1:27 left before a Fedor Zugic three-pointer, a Jasen Green tip-in and another Zugic trey made it a one-point game with 20.3 seconds left. After Seton Hall made 1-of-2 free throws, Nik Graves won it with a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left, 69-68.
Per KenPom.com, Creighton's win probability was as low as 1.5 percent vs. Seton Hall, 9.0 percent vs. Georgetown and 16.4 percent against Xavier.
CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 10-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003, including a 2-0 record this year.
Austin Swartz hit a shot with 0.6 seconds left to beat Xavier on January 21st, CU's first game-winner in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha since 2020.
With Swartz out of the line-up on Feb. 7th, Nik Graves buried a game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to stun Seton Hall.
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
01/21/26 Xavier W 94-93 Swartz FG :0.6
02/07/26 Seton Hall W 69-68 Graves 3FG :2.5
*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
All The Bounces
Saturday marks Creighton's first home game since Nik Graves' game-winner with 2.5 seconds left vs. Seton Hall on Feb. 4th.
Below is a list of Creighton's victories under Greg McDermott in which it scored a go-ahead points in the final 30 seconds of a victory, which includes wins over Villanova in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Go-Ahead Points in Last 30 Seconds of Wins Under McDermott
Player Time Opponent Date
Kenny Lawson Jr. 18.1, Dunk Northern Arizona 11/14/10
Antoine Young 0.3, FG Long Beach St. 02/18/12
Josh Jones 22.6, FG Evansville 02/21/12
Doug McDermott 4.9, FG at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
Doug McDermott 2.8, 3FG St. John's 01/28/14
Marcus Foster 6.6, 3FG vs. Xavier 03/10/17
Marcus Foster 14.4, 3FG at DePaul 02/07/18
Marcus Zegarowski 3.2 3FG Providence 01/18/20
Christian Bishop 0.8, Dunk at Providence 01/02/21
Christian Bishop 16.0, 2 FT vs. UCSB 03/20/21
Ryan Nembhard 0.0, FG vs. Southern Illinois 11/22/21
Trey Alexander 26.2, 2 FT Villanova 02/04/23
Trey Alexander 12.3, 2 FT St. John's 01/13/24
Trey Alexander 28.4, 3FG at Seton Hall 01/20/24
Trey Alexander 0.2, FG at Villanova 03/09/24
Steven Ashworth 5.8, 3FG at Villanova 02/01/25
Austin Swartz 0.6, FG Xavier 01/21/26
Nik Graves 2.5, 3FG Seton Hall 02/07/26
Board Battle Looms Large
Creighton has been outrebounded by 2.2 caroms per contest in BIG EAST play, but the Jays have not won the board battle in any of its last 10 league contests.
In fact, the last time Creighton won the rebound battle came on Jan. 7 at Villanova, when CU owned a 39-30 edge on the glass.
Creighton is 7-1 this season when winning the rebound battle, while Villanova is 12-1 when owning a rebounding advantage this year.
FOX Rocks
Saturday will mark Creighton's third of four scheduled appearances on FOX this season.
After a rough start on FOX, the network has been a good luck charm for the Bluejays in recent seasons, helping CU improve to 22-21 on the channel since joining the BIG EAST.
Creighton lost its first seven appearances and was 2-10 on FOX in its first six seasons as a BIG EAST member. Since then, Creighton is 20-11 on the network, including victories in 10 of its last 14 games.
Creighton's Record on FOX Since 2013-14
Year W-L
2013-14 0-0
2014-15 0-0
2015-16 0-1
2016-17 0-4
2017-18 1-3 (lost first 2)
2018-19 1-2 (won last 1)
2019-20 2-0
2020-21 5-2 (won first 4)
2021-22 0-3
2022-23 3-2
2023-24 6-0
2024-25 4-2 (won first 4)
2025-26 0-2 (so far)
Saturday's Are For The Jays
The Villanova game is one of six conference home games that Creighton will have on a Saturday this season. That's a single-season school-record for CU -- regardless of conference affiliation.
Creighton has won 14 of its last 16 Saturday home games in BIG EAST play.
Creighton's .793 win percentage in Saturday league games at all sites and .875 win percentage in Saturday league home games since the start of the 2022-23 season both rank among the best marks among all Power 5 teams.
Best Saturday Win Percentages in League Play
(Power 5 Schools Since 2022-23 Started)
Team W L Pct.
Houston 24 4 .857
Connecticut 22 5 .815
North Carolina 29 7 .806
Creighton 23 6 .793
Duke 29 9 .763
Xavier 19 6 .760
Alabama 25 8 .758
Clemson 28 9 .757
Michigan State 13 5 .722
Purdue 10 4 .714
Best Saturday Home Win Percentages in League Play
(Power 5 Schools Since 2022-23 Started)
Team W L Pct.
Michigan State 8 0 1.000
Ohio State 5 0 1.000
Houston 11 1 .917
Connecticut 8 1 .889
Duke 15 2 .882
Creighton 14 2 .875
North Carolina 17 3 .850
Kansas 14 3 .824
BYU 13 3 .813
Florida 13 3 .813
Iowa State 13 3 .813
UCLA 12 3 .800
Iowa 8 2 .800
Home Sweet Home
Creighton won its final four BIG EAST home games in 2023-24, was 9-1 in BIG EAST home games last season, and has started 5-2 in league play at home this winter.
Creighton's 18-3 record is tied for the second-best mark in the conference by any school in its last 21 BIG EAST home games, as seen below:
Last 21 BIG EAST Home Games
W-L Team
19-2 Connecticut
19-2 St. John's
18-3 Creighton
16-5 Villanova
14-7 Marquette
13-8 Xavier
10-11 Seton Hall
9-12 Providence
8-13 Butler
8-13 Georgetown
7-14 DePaul
That's A Winner
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the only current BIG EAST team to own a .500 or better record in conference road games is Villanova.
Connecticut has a winning record since coming back to the BIG EAST, but falls below .500 when you include its 22-41 road record in the American.
BIG EAST Road Records Since 2013-14
W L School
73 43 Villanova
59 61 Creighton
51 67 Providence
50 65 Xavier
50 69 Marquette
50 70 Seton Hall
44 75 St. John's
39 81 Butler
37 19 Connecticut (59-60 including the American)
30 86 Georgetown
17 100 DePaul
Have We Met?
Of the 165 players listed on BIG EAST rosters just four years ago (2022-23), only 10 of those men are still playing for the same school. Four of those 10 men (Lucas, Gabriel, Sabourin, Wolf) have scored fewer than 10 career points.
Here's a list of who remains from 2022-23:
Team 2022-23 Roster Size Who's Still There?
Butler 13 -
Connecticut 16 Alex Karaban
Creighton 16 Jasen Green
DePaul 15 -
Georgetown 14 -
Marquette 18 Ben Gold, Sean Jones, Jonah Lucas, Chase Ross
Providence 14 Corey Floyd Jr.
Seton Hall 16 David Gabriel
St. John's 15 -
Villanova 12 -
Xavier 16 Ian Sabourin, Michael Wolf
Nova A Challenge
Creighton has been in the BIG EAST since 2013, but regular-season sweeps over Villanova have been rare.
The Bluejays have won both regular-season games against the Wildcats just twice previously, doing it in 2013-14 before repeating the feat last season.
Creighton won the first meeting at Finneran Pavilion, giving it another chance at history.
