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Men’s Basketball Opens February at Villanova
Game #21: Creighton Bluejays (15-6, 8-2) at Villanova Wildcats (12-9, 5-5)
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025 • 12:00 p.m. Central • Philadelphia, Pa. • Wells Fargo Center
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | VU NOTES |
Next Game
Creighton (15-6, 8-2 BIG EAST) opens February with a Saturday afternoon road game against Villanova (12-9, 5-5 BIG EAST).
Wells Fargo Center (21,000) in Philadelphia, Pa., will host the action, which tips off at 12 p.m. Central.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry Creighton men’s basketball games during the 2024-25 season. John Bishop will call the action.
The audio is webcast at 1620thezone.com and can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 386 as well as https://sxm.app.link/SXM976.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday’s game will be televised on FOX with Tim Brando and Donny Marshall on the call.
A live stream of the contest can also be viewed at http://foxsports.com/live.
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.
Stats to all home games can also be followed at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 15-6 this year and 8-2 in BIG EAST play after six straight wins. The Bluejays are the only team in the last 15 years to post a win over the defending national champion (#14 UConn on Jan. 18), defending NIT champion (Seton Hall on Jan. 25) and the nation’s top-ranked team (#1 Kansas on Dec. 4) in different games of the same season.
Senior Ryan Kalkbrenner (18.3 ppg., 8.4 rpg., 2.9 bpg., .668 FG%) was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and has been named a Preseason First Team All-American by CBS Sports, Fox Sports and Field of 68. In addition to being one of the most efficient shooters in NCAA history, Kalkbrenner is also a three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. He’s been named BIG EAST and National Player of the Week on both Nov. 11 and Jan. 21, and became the third player in CU history to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Senior Steven Ashworth (16.6 ppg., 6.8 apg., .973 FT%) is back at point guard, and is joined on the wing by Jamiya Neal (11.6 ppg., 5.7 rpg., 4.1 apg.). Also coming on strong is super-sub Isaac Traudt (5.9 ppg,. .433 3FG%), who has scored in double-figures in four of the last five games.
Creighton averages 76.0 points per game and shoots 47.9 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three-point range and 75.6 percent at the line while outrebounding foes by 3.1 caroms per game.
Scouting Villanova
Villanova is 12-9 on the season and 5-5 in BIG EAST play after losing four of its last five games.
Senior center Eric Dixon has scored 16 points or more in every game and leads the nation in scoring with 24.6 points per game. The big man leads the team with 67 three-pointers and ranks sixth nationally with his 46.2 percent marksmanship from downtown.
Wooga Poplar (13.6 ppg., 6.5 rpg.), Jordan Longino (11.7 ppg.) and Jhamir Brickus (11.0 ppg.) also score in double-figures.
The Wildcats average 76.8 points per contest and allow just 68.7 per game. VU shoots 47.3 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from three-point range and 79.5 percent at the line, and also is +5.1 rebounds per game.
The Series With Villanova
Villanova leads the all-time series with Creighton, 19-10, including an 11-3 mark in Pennsylvania. CU is 3-2 inside Wells Fargo Center against the Wildcats.
Seven of the last 12 meetings at all sites have been decided by double-figures, but last year the road team won each meeting by exactly two points.
Greg McDermott is 10-15 against Villanova and 4-2 against Kyle Neptune.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 340-166 record in his 15th season with the Bluejays, as he passed Dana Altman (327-176) as the winningest coach in program history on Nov. 13, 2024. He owns a career mark of 620-361 in his 31st season, and is 489-297 in his 24th Division I campaign.
McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and its first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
He is assisted by Ryan Miller, Derek Kellogg and Trey Zeigler.
With A Win…
– Creighton would start BIG EAST play 9-2, matching its best start through 11 league games since joining the BIG EAST. CU also opened 9-2 in 2013-14 in its first BIG EAST campaign.
– Creighton would win its seventh straight game, its longest streak in BIG EAST play since winning eight in a row from Jan. 14 – Feb. 11, 2023.
– Creighton would pick up its 11th win vs. Villanova since the start of the 2013-14 season, tied for the most nationally with Marquette.
– Creighton would improve to 4-2 in games at Wells Fargo Center against Villanova, and 5-3 in the facility under Greg McDermott.
– Creighton would win its ninth straight game on FOX.
– Creighton would win its fourth straight BIG EAST road game for the first time since Jan. 27 – Feb. 9, 2021.
Milestone Watch
– Steven Ashworth has made at least one three-pointer in 39 consecutive contests, CU’s second-longest streak in program history.
– Mason Miller is 10 points away from 300 in his career, and his next three-pointer will be the 75th of his career.
– Jamiya Neal has made 96 three-pointers in his career (28 at Creighton).
– Isaac Traudt owns 95 career rebounds and is five shy of 100.
Kalkbrenner Goes For 29
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 29 points and nine rebounds on Wednesday against Xavier. The fifth-year center has played in 88 career BIG EAST games, but the 29 points were the most he’s ever had against a league foe.
Kalkbrenner previously had 28 at Seton Hall on Jan. 20, 2024 in a triple-overtime win, and also had 28 at Xavier on Feb. 10, 2024 last season.
Sixth Man Emerging
Isaac Traudt has scored in double-figures in four of his last five games. His four gams in double-figures as a reserve during league play are tied for the BIG EAST lead this season.
Traudt and Jackson McAndrew, who typically share the minutes at the “4” for Creighton, have averaged a combined 14.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 39.0 minutes per contest during CU’s six-game win streak.
10+ Points As A Reserve in BE Play, 2024-25
G Name, School
4 Isaac Traudt, Creighton
4 Layden Blocker, DePaul
4 Curtis Williams, Georgetown
3 Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Providence
3 Dante Maddox, Jr., Xavier
3 Aidan Mahaney, UConn
3 Tarris Reed Jr., UConn
3 Andre Screen, Butler
Round Two Begins
Creighton and Villanova have both reached the midpoint of the BIG EAST schedule having played all 10 other schools once each.
That’s in stark comparison to a team like Xavier, which has already played both meetings with title contenders such as Marquette, St. John’s and UConn.
FOX Rocks
Saturday will mark Creighton’s third appearance on FOX this season, which already features road wins at Butler and UConn.
After a rough start on FOX, the network has been a good luck charm for the Bluejays in recent seasons, helping CU improve to 20-17 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 18-7 on the network, including eight straight victories.
Creighton’s Record on FOX Since 2013-14
Year W-L
2013-14 0-0
2014-15 0-0
2015-16 0-1
2016-17 0-4
2017-18 1-3 (lost first 2)
2018-19 1-2 (won last 1)
2019-20 2-0
2020-21 5-2 (won first 4)
2021-22 0-3
2022-23 3-2
2023-24 6-0
2024-25 2-0 (so far)
Road Vibes
Creighton has won each of its last three BIG EAST road games, the first time it’s done that since Jan. 17 – Feb. 8, 2023 when it upended Butler, Georgetown and Seton Hall consecutively.
Creighton has not won four BIG EAST road games in a row since Jan. 27 – Feb. 9, 2021, when it defeated Seton Hall, DePaul, Marquette and Georgetown on the road during the COVID-19 season with minimal crowds.
