Game #2: North Dakota State Bison (2-0) at #8 Creighton Bluejays (1-0)
Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 • 1:00 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
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Next Game
No. 8 Creighton (1-0) hosts North Dakota State (2-0) on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for 1:00 p.m.
The first 500 students in attendance will go home with a Military T-Shirt in celebration of Military Appreciation Day.
Additionally, the 2023 Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame class of Fabian Herbers, Dr. Christina Lunceford, Marissa (Janning) Murphy and Dave Schrage will be recognized at halftime.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men’s basketball games during the 2023-24 season. John Bishop and Taylor Stormberg will call the action.
The audio is webcast at 1620thezone.com and can be heard on SiriusXM channel 108 or 204 as well as at https://siriusxm.us/SXM967.
Telecast Information
Saturday’s game will be called by Sloane Martin and Nick Bahe and be televised on FS2. The game will also be video webcast on the FoxSports app or at http://foxsports.com/live. Cable authorization may be required.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton’s games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting #8 Creighton
Ranked eighth nationally in the preseason AP and Coaches polls, Creighton has lofty expectations after coming one possession shy of the program’s first Final Four last March. Tuesday’s 105-54 romp over Florida A&M did nothing to diminish those hopes.
The nucleus of the team is formed by three returning starters as senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.9 ppg., 6.1 rpg., 2.1 bpg., 69.5 FG% last year), senior forward Baylor Scheierman (12.8 ppg., 8.3 rpg., 3.3 apg.) and junior guard Trey Alexander (13.6 ppg., 41.0 3FG%) all put their professional aspirations on hold and came back.
Add in senior transfer Steven Ashworth (16.2 ppg., 4.8 apg., 43.4 3FG%), the USBWA District VII Player of the Year last year at Utah State, and it’s easy to see why CU is one of three BIG EAST teams picked in the top-10 nationally.
Other returners include sophomores Mason Miller (2.3 ppg., 37.0 3FG%) and Fredrick King (3.4 ppg.), as well as senior Francisco Farabello (3.0 ppg.).
CU also boasts Memphis transfer Johnathan Lawson, Virginia transfer Isaac Traudt, redshirt freshman Jasen Green (Millard North HS) and true freshman Josiah Dotzler (Bellevue West HS) looking to make an impact.
Creighton was picked to finish second of 11 teams in a preseason poll of BIG EAST coaches. It’s No. 8 spot in the polls was its best preseason rank in program history.
Scouting North Dakota State
North Dakota State is 2-0 in the young season, winning at Western Michigan (80-76 in overtime) on Monday before defeating Mt. Marty (93-66) on Wednesday.
Boden Skunberg (21.0 ppg., 53.8 3FG%) has led the Bison in scoring both games, while Jacari White (12.0 ppg.) and Andrew Morgan (11.0 ppg., 9.0 rpg.) also average in double-figures.
As a team, NDSU averages 86.5 points per game on 44.8 percent shooting from the floor, 36.7 percent shooting from deep and 60 percent shooting at the line. The Bison have rebounded 39 of their 90 missed shots, a big reason they are +17.0 rebounds per game on the glass.
The Series vs. North Dakota State
Creighton is 11-0 all-time against North Dakota State, including a 8-0 advantage in Omaha. After going more than 30 years without playing from 1976-2019, Saturday will be the third meeting between the teams in the last four seasons.
Greg McDermott is 4-0 in his career against North Dakota State, including a pair of wins coming when he was coaching at Iowa State. McDermott is also 15-0 as Creighton head coach against teams from the Summit League.
McDermott is 2-0 when coaching against David Richman, a former student assistant coach of his.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 301-150 record in his 14th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 581-345 in his 30th season, and is 450-281 in his 23rd Division I campaign.
McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and its first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
He is assisted by Ryan Miller, Jalen Courtney-Williams and Derek Kellogg.
With A Win…
– Creighton would improve to 2-0 on the season.
– Creighton would improve to 12-0 all-time against North Dakota State, including a 9-0 mark at home.
– Greg McDermott would improve to 16-0 against Summit League teams since becoming the coach at Creighton.