Rare Loss When Shooting Well
Creighton's typically been a tough team to beat when shooting the ball well from three-point range, as it did on Wednesday when the Jays made 14-of-27 shots (51.9 percent) from deep.
Creighton entered Wednesday's game at DePaul with an 82-4 mark under Greg McDermott when shooting 50 percent or better from three-point range, and had been 75-1 since Dec. 11, 2011.
Creighton's 82 wins when shooting 50 percent or better from deep since 2010-11 trail only Gonzaga's 83 such victories and is tied with Arizona's 82.
Valentine's Day History
Creighton is 13-9 all-time when playing on Valentine's Day, including a 3-1 record under Greg McDermott.
CU is 2-0 in home games on Feb. 14 under McDermott and 10-2 all-time at home on that day.
Perhaps Creighton's most notable win on Feb. 14 was in 2012, when the Jays set a Missouri Valley Conference record by shooting 77.5 percent from the field (31-40), including 12-of-14 marksmanship (85.7 percent) from three-point range.
Repeat After Three
Few teams in the country have made as many three-pointers in the last 13 seasons as the teams featured in Saturday's match-up. Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, Villanova is second in the nation in that category with 4,218 trifectas, while Creighton is fourth with 4,042.
Creighton is 3-15 all-time when making eight three-pointers or less against Villanova (including three meetings in the 1950's long before the 3-point line existed), but 9-4 when making nine or more trifectas. CU has hit 133-of-310 treys (42.9%) in the 12 wins, but 104-of-386 triples (26.7%) in the 19 losses.
Villanova has made nine or more three-pointers against Creighton in 15-of-28 meetings as BIG EAST rivals.
Per BartTorvik.com, Villanova ranks 39th nationally with 46.5 percent of its shot attempts coming from three-point range, while Creighton is 20th at 49.4 percent. The CU defense, however, allows just 32.1 percent of its opponents shots to come from three-point range, the nation's 13th-best mark.
Creighton is 27-2 in its last 29 games (against all teams) when attempting 15 or fewer three-pointers, though its season-low this year is 17 trifecta tries (vs. Oregon).
Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton has made 4,816 three-pointers in 536 games, good for second-most nationally behind Belmont (4,925). Villanova is fourth on that list with 4,732 treys.
Most 3FG Made Since 2010-11 (thru 2/11/26)
Rk. Team 3FG Games
1. Belmont 5,031 520
2. Creighton 4,916 546
3. North Florida 4,908 507
4. Villanova 4,828 543
5. VMI 4,763 496
Most 3FG Made Since 2013-14 (thru 2/11/26)
Rk. Team 3FG Games
1. North Florida 4,254 409
2. Villanova 4,218 444
3. Belmont 4,116 417
4. Creighton 4,042 436
5. Akron 3,930 420
Something About Creighton
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Villanova has suffered only 115 losses, with just 17 of those coming by 15 points or more.
Five of those lopsided setbacks have come against Creighton, two against UConn and Michigan, while eight other teams have done it once each.
Villanova's Largest Margins of Defeat Since 2013-14
Margin Score Date
28 Creighton 96, Villanova 68 1/20/14
28 Michigan 89, Villanova 61 12/9/25
27 Michigan 73, Villanova 46 11/14/18
26 Purdue 87, Villanova 61 3/23/19
25 Ohio State 76, Villanova 51 11/13/19
24 Connecticut 78, Villanova 54 2/24/24
23 Oklahoma 78, Villanova 55 12/7/15
21 Creighton 101, Villanova 80 2/16/14
21 Baylor 57, Villanova 36 12/12/21
20 Georgetown 78, Villanova 58 1/19/15
20 Creighton 79, Villanova 59 12/17/21
20 St. John's 70, Villanova 50 1/24/24
17 Connecticut 73, Villanova 56 3/13/25
16 Creighton 86, Villanova 70 2/13/21
16 Syracuse 78, Villanova 62 12/28/13
16 Kansas 81, Villanova 65 4/2/22
15 Creighton 76, Villanova 61 2/1/20
The Cats Meow
Villanova has the 11th-best win percentage in the country since the start of the 2013-14 season, which coincides with the realignment of the BIG EAST. Villanova is 392-151 (.722) in that time.
Of the 104 different schools to play Villanova in that time, only 38 have actually beaten the Wildcats.
Creighton is one of 15 schools to post multiple victories over the Wildcats in that time. Creighton's 12 victories over Villanova are one more than Marquette for the most by any Wildcat opponent in that span.
Creighton is the only team to beat Villanova on the road four or more times since 2013-14.
The Race To 79
Creighton is 7-0 all-time when scoring 79 points or more against Villanova, compared to a 5-19 record when scoring 78 points or fewer.
Creighton has averaged 81.09 points in 12 all-time wins over Villanova, but just 61.42 in 19 losses against the Wildcats.
Villanova has surrendered 69.1 points per game this season. The Wildcats have allowed an average of 66.4 points in their 19 wins but 79.4 points per game in their five losses.
Creighton is 9-1 this season when scoring 79 points or more and 12-2 when scoring more than 75 points.
Graves Stepping Up
Nik Graves game-winner last Saturday should come as no surprise...he's been playing his best basketball of the season of late.
Graves leads Creighton in points (66) and assists (30) in Creighton's last six games.
Graves said postgame it was the first game-winner of his college career.
He Doesn't Miss
Geoffrey Groselle is in his first season as a graduate assistant sitting right behind the Bluejay bench, but he continues to have a magic touch.
Groselle closely watches each play on an iPad, making instant judgement calls on whether or not CU should risk a timeout by asking the officials to review the previous play, then relaying his advice along to head coach Greg McDermott.
With Groselle's input, Creighton has challenged five different plays this season...and won all five reviews.
As a Bluejay center from 2011-16, Groselle made 232-of-339 career shots. His 68.4 percent accuracy is the best field goal percentage in Creighton history by any player with 300 or more attempts.
Name What Was Reviewed CU Correct?
Marquette, 12/20 Deflected Pass Yes
Butler, 12/30 Deflected Rebound Yes
at Seton Hall, 1/4 Deflected Rebound Yes
at Marquette, 1/27 Deflected Loose Ball Yes
at Georgetown, 2/4 Deflected Loose Ball Yes
New Five
Creighton used its sixth different starting line-up last Saturday as Isaac Traudt replaced an injured Austin Swartz.
Nine different Creighton players have started four or more games this season, and seven of those men have started at least 12 times. Josh Dix has started each contest, the only Bluejay that can say that.
It was the sixth different starting line-up combination that Creighton has used this season. In Greg McDermott's 16 years patrolling the Bluejay sideline, this year's six different line-ups are tied for the third-most he's used over the course of an entire campaign.
Different Starting Lineups Under Greg McDermott
Year Entire Season
2010-11 5
2011-12 1
2012-13 1
2013-14 3
2014-15 10
2015-16 6
2016-17 4
2017-18 5
2018-19 5
2019-20 3
2020-21 3
2021-22 4
2022-23 2
2023-24 2
2024-25 7
2025-26 6 so far
McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott ranks sixth in BIG EAST history with 145 regular-season league wins. The five coaches ahead of him all have won at least one national title.
McDermott, along with Ed Cooley, Rick Pitino and Kevin Willard are the only four active coaches with 100 regular-season BIG EAST wins.
