Creighton University Athletics
2025-26 Men's Basketball Recap
4/15/2026 1:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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2025-26 Creighton Men's Basketball Recap
16-18 Overall • 9-11 BIG EAST (5th of 11) • College Basketball Crown Semifinalist
Creighton Men's Basketball completed the 2025-26 season with 16 wins and a trip to the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown as the program played in the postseason for the 10th straight season. The year will also be remembered as the final campaign for the program's all-time winningest coach Greg McDermott, who retired after 16 seasons at the helm on The Hilltop.
Despite adding nine newcomers in the offseason and losing All-BIG EAST guard Steven Ashworth and All-American center Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton began the year with high expectations. The Bluejays were ranked 23rd in the preseason Associated Press poll and voted third in the preseason BIG EAST Conference poll.
Exhibition victories over No. 16 Iowa State and Colorado State did nothing to dampen the excitement, and the regular-season started with a 92-76 triumph over South Dakota.
Creighton tasted defeat for the first time in Spokane, falling to No. 19 Gonzaga in a nationally-televised Top 25 showdown, but the Jays would regroup with decisive home wins over Maryland Eastern Shore and North Dakota. The win over UND would prove costly, as Jackson McAndrew would miss the second half with an injury and that eventually led to surgery and forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
CU then went 1-2 in Las Vegas at the GEICO Players Era Men's Championship, losing to Baylor and No. 16 Iowa State before closing the trip with a double-digit win over Oregon and former Bluejay head coach Dana Altman.
December opened with a win over Nicholls before back-to-back setbacks against Nebraska and Kansas State that gave the Jays a 5-5 record heading into BIG EAST play.
CU wrecked Xavier, 98-57, in Cincinnati to open league play, then posted an 84-63 win over Marquette to start 2-0 in league action. A non-conference victory over Utah Tech right before Christmas preceded a win over Butler as CU closed 2025 on a four-game win streak and with a 9-5 record overall.
Creighton alternated wins and losses in its first seven games of January, including a victory at Villanova and heart-stopping comeback wins to topple Georgetown and Xavier at home.
The morning of February 4th proved to be about bigger than basketball, as Kelly Dix, the mother of senior guard Josh Dix, passed away after a battle with colon cancer. Josh would turn down the chance to return home -- instead choosing to be with his teammates -- and play in the game that night. Performances like that helped the Council Bluffs native win the BIG EAST's Sportsmanship Award.
Three days later on Feb. 7, the Bluejays overcame a nine-point deficit in the final 87 seconds to stun Seton Hall, 69-68, on a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left by fellow senior guard Nik Graves. After back-to-back losses in the games that ensued, Creighton pulled off its most impressive win of the year on Feb. 18th, winning 91-84 at No. 5 Connecticut. The Huskies would go on to reach the national championship game.
The Jays closed February with three straight losses before closing the regular-season on March 4th with a 76-59 win at Butler as Graves had 14 points, 13 assists and six steals in a splendid all-around performance.
The victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse helped CU secure the No. 5 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, and locked up a quarterfinal round match-up against fourth-seeded Seton Hall.
The Pirates would emerge with a 72-61 win, putting CU's postseason hopes in jeopardy.
Four days later, Creighton's postseason hopes would be answered as the College Basketball Crown selected the Bluejays as one of eight teams in the field.
The Crown didn't start until a full three weeks later on April 2nd, when CU returned to action with an 82-69 win over Rutgers as the Bluejays picked up a postseason victory for a seventh straight season.
Creighton's hopes for a postseason title were ended in the semifinals, as the Jays lost 87-70 to eventual champion West Virginia. Junior forward Jasen Green was named to the All-Tournament Team.
McDermott finished with program records for wins (366), BIG EAST wins (147), NCAA Tournament trips (10), NCAA Tournament wins (12), Top 25 weeks (121), Top 25 wins (47), Top 10 weeks (28), Top 10 wins (17), 20-win seasons (14), postseason trips (14) and postseason wins (21).
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) carried Creighton men's basketball games during the 2025-26 season. John Bishop called the action with a group that included Taylor Stormberg, Tyler Clement, Ravi Lulla and Connor Happer. The audio was webcast at 1620thezone.com.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season had free live stats at Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) finished his 16th and final season at Creighton with a 366-189 record with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 646-384 in 32 seasons, and was 515-320 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 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 was assisted by Alan Huss, Derek Kellogg, Trey Zeigler, Mitch Ballock and Mike Nesbitt.
McDermott Retires At CU After The Crown
Greg McDermott, the all-time winningest coach in Creighton men's basketball history, announced on March 23rd his decision to retire from his position as head coach of the Creighton men's basketball program following the team's final game in the College Basketball Crown tournament.
Alan Huss, who returned to his alma mater last April as associate head coach and head coach in waiting, took over as the 17th head coach of the Bluejay program on April 7, 2026.
McDermott owned a 366-189 record in 16 years at Creighton, moving his career mark to 646-384 in 32 seasons as a head coach at Wayne State (1994-2000), North Dakota State (2000-01), Northern Iowa (2001-06), Iowa State (2006-10) and Creighton (2010-Present). The Cascade, Iowa, native became Creighton's all-time wins leader on Nov. 13, 2024, when he passed predecessor Dana Altman with his 328th win.
During his time at Creighton McDermott led the Bluejays to 14 seasons of 20-plus wins and 12 NCAA Tournament wins in 10 NCAA Tournament trips, including one Elite Eight (2022-23) and three Sweet 16 appearances (2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24). Creighton had 21 victories in 14 postseason trips overall under McDermott, taking two teams to the NIT quarterfinals, one to the College Basketball Crown semifinals and one to the CBI final. That doesn't take into account the 2019-2020 season, when Creighton won a share of its lone BIG EAST title to date and was ranked seventh nationally before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to the 2019-20 BIG EAST regular-season title, Creighton also won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown in 2012-13 as well as the Valley Tournament title in both 2012 and 2013.
McDermott helped transition Creighton from the Missouri Valley Conference to the BIG EAST in 2013. The Bluejays rank second in league victories in that time and its active streak of 10 straight top-five BIG EAST finishes ranks as the third-longest streak in league history and the best by any program in 35 years. Creighton has met or exceeded its preseason poll prediction in 11 of 13 years in the BIG EAST. McDermott's 147 league victories rank sixth in the storied history of the BIG EAST, trailing only Naismith Hall of Fame inductees Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, Jay Wright, John Thompson and Rick Pitino.
Creighton has produced three NBA First Round picks (Doug McDermott, Justin Patton, Baylor Scheierman) and three NBA Second Round picks (Khyri Thomas, Marcus Zegarowski, Ryan Kalkbrenner) during his tenure. His son, Doug McDermott, was a three-time First Team All-American and was named National Player of the Year following the 2013-14 season as he finished with 3,150 career points, to rank fifth in NCAA history at the time.
Creighton has been a fixture in the Top 25 under McDermott, spending 121 weeks in the Associated Press rankings. His teams produced 43 Top-25 victories, with 17 Top-10 wins, including triumphs over No. 1 Connecticut and No. 1 Kansas in 2024.
McDermott's impact hasn't been limited to on-court success. He was recognized after the 2017-18 season with the NABC's Coaches vs. Cancer Champions Award, a testament to his work in the community and with the program's annual Pink Out game. Held each January, Creighton's Pink Out game has raised over $1 million to benefit Hope Lodge and support the ongoing fight against cancer.
Additionally, 35 of 37 seniors who completed their eligibility requirements over the past 12 years have earned their undergraduate degree, with 26 going on to play professionally and four others attending graduate school.
The on-campus home to Creighton men's basketball was renamed from The Championship Center to The McDermott Center in 2024.
Creighton plans to honor Coach McDermott for his contributions to the men's basketball program with the hanging of a banner at CHI Health Center Omaha during a halftime ceremony at a yet-to-be-determined game during the 2026-27 season.
McDermott's Accomplishments
Over the last 16 seasons, Greg McDermott has transformed Creighton from a strong mid-major to a BIG EAST power.
Here's some of his biggest accomplishments....
- 366 wins (CU MBB record)
- 147 BIG EAST wins (CU MBB record; 6th league history)
- 10 NCAA Tournament trips (CU MBB record)
- 12-10 NCAA Tournament record (CU MBB record)
- 3 Sweet 16's (2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24)
- 1 Elite Eight (2022-23)
- 121 weeks in AP poll (CU MBB record)
- 43 Top 25 wins (CU MBB record)
- 17 Top 10 wins (CU MBB record)
- 14 seasons of 20+ wins (CU MBB record)
- 14 Postseason trips (CU MBB record)
- 21 Postseason wins (CU MBB record)
- 6 NBA Draft Picks (3 First Round, 3 Second Round)
- 2 MVC Tournament titles (2011-12, 2012-13)
- 1 MVC regular-season title (2012-13)
- 1 BIG EAST regular-season title (2019-20)
- 1 National Player of the Year (Doug McDermott)
- Over $1 million raised for Hope Lodge
Year 16 Progress Report
There were 53 head coaches hired nationwide prior to the 2010-11 season, including Creighton's Greg McDermott. At the close of the 2025-26 season, only eight of those men remained in that role.
Among the remaining coaches, McDermott was first on that list in NCAA trips, and second on that list in wins. He trails only his predecessor at Creighton, Dana Altman, who is now at Oregon.
Here's the record of those eight men.
W-L Name, School (NCAA Trips)
382-182 Dana Altman, Oregon (9)
366-189 Greg McDermott, Creighton (10)
344-199 Russell Turner, UC Irvine (2)
336-189 Leon Rice, Boise State (5)
329-219 Tad Boyle, Colorado (6)
316-207 Brad Brownell, Clemson (6)
315-211 Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo (0)
273-252 Andy Toole, Robert Morris (2)
The McDermott Era
Greg McDermott owned 366 wins at Creighton after his arrival in 2010-11. It was the eighth-most of programs that have had the same coach the entire time.
Schools With Most Wins Since 2010-11, Only 1 Coach
Rk. Wins School Coach Next
1. 483 Gonzaga Mark Few Next Year
2. 451 Kansas Bill Self Next Year
3. 411 Saint Mary's Randy Bennett Went to ASU
4. 400 Michigan State Tom Izzo Next Year
5. 390 Purdue Matt Painter Next Year
6. 383 Oregon Dana Altman Next Year
7. 374 Baylor Scott Drew Next Year
8. 366 Creighton Greg McDermott Retired
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 End of 2025-26
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 4,991 2nd
2FG Percentage .552 3rd
FG Percentage .475 5th
Assists 8,888 5th
FG Made 15,141 8th
Points 42,368 8th
3FG Percentage .370 9th
Wins 366 26th
Winning Percentage .655 37th
Huss Introduced As Next Head Coach
Alan Huss was introduced as the 17th head coach in the Creighton men's basketball history on March 25, 2026 and officially took over roughly two weeks later on April 7, 2026.
Huss, who served six years as assistant coach (2017-23) before returning last April as associate head coach and head coach in waiting, took over after the retirement of Greg McDermott following Creighton's postseason run at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.
A 2002 Creighton graduate, Huss becomes the first alum to take the reins of the men's basketball program since Tom Apke patrolled the Bluejay sideline from 1974-81.
