Men’s Basketball Meets Princeton in Sweet 16 on Friday in Louisville
Game #36: Princeton Tigers (23-8) vs. Creighton Bluejays (23-12)
Friday, March 24, 2023 • Approx. 8:00 p.m. CST • Louisville, Ky. • KFC Yum! Center
| LIVE VIDEO | CU AUDIO (via Varsity App) | LIVE WESTWOOD ONE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) |
Next Up
Back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last three years, sixth-seeded Creighton (23-12) squares off against 15th-seeded Princeton (23-8) on Friday, March 24th, about 30 minutes after Alabama faces San Diego State, which figures to be approximately 8 p.m. Central (9 p.m. Eastern).
KFC Yum! Center (22,090) in Louisville, Ky., will host the action.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men’s basketball games during the 2022-23 season. John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action. While KOZN is prevented from streaming the game on its app and website, fans can listen to Bishop & Bahe on The Varsity Network app, Powered by Learfield, which is available for free in your app store on your mobile device.
Westwood One Sports will also air the game nationwide on more than 500 terrestrial radio stations outside the Omaha market, with Tom McCarthy and Jordan Cornette on the call. The game can be heard on Sirius channel 133 or 201 as well as SXM channel 964.
The Westwood One feed will be available over the internet and other mobile devices. Games can be heard by selecting and then locating the audio at https://siriusxm.us/Sports964.
A list of Westwood One affiliates can be found at http://westwoodonesports.com/stations, The Westwood One feed is also on the Varsity Network app mentioned above.
It’s also available via the free Westwood One Sports skill on Alexa (“Alexa, Open Westwood One Sports”.
Television Broadcast Information
Friday’s game will be called by Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel and Evan Washburn and be televised on TBS.
Streaming video of all NCAA Tournament games is online at http://www.ncaa.com/marchmadnesslive.
Live Stats Information
Live stat links for CU’s NCAA Tournament games can be found via a link on the men’s basketball schedule page on http://GoCreighton.com.
Scouting Creighton
It’s been a roller coaster kind of season for Creighton, which started 6-0, including wins at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational over No. 21 Texas Tech and No. 9 Arkansas, then dropped its next six games. Since losing its BIG EAST opener at Marquette in mid-December without All-BIG EAST center Ryan Kalkbrenner, the Jays are 17-6.
Kalkbrenner (15.7 ppg., 6.2 rpg., 2.2 bpg.), a two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and Field of 68’s National Defensive Player of the Year, is first in the nation in field goal percentage (.706) this season. CU is 23-9 with him in the line-up this year, but 0-3 without him.
South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman (12.5 ppg., 8.2 rpg.), owns the team lead with 13 double-doubles and 81 three-pointers made and has set a Creighton record with a three-pointer in 35 straight games.
Three sophomores round out the Bluejay starters. Combo guard Trey Alexander (13.6 ppg.) joined Scheierman as an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST pick. Forward Arthur Kaluma (11.8 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) and point guard Ryan Nembhard (12.4 ppg., 4.8 apg.) give CU one of the best starting five’s in the country.
CU averages 76.7 points while allowing just 68.5 points per contest. CU shoots 46.7 percent from the floor, 35.8 percent from deep and 78.0 percent at the line.
Scouting Princeton
Princeton is 23-8 on the season and won the Ivy League Tournament title with wins over Penn and Yale to secure the automatic bid. Seeded 15th in the South Region, the Tigers have knocked off No. 8 Arizona (59-55) and No. 23 Missouri (78-63) to earn its first Sweet 16 bid in more than 50 years.
Tosan Evbuomwan (14.8 ppg., 4.8 apg., 6.3 rpg.) was named Ivy League Player of the Year and leads the Tigers in scoring and assists.
Also in double-figures are Ryan Langborg (12.3 ppg.) and Matt Allocco (10.8 ppg.).
The Tigers average 75.5 points per game on 45.5 percent shooting from the floor, 33.9 percent shooting from downtown and 71.4 percent marksmanship at the line. Princeton outrebounds teams by 6.6 caroms per contest and allows 67.9 points per game.
Series History vs. Princeton
Creighton is 1-0 all-time against Princeton, defeating the Tigers 63-54 in Omaha on Dec. 29, 1961.
On that night, in front of the second-largest CU home crowd ever at the time (6,117), Paul Silas had 17 points and 18 rebounds but fouled out with 9:37 left, while teammate Ed Hubbard added 16 points and nine rebounds. Princeton was paced by 21 points form Al Kaemmerlen.
Greg McDermott has never faced Princeton but is 2-0 against teams from the Ivy League, having defeated Yale (2017) and Brown (2021).
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 299-149 record in his 13th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 579-344 in his 29th season, and is 448-280 in his 22nd 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 then coached Creighton to its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20.
McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
He is assisted by Alan Huss, Ryan Miller and Jalen Courtney-Williams.
With A Win…
– Improve Creighton to 18-24 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
– Creighton would play be among the final eight teams for the first time since the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1941, when the Bluejays lost their opener in the eight-team field.
– Creighton would improve to 3-2 in its third NCAA Tournament game of an appearance, which includes consolation game contests.
– Advance Creighton to Sunday’s Regional Final vs. either Alabama or San Diego State in a game that would also be played in Louisville, Ky.
– Greg McDermott would improve to 9-7 in eight appearances as Creighton’s head coach in the NCAA Tournament, building on his victory total that already stands as the most NCAA Tournament wins in program history.
– Improve to 3-2 all-time as a No. 6 seed, with all three wins coming this month.
– Tie a single-season program record first set in 2012-13 with its sixth neutral site win of the season.
– Improve to 2-0 all-time against Princeton.
About Creighton
Creighton is a private, Jesuit institution located in Omaha, Neb., with 8,397 students. The University was founded in 1878 by Mary Lucretia Creighton, who established it in memory of her husband, telegraph pioneer Edward Creighton.
Prominent alumni include Bob Gibson (Hall of Fame pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals), Paul Silas (former NBA player and head coach), Kyle Korver (former NBA player), Doug McDermott (San Antonio Spurs), Pat Venditte (former ambidextrous MLB pitcher) and J. Joseph Ricketts (Chicago Cubs owner and founder of TD Ameritrade),
Creighton picked up the Bluejays moniker in 1924 after a newspaper coordinated a public contest to select a nickname and mascot.
Creighton officially joined the BIG EAST on July 1, 2013 and has the second-most wins in the league since then behind only Villanova.
NCAA Tournament History
Creighton is making its 24th NCAA Tournament appearance all-time, and 15th in the last 25 years. The Bluejays are 17-24 all-time in NCAA action.
The Bluejays are one of eight teams nationally to have appeared in two of the last three Sweet 16’s, having made it in both 2021 and 2023.
Creighton owns a 3-3 record all-time in the South Region. The Jays defeated seventh-seeded Louisville in Orlando in 1999, only to lose two days later to second-seeded Maryland. Since then CU has lost to seventh-seeded Nevada in New Orleans in 2007 and to ninth-seeded Kansas State in Charlotte in 2018. The Jays won both games last weekend to even their record to .500.
In 36 NCAA or NIT appearances, Creighton has won consecutive games in the same event just four times, with that happening in the 2016 and 2019 NIT’s, as well as the 2021 and 2023 NCAA Tournaments. The Jays have never own three straight NCAA Tournament games.
Creighton has had at least one sport reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 36 academic calendar years, as the Bluejays also have gone dancing in men’s soccer, volleyball and women’s basketball this academic year.
Including the NCAA’s, NIT, CBI and CIT, Creighton is making its 24th postseason appearance in the last 26 seasons this March. The 2019-20 team was one of those exceptions, but was likely headed for a 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA’s before COVID-19 canceled the event.
The Sweet 16
This year’s Creighton team is one of 16 teams still in the hunt for a national title, and by the time it takes the floor there figures to be only 10 teams still alive in the NCAA Tournament.
The only previous times that Creighton has played among the final 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament came in 1941 (eight teams, lost first game), 1962 (25 teams, won, then lost), 1964 (25 teams, won then lost), 1974 (25 teams, won, then lost) and 2021 (68 teams, won twice, then lost).
Common Opponents
Creighton and Princeton share just one common opponent this season, as both teams played Arizona. Creighton went 0-1 while Princeton was 1-0 in those contests. Both games took place on a neutral floor.
Team CU Result Princeton Result
Arizona Arizona 81-79 Princeton 59-55
March Madness Confidential To Follow The Jays
Turner Sports and CBS Sports’ joint coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship will include the return of NCAA March Madness Confidential, providing exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to six NCAA Tournament teams, including Creighton.
Production crews began embedding with the Bluejays on Selection Sunday and will chronicle their NCAA Tournament journeys.
Throughout the Tournament, features will run across multiple platforms – including studio coverage across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – with online distribution via the official @MarchMadnessMBB Twitter and Facebook pages, @MM_MBB_TV, NCAA.com and CBS Sports and Turner Sports social media accounts.
Merfeld’s One Shining Moment Turns 22
Currently an assistant to the head coach at Creighton, Steve Merfeld coached one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history when his 15th-seeded Hampton team defeated second-seeded Iowa State, 58-57, in Boise, Idaho, in 2001.
Merfeld’s team closed the game on a 14-2 run, capped by a Travis Williams basket with 6.9 seconds left. ISU All-American Jamaal Tinsley’s coast-to-coast lay-up attempt rolled out as time expired.
As the final horn sounded, Merfeld raced across the court from his bench area to the other side, where he was picked up by forward David Johnson in an enduring image as Merfeld kicked his feet in jubilation.
That video clip is still shown annually in March Madness intros and highlights worldwide.
Perhaps it’s fate, but this year’s Creighton team will face a No. 15 seed in Princeton on Friday.
How Sweet It Is
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.
Postseason Wins In 12 of Last 14 Openers
Creighton has won at least one game in 12 of its last 14 postseason appearances. The stretch began in 2007-08.
Creighton’s Last 13 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
Both Sides Now
Creighton is one of just 11 teams that had both its men’s and women’s basketball teams earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. That list consists of Baylor, Creighton, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi State, NC State, Tennessee, UCLA and USC.
Only 26 schools placed men’s and women’s basketball teams in both NCAA Tournaments this year.
Nothing But NET
Creighton entered the NCAA Tournament with a NET of 18, while its women have a NET of 17.
That made Creighton one of five schools with both its men and women’s programs with a top-18 NET, joining Connecticut, Duke, Tennessee and Texas.
Top Six Seeds
Creighton was one of eight teams to own a top-six seed in both the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament this year.
School Men Women
Creighton 6 6
Duke 5 3
Indiana 4 1
Iowa State 6 5
Tennessee 4 4
Texas 2 4
UCLA 2 4
UConn 4 2
A Unique Combo
Did you know that Creighton is the nation’s only Division I school to earn an NCAA Tournament bid both this year and last season in men’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball?
Coaching Experience In The Dance
Creighton’s full-time coaching staff boasts a combined 48 Division I NCAA Tournament games under their collective belts as either a player (4-6), assistant coach (12-8) or head coach (8-10), winning 24 of those games.
Greg McDermott is 8-10 in NCAA Tournament action as a Division head coach. He went 0-3 at Northern Iowa (0-1 in 2004, 2005 and 2006) and is 8-7 at Creighton (2-0 thus far in 2023, 2-1 in 2021, 1-1 in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2022 and 0-1 in 2017 and 2018). In 2021, he led the Bluejays to their first Sweet 16 since 1974, something he did again in 2023.