– Creighton would start 2-0 or better for the 13th time in 14 years under Greg McDermott.
– Creighton would improve to 97-9 in non-conference home games under Greg McDermott.
– Creighton would improve to 280-60 (.824) all-time inside CHI Health Center Omaha.
Milestone Watch
– Baylor Scheierman enters Saturday having made 249 career three-pointers, including 90 at Creighton. He has made at least one three-pointer in each of his last 48 games, including all 38 as a Bluejay.
Bison Binds
Current Creighton head coach Greg McDermott was the head coach at NDSU in 2000-01, where he went 15-11 in his lone season on the bench before returning to his alma mater, Northern Iowa.
North Dakota State head coach David Richman was a graduate assistant on McDermott’s coaching staff at Northern Iowa.
But Wait, There’s More
North Dakota State David Richman isn’t the only member of Greg McDermott‘s coaching tree that’s currently a head coach at the Division I level.
Here’s a list:
Darian DeVries – Drake
Eric Henderson – South Dakota State
Ben Jacobson – Northern Iowa
Steve Lutz – Western Kentucky
TJ Otzelberger – Iowa State
David Richman – North Dakota State
Paul Sather – North Dakota
Patrick Sellers – Central Connecticut State
Counting By Three’s
Key to Creighton’s 51 point win (105-54) on Tuesday was the fact that the Bluejays outscored Florida A&M by 51 points (54-3) from behind the three-point arc.
Creighton’s 18 three-pointers were sixth-most in program history, but one behind how many triples the Jays made in their final home game last season (19) vs. Georgetown.
Here’s a look at Creighton’s most three-pointers in a game, all but one of which have happened under Greg McDermott.
Most 3-Pointers in a Game, Creighton History
3FG Opponent Date Final Score
22 Coe 12/20/18 W 110-60
21 at #4 Villanova 1/20/14 W 96-68
20 Chattanooga 2/19/05 W 100-68
19 Georgetown 3/1/23 W 99-59
19 USC Upstate 12/20/17 W 116-62
18 Florida A&M 11/7/23 W 105-51
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 986 straight games. The streak is the nation’s 11th-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. 1,193 UNLV 11/11
2. 1,190 Duke 11/10
3. 1,117 East Tennessee State 11/13
4. 1,096 Texas 11/10
5. 1,095 Oakland 11/10
6. 1,093 Pacific 11/10
7. 1,036 Marshall 11/10
8. 1,032 Baylor 11/12
9. 1,020 Gonzaga 11/10
10. 1,020 Princeton 11/10
11. 986 Creighton 11/11
12. 985 Long Island 11/8
13. 975 Mount St. Mary’s 11/11
14. 965 Tennessee State 11/15
Triple Trouble
During Creighton’s current streak of 986 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,803 trifectas, an average of 7.91 treys per game.
That’s not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly seven three-pointers 147 times, more than any figure.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 283 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 64-15 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 28-25 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: 103 times 6: 101 times
7: 147 times 8: 124 times 9: 93 times
10: 82 times 11: 57 times 12: 56 times
13: 45 times 14: 19 times 15: 7 times
16: 8 times 17: 3 times 18: 1 time
19: 2 times 20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
Can’t Stop Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman made a three-point basket in all 37 games he played last season and his lone game this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 48 in a row if you include the end of his time at South Dakota State.
Scheierman’s streak is the longest streak in Creighton history, five more than Ty-Shon Alexander’s 33.
Also listed is the nation’s longest active streaks of games with a three-pointer, per the FOX Sports research team.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Creighton History
Streak Name Dates of Streak
37 Baylor Scheierman Nov. 7, 2022 – Present
33 Ty-Shon Alexander Feb. 27, 2018-March 6, 2019
31 Booker Woodfox Nov. 25, 2008-March 23, 2009
28 Kyle Korver Feb. 4, 2001-Feb. 6, 2002
27 Kyle Korver Feb. 13, 2002-Jan. 20, 2003
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer
Nation’s Longest Active Streaks (11/7)
Streak Name, School Next Game
66 Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall 11/10
48 Baylor Scheierman, Creighton / S. Dakota St. 11/11
Quickest To Pizza!!!
