Game #17:  St. John's Red Storm (12-4, 4-1) at #22 Creighton Bluejays (12-4, 3-2)
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024 • 12 p.m.  • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | SJU NOTES |

Next Game
No. 22 Creighton (12-4, 3-2 BIG EAST) looks to stay unbeaten in 2024 when it hosts a St. John's (12-4, 4-1 BIG EAST) team riding a league-best four-game winning streak on Saturday, Jan. 13.
    Tip-off at CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., is set for Noon.
    Junior guard Trey Alexander will be honored in a pregame ceremony in recognition of him scoring his 1,000th career point in his last home game.
    Omaha Circus Act will perform at halftime.

BIG EAST Road Trip Visits Omaha
Developed and executed in partnership with Playfly Sports, the 'BIG EAST Road Trip,' will be an interactive pop-up that will roll into each city for upcoming men's and women's basketball games culminating with stops at both the men's and women's conference tournaments in March.
    The BIG EAST Tournament trophy comes to Omaha prior to Saturday's men's basketball game vs. St. John's, which tips at Noon Central. The BIG EAST Road Trip festivities will take place inside Hall B of the Convention Center of CHI Health Center Omaha between 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Central.
    Each tour stop will host basketball fans for two hours of pre-game entertainment and activities including BIG EAST Shootaround shows, free throw challenges, spirit squad and mascot appearances, a chance to take photos alongside the BIG EAST championship trophy, and more school-specific additions unique to each stop.
    All activities within the BIG EAST Road Trip footprint are open to fans at no cost.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2023-24 season. John Bishop and Taylor Stormberg will call the action.  
    The audio is webcast at 1620thezone.com and can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 389 as well as https://sxm.app.link/979.

Telecast Information
Saturday's game will be called by Brandon Gaudin and Nick Bahe and be televised on FOX.
    The competition will also be video webcast at https://FoxSports.com/live. Cable authorization may be required.

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

Scouting No. 22 Creighton
Creighton is 12-4 this season, including home wins over Iowa (92-84), Alabama (85-82) and No. 23 Providence (69-60), and road victories at Oklahoma State (79-65) and Nebraska (89-60). The Bluejays lost their first two BIG EAST games this season by a combined seven points before picking up wins over Georgetown (77-60), No. 23 Providence (69-60) and DePaul (84-58).
    The nucleus of the team is formed by three returning starters as senior forward Baylor Scheierman (18.1, 8.1 rpg., 4.1 apg), senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.8 ppg., 2.4 bpg., 64.8 FG%), and junior guard Trey Alexander (16.8 ppg., 6.2 rpg., 4.5 apg.) all put their professional aspirations on hold and came back.
    Add in senior transfer Steven Ashworth (8.1 ppg,. 3.6 apg., 33.3 3FG%), the USBWA District VII Player of the Year last year at Utah State, and it's easy to see why CU was one of three BIG EAST teams picked in the top-10 nationally in the preseason.
    The Bluejays boast an offense that shoots 49.8 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from three-point land while draining 10.7 three-pointers per contest (10th-best nationally), which contributes to CU's 80.8 points per game.  The Jays also outrebound foes by 8.4 caroms per contest.
    CU's defense has held teams to 66.6 points per game and allowed opponents to make just 89 three-pointers all year. Creighton's 10.9 fouls per game are the fewest in the nation.

Scouting St. John's
St. John's is 12-4 overall and off to a 4-1 start in BIG EAST play for the first time since 2000-01. The Red Storm are 2-1 in true road games, including a win at Villanova, with the lone loss coming by four points against defending NCAA champion Connecticut.
    Five Johnnies average in double-figures, a group led by Preseason All-BIG EAST center Joel Soriano (17.3 ppg., 10.1 rpg.). Soriano is one of two players who remained on the roster after Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino was hired in the spring.
    Also scoring in double-figures was Daniss Jenkins (13.0 ppg., 6.1 apg.), RJ Luis Jr. (11.5 ppg., 5.8 rpg.), Jordan Dingle (10.6 ppg.) and Chris Ledlum (10.4 ppg., 7.9 rpg.).
    SJU averages 79.5 points per game and allows just 70.1 per contest. The Red Storm shoots 45.1 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from deep and 70.4 percent at the line. The Red Storm rank fifth nationally with 15.6 offensive rebounds per game and outrebound foes by 7.9 caroms per contest.

The Series With St. John's
Creighton is 17-10 all-time against St. John's, and 15-5 in the rivalry since joining the BIG EAST. Creighton is 11-1 at home all-time against the Johnnies, with nine of those games decided by double-figures.
    Creighton has scored 77+ points in each of its last seven victories vs. St. John's and are 14-0 all-time against the Red Storm when scoring 76 points or more.
    Greg McDermott is 15-5 against St. John's. He has never coached against Rick Pitino.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 312-154 record in his 14th season with the Bluejays. He ranks 16th among active coaches in victories with a career mark of 592-349 in his 30th season, and is 461-285 in his 23rd Division I campaign.
    McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
    McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
    He is assisted by Ryan Miller, Jalen Courtney-Williams and Derek Kellogg.

With A Win...
- Creighton would earn a seventh straight win over St. John's.
- Greg McDermott would improve to 16-5 against St. John's.
- Creighton would improve to 4-0 in 2024.

Milestone Watch
Francisco Farabello owns 490 career points (including the 319 he scored at TCU), as he closes in on 500.
    Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 693 career rebounds and is three boards shy of moving into Creighton's all-time top 10.
    Baylor Scheierman has made 297 career three-pointers and is three shy of 300 triples.

Storm On The Horizon
Creighton has been in control while winning the last four meetings in Omaha against St. John's.
    Creighton has opened up a lead of 17 points or more in each contest and never trailed by more than four points at any time. CU's lead stretched to 31 last year and was as big as  30 in 2021-22.
    In the last four games in Omaha, Creighton has led for 148:42 while trailing for 4:15, with the score being tied for 7:03.

Scheierman Makes Wooden Award Cut
Creighton senior guard Baylor Scheierman has landed a spot on the Midseason Top 25 today for the John R. Wooden® Award presented by  Principal®. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious individual honor.  
    A senior guard from Aurora, Neb., Scheierman leads Creighton with 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while ranking second on the team with 65 assists and 14 steals. He has scored nine points or more in every game and made three or more three-pointers in 12-of-16 contests to date. Scheierman was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Dec. 4 after helping Creighton to double-digit road wins at Oklahoma State and at Nebraska.
    This year marks the seventh time in the past 13 seasons that Creighton is represented on the Wooden Award Midseason 25 list. Creighton's Doug McDermott won the Wooden Award following the 2013-14 season after also being a finalist in both 2011-12 and 2012-13. Maurice Watson Jr. was on the list of 25 in 2016-17 and Marcus Foster was among those listed a year later, as was Marcus Zegarowski in 2020-21. None of those three most recent men advanced to the final cut.
    The only other BIG EAST players to make the Midseason Top 25 list are Tyler Kolek and Tristen Newton.