McDermott has been at his current job (16 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 15 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches (2/13)
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 366 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2. 274 Jim Calhoun, UConn
3. 244 Jay Wright, Villanova
4. 198 John Thompson Jr., Georgetown
5. 152 Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
6. 145 Greg McDermott, Creighton
7. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
8. 134 Ed Cooley, Providence/G'Town
9. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
10. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
4 x 4
After opening league play with lopsided wins by 41 and 21 points, each of Creighton's last five league victories have come by four points or less.
It's the first time Creighton has had five league wins in a row, all by four points or less.
Creighton's five league wins by four points or less ties a single-season program record, something also done in 1980-81, 1990-91 and 2021-22. Each of CU's first three teams to do it played in the NCAA Tournament.
The First 15 in the BIG EAST
Saturday marks Creighton's 15th BIG EAST game this season. Creighton is currently 7-7.
Creighton is 7-5 all-time in its 15th BIG EAST game of a season, including a 5-2 record since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Creighton -- First 15 BIG EAST Games, Since 2013-14
Year First 15 BE W-L Final W-L Postseason
2025-26 7-7 so far ? ? ? ? ? ?
2024-25 11-4 15-5 NCAA
2023-24 9-6 14-6 NCAA
2022-23 11-4 13-7 NCAA
2021-22 9-6 12-7 NCAA
2020-21 10-5 14-4 NCAA
2019-20 10-5 13-5 Canceled
2018-19 6-9 9-9 NIT
2017-18 8-7 10-8 NCAA
2016-17 9-6 10-8 NCAA
2015-16 8-7 9-9 NIT
2014-15 3-12 4-14 --
2013-14 12-3 14-4 NCAA
No DQ's Here
Creighton is one of two teams nationally that has not had a player foul out this season, a group that also includes Yale.
Last year Creighton was tied for 19th nationally with only four foul out disqualifications
In 2023-24, Creighton was the only team in the country without a player to foul out.
In 2022-23, Creighton's two foul outs were tied for second-fewest in the nation.
In the last four seasons (2022-23 to present), Creighton has only had only six players foul out in 131 games.
Give Me 10
Last Saturday's victory over Seton Hall was Creighton's 10th home win of the winter.
It's the 29th time in the last 30 seasons CU has had 10 or more home victories.
The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.
Crowded House
Creighton has attracted a league-leading 216,588 fans at home this season. Additionally, CU's 16,661 fans per home game leads the league and ranks seventh-best nationally.
This is the 20th straight non-COVID affected season that Creighton has attracted 200,000 or more home fans.
Average Home Attendance Leaders (2/13)
Rk. Team Average Next Home Game
1. Kentucky 19,678 2/17
2. North Carolina 19,011 2/14
3. Tennessee 18,915 2/14
4. Arkansas 18,681 2/14
5. BYU 18,066 2/14
6. Syracuse 17,063 2/14
7. Creighton 16,661 2/14
8. NC State 15,518 2/14
9. Louisville 15,338 2/21
10. Kansas 15,308 2/21
Pink Out Men's Jersey Auction Raises $43,535.28
Creighton raised $43,535.28 during the jersey auction for its Jan. 31 Pink Out game vs. Connecticut, with proceeds going to benefit the Hope Lodge.
Combined with donations at the door and a $30,000 matching donation from Nebraska Cancer Specialists, CU raised $99,588.58 overall in 2025-26.
Bluejay players wore pink shooting shirts and pink-trimmed jerseys for the game, and fans had 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 annual Creighton Pink Out games, donations and matching funds (in MBB/WBB/VB) have raised $1,190,303.50 (including the 2025-26 auction) benefiting the Hope Lodge facility in Omaha and the guests it serves.
This year's men's basketball jersey auction ran from Jan. 15-25 and raised $43,535.28. Below is the final numbers for each men's basketball jersey/item in the auction this year.
#0 $3,350 #1 $2,600 #2 $2,700
#4 $3,800 #5 $1,775 #7 $3,155
#9 $3,050 #10 $3,000 #12 $1,000
#13 $860 #17 $1,525 #23 $2,775
#27 $1,450 #32 $1,226 #41 $2,800
#53 $2,900 Mac's Shoes: $406.01 Golf: $2,800
Ball 1: 347 Ball 2: $375 Ball 3: $460
Ball 4: $445 Basll 5: $450 Mac's Tie: $286.27
Yearly Pink Out Totals
Creighton has raised $1,190,303.50 since the start of the 2011-12 season during its annual men's and basketball Pink Out auctions, plus additional money collected on gameday, underwriting, matching donations and volleyball/women's basketball jersey auctions.
The numbers below show the annual figures for the men's basketball jersey auction unless otherwise noted.
2011-12: $20,600
2012-13: $24,444
2013-14: $48,247.11
2014-15: $16,384.03
2015-16: $16,527.90
2016-17: $26,361.64
2017-18: $28,796
2018-19: $19,595
2019-20: $31,803.18
2020-21: $40,381
2021-22: $24,165
2022-23: $27,432
2023-24: $36,002.46
2024-25: $43,995.92
2025-26: $43,535.28
MBB Auction Totals = $448,270.52
WBB/VB Auctions + Additional Donations: $742,032.98
15-Year Totals: $1,190,303.50
Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (89) than any other school in the last six seasons, seven more than Connecticut's 82.
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 171 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 145 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to Feb. 13, 2026)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 89 42 .679
UConn 82 28 .745
Villanova 81 45 .643
Marquette 75 55 .577
St. John's 71 58 .550
Providence 68 60 .531
Seton Hall 66 64 .508
Xavier 63 60 .512
Butler 49 83 .371
Georgetown 29 97 .230
DePaul 23 104 .181
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to Feb. 8, 2026)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 171 63 .731
Creighton 145 94 .607
Xavier 129 102 .558
Marquette 127 111 .534
Providence 126 110 .534
Seton Hall 119 119 .500
St. John's 111 126 .468
Butler 103 137 .429
UConn 82 28 .745
Georgetown 76 159 .323
DePaul 48 188 .203
Merfeld Gets Hall Call
Longtime Creighton men's basketball staffer Steve Merfeld is part of the 2026 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame induction class.
The Hall of Fame Banquet is scheduled for Sunday, September 27th at the Glacier Canyon Lodge of the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
Merfeld is a Wisconsin native who graduated from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1984 and then got his coaching start at St. John's Military Academy in 1984. He served as an assistant coach at Bowling Green (1986-96) and Hampton (1996-97) before serving as head coach at Hampton from 1997-2002.
Merfeld then went on to be head coach at Evansville from 2002-07 and an assistant coach at Bradley before joining the Greg McDermott's original Creighton staff as an assistant coach in 2010. He has been the Bluejays' assistant to the head coach since 2013.
Graves Does It
Nik Graves had 16 points, nine assists and no turnovers in CU's Jan. 21 victory vs. Xavier. He's just the second Creighton player in the last 20 years with at least 16 points and nine assists without a turnover, joining Antoine Young.
Young did it on March 21, 2011 vs. Davidson (22 points, 9 assists) vs. Davidson, then again two days later vs. Central Florida (16 points, 10 assists). Both of those games were in the CBI.
Graves' performance made him the first Bluejay to ever post at least nine assists without a turnover in a BIG EAST game.
Nik The Quik
Nik Graves went nuclear in the first half of Creighton's Dec. 20 game vs. Marquette, scoring 17 points in a span of just 2:55. His 17 points were the most by any Bluejay in a half this season.
Graves entered the game with a season-high of 15 points in the South Dakota game before catching fire against the Golden Eagles.