Creighton last won four straight conference road games against crowds when it won its final two Missouri Valley Conference road games (Feb. 16 & 27, 2013) and its first two BIG EAST road games Jan. 4 & 7, 2014).
Last Shot Wins?
Creighton and Villanova traded gut punches last season, as both visiting teams won on a shot in the final 30 seconds.
In the first meeting last December, Creighton led by as much as 14 but scored just six points in the final 10:45 of regulation. In overtime, Eric Dixon made a three-pointer with 28.3 seconds left to help Nova to a 68-66 win as Creighton missed on three chances in the final seconds to tie or take the lead.
The second meeting on March 9 to end the regular-season was just as unique. Creighton made eight three-pointers in the first eight minutes and raced to a 32-8 lead to stun the Wells Fargo Center crowd, but Villanova fought all the way back to tie the score on three free throws by Dixon with 23.6 seconds left. Creighton guard Trey Alexander then won it as he floated across the lane to hit a fadeaway jumper with 0.2 left for the win.
Villanova’s last three home games have been decided by a total of five points.
Dixon Doing It All
Eric Dixon leads the nation with 24.6 points per game, a scary sight considering his history against Creighton.
Dixon has scored 183 points in nine all-time meetings against the Bluejays, good for 20.3 points per game. That’s his most points and highest scoring average against any other BIG EAST foe. Since 1996-97, the only player to score more points against Creighton was former Evansville star Colt Ryan’s 201.
Creighton is the only team that Dixon has ever scored 20 points against more than three straight meetings. He has made 25-of-50 three-pointers (.500) in his career against CU, 11 more makes than what he’s done against any other school.
Dixon has scored 20 points or more in each of his last six meetings against Creighton, the longest streak by any Bluejay opponent since at least 2009-10.
The only other BIG EAST player in the last 20 seasons to score 20 points or more in six straight meetings against the same league opponent was Marquette’s Markus Howard, who did it in seven straight meetings vs. Villanova and six in a row against Seton Hall.
Dixon enters Saturday having scored in double-figures in 36 games in a row, the nation’s third-longest active streak and one behind Marquette’s Kam Jones for the longest in the league.
Endless Range In Philly in 2014
Creighton set a BIG EAST and school-record with 21 three-point baskets in a 28-point win at No. 4 Villanova in 2014 the first time the teams met as BIG EAST rivals at Wells Fargo Center.
Creighton’s previous mark was 20, done vs. Chattanooga in 2005. The previous BIG EAST mark was 20, done by West Virginia vs. Marquette in 2006 and matched by Notre Dame vs. Villanova in 2011.
Creighton broke the Wells Fargo Center record for three-pointers by a Villanova opponent late in the first half (the old mark was 12), and also set a mark for most points against ‘Nova at the Wells Fargo Center with 96, passing the old mark of 90.
What A Start!
Creighton made a three-pointer on each of its first nine possessions in its 2014 win at No. 4 Villanova at Wells Fargo Center.
Creighton started the game 7-for-7 from deep, missed a two-pointer but turned an offensive rebound into another trey, and then sank a trifecta on its ninth trip, as well. Seven of those triples came from Ethan Wragge.
Poss. # Time Result Score
1 19:37 Wragge 3FG CU 3-0
2 18:57 Wragge 3FG CU 6-0
3 18:20 Manigat 3FG CU 9-2
4 17:45 McDermott 3FG CU 12-5
5 17:03 Wragge 3FG CU 15-5
6 16:13 Wragge 3FG CU 18-5
7 15:49 Wragge 3FG CU 21-5
8 15:10 McDermott 2FG miss (off. rebound)
14:39 Wragge 3FG CU 24-5
9 13:55 Wragge 3FG CU 27-8
Repeat After Three
Few teams in the country have made as many three-pointers in the last 12 seasons as the teams featured in Saturday’s match-up. Since Creighton joined the BIG EAST in 2013, Villanova leads the nation in that category with 3,848 trifectas, while Creighton is fourth with 3,651.
Creighton is 1-15 all-time when making eight three-pointers or less against Villanova (including three meetings in the 1950’s long before the 3-point line existed), but 9-4 when making nine or more trifectas. CU has hit 120-of-261 treys (46.0%) in the 10 wins, but 104-of-386 triples (26.7%) in the 19 losses.
Villanova has made nine or more three-pointers against Creighton in 15-of-26 meetings as BIG EAST rivals.
Per BartTorvik.com, Villanova ranks 46th nationally with 44.6 percent of its shot attempts coming from three-point range, while Creighton is 10th at 49.5 percent.
Creighton is 27-2 in its last 29 games (against all teams) when attempting 15 or fewer three-pointers, though its season-low this year is 19 trifecta tries (vs. DePaul).
Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, Creighton has made 4,525 three-pointers in 506 games, good for second-most nationally behind Belmont (4,642). Villanova is fourth on that list with 4,458 treys.
Most 3FG Made Since 2010-11 (thru 1/29/25)
Rk. Team 3FG Games
1. Belmont 4,642 483
2. Creighton 4,525 506
3. North Florida 4,470 471
4. Villanova 4,458 504
5. VMI 4,387 458
Most 3FG Made Since 2013-14 (thru 1/29/25)
Rk. Team 3FG Games
1. Villanova 3,848 405
2. North Florida 3,816 373
3. Belmont 3,727 380
4. Creighton 3,651 396
5. Fort Wayne 3,591 379
Triple Trouble
In league play this season, Creighton leads the league with 10.00 three-pointers per game and is second with 37.9 percent marksmanship from deep.
Villanova is second with 9.50 three-pointers per game, while the Wildcats are tops with 39.4 percent accuracy from downtown.
The first time these teams met this season, Creighton made 14-of-25 trifectas (56 percent), while Villanova was 8-for-20 (40 percent).
Defensively, Creighton has allowed a league-low 64 three-pointers in BIG EAST play, but Villanova’s 96 allowed are second-most.
Something About Creighton
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Villanova has suffered only 95 losses, with just 15 of those coming by 15 points or more.
Five of those lopsided setbacks have come against Creighton, while 10 other teams have done it once each.
Villanova’s Largest Margins of Defeat Since 2013-14
Margin Score Date
28 Creighton 96, Villanova 68 1/20/14
27 Michigan 73, Villanova 46 11/14/18
26 Purdue 87, Villanova 61 3/23/19
25 Ohio State 76, Villanova 51 11/13/19
24 Connecticut 78, Villanova 54 2/24/24
23 Oklahoma 78, Villanova 55 12/7/15
21 Creighton 101, Villanova 80 2/16/14
21 Baylor 57, Villanova 36 12/12/21
20 Georgetown 78, Villanova 58 1/19/15
20 Creighton 79, Villanova 59 12/17/21
20 St. John’s 70, Villanova 50 1/24/24
16 Creighton 86, Villanova 70 2/13/21
16 Syracuse 78, Villanova 62 12/28/13
16 Kansas 81, Villanova 65 4/2/22
15 Creighton 76, Villanova 61 2/1/20
The Cats Meow
Villanova has the fifth-best win percentage in the country since the start of the 2013-14 season, which coincides with the realignment of the BIG EAST. Villanova is 310-95 (.765), just behind a Gonzaga program that is 358-56 (.865) and Kansas 322-89 (.783).