FOX Rocks
Saturday will mark Creighton's second of six scheduled appearance on FOX this season.
    After a rough start on FOX, the network has been a good luck charm for the Bluejays in recent seasons, helping CU improve to 13-17 on the channel since joining the BIG EAST.
    Creighton lost its first seven appearances and was 2-10 on FOX in its first six seasons as a BIG EAST member. Since then, Creighton is 11-7 on the network.
Creighton's Record on FOX Since 2013-14
Year    W-L
2013-14    0-0
2014-15    0-0
2015-16    0-1
2016-17    0-4
2017-18    1-3 (lost first 2)
2018-19    1-2 (won last 1)
2019-20    2-0
2020-21    5-2 (won first 4)
2021-22    0-3
2022-23    3-2
2023-24    1-0

Doubling Up In The Post
Saturday's game features two players with more double-doubles than any other BIG EAST players the past two seasons.
    St. John's center Joel Soriano owns 34 double-doubles in that time, while Creighton guard Baylor Scheierman is next with 17. The only other active player in the league with more than eight in that span is Providence's Bryce Hopkins (15), who recently suffered a season-ending knee injury.
    In his career, Soriano has had a double-double against every BIG EAST team except Creighton.
BIG EAST's Most Double-Doubles Since Start of 2022-23
    D-D    Name, Player
    34    Joel Soriano, St. John's
    17    Baylor Scheierman, Creighton
    15    Bryce Hopkins, Providence
    12    Jack Nunge, Xavier
    10    Adama Sanogo, UConn

No Bricks For This Mason
Mason Miller has made a three-pointer in each of  Creighton's last nine games, giving him one of the longest active streaks in the BIG EAST Conference.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer (Active), BIG EAST
    Streak    Name    
    18    Kam Jones, Marquette
    16    Cam Spencer, Connecticut
    16    Pierre Brooks II, Butler
    12    Jayden Epps, Georgetown
    9    Mason Miller, Creighton
    9    Alex Karaban, Connecticut

McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott ranks  11th in league history with 112 regular-season league wins.
    McDermott, along with Ed Cooley and Rick Pitino, are the only three 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 (14 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 13 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches (thru 1/11)
    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.    122    Ed Cooley, Providence/G'Town
    9.    116    Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
    10.    115    Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
    11.    112    Greg McDermott, Creighton
    12.    110    Rollie Massimino, Villanova

Pink Out Auction Begins Thursday
When Creighton hosts DePaul on Saturday, January 27 in its 13th Annual Pink Out game, presented by Methodist and CHI Health, Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game. Fans have the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt can be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.). Other items such as signed basketballs, Coach McDermott's game-worn sneakers, and more will be available to bid on!
     This year's auction will begin on Thursday, January 11 at 6:30 p.m. and run through Sunday, January 21. All funds raised go to benefit the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Nebraska, which provides a free home away from home for cancer patients and their caregivers who must travel to Omaha to receive their lifesaving treatment.
    More than just a roof over their heads, it's a nurturing community that helps patients access the care they need. The annual Creighton University Men's Basketball Pink Out game has raised over $400,000 benefiting the Hope Lodge facility here in Omaha and the guests it serves.  
    Donate online at cancer.org/pinkout, or visit the auction site to make a bid on a unique item at https://gocreighton.com/pinkoutauction.

Chairmen Of The Boards
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 693 rebounds, and has grabbed eight or more boards in six of his last seven games.
    He enters Saturday's contest 11th in program history with 693 career rebounds.
    Reb.    Name    Years
    1,751    Paul Silas    1961-64
    1,126    Bob Harstad    1987-91
    1,088    Doug McDermott    2010-14
    1,005    Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
    979    Bob Portman    1966-69
    891    Chad Gallagher    1987-91
    762    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-11
    716    Rodney Buford    1995-99
    709    Rick Apke    1974-78
    696    Wally Anderzunas    1965-67, 1968-69
    693    Ryan Kalkbrenner    2020-Pres.
    686    Dane Watts    2004-08

Points = Wins
Creighton is 12-0 this season when scoring 69 points or more, but 0-4 when being held to 68 points or fewer.
    Since joining the BIG EAST Creighton is 13-1 against St. John's when scoring 69 points or more, reaching that mark in every game of its active six-game win streak over the Red Storm.

The Road Less Traveled
Creighton is the nation's only team in the top 25 of the NET with four or more true road wins this season.
    Additionally, Creighton is one of four BIG EAST teams with multiple road wins in league play thus far. Villanova (at Creighton and DePaul), Creighton (at Georgetown and DePaul), UConn (at Butler and Xavier) and Seton Hall has two (at Providence and Georgetown).
    Creighton is the nation's only "Power 6" team with four or more true road wins this season.
    Creighton (Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Georgetown, DePaul) is also the nation's lone team with four or more true road wins over "Power 6" foes this season.
    Creighton's four true road wins by 14 points or more lead the country. Kansas State (2) is the only other "Power 6" school with more than one.
    This season marks the first time that Creighton has picked up multiple road wins by 25 points or more since 1963-64.

Hall Call To CHI
Rick Pitino will become the fifth person to coach a game inside CHI Health Center Omaha after being inducted as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach, but just the second to do so in the regular-season.
    Jay Wright coached Villanova there in the regular-season in December of 2021 after being inducted earlier in 2021.
    Others to have coached there in the NCAA Tournament have been 2001 inductee Mike Krzyzewski, 2005 inductee Jim Boeheim and 2017 inductee Bill Self, all of whom coached in the 2018 NCAA Tournament Regional hosted inside CHI Health Center Omaha.

The Road Difference
Creighton has outscored teams by 66 points in its six true road games this season. That's the second-best mark in the nation, and better than all other "Power 6" schools (North Carolina is next-closest at +36).
Best Point Differential, True Road Games
    Rk.    Team    Road W-L    Differential
    1.    Princeton    6-1    +67
    2.    Creighton    4-2    +66
    3.    James Madison    6-1    +51
    4.    St. Bonaventure    3-1    +49
    5.    McNeese State    5-2    +47
    6.    Grand Canyon    4-0    +46
    7.    UMass-Lowell    6-3    +43
    8.    Cal St.-Northridge    6-2    +41
    9.    Delaware    4-2    +37
    10.    Longwood    4-4    +37

Road Demolition
Tuesday's 84-58 win at DePaul was Creighton's 14th-largest margin in a road victory since 1949, and fifth-biggest in a league contest.
    Here's a list of the largest road victory margins in the past 75 years:
    Margin    Score    Date
    +35    CU 90, Portland 55    01/28/71
    +35    CU 93, DePaul 58    02/11/17
    +34    CU 93, Regis 59    01/16/73
    +33    CU 92, Cleveland State 59    01/06/72
    +31    CU 83, UC Irvine 52    02/19/74
    +30    CU 93, St. Ambrose 63    02/12/62
    +30    CU 81, Southern Illinois 51    01/27/13
    +30    CU 124, Miami Fla. 94    02/10/64
    +29    CU 92, Nevada 63    12/23/63
    +29    CU 89, Nebraska 60    12/03/23
    +28    CU 74, Indiana State 46    01/29/03
    +28    CU 96, #4 Villanova 68    01/20/14
    + 27    CU 93, Loyola (Chicago) 66    02/15/69
    +26    CU 85, South Dakota 59    12/19/61
    +26    CU 84, DePaul 58    01/09/24
    +25    CU 95, Memphis 70    03/02/63

Terrific Trio
The trio of Baylor Scheierman (18.1 ppg.), Trey Alexander (16.8) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (15.8) have accounted for 62.7 percent of Creighton's points this season.
    Creighton has not had three men finish a season averaging 14 points per game or more in the same year since 1983-84, when Benoit Benjamin (16.2), Vernon Moore (15.0) and Gregory Brandon (14.5 ppg.).

Miscellaneous Stats to Watch
Creighton's bench had 17 points in Tuesday's victory at DePaul. Creighton has now won 38 straight games when scoring 16 or more bench points.
    Creighton scored 32 points in the paint on Tuesday at DePaul. The Jays are 9-0 when scoring 30 or more paint points this season.
    Creighton outscored DePaul 32-30 in the paint on Tuesday. Creighton is 10-0 this year when it isn't outscored by 10 or more points in the paint this year.
    Creighton outscored DePaul 11-0 in second chance points on Tuesday. CU is 8-0 this year when scoring 11 or more second chance points and 17-3 since the start of last season when scoring 11 or more second chance points.
    Creighton did not trail in Tuesday's win over DePaul. It was the second time this season that CU has posted a wire-to-wire win, joining the Dec. 9 Central Michigan triumph.