Here's how it happened:
Time Play CU Score After Points
11:22 Graves Floater Down 15-14
10:56 Graves Jumper Up 16-15
10:07 Graves 3FG Up 21-15
9:03 Graves 3FG Up 27-17
8:46 Graves 3FG Up 30-17
8:24 Graves 3FG Up 33-17
8:24 Graves FT Up 34-17
They Did What?
Creighton led 49-22 at half and walloped Xavier, 98-57, on Dec. 17 in Cincinnati. It led to a plethora of eyebrow-raising stats.
- It was Creighton's largest halftime lead since leading Houston Christian 39-12 at the break on Nov. 13, 2024.
, - It was Creighton's largest halftime lead in a BIG EAST game since leading Georgetown 51-24 at the break on March 1, 2023, and tied for its third-largest ever in BIG EAST play.
- It is believed to be Creighton's largest halftime lead in a conference road game since at least 1948. Creighton's last halftime lead away from home of 27 points or more was also a 49-22 lead, which came on Nov. 30, 1990 in Iowa City, Iowa, against UTSA.
- It was Creighton's largest margin of victory ever in a conference road game, topping its 93-58 win at DePaul on Feb. 11, 2017.
- It was tied for Creighton's second-largest margin of victory ever in a conference game at any site, trailing only a 69-25 win vs. Saint Louis on Jan. 9, 1943 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
That Saint Louis game was also a league lid-lifter.
- It tied Creighton's largest margin of victory ever in a BIG EAST game at any site, matching a 100-59 win vs. St. John's on Feb. 28, 2016.
- Creighton's 98-57 win was the second-largest road win in a BIG EAST Conference game ever, trailing only UConn's 99-57 win at Seton Hall on Feb. 11, 2006. It was also tied for the eighth-largest BIG EAST victory margin in league history, regardless of site.
- Creighton's 41 point win at Xavier matched the combined margin of victory in Creighton's eight previous wins in Cincinnati over the Musketeers. CU had never before won at Xavier by more than 12 points.
- It was the largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST opener by any team, surpassing Villanova's 84-46 win vs. West Virginia on Jan. 5, 2005.
- Creighton's 98 points were its most ever in a conference road win, one more than its output on Jan. 20, 2024 in a 97-94 triple-overtime win at Seton Hall, and two more than its previous high in regulation in a conference road win done on Jan. 20, 2014 at No. 4 Villanova in a 96-68 win.
- Creighton's 98 points were the most Xavier has ever allowed inside Cintas Center, which opened in 2000.
- Along with the Creighton women defeating Omaha 92-48 that same day in Omaha, it was the first time a BIG EAST school posted 40+ point wins in men's and women's basketball on the same day since Nov. 6, 2018, when Seton Hall dominated Wagner in both sports.
The only other time in history that Creighton MBB and WBB had wins of 40+ points on the same day was Nov. 27, 1982, when the men beat Wisconsin-Platteville 98-54 and the women topped SIU Edwardsville 99-59, but both of those games were in Omaha.
- Creighton's men and women both made 16 three-pointers. It was the first time a BIG EAST school had both its men's and women's programs make 15+ three-pointers on the same day since Creighton did it on March 23, 2024. On that day, the CU men did it in a double-overtime win vs. Oregon, while the women did it in a victory against UNLV. Both of those were NCAA Tournament contests.
- It was Xavier's largest halftime deficit since trailing Duke 55-24 at half on Dec. 20, 2008 in East Rutherford, N.J., in an eventual 82-64 loss.
- It was Xavier's largest halftime deficit ever in a BIG EAST game (previously 48-22 vs. UConn on Jan. 28, 2024), and largest halftime deficit in a BIG EAST home game since trailing 44-28 vs. Seton Hall on Dec. 30, 2020.
- It was Xavier's second-largest loss ever in a conference game, trailing only its 99-56 loss at UConn on Jan. 28, 2024.
- It was Xavier's largest loss in a home game in program history, eclipsing an 86-48 loss to Dayton on March 5, 1977.
- Xavier's previous largest loss at Cintas Center (which opened in 2000) was a 64-42 loss to Oral Roberts on Dec. 18, 2011.
Triple Trouble
Austin Swartz made a career-high eight three-pointers on Jan. 13 vs. Georgetown. Swartz's performance was tied for fourth-most trifectas in a game in program history.
In the last 15 seasons, Swartz is just the third player to score at least 33 points, make eight or more three-pointers and shoot at least 75 percent from the field in the same BIG EAST game. He joins current CU assistant coach Mitch Ballock on March 9, 2019, when he made 12-of-14 shots (including 11-for-13 from 3) to score 39 points vs. DePaul, as well as former Marquette standout Kam Jones vs. DePaul on Feb. 21, 2024 when Jones had 34 points, made 8-of-10 three-pointers and shot 12-for-15 from the field.
Swartz has now made seven or more three-pointers twice this season, making him just the fifth different Bluejay to ever do that along with Trey Alexander (2022-23), Mitch Ballock (2018-19 and 2020-21), Kyle Korver (2002-03), Ethan Wragge (2013-14). Korver did it four times in 2002-03, making him the only Bluejay with three (or more) such games in the same season.
With another game of seven or more three-pointers in the next seven weeks, Swartz can join Rutgers' Jerome Coleman (in 2001-02) as the only players in the last 30 years with three or more BIG EAST games in the same season with seven trifectas or more. No one's had multiple BIG EAST games of eight or more three-pointers in the same campaign during the last 30 years.
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
Austin Swartz vs. Georgetown 01/13/26
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
Steven Ashworth vs. Butler 03/08/25
Austin Swartz at Xavier 12/17/25
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 33 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including rallies from 10 points down this season at Villanova (25-15 on Jan. 7) and at home against both Georgetown (36-26 on Jan. 13) and Seton Hall (63-53 on Feb. 7th).
Fifteen of those 33 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
17 vs. DePaul 03/13/25
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
11 St. John's 12/31/24
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
10 Georgetown 02/23/25
10 at Villanova 01/07/26
10 Georgetown 01/13/26
10 Seton Hall 02/07/26
Making An Impact
The 7th Annual Silver Waves Media 100 Most Impactful High Major Coaches List was unveiled on Jan. 12th.
Creighton had three coaches on the list, as Alan Huss, Derek Kellogg and Trey Zeigler were all recognized. Not only was Trey Zeigler honored, but so was his dad Ernie Zeigler, who is an assistant coach at Nebraska.
The only eight schools with at least three coaches honored on the list were Florida (4), Kansas (4), BYU, Creighton, Duke, Illinois, Stanford and Texas.
Jays Reach 30K at CHI
Creighton has outscored its opponents 30,221-25,328 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.74 points per game in 384 all-time games in the building that count.
Creighton is 28-2 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CHI Health Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (CHI 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 FG vs. Villanova
11/13/24 28,000-23,388 (357) Isaacs 3FG vs. Hou. Christian
02/26/25 29,000-24,231 (370) Kalkbrenner FG vs. DePaul
01/13/26 30,000-25,082 (381) Dix FT vs. Georgetown
Bench Boost
Creighton scored 43 (at Xavier) and 41 (vs. Marquette) bench points in its first two league games, a fact that's even more incredible when you consider that the Bluejays had gone 147 straight BIG EAST games without scoring 40+ points off the bench dating to Jan. 13, 2018.
CU also scored 40 bench points vs. Xavier on Jan. 21st.