Huss compiled a head coaching record of 56-15 during his two years at High Point University from 2023-25, highlighting his ability to build and lead teams to success. High Point achieved historic milestones, including the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in Division I history and a then-program-record 29 Division I wins during the 2024-2025 season, showcasing his capacity to elevate a program to new heights. Huss was named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
In seven seasons assistant coach under McDermott (2017-23, 2025-26), Huss has helped CU to 150 victories, eight wins in four NCAA Tournament appearances and its first BIG EAST title in 2019-20. He has worked closely with Creighton's big men, the Bluejay offense and recruiting.
Huss was a four-year member of the Creighton men's basketball team from 1997-2001, where he played under head coach Dana Altman and alongside future NBA sharpshooter Kyle Korver. During his collegiate career with the Bluejays, Huss was part of three NCAA Tournament teams (1999, 2000, 2001), two Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles (1999, 2000) and one MVC regular-season title (2001).
Huss' 56 wins are tied for the third-most this century by any head coach in their first two seasons as a Division I head coach, trailing only Brad Underwood (61), Tommy Lloyd (61) and tied with Brad Stevens (56).
All Aboard The Huss Bus
When Alan Huss was named head coach at High Point in 2023, he took over a program that had won 59 games in the previous five seasons, with all but one of those seasons being led by legendary head coach (and High Point alum) Tubby Smith.
Huss wasted no time making an impact, leading High Point to a 27-9 record in his first season and a 29-6 mark his second campaign. Huss led both teams to Big South Conference titles, including the program's first Division I NCAA Tournament bid, while bringing home back-to-back Big South Coach of the Year recognition.
This year's High Point team, which upset Wisconsin, featured three returners from Huss' final squad as well as three players that Huss and his staff recruited before he was hired back at Creighton on April 10, 2025.
High Point, Last 10 Seasons
Year Head Coach W-L
2016-17 Scott Cherry 15-16
2017-18 Scott Cherry 14-16
2018-19 Tubby Smith 16-15
2019-20 Tubby Smith 16-15
2020-21 Tubby Smith 9-15
2021-22 Tubby Smith 11-15
G.G. Smith 3-3
2022-23 G.G. Smith 14-17
2023-24 Alan Huss 27-9
2024-25 Alan Huss 29-6
2025-26 Flynn Clayman 31-5
Postseason, Past & Present
Creighton's games vs. Rutgers and West Virginia in the College Basketball Crown marked Creighton's 44th all-time appearance in the postseason, and sixth different event. Creighton is 38-45 all-time in the postseason.
The Bluejays are 21-27 in 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 12-10 mark in 10 trips under Greg McDermott.
CU is 9-12 all-time in 12 trips to the NIT, including a 4-2 record in two appearances under McDermott.
Creighton went 1-2 in two appearances in the National Catholic Invitational Tournament, with those trips coming in 1950 and 1963.
The Bluejays are 4-2 in one appearance in the College Basketball Invitational, which came in McDermott's first season at CU in 2010-11.
Creighton is 2-1 all-time in one trip to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, which came in Dana Altman's final season at CU in 2009-10.
Creighton went 1-1 at the College Basketball Crown in 2026 in its only appearance under McDermott.
McDermott is Creighton's all-time wins leader in the NCAA Tournament (12), NIT (4), CBI (4) and Crown (1).
All-Time in April
Creighton played Rutgers on April 2nd and West Virginia on April 4th, marking the latest games on the calendar in program history.
CU's only previous game played in the month of April was on April 1, 2011, a 71-69 loss to Oregon in Game 3 of the Best-of-3 Finals in the CBI. That game capped Greg McDermott's first season on The Hilltop.
Postseason Regulars
Not counting the 2019-20 season when the postseason was canceled due to COVID-19 (Creighton was ranked No. 7 nationally in the final poll), Creighton is one of 11 schools to have made the postseason each of the last 10 seasons (including 2025-26).
Here's that list, which doesn't count 2019-20 (COVID-19), nor any postseason trips that were later vacated.
Most Consecutive Postseasons, Active Streaks
(includes 2025-26, but not 2019-20 due to COVID-19)
Streak Team NCAA NIT Crown
37 Michigan State 33 4 -
36 Kansas 36 - -
28 Gonzaga 27 1 -
17 Saint Mary's 11 6 -
14 Baylor 11 2 1
13 Villanova 10 2 1
11 Alabama 7 4 -
11 Purdue 11 - -
10 Creighton 7 2 1
10 Houston 8 2 -
10 Florida 7 3 -
Sin City Spectacular
The College Basketball Crown marked Creighton's 11th trip ever to Las Vegas, the seventh since 2012, and fourth in the last four seasons. That doesn't count a 2023 game against UNLV in nearby Henderson, Nev.
The Bluejays are 12-10 all-time in Las Vegas, and 8-8 under Greg McDermott.
Creighton is 4-2 all-time inside MGM Grand Garden Arena, beating Rutgers and UMass in 2015, Notre Dame in 2024 and Rutgers in 2026, but also losing to San Diego State and Texas A&M in 2024. CU's semifinal loss to West Virginia this April was the team's first game at T-Mobile Arena.
Below is a list of Creighton's past trips to Sin City, which doesn't include the 2023 game vs. UNLV in nearby Henderson, Nev.
Date Opponent CU Result
01/04/67 at UNLV W 71-70
01/02/69 at UNLV L 99-109
12/21/87 vs. Alaska W 85-84
12/23/87 at #15 UNLV L 59-90
12/22/08 vs. Fresno State W 84-65
12/23/08 vs. DePaul W 83-75
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin W 84-74
11/24/12 vs. Arizona State W 87-73
11/23/15 vs. Rutgers W 85-75
11/25/15 vs. Massachusetts W 97-76
11/28/19 vs. San Diego State L 52-83
11/29/19 vs. #12 Texas Tech W 83-76 (OT)
12/10/22 vs. BYU L 83-80
12/12/22 vs. Arizona State L 73-71
11/26/24 vs. San Diego State L 71-53
11/27/24 vs. #20 Texas A&M L 77-73
11/30/24 vs. Notre Dame W 80-76
11/24/25 vs. Baylor L 81-74
11/25/25 vs. #15 Iowa State L 78-60
11/27/25 vs. Oregon W 76-66
04/02/26 vs. Rutgers W 82-69
04/04/26 vs. West Virginia L 70-87
Can't Keep A Crown Team Down
Last year's inaugural College Basketball Crown event featured 16 teams. Based on their records on Selection Sunday in both 2025 and 2026, 11 of the 16 had the same or more wins this season than last, while five had fewer victories this year.
Five of the 16 teams made this year's postseason, with Colorado the lone team to make a return appearance in the College Basketball Crown. Three of the 16 (Nebraska, Villanova, UCF) made the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Team '25 W-L* Crown W-L '26 W-L (Post)
Arizona State 13-19 0-1 17-16
Boise State 24-10 2-1 20-12
Butler 14-19 1-1 16-16
Cincinnati 18-15 1-1 18-15
Colorado 14-20 0-1 17-16 (Crown)
DePaul 14-19 0-1 16-16
Georgetown 17-15 1-1 18-16
George Washington 21-12 0-1 19-16 (NIT)
Nebraska 17-14 4-0 28-7 (NCAA)
Oregon State 20-12 0-1 17-16
Tulane 19-14 0-1 19-15
UCF 17-16 3-1 21-12 (NCAA)
USC 16-17 0-1 18-14
Utah 16-16 0-1 10-22
Villanova 19-14 2-1 24-9 (NCAA)
Washington State 19-14 0-1 12-20
*record entering the postseason
Postseason Wins In 15 of Last 17 Openers
Including the 2026 College Basketball Crown, Creighton has won at least one game in 15 of its last 17 postseason appearances, a stretch that began in 2007-08. CU won 12-of-14 postseason openers under Greg McDermott.
Excluding the 2019-20 season where no postseason was held due to COVID-19, the only other programs to win at least one game each of the previous seven postseasons are Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston.
Creighton's Last 15 Postseason Openers
Year Tourney First Game
2007-08 NIT Beat Rhode Island, 74-73
2008-09 NIT Beat Bowling Green, 73-71
2009-10 CIT Beat South Dakota, 89-78
2010-11 CBI Beat San Jose State, 85-74
2011-12 NCAA Beat Alabama, 58-57
2012-13 NCAA Beat Cincinnati, 67-63
2013-14 NCAA Beat Louisiana, 76-66
2015-16 NIT Beat Alabama, 72-54
2016-17 NCAA Lost to Rhode Island, 84-72
2017-18 NCAA Lost to Kansas State, 69-59
2018-19 NIT Beat Loyola (Chicago), 70-61
2020-21 NCAA Beat UCSB, 63-62
2021-22 NCAA Beat San Diego St., 72-69 (OT)
2022-23 NCAA Beat NC State, 72-63
2023-24 NCAA Beat Akron, 77-60
2024-25 NCAA Beat Louisville, 89-75
2025-26 Crown Beat Rutgers, 82-69
McDermott In The Postseason
Creighton coach Greg McDermott made his program-record 14th postseason appearance at Creighton, and 17th overall as a Division I head coach when you include his time at Northern Iowa.
McDermott's Division I teams own an 21-18 record in 17 postseason appearances, including a 21-15 mark in 14 appearances at Creighton.
McDermott's Division I Postseason Appearances
Year (School) Tourney Postseason W-L
2003-04 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2004-05 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2005-06 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2010-11 (CU) CBI 4-2
2011-12 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2012-13 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2013-14 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2015-16 (CU) NIT 2-1
2016-17 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2017-18 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2018-19 (CU) NIT 2-1
2020-21 (CU) NCAA 2-1
2021-22 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2022-23 (CU) NCAA 3-1
2023-24 (CU) NCAA 2-1
2024-25 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2025-26 (CU) Crown 1-1
Most Postseason Bids By CU Coaches
This year's bid to the College Basketball Crown was the 14th postseason bid for Greg McDermott at Creighton, passing Dana Altman's 13 for the most postseason appearances in men's basketball in school history.
McDermott's 10 NCAA Tournament trips are the most in program history as well, three more than what Altman did.
McDermott's 12 NCAA Tournament wins are a school record, nine more than second-place John J. "Red" McManus.
McDermott's 21 postseason wins at Creighton are the most in school history, 14 more than Altman's seven.
McDermott (21-15) is one of two coaches in program history with a winning record in postseason play, joining Eddie Sutton (2-1).
Coach (Bids) NCAA NIT CBI CIT NCIT Crown Total
Hickey (3) 1-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 3-3
Belford (1) 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-1
McManus (3) 3-3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 4-4
Sutton (1) 2-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-1
Apke (4) 0-3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-4
Barone (3) 1-2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-3
Altman (13) 2-7 3-5 0-0 2-1 0-0 0-0 7-13
McDermott (14) 12-10 4-2 4-2 0-0 0-0 1-1 21-15
Have A Half
Nik Graves scored 25 of his season-high 28 points after halftime in CU's April 2nd win over Rutgers.
Graves became the first Bluejay to score at least 20 points in a half since Steven Ashworth had 21 in the first half of a March 8, 2025 win vs. Butler, and the first with 25 points or more in a half since Ryan Kalkbrenner had 29 points vs. UTRGV on Nov. 6, 2024.
In that same game, Graves became Creighton's first player in at least 20 years with at least 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds in a game.
No Bluejay had owned at least 25 points, five assists and five rebounds in the same game since Jamiya Neal had 29 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in Creighton's first NCAA Tournament game a year ago, a March 20, 2025 win over No. 10 Louisville. Like Neal, Graves also wore No. 5.