Alan Huss is 6-6 in NCAA Tournament action, going three times as a player at Creighton (1-1 in 1999 and 0-1 in both 2000 and 2001). He is also 5-3 as an assistant coach thanks to a 2018 Creighton loss, a 2-1 mark in 2021, a 1-1 record last year and this year’s 2-0 NCAA Tourney start.
Ryan Miller has been a part of four NCAA Tournaments as an assistant coach, going 1-2 in two appearances (2010, 2012) with New Mexico, 0-1 in 2018 with TCU and 3-1 at Creighton (2-0 in 2023, 1-1 in 2022). He was also part of three tournaments as a player at Division II Northern State, going 2-1 to reach the Elite Eight in 1998, 1-1 in 1996 and 0-1 in 1997.
Last season Jalen Courtney-Williams went 1-1 as an assistant coach at Creighton in his first trip to the Big Dance. He’s off to a 2-0 start this year, moving his career mark to 3-1.
Against NCAA Tournament Opponents
Creighton is 6-9 against teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Jays are 1-0 vs. Arkansas, NC State and Baylor, 1-1 vs. Providence and UConn, 1-2 vs. Xavier, 0-2 vs. Marquette and 0-1 vs. Texas, Arizona State and Arizona. In those 15 games, Creighton went 3-1 at home, 0-5 on the road and 3-3 on neutral floors.
Ryan Kalkbrenner led CU with 16.7 points and also averaged 6.6 rebounds per game. Baylor Scheierman averaged 14.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 three-pointers per contest. All five Bluejay starters averaged at least 10.5 points per game.
As a team, Creighton has allowed 73.3 points per game while scoring 74.4 points per contest. CU is -2.1 on the glass and shoots 45.5 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from deep and 80.7 percent at the line.
BIG EAST Success
Creighton was one of five BIG EAST teams to make the NCAA Tournament this season,joining Providence, Connecticut, Marquette and Xavier. Thus far, the league is 7-2, with only Marquette and Providence losing.
Including 2023, the BIG EAST has had a Sweet 16 squad in 27 of the past 29 tournaments, and multiple Sweet 16 teams in 16 of the last 21 tournaments. This year marks the first time in the reconfigured league (since 2013) that it’s sent three or more teams to the Regional Round.
Even when you remove Louisville’s vacated 2013 men’s title, the BIG EAST Conference has won a combined 14 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball titles in the previous 22 tournaments.
History As A No. 6 Seed
Since the NCAA began seeding all the teams in 1979, this year marks the fourth time Creighton has been a No. 6 seed.
Creighton has now been a better seed and played in its “home whites” for its initial NCAA Tournament game in seven of its past eight appearances.
Since 1985, No. 6 seeds 15-28 in the Regional Semifinal and 3-11 in the Regional Final. However, there’s never been a No. 6 seed to face a No. 15 seed.
The last No. 6 seed to reach the Final Four was Michigan in 1992 and the last No. 6 seed to reach the Elite Eight was USC in 2021.
The only No. 6 seed to ever win the national title was Kansas in 1988.
Creighton’s NCAA Tourney Seeds
(since seeding began in 1979)
Year Seed Record
1981 8th 0-1
1989 14th 0-1
1991 11th 1-1
1999 10th 1-1
2000 10th 0-1
2001 10th 0-1
2002 12th 1-1
2003 6th 0-1
2005 10th 0-1
2007 10th 0-1
2012 8th 1-1
2013 7th 1-1
2014 3rd 2-1
2017 6th 0-1
2018 8th 0-1
2021 5th 2-1
2022 9th 1-1
2023 6th 2-0 so far
McDermott Among The Greats
What Greg McDermott has done in 13 years at Creighton stacks up with almost all the other coaches in Bluejay history…combined. Take a look:
Category McDermott All Other Coaches
NCAA Bids 8 16
NCAA Wins 8 9
Postseason Wins 16 17
Top 25 Wins 35 18
Weeks in Top 25 94 28
Weeks in Top 10 21 1
Most Postseason Bids By CU Coaches
This year’s bid to the NCAA Tournament is the 11th postseason bid for Greg McDermott at Creighton. Only Dana Altman (13) has taken the Bluejays to more postseason appearances in men’s basketball.
McDermott’s eight NCAA Tournament wins are a school record, more than double second-place John J. “Red” McManus (3).
McDermott’s eight NCAA Tournament trips are the most in program history as well, one more than what Altman did.
McDermott’s 16 postseason wins at Creighton are the most in school history, more than doubling Altman’s seven.
McDermott (16-11) 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 Total
Hickey (3) 1-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 3-3
Belford (1) 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1
McManus (3) 3-3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 4-4
Sutton (1) 2-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-1
Apke (4) 0-3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-4
Barone (3) 1-2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-3
Altman (13) 2-7 3-5 0-0 2-1 0-0 7-13
McDermott (11) 8-7 4-2 4-2 0-0 0-0 16-11
No Passing Fancy
Each of Creighton’s last two opponents have been guard-oriented offenses who have tried to beat the Jays off the dribble.
NC State finished the game with three assists, while Baylor owned just five helpers.
The three assists by NC State were the fewest by any Bluejay opponent in at least 30 years.
Friday’s foe, Princeton, ranks 143rd nationally with 13.5 assists per game and dished 16 dimes in Saturday’s Second Round win over Missouri.
Taking Turns
One facet that makes Creighton so tough to stop is that it seems like a different player steps up in every postseason game.
Last year in the NCAA Tournament, Trey Alexander had a then-career-high 18 points in the First Round overtime win against San Diego State.
In the Second Round last year, Arthur Kaluma had then-career-highs with 24 points and 12 rebounds against Kansas in the Second Round.
This year in the First Round, Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 31 points in a win over NC State.
In this year’s Second Round win over Baylor, Ryan Nembhard poured in a career-high 30 points.
30/30 Club
Credit distinguished college basketball researcher Jared Berson for these two nuggets.
Creighton (with Ryan Kalkbrenner and Ryan Nembhard) is the first team to have a different player score 30+ points in each of the first two games of an NCAA Tournament since 1997 Providence (Austin Croshere, Derrick Brown).
Additionally, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Ryan Nembhard are the second pair of same-named teammates each with a 30-point game in a single NCAA Tournament. The first was Larry Finch and Larry Kenon did it for 1973 Memphis State. That Tigers team reached the national title game.
Last season Nembhard missed the final eight games of the season due to a wrist injury, while Kalkbrenner missed the final contest of the season after suffering a knee injury in CU’s First Round win.
R2 Goes For 30
Ryan Nembhard scored a career-high 30 points in a neutral-site win vs. No. 11 Baylor last Sunday. It was five points more than his previous high against No. 9 Arkansas in November at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, also on a neutral floor.
Nembhard is now averaging 15.2 points and 5.0 assists per game in nine games this season on a neutral floor. He’s shot 45.9 percent from deep in those contests and 86.5 percent at the line.
In CU’s games played at home or true road sites, Nembhard has averaged 11.4 points, 4.7 assists per game while shooting 34.3 percent from downtown and 88.9 percent from the line.
Making the moment all the sweeter was that fact that as a senior in high school, Ryan attended his brother Andrew Nembhard’s game with Gonzaga in an NCAA title game loss to Baylor in 2021. Andrew had nine points in 39 minutes in that game on 2-for-5 shooting.
If you’re curious, Creighton’s last player to score 30 points in back-to-back games Doug McDermott on March 8 and March 14 of 2014.
A Double-Feature Of 30 For 30
In Sunday’s 85-76 win over Baylor, Ryan Nembhard scored 30 points for Creighton while Baylor’s LJ Cryer finished with 30 points for the Bears.
It marked the first time that players on both teams in a Creighton game scored 30 points each since…Friday, when Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner (31) and NC State’s Terquavion Smith (32) did so.
Prior to it happening in consecutive games last weekend, it hadn’t happened a single time in any Creighton game since March 1, 2008 vs. Bradley, when CU’s Cavel Witter scored 42 and BU’s Daniel Ruffin scored 30 to do it.
The More Things Change…
There’s more than a few eerie similarities between Creighton’s 2013-14 team that lost to Baylor and Baylor’s 2022-23 team that lost to Creighton.
Consider the following oddities, which were tracked down by Matt DeMarinis from White & Blue Review…
2013-14 Baylor:
– Lost Maui Invitational title game.
– Ranked as high as No. 7 in AP Poll earlier in the year.
– Lost 8 of 11 games at one point during regular season.
– No. 6 seed in NCAA Tournament.
– Assigned to play in the home arena of the NBA team with the best record in the Western Conference.
– Won first round game vs. a No. 11 seed that wore red uniforms with black trim whose name started with an N.
– Advanced to second Sweet 16 in three years by making 11 three-pointers and scoring 85 points vs. a No. 3 seeded Creighton team that was wearing gray alternates.
2022-23 Creighton
– Lost Maui Invitational title game.
– Ranked as high as No. 7 in AP Poll earlier in the year.
– Lost 8 of 11 games at one point during regular season.
– No. 6 seed in NCAA Tournament.
– Assigned to play in the home arena of the NBA team with the best record in the Western Conference.
– Won first round game vs. a No. 11 seed that wore red uniforms with black trim whose name started with an N.
– Advanced to second Sweet 16 in three years by making 11 three-pointers and scoring 85 points vs. a No. 3 seeded Baylor team that was wearing gray alternates.
Looking Ahead
Should Creighton advance, it will play either Alabama or San Diego State on Sunday with a spot in the Final Four on the line. CU has beaten both in recent years in the postseason.
Creighton is 2-0 all-time against Alabama, beating the Crimson Tide in the 2012 NCAA Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., (58-57) and again in the 2016 NIT in Omaha (72-54).
Creighton is 5-3 all-time against San Diego State, including an overtime win over the Aztecs in last year’s NCAA Tournament. SDSU guard Adam Seiko is the brother of Bluejay forward Arthur Kaluma. Not only did both teams play in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational this year, but the squads actually shared a charter flight from San Diego to the island and back.
Bouncing Back
It’s been well-documented that Creighton suffered through a six-game losing skid after starting the year with a 6-0 record and moving into the top 10.
Per research by Creighton Assistant SID Patrick Davis, Creighton is just the second team since 2007 to reach the Sweet 16 in the same season it suffered a six-game losing streak since Xavier’s 2016-17 squad. That Musketeer club lost six straight from Feb. 11-March 1 before bouncing back to reach the Elite Eight.
Earlier this season the Bluejays became the first team since at least 2009-10 to lose six in a row and be ranked in the AP poll later that same season.
The Incredible Kalk
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 31 points in last Friday’s win vs. NC State, eclipsing his previous best of 24. Kalkbrenner’s 31 points are the most by a Bluejay in an NCAA Tournament game, surpassing Doug McDermott’s 30 vs. Louisiana in 2014.
Kalkbrenner had 20 of his points after halftime, the first time a Bluejay has scored 20 points in any half since Kalkbrenner himself had 20 points on March 2, 2022 in a win over UConn.
Including Sunday’s performance vs. Baylor, Kalkbrenner has now scored in double-figures in each of Creighton’s last 19 games, and upped his nation-leading field goal percentage to 70.6 percent.