Creighton had not scored 40+ bench points in consecutive games (conference or otherwise) since doing it vs. Presbyterian (43) and Longwood (56) in November of 2012.
40+ Points in BIG EAST Play
Year 40+ Bench Points Opponent
2013-14: 0 of 18 -
2014-15: 2 of 18 @SJU, SJU
2015-16: 1 of 18 DPU
2016-17: 0 of 18 -
2017-18: 1 of 18 @XU
2018-19: 0 of 18 -
2019-20: 0 of 18 -
2020-21: 0 of 20 -
2021-22: 0 of 19 -
2022-23: 0 of 20 -
2023-24: 0 of 20 -
2024-25: 0 of 20 -
2025-26: 3 of 14 so far @XU, MU, XU
Most Creighton Bench Points in BIG EAST Play
Bench Pts. Opponent Date
51 DePaul 02/06/16
46 at Xavier 01/13/18
45 at St. John's 02/07/15
44 St. John's 01/28/15
43 at Xavier 12/17/25
41 Marquette 12/20/25
40 Xavier 01/21/26
Deep Thoughts
Greg McDermott talked in the off-season about how this year's squad figured to be the deepest team he's ever had at Creighton, and the results have proven him right.
Creighton's bench has outscored foes 680-540 this season. That +140 figure would be CU's best year-end mark since 2017-18 (+229). The 680 points are CU's most bench points since scoring 806 bench points in 2017-18.
Creighton's bench has accounted for 35.64 percent of CU's scoring, and 27.20 points per game. That's the most bench points per game since the 2007-08 team averaged 36.91 bench points per game and actually outscored the starting line-up (34.61 ppg.).
Creighton entered this season with 48 straight wins when scoring 17 or more bench points, but are just 11-10 this year when scoring 17 points or more off the bench.
Creighton's loss on Jan. 10 when scoring 38 bench points vs. St. John's was CU's most bench points in a loss since scoring 46 at No. 10 Xavier on Jan. 13, 2018.
Non-Con Success
Creighton went 6-5 in regular-season non-conference play this season. It's the 29th straight season that the Bluejays have had a .500 record or better in regular-season non-conference game. The last Bluejay team that wasn't was CU's 1996-97 team that went 5-6.
Creighton's last team to lose five regular-season non-conference games was its 2022-23 squad that finished the year in the Elite Eight.
Below is a look at Creighton's annual regular-season non-conference marks under Greg McDermott.
W-L Year Year-End W-L (Postseason)
8-5 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
11-1 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
11-2 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
10-2 2013-14 27-8 (NCAA)
9-4 2014-15 14-19 (None)
9-4 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
13-0 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
11-2 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
9-4 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
11-2 2019-20 24-7 (None due to COVID-19)
4-1 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
8-3 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
6-5 2022-23 24-13 (NCAA)
9-2 2023-24 25-10 (NCAA)
7-4 2024-25 25-11 (NCAA)
6-5 2025-26 TBD
Sharing Is Caring
Creighton's 31 assists at Xavier were its second-most ever in a game under Greg McDermott, trailing only the 32 vs. USC Upstate on Dec. 20, 2017 in a 116-62 win.
Nationally, Creighton became the first road team with 31 or more assists in a Power 5 conference game since Washington at California on March 3, 2005.
Creighton's 31 assists were the most in a regular-season BIG EAST game by any school since Xavier had 32 vs. Georgetown on Jan. 21, 2023, and tied for the third-most in any league game since 1996-97. Creighton's 31 assists were also its most ever in any BIG EAST game.
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.77 points per home game (21,728 points in 269 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.31 points in non-conference home games (10,371 points in 123 home games).
Creighton is 163-7 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Sixty Percent Club
Creighton shot 60.3 percent in its Dec. 17 win at Xavier. Since Greg McDermott was hired at Creighton, the Bluejays have shot 60 percent or better 33 times.
Here's that list, as well as several others, per Basketball-Reference.com, through Feb. 11.
Most Games, 60%+ FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 50 (50-0) Gonzaga
2. 33 (33-0) Creighton
3. 30 (30-0) Kansas
30 (29-1) Northern Colorado
5. 29 (29-0) Indiana
Most Games, 50%+ FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 323 (313-10) Gonzaga
2. 232 (216-16) Belmont
3. 229 (216-13) Kansas
4. 226 (211-15) Creighton
5. 223 (211-12) Duke
Most Games, 50%+ 3FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 92 (81-11) Weber State
2. 89 (79-10) UCLA
3. 87 (82-5) Creighton
87 (72-15) Michigan State
5. 86 (83-3) Gonzaga
Best Field Goal Percentage, Since 2010-11
Rk. FG% Team
1. .508 Gonzaga
2. .483 Belmont
3. .478 Kansas
4. .476 Creighton
.476 Duke
Best 2-Point Field Goal Percentage, Since 2010-11
(includes teams that have been Division I 10+ years)
Rk. 2FG% Team
1. .574 Gonzaga
.574 Belmont
3. .553 Creighton
4. .541 Furman
.541 Duke
Austin Powers
Austin Swartz had 27 points in 23 minutes of CU's Dec. 17 road win at Xavier.
He's just the seventh Bluejay in the last 20 seasons with 25+ points in 25 minutes or less, and joined Cole Huff as one of two Bluejays with a game of 27+ points in 23 minutes or less since 1991-92.
25+ Points in 25 Minutes or Less
Creighton Players Since 1991-92
PTS MIN Name, Opponent Date
26 25 Dane Watts vs. Mississippi Valley State 11/17/07
25 18 Doug McDermott vs. Hou. Christian 12/17/11
27 24 Geoffrey Groselle vs. North Texas 12/21/15
28 22 Cole Huff vs. DePaul 02/06/16
25 25 Marcus Zegarowski vs. #21 Butler 02/23/20
25 23 Trey Alexander vs. Georgetown 03/01/23
27 23 Austin Swartz at Xavier 12/17/25
Triple Option
Creighton made 16 three-pointers in its Dec. 17 victory at Xavier. It was tied for the third-most three-pointers ever by the Bluejays in a road game.
Most 3FG Made in a Road Game, Creighton History
3FG 3FGA Opponent Date
21 35 at #4 Villanova 01/20/14
17 35 at Seton Hall 01/27/21
16 36 at Georgetown 01/06/18
16 33 at Xavier 12/17/25
Preseason All-BIG EAST Votes Revealed
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of 2025 BIG EAST Media Day on October 21.
It marks the fourth straight year the Bluejays have been tabbed for a top-three finish and the third time CU has been picked exactly third in the BIG EAST poll, having also happened in 2013-14 as well as 2016-17.
Defending league champion St. John's garnered 7-of-11 first place votes and was chosen atop the poll with 97 points, just ahead of Connecticut. The Huskies collected four first place votes and 94 points. Creighton was third with 80 points, just ahead of Providence (64) and Marquette (60). The second half of the league poll consists of Georgetown (57), Villanova (50), Xavier (33), DePaul (29), Butler (26) and Seton Hall (15).
Creighton finished 25-11 overall and 15-5 in BIG EAST play last season and returns starters Jackson McAndrew (7.8 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) and Jasen Green (4.9 ppg., 3.2 rpg.) along with a talented crop of newcomers.
Three of those newcomers join McAndrew with Preseason All-BIG EAST accolades, giving CU four honorees for the first time since its 2022-23 team that eventually finished the season in the Elite Eight. Owen Freeman was voted a Preseason All- BIG EAST First Team selection and Josh Dix was a Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team choice. McAndrew and Nik Graves were both Preseason All-BIG EAST Third Team honorees.