Of the 97 different schools to play Villanova in that time, only 36 have actually beaten the Wildcats.
Creighton is one of 15 schools to post multiple victories over the Wildcats in that time. Creighton’s 10 victories over Villanova are the second-most by any Wildcat opponent in that span, one behind Marquette and three more than Butler.
The Race To 79
Creighton is 10-0 this season when scoring 79 points or more and 12-0 when scoring more than 75 points.
Creighton is 7-0 all-time when scoring 79 points or more against the Wildcats, compared to a 3-19 record when scoring 78 points or fewer.
Creighton has averaged 83.50 points in 10 all-time wins over Villanova, but just 61.42 in 19 losses against the Wildcats.
Villanova has surrendered 68.7 points per game this season.
It’s A WWWWWWinning Streak
Creighton has established a season-high by winning six games in a row, and can grow that total with a seventh straight win on Saturday.
Creighton has now had at least one streak of five or more wins (including non-conference games) in 26 of the last 28 seasons (including 2024-25).
Here’s a list of Creighton’s longest single-season win streaks in BIG EAST play since joining the league in 2013.
CU’s Longest Same Season BIG EAST Win Streaks
Wins Dates Snapped by
8 Jan. 14 – Feb. 11, 2023 at #24 Providence
6 Dec. 17, 2020 – Jan. 9, 2021 at Butler
6 Feb. 8-23, 2022 at #11 Providence
6 Jan. 3, 2025 – Present TBD
5 Dec. 31, 2013 – Jan. 14, 2014 at Providence
5 Feb. 20-March 9, 2019 End of League Play
5 Feb. 8-23, 2020 at St. John’s
Protecting The Home Court
Creighton has won nine straight conference home games dating to last season, tying its program record in BIG EAST play.
Besides Creighton, the only other BIG EAST teams to enter the weekend without a home loss since the calendar turned to 2025 are St. John’s and Providence.
And if you’re curious, Creighton’s longest conference win streak in school history (in any league) is 15 from Feb. 28, 2000 – Jan. 30, 2002 while a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Creighton – Most Consecutive BIG EAST Home Wins
Rank Wins Started Ended
1. 9 Dec. 31, 2013 March 8, 2014
9 Feb. 13, 2024 Present
3. 8 Dec. 22, 2022 Feb. 11, 2023
Kalkbrenner Passes 1,000 at CHI
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 29 points on Wednesday give him 1,030 career points inside CHI Health Center Omaha. He’s the second player to score 1,000 points in the facility, joining Doug McDermott (1,573 points).
Most Career Points at CHI Health Center Omaha
Rk. Name, Years Points (Games)
1. Doug McDermott, 2010-14 1,573 (71)
2. Ryan Kalkbrenner, 2020-Pres. 1,030 (72)
3. Nate Funk, 2003-07 735 (47)
4. Marcus Zegarowski, 2018-21 728 (50)
5. Ty-Shon Alexander, 2017-20 727 (55)
6. Marcus Foster, 2016-18 723 (35)
7. Mitch Ballock, 2017-21 721 (69)
8. Kenny Lawson Jr., 2006-11 707 (76)
9. Trey Alexander, 2021-24 655 (43)
10. Antoine Young, 2008-12 634 (71)
Kalkbrenner owns the facility records for career field goal percentage (.729), offensive rebounds (187) and blocks (163) and also ranks second in arena history in field goals made (412; McDermott has 563), field goal attempts (565; McDermott has 999), free throws made (188; McDermott has 313), free throws attempted (265; McDermott has 376), and rebounds (473; McDermott has 534).
Chairmen Of The Boards
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,011 rebounds in his career, far ahead of Eric Dixon’s 830 to rank tops among active BIG EAST players.
Kalkbrenner enters Saturday’s contest fourth in program history, after passing Benoit Benjamin’s 1,005 vs. Xavier.
Reb. Name Years
1,751 Paul Silas 1961-64
1,126 Bob Harstad 1987-91
1,088 Doug McDermott 2010-14
1,011 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
1,005 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
979 Bob Portman 1966-69
Into The Top 50
Ryan Kalkbrenner enters Saturday tied for 46th in NCAA history with 363 career blocked shots.
He’s six rejections from a spot in the Top 40.
Rank Blk. Name Years
1. 564 Jarvis Varnado Mississippi State
—
35. 375 Jason Lawson Villanova
36. 374 Pervis Ellison Louisville
37. 372 KC Nedfo Saint Peter’s, Seton Hall
38. 369 Keith Benson Oakland
369 Reggie Lynch Illinois St., Minnesota
40. 368 Zeke Marshall Akron
41. 367 Amida Brimah UConn
367 Rhamel Brown Manhattan
43. 366 Damian Eargle UNCG, Youngstown St.
366 Peter Aluma Liberty
45. 365 Acie Earl Iowa
46. 363 Hayden Koval Cent. Arkansas, UNCG, Cincinnati
363 Jerome James Florida A&M
363 Michale Kyser Louiaiana Tech
363 Ryan Kalkbrenner Creighton
Kalkbrenner Passes 2,000 Points
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 2,137 career points after passing the 2,000 point milestone on Jan. 3 at Marquette.
He is the fourth player to surpass 2,000 career points for Creighton, joining Doug McDermott (3,150), Rodney Buford (2,116) and Bob Harstad (2,110).
McDermott reached 2,000 points in 101 games, Buford needed 111 games, Harstad required 121 contests to reach 2,000 points, and Kalkbrenner did it in 148 games.
If you’re curious, Kalkbrenner reached 1,000 career points in his 91st career game on Feb. 25, 2023. McDermott got to 1,000 in 57 games, Buford needed 59 and Harstad reached that milestone in 73 games.
Here’s a list of Creighton’s top scorers ever.
Most Career Points, Creighton History
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 3,150 Doug McDermott 2010-14
2. 2,137 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
3. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-99
4. 2,110 Bob Harstad 1987-91
5. 1,983 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
KKalkbrenner
Ryan Kalkbrenner enters Saturday with 2,137 points and 1,011 career rebounds after becoming the 132nd men’s player in NCAA history have recorded at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career on Jan. 25 vs. Seton Hall.
He joins Doug McDermott (3,150/1,088) and Bob Harstad (2,110/1,126) as the third player in CU history in the exclusive 2,000/1,000 club.
Creighton is now the seventh school in NCAA history to have three different men reach 2,000 points & 1,000 rebounds with only one school, joining Duke (4), Kansas (3), La Salle (3), North Carolina (3), Syracuse (3) and Utah (3).
Baylor Scheierman surpassed 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds last year, but that combined three years at South Dakota State with two campaigns at Creighton.
All He Does Is Win
Ryan Kalkbrenner has appeared in 108 wins over the past five seasons and is now the winningest player in program history.