Big (Ten) Mac Attack
Creighton's win over Rutgers improved the Jays to 20-7 in its last 27 games against teams from the Big Ten (at gametime). Creighton has outscored foes by an average of 6.52 points in those 27 games, which includes 16 double-figure victories.
Since 2011-12, the only non-conference team that have won at least 20 of their last 27 games against Big Ten teams are Duke (22-5), Kansas (21-6) and Creighton (20-7).
Greg McDermott went 36-21 in his career against teams that are currently in the Big Ten including a 23-11 mark on the Creighton sideline.
Creighton's Last 27 Games vs. the Big Ten
Date Opponent Score
11/20/11 vs. Iowa (in Des Moines) W 82-59
12/04/11 Nebraska W 76-66
12/22/11 Northwestern W 87-79
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin (in Las Vegas) W 84-74
12/06/12 at Nebraska W 64-42
12/08/13 Nebraska W 82-67
12/07/14 at Nebraska W 65-55
11/19/15 at #14 Indiana L 65-86
11/23/15 vs. Rutgers (in Las Vegas) W 85-75
12/09/15 Nebraska W 83-67
11/15/16 #9 Wisconsin W 79-67
12/07/16 at Nebraska W 77-62
11/15/17 at #20 Northwestern W 92-88
12/09/17 Nebraska W 75-65
11/15/18 Ohio State L 60-69
12/08/18 at #24 Nebraska L 75-94
11/12/19 at Michigan L 69-79
12/07/19 Nebraska W 95-76
12/11/20 Nebraska W 98-74
11/16/21 at Nebraska W 77-69
12/04/22 Nebraska L 53-63
11/14/23 Iowa W 92-84
12/03/23 at Nebraska W 89-60
11/22/24 Nebraska L 63-74
11/27/25 vs. Oregon (in Las Vegas) W 76-66
12/07/25 at Nebraska L 50-71
04/02/26 vs. Rutgers (in Las Vegas) W 82-69
Top Five Finish
Despite a 9-11 league record this winter, Creighton finished fifth in the BIG EAST. It's the 10th straight season CU has finished in the top-five or better, good for the league's longest streak in more than three decades.
It's the longest active streak in the BIG EAST, and third-longest in league history. Georgetown finished in the top-five in the first 11 seasons of the BIG EAST from 1979-80 to 1989-90, and Syracuse did it in 15 years in a row from 1981-82 to 1995-96.
Creighton's BIG EAST Finish History
Year Finish Final League W-L
2013-14 2nd 14-4
2014-15 T-9th 4-14
2015-16 6th 9-9
2016-17 T-3rd 10-8
2017-18 T-3rd 10-8
2018-19 T-3rd 9-9
2019-20 T-1st 13-5
2020-21 2nd 14-4
2021-22 4th 12-7
2022-23 3rd 13-7
2023-24 T-2nd 14-6
2024-25 2nd 15-5
2025-26 5th 9-11
Longest BIG EAST Streaks, 5th Place or Better
Streak Team Streak Started Streak Ended
15 Syracuse 1981-82 1995-96
11 Georgetown 1979-80 1989-90
10 Creighton 2016-17 Present
Dix Wins Sportsmanship Award
Creighton senior Josh Dix was selected as the recipient of the 2026 BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award. He is the third Bluejay to be recognized with the honor since joining the league 13 seasons ago, joining Mitch Ballock (2021) and Steven Ashworth (2024).
Per the BIG EAST, the Sportsmanship Award winners are strong contributors to their respective teams on and off the court. The league's head coaches nominate and select the award winners. They are not permitted to vote for their own players.
A Council Bluffs, Iowa, native, Dix played one season in a Creighton uniform after spending three years at Iowa. He has started all 34 games for the Bluejays, averaging 13.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He led the team in free throw percentage (.867) and with 69 three-pointers made. Dix ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in minutes per game, eighth in three-pointers per game and 14th in points per game.
Dix scored a season-high 22 points in CU's regular-season finale at Butler and also scored 21 points in a win at No. 5 Connecticut.
Dix Heats Up
Josh Dix made four or more three-pointers in four straight games from Feb. 28-April 2. Creighton's only other players under Greg McDermott to make four or more trifectas in four straight games were Ethan Wragge (5 straight from Nov. 29-Dec. 17, 2013), Doug McDermott (4 straight from March 1-13, 2014) and Mitch Ballock (4 straight from Dec. 31, 2018 to Jan. 13, 2019).
In The Nik Of Time
Nik Graves had his best all-around game of the season on March 4th at Butler, finishing with 14 points in addition to career-highs in both assists (13) and steals (6).
He's the first Creighton player ever with 14 points, 13 assists and six steals in a game.
He's the first BIG EAST player in at least 30 years with 14 points, 13 assists and six steals in a game.
He's the only Power 5 player in at least 20 years with 14 points, 13 assists and six steals in a conference game.
Graves' six steals were the most by a Bluejay since Damien Jefferson had six at Providence on Jan. 2, 2021, and are tied for the most by any Creighton player under Greg McDermott.
Graves' 13 assists were the most by a Creighton player since Maurice Watson Jr. had 14 helpers at Providence on Jan. 7, 2017.
Graves At The Stripe
Nik Graves shot 19-for-65 from the field over the final six games, but found other ways to be productive.
The senior guard has made 47-of-51 foul shots in that time while also dishing 39 assists against just 11 turnovers.
He's Creighton's only player in the last 20 years to make six or more free throws in five straight games.
Green Makes It Look Easy
Creighton's Jasen Green became the first BIG EAST player with at least 12 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocks without a turnover in a league game in the last 30 years when he posted those numbers vs. Providence on Feb. 28th.
The only other player with those numbers in a conference game (in any league) this season is Green's former Creighton teammate Johnathan Lawson, now at Arkansas-Little Rock.
Finding A Way
Since the start of the 2020-21 season Xavier (23) and Creighton (22) lead the BIG EAST in victories by three points or fewer, one more than Marquette (21). No one else owns more than 17.
Among Power 5 schools, Creighton's 22 wins by three points or less since the start of the 2020-21 campaign ranks tied for seventh-most nationally.
Most Wins by 3 or Less since 2020-21, Power 5 Teams
W L School
23 12 Virginia
23 13 Minnesota
23 13 TCU
23 17 Wisconsin
23 17 Arizona State
23 19 Xavier
22 14 Creighton
22 15 Vanderbilt
21 12 Texas
21 12 Oregon
21 15 Marquette
21 17 Rutgers
One-Point Games
Creighton lost to DePaul by an identical 72-71 score on both Feb. 11th and Feb. 25th.
Creighton is now 13-13 in one-point games under Greg McDermott and 87-81 in program history in one-point games.
McDermott's 13 one-point victories are second-most in program history, trailing only the 20 by his predecessor, Dana Altman.
Creighton is 2-2 in games decided by one point this season, tying a school-record for the most games in one season decided by exactly one point (also done in 1945-46, 1955-56, 1974-75, 1979-80, 1996-97, 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2014-15.
Creighton has now played the same team to a pair of one-point games twice in the same season just four times in its storied history, as it happened against Drake in 1946-47, Northern Iowa in 2004-05 (when Greg McDermott was UNI's head coach) and vs. Seton Hall in 2014-15 prior to this year against DePaul.
It was also the first time ever that Creighton has played three games in the same month decided by exactly one point.
Creighton is one of 15 teams to have played four or more games decided by exactly one point this season, and one of six teams to have a month with three or more one-point games this season, but the only BIG EAST team to do either of those this year.
Identical Scores, Too
Creighton played DePaul to a pair of identical 72-71 games this year. It's the first time since 1964-65 that Creighton has had the same score in multiple meetings against the same opponent in a year. In 1964-65 the Jays lost identical 76-67 games to Drake on Jan. 13 and Feb. 1 in overtime.
The only other time in program history it happened was in 1916-17, when CU beat York twice by a 33-14 count.
League Of Their Own
Creighton finished 9-11 in BIG EAST play this year, just the second time in the last 31 seasons the Jays were under .500 in league games.
The only teams with more .500 league seasons than Creighton in that span are Duke, Kansas, Gonzaga, Kentucky and Michigan State.
Most Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Last 31 Seasons (Including 2025-26)
Seasons Team
31 Duke
31 Kansas
31 Gonzaga
30 Kentucky
30 Michigan State
29 Creighton
29 Arizona
29 Murray State
Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (91) than any other school since the 2019-20 season started, five more than Connecticut's 86.
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 176 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 147 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to 2025-26)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 91 46 .664
UConn 86 30 .741
Villanova 86 47 .647
Marquette 78 58 .574
St. John's 77 59 .566
Providence 71 63 .530
Seton Hall 69 67 .507
Xavier 65 65 .500
Butler 52 86 .377
Georgetown 30 103 .226
DePaul 26 107 .195
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to 2025-26)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 176 65 .730
Creighton 147 98 .600
Xavier 131 107 .550
Providence 129 113 .533
Marquette 130 114 .533
Seton Hall 122 122 .500
St. John's 117 127 .480
Butler 106 140 .431
UConn 86 30 .741
Georgetown 77 165 .318
DePaul 51 191 .211
Senior Day Recognition
In addition to managers Billy Brezonik and Patrick Gorman, Creighton honored Nik Graves and Josh Dix, following its Feb. 28th game vs. Providence as part of Senior Day festivities.
Over the last four years, Creighton has been to two Sweet 16's, one Elite Eight and beaten six Top 10 teams, including victories over No. 1 UConn two years ago and No. 1 Kansas last year. Creighton has also spent 36 weeks in the Top 25 of the AP poll, including 11 weeks in the Top 10.
The Bluejays are 90-52 (.634) since the start of the 2022-23 campaign and CU's 52 BIG EAST wins in league play over the past four years trail only UConn and St. John's.
Three's Company
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 105 straight games, the nation's second-longest active streak.
It's the longest streak by a BIG EAST team in at least 20 years, and almost certainly ever.
Longest Active Streaks of 5+ 3FG Made
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 129 North Florida Next Year
2. 103 Creighton Next Year
3. 99 Wofford Next Year
Crowded House
Creighton attracted a league-leading 266,176 fans at home this season. Additionally, CU's 16,636 fans per home game led 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
Rk. Team Average Next Home Game
1. Kentucky 19,731 Next Year
2. North Carolina 19,499 Next Year
3. Tennessee 19,251 Next Year
4. Arkansas 18,796 Next Year
5. BYU 18,073 Next Year
6. Syracuse 17,726 Next Year
7. Creighton 16,636 Next Year
8. NC State 16,341 Next Year
9. Indiana 15,677 Next Year
10. Louisville 15,396 Next Year
That's A Lot of McBuckets
Creighton grad Doug McDermott, the 2014 National Player of the Year, reached a milestone on Feb. 21 when he drained two shots to give him 1,000 career NBA three-pointers made.
While he was the 179th player in NBA history to make at least 1,000 three-pointers, he's just the second to do so after also scoring 3,000 or more points at the collegiate level, joining Hersey Hawkins.
McDermott is one of eight players in NBA history to shoot 41 percent or better from three-point range while making 1,000 or more trifectas. Kyle Korver is also one of those eight, giving Creighton the distinction of being the only college with two players on that elite list.
The other six players are Joe Harris, Steve Nash, Stephen Curry, Wesley Person, JJ Redick and Dana Barros, which means McDermott and Curry are the only two active players to have done it.