Freeman is the eighth different Bluejay to earn Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team recognition, and first to do it prior to playing a game with the Bluejays. It also means CU has had a First Team pick each of the last four seasons, as Trey Alexander was chosen prior to 2023-24 and Ryan Kalkbrenner was honored each of the previous three campaigns.
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 10th straight finish in the top four of the league standings.
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 (POY, 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 T-2nd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
Baylor Scheierman (2nd)
2024-25 2nd 2nd Ryan Kalkbrenner (POY, 1st); Steven Ashworth (3rd)
2025-26 3rd ? ? ? Owen Freeman (1st); Josh Dix (2nd)
Jackson McAndrew (3rd); Nik Graves (3rd)
League Of Their Own
Creighton has finished with a .500 mark or better in league play 29 times in the previous 30 seasons, one of six schools nationally that can say that.
The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous 10 seasons are Creighton and Villanova.
Creighton is also the only "Power 5" school with an active streak of six years or longer with 12 or more league wins.
Most Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Last 30 Seasons (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
30 Duke
30 Kansas
30 Gonzaga
29 Creighton
29 Kentucky
29 Michigan State
Consecutive Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Power 5 Schools (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
36 Kansas
30 Duke
14 Oregon
13 Villanova
10 Creighton
10 Houston
10 Florida
Consecutive Seasons 12+ League Wins
Power 5 Schools (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
6 Creighton
Best BIG EAST Years
Creighton's 15 league wins last season set a program record for most conference wins in any of its first 12 seasons in the BIG EAST. It was the third straight season CU won 14 league games or more, something only Villanova (2013-14 to 2017-18) and Connecticut (1993-94 to 1995-96) have done in BIG EAST history.
Four of CU's seven teams to win 12 or more BIG EAST games reached the BIG EAST Tournament final, with the prematurely cancelled 2019-20 campaign being one of the exceptions.
Creighton's 15 conference wins last year matched its most as a member of any league, as it picked up 15 conference wins in 2002-03 when it was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
At the end of last season, Creighton had now set or tied program records for most conference wins in a one-year span (15), two-year span (29), three-year span (43), four-year span (55), five-year span (69), six-year span (82) and seven-year span (91).
Creighton has finished first or second in the BIG EAST in four of the last six seasons, and top four in the league each of the previous nine campaigns.
Creighton's Most BIG EAST Wins, Season
W-L Year BIG EAST Tourney
15-5 2024-25 TBA
14-4 2013-14 Lost in Final
14-6 2020-21 Lost in Final
14-6 2022-23 Lost in Semi's
14-6 2023-24 Lost in Quarterfinals
13-5 2019-20 Tourney Cancelled
12-7 2021-22 Lost in Final
Creighton's Most Conference Wins, Season
W-L Year League
15-3 2002-03 MVC
15-5 2024-25 BIG EAST
14-4 2000-01 MVC
14-4 2001-02 MVC
14-4 2008-09 MVC
14-4 2011-12 MVC
14-4 2013-14 BIG EAST
14-6 2020-21 BIG EAST
14-6 2022-23 BIG EAST
14-6 2023-24 BIG EAST
Availability Reports
The BIG EAST is now requiring availability reports prior to each league game, with plans calling for the information will be released three hours prior to each conference contest.
The league website with that information is
https://bigeast.com/sports/2025/11/26/2526_mbb_availability_reports.aspx .
Three's Company
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 96 straight games, the nation's second-longest active streak.
It's the longest streak by a BIG EAST team since former league member West Virginia had a streak of 97 games in a row from Feb. 12, 2005 to Jan. 6, 2008.
Longest Active Streaks of 5+ 3FG Made (2/13)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 123 North Florida 2/14
2. 96 Creighton 2/14
3. 93 Wofford 2/14
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,081 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 (2/11)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,288 Duke 2/14
2. 1,284 UNLV 2/13
3. 1,217 East Tennessee State 2/14
4. 1,192 Oakland 2/12
5. 1,188 Pacific 2/14
6. 1,186 Texas 2/14
7. 1,124 Marshall 2/14
8. 1,120 Gonzaga 2/14
9. 1,103 Princeton 2/13
10. 1,081 Creighton 2/14
11. 1,071 Long Island 2/12
12. 1,066 Mount St. Mary's 2/13
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 1,081 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,758 trifectas, an average of 8.10 treys per game.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 338 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 114-34 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 39-39 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: 106 times 6: 114 times
7: 156 times 8: 136 times 9: 96 times
10: 94 times 11: 67 times 12: 65 times
13: 55 times 14: 27 times 15: 9 times
16: 10 times 17: 5 times 18: 1 time
19: 2 times 20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
Seeking the Pefect Blend
Creighton's roster includes nine newcomers and seven returners. CU has yet to play a single possession with five returners on the floor at the same time.
# of Newcomers CU Pts.-Opp Pts. % of Pts. by CU
0 Newcomers on Floor Hasn't Happened n/a
1 Newcomer on Floor 55-51 .519
2 Newcomers on Floor 460-472 .494
3 Newcomers on Floor 721-688 .512
4 Newcomers on Floor 611-612 .500
5 Newcomers on Floor 61-51 .545
Newcomers Lead The Way
For the season, 1,272 of Creighton's 1,908 points have been scored by newcomers, an astounding 66.67 percent. This shouldn't be too much of a shock though, as only 28.0 percent of last year's points returned.
By comparison, newcomers on last year's team were responsible for only 36.6 percent of the points.
McDermott's Coaching Tree
Greg McDermott's coaching tree includes 11 men who are currently a head coach at the Division I level, including three men at Power 5 schools.
Here's a list:
Darian DeVries - Indiana
Eric Henderson - Drake
Ben Jacobson - Northern Iowa
Steve Lutz - Oklahoma State
Ryan Miller - Murray State
TJ Otzelberger - Iowa State
Bryan Petersen - South Dakota State
David Richman - North Dakota State
Daniyal Robinson - North Texas
Paul Sather - North Dakota
Patrick Sellers - Central Connecticut State
Postseason Success
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. That makes CU one of four teams in the country to have a win in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, joining Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston.
This is the first time that Creighton Basketball has won an NCAA Tournament game in five straight years. The only other CU program in any sport to win an NCAA Tournament game in five straight seasons is Creighton Volleyball (2015-19).
Even though a certain NCAA bid was wiped away in 2020 by COVID-19, Creighton has still appeared in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2021-25).
The only previous time that Creighton Men's Basketball has appeared in five straight NCAA Tournaments was from 1999-2003.
Creighton is one of 13 teams to have appeared in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2021-25). That list consists of Alabama, Baylor, Connecticut, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, San Diego State, Tennessee and Texas.
Ain't Too Proud To Brag
Creighton has won 20 or more games in each of the past 10 seasons, tied for the nation's fourth-longest active streak. Kansas leads the way with 36, followed by Gonzaga (28), Oregon (15) and Belmont (15). Houston and Creighton both have 10.
Creighton has won 22 games or more in six straight seasons. Only Gonzaga (28) and Houston (8) have longer streaks.
Creighton is one of two schools to have men's and women's basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous four seasons, a list that includes Creighton and UConn.
Creighton is one of two teams in the nation with 25 or more wins in both men's basketball and women's basketball each of the previous two seasons. That list consists of Creighton and Gonzaga.