Here’s a list of the only players on record to have appeared in at least 98 wins in a Creighton uniform:
Most Wins Played In For Creighton
Games Name Years
108 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
107 Ethan Wragge 2009-14
107 Jahenns Manigat 2010-14
107 Doug McDermott 2010-14
98 Kyle Korver 1999-03
98 Austin Chatman 2011-15
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
Ryan Kalkbrenner has played in 154 games in his career, a Creighton record. Fellow fifth-year senior Steven Ashworth has played in 152 career games, but the first 97 of those came with Utah State.
Most Games Played For Creighton
Games Name Years
154 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
149 Ethan Wragge 2009-14
145 Jahenns Manigat 2010-14
145 Doug McDermott 2010-14
143 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
Kalkbrenner Honored, Thrice More
Ryan Kalkbrenner was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 20 and the Associated Press National Player of the Week a day later after helping Creighton to a 2-0 week in which he averaged 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game.
It was the second time Kalkbrenner has earned each honor, also picking up the acclaim on Nov. 11, 2024 after opening the year with a 49 point game.
On Jan. 22nd, Kalkbrenner was named a Midseason Second Team All-American by The Sporting News.
New Year, Same Success
Creighton is 6-1 since the calendar turned to 2025, continuing a recent trend of January success. CU was 7-1 in January last year, 5-2 in 2022-23, 3-4 in 2021-22, 6-2 in 2020-21 and 5-3 in 2019-20 in the month of January.
That gives Creighton a league-best 18-4 record in the past three seasons in January, as well as a 32-13 mark in the first month of the year in the past six seasons.
Best January Records Among BIG EAST Teams Since 2023
Rk. W L Pct. Team
1. 18 4 .818 Creighton
2. 17 4 .810 Marquette
Best January Records Among BIG EAST Teams Since 2020
Rk. W L Pct. Team
1. 32 13 .711 Creighton
2. 32 14 .696 Marquette
Give Me 10
Creighton owns 11 home wins this season, the 28th time in the last 29 seasons that CU has won at least 10 games at home.
The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.
Filling The Building
Saturday[s Pink Out was Creighton’s fourth home sellout of the season, and the loyal support of Bluejay faithful remains a key reason the Bluejays currently rank sixth nationally in average home attendance.
Excluding the 2020-21 season that had limited fans due to COVID, this would be Creighton MBB’s 13th straight season in the Top 10 in average home attendance.
Average Home Attendance Leaders (1/30)
Rk. Avg. Team Next Home Game
1. 20,162 Kentucky 2/1
2. 19,807 North Carolina 2/8
3. 19,417 Tennessee 2/1
4. 18,918 Arkansas 2/8
5. 17,908 Syracuse 2/5
6. 17,195 Creighton 2/8
7. 16,790 BYU 2/4
8. 16,149 Indiana 2/8
9. 15,300 Kansas 2/3
10. 15,235 Marquette 2/1
Yearly Pink Out Totals
Creighton has raised $1,000,074.65 since the start of the 2011-12 season during its annual men’s and basketball Pink Out auctions, plus additional money collected on gameday, underwriting, matching donations and volleyball/women’s basketball jersey auctions.
The numbers below show the annual figures for the men’s basketball jersey auction unless otherwise noted, but do not include the matching totals or donations collected at the door in 2025, as those were still being calculated at press time.
2011-12: $20,600
2012-13: $24,444
2013-14: $48,247.11
2014-15: $16,384.03
2015-16: $16,527.90
2016-17: $26,361.64
2017-18: $28,796
2018-19: $19,595
2019-20: $31,803.18
2020-21: $40,381
2021-22: $24,165
2022-23: $27,432
2023-24: $36,002.46
2024-25: $43,995.92
MBB Auction Totals = $404,735.24
WBB/VB Auctions + Additional Donations: $595,339.41
14-Year Totals: $1,000,074.65
It’s Suits And Sneakers Week
The NABC and Coaches vs. Cancer host one of their biggest initiatives of the year from Jan. 27-Feb. 2 for Suits and Sneakers Week.
It’ll see the Creighton coaching staff wear suits with sneakers to bring awareness of the importance of cancer screening and health equity.
One-third of people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer, but regular screening increases the chances of detecting certain cancers early before it has a chance to spread. More information about screening and saving lives can be found at Cancer.org.
In 2018 Coaches vs. Cancer presented Greg McDermott with the Champion Award, which recognizes a college coach who has shown extraordinary leadership and a commitment to the American Cancer Society’s mission of saving lives, celebrating lives and leading the fight for a world without cancer.
Veteran Duo
Ryan Kalkbrenner (18.3) and Steven Ashworth (16.5) have played in a combined 306 collegiate games, and they’ve used that experience to make Creighton one of four Power 5 teams nationally with multiple players averaging 16.5 points per game or more.
Northwestern (Brooks Barnhizer & Nick Martinelli) Pittsburgh (Ishmael Legett, Jaland Lowe) and Rutgers (Ace Bailey & Dylan Harper) are the only other Power 5 teams that can say that.
Last year Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander and Baylor Scheierman gave Creighton three players scoring 17.0 points per game or more, the first Power 5 team to do so since Duke in 2009-10 (Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith).
12 Blocks, No Fouls?
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s fifth year of college could see him winning a fourth BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award, something only Patrick Ewing has done in league history.
Kalkbrenner had back-to-back games with six blocked shots and no fouls on Jan. 11 & 14, making him just the third player nationally since 2005-06 to do that in consecutive games, joining Southeastern Louisiana’s Jalyn Hinton (March 11 & 12, 2022) and Washington’s Robert Upshaw (Nov. 14 & 21, 2014).
Kalkbrenner (on Jan. 11 and Jan. 14) now owns two games in the last couple weeks with six blocks and no fouls. All other Creighton players since 1991-92 combined for one such game (Gregory Echenique vs. Drake on March 8, 2013).
20 & 10 For Kalkbrenner
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. Providence on Jan. 14, the eighth time in his career he’s had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in the same contest.
In the last 20 seasons, the only other two Creighton basketball players (men or women) with five or more 20/10 career games were both First Round NBA Draft picks.
CU’s Most Career Games With 20 Points & 10 Rebounds
(Since 2005-06)
Qty. Name Years
25 Doug McDermott 2010-14
8 Baylor Scheierman 2022-24
8 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
Kalkbrenner now owns 22 double-doubles, the third-most by any Bluejay under Greg McDermott.
Most CU Double-Doubles Under Greg McDermott
Qty. Name Years
37 Doug McDermott 2010-14
29 Baylor Scheierman 2022-24
22 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
13 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
11 Ryan Hawkins 2021-22
Taking Down The Champs, And #1
Creighton beat No. 1 Kansas on December 4th, defeated defending NCAA champion UConn on Jan. 18th and defending NIT champion Seton Hall on Jan. 25th. For good measure, CU also topped defending runner-up Purdue in an exhibition game this season.
Even when you take out the Purdue win, Creighton is first team to defeat the defending NCAA champ, the defending NIT champ and the No. 1 team in the country in the same season since Michigan State in 2008-09. The Spartans beat NCAA champ Kansas (twice), NIT champ Ohio State (twice) and No. 1 Louisville.