Most Points, Creighton NCAA Tourney Game
31 Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. NC State 3/17/23
30 Doug McDermott vs. Louisiana 3/21/14
30 Ryan Nembhard vs. Baylor 3/19/23
28 Terrell Taylor vs. Florida 3/15/02
27 Paul Silas vs. Memphis State 3/12/62
27 Doug McDermott vs. Cincinnati 3/22/13
25 Elton McGriff vs. Oklahoma City 3/9/64
25 Doug Brookins vs. Maryland 3/15/75
Efficient As Always
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 31 points on just 14 field goal attempts on Friday vs. NC State. He’s just the fifth Bluejay to score that many points on that few field goal attempts in 13 years under Greg McDermott, joining Mitch Ballock (39 points on 14 shots) vs. DePaul on March 9, 2019, Marcus Zegarowski (32/12) vs. Butler on March 6, 2021, Isaiah Zierden (31/12) on Jan. 17, 2016 at DePaul and Doug McDermott (31/12) vs. Davidson on March 21, 2011.
Kalkbrenner is just the third player nationwide since 2010 to do it in an NCAA Tournament game, joining Fairleigh Dickinson’s Darnell Edge in a First Four game vs. Prairie View in 2019, as well as North Carolina’s Tyler Zeller vs. Long Island University in 2011.
Kalkbrenner Gets Streaky
Ryan Kalkbrenner has scored 10 or more points in each of the last 19 games. No Bluejay has done it in 20 games in a row since Marcus Foster compiled a stretch of 33 straight games in double-digits in 2017-18.
Scheierman, Battier, Durant, Daum, Miller…
Baylor Scheierman, he’s become a bit of a unicorn with his statistical oddities. Per Basketball-Reference.com, he’s one of nine players since 1992-93 to have a season with at least 285 rebounds and 80 three-pointers (a group that includes Shane Battier, Kevin Durant, Mike Daum and Brandon Miller among others.
None of the men in that group owned more than 84 assists, whereas Scheierman owns 114 helpers.
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished last season ranked 50th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation’s No. 112 offense, and No. 19 defense. Creighton’s No. 19 defense was its best mark in the 20 seasons of the KenPom era.
Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom in six of the previous 11 seasons.
Since 2002 every national champion has been a KenPom top 39 offense and a KenPom top 22 defense. Of this year’s teams, only Creighton, Alabama, Houston, Kansas, Texas, UCLA and Connecticut are among that group.
Here’s where Creighton ranked after games of March 19th.
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 24 13 12
McDermott In The Postseason
Creighton coach Greg McDermott is making his 11th postseason appearance at Creighton, and 14th overall as a Division I head coach when you include his time at Northern Iowa.
McDermott’s Division I teams own a 16-14 record in 14 postseason appearances, including a 16-11 mark in 11 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 2-0 so far
Postseason Features Last-Second Drama
Thirteen of Creighton’s previous 18 postseason runs (all but 2010, 2014 and 2016, 2017 and 2019) have included a game that was decided in the final seconds, including 2022.
In fact, Creighton’s past 19 postseason openers (including 2023) have been decided by an average of 6.32 points and feature five games decided by one point (including a double-OT finish), two by two points, one by three points (including an OT finish), one game by four points, two by six points (including an OT finish), one by nine points, two games by 10 points, three games by 11 points, one by 12 points, and one decided by 18 points.
In 2022, Creighton trailed 62-53 with under three minutes remaining in regulation against San Diego State before an epic 9-0 rally to force overtime. CU took the lead back with 1:08 left to eventually earn a 72-69 win.
In 2021, Christian Bishop made two go-ahead free throws with 16.0 seconds left and UC Santa Barbara’s Amadou Sow missed a point-bank lay-up with two seconds left as Creighton won, 63-62.
In 2013 Cincinnati missed a game-tying three-pointer in the final 20 seconds and Creighton guard Austin Chatman made 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch to hold on to a 67-63 win.
In 2012 Creighton edged Alabama in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 58-57, as Trevor Releford’s game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer came up short.
Creighton’s 2010-11 campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion in the CBI title game at Oregon. Creighton had the ball in a tie game with the shot clock off, but committed a backcourt violation on Oregon’s “unique” floor. The Ducks’ E.J. Singler then banked in a game-winning shot with 2.0 seconds left. A desperation three-pointer by Creighton was off the mark.
In 2009, Creighton rallied from a 14-point deficit and would hang on to beat Bowling Green, 73-71 in the first round of the NIT. The Jays needed a last-second defensive stand, as BGSU’s Darryl Clements’ game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
The following game, Creighton led Kentucky by one with 36 seconds left, only to miss two free throws and see UK All-American Jodie Meeks convert a three-point play. CU’s Booker Woodfox, the nation’s No. 2 three-point shooter, missed an open trey as time expired, and Creighton lost 65-63.
In 2008, Creighton rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 3:07 to top Rhode Island, 74-73, in the first round of the NIT. Cavel Witter hit the game-winner with 3.2 seconds left to give CU its first lead of the game since 3-0.
In 2007, Creighton had the ball for a final shot in a tie game against Nevada in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Nate Funk’s shot attempt missed, and a tip-in try was also not converted. The Jays would eventually lose 77-71 in overtime.
In second round of the 2006 NIT, Miami (Fla.) guard Guilermo Diaz drained a free throw with 2.6 seconds left to beat Creighton 53-52. A last-second shot attempt by Bluejay senior Johnny Mathies was knocked out of his hands.
In the 2005 NCAA Tourney, Nate Funk had his three-point try with seven seconds left blocked by Tyrone Sally, and Sally raced downcourt for a breakaway dunk with 2.4 seconds left to give West Virginia a 63-61 win. Funk’s three-point try from the corner missed at the buzzer.
In 2004, Creighton fell 71-70 to Nebraska in the NIT. The Jays led nearly the entire second half before NU’s go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left. Nate Funk’s game-winning jumper from 18-feet away was blocked by Husker guard Jake Muhleisen.
In 2003 Creighton lost 79-73 to Central Michigan in the NCAA’s. The Jays trailed 50-24 with 16:24 left but a furious rally got them within two points (72-70) with 1:20 left, only to turn it over the next three possessions.
In the 2002 NCAA’s, Creighton beat #15 Florida, 83-82, in Chicago. Terrell Taylor hit a game-winning trey with 0.2 seconds left in double-overtime, his final three of 28 points after a scoreless first half.
Kalkbrenner For The Win
Ryan Kalkbrenner is the only Creighton player in history to appear in five NCAA Tournament victories, while teammate Shereef Mitchell is second by having played in four such triumphs.
Kalkbrenner also has played in a program-record five career BIG EAST Tournament triumphs.
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 six teams in the country to have a win in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, joining Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston 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.
23 of 25 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 23 of the last 25 seasons (including 2022-23), 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 2021-22 W-L 2022-23 W-L
Gonzaga 24 28-4 30-5
Kansas 24 34-6 28-8
Duke 23 32-7 27-9
Creighton 22 23-12 23-12
Kentucky 22 26-8 22-12
20 Wins, Again
Creighton has 23 wins in 2022-23, securing an eighth straight 20-win season.
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.
Can’t Stop Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman has made a three-point basket in all 35 games he’s played this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 45 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, two 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
35 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 (through 3/21/23)
Streak Name, School Next Game
65 Kamdyn Curfman, Marshall Season Over
64 Jordan “Jelly” Walker, UAB 3/22
47 Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee 3/23
46 Taijon Jones, UNC Asheville Season Over
45 Baylor Scheierman, Creighton 3/24
Checking The Leaderboard
Creighton has made 308 three-pointers this season, the seventh all-time season of 300 or more trifectas, but still a long way from the school-record 372 treys in 2018-19. CU had not made 300 there-pointers in any season since the 2019-20 squad finished with 302.
Creighton owns 146 blocked shots this season, which ranks sixth-most in program history. Since the turn of the century, only CU’s 2021-22 team (149) and 2002-03 team (153) have had more. The other three teams with more all featured Benoit Benjamin in the early 1980s.
Creighton improved to 5-4 in neutral site games on Sunday. Friday will be CU’s school-record 10th neutral site contest this season, eclipsing a school-record set last year.
Five Weapons
All five Creighton starters are averaging at least 11.8 points per game, and each of them have scored more than 400 points, as well. Per research from FOX Sports, only six teams since 2009-10 have finished a season with five players averaging 12.0 or more.
Last season marked the first time since 1964-65 that Creighton had five men average in double-figures for an entire season.
Creighton has won 31 of its last 33 games when five or more players score in double-figures, losing only at No. 12 Xavier on Jan. 11, 2023 and at No. 24 Providence on Feb. 14, 2023.
Five Players Averaging 12.0+ PPG
Since 2009-10 (minimum 75 pct of team games)
Season Team/Players Final Record
2020-21 Richmond 14-9, 0-1 NIT
Francis (16.1), Golden (12.7), Gilyard (12.3), Cayo (12.2), Burton (12.0)
2017-18 Kansas 31-8, 4-1 NCAA
Graham (17.3), Mykhailiuk (14.6), Newman (14.2), Azubuike (13.0), Vick (12.1)
2017-18 William & Mary 19-12, Missed Postseason
Knight (18.5), Pierce (14.7), Cohn (14.2), Milon (13.0), Burchfield (12.6)
2016-17 UCLA 31-5, 2-1 NCAA
Leaf (16.3), Alford (15.5), Ball (14.6), Hamilton (14.1), Holiday (12.3)
2015-16 North Florida 22-12, 0-1 NIT
Moore (19.8), Beech (15.4), Daniels (12.3), Davenport (12.3), Mackey (12.0)
2012-13 North Carolina State 24-11, 0-1 NCAA
Leslie (15.1), Howell (12.7), Wood (12.6), Brown (12.4), Warren (12.1)
Just Schei(erman) of a Triple-Double
Baylor Scheierman had 12 points, 12 rebounds and a season-high nine assists in a March 9th BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal win vs. Villanova, falling just one assist of Creighton’s first point/rebound/assist triple-double in program history.
The only Bluejay to ever produce a triple-double is Benoit Benjamin, who did it three times but did it in points/rebounds/blocks.
Scheierman’s 13 double-doubles this season are the most by any Creighton player since Bob Harstad in 1988-89.
Best BIG EAST Years
Creighton’s 14 league wins tied the program record for most conference wins in any of its 10 seasons in the BIG EAST.
Three of CU’s five teams to win 12 or more BIG EAST games reached the BIG EAST Tournament final, with the prematurely cancelled 2019-20 campaign being another.
Creighton’s Most BIG EAST Wins, Season
W-L Year BIG EAST Tourney
14-4 2013-14 Lost in Final
14-6 2020-21 Lost in Final
14-6 2022-23 Lost in Semifinal
13-5 2019-20 Tourney Cancelled
12-7 2021-22 Lost in Final
Taking Advantage At The Stripe
Creighton has made 69-of-75 free throws in BIG EAST and NCAA Tournament play (92.0 percent) and is now shooting 78.0 percent on the season at the stripe.
Creighton’s records for free throw percentage go back to 1951-52, and CU has never had a team finish better than the 75.9 percent that the 2012-13 squad converted.
Creighton tied an NCAA single-game record by making 22-of-22 foul shots vs. Baylor on March 19th. It’s also a single-game Creighton record for most attempts without a miss, six more than the previous program record set earlier in the year.
All-BIG EAST Trio
For the first time since joining the BIG EAST 10 years ago, Creighton had three men named All-Conference.
Junior center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named All-BIG EAST First Team while senior guard Baylor Scheierman and sophomore guard Trey Alexander earned Honorable Mention accolades.
Kalkbrenner is just the fifth Bluejay in program history to earn First Team All-BIG EAST accolades, joining Doug McDermott (2013-14), Marcus Foster (2016-17 and 2017-18), Ty-Shon Alexander (2019-20) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
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 is 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 past 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
20-20-20 Vision
Trey Alexander (21), Ryan Nembhard (20) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (20) each had 20 or more points in Creighton’s March 4th win at DePaul in the regular-season finale.