Like...How?
Creighton's last three home wins were 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 Feb. 7th 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
Feb. 14th marked 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 the go-ahead points in the final 30 seconds of a victory.
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
The Few, The Proud
Just seven schools have won road games at Villanova and at Connecticut in two consecutive seasons, as Creighton has done the past two years.
School Years
Georgetown 1983-84 & 1984-85
St. John's 1984-85 & 1985-86
Syracuse 1985-86 & 1986-87
Pitt 1986-87 & 1987-88
Georgetown 1991-92 & 1992-93
Syracuse 2010-11 & 2011-12
Creighton 2024-25 & 2025-26
Odds & Ends
Recapping CU's 91-84 win on Feb. 18th at Connecticut with a few noteworthy stats...
- It was the first time UConn's allowed 91+ points in regulation at home since a 96-87 loss to Saint Joseph's on Nov. 13, 2019.
- It was the most points allowed at home (OT or not) in a conference game by UConn since Boston College's 95-71 win in Storrs on Feb. 1, 2003.
- Before beating UConn, Creighton's only previous win in three previous games when scoring 91+ points against a Top 5 team was in a 96-68 win at No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20, 2014.
- Before Greg McDermott was hired, Creighton was 5-53 all-time vs. Top 10 teams and hadn't beaten a Top 10 squad since topping No. 6 Marquette on Feb. 9, 1974 under Eddie Sutton. Under McDermott, Creighton owns 17 Top 10 wins and has at least one Top 10 win each of the last 11 years.
- It was Creighton's first win over a team with a .920 win percentage (min. 10 GP) or better since the Bluejays defeated UConn on Feb. 20, 2024. Both Connecticut teams entered the game 24-2.
McDermott vs. Hurley
Greg McDermott is 10-5 all-time in his career in head-to-head meetings against Dan Hurley. That's the most wins by any head coach against Hurley.
Next up on the list are Ed Cooley (8-10) and Derek Kellogg (8-5). Kellogg is currently an assistant coach on the Creighton staff after previously being a head coach at both Massachusetts and LIU.
Most Head Coaching Wins vs. Dan Hurley
W-L Coach
10-5 Greg McDermott
8-5 Derek Kellogg
8-11 Ed Cooley
7-3 Archie Miller
7-4 Phil Martelli
Husky Conquests
Since rejoining the BIG EAST in 2020, Connecticut has played 70 different opponents, but lost to only 18 unique schools.
No school has beaten the Huskies more in that time than Creighton's 10 victories. No one else has more than six.
Since rejoining the BIG EAST, Connecticut has lost to the same school multiple times in the same season on just eight occasions, with three of those foes being Creighton (3 times in 2020-21, 2 times in 2021-22 and 2 times in 2024-25).
Most Wins vs. UConn Since 2020-21
Wins Opponent
10 Creighton
6 St. John's
5 Seton Hall
4 Xavier
4 Villanova
Wins Ample at Gampel
Since Connecticut returned to the BIG EAST in 2020, the only school to beat the Huskies at home in consecutive seasons was Creighton in 2020-21 (in Storrs) and 2021-22 (in Hartford) and now Creighton in 2024-25 and 2025-26 (both in Storrs).
Creighton became the first team to beat the Huskies at Gampel Pavilion in back-to-back campaigns under Dan Hurley, as no program had done it since Cincinnati in three straight years (2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19). Hurley arrived at UConn in 2018.
Among the rare coaches to defeat Dan Hurley at home in back-to-back seasons is current Creighton assistant coach Derek Kellogg. Kellogg did it in 2012-13 and 2013-14 while coaching Massachusetts against Hurley's first two Rhode Island squads.
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,090 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
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,302 Duke Next Year
2. 1,295 UNLV Next Year
3. 1,225 East Tennessee State Next Year
4. 1,198 Oakland Next Year
1,198 Texas Next Year
6. 1,194 Pacific Next Year
7. 1,131 Marshall Next Year
8. 1,129 Gonzaga Next Year
9. 1,109 Princeton Next Year
10. 1,090 Creighton Next Year
11. 1,082 Long Island Next Year
12. 1,072 Mount St. Mary's Next Year
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 1,090 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,833 trifectas, an average of 8.10 treys per game.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 341 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 117-38 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 39-41 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: 116 times
7: 156 times 8: 139 times 9: 97 times
10: 97 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
That's A Winner
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the only current BIG EAST team to own a record better than .500 in conference road games is Villanova.
Connecticut has a winning record since coming back to the BIG EAST, but is below .500 when you include its 22-41 road record in the American.
BIG EAST Road Records Since 2013-14
W L School
76 45 Villanova
61 62 Creighton
53 68 Providence
52 70 Marquette
52 71 Seton Hall
50 68 Xavier
47 76 St. John's
41 82 Butler
38 20 Connecticut (60-61 including the American)
30 90 Georgetown
20 100 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
He Doesn't Miss Very Often
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 challenged nine different plays this season...and won six of those 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
Villanova, 2/14 Deflected Rebound No
at #17 St. John's, 2/21 Deflected Loose Ball No
Providence, 2/28 Deflected Loose Ball Yes
vs. West Virginia, 4/4 Goaltending No
Give Me Five
In Greg McDermott's 16 years patrolling the Bluejay sideline, this year's seven different starting line-ups were tied for the second-most he's used over the course of an entire campaign.
Ten different Creighton players have started four or more games this season, and seven of those men started at least 12 times. Josh Dix started each contest, the only Bluejay that can say that.
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 7
McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott ranks sixth in BIG EAST history with 147 regular-season league wins. The five coaches ahead of him all have won at least one national title and all are in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
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
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. 159 Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
6. 147 Greg McDermott, Creighton
7. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
8. 135 Ed Cooley, Providence/G'Town
9. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
10. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
Foul Play
Creighton had just two players foul out of a game all season long, trailing only UMBC and Yale for the third-fewest nationally.
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 eight players foul out in 140 games.
Give Me 10
The Feb. 7 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.
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 Ball 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 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
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 first 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 became 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 joined 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.
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 34 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), at home against both Georgetown (36-26 on Jan. 13) and Seton Hall (63-53 on Feb. 7th), and on a neutral floor vs. Rutgers (24-14 on April 2nd).
Creighton's four comeback wins from 10+ points down this season was tied for its second-most under Greg McDermott. The 2011-12 team had five such comebacks in 2011-12 and also had four in 2021-22.
Sixteen of those 34 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
10 vs. Rutgers 04/02/26
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 30,437-25,559 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.60 points per game in 387 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 20 @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 proved him right.
Creighton's bench outscored foes 868-745 this season. That +123 figure was CU's best year-end mark since 2017-18 (+229). The 868 points were CU's most bench points since scoring 925 bench points in 2015-16.
Creighton's bench accounted for 33.96 percent of CU's scoring, and 25.53 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 were just 12-14 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 16-18 (Crown)
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.
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.
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
29 (26-3) Campbell
Most Games, 50%+ FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 327 (317-10) Gonzaga
2. 237 (220-17) Belmont
3. 230 (217-13) Kansas
4. 228 (215-13) Duke
5. 226 (211-15) Creighton
Most Games, 50%+ 3FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 94 (83-11) Weber State
2. 90 (80-10) UCLA
90 (75-15) Michigan State
4. 87 (82-5) Creighton
5. 86 (84-2) Arizona
86 (83-3) Gonzaga
Best Field Goal Percentage, Since 2010-11
Rk. FG% Team
1. .507 Gonzaga
2. .483 Belmont
3. .476 Kansas
.476 Duke
5. .475 Creighton
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. .552 Creighton
4. .542 Furman
5. .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 marked 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 two seasons since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time.
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 5th Owen Freeman (1st); Josh Dix (2nd)
Jackson McAndrew (3rd); Nik Graves (3rd)
Seeking The Perfect Blend
Creighton's roster included nine newcomers and seven returners. CU did not play a single possession with five returners on the floor at the same time at any point in the 2025-26 season.
# of Newcomers CU Pts.-Opp Pts. % of Pts. by CU
0 Newcomers on Floor Never Happened n/a
1 Newcomer on Floor 63-59 .516
2 Newcomers on Floor 637-651 .495
3 Newcomers on Floor 993-983 .503
4 Newcomers on Floor 757-780 .493
5 Newcomers on Floor 106-84 .558
Newcomers Lead The Way
For the season, 1,765 of Creighton's 2,556 points were scored by newcomers, an astounding 69.05 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 (not counting Alan Huss) who are currently a head coach at the Division I level, including three men at Power 5 schools.
Through games of April 1st, McDermott's 11 former assistant coaches (not counting Huss) who are currently Division I head coaches have accounted for 1,866 victories, and a .608 winning percentage. All but one (a first year head coach) have a winning record, and seven have won at a 60% clip. All but 282 of Sather's victories are Division I wins.
Here's a list:
Darian DeVries - Indiana
Eric Henderson - Drake
Ben Jacobson - Utah State
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
25 of 28 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 25 of the last 28 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 28 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons
Gonzaga 28
Kansas 28
Duke 27
Kentucky 26
Creighton 25
Arizona 24
Florida 24
Michigan State 24
BYU 23
North Carolina 23
Ohio State 23
Wisconsin 23
Coaching Consistency Is Key
Between women's basketball coach Jim Flanery (469) and men's basketball coach Greg McDermott (366), 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 made 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 Jacobson and Tanya Warren). Those numbers will change with McDermott retiring and Jacobson taking the Utah State job in the off-season.
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 (2010-26).
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 was in his 16th season on the Creighton sideline in 2025-26. That was tied for the 15th-longest active run of any men's coach with his current team as a Division I head coach. It's worth noting Greg Kampe was head coach at Oakland before the program became Division I.
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 Jacobson* 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
*won't be returning in 2026-27
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 13 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) in this year's lid-lifter 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 Crown
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 last 21 teams to score 90 points in an opener, 13 would reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here's a look at Creighton's 13 most recent teams 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 16-18 Crown
NBA Jays
There are five former Creighton players in the NBA this season.
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott spent his 12th year in the NBA as a member of the Sacramento Kings. He was a Lottery pick in 2014 by the Denver Nuggets. McDermott averaged 5.7 points per game while shooting 39.0 percent from three-point range in 2025-26.
Baylor Scheierman is in his second year with the Boston Celtics after being a First Round pick in 2024. He averaged 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Celtics while making 20 starts.
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. He played in nine games with the Pelicans, averaging 5.2 points per contest while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from three-point range.
There is palpable buzz around Ryan Kalkbrenner, a Second Round pick of the Charlotte Hornets, in his rookie campaign. Kalkbrenner averaged 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game while shooting 75.3 percent from the field.
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. Nembhard averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 assists in 60 games with the Mavericks, including 27 starts. He had 23 assists in the regular-season finale.
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 marked the eighth time in program history the writers 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). Entering 2025-26, the first 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 121 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 was 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 returned 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 16-18
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 had 366 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. 366-189 Greg McDermott 2010-26
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 387 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the now 23-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 317-70 (.819) 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 30,437-25,559 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.60 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 36-41 all-time in the 77 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-16 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 43-35 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 220-52 (.809) 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 335-69 (.829) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Perfect 10
Greg McDermott 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 16 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 73 100 76
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season went on sale on October 16th.
Fans could 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.