Winning Plays Lead To Miller Time
Mason Miller led the BIG EAST in three-point percentage last year, when he started every league game, but he continues to contribute to winning even though his shot has not fallen at the same rate.
Miller now comes off the bench and has averaged 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in his last eight outings. He was subbed in for defense on multiple occasions on Jan. 18 at UConn, something that rarely happened his first three years as a Bluejay, and took a crucial charge on Alex Karaban in the final two minutes.
Miller owns a +76 plus/minus in the past eight games in 128 minutes of action, with CU outscoring teams by five points in the 192 minutes he’s been on the bench in that same span.
Traudt Uses The 4’s
Isaac Traudtt is 16-for-19 from the field and 11-of-14 from deep in the past four home games.
Traudt made 4-of-4 three pointers in a four-minute span on Jan. 14 vs. Providence, scoring 13 points when you add in a four-point play after his second bucket.
Traudt was Creighton’s first player to shoot 100 percent from deep with four or more attempts since Marcus Zegarowski shot 5-for-5 from distance vs. Seton Hall on March 7, 2020, a day that Creighton clinched a share of its lone BIG EAST title to date.
The hot streak has seen Traudt up his career three-point marksmanship at home to 50.6 percent (42-83), a CHI Health Center Omaha record among players with 25 or more made trifectas.
Since his arrival on The Hilltop, when Traudt plays Creighton is 23-4 when he scores and 15-10 when he’s scoreless.
Best 3FG%, CHI Health Center Omaha History
(min. 25 3FG’s)
Pct. Name 3FG-3FGA
.506 Isaac Traudt 42-83
.483 Booker Woodfox 83-172
.457 Ethan Wragge 156-341
.449 Marcus Zegarowski 122-272
.448 Doug McDermott 134-299
Hands Off
Creighton leads the nation with 12 games this season of 10 fouls or less, and is the only team nationally with more than three league games with 10 fouls or less this winter. Creighton has done it 7-of-10 BIG EAST games, while all other BIG EAST teams have done it a combined total of six times.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Creighton owns 41 games with 10 fouls or less, with Appalachian State second with just 23 such contests.
Since the start of last season, Creighton owns a nation-leading 11 conference games with nine fouls or less. No other team has done it more than five times.
Guarding The Paint
The presence of three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner is key to Creighton’s success in defending the paint.
While Creighton opponents shoot a respectable 60.11 percent at the rim, that number falls off from there. Bluejay foes are shooting 36.6 percent from the paint outside the charge circle, and just 38.6 percent from two-point range outside the paint.
Area Opp. FG% CU FG%
Inside Circle 193-316 .611 223-315 .708
Paint No Circle 138-377 .366 111-210 .529
2FG Outside Paint 81-210 .386 25-73 .342
3-Point FG’s 147-479 .307 207-585 .354
Kalkbrenner Chases BIG EAST Legends
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns the career record for field goal percentage in BIG EAST play (min. 5 FG/game) among multi-year players at 63.9 percent.
Kalkbrenner owns 225 career blocks in BIG EAST play, fourth-most in league history.
Kalkbrenner also became the 49th player in league history to score 1,000 career points in BIG EAST play on Dec. 18 and now owns 1,185 to rank 19th all-time.
Kalkbrenner also owns 573 career rebounds in BIG EAST play, which is 11th-most in league history.
Kalkbrenner is the 11th man with 1,000+ points and 500+ rebounds in BIG EAST action over a career, but the only man in history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocked shots in BIG EAST play during a career.
Best Career FG% in BIG EAST Play (min. 5 FG/game)
Pct. FG-FGA Name, School
.639 466-729 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
.608 377-620 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
.593 270-455 Emeka Okafor, UConn
.575 337-586 Otis Thorpe, Providence
.571 182-319 Chris Taft, Pittsburgh
1,000 Career Points & 500 Rebounds in BIG EAST Play
PTS REB Name, School
1,329 662 Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
1,185 573 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
1,177 561 Bill Curley, Boston College
1,173 534 Ryan Gomes, Providence
1,170 582 John Wallace, Syracuse
1,152 580 Zendon Hamilton, St. John’s
1,148 609 Danya Abrams, Boston College
1,071 563 LaDontae Henton, Providence
1,062 545 Tim James, Miami (Fla.)
1,047 502 Charles Smith, Pittsburgh
1,033 701 Derrick Coleman, Syracuse
Most Career Points in BIG EAST Play
Rk. Points Name, School
1. 1,587 Markus Howard, Marquette
2. 1,405 Lawrence Moten, Syracuse
3. 1,388 Troy Bell, Boston College
4. 1,329 Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
5. 1,320 Terry Dehere, Seton Hall
6. 1,316 Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
7. 1,290 Chris Mullin, St. John’s
8. 1,288 Kerry Kittles, Villanova
9. 1,257 Dana Barros, Boston College
10. 1,254 Myles Powell, Seton Hall
11. 1,222 Felipe Lopez, St. John’s
12. 1,221 Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
13. 1,185 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
14. 1,178 D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s
Most Career Rebounds in BIG EAST Play
Rk. Rebounds Name, School
1. 828 Angel Delgado, Seton Hall
2. 701 Derrick Coleman, Syracuse
3. 662 Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
4. 630 Michael Smith, Notre Dame
5. 609 Danya Abrams, Boston College
6. 598 Geoff McDermott, Providence
7. 597 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
8. 582 John Wallace, Syracuse
9. 580 Zendon Hamilton, St. John’s
580 Jeff Adrien, Connecticut
11. 573 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
12. 563 LaDontae Henton, Providence
Most Career Blocks in BIG EAST Play
Rk. Blocks Name, School
1. 247 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
2. 243 Hasheem Thabeet, UConn
3. 232 Etan Thomas, Syracuse
4. 225 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
5. 224 Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown
He Shoots, He Scores
There’s been 700 players in NCAA history to score 2,000 career points, but Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks second among that list in field goal percentage.
The top seven men on that list combined to win six AP National Player of the Year awards.
Best FG%, 2,000 Point Scorers, NCAA History
FG% FG-FGA Name School
.678 828-1222 Steve Johnson Oregon State
.662 854-1291 Ryan Kalkbrenner Creighton
.639 943-1476 Lew Alcindor UCLA
.621 925-1490 Zach Edey Purdue
.620 857-1382 Patrick Ewing Georgetown
.618 910-1473 Drew Timme Gonzaga
.613 1032-1683 David Robinson Navy
The McDermott Era
Greg McDermott owns 340 wins in 506 games at Creighton since his arrival in 2010-11.
That gives Creighton the 24th-most wins nationally in that span, but it’s eighth-most of programs that have had the same coach the entire time.
Schools With Most Wins Since 2010-11, Only 1 Coach
(After 1/29/25)
Rk. Wins School Coach Next
1. 441 Gonzaga Mark Few 2/1
2. 420 Kansas Bill Self 2/1
3. 372 Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett 2/1
4. 361 Oregon Dana Altman 1/30
361 Michigan State Tom Izzo 2/1
6. 351 Purdue Matt Painter 1/31
7. 350 Baylor Scott Drew 2/1
8. 340 Creighton Greg McDermott 2/1
9. 307 Colorado Tad Boyle 2/2
10. 304 Boise State Leon Rice 2/1
McDermott’s 339 wins since the start of the 2010-11 season started are 12th-most nationally among all coaches at the Division I level, including those at multiple schools and/or retired coaches.