Baylor Ball
Of the 1,070 career rebounds that Baylor Scheierman has snared, only 103 of them (9.6 percent) have come on the offensive glass.
    Scheierman leads all BIG EAST players with 116 defensive rebounds this season, but is tied for 45th with 13 offensive rebounds.
    Last year Scheierman became the only "Power 6" player in the last 25 seasons with at least 270 defensive rebounds and less than 40 offensive rebounds.
    Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman owns 22 career games of 10 or more rebounds without snaring an offensive board. That makes him one of just two players nationally since 2010-11 with more than 10 such contests, joining Weber State's Dillon Jones (21).

Alexander Surpasses 1,000 Points
Trey Alexander became the 46th player in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career points on Jan. 6 vs. No. 23 Providence. The milestone came in Alexander's 87th career contest.
    Here's a list of Creighton's top scorers ever, as well as how long it took CU's last 22 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.    1,420    Ryan Kalkbrenner    2020-Pres.
    16.    1,369    Gene Harmon    1971-74
    17.    1,361    Duan Cole    1987-92
    18.    1,342    Antoine Young    2008-12
    19.    1,313    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-11
    20.    1,309    Ryan Sears    1997-01
    21.    1,304    Mitch Ballock    2017-21
    22.    1,303    Elton Tuttle    1951-54
    23.    1,293    Marcus Zegarowski    2018-21
    24.    1,292    Marcus Foster    2016-18
    26.    1,272    Bob Gibson    1954-57
    26.    1,267    Wally Anderzunas    1965-67, 1968-69
    27.    1,254    Gary Swain    1983-87
    28.    1,241    Ty-Shon Alexander    2017-20
    29.    1,238    Ben Walker    1997-01
    30.    1,196    Ray Yost    1951-54
    31.    1,172    Dick Harvey    1956-59
    32.    1,155    Ethan Wragge    2009-14
    33.    1,152    Dane Watts    2004-08
    34.    1,140    Khyri Thomas    2015-18
    35.    1,116    Kenny Evans    1982-87
    36.    1,115    Doug Brookins    1972-75
        1,115    Daryl Stovall    1978-82
    38.    1,093    Tim Powers    1964-67
    39.    1,050    Reggie Morris    1982-86
    40.    1,031    Johnny Mathies    2003-06
    41.    1,030    Trey Alexander    2021-Pres.
    42.    1,024    P'Allen Stinnett    2007-10

Games To 1,000 Points, Last 22 Bluejays
Name    CU Games to 1,000 pts.     Date
Trey Alexander    87    01/06/24
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

Meet The Alexander's
Though they're not related, the stats of Ty-Shon Alexander (2017-20) and Trey Alexander (2021-Present) are pretty similar through 88 career games.
    That's a positive development considering that Ty-Shon was a First Team All-BIG EAST choice who helped Creighton to a share of the 2020 BIG EAST title and later played for the 2021 NBA runner-up Phoenix Suns.
Through 88 Career Games
Name    PTS    REB    AST    BLK    STL    FG%    3FG%    FT%
Ty-Shon    1063    320    192    19    76    .415    .363    .805
Trey    1030    386    254    37    81    .442    .359    .811

It's Miller's Time
Mason Miller never scored more than nine points as he averaged 2.8 points per game in his first 42 contests at Creighton. But in his last eight games, he's averaged 8.3 points per game, including different games of 17 and 11 points, and made 16-of-30 three-pointers (.533). That's good enough to move him to 53.1 percent on the season, which leads the BIG EAST, which requires one three-pointer per game to qualify.
    In his career Miller is shooting 44.7 percent from deep, sinking 46-of-103 triple tries. The only men to finish a Creighton career better (min. 100 three-point attempts) have been Doug McDermott (.458), Booker Woodfox (.455) and Kyle Korver (.453). McDermott (3), Korver (2) and Woodfox (1) combined for six Conference Player of the Year awards.

Scheierman The Scorer?
Baylor Scheierman ranks third in the BIG EAST Conference in scoring at 18.1 points per game, but does own a league-high 289 points scored.
    Before being held to nine points last Saturday vs. Providence, Scheierman had become just the third Creighton player in the last 25 seasons to score in double-figures each of the first 14 games of a year, joining Doug McDermott (all 35 games in 2011-12) and Marcus Foster (first 15 in 2017-18).
    The fifth-year senior is aiming to become the first Creighton player to lead the BIG EAST in scoring since Doug McDermott in 2013-14. McDermott led the nation with 26.7 points per game en route to National Player of the Year accolades.
    Keep in mind that Scheierman has proven he can do way more than score. Two years ago at South Dakota State, Scheierman led the Summit League in the rare combination of both rebounds and assists.

Triple Trouble
Baylor Scheierman has made 297 three-pointers over the course of 143 collegiate games, but he'd never had seven three-pointers in the same game until Dec. 30th at Marquette.
    Scheierman's performance was tied for 10th-most in program history. The only other Bluejay to make seven triples against a top 10 foe had been Ethan Wragge's nine trifectas at No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20, 2014.
    3FG    Name, Opponent    Date
    11    Mitch Ballock vs. DePaul    03/09/19
    9    Kyle Korver vs. Evansville    01/15/03
        Ethan Wragge at Villanova    01/20/14
    8    Tad Ackerman at Drake    01/23/95
        Kyle Korver at Xavier    12/31/02
        Terrell Taylor vs. Florida    03/15/02
        Isaiah Zierden at DePaul    01/17/16
        Mitch Ballock vs. Marquette    12/14/20
        Ryan Hawkins at Georgetown    02/12/22
    7    Gary Swain vs. Nebraska-Omaha    12/11/86
        Ryan Sears vs. Wyoming    12/06/97
        Kyle Korver vs. Notre Dame    11/26/02
        Kyle Korver vs. Fresno State    02/22/03
        Nate Funk at Nebraska    11/18/06
        Booker Woodfox at Saint Joseph's    12/06/08
        Ethan Wragge at Saint Joseph's    11/16/13
        Doug McDermott vs. DePaul    03/13/14
        Cole Huff vs. Seton Hall    03/10/16
        Ty-Shon Alexander vs. Clemson    11/21/18
        Mitch Ballock at Nebraska    12/08/18
        Marcus Zegarowski vs. Butler    02/23/20
        Mitch Ballock at Seton Hall    01/27/21
        Trey Alexander vs. DePaul    12/25/22
        Trey Alexander vs. Georgetown    03/01/23
        Baylor Scheierman at Marquette    12/30/23

Fool Me Once...But Nine Times?
Creighton has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication all but one year since joining the league in 2013, as seen below.
    Last 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    -
2022-23    1st    3rd    Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
            Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
2023-24    2nd    ??    Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
            Baylor Scheierman (2nd)

Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (56) than any other school in the last five seasons, three more than Villanova's 53.
    Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 143 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 112 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to 1/11/24)
Team    W    L    Pct.
Creighton    56    26    .683
Villanova    53    24    .688
Providence    50    29    .633
Seton Hall    48    33    .593
Marquette    46    35    .568
UConn    41    20    .672
Xavier    38    36    .514
St. John's    34    47    .420
Butler    32    51    .386
Georgetown    15    63    .192
DePaul    14    63    .182

Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to 1/11/24)
Team    W    L    Pct.
Villanova    143    42    .773
Creighton    112    78    .589
Providence    108    79    .578
Xavier    104    78    .571
Seton Hall    101    88    .534
Marquette    98    91    .519
Butler    86    105    .450
St. John's    74    115    .392
Georgetown    61    125    .328
UConn    41    20    .672
DePaul    39    146    .211