It’s the first time the Jays have had three men with 20 or more points since defeating No. 9 Arkansas on Nov. 22 at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
Prior to November’s occurrence, it hadn’t happened since March of 2011 when the Bluejays did it vs. Davidson.
Living Up To His Name
Trey Alexander had a career-high seven three-pointers in Creighton’s Christmas Day win over DePaul, then made 7-of-10 from behind the arc on March 1 in a win over Georgetown.
Alexander is the fourth player in Creighton history with multiple games of seven or more three-pointers made in a career, joining Mitch Ballock (4x), Kyle Korver (4x) and Ethan Wragge (2x).
All The Three’s
Creighton made 19 three-pointers on March 1 vs. Georgetown, tied for fourth-most in a game in program history and its second-best effort ever in a conference game.
Here’s a list of Creighton’s all-time games with 17 or more treys.
Most 3FG in a Game, Creighton History
Rank 3FG Opponent Date Score
1. 22 Coe 12/20/2018 W 110-60
2. 21 at #4 Villanova 01/20/2014 W 96-68
3. 20 Chattanooga 02/19/2005 W 100-69
4. 19 USC Upstate 12/20/2017 W 116-62
19 Georgetown 03/01/2023 W 99-59
6. 17 #21 Marquette 01/09/2019 L 104-106 (OT)
17 Georgetown 03/04/2020 W 91-76
17 at Seton Hall 01/27/2021 W 85-81
Big Time Performance
Creighton’s 99-59 win over Georgetown on March 1st was its second-largest ever in BIG EAST play, one shy of a near-identical 100-59 triumph vs. St. John’s that was also on a Senior Day.
As for Georgetown, it was the Hoyas largest loss since falling 88-44 on Dec. 27, 1971 at Marquette.
CU’s Largest Margin of Victory in BIG EAST Play
Margin Opponent Final Score Date
41 St. John’s 100-59 02/28/16
40 Georgetown 99-59 03/01/23
36 Seton Hall 89-53 01/06/21
35 at DePaul 93-58 02/11/17
29 DePaul 93-64 02/15/20
League (Arena) Bound
Creighton has played 52 games in a full-time NBA arena since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010.
In that time, Creighton is 26-26 in such games, including a 4-4 mark in the NCAA Tournament and a 10-9 record in the BIG EAST Tournament.
Creighton has played in nine different NBA arenas under McDermott, including Madison Square Garden (10-11), Fiserv Forum (4-1), Verizon Center/Capital One Arena (4-5), Wells Fargo Center (3-3), Ball Arena (2-0), Bradley Center (2-3), AT&T Center (1-1), Golden 1 Center (0-1) and Spectrum Center (0-1).
Creighton in NBA Arenas Since 2010
Date Score NBA Arena
03/22/13 CU 67, Cincinnati 63 Wells Fargo Center#
03/24/13 Duke 66, CU 50 Wells Fargo Center#
01/20/14 CU 96, Villanova 68 Wells Fargo Center
02/09/14 St. John’s 70, CU 65 Madison Square Garden
02/19/14 CU 85, Marquette 70 Bradley Center
03/04/14 Georgetown 75, CU 63 Verizon Center
03/13/14 CU 84, DePaul 62 Madison Square Garden$
03/14/14 CU 86, Xavier 78 Madison Square Garden$
03/15/14 Providence 65, CU 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/21/14 CU 76, Louisiana 66 AT&T Center#
03/23/14 Baylor 85, CU 55 AT&T Center#
01/03/15 Georgetown 76, CU 61 Verizon Center
01/14/15 Marquette 53, CU 52 Bradley Center
02/07/15 St. John’s 84, CU 66 Madison Square Garden
03/11/15 CU 78, DePaul 63 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/15 Georgetown 60, CU 55 Madison Square Garden$
01/26/16 Georgetown 74, CU 73 Verizon Center
02/13/16 CU 65, Marquette 62 Bradley Center
03/10/16 Seton Hall 81, CU 73 Madison Square Garden$
01/25/17 Georgetown 71, CU 51 Verizon Center
03/04/17 Marquette 91, CU 83 Bradley Center
03/09/17 CU 70, Providence 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/10/17 CU 75, Xavier 72 Madison Square Garden$
03/11/17 Villanova 74, CU 60 Madison Square Garden$
03/17/17 Rhode Island 84, CU 72 Golden 1 Center#
01/06/18 CU 90, Georgetown 66 Capital One Arena
02/01/18 Villanova 98, CU 78 Wells Fargo Center
03/03/18 Marquette 85, CU 81 Bradley Center
03/08/18 Providence 72, CU 68 Madison Square Garden$
03/16/18 Kansas State 69, CU 59 Spectrum Center#
01/21/19 CU 91, Georgetown 87 Capital One Arena
03/03/19 CU 66, Marquette 60 Fiserv Forum
03/14/19 Xavier 63, CU 61 Madison Square Garden$
01/15/20 Georgetown 83, CU 80 Capital One Arena
02/01/20 CU 76, Villanova 61 Wells Fargo Center
02/18/20 CU 73, Marquette 65 Fiserv Forum
02/06/21 CU 71, Marquette 68 Fiserv Forum
03/11/21 CU 87, Butler 56 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/21 CU 59, UConn 56 Madison Square Garden$
03/13/21 Georgetown 73, CU 48 Madison Square Garden$
01/01/22 CU 75, Marquette 69 (2OT) Fiserv Forum
02/12/22 CU 80, Georgetown 66 Capital One Arena
03/10/22 CU 74, Marquette 63 Madison Square Garden$
03/11/22 CU 85, Providence 58 Madison Square Garden$
03/12/22 Villanova 54, CU 48 Madison Square Garden$
12/16/22 Marquette 69, CU 58 Fiserv Forum
02/01/23 CU 63, Georgetown 53 Capital One Arena
02/25/23 Villanova 72, CU 60 Wells Fargo Center
03/09/23 CU 87, Villanova 74 Madison Square Garden
03/10/23 Xavier 82, CU 60 Madison Square Garden
03/17/23 CU 72, NC State 63 Ball Arena
03/19?23 CU 85, Baylor 76 Ball Arena
# NCAA Tournament $ BIG EAST Tournament
Scheierman Surpasses 1,500 Points
Baylor Scheierman surpassed 1,500 career points on March 1st when the senior guard had 13 points to give him 1,503 in four years as a collegian. He now owns 1,553 points. The first 1,114 of those points came at South Dakota State, while he has scored 439 points as a Bluejay.
Scheierman averages 12.5 points per game this season. His season-high is 25 points, while his career-high is 28 points.
Scheierman also owns 434 career assists, including 114 this season. He’s dished at least one helper in all but two games this season, and each of the last 27 contests in a row.
What A Run!
Since UConn rejoined the BIG EAST three seasons ago, Creighton leads all BIG EAST teams in league wins and in overall wins.
BIG EAST Standings (2020-21 to 3/22/23)
BIG EAST only All Games
Team W L W L
Creighton 40 19 68 33
Villanova 37 18 65 32
Connecticut 37 19 65 26
Providence 36 20 61 31
Marquette 36 22 61 34
Seton Hall 31 27 52 39
Xavier 29 23 63 30
St. John’s 25 33 51 41
Butler 20 40 38 52
DePaul 11 44 30 53
Georgetown 9 46 26 63
Ready, Set, Go!
When Creighton faced Georgetown on March 1st, the Bluejays scored the first 19 points of the game, led 51-24 at the break, and won 99-59.
Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, it’s the 11th time that Creighton has opened a game by scoring the first 10 points (or more).
On the other hand, CU has allowed the first 10 points of the game just three times under McDermott.
Best Game Starting Runs Under Greg McDermott
Run School Final Score Date
19-0 Georgetown CU 99-59 3/1/23
13-0 Maryland-Eastern Shore CU 87-36 12/15/17
11-0 North Carolina A&T CU 97-65 11/11/11
11-0 Drake CU 76-69 01/03/12
11-0 at DePaul CU 91-80 01/17/16
11-0 St. John’s CU 82-68 02/.28/17
10-0 Houston Christian CU 97-62 12/17/11
10-0 UCF CU 82-64 03/23/11
10-0 Chicago State CU 84-66 11/16/14
10-0 at Providence CU 78-64 01/07/17
10-0 Nebraska CU 95-76 12/07/19
Worst Game Starting Runs Under Greg McDermott
Run School Final Score Date
15-0 at Villanova VU 71-50 01/25/15
12-0 Xavier CU 95-89 01/12/14
11-0 at Seton Hall SHU 74-55 02/04/22
Well-Rounded Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman has 288 rebounds, 114 assists and 82 three-pointers made this season.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, he’s one of two players in the last 30 seasons to have a season of 270 rebounds, 100 assists and 75 three-pointers, and the only man to do it twice (Scheierman also did it in 2021-22 at South Dakota State).
270 Reb., 100 Ast., 75 3FG In A Season, Since 1992-93
NAME, SCHOOLS YEAR REB AST 3FG
Baylor Scheierman, SDSU 2021-22 274 158 83
Brandin Podziemski, Santa Clara 2022-23 280 117 81
Baylor Scheierman, Creighton 2022-23 288 114 82
Kalkbrenner Surpasses 1,000 Points
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,128 career points, as he became the 45th men’s player in Creighton history to surpass 1,000 on Feb. 25 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 34th in program history, but is poised to pass Khyri Thomas (1,140) on Friday.
Here’s a list of Creighton’s top scorers ever, as well as how long it took CU’s last 21 men to reach 1,000 points.
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. 1,172 Dick Harvey 1956-59
31. 1,155 Ethan Wragge 2009-14
32. 1,152 Dane Watts 2004-08
33. 1,140 Khyri Thomas 2015-18
34. 1,128 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
35. 1,116 Kenny Evans 1982-87
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 21 Bluejays
Name CU Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Ryan Kalkbrenner 91 02/25/23
Marcus Zegarowski 75 01/20/21
Mitch Ballock 100 11/29/20
Ty-Shon Alexander 85 01/15/20
Khyri Thomas 94 02/10/18
Marcus Foster 54 01/17/18
Austin Chatman 138 03/11/15
Ethan Wragge 132 01/18/14
Gregory Echenique 101 03/24/13
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P’Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Rejected!
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s streak of 25 straight games with a block was snapped in the regular-season finale at DePaul.
Last season Kalkbrenner had a block in 26 straight games from Nov. 16 – Feb. 26th, making him the first Bluejay with a swat in 20 straight games or longer since Benoit Benjamin began a streak of 28 consecutive contests with a rejection on Dec. 14, 1984, a streak that only ended when Big Ben left early for the NBA Draft.
Kalkbrenner Invites You To His Block Party
Ryan Kalkbrenner tied his career-high with six blocked shots on Jan. 3 vs. Seton Hall, giving him exactly 150 swats as a Bluejay.
In 38 regular-season conference games played since the start of last season, Kalkbrenner owns 99 blocked shots compared to just 69 fouls.
Kalkbrenner ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 196, passing Chad Gallagher for sole possession of second place on Feb. 21 vs. No. 10 Marquette.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
196 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
174 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
The Man In The Middle
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns a BIG EAST-high 69 blocks this season.
He’s still one of four men in the mix for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and one of five up for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given to the nation’s best center.
Field of 68 has already tabbed Kalkbrenner its National Defensive Player of the Year.
He was named one of 25 finalists for the Lefty Driesell Award, which is given to the nation’s best defensive player.