Most Division I Coaching Wins Since 2010-11
(Can Include Multiple Schools – after 1/29/25)
Rk. W-L Coach Next
1. 441-76 Mark Few 2/1
2. 416-105 Bill Self 2/1
3. 387-128 John Calipari 2/1
4. 368-116 Randy Bennett 2/1
5. 365-138 Mick Cronin 1/30
6. 361-156 Dana Altman 1/30
361-151 Tom Izzo 2/1
8. 351-152 Matt Painter 1/31
9. 350-148 Scott Drew 2/1
10. 349-120 Tony Bennett —
11. 342-131 Sean Miller 2/4
12. 340-166 Greg McDermott 2/1
13. 338-166 Shaka Smart 2/1
14. 334-89 Mike Krzyzewski —
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Creighton and Villanova have been two of the best teams in the BIG EAST over the last dozen years, but the team’s haven’t played a ton of close games.
Avg. Margin CU W-L Opponent
6.90 8-2 Connecticut
7.17 12-12 Marquette
8.33 14-13 Xavier
10.11 12-15 Providence
11.38 14-10 Seton Hall
12.96 17-6 St. John’s
13.33 15-9 Butler
13.35 10-16 Villanova
15.00 14-11 Georgetown
17.16 24-1 DePaul
Video Game Numbers
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s numbers defy logic. Take a look:
In his career, Kalkbrenner has been fouled 519 times, owns 363 blocked shots, 290 dunks and just 247 career personal fouls in 154 games played.
This year only, he’s been fouled 90 times and has 57 blocks, 54 dunks and committed 22 fouls.
The only major conference men’s players in history besides Kalkbrenner (+113) to block 325 shots and own at least 100 more blocks than fouls are Jarvis Varnado (+220), Tim Duncan (+178), Emeka Okafor (+170), Calvin Booth (+165), Hasheem Thabeet (+159), Benoit Benjamin (+147), Jamarion Sharp (+141), Shaquille O’Neal (+125) and Dikembe Mutombo (+120).
Starting Strong
Including this winter, Creighton has started 8-2 or better after 10 league games in four of Greg McDermott‘s first 15 seasons on The Hilltop, and 7-3 or better nine times.
On Saturday, the Jays will look to match their best 11-game BIG EAST start ever, having also started 9-2 in 2013-14..
Year League W-L After 10 League W-L After 11
2010-11 (MVC) 5-5 6-5
2011-12 (MVC) 9-1 10-1
2012-13 (MVC) 8-2 9-2
2013-14 (BIG EAST) 9-1 9-2
2014-15 (BIG EAST) 1-9 2-9
2015-16 (BIG EAST) 5-5 5-6
2016-17 (BIG EAST) 7-3 7-4
2017-18 (BIG EAST) 7-3 7-4
2018-19 (BIG EAST) 4-6 4-7
2019-20 (BIG EAST) 6-4 7-4
2020-21 (BIG EAST) 7-3 8-3
2021-22 (BIG EAST) 5-5 6-5
2022-23 (BIG EAST) 7-3 8-3
2023-24 (BIG EAST) 7-3 7-4
2024-25 (BIG EAST) 8-2 TBD
Neal Passing The Rock
Jamiya Neal played 93 games in the previous three seasons at Arizona State and had just one outing with five assists in a game.
He’s transformed his game in Omaha, where he’s now 10th in the BIG EAST with his 4.1 assists per game average, and he’s the only player in the BIG EAST that’s top 11 in the league in both rebounds and assists per game.
Neal owns six assists or more in seven games this season, with Creighton going 6-1 in those contests.
Neal’s 87 assists are already the most for any season of his career.
Neal opened his senior season with 17 straight games of three assists or more before it was snapped in the win at UConn, when he scored a career-high 24 points.
More Kalkbrenner Unicornisms
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 2,137 points and 363 blocks in his career.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, he is the seventh player in Division I men’s basketball history with at least 2,100 points and 350 blocked shots in a career.
Each of the first five men to do it were picked No. 1 in the NBA Draft. The other, Auburn star Johni Broome, is currently active.
2,100 Points & 350 Career Blocks, NCAA History
PTS BLK DRAFT Name, School
2,669 516 1 David Robinson, Navy
2,184 493 1 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
2,117 481 1 Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
2,228 462 1 Ralph Sampson, Virginia
2,357 393 Active Johni Broome, Morehead St./Auburn
2,143 374 1 Pervis Ellison, Louisville
2,137 363 Active Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Eyebrow Raising Numbers
Ryan Kalkbrenner had quite the stat line on Jan. 11 at Butler, finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds, six blocked shots, three steals and no fouls while also making three three-pointers.
Before Kalkbrenner that game at Butler, the nation’s last player with 26 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots in a game…was also Kalkbrenner, who had a 28/9/7 line in a triple-overtime win at Seton Hall on Jan. 20, 2024.
Digging deeper, Kalkbrenner became the nation’s first Division I men’s player with at least 26 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots while not committing a foul in a conference game since Kentucky’s Anthony Davis had 27/14/7 vs. Arkansas on Jan. 17, 2012.
Kalkbrenner was the first high major player with at least 26 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots in a game that he made three or more three-pointers since Oregon’s Chris Boucher had a 26/10/7/4 line at Arizona State on Jan. 31, 2016.
And if you combine his whole line of 26 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, three steals and three three-pointers and you’ll learn Kalkbrenner is the nation’s only high-major player since 2005-06 with such a box score line like that.
Rare Air
Ryan Kalkbrenner and National Player of the Year frontrunner Johni Broome (Auburn) are in rare company as the nation’s only high major players to average at least 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game this season.
In the last 25 seasons, only eight high-major players have finished a season hitting each of those benchmarks, with five of those men hailing from the BIG EAST.
High Major Players to Average 17 PPG, 8 RPG & 2.6 BPG
(Last 25 Seasons)
Name, School Year PPG RPG BPG
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton ’24-25 18.3 8.4 2.9
Johni Broome, Auburn ’24-25 18.2 11.2 2.8
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana ’22-23 20.9 10.8 2.9
Herbert Hill, Providence ’06-07 18.1 8.8 2.9
Shelden Williams, Duke ’05-06 18.8 10.7 3.8
Emeka Okafor, UConn ’03-04 17.6 11.5 4.1
David Harrison, Colorado ’03-04 17.1 8.8 2.9
Mike Sweetney, Georgetown ’02-03 22.8 10.4 3.2
Ryan Humphrey, Notre Dame ’01-02 18.9 10.9 2.8
Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall ’00-01 17.8 10.8 4.4
Ashworth Passes Century Mark
Steven Ashworth’s owns 6.80 assists per game this season, a figure that ranks eighth nationally.
Earlier this year Ashworth became just the second Creighton player in the last 40 seasons to reach the 100 assist mark in his first 16 games of a season, as seen below.