2025-26 Creighton Men's Basketball Recap
16-18 Overall • 9-11 BIG EAST (5th of 11) • College Basketball Crown Semifinalist
Creighton Men's Basketball completed the 2025-26 season with 16 wins and a trip to the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown as the program played in the postseason for the 10th straight season. The year will also be remembered as the final campaign for the program's all-time winningest coach Greg McDermott, who retired after 16 seasons at the helm on The Hilltop.
Despite adding nine newcomers in the offseason and losing All-BIG EAST guard Steven Ashworth and All-American center Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton began the year with high expectations. The Bluejays were ranked 23rd in the preseason Associated Press poll and voted third in the preseason BIG EAST Conference poll.
Exhibition victories over No. 16 Iowa State and Colorado State did nothing to dampen the excitement, and the regular-season started with a 92-76 triumph over South Dakota.
Creighton tasted defeat for the first time in Spokane, falling to No. 19 Gonzaga in a nationally-televised Top 25 showdown, but the Jays would regroup with decisive home wins over Maryland Eastern Shore and North Dakota. The win over UND would prove costly, as Jackson McAndrew would miss the second half with an injury and that eventually led to surgery and forced him to miss the remainder of the season.
CU then went 1-2 in Las Vegas at the GEICO Players Era Men's Championship, losing to Baylor and No. 16 Iowa State before closing the trip with a double-digit win over Oregon and former Bluejay head coach Dana Altman.
December opened with a win over Nicholls before back-to-back setbacks against Nebraska and Kansas State that gave the Jays a 5-5 record heading into BIG EAST play.
CU wrecked Xavier, 98-57, in Cincinnati to open league play, then posted an 84-63 win over Marquette to start 2-0 in league action. A non-conference victory over Utah Tech right before Christmas preceded a win over Butler as CU closed 2025 on a four-game win streak and with a 9-5 record overall.
Creighton alternated wins and losses in its first seven games of January, including a victory at Villanova and heart-stopping comeback wins to topple Georgetown and Xavier at home.
The morning of February 4th proved to be about bigger than basketball, as Kelly Dix, the mother of senior guard Josh Dix, passed away after a battle with colon cancer. Josh would turn down the chance to return home -- instead choosing to be with his teammates -- and play in the game that night. Performances like that helped the Council Bluffs native win the BIG EAST's Sportsmanship Award.
Three days later on Feb. 7, the Bluejays overcame a nine-point deficit in the final 87 seconds to stun Seton Hall, 69-68, on a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left by fellow senior guard Nik Graves. After back-to-back losses in the games that ensued, Creighton pulled off its most impressive win of the year on Feb. 18th, winning 91-84 at No. 5 Connecticut. The Huskies would go on to reach the national championship game.
The Jays closed February with three straight losses before closing the regular-season on March 4th with a 76-59 win at Butler as Graves had 14 points, 13 assists and six steals in a splendid all-around performance.
The victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse helped CU secure the No. 5 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, and locked up a quarterfinal round match-up against fourth-seeded Seton Hall.
The Pirates would emerge with a 72-61 win, putting CU's postseason hopes in jeopardy.
Four days later, Creighton's postseason hopes would be answered as the College Basketball Crown selected the Bluejays as one of eight teams in the field.
The Crown didn't start until a full three weeks later on April 2nd, when CU returned to action with an 82-69 win over Rutgers as the Bluejays picked up a postseason victory for a seventh straight season.
Creighton's hopes for a postseason title were ended in the semifinals, as the Jays lost 87-70 to eventual champion West Virginia. Junior forward Jasen Green was named to the All-Tournament Team.
McDermott finished with program records for wins (366), BIG EAST wins (147), NCAA Tournament trips (10), NCAA Tournament wins (12), Top 25 weeks (121), Top 25 wins (47), Top 10 weeks (28), Top 10 wins (17), 20-win seasons (14), postseason trips (14) and postseason wins (21).
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) carried Creighton men's basketball games during the 2025-26 season. John Bishop called the action with a group that included Taylor Stormberg, Tyler Clement, Ravi Lulla and Connor Happer. The audio was webcast at 1620thezone.com.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season had free live stats at Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) finished his 16th and final season at Creighton with a 366-189 record with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 646-384 in 32 seasons, and was 515-320 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 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 was assisted by Alan Huss, Derek Kellogg, Trey Zeigler, Mitch Ballock and Mike Nesbitt.
McDermott Retires At CU After The Crown
Greg McDermott, the all-time winningest coach in Creighton men's basketball history, announced on March 23rd his decision to retire from his position as head coach of the Creighton men's basketball program following the team's final game in the College Basketball Crown tournament.
Alan Huss, who returned to his alma mater last April as associate head coach and head coach in waiting, took over as the 17th head coach of the Bluejay program on April 7, 2026.
McDermott owned a 366-189 record in 16 years at Creighton, moving his career mark to 646-384 in 32 seasons as a head coach at Wayne State (1994-2000), North Dakota State (2000-01), Northern Iowa (2001-06), Iowa State (2006-10) and Creighton (2010-Present). The Cascade, Iowa, native became Creighton's all-time wins leader on Nov. 13, 2024, when he passed predecessor Dana Altman with his 328th win.
During his time at Creighton McDermott led the Bluejays to 14 seasons of 20-plus wins and 12 NCAA Tournament wins in 10 NCAA Tournament trips, including one Elite Eight (2022-23) and three Sweet 16 appearances (2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24). Creighton had 21 victories in 14 postseason trips overall under McDermott, taking two teams to the NIT quarterfinals, one to the College Basketball Crown semifinals and one to the CBI final. That doesn't take into account the 2019-2020 season, when Creighton won a share of its lone BIG EAST title to date and was ranked seventh nationally before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to the 2019-20 BIG EAST regular-season title, Creighton also won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown in 2012-13 as well as the Valley Tournament title in both 2012 and 2013.
McDermott helped transition Creighton from the Missouri Valley Conference to the BIG EAST in 2013. The Bluejays rank second in league victories in that time and its active streak of 10 straight top-five BIG EAST finishes ranks as the third-longest streak in league history and the best by any program in 35 years. Creighton has met or exceeded its preseason poll prediction in 11 of 13 years in the BIG EAST. McDermott's 147 league victories rank sixth in the storied history of the BIG EAST, trailing only Naismith Hall of Fame inductees Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, Jay Wright, John Thompson and Rick Pitino.
Creighton has produced three NBA First Round picks (Doug McDermott, Justin Patton, Baylor Scheierman) and three NBA Second Round picks (Khyri Thomas, Marcus Zegarowski, Ryan Kalkbrenner) during his tenure. His son, Doug McDermott, was a three-time First Team All-American and was named National Player of the Year following the 2013-14 season as he finished with 3,150 career points, to rank fifth in NCAA history at the time.
Creighton has been a fixture in the Top 25 under McDermott, spending 121 weeks in the Associated Press rankings. His teams produced 43 Top-25 victories, with 17 Top-10 wins, including triumphs over No. 1 Connecticut and No. 1 Kansas in 2024.
McDermott's impact hasn't been limited to on-court success. He was recognized after the 2017-18 season with the NABC's Coaches vs. Cancer Champions Award, a testament to his work in the community and with the program's annual Pink Out game. Held each January, Creighton's Pink Out game has raised over $1 million to benefit Hope Lodge and support the ongoing fight against cancer.
Additionally, 35 of 37 seniors who completed their eligibility requirements over the past 12 years have earned their undergraduate degree, with 26 going on to play professionally and four others attending graduate school.
The on-campus home to Creighton men's basketball was renamed from The Championship Center to The McDermott Center in 2024.
Creighton plans to honor Coach McDermott for his contributions to the men's basketball program with the hanging of a banner at CHI Health Center Omaha during a halftime ceremony at a yet-to-be-determined game during the 2026-27 season.
McDermott's Accomplishments
Over the last 16 seasons, Greg McDermott has transformed Creighton from a strong mid-major to a BIG EAST power.
Here's some of his biggest accomplishments....
- 366 wins (CU MBB record)
- 147 BIG EAST wins (CU MBB record; 6th league history)
- 10 NCAA Tournament trips (CU MBB record)
- 12-10 NCAA Tournament record (CU MBB record)
- 3 Sweet 16's (2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24)
- 1 Elite Eight (2022-23)
- 121 weeks in AP poll (CU MBB record)
- 43 Top 25 wins (CU MBB record)
- 17 Top 10 wins (CU MBB record)
- 14 seasons of 20+ wins (CU MBB record)
- 14 Postseason trips (CU MBB record)
- 21 Postseason wins (CU MBB record)
- 6 NBA Draft Picks (3 First Round, 3 Second Round)
- 2 MVC Tournament titles (2011-12, 2012-13)
- 1 MVC regular-season title (2012-13)
- 1 BIG EAST regular-season title (2019-20)
- 1 National Player of the Year (Doug McDermott)
- Over $1 million raised for Hope Lodge
Year 16 Progress Report
There were 53 head coaches hired nationwide prior to the 2010-11 season, including Creighton's Greg McDermott. At the close of the 2025-26 season, only eight of those men remained in that role.
Among the remaining coaches, McDermott was first on that list in NCAA trips, and second on that list in wins. He trails only his predecessor at Creighton, Dana Altman, who is now at Oregon.
Here's the record of those eight men.
W-L Name, School (NCAA Trips)
382-182 Dana Altman, Oregon (9)
366-189 Greg McDermott, Creighton (10)
344-199 Russell Turner, UC Irvine (2)
336-189 Leon Rice, Boise State (5)
329-219 Tad Boyle, Colorado (6)
316-207 Brad Brownell, Clemson (6)
315-211 Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo (0)
273-252 Andy Toole, Robert Morris (2)
The McDermott Era
Greg McDermott owned 366 wins at Creighton after his arrival in 2010-11. It was the eighth-most of programs that have had the same coach the entire time.
Schools With Most Wins Since 2010-11, Only 1 Coach
Rk. Wins School Coach Next
1. 483 Gonzaga Mark Few Next Year
2. 451 Kansas Bill Self Next Year
3. 411 Saint Mary's Randy Bennett Went to ASU
4. 400 Michigan State Tom Izzo Next Year
5. 390 Purdue Matt Painter Next Year
6. 383 Oregon Dana Altman Next Year
7. 374 Baylor Scott Drew Next Year
8. 366 Creighton Greg McDermott Retired
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 End of 2025-26
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 4,991 2nd
2FG Percentage .552 3rd
FG Percentage .475 5th
Assists 8,888 5th
FG Made 15,141 8th
Points 42,368 8th
3FG Percentage .370 9th
Wins 366 26th
Winning Percentage .655 37th
Huss Introduced As Next Head Coach
Alan Huss was introduced as the 17th head coach in the Creighton men's basketball history on March 25, 2026 and officially took over roughly two weeks later on April 7, 2026.
Huss, who served six years as assistant coach (2017-23) before returning last April as associate head coach and head coach in waiting, took over after the retirement of Greg McDermott following Creighton's postseason run at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.
A 2002 Creighton graduate, Huss becomes the first alum to take the reins of the men's basketball program since Tom Apke patrolled the Bluejay sideline from 1974-81.
Huss compiled a head coaching record of 56-15 during his two years at High Point University from 2023-25, highlighting his ability to build and lead teams to success. High Point achieved historic milestones, including the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in Division I history and a then-program-record 29 Division I wins during the 2024-2025 season, showcasing his capacity to elevate a program to new heights. Huss was named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
In seven seasons assistant coach under McDermott (2017-23, 2025-26), Huss has helped CU to 150 victories, eight wins in four NCAA Tournament appearances and its first BIG EAST title in 2019-20. He has worked closely with Creighton's big men, the Bluejay offense and recruiting.