A Good Start
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 16 games under Greg McDermott.
Creighton Stats Through 16 Games, Since 2010-11
Year    W-L    FG%    3FG%    FT%    PPG    Opp PPG
2023-24    12-4    .498    .369    .753    80.8    65.6
2022-23    9-7    .463    .353    .720    76.1    67.6
2021-22    11-5    .473    .326    .699    71.6    66.6
2020-21    12-4    .489    .374    .653    80.9    69.9
2019-20    12-4    .466    .359    .712    77.1    68.3
2018-19    10-6    .515    .442    .655    84.9    76.6
2017-18    13-3    .513    .388    .741    90.2    71.9
2016-17    15-1    .537    .422    .679    87.5    72.0
2015-16    11-5    .499    .386    .693    85.4    74.9
2014-15      9-7    .415    .334    .757    69.5    65.6
2013-14    14-2    .486    .436    .752    82.3    65.3
2012-13    15-1    .519    .449    .750    80.2    62.3
2011-12    14-2    .511    .452    .704    81.9    68.8
2010-11    11-5    .433    .318    .750    67.0    62.4

A Dozen Will Do
Creighton finished 14-6 in the BIG EAST last season and is the only school in the BIG EAST with 12 or more league wins each of the previous four seasons.
    Among the other BIG EAST or "Power 5"  Conference schools, Kansas, UCLA and Virginia have also done it the previous four years.
    Creighton has now owned a .500 mark or better in league play 27 times in the last 28 seasons.
    The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous six seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.

Jays Don't Foul...Do You Follow?
Creighton leads the nation with just 10.94 fouls per game...let's take a minute to appreciate just how few that is.
    Creighton has committed three fouls or less in 7-of-32 halves this year.
    Creighton has had more than nine fouls in just two halves this season, which means its opponents have been in the double-bonus just twice.
    Creighton has allowed just seven made free throws in a 1-and-1 situation all year, and just four made free throws in the double bonus all season.
    Here's a look at how many fouls Creighton has been called for this season by half:
Creighton Fouls By Half
Opponent    First Half    Second Half
Florida A&M    4    5
North Dakota State    1    3
Iowa    6    8
Texas Southern    1    6
Loyola (Chicago)    3    7
Colorado State    2    5
Oklahoma State    6    7
Nebraska    7    7
Central Michigan    3    2
UNLV    5    5
Alabama    9    7
Villanova    5    4 (4 more in OT)
#10 Marquette    5    11
Georgetown    4    6
#23 Providence    5    6
DePaul    6    10
Total    72    99 (4 more in OT)

Biggest in the BIG EAST
Creighton's average height of 78.56 inches puts the Bluejays as the nation's 11th-tallest team, and the biggest in the BIG EAST.
    The second-tallest team in the BIG EAST is Connecticut, which ranks tied for 24th-biggest at 78.29 inches per player.

Jays Pass 27K at CHI
Creighton has scored 27,115 points all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha, passing the 27,000 mark on Dec. 20 vs. Villanova.
    Creighton has outscored the opposition 27,115-22,649 at the 21-year old facility in 346 all-time games in the building that count.
    Creighton is 25-2 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CHI Health Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date    Pts-Opp (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
12/20/23    27,000-22,535 (345)    Kalkbrenner lay-up vs. Villanova

3 & D
Creighton leads the nation in fewest fouls per game (10.9) and is 10th in three-pointers per game (10.7).
    Per Basketball-Reference.com, in its Dec. 9 romp over Central Michigan the Jays became the nation's only team since at least 2010-11 to score 102+ points and commit 5 fouls or less in the same game against a Division I opponent.

Kalkbrenner's A Handful
Ryan Kalkbrenner swatted a season-high five shots on Dec. 16 at UNLV.
    It was the ninth time in his Bluejay career that he's had five or more rejections. During his four years at Creighton, all his teammates have combined for one such game, a five-swat effort by Fredrick King last year in Las Vegas. Kalkbrenner is the only Creighton player with multiple games of five or more swats since the Bluejays joined the BIG EAST in 2013 as King, Jacob Epperson and Justin Patton have each done it once.
    Kalkbrenner's 237 career blocked shots rank third among the nation's active players.

Seeing Three's
Creighton has made 14 or more three-pointers in five different games this year, second-most nationally behind BYU. It's already tied for the second-most games of 14 three-pointers in any year under Greg McDermott, trailing only the 2018-19 squad that did it eight times in 35 games.
    Creighton owns four different games this season in which it has made 10 or more three-pointers than its opponent, which is also second-most.
    The Bluejays have had three different games  this season in which they've made 10 or more triples before halftime, including two of the past nine contests.
    Creighton has made three or more three-pointers in all but one half this season.

Circling The Target
Benoit Benjamin has the only three triple-doubles in Creighton history, but each one consisted of 10 or more points, rebounds and blocks.
    Though that means Creighton's never had a traditional points/rebound/assist triple-double, it seems like both Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman are flirting with one seemingly every time out.
    Here's a look at games this season when those men have had at least six points, six rebounds and six assists.
6+ Points, 6+ Rebounds, 6+ Assists This Season
Name    Opponent    Pts.    Reb.    Ast.
Alexander    Iowa    23    11    9
Scheierman    Texas Southern    23    9    6
Alexander    Texas Southern    20    7    8
Scheierman    Central Michigan    13    6    9
Alexander    Central Michigan    15    7    8
Scheierman    at UNLV    16    7    7
Scheierman    Alabama    20    6    9
Alexander    at #10 Marquette    18    6    6
    
Don't Forget The Two's
While attention tends to focus on Creighton's proficiency from three-point range, the Bluejays are also pretty efficient from inside the arc.
    Through games of Jan. 10, CU ranked third in the country in two-point percentage (.622) in 2023-24 and third-best nationally (.548) among Division I schools to have played 100 or more games since Greg McDermott's arrival in 2010-11.
    Creighton shot 26-for-32 (.813) from two-point range on Dec. 9 vs. Central Michigan, just the third time in Greg McDermott's 14 seasons at CU its converted on better than 80 percent of its two-point shots. The only better game was when it shot 22-for-26 (.846) in a March 2, 2013 win over Wichita State in CU's final regular-season game as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Century Mark
Creighton's 109 point effort on Dec. 9 vs. Central Michigan was the 25th time under Greg McDermott that Creighton has scored 100 or more points.
    That ranks third-most among all Power 5/BIG EAST teams nationally in that span, trailing only North Carolina (36) and Iowa (26).
    No  other BIG EAST team has cracked the century mark more than 12 times since 2010-11.
    Greg McDermott's teams at Northern Iowa (153 games) and Iowa State (127 games) never scored more than 100 points in any game.

Road Dubs
Before its Dec. 13 loss at UNLV, Creighton had started 2-0 on the road this season, doing so in impressive fashion in both games.
    On Nov. 30 Creighton beat Oklahoma State 79-65, its second-biggest non-conference home loss since 1978.
    Four days later on Dec. 3, Creighton won 89-60 at Nebraska, handing the Cornhuskers their largest non-conference home loss since 1938.
    It's the first time that Creighton has won its first two true road games since 2016-17, when the Jays won their first five road contests.
    It's also just the 12th time in the last 50 seasons that CU has won each of its first two true road games. Ten of the 11 most recent teams to do so made the NCAA Tournament, and each won 20 or more games.
Started 2-0 Or Better On The Road, Last 50 Years
    Road W's to Start    Season    Final W-L (Postseason)
    2    1976-77    21-7 (NCAA)
    2    1980-81    21-9 (NCAA)
    2    1998-99    22-9 (NCAA)
    3    1999-00    23-10 (NCAA)
    2    2002-03    29-5 (NCAA)
    4    2003-04    20-9 (NIT)
    2    2004-05    23-11 (NCAA)
    2    2011-12    29-6 (NCAA)
    4    2012-13    28-8 (NCAA)
    4    2013-14    27-8 (NCAA)
    5    2016-17    25-10 (NCAA)
    2    2023-24    TBD
    
Forty Time
In its 12 wins, Creighton has scored 543 points before halftime (45.25 per game), and put up 40 or more points in the first half 10 of the 12 contests.
    In its four losses the Jays have averaged just 61.25 points per game, and 27.8 first half points.
    Creighton has won 16 games in a row when scoring more than 40 first half points.