Fewest Season Games to 100 Assists, Since 1985-86
Name, Year GP to 100 AST
Maurice Watson Jr., 2016-17 11
Steven Ashworth, 2024-25 15
Grant Gibbs, 2011-12 17
Maurice Watson Jr., 2015-16 17
Latrell Wrightsell, 1991-92 18
Grant Gibbs, 2012-13 18
On The Double
After not having a double-double in the first 143 games of his career, Steven Ashworth has had three double-doubles in his last nine games.
He’s one of just five Bluejay men to have multiple points/assists double-doubles in a season since 1992-93.
Ashworth, who is now averaging 16.5 points and 6.8 assists per game, is also on pace to be the seventh different BIG EAST player in the last 40 years to average at least 16.5 points and 6.5 assists per game. Of that grouping, he’d be the first to do it while making at least 2.90 three-pointers per game.
Most Points/Assists Double-Doubles, Season (Since 1992-93)
P/A D-D Name Years
6 Maurice Watson Jr. 2016-17
3 Maurice Watson Jr. 2015-16
2 Edward St. Fleur 1995-96
2 Marcus Zegarowski 2020-21
2 Trey Alexander 2023-24
2 Steven Ashworth 2024-25
BIG EAST Seasons With 16.5 PPG & 6.5 APG (Since 1986-87)
PPG APG 3FG/G Name, School Year
17.3 7.8 — Pearl Washington, Syracuse 1985-86
20.6 7.1 2.9 Billy Donovan, Providence 1986-87
17.3 7.6 0.4 Sherman Douglas, Syracuse 1986-87
18.2 8.6 1.0 Sherman Douglas, Syracuse 1988-89
18.7 6.9 2.4 Chris Thomas, Notre Dame 2002-03
17.4 6.7 1.2 Jonny Flynn, Syracuse 2008-09
16.5 6.8 3.1 Steven Ashworth, Creighton 2024-25
Sniper!
Jackson McAndrew made a three-pointer in each of his first nine BIG EAST games before being blanked on Wednesday vs. Xavier. He was Creighton’s first freshman in the BIG EAST era to make a triple in nine straight league games.
Before McAndrew, no CU freshman had made a triple in at least nine straight league games since Ethan Wragge’s streak of 16 in a row from Jan. 3 – Feb. 27, 2010 when the Bluejays were part of the Missouri Valley Conference.
McAndrew is the only freshman in the BIG EAST to make a three-pointer in nine straight league games this season, and is the league’s first man to do it in nine straight conference games since Villanova’s Cam Whitmore’s 11 game streak in 2022-23.
Consecutive BIG EAST Games With A 3FG
Creighton Freshmen
3FG Streak Name Year
9 Jackson McAndrew 2024-25
6 Marcus Zegarowski 2018-19
Let’s Compare
How do Jackson McAndrew’s league stats as a freshman compare to some other Creighton power forwards of note in recent years?
Let’s have a look…
Name, Year MPG PPG RPG 3FG 3FG%
Jackson McAndrew, 2024-25 20.1 7.5 4.0 17 .340
Arthur Kaluma, 2021-22 26.5 9.9 5.1 14 .304
Toby Hegner, 2014-15 16.8 5.5 3.4 22 .373
Doug McDermott, 2010-11 30.6 15.3 8.1 23 .442
Ethan Wragge, 2009-10 15.4 5.8 1.9 32 .390
Dane Watts, 2004-05 19.3 6.3 3.1 17 .370
Anthony Tolliver, 2003-04 6.1 0.6 1.1 0 .000
Kyle Korver, 1999-00 18.6 10.5 3.3 41 .526
McAndrew Making History
Jackson McAndrew scored 13 points in each of his first two BIG EAST games and has now scored in double-figures nine times this winter.
McAndrew was Creighton’s first true freshman with 13 or more points in each of Creighton’s first two conference games since Chad Gallagher in 1988-89 when CU was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Gallagher is now Creighton’s fifth-leading scorer in program history with 1,983 career points.
CU’s only other freshman in the last 35 years to score 13+ in his first four league games was redshirt freshman Justin Patton, who did it in his first four BIG EAST games in 2016-17. Patton would go on to earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors and went on to become the No. 16 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
McAndrew’s nine games this season with 10 or more points ranks tied for 10th-most among Creighton true freshmen in the last 25 seasons. Of the 13 most recent players to do it (before McAndrew), 11 went on to be named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team other than two men who eventually played in the NBA.
This season, the only other BIG EAST players with more than five double-digit performances this season have been UConn’s Liam McNeeley (11) and Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber (14).
Most 10+ Point Games, Creighton True Freshmen
Since 1999-2000
Rk. 10+ Pts Player (All-Frosh Team?) Year
1. 32 Doug McDermott (Y) 2010-11
2. 21 P’Allen Stinnett (Y) 2007-08
3. 17 Marcus Zegarowski (Y) 2018-19
17 Ryan Nembhard (Y) 2021-22
5. 14 Arthur Kaluma (Y) 2021-22
6. 13 Kyle Korver (Y) 1999-00
7. 11 Trey Alexander (Y) 2021-22
11 Terrell Taylor (Y) 1999-00
9. 10 Mitch Ballock (Y) 2017-18
10. 9 Ethan Wragge (Y) 2009-10
9 Ty-Shon Alexander (N) 2017-18
9 Jackson McAndrew 2024-25
13. 8 Jahenns Manigat (Y) 2010-11
8 Khyri Thomas (N) 2015-16
Kalkbrenner On Midseason Wooden Award List
Ryan Kalkbrenner was named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on January 7th.
Selected by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 25 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award All-American Team and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2025 John R. Wooden Award® Men’s Player of the Year. Players not selected for the midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® late-season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.
Nearly 1,000 voters will be invited to rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament’s early rounds, players’ contributions to their teams and their character. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament’s “Elite Eight.”
The winners and the All Americans of the 2025 John R. Wooden Award®, presented by Principal, will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 11.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 28 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including a New Year’s Eve comeback win after trailing 18-7 early vs. St. John’s.
Thirteen of those 28 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
11 St. John’s 12/31/24
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
10 St. John’s 01/03/18
10 at DePaul 02/07/18
10 Bemidji State 02/13/18
Stat Leaders, Nationally
Here’s a list of the categories that Creighton is in the Top 20 in, through games of Jan. 29th.
Category Rank Stat
Team Fouls Per Game 1st 10.4
FT Pct. (Ashworth) 1st .973
Blocks (Kalkbrenner) 2nd 57
Field Goal Percentage (Kalkbrenner) 3rd .668
Blocks Per Game (Kalkbrenner) 4th 2.85
Team Defensive Rebounds Per Game 5th 29.24
Assists Per Game (Ashworth) 8th 6.8
Assists (Ashworth) 12th 136
Effective FG% (Team) 17th .566
Assists Per Game (Team) 20th 17.2
300 In The Books
Creighton is 303-63 all-time inside CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton needed 118 games to reach 100 victories, with that coming on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana. Creighton’s Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program’s 200th at the facility and came in its 242nd home game.