Most Consecutive 20-Win Seasons
Team Consec. 20-Win Seasons (entering 2025-26)
Kansas 36
Gonzaga 28
Belmont 15
Oregon 15
Creighton 10
Houston 10
Most Consecutive 22-Win Seasons
Team Consec. 22-Win Yrs. (entering 2025-26)
Gonzaga 28
Houston 8
Creighton 6
25 of 27 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 25 of the previous 27 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Entering 2025-26, just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the previous 27 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 26 times, Creighton and Kentucky 25 times each.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 27 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons (Entering 2025-26)
Gonzaga 27
Kansas 27
Duke 26
Creighton 25
Kentucky 25
Arizona 23
Florida 23
Michigan State 23
BYU 22
Memphis 22
North Carolina 22
Ohio State 22
Wisconsin 22
Most 20-Win Seasons, Head Coaches Since 2010-11
20-Win Seasons (2010-11 to 20224-25) Name, Team
15 Mark Few, Gonzaga
15 Bill Self, Kansas
15 Dana Altman, Oregon
14 Greg McDermott, Creighton
14 John Calipari, Kentucky and Arkansas
Two Dozen, Cousin
Creighton is one of 15 schools to have won 24 games or more in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024- 25. That group consists of Alabama, Arizona, Charleston, Connecticut, Creighton, Drake, Duke, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Houston, Purdue, Saint Mary's, Tennessee, Utah State and VCU.
Sweetness!
Creighton is one of just nine teams to have reached at least three of the last five Sweet 16s.
Houston has done it each of the previous five seasons, while Alabama, Arkansas and Gonzaga have done it four times each.
Doing it three times in the previous five seasons are Duke, Michigan, Purdue, Tennessee, UCLA and Creighton.
Most Sweet 16's, Previous Five Seasons
# Team Years
5 Houston 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
4 Alabama 2021 - 2023 2024 2025
4 Arkansas 2021 2022 2023 - 2025
4 Gonzaga 2021 2022 2023 2024 -
3 Creighton 2021 - 2023 2024 -
3 UCLA 2021 2022 2023 - -
3 Duke - 2022 - 2024 2025
3 Michigan 2021 2022 - - 2025
3 Purdue - 2022 - 2024 2025
3 Tennessee - - 2023 2024 2025
Coaching Consistency Is Key
Between women's basketball coach Jim Flanery (465) and men's basketball coach Greg McDermott (363), Creighton is the nation's only school with a pair of active head coaches with at least 360 victories at their current school.
Flanery (hired in 2002) and McDermott (2010) also make Creighton one of three schools to have the same men's and women's basketball head coaches each of the last 15 seasons, joining Boise State (Leon Rice and Gordy Presnell) and Northern Iowa (Ben Jacobsen and Tanya Warren).
Jacobsen played on teams McDermott assisted at North Dakota from 1989-93 and later replaced McDermott as head coach at UNI In 2006, while Warren was a former Creighton player and assistant and is one of two women in program history to have her number retired.
Stability is Key
One reason for Creighton's extended run of success has been the continuity within its coaching staff. The Bluejays have had just two head coaches in the last 32 years, Dana Altman (1994-2010) and Greg McDermott (2010-Present).
Here's a list of major conference schools to have a coach with 300 wins at that school, and their predecessor also had 300 wins at the school:
School Former Coach Current Coach
Creighton Dana Altman Greg McDermott
Kansas Roy Williams Bill Self
Michigan State Jud Heathcote Tom Izzo
Purdue Gene Keady Matt Painter
Long Run
Greg McDermott is in his 16th season on the Creighton sideline in 2025-26. That's tied for the 15th-longest active run of any men's coach with his current team as a Division I head coach.
Most Consecutive Years as Head Coach, Current Team
Years Name School
1995-Pr. Tom Izzo Michigan State
1998-Pr. Greg Kampe Oakland
1999-Pr. Mark Few Gonzaga
1999-Pr. James Jones Yale
2001-Pr. Randy Bennett Saint Mary's
2002-Pr. Bill Self Kansas
2003-Pr. Scott Drew Baylor
2005-Pr. Matt Painter Purdue
2006-Pr. Ben Jacobsen Northern Iowa
2006-Pr. Bill Coen Northeastern
2007-Pr. Mark Schmidt St. Bonaventure
2007-Pr. Brent Reed Lehigh
2007-Pr. Tommy Amaker Harvard
2009-Pr. LaVelle Moton North Carolina Central
2010-Pr. Greg McDermott Creighton
2010-Pr. Andy O'Toole Robert Morris
2010-Pr. Tad Boyle Colorado
2010-Pr. Leon Rice Boise State
2010-Pr. Dana Altman Oregon
2010-Pr. Russell Turner UC Irvine
2010-Pr. Brad Brownell Clemson
The McDermott Era
Greg McDermott owns 363 wins at Creighton since his arrival in 2010-11. It's the eighth-most of programs that have had the same coach the entire time.
Schools With Most Wins Since 2010-11, Only 1 Coach
(Through games of Feb. 12)
Rk. Wins School Coach Next
1. 476 Gonzaga Mark Few 2/14
2. 445 Kansas Bill Self 2/14
3. 406 Saint Mary's Randy Bennett 2/14
4. 394 Michigan State Tom Izzo 2/13
5. 379 Purdue Matt Painter 2/14
6. 378 Oregon Dana Altman 2/14
7. 370 Baylor Scott Drew 2/14
8. 363 Creighton Greg McDermott 2/14
National Ranks In The McDermott Era
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 200 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Feb. 11, 2026
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 4,916 2nd
2FG Percentage .553 3rd
FG Percentage .476 5th
Assists 8,759 5th
3FG Percentage .371 8th
FG Made 14,921 8th
Points 41,720 8th
Wins 363 25th
Winning Percentage .665 33rd
Among The Best
CBS Sports conducted a pair of surveys during the summer that highlight Greg McDermott as one of the best in the country at what he does.
Who is the best X's and O's coach in college basketball right now? (Asked to roughly 100 coaches)
1. Matt Painter (Purdue): 19%
2. Dan Hurley (UConn): 18%
3. Greg McDermott (Creighton): 16%
4. Kelvin Sampson (Houston): 7%
5. Ben McCollum (Iowa): 5%
6. Randy Bennett (Saint Mary's): 4%
Tom Izzo (Michigan State): 4%
Dusty May Michigan): 4%
Bill Self (Kansas): 4%
10. Rick Barnes (Tennessee): 2%
Chris Collins (Northwestern): 2%
Grant McCasland (Texas Tech): 2%
Nate Oats (Alabama): 2%
Rick Pitino (St. John's): 2%
Mark Schmidt (St. Bonaventure): 2%
Others: 7%
Who are the best college basketball coaches? (Asked to 6 CBB writers)
1. Dan Hurley, Connecticut
2. Kelvin Sampson, Houston
3. Rick Pitino, St. John's
4. Bill Self, Kansas
5. Matt Painter, Purdue
6. Nate Oats, Alabama
7. Todd Golden, Florida
8. Tom Izzo, Michigan State
9. Mark Few, Gonzaga
10. Scott Drew, Baylor
11. Jon Scheyer, Duke
12. Dusty May, Michigan
13. Rick Barnes, Tennessee
14. John Calipari, Arkansas
15. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
16. Mark Pope, Kentucky
17. Greg McDermott, Creighton
18. Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
19. Brad Underwood, Illinois
20. Pat Kelsey, Louisville
21. TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State
22. Chris Beard, Ole Miss
23. Mick Cronin, UCLA
24. Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's
25. Shaka Smart, Marquette
And 1. Ben McCollum, Iowa
Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Not counting 2019-20, when there was no postseason, Creighton has made the postseason each of the 12 most recent times in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year.