Huss was a four-year member of the Creighton men's basketball team from 1997-2001, where he played under head coach Dana Altman and alongside future NBA sharpshooter Kyle Korver. During his collegiate career with the Bluejays, Huss was part of three NCAA Tournament teams (1999, 2000, 2001), two Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles (1999, 2000) and one MVC regular-season title (2001).
Huss' 56 wins are tied for the third-most this century by any head coach in their first two seasons as a Division I head coach, trailing only Brad Underwood (61), Tommy Lloyd (61) and tied with Brad Stevens (56).
All Aboard The Huss Bus
When Alan Huss was named head coach at High Point in 2023, he took over a program that had won 59 games in the previous five seasons, with all but one of those seasons being led by legendary head coach (and High Point alum) Tubby Smith.
Huss wasted no time making an impact, leading High Point to a 27-9 record in his first season and a 29-6 mark his second campaign. Huss led both teams to Big South Conference titles, including the program's first Division I NCAA Tournament bid, while bringing home back-to-back Big South Coach of the Year recognition.
This year's High Point team, which upset Wisconsin, featured three returners from Huss' final squad as well as three players that Huss and his staff recruited before he was hired back at Creighton on April 10, 2025.
High Point, Last 10 Seasons
Year Head Coach W-L
2016-17 Scott Cherry 15-16
2017-18 Scott Cherry 14-16
2018-19 Tubby Smith 16-15
2019-20 Tubby Smith 16-15
2020-21 Tubby Smith 9-15
2021-22 Tubby Smith 11-15
G.G. Smith 3-3
2022-23 G.G. Smith 14-17
2023-24 Alan Huss 27-9
2024-25 Alan Huss 29-6
2025-26 Flynn Clayman 31-5
Postseason, Past & Present
Creighton's games vs. Rutgers and West Virginia in the College Basketball Crown marked Creighton's 44th all-time appearance in the postseason, and sixth different event. Creighton is 38-45 all-time in the postseason.
The Bluejays are 21-27 in 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 12-10 mark in 10 trips under Greg McDermott.
CU is 9-12 all-time in 12 trips to the NIT, including a 4-2 record in two appearances under McDermott.
Creighton went 1-2 in two appearances in the National Catholic Invitational Tournament, with those trips coming in 1950 and 1963.
The Bluejays are 4-2 in one appearance in the College Basketball Invitational, which came in McDermott's first season at CU in 2010-11.
Creighton is 2-1 all-time in one trip to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, which came in Dana Altman's final season at CU in 2009-10.
Creighton went 1-1 at the College Basketball Crown in 2026 in its only appearance under McDermott.
McDermott is Creighton's all-time wins leader in the NCAA Tournament (12), NIT (4), CBI (4) and Crown (1).
All-Time in April
Creighton played Rutgers on April 2nd and West Virginia on April 4th, marking the latest games on the calendar in program history.
CU's only previous game played in the month of April was on April 1, 2011, a 71-69 loss to Oregon in Game 3 of the Best-of-3 Finals in the CBI. That game capped Greg McDermott's first season on The Hilltop.
Postseason Regulars
Not counting the 2019-20 season when the postseason was canceled due to COVID-19 (Creighton was ranked No. 7 nationally in the final poll), Creighton is one of 11 schools to have made the postseason each of the last 10 seasons (including 2025-26).
Here's that list, which doesn't count 2019-20 (COVID-19), nor any postseason trips that were later vacated.
Most Consecutive Postseasons, Active Streaks
(includes 2025-26, but not 2019-20 due to COVID-19)
Streak Team NCAA NIT Crown
37 Michigan State 33 4 -
36 Kansas 36 - -
28 Gonzaga 27 1 -
17 Saint Mary's 11 6 -
14 Baylor 11 2 1
13 Villanova 10 2 1
11 Alabama 7 4 -
11 Purdue 11 - -
10 Creighton 7 2 1
10 Houston 8 2 -
10 Florida 7 3 -
Sin City Spectacular
The College Basketball Crown marked Creighton's 11th trip ever to Las Vegas, the seventh since 2012, and fourth in the last four seasons. That doesn't count a 2023 game against UNLV in nearby Henderson, Nev.
The Bluejays are 12-10 all-time in Las Vegas, and 8-8 under Greg McDermott.
Creighton is 4-2 all-time inside MGM Grand Garden Arena, beating Rutgers and UMass in 2015, Notre Dame in 2024 and Rutgers in 2026, but also losing to San Diego State and Texas A&M in 2024. CU's semifinal loss to West Virginia this April was the team's first game at T-Mobile Arena.
Below is a list of Creighton's past trips to Sin City, which doesn't include the 2023 game vs. UNLV in nearby Henderson, Nev.
Date Opponent CU Result
01/04/67 at UNLV W 71-70
01/02/69 at UNLV L 99-109
12/21/87 vs. Alaska W 85-84
12/23/87 at #15 UNLV L 59-90
12/22/08 vs. Fresno State W 84-65
12/23/08 vs. DePaul W 83-75
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin W 84-74
11/24/12 vs. Arizona State W 87-73
11/23/15 vs. Rutgers W 85-75
11/25/15 vs. Massachusetts W 97-76
11/28/19 vs. San Diego State L 52-83
11/29/19 vs. #12 Texas Tech W 83-76 (OT)
12/10/22 vs. BYU L 83-80
12/12/22 vs. Arizona State L 73-71
11/26/24 vs. San Diego State L 71-53
11/27/24 vs. #20 Texas A&M L 77-73
11/30/24 vs. Notre Dame W 80-76
11/24/25 vs. Baylor L 81-74
11/25/25 vs. #15 Iowa State L 78-60
11/27/25 vs. Oregon W 76-66
04/02/26 vs. Rutgers W 82-69
04/04/26 vs. West Virginia L 70-87
Can't Keep A Crown Team Down
Last year's inaugural College Basketball Crown event featured 16 teams. Based on their records on Selection Sunday in both 2025 and 2026, 11 of the 16 had the same or more wins this season than last, while five had fewer victories this year.
Five of the 16 teams made this year's postseason, with Colorado the lone team to make a return appearance in the College Basketball Crown. Three of the 16 (Nebraska, Villanova, UCF) made the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Team '25 W-L* Crown W-L '26 W-L (Post)
Arizona State 13-19 0-1 17-16
Boise State 24-10 2-1 20-12
Butler 14-19 1-1 16-16
Cincinnati 18-15 1-1 18-15
Colorado 14-20 0-1 17-16 (Crown)
DePaul 14-19 0-1 16-16
Georgetown 17-15 1-1 18-16
George Washington 21-12 0-1 19-16 (NIT)
Nebraska 17-14 4-0 28-7 (NCAA)
Oregon State 20-12 0-1 17-16
Tulane 19-14 0-1 19-15
UCF 17-16 3-1 21-12 (NCAA)
USC 16-17 0-1 18-14
Utah 16-16 0-1 10-22
Villanova 19-14 2-1 24-9 (NCAA)
Washington State 19-14 0-1 12-20
*record entering the postseason
Postseason Wins In 15 of Last 17 Openers
Including the 2026 College Basketball Crown, Creighton has won at least one game in 15 of its last 17 postseason appearances, a stretch that began in 2007-08. CU won 12-of-14 postseason openers under Greg McDermott.
Excluding the 2019-20 season where no postseason was held due to COVID-19, the only other programs to win at least one game each of the previous seven postseasons are Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston.
Creighton's Last 15 Postseason Openers
Year Tourney First Game
2007-08 NIT Beat Rhode Island, 74-73
2008-09 NIT Beat Bowling Green, 73-71
2009-10 CIT Beat South Dakota, 89-78
2010-11 CBI Beat San Jose State, 85-74
2011-12 NCAA Beat Alabama, 58-57
2012-13 NCAA Beat Cincinnati, 67-63
2013-14 NCAA Beat Louisiana, 76-66
2015-16 NIT Beat Alabama, 72-54
2016-17 NCAA Lost to Rhode Island, 84-72
2017-18 NCAA Lost to Kansas State, 69-59
2018-19 NIT Beat Loyola (Chicago), 70-61
2020-21 NCAA Beat UCSB, 63-62
2021-22 NCAA Beat San Diego St., 72-69 (OT)
2022-23 NCAA Beat NC State, 72-63
2023-24 NCAA Beat Akron, 77-60
2024-25 NCAA Beat Louisville, 89-75
2025-26 Crown Beat Rutgers, 82-69
McDermott In The Postseason
Creighton coach Greg McDermott made his program-record 14th postseason appearance at Creighton, and 17th overall as a Division I head coach when you include his time at Northern Iowa.
McDermott's Division I teams own an 21-18 record in 17 postseason appearances, including a 21-15 mark in 14 appearances at Creighton.
McDermott's Division I Postseason Appearances
Year (School) Tourney Postseason W-L
2003-04 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2004-05 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2005-06 (UNI) NCAA 0-1
2010-11 (CU) CBI 4-2
2011-12 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2012-13 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2013-14 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2015-16 (CU) NIT 2-1
2016-17 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2017-18 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2018-19 (CU) NIT 2-1
2020-21 (CU) NCAA 2-1
2021-22 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2022-23 (CU) NCAA 3-1
2023-24 (CU) NCAA 2-1
2024-25 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2025-26 (CU) Crown 1-1
Most Postseason Bids By CU Coaches
This year's bid to the College Basketball Crown was the 14th postseason bid for Greg McDermott at Creighton, passing Dana Altman's 13 for the most postseason appearances in men's basketball in school history.
McDermott's 10 NCAA Tournament trips are the most in program history as well, three more than what Altman did.
McDermott's 12 NCAA Tournament wins are a school record, nine more than second-place John J. "Red" McManus.
McDermott's 21 postseason wins at Creighton are the most in school history, 14 more than Altman's seven.
McDermott (21-15) is one of two coaches in program history with a winning record in postseason play, joining Eddie Sutton (2-1).
Coach (Bids) NCAA NIT CBI CIT NCIT Crown Total
Hickey (3) 1-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 3-3
Belford (1) 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-1
McManus (3) 3-3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 4-4
Sutton (1) 2-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-1
Apke (4) 0-3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-4
Barone (3) 1-2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-3
Altman (13) 2-7 3-5 0-0 2-1 0-0 0-0 7-13
McDermott (14) 12-10 4-2 4-2 0-0 0-0 1-1 21-15
Have A Half
Nik Graves scored 25 of his season-high 28 points after halftime in CU's April 2nd win over Rutgers.
Graves became the first Bluejay to score at least 20 points in a half since Steven Ashworth had 21 in the first half of a March 8, 2025 win vs. Butler, and the first with 25 points or more in a half since Ryan Kalkbrenner had 29 points vs. UTRGV on Nov. 6, 2024.
In that same game, Graves became Creighton's first player in at least 20 years with at least 28 points, eight assists and five rebounds in a game.
No Bluejay had owned at least 25 points, five assists and five rebounds in the same game since Jamiya Neal had 29 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in Creighton's first NCAA Tournament game a year ago, a March 20, 2025 win over No. 10 Louisville. Like Neal, Graves also wore No. 5.