For the last few decades, Godfather’s Pizza has had a promotion for Creighton Basketball season ticket holders to provide a free mini pizza with the purchase of a drink if the Bluejays hit a certain scoring threshold, which has been 75 since 2005-06 (and was 70 before that).
In Tuesday night’s opener, those fans were rewarded by a Steven Ashworth three-pointer with 14:32 left in the second half.
Since moving to CHI Health Center Omaha, it was the fourth-quickest that the Bluejays have reached that mark (yes, we track that). A look at the others:
Quickest to 75 Points at CHI Health Center Omaha
Time Left Opponent Date Final Score
15:06 Longwood 12/09/16 W 113-58
14:56 USC Upstate 12/20/17 W 116-62
14:42 Campbell 11/25/11 W 104-81
14:32 Florida A&M 11/07/23 W 105-54
13:52 Coe 12/20/18 W 110-60
13:45 UMKC 11/11/16 W 89-82
13:33 Houston Baptist 12/17/07 W 110-73
13:14 Coppin State 12/28/15 W 102-77
13:14 UTSA 11/17/15 W 103-78
12:33 North Texas 12/21/15 W 105-82
12:33 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 W 106-77
Century Club
Creighton opened the season with a 105-54 victory over Florida A&M on Nov. 7th. A few nuggets about that.
– Creighton improved to 65-3 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, and 27-1 when scoring 105 points or more.
– Creighton’s only 100-point game last year was a 104-76 home win over St. John’s on Jan. 25, 2023.
– After scoring 100 points in the season opener in the first 93 years in program history, Creighton has done it three additional times in Greg McDermott‘s 14-year tenure. CU hadn’t scored 100 points in a season opener since a 104-77 victory vs. Central Arkansas to open the 2014-15 campaign.
– Creighton ranks tied for ninth nationally with 24 games of 100 points or more since the start of the 2010-11 season, which coincides with Greg McDermott‘s arrival. Among Power 6 teams, only North Carolina (34) has more.
– What’s crazy about Greg McDermott‘s teams scoring 100 points or more 24 times at Creighton is that neither his Iowa State teams (127 games) or Northern Iowa teams (153 games) ever cracked the century mark, and reached 90 points or more only six times.
– Looking ahead, Creighton has not scored 100 points in back-to-back games since beating Washington State (103-77) and North Carolina State (112-94) at the Paradise Jam in November of 2016.
Won By How Many?
Creighton trailed for just 53 seconds of Tuesday’s 105-54 season-opening win over Florida A&M, tied for its eighth-largest margin of victory in program history.
It was Creighton’s largest win since a 116-62 win over USC Upstate in 2017.
Five of CU’s 11 wins by 51 points or more have come in a season-opener.
Largest Victory Margin, Creighton History
Margin Opponent Date Score
57 Midland* 12/12/1925 63-6
56 UT Arlington* 11/17/2002 106-50
55 Regis* 11/30/1973 93-38
55 Longwood 12/09/2016 113-58
54 Morningside 02/17/1961 105-51
54 USC Upstate 12/20/2017 116-62
53 Drake 02/14/1933 79-26
51 South Dakota State 01/11/1927 67-16
51 Northern Colorado* 12/02/1959 105-54
51 Md.-Eastern Shore 12/15/2017 87-36
51 Florida A&M* 11/07/2023 105-54
* season opener
More On The Margins
Creighton’s 51 point win on Tuesday comes on the heels of a 99-59 victory over Georgetown in last year’s home finale.
The combined +91 point margin is the largest combined difference over the course of back-to-back home games in program history, breaking the previous mark of 88 from the 1960-61 home finale (105-51 vs. Morningside) and the 1961-62 home opener (85-51 vs. Colorado College).
Additionally, Creighton’s 29 point (56-27) halftime lead vs. FAMU was its largest since taking a 53-22 lead into the locker room vs. North Dakota on Nov. 10, 2022.
Creighton has now led at halftime in each of its last 11 home games, a streak that started on Dec. 22, 2022.