Ten of those postseason trips were NCAA Tournament berths. The last time that didn't hold true was 1991-92, when CU shot 51.0 percent in the opener but finished just 9-19.
Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in 10 of its last 14 season-openers, including 50 percent (37-for-74) on Wednesday vs. South Dakota.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage 50+%
Since 1993-94
FG% Year Opponent Postseason
.541 1997-98 UMKC NIT
.524 1998-99 Towson State NCAA
.569 2000-01 Western Illinois NCAA
.594 2002-03 UT Arlington NCAA
.500 2012-13 North Texas NCAA
.556 2013-14 Alcorn State NCAA
.528 2015-16 Texas Southern NIT
.508 2016-17 UMKC NCAA
.558 2017-18 Yale NCAA
.524 2019-20 Kennesaw St. Postseason Ccd.
.585 2021-22 Ark.-Pine Bluff NCAA
.567 2023-24 Florida A&M NCAA
.600 2024-25 UTRGV NCAA
.500 2025-26 South Dakota ? ? ?
The Push For 90
Of Creighton's 26 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, 13 have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Put another way...of CU's 20 teams (before 2025-26) to score 90 points in an opener, 13 would reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here's a look at Creighton's 12 most recent teams (before 2025-26) to score 90 or more points in a season-opener:
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
97-65 North Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 27-8 NCAA
104-77 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 14-19 --
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 20-15 NIT
92-76 Yale 11/10/17 21-12 NCAA
90-77 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21 23-12 NCAA
105-54 Florida A&M 11/07/23 25-10 NCAA
99-86 UTRGV 11/06/24 25-11 NCAA
92-76 South Dakota 11/05/25 ? ? ? ? ? ?
NBA Jays
There are five former Creighton players in the NBA this season.
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is with the Sacramento Kings as he begins his 12th year in the NBA. He was a Lottery pick in 2014 by the Denver Nuggets.
Baylor Scheierman is in his second year with the Boston Celtics after being a First Round pick in 2024.
Trey Alexander, who was named 2024-25 G-League Rookie of the Year in the Denver Nuggets organization, is now on a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
There is palpable buzz around Ryan Kalkbrenner, a Second Round pick of the Charlotte Hornets, in his rookie campaign.
Lastly, former Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard is on a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Nembhard played two years at Creighton before finishing his career at Gonzaga.
These men give Creighton at least one NBA player for the 42nd time in the last 43 seasons.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
Who's Back?
With Creighton returning only seven of the 15 men who appeared in a game last season -- including its top three scorers -- much of the production is gone.
Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
3FG Made 135 (39.2%) 209 (60.8%)
Minutes 2661 (36.7%) 4589 (63.3%)
Rebounds 426 (34.4%) 811 (65.6%)
Starts 61 (33.9%) 119 (66.1%)
Steals 43 (33.1%) 87 (66.9%)
Points 761 (28.0%) 1956 (72.0%)
Assists 112 (18.2%) 503 (81.8%)
Blocks 28 (17.4%) 133 (82.6%)
Charges Taken 2 (16.7%) 10 (83.3%)
Preseason Top 25
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked 23rd in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, the fourth straight season the Bluejays have been ranked among the nation's best in the preseason.
This year's announcement marks the eighth 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), 2023-24 (No. 8) and 2024-25 (No. 15). All seven of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with three of the four 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 148 times in program history, with 120 of those under the direction of Greg McDermott. Creighton is 180-78 all-time as a ranked team, including a 146-66 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 12 of McDermott's 16 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton has been one of 11 schools ranked in the Top 25 of the Preseason AP poll each of the last four years, joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Creighton was one of three BIG EAST Conference schools in the poll, joining No. 4 Connecticut and No. 5 St. John's.
Among Creighton's non-conference opponents in the poll are preseason No. 21 Gonzaga and preseason No. 16 Iowa State.
Creighton was also ranked 23rd in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll.
Let's Go On A Run
Creighton unleashed a 23-0 run on Iowa State during its exhibition meeting, turning an early 8-4 deficit into a 27-8 lead over a span of just under seven minutes (6:57).
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season, it was Creighton's largest run in any game, including exhibitions. Below is that list.
Longest Creighton Runs Since 2021-22
Run Opponent (Score change) Date
23-0* #16 Iowa State (4-8 to 27-8) 10/17/25
21-0* Upper Iowa (32-29 to 53-29) 10//30/21
20-0 Texas Southern (61-44 to 81-44) 11/18/23
19-0 vs. #11 Providence (37-27 to 56-27) 03/11/22
19-0 Georgetown (0-0 to 19-0) 03/01/23
18-0 Houston Christian (19-9 to 37-9) 11/13/24
*exhibition game
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 61 starts from last year's team (31 by Jackson McAndrew, 25 by Jasen Green, 4 by Isaac Traudt, 1 by Ty Davis), its fewest since the 2021-22 team returned just two starts.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2025-26 2 61 ? ? ?
2024-25 3 105 25-11
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
McDermott Is Wins Leader
Greg McDermott has 363 victories at Creighton, passing his predecessor Dana Altman (327) for the most in program history in CU's Nov. 13, 2024 win vs. Houston Christian.
McDermott broke a different record on Jan. 21, 2025 at DePaul when he coached his 504th game on the Bluejay sideline, breaking the mark of 503 held by Altman.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton MBB History
Rk. W-L Name Years
1. 363-183 Greg McDermott 2010-Pres.
2. 327-176 Dana Altman 1994-2010
3. 165-66 Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-1935
4. 138-118 John J. "Red" McManus 1959-1969
5. 130-64 Tom Apke 1974-1981
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. 18,650 #2 Connecticut 01/31/26
9. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
10. 18,571 DePaul?? 01/22/24
11. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
12. 18,519 #8 Seton Hall 03/07/20
13. 18,518 Georgetown 01/27/18
14. 18,509 Villanova 02/04/23
15. 18,495 Marquette 02/17/18
16. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
17. 18,475 Nebraska 11/22/24
18. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
19. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
20. 18,430 Seton Hall 01/25/25
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 384 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the now 23-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 317-67 (.826) record all-time at the facility.
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 30,221-25,328 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.74 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 95 different times, including twice this year (Maryland Eastern Shore and Utah Tech).
Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 25 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 36-40 all-time in the 76 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-15 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 43-33 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 220-49 (.818) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 68 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 112-11 home record (.911) 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 335-67 (.833) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Perfect 10
Greg McDermott has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament 10 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 10 or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 14
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 10
Jim Flanery Women's Basketball 8
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished the 2024-25 season ranked 35th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 33 offense, and No. 44 defense.
Creighton has finished with a top-25 offense per KenPom eight times and a top-25 defense three times in 15 completed seasons under Greg McDermott.
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 33 44 35
2025-26 (2/11) 61 121 75
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball Highlights at Butler - 3/4/26
Thursday, March 05
2026 Creighton Men's Basketball Senior Day Ceremony
Friday, February 27
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Providence Press Conference - 2/28/26
Friday, February 27
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. DePaul Press Conference - 2/25/26
Monday, February 23