Among The Best…EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 455 of 678 career shots, putting him at 67.1 percent overall. That places the junior 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
.671 (455-678) 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
Ryan BucketGetter
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks first in the country in field goal percentage (.706) this season. That figure also ranks third-best in NCAA history among juniors, and 11th-best ever in a single-season by any player regardless of year of eligibility.
Best Season FG%, NCAA History (min. 5 FG/game)
Pct. (FG-FGA) Name, School Years
.800 (184-230) Devontae Cacock, UNCW 2016-17
.770 (211-274) Udoka Azubuike, Kansas 2017-18
.748 (181-242) Udoka Azubuike, Kansas 2019-20
.746 (235-315) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1980-81
.722 (179-248) Dwayne Davis, Florida 1988-89
.7143 (210-294) Evan Bradds, Belmont 2015-16*
.7130 (154-216) Keith Walker, Utica 1984-85
.710 (211-297) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1979-80*
.7075 (150-212) Adam Mark, Belmont 2001-02
.7074 (133-188) Asbjorn Midtgaard, Grand Canyon 2020-21
.7063 (202-288) Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2022-23*
.7036 (254-361) Oliver Miller, Arkansas 1990-91*
.7026 (163-232) Alan Williams, Princeton 1986-87
.7024 (144-205) Josh Roberts, Manhattan 2022-23
.7021 (231-329) Mark McNamara, California 1981-82
.700 (173-247) Warren Kidd, MIddle Tennessee 1990-91
*Junior
The Kalkbrenner Difference
Here’s a look at the difference with and without Ryan Kalkbrenner this season.
Stat Kalkbrenner Plays Kalkbrenner Out
Team W-L 23-9 0-3
Team FG% .473 .403
Team 3FG% .360 .338
Team FG/Game 27.8 27.0
Rebound Margin +4.8 -8.6
Off. Rebounds/Game 8.6 5.7
CU Points/Game 77.4 69.7
Opp. Points/Game 67.9 75.0
Scoring Margin +9.5 -5.3
Turnovers/Game 11.5 13.0
Opp. FG% .420 .440
Deep Dive Into The Rankings
The Creighton men’s basketball team was ranked ninth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever.
The Oct. 17th announcement marked just the fifth 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) and 2020-21 (No. 11). All five of those Bluejay teams (including 2022-23) would end up in the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton was 10th in the AP poll released on Nov. 14th and Nov. 21 and was seventh on Nov. 28th. The team fell to No. 21 on Dec. 5th. After a two-month absence, Creighton returned to the Top 25 on Feb. 6th when it was tabbed 23rd and has since been 18th (Feb. 13) and 19th (Feb. 20) and 24th (March 6). .
The Nov. 28 week was the 21st time in program history that Creighton has been in the top-10 at any point, with all but one of those weeks 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 been ranked 122 times in program history, with 94 of those weeks under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 152-63 all-time as a ranked team, including a 118-51 mark under McDermott. Creighton has been ranked at least one week in nine of McDermott’s 13 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton was also ninth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever in the Coaches poll. The Jays remained ninth in the Nov. 14 Coaches poll and climbed to eighth in the Nov. 21 Coaches poll and were seventh on Nov. 28. CU was 21st on Dec. 5th. This week, the Jays are 22nd in the USA Today poll.
The program’s best slotting ever in the Coaches poll is fifth, done on Jan. 4, 2021.
Another Top 25 Foe Bites The Dust
Through March 19th, Creighton’s 13 games played against top-25 teams are tied for sixth-most nationally and lead the country among non-Big 12 schools.
Most Top-25 Games Played This Season
Games School
15 Texas
14 Kansas
14 Iowa State
14 TCU
14 Oklahoma
13 Creighton
13 Oklahoma State
13 Texas Tech
Creighton’s six top-25 victories this year are tied for seventh-most nationally.
Most Top-25 Wins This Season
Wins School
9 Texas
9 Iowa State
7 Kansas
7 Kansas State
7 Marquette
7 Alabama
6 Creighton
6 TCU
6 Xavier
6 Missouri
6 Tennessee
6 Arizona
And when it comes to ranked teams, keep in mind that Creighton also played both Arizona State and Marquette before both teams moved into the top-25 later in the season after facing the Bluejays.
Creighton’s Most Top-25 Wins, Season
Wins Season Top-25 Victims
6 2019-20 #8 Villanova, #10 Seton Hall,
#12 Texas Tech, #19 Marquette,
#21 Butler, #8 Seton Hall
6 2022-23 #9 Arkansas, #11 Baylor, #13 Xavier,
#19 Providence, #21 Texas Tech, #21 Connecticut
5 2021-22 #9 Villanova, #11 Providence,
#17 UConn, #18 UConn, #24 BYU
4 2016-17 #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
#16 Butler, #22 Xavier
4 2017-18 #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Hall,
#20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
3 2020-21 #5 Villanova, #22 Xavier, #23 UConn
2 1973-74 #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
2 2001-02 #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
2 2006-07 #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
2 2013-14 #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
2 2015-16 #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
2 2018-19 #10 Marquette, #16 Clemson
Most Games vs. Top 25 Teams, Season
Games Season Coach
13 (6-7) 2022-23 Greg McDermott
12 (5-7) 2021-22 Greg McDermott
10 (4-6) 2017-18 Greg McDermott
8 (1-7) 2014-15 Greg McDermott
8 (2-6) 2015-16 Greg McDermott
8 (6-2) 2019-20 Greg McDermott
Most Top 25 Wins Since Start of 2021-22 Season
Record Team
15-11 Kansas
14-12 Iowa State
13-8 Marquette
13-8 Tennessee
12-8 Alabama
12-15 Texas
11-14 Creighton
11-4 Arizona
11-13 Villanova
11-15 TCU
Spin Zone
Before you bemoan the fact that Creighton’s reserve corps ranks 344th in the country with 11.06 bench points per game, keep in mind that the Bluejays rank 10th in the nation with 65.64 points per game by its starters.
Creighton owns 387 bench points in 35 games this season, which exceeds last year’s total of 331 in 35 contests.
A Dozen Will Do
Creighton finished 14-6 in the BIG EAST this season and is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the last four seasons.
Among the other BIG EAST or “Power 5” Conference schools, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia also joined Creighton in doing it a fourth straight season.
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 the last six seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.
Winning With Defense
Long revered for its offensive prowess, Creighton has turned into one of the nation’s best defensive teams in recent seasons.
This year’s team ranks 13th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency ratings after being 19th a year ago.
In the final five minutes BIG EAST play this season, Bluejay opponents shot 35.9 percent from the floor (56-156), 20.0 percent from downtown (11-55) and have made just 56 free throws.
In league games only, Creighton led the BIG EAST in points per game allowed (67.2) and field goal percentage defense (.409).
Sold Out in Omaha
February 21st marked Creighton’s fourth straight home sellout, the first time it has met or exceeded CHI Health Center Omaha’s 17,352 capacity that many times in a row since the final six home games in 2019-20 when the Jays captured their first BIG EAST regular-season title.
It’s also the first time Creighton’s had four straight home crowds over 18,000 since a stretch of five straight games when it did it during the final four home games of 2013-14 and the home opener in 2014-15.
Creighton sold out six home games this season (Nebraska, Providence, Xavier, Villanova, UConn, Marquette) and played in front of 17 sellouts overall (also vs. Texas Tech, Arkansas and Arizona in Maui, vs. Villanova and Xavier in New York City, vs. NC State and Baylor in Denver, as well as road games at UConn, Xavier, Providence and St. John’s).
Creighton ranks sixth nationally this season with 17,163 fans per home game, while Princeton has played in two games all year with more than 4,600 fans, and none over 16,806 that witnessed its win last Saturday over Missouri in Sacramento.
2022-23 NCAA Home Attendance Per Game Leaders
Through 3/19/23
Rank School Average
1. North Carolina 19,890
2. Kentucky 19,873
3. Syracuse 19,102
4. Arkansas 19,051
5. Tennessee 18,781
6. Creighton 17,163
7. Kansas 16,300
8. Indiana 16,101
9. Illinois 15,091
10. Purdue 14,876
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton’s average home crowd of 17,163 this year ranked fourth-most in program history.
Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CHI Health Center Omaha, and now has done it each of the last 19 non-COVID seasons.
Creighton has led its conference in average home attendance every year (except the 2020-21 COVID season) since moving into CHI Health Center Omaha, which is in its 20th season.
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,413 Creighton 2016-17
17,314 Creighton 2019-20
17,163 Creighton 2022-23
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
17,048 Creighton 2014-15
17,000 Creighton 2017-18
McDermott Among The Best
A Nov. 10th article on CBSSports.com ranked the nation’s best Top 25 And 1 coaches, with Creighton’s Greg McDermott making that list.
McDermott and Providence/Georgetown’s Ed Cooley were the lone BIG EAST coaches named to the list.
McDermott and Cooley both rank in the top-13 in league history for BIG EAST victories and are the only two active coaches with 100 regular-season BIG EAST wins. The list contains six different coaches who have won at least one national title.
McDermott has been at his current job (13 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 12 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
McDermott needed to coach in 173 BIG EAST regular-season games to earn his 100th conference win, 10th-fastest in league history.
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 Sr., Georgetown
5. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
6. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
7. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John’s
8. 119 Ed Cooley, Providence/G’Town
9. 115 Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
10. 111 Rick Pitino, Providence/Louisville
11. 110 Rollie Massimino, Villanova
12. 109 Greg McDermott, Creighton
13. 105 Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
Fewest BIG EAST Games To 100 MBB League Wins
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 136 John Thompson Sr., Georgetown
2. 145 Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
3. 152 Lou Carnesecca, St. John’s
4. 154 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
5. 156 Rick Pitino, Providence/Louisville
6. 157 John Thompson III, Georgetown
7. 168 Jim Calhoun, UConn
8. 169 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
9. 172 Jay Wright, Villanova
10. 173 Greg McDermott, Creighton
11. 174 Rollie Massimino, Villanova
12. 190 Ed Cooley, Providence
13. 211 Kevin Willard, Seton Hall
It’s Been A While
Creighton was ranked ninth in the preseason Associated Press poll and vaulted to seventh after a 6-0 start and trip to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational title game.
However, six straight losses from Nov. 23-Dec. 16 saw the Bluejays tumble not just out of the top 25, but to the point where it went back-to-back weeks (Dec. 19 & Dec. 26) where it didn’t receive a single vote for the Top 25.
But a 12-3 stretch over 15 games from Dec. 22 – Feb. 19 saw CU return to the rankings for three weeks before dropping out on Feb. 27th. The Jays returned again on March 6th, coming in at No. 24.
Per research from FOX Sports, the Bluejays are the first team in the last 14 seasons (since 2009-10) to be ranked at any time in a season after suffering through a six-game losing streak.
Among The Best
Since the league’s 2013 realignment, Villanova has 140 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton’s 109 league victories are second-most.
Most Men’s Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to 2022-23)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 140 41 .773
Creighton 109 76 .589
Providence 106 76 .582
Xavier 103 75 .579
Seton Hall 97 87 .527
Marquette 96 88 .522
Butler 84 102 .452
St. John’s 70 114 .380
Georgetown 60 121 .331
DePaul 39 142 .215
Connecticut 37 19 .661
Pure Charity
Creighton has made 250-of-300 free throw attempts (83.3 percent) during the past 17 games.
For the season, Creighton is shooting 78.0 percent as a team from the charity stripe. That would be the team’s best mark in school history.