Back on FS2
Saturday’s game will appear on FS2, a network that the Bluejays have experienced great success on.
CU is 16-1 all-time on FS2, but hasn’t played on FS2 since two years ago when it beat North Dakota State. CU has outscored foes by an average of 88.18 – 65.88 in those contests, with all but two of victories coming by double-figures.
A One And A Two…
Not only is Creighton a perfect 14-0 in season-openers under Greg McDermott, but the Bluejays have started 2-0 in all but one campaign (2019-20) under McDermott as well. That 2019-20 team, of course, went on to share the BIG EAST regular-season title.
Hello, World
Creighton had four players who made their regular-season Bluejay debut on Tuesday vs. Florida A&M; Steven Ashworth, Josiah Dotzler, Johnathan Lawson, and Isaac Traudt all did so, combining to score 42 points.
Below is a look at how Creighton’s current players have done in their regular-season and Creighton debuts in a Division I uniform.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Alexander 5 4 1 2 22
Ashworth (USU) 5 4 0 0 20
Ashworth (CU)• 17 3 4 0 18
Dotzler 6 1 0 0 15
Farabello (TCU)• 0 0 5 1 26
Farabello (CU) 2 1 2 2 17
Kalkbrenner 8 2 1 1 11
King 5 2 0 0 9
Lawson (MEM) 8 1 1 0 17
Lawson (CU) 7 4 2 0 15
Miller 8 3 0 0 12
Osmani 0 0 0 0 1
Scheierman (SDSU) 3 6 1 1 21
Scheierman (CU)• 11 10 3 1 34
Traudt 12 6 2 0 21
•indicates game started
Immediate Impact
Steven Ashworth came in with the reputation of being a lights shooter, and did nothing to dispel those myths in his Bluejay debut.
The senior point guard made 5-of-7 three-point shots, scoring 17 points, while also contributing four assists without a turnover in 18 minutes of action.
Ashworth’s 17 points were the most in a Creighton debut since Marcus Foster had 19 points in a 2016 victory over UMKC.
Speaking of newcomers, redshirt freshman Isaac Traudt scored 12 points on Tuesday. Six of Creighton’s first seven freshmen under Greg McDermott to score a dozen or more points in their collegiate debut ended up on the conference’s All-Freshman Team, with three of them (Ryan Nembhard, Justin Patton and Doug McDermott) earning Freshman of the Year honors.
Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Not counting 2019-20, when there was no postseason, Creighton has made the postseason each of the previous 10 times in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year. That’s a good omen considering that Creighton shot 56.7 percent in Tuesday’s lid-lifter.
Eight 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.
Including 2023-24, Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in eight of its last 12 season-openers.
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 ? ? ?
The Push For 90
Of Creighton’s 24 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, 11 have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Put another way…of CU’s 18 teams (before 2023-24) to score 90 points in an opener, 11 would reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a look at Creighton’s last 10 teams (including 2023-24) 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 N. 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 Ark.-Pine Bluff 11/09/21 23-12 NCAA
105-54 Florida A&M 11/07/23 ? ? ? ? ? ?
November Reign
Creighton is a 72-1 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th. The lone loss came in 2018 when it lost to Ohio State.
Creighton has won 79 of its 81 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012 and Ohio State in 2018.
Overall, Creighton is 111-21 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
A Head Start
Creighton got a jump start on the season with nine practices in July before heading to the Bahamas to play in three games during the first week of August.
Creighton won all three games by 14 points or more, averaged 98.3 points., and outrebounded foes by 21.3 caroms per contest.
Trey Alexander led CU by averaging 20.0 points before missing the final contest, but Ryan Kalkbrenner (11.0 ppg.), Baylor Scheierman (10.0 ppg.) and Fredrick King (10.0 ppg.) also scored at a double-digit clip.
Steven Ashworth led CU with 15 assists, King and Brock Vice had a team-high 18 rebounds and Kalkbrenner topped the team with 10 swats.
Who’s Back?