Big (Ten) Mac Attack
Creighton's win over Rutgers improved the Jays to 20-7 in its last 27 games against teams from the Big Ten (at gametime). Creighton has outscored foes by an average of 6.52 points in those 27 games, which includes 16 double-figure victories.
Since 2011-12, the only non-conference team that have won at least 20 of their last 27 games against Big Ten teams are Duke (22-5), Kansas (21-6) and Creighton (20-7).
Greg McDermott went 36-21 in his career against teams that are currently in the Big Ten including a 23-11 mark on the Creighton sideline.
Creighton's Last 27 Games vs. the Big Ten
Date Opponent Score
11/20/11 vs. Iowa (in Des Moines) W 82-59
12/04/11 Nebraska W 76-66
12/22/11 Northwestern W 87-79
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin (in Las Vegas) W 84-74
12/06/12 at Nebraska W 64-42
12/08/13 Nebraska W 82-67
12/07/14 at Nebraska W 65-55
11/19/15 at #14 Indiana L 65-86
11/23/15 vs. Rutgers (in Las Vegas) W 85-75
12/09/15 Nebraska W 83-67
11/15/16 #9 Wisconsin W 79-67
12/07/16 at Nebraska W 77-62
11/15/17 at #20 Northwestern W 92-88
12/09/17 Nebraska W 75-65
11/15/18 Ohio State L 60-69
12/08/18 at #24 Nebraska L 75-94
11/12/19 at Michigan L 69-79
12/07/19 Nebraska W 95-76
12/11/20 Nebraska W 98-74
11/16/21 at Nebraska W 77-69
12/04/22 Nebraska L 53-63
11/14/23 Iowa W 92-84
12/03/23 at Nebraska W 89-60
11/22/24 Nebraska L 63-74
11/27/25 vs. Oregon (in Las Vegas) W 76-66
12/07/25 at Nebraska L 50-71
04/02/26 vs. Rutgers (in Las Vegas) W 82-69
Top Five Finish
Despite a 9-11 league record this winter, Creighton finished fifth in the BIG EAST. It's the 10th straight season CU has finished in the top-five or better, good for the league's longest streak in more than three decades.
It's the longest active streak in the BIG EAST, and third-longest in league history. Georgetown finished in the top-five in the first 11 seasons of the BIG EAST from 1979-80 to 1989-90, and Syracuse did it in 15 years in a row from 1981-82 to 1995-96.
Creighton's BIG EAST Finish History
Year Finish Final League W-L
2013-14 2nd 14-4
2014-15 T-9th 4-14
2015-16 6th 9-9
2016-17 T-3rd 10-8
2017-18 T-3rd 10-8
2018-19 T-3rd 9-9
2019-20 T-1st 13-5
2020-21 2nd 14-4
2021-22 4th 12-7
2022-23 3rd 13-7
2023-24 T-2nd 14-6
2024-25 2nd 15-5
2025-26 5th 9-11
Longest BIG EAST Streaks, 5th Place or Better
Streak Team Streak Started Streak Ended
15 Syracuse 1981-82 1995-96
11 Georgetown 1979-80 1989-90
10 Creighton 2016-17 Present
Dix Wins Sportsmanship Award
Creighton senior Josh Dix was selected as the recipient of the 2026 BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award. He is the third Bluejay to be recognized with the honor since joining the league 13 seasons ago, joining Mitch Ballock (2021) and Steven Ashworth (2024).
Per the BIG EAST, the Sportsmanship Award winners are strong contributors to their respective teams on and off the court. The league's head coaches nominate and select the award winners. They are not permitted to vote for their own players.
A Council Bluffs, Iowa, native, Dix played one season in a Creighton uniform after spending three years at Iowa. He has started all 34 games for the Bluejays, averaging 13.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He led the team in free throw percentage (.867) and with 69 three-pointers made. Dix ranks sixth in the BIG EAST in minutes per game, eighth in three-pointers per game and 14th in points per game.
Dix scored a season-high 22 points in CU's regular-season finale at Butler and also scored 21 points in a win at No. 5 Connecticut.
Dix Heats Up
Josh Dix made four or more three-pointers in four straight games from Feb. 28-April 2. Creighton's only other players under Greg McDermott to make four or more trifectas in four straight games were Ethan Wragge (5 straight from Nov. 29-Dec. 17, 2013), Doug McDermott (4 straight from March 1-13, 2014) and Mitch Ballock (4 straight from Dec. 31, 2018 to Jan. 13, 2019).
In The Nik Of Time
Nik Graves had his best all-around game of the season on March 4th at Butler, finishing with 14 points in addition to career-highs in both assists (13) and steals (6).
He's the first Creighton player ever with 14 points, 13 assists and six steals in a game.
He's the first BIG EAST player in at least 30 years with 14 points, 13 assists and six steals in a game.
He's the only Power 5 player in at least 20 years with 14 points, 13 assists and six steals in a conference game.
Graves' six steals were the most by a Bluejay since Damien Jefferson had six at Providence on Jan. 2, 2021, and are tied for the most by any Creighton player under Greg McDermott.
Graves' 13 assists were the most by a Creighton player since Maurice Watson Jr. had 14 helpers at Providence on Jan. 7, 2017.
Graves At The Stripe
Nik Graves shot 19-for-65 from the field over the final six games, but found other ways to be productive.
The senior guard has made 47-of-51 foul shots in that time while also dishing 39 assists against just 11 turnovers.
He's Creighton's only player in the last 20 years to make six or more free throws in five straight games.
Green Makes It Look Easy
Creighton's Jasen Green became the first BIG EAST player with at least 12 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocks without a turnover in a league game in the last 30 years when he posted those numbers vs. Providence on Feb. 28th.
The only other player with those numbers in a conference game (in any league) this season is Green's former Creighton teammate Johnathan Lawson, now at Arkansas-Little Rock.
Finding A Way
Since the start of the 2020-21 season Xavier (23) and Creighton (22) lead the BIG EAST in victories by three points or fewer, one more than Marquette (21). No one else owns more than 17.
Among Power 5 schools, Creighton's 22 wins by three points or less since the start of the 2020-21 campaign ranks tied for seventh-most nationally.
Most Wins by 3 or Less since 2020-21, Power 5 Teams
W L School
23 12 Virginia
23 13 Minnesota
23 13 TCU
23 17 Wisconsin
23 17 Arizona State
23 19 Xavier
22 14 Creighton
22 15 Vanderbilt
21 12 Texas
21 12 Oregon
21 15 Marquette
21 17 Rutgers
One-Point Games
Creighton lost to DePaul by an identical 72-71 score on both Feb. 11th and Feb. 25th.
Creighton is now 13-13 in one-point games under Greg McDermott and 87-81 in program history in one-point games.
McDermott's 13 one-point victories are second-most in program history, trailing only the 20 by his predecessor, Dana Altman.
Creighton is 2-2 in games decided by one point this season, tying a school-record for the most games in one season decided by exactly one point (also done in 1945-46, 1955-56, 1974-75, 1979-80, 1996-97, 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2014-15.
Creighton has now played the same team to a pair of one-point games twice in the same season just four times in its storied history, as it happened against Drake in 1946-47, Northern Iowa in 2004-05 (when Greg McDermott was UNI's head coach) and vs. Seton Hall in 2014-15 prior to this year against DePaul.
It was also the first time ever that Creighton has played three games in the same month decided by exactly one point.
Creighton is one of 15 teams to have played four or more games decided by exactly one point this season, and one of six teams to have a month with three or more one-point games this season, but the only BIG EAST team to do either of those this year.
Identical Scores, Too
Creighton played DePaul to a pair of identical 72-71 games this year. It's the first time since 1964-65 that Creighton has had the same score in multiple meetings against the same opponent in a year. In 1964-65 the Jays lost identical 76-67 games to Drake on Jan. 13 and Feb. 1 in overtime.
The only other time in program history it happened was in 1916-17, when CU beat York twice by a 33-14 count.
League Of Their Own
Creighton finished 9-11 in BIG EAST play this year, just the second time in the last 31 seasons the Jays were under .500 in league games.
The only teams with more .500 league seasons than Creighton in that span are Duke, Kansas, Gonzaga, Kentucky and Michigan State.
Most Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Last 31 Seasons (Including 2025-26)
Seasons Team
31 Duke
31 Kansas
31 Gonzaga
30 Kentucky
30 Michigan State
29 Creighton
29 Arizona
29 Murray State
Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (91) than any other school since the 2019-20 season started, five more than Connecticut's 86.
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 176 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 147 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to 2025-26)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 91 46 .664
UConn 86 30 .741
Villanova 86 47 .647
Marquette 78 58 .574
St. John's 77 59 .566
Providence 71 63 .530
Seton Hall 69 67 .507
Xavier 65 65 .500
Butler 52 86 .377
Georgetown 30 103 .226
DePaul 26 107 .195
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to 2025-26)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 176 65 .730
Creighton 147 98 .600
Xavier 131 107 .550
Providence 129 113 .533
Marquette 130 114 .533
Seton Hall 122 122 .500
St. John's 117 127 .480
Butler 106 140 .431
UConn 86 30 .741
Georgetown 77 165 .318
DePaul 51 191 .211
Senior Day Recognition
In addition to managers Billy Brezonik and Patrick Gorman, Creighton honored Nik Graves and Josh Dix, following its Feb. 28th game vs. Providence as part of Senior Day festivities.
Over the last four years, Creighton has been to two Sweet 16's, one Elite Eight and beaten six Top 10 teams, including victories over No. 1 UConn two years ago and No. 1 Kansas last year. Creighton has also spent 36 weeks in the Top 25 of the AP poll, including 11 weeks in the Top 10.
The Bluejays are 90-52 (.634) since the start of the 2022-23 campaign and CU's 52 BIG EAST wins in league play over the past four years trail only UConn and St. John's.
Three's Company
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 105 straight games, the nation's second-longest active streak.
It's the longest streak by a BIG EAST team in at least 20 years, and almost certainly ever.
Longest Active Streaks of 5+ 3FG Made
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 129 North Florida Next Year
2. 103 Creighton Next Year
3. 99 Wofford Next Year
Crowded House
Creighton attracted a league-leading 266,176 fans at home this season. Additionally, CU's 16,636 fans per home game led 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
Rk. Team Average Next Home Game
1. Kentucky 19,731 Next Year
2. North Carolina 19,499 Next Year
3. Tennessee 19,251 Next Year
4. Arkansas 18,796 Next Year
5. BYU 18,073 Next Year
6. Syracuse 17,726 Next Year
7. Creighton 16,636 Next Year
8. NC State 16,341 Next Year
9. Indiana 15,677 Next Year
10. Louisville 15,396 Next Year
That's A Lot of McBuckets
Creighton grad Doug McDermott, the 2014 National Player of the Year, reached a milestone on Feb. 21 when he drained two shots to give him 1,000 career NBA three-pointers made.
While he was the 179th player in NBA history to make at least 1,000 three-pointers, he's just the second to do so after also scoring 3,000 or more points at the collegiate level, joining Hersey Hawkins.
McDermott is one of eight players in NBA history to shoot 41 percent or better from three-point range while making 1,000 or more trifectas. Kyle Korver is also one of those eight, giving Creighton the distinction of being the only college with two players on that elite list.
The other six players are Joe Harris, Steve Nash, Stephen Curry, Wesley Person, JJ Redick and Dana Barros, which means McDermott and Curry are the only two active players to have done it.
Like...How?