In all games this season, Creighton is shooting 81.2 percent (134-for-165) in the final five minutes at the line this season, a number that improves to 57-of-62 (91.9 percent) in the past 10 contests.
Creighton made all 16 free throw attempts at St. John’s on Feb. 18th, which was believed to be the most attempts without a miss in program history until the team went 22-for-22 at the stripe vs. Baylor in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bluejays shot a cool 79.9 percent at the line in true road games this season and are also 81.7 percent on neutral floors.
Home Grown Bluejays
The BIG EAST owns 57 transfers spread out amongst its 11 teams, but Creighton owns just two of them (Francisco Farabello and Baylor Scheierman). Only Villanova (1) has fewer, while Seton Hall owns a league-high 10 transfers.
Transfers On Roster, Current BIG EAST
10 Seton Hall
9 DePaul
8 Georgetown
7 Providence
5 St. John’s
4 Connecticut
4 Xavier
4 Butler
3 Marquette
2 Creighton
1 Villanova
Nembhard Nears Triple-Double
Benoit Benjamin owns all three triple-doubles in Creighton history, but each were of the point/rebound/block variety and done in the 1980’s.
The Bluejays have never had a traditional point/rebound/assist triple-double, though Ryan Nembhard flirted with one on Jan. 28th when he had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists vs. Xavier.
Nembhard is the third Bluejay with at least eight points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Damien Jefferson (10 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists at St. John’s on 12/17/20) and Khyri Thomas (16 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists vs. DePaul on 2/27/18). On March 9, 2023, Baylor Scheierman had 12 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists vs. Villanova.
Double-Digit BIG EAST Wins
Creighton ranked first in BIG EAST play with a +9.0 scoring margin, so it shouldn’t be a shock that it also owned the league lead with 11 double-digit conference wins this winter.
Creighton’s seven league victories by 15 points or more also topped the conference, and were the most by any league school since Creighton had seven league wins by 15 or more in both 2020-21 and 2019-20. No BIG EAST team has had more than seven league wins by 15 or more points since Villanova had nine in 2017-18, a year in which it won the national title.
10 Pt. BE Wins 15 Pt. BE Wins Team
11 7 Creighton
8 5 Connecticut
8 4 Providence
8 4 Marquette
7 2 Xavier
6 5 Seton Hall
5 3 Villanova
3 2 St. John’s
1 1 Butler
1 0 DePaul
0 0 Georgetown
Foul Play
Creighton has committed just six personal fouls in two games this season, which contributes to its 13.3 fouls per game that is third-best nationally. That’s notable since Creighton is 21-7 when its opponents shoot 19 free throws or less, compared to a 1-6 mark when foes shoot at least 20 times from the charity stripe.
Creighton is one of five teams this year with multiple games of six fouls or fewer (joining Nebraska, Notre Dame, Richmond and South Diego State), and is the first club with back-to-back games of six fouls or less since Hofstra on Nov. 22 & 24, 2021 vs. Richmond and Molloy.
Creighton’s defense is keyed by 2022 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner, who leads the league in blocks per game. In the past two seasons, Kalkbrenner has swatted 158 shots in 64 games played while collecting as many as four personal fouls just seven times.
In Creighton’s last 15 games, Bluejay opponents have made a total of 51 free throws in the final 10 minutes of the second half (not including overtimes).
Giving It 100
Creighton won a 104-76 game vs. St. John’s on Jan. 25, bringing up a bevy of numbers related to the century mark.
Creighton improved to 64-3 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, while Greg McDermott rose to 22-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 100 or more points.
Creighton’s 104 points were its second-most ever in regulation in a conference game, trailing only its 115 in a 35-point win vs. Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985. No BIG EAST team had scored 104 points or more in regulation since 2017.
It was Creighton’s first game with 100+ points in regulation since Dec. 20, 2018 vs. Coe and the first time with 100+ points in regulation against a Division I team since Dec. 20, 2017 vs. USC Upstate.
It was Creighton’s first game scoring 50 points or more in both halves since Dec. 20, 2018 vs. Coe and first time exceeding 50 points in both halves since posting 58 in each half of a 116-62 rout of USC Upstate on Dec. 20, 2017.
Creighton has not scored 100 points in a true road game since a 106-86 victory at UMKC on Dec. 18, 1989, though it has surpassed the century mark three times on neutral floors since then (most recently 100 on Nov. 20, 2017 vs. No. 22 UCLA).
After never coaching a team to 100 or more points in nine combined seasons at Northern Iowa and Iowa State, Creighton has now scored 100 or more points 23 times under Greg McDermott, tied for the 10th-most nationally as seen below:
Most Games With 100+ Points Since 2010-11
Rk. 100+ Pt. Games School
1. 47 Gonzaga
2. 36 VMI
3. 35 The Citadel
4. 34 North Carolina
5. 27 Charleston Southern
6. 26 Central Michigan
26 Fort Wayne
8. 25 Houston Christian
9. 24 Portland State
10. 23 Creighton
23 Indiana
23 Winthrop
Give Me 10
Creighton went 13-2 inside CHI Health Center Omaha and has now collected at least 10 home wins for the 26th time in the last 27 seasons.
The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.
Creighton also has surpassed 200,000 total home fans for the season for the 17th time in the last 18 years. The only exception was the 2020-21 season that was impacted by COVID-19, which restricted crowds nationwide.
The Double-Digit Kid
Ryan Nembhard had his first points/rebounds double-double at Butler when he finished with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
It was the second double-double of his career, as he had 15 points and 10 assists in his Bluejay debut in November of 2021.
It took the sophomore all of 10 days to do it again, as he had 11 points and 10 rebounds (as well as eight assists) on Jan. 28 vs. No. 13 Xavier.
Though Creighton’s never had a traditional points/rebounds/assists triple-double, Nembhard is the first Creighton player with (different) games of 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 10+ assists in his CU career since Austin Chatman in his career from 2011-15.
The last Bluejay with (different) games of 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 10+ assists in the same season was Grant Gibbs in 2011-12.
No Creighton player has had double-doubles in points/assists and points/rebounds in the same season since at least 1981-82.
What’s Luck Got To Do With It?
In the KenPom.com rankings through March 19th, Creighton ranks 313th of 363 teams in the site’s “Luck” category, while Princeton was 94th.
The KenPom.com site defines “Luck” as the deviation in winning percentage between a team’s actual record and their expected record using the correlated gaussian method. The luck factor has nothing to do with the rating calculation, but a team that is very lucky (positive numbers) will tend to be rated lower by his system than their record would suggest.
Scheierman Drains 200th Trey
Baylor Scheierman enters Friday’s tilt having made 240 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.2 percent clip.
Scheierman also owns 1,553 points, 923 rebounds, 434 assists and 120 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.
SWAT Team
Creighton owned nine blocked shots in its Jan. 3rd victory over Seton Hall. The nine blocked shots were tied for the most in a game under 13th-year head coach Greg McDermott (also done 2/13/18 vs. Bemidji State and 11/27/21 vs. SIU Edwardsville).
The nine rejections also tied Creighton’s CHI Health Center Omaha record for team blocked shots in a game (also done 1/9/08 vs. Evansville, 2/13/18 vs. Bemidji State and 11/27/21 vs. SIU Edwardsville).
Combined with its 11 three-pointers made, Creighton fell just one block away from its first game with 10 blocks and 10 three-pointers for the first time since Feb. 17, 2002 vs. Wichita State when it had 10 of each.
Jays Surpass 26K at CHI
Creighton has scored 26,418 points all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha, surpassing 26,000 in the facility on Jan. 25 vs. St. John’s.
Creighton has outscored the opposition 26,418-22,127 at the 20-year old facility in 337 all-time games in the building that count.
Creighton is 25-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CHI Health Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (CLCO 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
Arc’s-manship
Creighton shot 36.6 percent from three-point range in BIG EAST play, and it was a telling stat.
In 14 league wins, Creighton shot 136-for-338 from deep (40.2 percent).
In six league losses, Creighton shot 38-for-137 from deep (27.7 percent).
Creighton is 73-4 under Greg McDermott when making at least half of its three-point attempts, including a 41-1 mark in the past 10 seasons. The lone loss as a BIG EAST member was a 106-104 overtime setback to No. 21 Marquette on Jan. 9, 2019.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, since McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton’s 77 games shooting 50 percent or better from downtown trail only Weber State (80).
Kaluma Pounds The Glass
Arthur Kaluma grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds on Jan. 7 at No. 4 UConn, four more than his previous best done twice previously.
Kaluma’s 16 rebounds were the most by a Bluejay since joining the BIG EAST 10 years ago, and last matched on Nov. 12, 2012 when Gregory Echenique also had 16 boards vs. UAB.
After just one double-double in his first 45 career games, Kaluma posted back-to-back double-doubles vs. Seton Hall and UConn. He finished the Jan. 11 game at Xavier with 11 points and nine rebounds, coming up just one board short of joining Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Hawkins, Martin Krampelj and Doug McDermott (twice) as the only Bluejays to record three straight double-doubles since 1994-95.
Most Rebounds, Game, Since 1994-95
Reb. Player vs. Opponent Date
18 Kenny Lawson Jr. vs. St. Joseph’s 12-11-2010
17 Doug McDermott at Bradley 02-11-2011
16 Donald Davenport at Missouri St. 01-21-1995
16 Kenny Lawson Jr. vs. Drake 01-01-2011
16 Doug McDermott at Akron 02-19-2011
16 Gregory Echenique vs. UAB 11-12-2012
16 Arthur Kaluma at UConn 01-07-2023
15 Ben Walker at Baylor 12-04-1999
15 Justin Carter vs. Kentucky 03-23-2009
15 Doug McDermott vs. Tulsa 11-23-2013
15 Ronnie Harrell Jr. vs. #23 UCLA 11-20-2017
15 Christian Bishop vs. Ohio 03-22-2021
15 Ryan Kalkbrenner at Georgetown 02-12-2022
Fool Me Once…But Nine Times?
Until this year, Creighton had met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below.
This year marked the seventh straight year that Creighton has finished in fourth place or better.
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 None
2022-23 1st 3rd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
Nationally Relevant
Through games of March 19th, Creighton ranked third-best in the country in fewest fouls per game (13.3). The Jays are also seventh in defensive rebounds per game (28.66) and 31st in assist/turnover ratio (1.36).
Individually, Baylor Scheierman ranks 25th nationally with 13 double-doubles and 12th with 7.31 defensive rebounds per game.
Teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner is first in field goal percentage (70.6%) among players to make five field goals per game and 17th with 2.16 blocks per game.
Ryan Nembhard ranks 45th in assist/turnover ratio (2.39), 61st in assists per game (4.8) and 39th in total assists (167).
An Area for Improvement
One area that Creighton will look to improve in 2022-23 is its marksmanship from behind the arc, as last year’s 30.8 percent shooting from deep was its worst as a team since 1993-94.
The Creighton staff is confident those numbers can improve as its talented freshman class is now sophomores. Thus far, Creighton is third in the BIG EAST with 8.8 three-pointers made per game and fourth with 35.8 percent marksmanship from deep.
Last year’s freshmen combined to shoot 27.2 percent from deep (85-313), but they’re not the first Bluejay freshmen to struggle early on from downtown, as seen in the chart below of some other prominent marksmen.
Even that chart is a little misleading, as Doug McDermott shot 15-of-53 (.283) from deep in his first 20 games of his freshman year before finishing 32-of-63 (.508) in his last 19 games. Likewise, Kyle Korver was shooting 11-for-41 (.268) from downtown after his first 14 contests before blistering the nets to the tune of 52-of-104 (.500).