With Creighton returning seven of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it’s no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2022-23 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 126 (82.9%) 26 (17.1%)
Rebounds 860 (67.9%) 411 (32.1%)
3FG Made 207 (64.9%) 112 (35.1%)
Points 1833 (64.8%) 995 (35.2%)
Steals 119 (64.3%) 66 (35.7%)
Minutes 4693 (63.0%) 2757 (37.0%)
Starts 111 (60.0%) 74 (40.0%)
Charges Taken 16 (59.3%) 11 (40.7%)
Assists 308 (53.0%) 273 (47.0%)
Preseason Top 10
The Creighton men’s basketball team was ranked eighth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever. That’s one spot better than the previous best, done last year, when the Bluejays started the season ranked ninth.
The announcement marks just the sixth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22), 2020-21 (No. 11) and 2022-23 (No. 9). All five of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with the last two making the Sweet 16 and last year’s club reaching the Elite Eight.
It’s also the 23rd week in program history that Creighton has been in the top-10 at any point, with all but one of those occasions happening under head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton’s best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Creighton has now been ranked 123 times in program history, with 95 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 153-63 all-time as a ranked team, including a 119-51 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 10 of McDermott’s 14 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton is one of four schools to be ranked in the preseason top-10 each of the past two seasons, joining Kansas, Duke and Houston.
Along with No. 5 Marquette, No. 6 Connecticut and No. 8 Creighton, this year marked the first time since 2011-12 that the BIG EAST had three Preseason Top-10 teams.
Creighton is also eighth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men’s basketball team has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day.
It’s the second time in Creighton’s 11 years in the BIG EAST Conference that the Bluejays have been picked second, as the 2020-21 squad was also picked second (and eventually finished second). The Bluejays also had three players receive recognition on one of the Preseason All-BIG EAST teams, tied with preseason favorite Marquette for the most in the league.
The Bluejays collected four first-place votes and earned 92 points in the poll, trailing only Marquette’s seven first-place votes and 96 overall points. Defending national champion Connecticut was tabbed third with 79 points, just ahead of Villanova’s 76 for fourth place. Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino’s first St. John’s team garnered 59 points to be chosen fifth, just ahead of Xavier (57) and Providence (51). The bottom four teams in the poll are Georgetown (34), Seton Hall (30), Butler (16) and DePaul (15).
Creighton finished 24-13 overall and 14-6 in BIG EAST play last season and are the only league team to return three of its scorers that averaged at least a dozen points per game. The Bluejays won three NCAA Tournament games to advance to its first Elite Eight since 1941.
In 2023-24, Creighton will be led by senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection. Kalkbrenner becomes the first player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST honors multiple times, and along with Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Kolek from Marquette was one of two men to be named on every ballot.
Joining Kalkbrenner with the Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST acclaim was junior guard Trey Alexander. Alexander was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice at the end of last season, as was teammate Baylor Scheierman. A senior guard from Aurora, Neb., Scheierman earned Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST plaudits in 2023-24.
This year marks the second time that Creighton has had more than two players land on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, and comes 12 months after Creighton had four men listed prior to the 2022-23 campaign. Creighton last had two men named Preseason First Team All-Conference in its Missouri Valley Conference days in 2006-07 (Anthony Tolliver, Nate Funk).
Kolek was named 2023-24 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s head coaches, which comes as little surprise after the point guard was named 2023 BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP after leading the Golden Eagles to both the regular-season and tournament titles. Connecticut guard Stephon Castle was chosen BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year. The coaches, who were not permitted to select their own players, also chose an All-BIG EAST First Team, All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.
Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but one season since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time. The Bluejays are seeking an eighth straight finish in the top four of the league standings. CU’s team two years ago was predicted to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, then ended up in fourth. Four years ago, a team picked seventh in the BIG EAST’s preseason poll went 13-5 in league play to share its first league title with Villanova and Seton Hall. That Bluejay team ended the year ranked seventh in the entire nation.