Hoop Dreams
Creighton shot 65.1 percent from the field on Dec. 9 vs. Central Michigan.
    In Greg McDermott's tenure at Creighton, the Bluejays had only surpassed that figure three times previously, and not since 2013.
 Best FG%, Single-Game, Under Greg McDermott
FG% (FG-FGA)    Opponent    Date
.775 (31-40)    at Southern Illinois    02/14/12
.704 (38-54)    Campbell    11/25/11
.702 (33-47)    Wichita State    03/02/13
.651 (41-63)    Central Michigan    12/09/23
.648 (35-54)    Longwood    11/20/12

Powerful Performance
One of the few question marks heading into the season was which player would step up at the power forward position.
    On Dec. 9 against Central Michigan, the platoon of Mason Miller, Isaac Traudt and Jasen Green each played a starring role.
    The trio combined for 39 points and nine rebounds in 45 minutes of action. They shot 14-for-16 from the field, including 9-for-11 from three-point range. Both Miller and Traudt finished off a four-point play.
    For the season Miller leads the BIG EAST with 53.1 percent marksmanship from three-point land while Traudt is third at 44.2 percent.

Scheierman's Week Earns Honors
Baylor Scheierman was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week and Oscar Robertson U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week on Dec. 4th after helping the Bluejays to a pair of double-digit road wins over Power 5 teams.
    Scheierman averaged 22.5 points and 9.0 rebounds during the week, sinking nine three-pointers.
    Scheierman had 21 points, eight rebounds and two steals in a BIG EAST – Big 12 Battle victory at Oklahoma State. The 79-65 loss was OSU's second-largest non-conference home loss in 45 years.
    The Aurora, Neb,. product concluded his week by scoring 20 of his game-high 24 points in the first half of Creighton's 89-60 win over Nebraska, matching its largest margin of victory ever over its in-state rival. Scheierman made six three-pointers in the first half to remain (at the time) the nation's only player with three or more three-pointers in every team game this season.
    Scheierman contributed 10 rebounds for his 40th career double-double, which also moved him over 1,000 career rebounds. The loss was Nebraska's largest in a non-conference home game since 1938.

Big Half Baylor
Baylor Scheierman has had at least 20 points before halftime twice this season.
    He had 21 points in the first 20 minutes against Loyola Chicago on Nov. 22, then poured in 20 points in the first half on Dec. 3 at Nebraska. Scheierman is the first Bluejay with multiple games of 20+ points at halftime in the same season since Marcus Foster did it three times in 2017-18 (22 vs. UT Arlington, 21 vs. Butler, 20 vs. Georgetown).
    For the year, Scheierman leads Creighton with 10.69 points per game before halftime. No Creighton player has averaged more than 10 points per first half since Doug McDermott averaged 14.0 points per first half in 2013-14, a season that saw McDermott lead the nation in scoring.

On The Triple
Baylor Scheierman drained six three-pointers before halftime on Dec. 3 at Nebraska.
    No Creighton player had done that since Trey Alexander had six triples in the first half vs. Georgetown on March 1, 2023.
    In case you're wondering, the Creighton record for three-pointers in a half is eight, done in a pair of memorable victories.
    Ethan Wragge made eight three-pointers in a 96-68 win at No. 4 Villanova in 2014, while Terrell Taylor made eight after a scoreless first half in a double-overtime win vs. No. 15 Florida in 2002, though some of those trifectas came during the overtime sessions.

Ain't Life Grand?
Baylor Scheierman owns 1,875 points, 1,070 rebounds, 507 assists and has made 297 career three-pointers in 143 total games when you combine his Creighton and South Dakota State stats.
    Creighton's only other players to reach 1,000 career rebounds (only at Creighton) have been Paul Silas (1,751), Bob Harstad (1,126), Doug McDermott (1,088) and Benoit Benjamin (1,005).
    If you're curious, how many games it took to get to 1,000 rebounds for each man, we've got you covered:
Games to 1,000 Rebounds
Name    GP    Opponent, Date
Paul Silas    47    at Utah State, 2/23/63
Benoit Benjamin    89    at Bradley, 3/5/85
Bob Harstad    115    Siena, 2/3/91
Doug McDermott    132    DePaul, 2/7/14
Baylor Scheierman*    135    at Nebraska, 12/3/23
*includes games at South Dakota State

1,000+ Rebounds, 274+ 3FG Nationally, Since 1992-93
**Stats earned at Division I schools only**
Name, School(s)    REB    3FG
Doug McDermott, Creighton    1,088    274
Baylor Scheierman, SDSU/Creighton    1,070    297

1,050+ Rebounds, 500 Assists Nationally, Since 1992-93
**Stats earned at Division I schools only**
Name, School(s)    REB    AST
Brian Voelkel, Vermont    1,168    679
John Konchar, IPFW    1,149    553
Baylor Scheierman, SDSU/Creighton    1,070    507

Can't Stop Scheierman
Baylor Scheierman made a three-point basket in all 37 games he played last season and each of his first 11 contests this season, stretching his streak dating to last year to 58 in a row if you include his final 10 games at South Dakota State in 2021-22. The streak ended on Dec. 20, 2023 vs. Villanova, when Scheierman went 0-for-7 from deep.
    Scheierman's streak of 48 straight as a Bluejay was the longest streak in Creighton history, 15 more than Ty-Shon Alexander's 33.
    Scheierman was also the only player in the nation who had made three or more three-pointers in every game his team has played this season until the streak was snapped on Dec. 9 vs. Central Michigan.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Creighton History
    Streak    Name    Dates of Streak
    48    Baylor Scheierman    Nov. 7, 2022 - Dec. 16, 2023
    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

Scheierman Drains 275th Trey
Baylor Scheierman has made 297 three-pointers in his college career, doing so at a 39.2 percent clip.
    Scheierman also owns 1,875 points, 1,070 rebounds, 507 assists and 135 career steals.
    Per Basketball-Reference.com, Scheierman is the nation's only player in the last 30 years with career totals of at least 250 three-pointers, 450 assists and 1,000 rebounds.
    Scheierman is one of 21 players since 2010-11 with 480 or more assists and 280 or more three-pointers. Scheierman's 1,070 rebounds are well ahead of the next-most (658 by ASU/Toledo guard Marreon Jackson).
    Among the nation's active players Scheierman is fifth in rebounds, trailing only Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Fardaws Aimaq (California), Norchad Omier (Miami Fla.) and Enrique Freeman (Akron).