As a Freshman Other College Years
Name 3FG-3FGA 3FG% 3FG-3FGA 3FG%
Ky. Korver 63-145 .434 308-674 .457
McDermott 47-116 .405 237-482 .492
Ty. Alexander 32-96 .333 178-469 .380
Ballock 44-135 .326 264-638 .414
Tr. Alexander 18-64 .281 63-149 .423
Nembhard 33-106 .311 53-142 .373
Kaluma 27-102 .265 40-126 .317
On The Rebound
Baylor Scheierman gets lots of attention for his shooting and passing skills, but he did lead the Summit League in rebounding last year as well.
Scheierman has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 15 games this season, and has 13 double-doubles to date. The 13 double-doubles rank 25th nationally, while his 7.31 defensive rebounds per game are 12th-most in the country.
The Aurora, Neb., product’s current 8.23 rebounds per game average hasn’t been surpassed by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin averaged 14.1 rebounds per game in 1984-85, and even with McDermott’s 8.23 in 2011-12.
Scheierman remains on pace to become the first man in school history to average at least 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 three-pointers per game.
Earlier this year Scheierman became the first Bluejay with four straight double-doubles since Doug McDermott from Nov. 25-Dec. 10, 2011.
Since the 1994-95 season, Scheierman, Ryan Hawkins, Martin Krampelj and McDermott (twice) are the only four Bluejays to record three straight double-doubles.
Scheierman’s 13 double-doubles are the most in a season since Bob Harstad had 13 in 1988-89.
Most Double-Doubles, Season, Since 1987-88
D-D Creighton Player Year
13 Bob Harstad 1988-89
13 Baylor Scheierman 2022-23
12 Bob Harstad 1989-90
11 Bob Harstad 1990-91
11 Doug McDermott 2011-12
11 Ryan Hawkins 2021-22
10 Doug McDermott 2012-13
10 Chad Gallagher 1990-91
Most Double-Doubles Since 1987-88, Career
D-D Creighton Player Year
42 Bob Harstad 1987-91
37 Doug McDermott 2010-14
24 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
13 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
13 Baylor Scheierman 2022-Pres.
11 Rodney Buford 1995-99
11 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
11 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
11 Ryan Hawkins 2021-22
Fantastic Five
Much has been written about Creighton’s starting five this season, and the success CU has had when Ryan Nembhard, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma and Baylor Scheierman are on the floor together.
The quintet has played 600:25 (of a possible 1,570 minutes) together this season, outscoring the opposition 1,207-1,006 in those minutes.
In 13 games against ranked foes, the group has been paired together for 268:25 (of a possible 530 minutes), and outscored opponents 528-491.
With All 5 Regular Starters On the Floor
Opponent CU Pts. Opp Pts. Diff. Time
St. Thomas 36 34 +2 20:10
North Dakota 41 31 +10 18:42
Holy Cross 24 11 +13 9:28
UC Riverside 37 14 +23 17:31
#21 Texas Tech 58 49 +9 22:36
#9 Arkansas 33 25 +8 19:36
#14 Arizona 50 51 (-1) 21:17
#2 Texas 44 40 +4 24:49
Nebraska 17 22 (-5) 15:22
Butler 20 19 +1 13:09
DePaul 40 24 +16 14:57
Seton Hall 28 15 +13 14:51
#4 Connecticut 41 40 +1 24:51
#12 Xavier 58 55 +3 23:19
#19 Providence 40 21 +19 19:19
Butler 27 23 +4 14:00
St. John’s 35 32 +3 11:28
#13 Xavier 48 39 +9 22:40
Georgetown 36 23 +13 23:34
Villanova 46 45 +1 27:50
Seton Hall 40 25 +15 20:15
#21 Connecticut 17 22 (-5) 14:13
#24 Providence 67 70 (-3) 38:20
St. John’s 36 31 +5 18:08
#10 Marquette 15 17 (-2) 9:43
Villanova 43 44 (-1) 20:23
Georgetown 31 5 +26 8:46
DePaul 41 38 +3 20:39
Villanova 62 50 +12 23:10
#15 Xavier 23 25 (-2) 12:01
NC State 39 29 +10 19:37
#11 Baylor 34 37 (-3) 15:41
TOTAL 1,207 1,006 +201 600:25
Big Fred’s Big Night
Making his second career start, freshman center Fredrick King had career-highs with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots in the Dec. 12 game vs. Arizona State.
King was just the second Bluejay of any age in Greg McDermott‘s 13 years on the CU sideline to post a game with at least 16/11/5, joining Gregory Echenique (18 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks) vs. Houston Christian on Dec. 17, 2011.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, King is the seventh different freshmen with 16 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and no turnovers in the same game since 2010-11, a list that includes Chet Holmgren, Armando Bacot, Mo Bamba, Anthony Davis (twice), Thik Bol and Chris Horton.
Freshmen With 16 Pts., 11 Reb., 5 Blk, 0 Turnovers
(Since 2010-11)
Name, School Date PTS REB BLK
Anthony Davis, Kentucky 01/17/12 27 14 7
Anthony Davis, Kentucky 03/25/12 18 11 6
Chris Horton, Austin Peay 12/05/12 21 11 5
Thik Bol, Southern Illinois 02/19/17 19 11 6
Mo Bamba, Texas 12/29/17 22 15 8
Armando Bacot, N. Carolina 11/29/19 23 12 6
Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga 03/17/22 19 17 7
Fredrick King, Creighton 12/12/22 16 11 5
King Him!
After 38 total points and 25 total rebounds in the first 10 games of his college career, Fredrick King put together back-to-back double-doubles after being pressed into a starting role when Ryan Kalkbrenner was sidelined by a non-COVID illness in mid-December. King had 16 points and 11 rebounds vs. Arizona State on Dec. 12th, then added 16 points and 10 rebounds at Marquette four days later.
King is CU’s freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Justin Patton had three in 2016-17.
King is CU’s first true freshman with multiple double-doubles in a season since Doug McDermott had nine in 2010-11. McDermott had also been the last Bluejay freshman with back-to-back double-doubles, having done it on Feb. 1 and Feb. 5, 2011.
For his efforts, King was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Dec. 19.
After shooting 8-for-8 vs. Marquette, King was 3-for-3 from the field against Butler to move him to 11-for-11 in league play with eight dunks. He finished 29-for-46 from the field with 14 dunks in conference contests.
Simply Perfect
Below is a list of Creighton players to shoot 100 percent from the field on eight or more attempts in a game since the start of the 1991-92 campaign:
Most FGA, 100% Shooting, Since 1991-92
FGA Name, Opponent Date
11 Anthony Tolliver vs. Illinois State 01/01/07
10 Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. Holy Cross 11/14/22
8 Geoffrey Groselle vs. Coppin State 12/28/15
8 Justin Patton vs. Loyola (Md.) 12/07/16
8 Fredrick King at Marquette 12/16/22
Paul Silas Passes Away at 79
Paul Silas, Creighton’s first Academic All-American and one of the top players in Bluejay men’s basketball history, passed away at the age of 79 on Dec. 11th.
Silas was recruited to Creighton by John J. “Red” McManus out of McClymonds High School in Oakland, Calif., the same high school that produced Bill Russell. Silas arrived on campus in 1960 when freshmen were ineligible to play for the varsity but quickly made a difference a year later when he led CU to the 1961-62 NCAA Tournament and the team closed with a 21-5 record. His 1963-64 team returned to the Big Dance and finished 22-7.
Silas is the only player in NCAA history with three or more seasons of 557 rebounds and owns the top three single-season rebound totals in Bluejay annals, including 631 as a senior in 1963-64. That figure remains fifth-most in NCAA history and is the most by any player since 1960. He’s first in CU history with 1,751 rebounds, ninth in career points (1,661), third in career scoring average (20.51) and also in the top-10 in field goals made (8th) and free throws made (6th).
Silas’ 21.6 career rebounds per game are third-most in NCAA history and his 1,751 rebounds are sixth in NCAA history as well as the most ever by a three-year player. Silas, along with Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Artis Gilmore and Kermit Washington is one of five players to average at least 20 points and 20 rebounds for an NCAA career. Silas owns the top 29 single-game rebound performances in Creighton history, including a 38 rebound effort vs. Centenary on Feb. 19, 1962 that ranks tied for ninth-most in NCAA history.
He was the first Creighton student-athlete to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1963-64, was a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, and received the College of Business Administration’s Alumni Merit Award in 1993.
In an old article, Silas boasted about his education, saying “I’m more proud of my academic success at Creighton than of all my athletic accomplishments. What Creighton University does for an athlete or any student is that they teach you how to think, how to deal with everyday living. What I learned at Creighton has helped me close the gap between professional sports and the business world.”
A two-time All-Star and five-time NBA All-Defensive team member, he scored 11,782 points and grabbed 12,357 rebounds while winning three titles (Boston 1974 & 1976, Seattle 1979) during a 16-year NBA career from 1964-80. He later coached 12 seasons in the NBA for the Clippers, Hornets, Bobcats and Cavalier organizations. He was LeBron James’ first NBA head coach. His son, Stephen Silas, is the current head coach of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.
Silas was inducted into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 1974, the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Sophomores Standing Tall
Legendary Marquette coach Al McGuire once said that the best thing about freshmen is that they become sophomores. The Bluejay trio of Arthur Kaluma, Trey Alexander and Ryan Nembhard were all part of the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team last season, and all three are off to fantastic starts as sophomores.
This year the trio have combined to average 37.8 points per contest.
Collectively, they shoot 43.4 percent from the field (452-1041), 37.4 percent from downtown (156-417) and 80.1 percent at the line (262-327) while also contributing 497 rebounds and 318 assists against just 194 turnovers.
Creighton is 26-5 in the last two seasons when all three men play and they combine for 13 or more rebounds.
Big Fred’s World
Fredrick King had four points (on two dunks) and three blocked shots in his first career start in early December vs. BYU.
King was the first Bluejay true freshman to start a game at center since Kenton Walker on Feb. 5, 2008, when the Jays topped UNI, 74-50.
One of the other Creighton starters that night was Nick Bahe, who was on the call for FS1 for each of King’s first two starts.
King is the first true freshman center to make multiple starts for Creighton since Joel Templeman in 1994-95.
Holiday Hoops Proves Popular
Creighton’s Christmas Day victory over DePaul scored 2.99 million viewers on FOX – the network’s most-watched college hoops game ever.
Per FOX Sports PR, it was the most-watched college basketball game on any network this regular-season.
In the last three years, the only regular-season game higher was North Carolina/Duke in Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game last March (3.98 million) on ESPN.
Wooden Award Watch List
The Creighton duo of Baylor Scheierman and Ryan Kalkbrenner have been named to the Preseason Top 50 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy’s®.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Men’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles in April.
Scheierman and Kalkbrenner give Creighton nine Preseason John R. Wooden Award Watch List recognitions in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott. Marcus Zegarowski made the list in 2020-21, one year after Ty-Shon Alexander was listed prior to the 2019-20 campaign. Others to make the list include Marcus Foster (2017-18), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17), Doug McDermott (2013-14, 2012-13 and 2011-12). Creighton’s lone recipient of the John R. Wooden Award® is Doug McDermott, who was recognized following the completion of the 2013-14 campaign.