Creighton’s BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year Preseason Actual Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14 3rd 2nd Doug McDermott (1st)
2014-15 9th T-9th –
2015-16 9th 6th –
2016-17 3rd T-3rd Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18 5th T-3rd Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19 9th T-3rd Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20 7th T-1st Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21 2nd 2nd Marcus Zegarowski (1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)
2021-22 8th 4th –
2022-23 1st 3rd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
2023-24 2nd ?? Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
Baylor Scheierman (2nd)
Among The Nation’s Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally (entering 2023-24) since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 100 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to 2022-23
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 3,943 3rd
FG Percentage .476 4th
Assists 7,161 6th
3FG Percentage .375 8th
FG Made 12,254 8th
Points 34,280 9th
Wins 300 24th
Winning Percentage .667 32nd
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 111 starts from last year’s team, its most since bringing back 124 starts from its 2020-21 club.
Creighton has won 20 or more games each of the previous eight times (and 12 of the last 13 times) it has returned 100 or more starts.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2023-24 3 111 ? ? ?
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
Four Of A Kind
Creighton has four players that were named to a Preseason Watch List in Steven Ashworth (Bob Cousy Point Guard), Trey Alexander (Jerry West Shooting Guard), Baylor Scheierman (Julius Erving Small Forward) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center).
Creighton is one of six schools to have four men listed at a position, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette and UConn.
Those same four men were named to CBS Sports Preseason Top 100 And 1 player listings, with Kalkbrenner (5), Alexander (12), Scheierman (26) and Ashworth (76) making CU the only school with three of the top 30 players or four of the top 76 players. Kansas and Duke were the only other teams with four players listed in the Top 100 And 1.
Last but not least, both Alexander and Kalkbrenner were two of 20 players on the NABC’s Preseason Division I Player of the Year Watch List. The only other schools with two players on that list were Duke and USC.
Downtown Duo
Only two players nationally that are returning in 2023-24 had 120+ assists, 87+ three-pointers and 38+ steals in 2022-23.
Baylor Scheierman and Steven Ashworth.
Both will play for Creighton this season.
In Tuesdays’ season-opener, the duo combined for six assists, eight three-pointers and no steals.
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a third season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 40 of the last 41 seasons. McDermott is in his 10th season in the NBA. Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver.
Let’s Go On A Run
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022 and 2023. That makes CU one of seven teams in the country to have a win in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, joining Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and UCLA.
The only other time that Creighton has won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons came in 2012, 2013 and 2014, also under Greg McDermott.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
Creighton is one of seven teams to post 22 or more wins in each of the last four seasons, joining Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Liberty, San Diego State and Southern California.
Creighton is one of just eight teams to have reached at least two of the last three Sweet 16s. Gonzaga, Houston and UCLA have done it each of the last three seasons, while Alabama, Creighton, Michigan and Villanova have done it twice each.
23 of 25 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 23 of the last 25 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 25 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 24 times, Creighton and Kentucky 23 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 25 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons 2022-23 W-L
Gonzaga 25 31-6
Kansas 25 28-8
Duke 24 27-9
Creighton 23 24-13
Kentucky 23 22-12
Dynamic Duo
Creighton is also one of eight schools to have men’s and women’s basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous two seasons, a list that includes Creighton, Gonzaga, Liberty, Princeton, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo and UConn.
This season, Creighton is one of eight teams with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men’s and women’s side, joining Baylor, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Southern California, Tennessee and Texas.
The only five schools to be ranked in the preseason men’s and women’s basketball Top 25 of the AP Poll both this season and last season are Baylor, Creighton, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Creighton is one of 11 schools to make the NCAA Tournament in both men’s and women’s basketball each of the past two seasons, a list that consists of Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
The only schools with at-large bids in each of the previous two years in both men’s and women’s basketball are Baylor, Creighton, Indiana and Miami (Fla.).
A Dozen Will Do
Creighton finished 14-6 in the BIG EAST last season and is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the previous four seasons.
Among the other BIG EAST or “Power 5” Conference schools, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia have also done it the previous four years.
Creighton has now owned a .500 mark or better in league play 27 times in the last 28 seasons.
The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous six seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 27 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point.
Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
If you’re curious, CU’s largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU’s Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
16 at Seton Hall 01/27/21
16 SIU Edwardsville 11/27/21
15 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21
14 Evansville 02/21/12
14 vs. San Diego State 03/17/22
13 at Saint Joseph’s 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
13 #22 Xavier 12/23/20
12 Saint Joseph’s 12/11/10
12 at DePaul 01/17/16
12 East Tennessee State 11/11/18
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
11 vs. Ole Miss 11/21/16
11 vs. Connecticut 03/12/21
11 DePaul 01/22/22
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
10 St. John’s 01/03/18
10 at DePaul 02/07/18
10 Bemidji State 02/13/18
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 301 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU’s all-time wins list.
McDermott’s .667 winning percentage is Creighton’s best since Arthur A. Schabinger’s .714 win rate more than 85 years ago.
Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton History
Rk. W-L Name Years
1. 327-176 Dana Altman 1994-2010
2. 301-150 Greg McDermott 2010-Pres.
3. 165-66 Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-1935
4. 138-118 John J. “Red” McManus 1959-1969
5. 130-64 Tom Apke 1974-1981
CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 8-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003.
The last time such a game happened was in 2020 when Creighton’s Marcus Zegarowski hit a shot with 3.2 seconds left to beat Providence.
Creighton’s Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.7
01/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.0
11/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.5
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.2
01/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.3
02/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.3
01/28/14 St. John’s W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8
01/18/20 Providence W 78-74 Zegarowski 3FG :3.2
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) L 53-52 G. Diaz FT :2.6
01/20/07 Southern Illinois L 58-57 B. Mullins FG :4.1
01/10/15 #19 Seton Hall L 68-67 S. Gibbs 3FG :2.2
02/16/15 #19 Butler L 58-56 R. Jones FG :1.9
03/07/15 Xavier L 74-73 D. Davis FT’s :6.3
01/12/16 #12 Providence L 50-48 K. Dunn FG :0.0
02/22/17 Providence L 68-66 K. Cartwright 3FG :2.4
02/10/18 #5 Xavier L 71-72 Q. Goodin FT’s :0.3
Top-20 Crowds
Here’s a look at Creighton’s top-20 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,868 Providence 03/08/14
2. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
3. 18,831 #1 Villanova 12/31/16
4. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
5. 18,759 #1 Gonzaga 12/01/18
6. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
7. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
8. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
9. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
10. 18,519 #8 Seton Hall 03/07/20
11. 18,518 Georgetown 01/27/18
12. 18,509 Villanova 02/04/23
13. 18,495 Marquette 02/17/18
14. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
15. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
16. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
17. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
18. 18,321 #3 Villanova 02/24/18
19. 18,294 #19 Iowa State 12/04/21
20. 18,286 #21 Connecticut 02/12/23
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 339 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 21-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 279-60 (.823) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (22-0).
Creighton’s Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program’s 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU’s 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 26,523-22,181 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.81 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 89 different times.
Incredibly, Creighton hasn’t trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 23 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
Creighton is also 32-36 all-time in the 68 games at the arena in which it’s fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-11 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 40-29 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 182-42 (.813) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn’t trailed in 64 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 96-9 home record 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 298-60 (.832) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.49 points per home game (18,029 points in 224 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.03 points in non-conference home games (8,824 points in 105 home games).
Creighton is 136-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Elite Eight
Greg McDermott guided his team to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, and most among basketball coaches.
McDermott is one of five head coaches in Creighton history to lead seven or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA’s @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 12
Bob Warming Men’s Soccer 11
Greg McDermott Men’s Basketball 8
Dana Altman Men’s Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished last season ranked 12th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation’s No. 23 offense, and No. 14 defense. Creighton’s No. 14 defense was its best mark in the 21 seasons of the KenPom era.
Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom seven times in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott and a top-25 defense twice.
Year Off. Rating Def. Rating Overall Rank
2010-11 66 174 98
2011-12 5 166 28
2012-13 5 66 15
2013-14 2 124 17
2014-15 59 138 79
2015-16 43 76 40
2016-17 32 46 28
2017-18 25 58 30
2018-19 47 83 55
2019-20 3 78 12
2020-21 25 32 22
2021-22 112 19 50
2022-23 23 14 12
2023-24 11 16 11
Kalkbrenner Repeats As Top Defender
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named 2023 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
Kalkbrenner became just the 11th player in league history to win the recognition more than once, joining the likes of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Kris Dunn and Allen Iverson among those to win the award multiple times, and is the first repeat winner since former Bluejay guard Khyri Thomas in 2017 and 2018.