Road Openers
Creighton is 7-7 under Greg McDermott in its first true road game of the season.
    The road opener has been the barometer for Creighton's postseason plans in the previous 13 years. Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament all six times it has won the road opener, and missed the NCAA Tournament four of the other six years where a postseason was contested.
    That's encouraging since CU defeated Oklahoma State 79-65 in its road opener this winter.
    CU would have made the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was canceled even though it lost its road opener that year.
 Creighton in Road Openers, Last 14 Years
Year    Opponent    Score    CU in NCAA's?
2010-11    Northwestern    L 52-65    No (CBI)
2011-12    UAB    W 70-60    Yes
2012-13    Nebraska    W 64-42    Yes
2013-14    Saint Joseph's    W 83-79    Yes
2014-15    Tulsa    L 64-77    No
2015-16    #14 Indiana    L 65-86    No (NIT)
2016-17    Nebraska    W 77-62    Yes
2017-18    #20 Northwestern    W 92-88    Yes
2018-19    Nebraska    L 75-94    No (NIT)
2019-20    Michigan    L 69-79    No (Postseason CCD)
2020-21    #5 Kansas    L 72-73    Yes
2021-22    Nebraska    W 77-69    Yes
2022-23    #2 Texas    L 67-72    Yes
2023-24    Oklahoma State    W 79-65    TBD

Bahamas Bounce
Creighton is coming off a trip to the Bahamas in August, which it hopes will prepare the team for early victories as past trips have done.
    A 2019 trip to Australia helped the Bluejays open the year 12-2.
    A 2015 trip to Italy helped the Bluejays start the season 5-1.
    A 2011 trip to the Bahamas helped get the Bluejays ready for a 7-0 start.
    A 2007 trip to Canada paid dividends as Creighton started 5-0.
    In 2003, the Bluejays also went to Canada and started the subsequent season 12-0.

Sultan of Swat
Ryan Kalkbrenner  ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 237.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
    Blk.    Name    Years
    411    Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
    237    Ryan Kalkbrenner    2020-Pres.
    183    Chad Gallagher    1987-91
    174    Gregory Echenique    2010-13
    153    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-11

Among The Best...EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 575 of 866 career shots, putting him at 66.4 percent overall. That places the senior center fourth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 500 or more field goals and at least four field goals per game.
    However, Kalkbrenner is first among all such players who have ever attempted 50 or more three-point field goal attempts.
Best Career FG%, NCAA History (min. 500 FG, 4FG/game)
    Pct. (FG-FGA)    Name, School    Years
    .678 (828-1222)    Steve Johnson, Oregon State    1976-81
    .668 (566-847)    Murray Brown, Florida State    1976-80
    .667 (740-1109)    Evan Bradds, Belmont    2013-17
    .6640 (575-866)    Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton    2020-Pres.
    .6635 (702-1058)    Todd MacCulloch, Washington    1995-99
    .658 (508-772)    Max Fiedler, Rice    2019-Pres.
    .656 (552-841)    Kevin Magee UC Irvine    1980-82

Almost a Trey-Double?
Trey Alexander finished CU's Nov. 16 win vs. Iowa with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, finishing just shy of becoming CU's first player in history to record a traditional points/rebounds/assists triple-double.
    Alexander had six of his nine assists in the first 12:21 of the second half, but CU's only basket in the final 7:39 was a score by Alexander himself.
    Creighton's only triple-doubles in history all came from Benoit Benjamin. "Big Ben" had 24 points, 17 rebounds and 11 blocks vs. Tulsa on Feb. 16, 1984, had 43 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks vs. Southern Illinois on Jan. 17, 1985 and had 29 points, 12 rebounds and a school-record 12 blocks on Feb. 2, 1985 vs. Bradley.
    Alexander isn't the only current Bluejay to finish a game one assist shy of a triple-double, as Baylor Scheierman and 12 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in last year's BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal win over Villanova.
    Alexander's performance was still good enough for his first career double-double, as his 11 rebounds were a career-high and his nine assists matched his career-best.

Trey's Bien
Trey Alexander has made the leap in his junior season. Here's how the start of the year compares to his first two years combined.
Category    2023-24    2021-23
Games Played    16    72
20-Point Games    8    5
Dunks    5    2
Double-Doubles    2    0
Points Per Game    16.8    10.6
Rebounds Per Game    6.2    4.0
Assists Per Game    4.5    2.5

Nationally Speaking
Through games of Jan. 10th, Creighton is all over the NCAA stat leaders. The Bluejays rank in the top 15 of eight different categories.
    Rank    Category    Stat
    1    Fouls Per Game    10.9
    5    Effective FG%    .588
    6    Average Home Attendance    16,953
    6    Defensive Rebounds Per Game    30.75
    10    Total Home Attendance    135,624
    10    Three-Pointers Per Game    10.7
    14    Three-Point Attempts Per Game    29.0
    15    Field Goal Percentage    .498
    
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played more than 150 Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Jan. 9, 2024
Category    CU Stat    CU Rank
3FG Made    4,114    2nd
2-Point FG Percentage    .548    3rd
FG Percentage    .477    4th
Assists    7,432    5th
3-Point FG Percentage    .375    6th
FG Made    12,725    7th
Points    35,573    9th
Wins    312    24th
Winning Percentage    .670    31st

This Is 20/20
Trey Alexander started his junior season with 20 points vs. Florida A&M, 21 points vs. North Dakota State, 23 points vs. Iowa and 20 points vs. Texas Southern
    That made him just the second Bluejay in the last 25 years to score 20 or more in each of CU's first four games, joining Doug McDermott in 2013-14. McDermott did it the first six games of his senior season in 2013-14 and went on to be named National Player of the Year that season.
    Alexander is the first Bluejay to score 20 points or more in four consecutive games at any time of year since Marcus Foster did it in seven consecutive contests from Jan. 16-Feb. 10, 2018.

A Head Start
Creighton got a jump start on the season with nine practices in July before heading to the Bahamas to play in three games during the first week of August.
    Creighton won all three games by 14 points or more, averaged 98.3 points, and outrebounded foes by 21.3 caroms per contest.
    Trey Alexander led CU by averaging 20.0 points before missing the final contest, but Ryan Kalkbrenner (11.0 ppg.), Baylor Scheierman (10.0 ppg.) and Fredrick King (10.0 ppg.) also scored at a double-digit clip.
    Steven Ashworth led CU with 15 assists, King and Brock Vice had a team-high 18 rebounds and Kalkbrenner topped the team with 10 swats.

Who's Back?
With Creighton returning seven of the 13 men who appeared in a game last season, it's no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2022-23 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat    Returners    Departures
Blocks    126 (82.9%)    26 (17.1%)
Rebounds    860 (67.9%)    411 (32.1%)
3FG Made    207 (64.9%)    112 (35.1%)
Points    1833 (64.8%)    995 (35.2%)
Steals    119 (64.3%)    66 (35.7%)
Minutes    4693 (63.0%)    2757 (37.0%)
Starts    111 (60.0%)    74 (40.0%)
Charges Taken    16 (59.3%)    11 (40.7%)
Assists    308 (53.0%)    273 (47.0%)

Preseason Top 10
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked eighth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever. That's one spot better than the previous best, done last year, when the Bluejays started the season ranked ninth. CU ranked 22nd in the January 8th AP poll.
    The announcement marks just the sixth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22), 2020-21 (No. 11) and 2022-23 (No. 9). All five of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with the last two making the Sweet 16 and last year's club reaching the Elite Eight.
    Creighton has been ranked in the Top 10 on 27 different occasions in program history, with all but one of those occasions happening under head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton's best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
    Creighton has now been ranked 128 times in program history, with 103 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 162-67 all-time as a ranked team, including a 128-55 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 10 of McDermott's 14 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
        Creighton is one of four schools to be ranked in the preseason top-10 each of the past two seasons, joining Kansas, Duke and Houston.
    Along with No. 5 Marquette, No. 6 Connecticut and No. 8 Creighton, this year marked the first time since 2011-12 that the BIG EAST had three Preseason Top-10 teams.
    Creighton was also eighth in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll, its best preseason mark ever. CU was 20th in the Jan. 8th Coaches poll.