Creighton's last three home wins were 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 Feb. 7th 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
Feb. 14th marked 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 the go-ahead points in the final 30 seconds of a victory.
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
The Few, The Proud
Just seven schools have won road games at Villanova and at Connecticut in two consecutive seasons, as Creighton has done the past two years.
School Years
Georgetown 1983-84 & 1984-85
St. John's 1984-85 & 1985-86
Syracuse 1985-86 & 1986-87
Pitt 1986-87 & 1987-88
Georgetown 1991-92 & 1992-93
Syracuse 2010-11 & 2011-12
Creighton 2024-25 & 2025-26
Odds & Ends
Recapping CU's 91-84 win on Feb. 18th at Connecticut with a few noteworthy stats...
- It was the first time UConn's allowed 91+ points in regulation at home since a 96-87 loss to Saint Joseph's on Nov. 13, 2019.
- It was the most points allowed at home (OT or not) in a conference game by UConn since Boston College's 95-71 win in Storrs on Feb. 1, 2003.
- Before beating UConn, Creighton's only previous win in three previous games when scoring 91+ points against a Top 5 team was in a 96-68 win at No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20, 2014.
- Before Greg McDermott was hired, Creighton was 5-53 all-time vs. Top 10 teams and hadn't beaten a Top 10 squad since topping No. 6 Marquette on Feb. 9, 1974 under Eddie Sutton. Under McDermott, Creighton owns 17 Top 10 wins and has at least one Top 10 win each of the last 11 years.
- It was Creighton's first win over a team with a .920 win percentage (min. 10 GP) or better since the Bluejays defeated UConn on Feb. 20, 2024. Both Connecticut teams entered the game 24-2.
McDermott vs. Hurley
Greg McDermott is 10-5 all-time in his career in head-to-head meetings against Dan Hurley. That's the most wins by any head coach against Hurley.
Next up on the list are Ed Cooley (8-10) and Derek Kellogg (8-5). Kellogg is currently an assistant coach on the Creighton staff after previously being a head coach at both Massachusetts and LIU.
Most Head Coaching Wins vs. Dan Hurley
W-L Coach
10-5 Greg McDermott
8-5 Derek Kellogg
8-11 Ed Cooley
7-3 Archie Miller
7-4 Phil Martelli
Husky Conquests
Since rejoining the BIG EAST in 2020, Connecticut has played 70 different opponents, but lost to only 18 unique schools.
No school has beaten the Huskies more in that time than Creighton's 10 victories. No one else has more than six.
Since rejoining the BIG EAST, Connecticut has lost to the same school multiple times in the same season on just eight occasions, with three of those foes being Creighton (3 times in 2020-21, 2 times in 2021-22 and 2 times in 2024-25).
Most Wins vs. UConn Since 2020-21
Wins Opponent
10 Creighton
6 St. John's
5 Seton Hall
4 Xavier
4 Villanova
Wins Ample at Gampel
Since Connecticut returned to the BIG EAST in 2020, the only school to beat the Huskies at home in consecutive seasons was Creighton in 2020-21 (in Storrs) and 2021-22 (in Hartford) and now Creighton in 2024-25 and 2025-26 (both in Storrs).
Creighton became the first team to beat the Huskies at Gampel Pavilion in back-to-back campaigns under Dan Hurley, as no program had done it since Cincinnati in three straight years (2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19). Hurley arrived at UConn in 2018.
Among the rare coaches to defeat Dan Hurley at home in back-to-back seasons is current Creighton assistant coach Derek Kellogg. Kellogg did it in 2012-13 and 2013-14 while coaching Massachusetts against Hurley's first two Rhode Island squads.
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,090 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
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,302 Duke Next Year
2. 1,295 UNLV Next Year
3. 1,225 East Tennessee State Next Year
4. 1,198 Oakland Next Year
1,198 Texas Next Year
6. 1,194 Pacific Next Year
7. 1,131 Marshall Next Year
8. 1,129 Gonzaga Next Year
9. 1,109 Princeton Next Year
10. 1,090 Creighton Next Year
11. 1,082 Long Island Next Year
12. 1,072 Mount St. Mary's Next Year
Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 1,090 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,833 trifectas, an average of 8.10 treys per game.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 341 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 117-38 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 39-41 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: 116 times
7: 156 times 8: 139 times 9: 97 times
10: 97 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
That's A Winner
Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the only current BIG EAST team to own a record better than .500 in conference road games is Villanova.
Connecticut has a winning record since coming back to the BIG EAST, but is below .500 when you include its 22-41 road record in the American.
BIG EAST Road Records Since 2013-14
W L School
76 45 Villanova
61 62 Creighton
53 68 Providence
52 70 Marquette
52 71 Seton Hall
50 68 Xavier
47 76 St. John's
41 82 Butler
38 20 Connecticut (60-61 including the American)
30 90 Georgetown
20 100 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
He Doesn't Miss Very Often
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 challenged nine different plays this season...and won six of those 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
Villanova, 2/14 Deflected Rebound No
at #17 St. John's, 2/21 Deflected Loose Ball No
Providence, 2/28 Deflected Loose Ball Yes
vs. West Virginia, 4/4 Goaltending No
Give Me Five
In Greg McDermott's 16 years patrolling the Bluejay sideline, this year's seven different starting line-ups were tied for the second-most he's used over the course of an entire campaign.
Ten different Creighton players have started four or more games this season, and seven of those men started at least 12 times. Josh Dix started each contest, the only Bluejay that can say that.
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 7
McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott ranks sixth in BIG EAST history with 147 regular-season league wins. The five coaches ahead of him all have won at least one national title and all are in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
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
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. 159 Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
6. 147 Greg McDermott, Creighton
7. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
8. 135 Ed Cooley, Providence/G'Town
9. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
10. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's
Foul Play
Creighton had just two players foul out of a game all season long, trailing only UMBC and Yale for the third-fewest nationally.
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 eight players foul out in 140 games.
Give Me 10
The Feb. 7 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.
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 Ball 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 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
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 first 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 became 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 joined 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.
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 34 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), at home against both Georgetown (36-26 on Jan. 13) and Seton Hall (63-53 on Feb. 7th), and on a neutral floor vs. Rutgers (24-14 on April 2nd).
Creighton's four comeback wins from 10+ points down this season was tied for its second-most under Greg McDermott. The 2011-12 team had five such comebacks in 2011-12 and also had four in 2021-22.
Sixteen of those 34 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
10 vs. Rutgers 04/02/26
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 30,437-25,559 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.60 points per game in 387 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 20 @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 proved him right.
Creighton's bench outscored foes 868-745 this season. That +123 figure was CU's best year-end mark since 2017-18 (+229). The 868 points were CU's most bench points since scoring 925 bench points in 2015-16.
Creighton's bench accounted for 33.96 percent of CU's scoring, and 25.53 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 were just 12-14 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 16-18 (Crown)
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.
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.
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
29 (26-3) Campbell
Most Games, 50%+ FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 327 (317-10) Gonzaga
2. 237 (220-17) Belmont
3. 230 (217-13) Kansas
4. 228 (215-13) Duke
5. 226 (211-15) Creighton
Most Games, 50%+ 3FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 94 (83-11) Weber State
2. 90 (80-10) UCLA
90 (75-15) Michigan State
4. 87 (82-5) Creighton
5. 86 (84-2) Arizona
86 (83-3) Gonzaga
Best Field Goal Percentage, Since 2010-11
Rk. FG% Team
1. .507 Gonzaga
2. .483 Belmont
3. .476 Kansas
.476 Duke
5. .475 Creighton
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. .552 Creighton
4. .542 Furman
5. .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 marked 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 two seasons since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time.
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 5th Owen Freeman (1st); Josh Dix (2nd)
Jackson McAndrew (3rd); Nik Graves (3rd)
Seeking The Perfect Blend
Creighton's roster included nine newcomers and seven returners. CU did not play a single possession with five returners on the floor at the same time at any point in the 2025-26 season.
# of Newcomers CU Pts.-Opp Pts. % of Pts. by CU
0 Newcomers on Floor Never Happened n/a
1 Newcomer on Floor 63-59 .516
2 Newcomers on Floor 637-651 .495
3 Newcomers on Floor 993-983 .503
4 Newcomers on Floor 757-780 .493
5 Newcomers on Floor 106-84 .558
Newcomers Lead The Way
For the season, 1,765 of Creighton's 2,556 points were scored by newcomers, an astounding 69.05 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 (not counting Alan Huss) who are currently a head coach at the Division I level, including three men at Power 5 schools.
Through games of April 1st, McDermott's 11 former assistant coaches (not counting Huss) who are currently Division I head coaches have accounted for 1,866 victories, and a .608 winning percentage. All but one (a first year head coach) have a winning record, and seven have won at a 60% clip. All but 282 of Sather's victories are Division I wins.
Here's a list:
Darian DeVries - Indiana
Eric Henderson - Drake
Ben Jacobson - Utah State
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
25 of 28 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 25 of the last 28 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 28 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons
Gonzaga 28
Kansas 28
Duke 27
Kentucky 26
Creighton 25
Arizona 24
Florida 24
Michigan State 24
BYU 23
North Carolina 23
Ohio State 23
Wisconsin 23
Coaching Consistency Is Key
Between women's basketball coach Jim Flanery (469) and men's basketball coach Greg McDermott (366), 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 made 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 Jacobson and Tanya Warren). Those numbers will change with McDermott retiring and Jacobson taking the Utah State job in the off-season.
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 (2010-26).
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 was in his 16th season on the Creighton sideline in 2025-26. That was tied for the 15th-longest active run of any men's coach with his current team as a Division I head coach. It's worth noting Greg Kampe was head coach at Oakland before the program became Division I.
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 Jacobson* 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
*won't be returning in 2026-27
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 13 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) in this year's lid-lifter 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 Crown
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 last 21 teams to score 90 points in an opener, 13 would reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here's a look at Creighton's 13 most recent teams 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 16-18 Crown
NBA Jays
There are five former Creighton players in the NBA this season.
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott spent his 12th year in the NBA as a member of the Sacramento Kings. He was a Lottery pick in 2014 by the Denver Nuggets. McDermott averaged 5.7 points per game while shooting 39.0 percent from three-point range in 2025-26.
Baylor Scheierman is in his second year with the Boston Celtics after being a First Round pick in 2024. He averaged 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Celtics while making 20 starts.
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. He played in nine games with the Pelicans, averaging 5.2 points per contest while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from three-point range.
There is palpable buzz around Ryan Kalkbrenner, a Second Round pick of the Charlotte Hornets, in his rookie campaign. Kalkbrenner averaged 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game while shooting 75.3 percent from the field.
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. Nembhard averaged 6.6 points and 5.3 assists in 60 games with the Mavericks, including 27 starts. He had 23 assists in the regular-season finale.
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 marked the eighth time in program history the writers 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). Entering 2025-26, the first 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 121 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 was 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 returned 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 16-18
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 had 366 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. 366-189 Greg McDermott 2010-26
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 387 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the now 23-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 317-70 (.819) 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 30,437-25,559 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.60 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 36-41 all-time in the 77 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-16 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 43-35 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 220-52 (.809) 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 335-69 (.829) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Perfect 10
Greg McDermott 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 16 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 73 100 76
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season went on sale on October 16th.
Fans could 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 BasketballThursday, July 23
Tuesday, July 07
Wednesday, April 22
Saturday, April 04