Speaking Of Assists
Ryan Nembhard’s 12 assists vs. Holy Cross were the second double-figure assist game of his Bluejay career, joining the 10 helpers he dished in his collegiate debut last November vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Nembhard is the seventh different Bluejay with 10 or more assists in a game under Greg McDermott, joining Maurice Watson Jr. (12 times), Grant Gibbs (4), Marcus Zegarowski (4), Austin Chatman (3), Antoine Young (2) and Malik Albert (1).
Also worth noting regarding Nembhard’s big night? He played just 19 minutes in the win, making him the nation’s only player with 12 assists against a Division I opponent this year while playing less than 30 minutes.
Turnover Free At The Point
Ryan Nembhard’s 12 assists without a turnover vs. Holy Cross on Nov. 14 made him just the fourth player in Bluejay history to accomplish that feat. He’s the first to do it inside CHI Health Center Omaha and the first Bluejay to do it at any site since 2002.
Here’s the single-game assist leaders at Creighton, along with their turnover statistics on that night:
Ast. Name, Opponent Date TO
17 Ralph Bobik vs. Bradley 01/22/74 0
Ralph Bobik at St. Francis (Pa.) 02/23/73 ??
16 Ralph Bobik vs. BYU 12/17/73 4
14 Maurice Watson Jr. at Providence 01/07/17 2
Maurice Watson Jr. at Seton Hall 01/09/16 4
13 Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Washington St. 11/18/16 4
Maurice Watson Jr. vs. Akron 12/03/16 5
Jason Bey vs. Southern Illinois 02/27/95 1
Latrell Wrightsell vs. Nebraska 12/07/91 1
12 Ryan Nembhard vs. Holy Cross 11/14/22 0
Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern 12/22/11 4
Tyler McKinney at Nebraska 12/21/02 0
Ed St. Fleur at CS-Sacramento 01/13/96 0
Latrell Wrightsell vs. N. Iowa 02/01/92 4
Duan Cole at Iowa State 01/16/90 5
Vernon Moore at Southern Illinois 01/17/85 2
Randy Eckker at Gonzaga 01/14/77 2
Randy Eckker at Bradley 01/12/77 4
Top 10 Under McDermott
Prior to Greg McDermott‘s 2010 arrival, Creighton had spent one week ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll in program history (10th on Jan. 20, 2003, when Dana Altman’s team led by Kyle Korver lost at Steve Merfeld‘s Evansville team).
Under McDermott, Creighton has spent 21 weeks in the top 10, including at least one week in five different seasons (1 week in 2012-13; 8 weeks in 2016-17, 3 weeks in 2019-20, 5 weeks in 2020-21 and 4 weeks this year).
Creighton’s best AP ranking ever is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017; March 10, 2020; March 18, 2020; Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 338 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 20-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 278-60 (.822) 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 26,418-22,127 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.70 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 89 different times, including three times this year (Holy Cross, DePaul, Georgetown).
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 181-42 (.812) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn’t trailed in 64 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 95-9 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 297-60 (.832) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.38 points per home game (17,924 points in 223 home games), a figure that climbs to 83.84 points in non-conference home games (8,719 points in 104 home games).
Creighton is 135-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Who’s Back?
With Creighton returning eight of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it’s no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2021-22 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 118 (79.2%) 31 (20.8%)
Assists 284 (60.9%) 182 (39.1%)
Starts 104 (59.4%) 71 (40.6%)
Points 1,360 (56.2%) 1,062 (43.8%)
Minutes 3,881 (54.9%) 3,194 (45.1%)
Charges Taken 7 (53.8%) 6 (46.2%)
Rebounds 663 (53.3%) 580 (46.7%)
Steals 98 (51.0%) 94 (49.0%)
3FG Made 83 (35.3%) 152 (64.7%)
Youth Is Served
In case you’ve forgotten, Creighton had at least one freshman on the floor for every second of every game last season, and actually had a late stretch of 1:28 vs. Colorado State when all five of its players on the floor were freshmen.
All told, 3171:36 of Creighton’s 7,075 total minutes (44.83 percent) were played by freshmen last season.
By comparison, in 2020-21 Creighton had a freshman on the floor just 32.4 percent of the time and had multiple freshmen on the floor just 17 minutes (of 1,250) all season (1.4 percent). Only 7.5 percent (465:52 of 6250) of CU’s overall minutes were played by freshmen in 2020-21.
Through 35 games this season, Creighton’s freshmen have played 770:22 of 7,050 possible minutes (10.93 percent).
2021-22 Minute Breakdown
Freshmen Time Score Margin
0 freshmen: Never — —
1 freshman: 34:23 59-49 +10
2 freshmen: 962:14 1,692-1,578 +114
3 freshmen: 347:15 611-407 +4
4 freshmen: 45:54 54-85 (-31)
5 freshmen: 1:`28 5-2 +3
Watch This
Creighton had four men that made a preseason watch list for their respective position.
Ryan Nembhard was one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s best point guard. Nembhard is the fourth different Bluejay in the last 12 years named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list, joining Antoine Young (2011-12), Maurice Watson Jr. (2016-17) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
Baylor Scheierman was one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Julius Erving Award, given to the nation’s best small forward. Scheierman is Creighton’s first player in the nine seasons of the Julius Erving Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Arthur Kaluma was one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Karl Malone Award, given to the nation’s best power forward. Kaluma is Creighton’s first player in the nine seasons of the Karl Malone Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Ryan Kalkbrenner was one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation’s best center. Kalkbrenner joins Justin Patton (2016-17) as Creighton’s second player in the nine seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point.
Creighton (4) was one of six schools with four or more MBB players on a watch list, joining Duke (5), Kentucky (5), Arizona (4), Gonzaga (4) and UCLA (4).
CU’s four watch list student-athletes match the totals of the rest of the BIG EAST combined (Xavier 2, Villanova 1, UConn 1).
More Than Just Being Tall
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 156 dunks in his career, including 69 last year. He has more career dunks than any other Bluejay player since Greg McDermott‘s arrival in 2010.
Here’s a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, and 25 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Year
74 Martin Krampelj 2018-19
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
69 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2021-22
58 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2022-23
50 Christian Bishop 2020-21
38 Christian Bishop 2019-20
36 Gregory Echenique 2012-13
33 Martin Krampelj 2017-18
30 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
29 Marcus Foster 2017-18
29 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-21
24 Gregory Echenique 2010-11
24 Fredrick King 2022-23
23 Marcus Foster 2016-17
22 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
21 Alex O’Connell 2021-22
21 Arthur Kaluma 2021-22
20 Khyri Thomas 2017-18
20 Arthur Kaluma 2022-23
Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Years
156 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
121 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
103 Christian Bishop 2018-21
90 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
52 Marcus Foster 2016-18
51 Khyri Thomas 2015-18
43 Arthur Kaluma 2021-Pres.
38 Will Artino 2011-15
33 Zach Hanson 2013-17
25 Geoffrey Groselle 2012-16
25 Damien Jefferson 2018-21
Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Year Team W-L
144 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
132 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
107 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
106 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
109 2022-23 23-12 so far (NCAA)
90 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
60 2019-20 24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
56 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
54 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
42 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
Among The Nation’s Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 100 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to March 19, 2023
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 3,932 3rd
FG Percentage .476 4th
Assists 7,134 6th
3FG Percentage .376 6th
FG Made 12,200 8th
Points 34,138 9th
Wins 299 25th
Winning Percentage .667 32nd
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, including four such rallies last season. In its NCAA Tournament win vs. San Diego State, Creighton trailed 35-21 late in the first half.
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 299 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. 299-149 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
Super Seven
Greg McDermott has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time. 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 different 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
McDermott’s Coaching Tree
A bunch of former Greg McDermott protégés are thriving at the Division I level.
Eric Henderson led South Dakota State to the first 18-0 season in Summit League history last year. The Jackrabbits went 30-5 after winning the Summit League Tournament and clinching an NCAA bid.
North Dakota State’s Dave Richman went 23-10 overall last year and finished as the runner-up in the Summit League standings and Summit League Tournament to Henderson’s SDSU team.
Last year Ben Jacobson won the MVC regular-season title while coaching Northern Iowa. The Panthers went 20-12 and reached the NIT.
Drake’s Darian DeVries led Drake to its second Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title ever in 2022-23 and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Steve Lutz led his Texas A&M-Corpus Christi team to a 24-12 record and a Southland Conference Tournament title in his first year as a head coach in 2021-22, with the Islanders reaching the NCAA Tournament First Four. He inherited a 5-19 team that hadn’t won 20 games or had a winning record since 2016-17. This year’s team won the regular-season and conference tournament titles, with Lutz being named Southland Coach of the Year. He was named head coach at Western Kentucky last weekend.
TJ Otzelberger turned around Iowa State in his first year in Ames in 2021-22. He inherited a 2-22 team (0-18 Big 12) and turned it into a team that reached the Sweet 16 and finished 22-13.
Patrick Sellers led Central Connecticut State to an 8-24 record in his first season with the Blue Devils, including a victory in the Northeast Conference Tournament, in 2021-22.
Paul Sather is the head coach at North Dakota after successful tenures at Black Hills State and Northern State.
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a second season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 39 of the last 40 seasons. McDermott is in his ninth season in the NBA.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
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
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men’s basketball team was picked to win the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day on Oct. 18th at Madison Square Garden.
It’s the first time since 2012-13 that Creighton has been chosen as a preseason favorite in its league, though that recognition came in CU’s final season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
This is the 10th time Creighton has been tabbed as the preseason favorite (also 1989-90, 1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2011-12 and 2012-13), though the first nine occurrences all happened in the Missouri Valley Conference. Four of those MVC teams finished first (1990-91, 2000-01, 2008-09, 2012-13), while the other five took second place. Six of those nine Bluejay squads went on to win the MVC Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13) and seven of the nine squads played in the NCAA Tournament (1990-91, 1998-99, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2011-12, 2012-13).
The Bluejays collected eight first-place votes and earned 98 points in the poll. Xavier was picked second in the poll with 86 points, including two first-place votes. Villanova, the defending BIG EAST Tournament champion, was one point behind Xavier with 85 points and received one first-place vote from the men’s basketball head coaches, who did not vote for their own teams. Connecticut was picked fourth with 77 points and Providence was fifth with 62 points. St. John’s and Seton Hall finished sixth and seventh with 62 and 52 points, respectively. Butler was eighth with 36 points, four points ahead of ninth-place Marquette with 32 points. Georgetown was 10th with 21 points and DePaul 11th with 12 points.
Creighton is the only school in the league that has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below:
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 None
2022-23 1st 3rd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 983 straight games. The streak is the nation’s 13th-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 (through 3/22)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,192 UNLV Next Season
2. 1,189 Duke Next Season
3. 1,127 Western Kentucky Next Season
4. 1,115 East Tennessee State Next Season
5. 1,094 Oakland Next Season
6. 1,092 Pacific Next Season
7. 1,093 Texas 3/24
8. 1,035 Marshall Next Season
9. 1,030 Baylor Next Season
10. 1,018 Princeton 3/24
11. 1,017 Gonzaga 3/23
12. 985 Long Island Next Season
13. 983 Creighton 3/24
14. 974 Mount St. Mary’s Next Season
15. 963 Tennessee State Next Season
Triple Trouble
During Creighton’s current streak of 983 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,763 trifectas, an average of 7.90 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 282 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 62-15 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 28-24 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton’s 3-Point Streak
1: 5 times 2: 18 times 3: 36 times
4: 75 times 5: 103 times 6: 101 times
7: 147 times 8: 12/.4 times 9: 92 times
10: 81 times 11: 57 times 12: 56 times
13: 45 times 14: 19 times 15: 7 times
16: 8 times 17: 3 times 19: 2 times
20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
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