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day.
    It's the second time in Creighton's 11 years in the BIG EAST Conference that the Bluejays have been picked second, as the 2020-21 squad was also picked second (and eventually finished second). The Bluejays also had three players receive recognition on one of the Preseason All-BIG EAST teams, tied with preseason favorite Marquette for the most in the league.
    The Bluejays collected four first-place votes and earned 92 points in the poll, trailing only Marquette's seven first-place votes and 96 overall points. Defending national champion Connecticut was tabbed third with 79 points, just ahead of Villanova's 76 for fourth place. Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino's first St. John's team garnered 59 points to be chosen fifth, just ahead of Xavier (57) and Providence (51). The bottom four teams in the poll are Georgetown (34), Seton Hall (30), Butler (16) and DePaul (15).
    Creighton finished 24-13 overall and 14-6 in BIG EAST play last season and are the only league team to return three of its scorers that averaged at least a dozen points per game. The Bluejays won three NCAA Tournament games to advance to its first Elite Eight since 1941.
    In 2023-24, Creighton will be led by senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection. Kalkbrenner becomes the first player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST honors multiple times, and along with Preseason Player of the Year Tyler Kolek from Marquette was one of two men to be named on every ballot.
    Joining Kalkbrenner with the Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST acclaim was junior guard Trey Alexander. Alexander was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice at the end of last season, as was teammate Baylor Scheierman. A senior guard from Aurora, Neb., Scheierman earned Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST plaudits in 2023-24.
    This year marks the second time that Creighton has had more than two players land on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, and comes 12 months after Creighton had four men listed prior to the 2022-23 campaign. Creighton last had two men named Preseason First Team All-Conference in its Missouri Valley Conference days in 2006-07 (Anthony Tolliver, Nate Funk).
    Kolek was named 2023-24 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches, which comes as little surprise after the point guard was named 2023 BIG EAST Player of the Year and BIG EAST Tournament MVP after leading the Golden Eagles to both the regular-season and tournament titles. Connecticut guard Stephon Castle was chosen BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year. The coaches, who were not permitted to select their own players, also chose an All-BIG EAST First Team, All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.  
    Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but one season since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time. The Bluejays are seeking an eighth straight finish in the top four of the league standings. CU's team two years ago was predicted to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, then ended up in fourth. Four years ago, a team picked seventh in the BIG EAST's preseason poll went 13-5 in league play to share its first league title with Villanova and Seton Hall. That Bluejay team ended the year ranked seventh in the entire nation.

Four Of A Kind
Creighton has four players that were named to a Preseason Watch List in Steven Ashworth (Bob Cousy Point Guard), Trey Alexander (Jerry West Shooting Guard), Baylor Scheierman (Julius Erving Small Forward) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center).
    Creighton is one of six schools to have four men listed at a position, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette and UConn.
    Those same four men were named to CBS Sports Preseason Top 100 And 1 player listings, with Kalkbrenner (5), Alexander (12), Scheierman (26) and Ashworth (76) making CU the only school with three of the top 30 players or four of the top 76 players. Kansas and Duke were the only other teams with four players listed in the Top 100 And 1.
    Last but not least, both Alexander and Kalkbrenner were two of 20 players on the NABC's Preseason Division I Player of the Year Watch List. The only other schools with two players on that list were Duke and USC.

Downtown Duo
Only two players nationally that are returning in 2023-24 had 120+ assists, 87+ three-pointers and 38+ steals in 2022-23.
    Baylor Scheierman and Steven Ashworth.
    Both are playing for Creighton this season.

Let's Go On A Run
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022 and 2023. That makes CU one of seven teams in the country to have a win in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, joining Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and UCLA.
    The only other time that Creighton has won an NCAA Tournament game in consecutive seasons came in 2012, 2013 and 2014, also under Greg McDermott.
    Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons, joining Belmont, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
    Creighton is one of seven teams to post 22 or more wins in each of the last four seasons, joining Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, Liberty, San Diego State and Southern California.
    Creighton is one of just eight teams to have reached at least two of the last three Sweet 16s. Gonzaga, Houston and UCLA have done it each of the last three seasons, while Alabama, Creighton, Michigan and Villanova have done it twice each.

23 of 25 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 23 of the previous 25 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
    Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 25 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 24 times, Creighton and Kentucky 23 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 25 Seasons
Team    20-Win Seasons       2022-23 W-L
Gonzaga    25    31-6
Kansas    25    28-8
Duke    24    27-9
Creighton    23    24-13
Kentucky    23    22-12

Dynamic Duo
Creighton is also one of eight schools to have men's and women's basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous two seasons, a list that includes Creighton, Gonzaga, Liberty, Princeton, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo and UConn.
    This season, Creighton was one of eight teams with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men's and women's side, joining Baylor, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, Southern California, Tennessee and Texas.
    The only five schools to be ranked in the preseason men's and women's basketball Top 25 of the AP Poll both this season and last season are Baylor, Creighton, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
    Creighton is one of 11 schools to make the NCAA Tournament in both men's and women's basketball each of the past two seasons, a list that consists of Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
    The only schools with at-large bids in each of the previous two years in both men's and women's basketball are Baylor, Creighton, Indiana and Miami (Fla.).

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 27 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point.
    Thirteen of those 27 comebacks have come away from home.
    If you're curious, CU's largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit    Opponent    Date
18    #18 Oklahoma    11/19/14
17    at San Diego State    11/30/11
16    at Evansville    02/16/13
16    at Seton Hall    01/27/21
16    SIU Edwardsville    11/27/21
15    Arkansas-Pine Bluff    11/09/21
14    Evansville    02/21/12
14    vs. San Diego State    03/17/22
13    at Saint Joseph's    11/16/13
13    Xavier    01/12/14
13    #22 Xavier    12/23/20
12    Saint Joseph's    12/11/10
12    at DePaul    01/17/16
12    East Tennessee State    11/11/18
11    at Wichita State    12/31/11
11    Northern Iowa    01/10/12
11    vs. Alabama    03/16/12
11    vs. Ole Miss    11/21/16
11    vs. Connecticut    03/12/21
11    DePaul    01/22/22
10    UAB    11/14/12
10    vs. Drake    03/02/12
10    at Nebraska    12/07/14
10    South Dakota    12/09/14
10    St. John's    01/03/18
10    at DePaul    02/07/18
10    Bemidji State    02/13/18

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,000 straight games. The streak is the nation's 10th-longest active streak.
    Creighton's last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
    Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (1/10)
    Rk.    Streak    School    Next Game
    1.    1,207    UNLV    1/13
    2.    1,204    Duke    1/13
    3.    1,140    East Tennessee State    1/13
    4.    1,115    Oakland    1/13
    5.    1,113    Pacific    1/11
    6.    1,109    Texas    1/13
    7.    1,052    Marshall    1/13
    8.    1,036    Gonzaga    1/11
    9.    1,035    Princeton    1/15
    10.    1,002    Creighton    1/13
    11.    999    Long Island    1/13
    12.    989    Mount St. Mary's    1/14

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 1,000 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,944 trifectas, an average of 7.94 treys per game.
    That's not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly seven three-pointers 148 times, more than any figure.
    Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 291 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 72-17 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 30-27 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1:    5 times    2:  19 times    3:  36 times
4:    75 times    5:   104 times    6:  103 times
7:   148 times    8:   126 times    9:  93 times
10:  84 times    11:  57 times    12:  58 times
13:  45 times    14: 22 times    15:  8 times
16:  8 times    17: 3 times    18: 1 time
19:  2 times    20: 1 time    21:  1 time    22:  1 time

Top 25 Victors
Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last 11 seasons.
    On a national basis, the only 12 teams with a top-25 win each of the last 11 seasons (including 2023-24) are Creighton, Duke, Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia and Wisconsin.
    Teams still trying to earn their first Top 25 win this season are Baylor. Indiana, Kansas State, Oregon, West Virginia and Xavier.