Between Kalkbrenner and Thomas, Creighton has now had a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in four of the previous seven seasons.
Most BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Honors
Honors Name, School Years (*ties)
4 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown 1982, 83, 84, 85
3 Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown 1989, 90*, 92
2 Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown 1990, 91
2 Allen Iverson, Georgetown 1995, 96
2 Etan Thomas, Syracuse 1999, 00
2 John Linehan, Providence 2001, 02
2 Emeka Okafor, Connecticut 2003, 04
2 Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut 2008, 09
2 Kris Dunn, Providence 2015*, 16
2 Khyri Thomas, Creighton 2017*, 18
2 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2022, 23
Kalkbrenner Surpasses 1,000 Points
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,176 career points, as he became the 45th men’s player in Creighton history to surpass 1,000 on Feb. 25, 2023 at Villanova. He was the first Bluejay to score 1,000 since Marcus Zegarowski did it on Jan. 20, 2021 vs. Providence.
He currently ranks 30th in program history. Here’s a list of Creighton’s top scorers ever:
Most Career Points, Creighton History
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 3,150 Doug McDermott 2010-14
2. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-99
3. 2,110 Bob Harstad 1987-91
4. 1,983 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
5. 1,876 Bob Portman 1966-69
6. 1,801 Kyle Korver 1999-03
7. 1,754 Nate Funk 2002-07
8. 1,682 Rick Apke 1974-78
9. 1,661 Paul Silas 1961-64
10. 1,654 Vernon Moore 1981-85
11. 1,575 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
12. 1,526 John C. Johnson 1975-79
13. 1,500 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
14. 1,437 Eddie Cole 1951-55
15. 1,369 Gene Harmon 1971-74
16. 1,361 Duan Cole 1987-92
17. 1,342 Antoine Young 2008-12
18. 1,313 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
19. 1,309 Ryan Sears 1997-01
20. 1,304 Mitch Ballock 2017-21
21. 1,303 Elton Tuttle 1951-54
22. 1,293 Marcus Zegarowski 2018-21
23. 1,292 Marcus Foster 2016-18
24. 1,272 Bob Gibson 1954-57
25. 1,267 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 1968-69
26. 1,254 Gary Swain 1983-87
27. 1,241 Ty-Shon Alexander 2017-20
28. 1,238 Ben Walker 1997-01
29. 1,196 Ray Yost 1951-54
30. 1,176 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
31. 1,172 Dick Harvey 1956-59
Kalkbrenner also ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 200.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
200 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
174 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
Among The Best…EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 476 of 712 career shots, putting him at 66.9 percent overall. That places the senior center fifth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 400 or more field goals and at least four field goals per game.
Best Career FG%, NCAA History (min. 400 FG, 4FG/game)
Pct. (FG-FGA) Name, School Years
.746 (469-629) Udoka Azubuike, Kansas 2016-20
.740 (497-672) Tacko Fall, UCF 2015-19
.678 (828-1222) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1976-81
.677 (441-651) Michael Bradley, Kentucky/Villanova 1998-01
.669 (476-712) Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2020-Pres.
.668 (566-847) Murray Brown, Florida State 1976-80
.667 (740-1109) Evan Bradds, Belmont 2013-17
.665 (411-618) Lee Campbell, MTSU, Missouri State 1987-90
.664 (496-747) Warren Kidd, Middle Tennessee State 1990-93
.664 (702-1058) Todd MacCulloch, Washington 1995-99
.662 (476-719) Joe Senser, West Chester 1975-79
Scheierman Drains 200th Trey
Baylor Scheierman has made 249 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.5 percent clip.
Scheierman also owns 1,601 points, 949 rebounds, 444 assists and 121 career steals.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman is the nation’s only player in the last 30 years with career totals of at least 225 three-pointers, 425 assists and 900 rebounds.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2023-24 season went on sale on September 28th.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.