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

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 311 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
    McDermott's .669 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.    311-154    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

Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
      Rank    Att.    Opponent    Date
    1.    18,868    Providence    03/08/14
    2.    18,859    Georgetown    01/25/14
    3.    18,831    #1 Villanova    12/31/16
    4.    18,797    #6 Villanova    02/16/14
    5.    18,759    #1 Gonzaga    12/01/18
    6.    18,742    Seton Hall    02/23/14
    7.    18,735    Wichita State    02/11/12
    8.    18,613    Wichita State    03/02/13
    9.    18,525    Marquette    12/31/13
    10.    18,519    #8 Seton Hall    03/07/20
    11.    18,518    Georgetown    01/27/18
    12.    18,509    Villanova    02/04/23
    13.    18,495    Marquette    02/17/18
    14.    18,494    Illinois State    02/09/13
    15.    18,458    Evansville    12/29/12
    16.    18,436    Bradley    01/28/12
    17.    18,323    DePaul    02/07/14
    18.    18,321    #3 Villanova    02/24/18
    19.    18,294    #19 Iowa State    12/04/21
    20.    18,286    #21 Connecticut    02/12/23

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 346 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 21-year-old facility.
    The Bluejays own a 285-61 (.824) 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 27,115-22,649 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.91 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 90 different times.
    Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 23 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
    Creighton is also 32-36 all-time in the 68 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-11 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 40-29 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
    Creighton is 188-43 (.814) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 65 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 101-9 home record (.918) vs. non-conference teams.
    Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 304-61 (.833) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
 
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.61 points per home game (18,621 points in 231 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.37 points in non-conference home games (9,281 points in 110 home games).
    Creighton is 141-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.

Elite Eight
Greg McDermott guided his team to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time last season. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, and most among basketball coaches.
    McDermott is one of three head coaches in Creighton history to lead eight or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name    Sport    NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth    Volleyball    13
Bob Warming    Men's Soccer    11
Greg McDermott    Men's Basketball    8
Dana Altman    Men's Basketball    7
Brent Vigness    Softball    7

Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished last season ranked 12th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 23 offense, and No. 14 defense. Creighton's No. 14 defense was its best mark in the 21 seasons of the KenPom era.
    Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom seven times in 13 seasons under Greg McDermott and a top-25 defense twice.
Year    Off. Rating    Def. Rating    Overall Rank
2010-11    66    174    98
2011-12    5    166    28
2012-13    5    66    15
2013-14    2    124    17
2014-15    59    138    79
2015-16    43    76    40
2016-17    32    46    28
2017-18    25    58    30
2018-19    47    83    55
2019-20    3    78    12
2020-21    25    32    22
2021-22    112    19    50
2022-23    23    14    12
2023-24    14    16    13

Kalkbrenner Repeats As Top Defender
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named 2023 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
    Kalkbrenner became just the 11th player in league history to win the recognition more than once, joining the likes of Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Kris Dunn and Allen Iverson among those to win the award multiple times, and is the first repeat winner since former Bluejay guard Khyri Thomas in 2017 and 2018.
    Between Kalkbrenner and Thomas, Creighton has now had a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in four of the previous seven seasons.
Most BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Honors
    Honors    Name, School    Years (*ties)
    4    Patrick Ewing, Georgetown    1982, 83, 84, 85
    3    Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown    1989, 90*, 92
    2    Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown    1990, 91
    2    Allen Iverson, Georgetown    1995, 96
    2    Etan Thomas, Syracuse    1999, 00
    2    John Linehan, Providence    2001, 02
    2    Emeka Okafor, Connecticut    2003, 04
    2    Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut    2008, 09
    2    Kris Dunn, Providence    2015*, 16
    2    Khyri Thomas, Creighton    2017*, 18
    2    Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton    2022, 23

Creighton Retires McDermott's No. 3 Jersey
Creighton Men's Basketball retired Doug McDermott's No. 3 jersey prior to its Dec. 20 game vs. Villanova. McDermott was a three-time All-American (2012, 2013, 2014) and consensus National Player of the Year (2014) during an incredible four-year career spanning from 2010-14.
    McDermott finished his career with an NCAA-record 135 double-figure scoring games and wrapped up his time on The Hilltop with 3,150 points, which was fifth in NCAA history. He was named winner of the Oscar Robertson, John R. Wooden and Naismith trophies as the National Player of the Year in 2013-14, when he led the country in scoring and helped Creighton to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
    The son of current Bluejay head coach Greg McDermott, Doug McDermott was a three-time Conference Player of the Year and remains the sport's only three-time Associated Press First Team All-American since 1985.
    McDermott received his Marketing degree from Creighton in 2014 and is currently in his 10th year in the NBA, as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
    McDermott's number hangs in the rafters on the west side of the arena alongside five other Bluejay greats (#25 Kyle Korver, #30 Bob Harstad, #33 Bob Portman, #35 Paul Silas, #45 Bob Gibson).

McDermott In The NBA
Doug McDermott is in his 10th year in an NBA career that saw him selected 11th overall by Denver, with stops in Chicago, Oklahoma City, New York, Dallas, Indiana and San Antonio.
    He is averaging 6.1 points per game this season and shooting 45.8 percent from three-point range for the Spurs, which ranks fourth in the NBA.
    In his career, McDermott has played in 623 games and averaged 9.1 points per game. He ranks 20th in NBA history with 41.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range in his career.

11 Crazy Stats on Doug McDermott
What better time than now to remind you of some of the highlights of Doug McDermott's Creighton career?
    1)  In 2013-14 he was honored as National Player of the Year by the USBWA (Oscar Robertson Trophy), John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Adolph F. Rupp Trophy, Associated Press, NABC, CollegeInsider.com Lute Olson Award, Sporting News, Basketball Times, NBCSports.com, CBSSports.com, BleacherReport.com, USA Today and Dick Vitale.
    In addition, he was also honored with the Senior CLASS Award that takes into account his off-court contributions.
    2) Doug McDermott finished his career fifth (he's currently seventh) in NCAA history with 3,150 career points. He broke the previous Creighton career scoring record of 2,116 (held by Rodney Buford) during his junior season.
    3) Doug McDermott was featured on the cover of the March 17, 2014 edition of Sports Illustrated as the magazine tried to recreate an epic 1977 cover shot that featured Larry Bird.
    4) Creighton went 16-0 at home during Doug McDermott's senior year and never trailed in the second half at any point in those home contests.
    5) Creighton went 21-0 in his career when Doug McDermott scored 31 points or more.
    6) Doug McDermott surpassed 3,000 career points in his final home game, a Senior Day win over Providence with Warren Buffett in attendance. McDermott scored a career-high 45 points in the victory.
    7) Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in points per game as a sophomore (22.9), second as a junior (23.2) and first as a senior (26.7).
    8) Doug McDermott set a BIG EAST record by being named BIG EAST Player of the Week eight times in 2013-14. In the nine weeks he was not named Player of the Week, he still averaged 23.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 89.1 percent at the line.
    9) Doug McDermott remains the Associated Press' only three-time First Team All-American since 1984-85.
    10) Doug McDermott made 1,141 career field goals, which ranked 10th in NCAA history when he graduated. Of those, he made 498 shots off the backboard, 145 shots with his left hand and had just 19 dunks.
    11) Former Villanova coach Jay Wright was pretty effusive with his praise after coaching against Doug McDermott on Feb. 16, 2014, saying
    "I think he's as complete a player, and I do not use that term loosely, with size, as I've ever seen. With 6-8, 6-9, there's nothing he can't do. He can take you off the dribble. He guards, he's tough as hell guarding. He defends. He rebounds. He moves without the ball. He seals. He's the best post player that we've played against and he's the best perimeter player, and maybe one of the best passers, and he's 6-8, 6-9. I think he's as good a basketball player as I've seen."

#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is back for a third season with the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 40 of the last 41 seasons. McDermott is in his 10th season in the NBA.  Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver.

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2023-24 season went on sale on September 28th.
    Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
    For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.