Creighton won its 300th game vs. St. John’s on Dec. 31, 2024 in its 363rd game.
Thomas Earns Scholarship Under Xmas Tree
Redshirt freshman guard Shane Thomas was surprised on Christmas morning, as one of the gifts he received was an envelope from the Creighton Basketball program.
Thomas opened the letter and read it to himself with a puzzled look. After his family asked him what the letter said, Thomas recited aloud “full grant in aid, spring of 2025…I think it’s a scholarship.”
Thomas’ guess was accurate, as the former walk-on will now be on scholarship for the spring semester.
Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (75) than any other school in the last six seasons, eight more than Marquette’s 67.
Since the league’s 2013 realignment, Villanova has 156 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton’s 130 league victories are second-most.
Most Men’s Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to Jan. 30, 2025)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 75 32 .701
Marquette 67 39 .632
Villanova 65 38 .631
Providence 63 41 .606
UConn 61 24 .718
Seton Hall 58 48 .547
Xavier 51 50 .505
St. John’s 50 56 .472
Butler 41 67 .380
Georgetown 20 83 .194
DePaul 15 89 .144
Most Men’s Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to Jan. 30, 2025)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 155 56 .735
Creighton 131 84 .609
Providence 121 91 .571
Marquette 119 95 .556
Xavier 117 92 .560
Seton Hall 111 103 .519
Butler 95 121 .440
St. John’s 90 124 .421
Georgetown 66 145 .313
UConn 61 24 .718
DePaul 40 172 .189
Automatic Ashworth
Steven Ashworth set a Creighton single-game record on Nov. 6 vs. UTRGV when he was a perfect 17-for-17 at the free throw line. It’s the most attempts without a miss in a game in CU history.
The last previous power conference player to make 17+ free throws without a miss was Tennessee’s Grant Williams vs. Vanderbilt on Jan. 23, 2019, who was 23-for-23.
The 17 makes at the line were an arena record (two others had made 15), and tied for second-most in a game in CU history behind only Bob Portman’s 19 vs. UW-Milwaukee on Dec. 16, 1967.
Ashworth’s 17 attempts are 10th-most in CU history, and the most by a Bluejay since Nate Funk shot 18 in a double-overtime win vs. Dayton on Nov. 26, 2005.
Ashworth’s streak of 41 consecutive made free throws was snapped on Nov. 27th vs. Texas A&M, four shy of the record set by Doug McDermott in 2013-14. Ashworth shook off that rare miss and then made 38 free trows in a row, CU’s third-longest streak ever.
Ashworth is the lone player in program history with multiple streaks of 30 free throws made or more.
Most Consecutive Free Throws Made Since 1980
FT Name Dates of Streak
45 Doug McDermott Dec. 1, 2013-Jan. 4, 2014
41 Steven Ashworth March 2 – Nov. 22, 2024
38 Steven Ashworth Nov. 27, 2024 – Jan. 11, 2025
36 Booker Woodfox Dec. 6, 2008-Jan. 6, 2009
35 Bob Portman 1967-68
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
31 Baylor Scheierman Feb. 17-March 29, 2024
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
28 Doug McDermott March 10-Nov. 8, 2013
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
27 Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
27 Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
Steven’s Streaks Speaking of streaks owned by Steven Ashworth, the senior has buried a three-pointer in 39 games in a row. That’s the longest active streak in the BIG EAST, and the second-longest in program history. The longest streak in CU history, Baylor Scheierman’s 48 in a row (which doesn’t include his final 10 games at South Dakota State).
His streak of 16 straight games with multiple three-pointers was snapped on Jan. 3 at Marquette, but it was still tied for the second-longest in the BIG EAST since 2005-06.
Nation’s Longest Active Streaks With A 3FG (1/29)
Streak Name, School Next Game
43 Walter Clayton Jr., Florida Feb. 1
41 John Poulakidas, Yale Jan. 31
39 Steven Ashworth, Creighton Feb. 1
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Creighton History
Streak Name Dates of Streak
48 Baylor Scheierman Nov. 7, 2022 – Dec. 16, 2023
39 Steven Ashworth Jan. 13, 2024 – 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
Consecutive Games With Multiple 3-Pointers
BIG EAST Players Since 2005-06
Streak Name, School Streak
25 Frank Young, WVU Nov. 18, 2006 – Feb. 20, 2007
16 Steven Ashworth, CU March 21 – Dec. 31, 2024
16 Ethan Wragge, CU Nov. 28, 2013 – Jan. 25, 2014
16 Taquan Dean, LOU Jan. 25-March 28, 2006
16 Steve Novak, MU Nov. 25, 2005 – Jan. 20, 2006
15 Baylor Scheierman, CU Nov. 7, 2022 – Jan. 1, 2023
15 Myles Powell, SHU Jan. 30 – Nov. 2019
Kalkbrenner A Top Defender
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24 for the third straight season.
Kalkbrenner is just the third player in league history to win the recognition three times or more, joining Georgetown greats Patrick Ewing (4x) and Alonzo Mourning (3x).
Between Kalkbrenner and 2017 & 2018 winner Khyri Thomas, Creighton has now had a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in five of the previous eight 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
3 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2022, 23, ’24
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
McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott enters Saturday tied for sixth in BIG EAST history with 131 regular-season league wins, putting him even with John Thompson III, and Rick Pitino.
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 (15 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 14 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 366 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2. 274 Jim Calhoun, UConn
3. 244 Jay Wright, Villanova
4. 198 John Thompson Sr., Georgetown
5. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
6. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
131 Greg McDermott, Creighton
131 Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
9. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John’s
10. 125 Ed Cooley, Providence/G’Town
11. 115 Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh
Isaacs To Miss Remainder Of Season
Junior guard Pop Isaacs will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season as the Las Vegas native underwent hip surgery on Dec. 11th.
Isaacs ranked second on the team with 16.3 points per game in eight appearances, including a season-high 27 points in CU’s victory over No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 4 in his final game, which helped him earn BIG EAST Player of the Week honors.
Combo #7
The season is just 21 games old, but Creighton has already used seven different starting line-up combinations thanks to a variety of injuries and other circumstances.
That’s quite different than how Greg McDermott has typically run his program, when he finds a starting line-up and sticks with it.
In McDermott’s 15 years patrolling the Bluejay sideline, this year’s seven different line-ups are the second-most he’s used over the course of an entire campaign.
Different Starting Lineups Under Greg McDermott
Year Entire Season
2010-11 5
2011-12 1
2012-13 1
2013-14 3
2014-15 10
2015-16 6
2016-17 4
2017-18 5
2018-19 5
2019-20 3
2020-21 3
2021-22 4
2022-23 2
2023-24 2
2024-25 7 so far
A Dozen Will Do
Creighton has owned a .500 mark or better in league play 28 times in the previous 29 seasons, one of seven schools nationally that can say that.
The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous nine seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall.
Among the other “Power 5” Conference schools, only Virginia (7 straight years) also has an active streak of five years or longer with 12 or more league wins.
Most Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Previous 29 Seasons
Seasons Team
29 Duke
29 Kansas
29 Gonzaga
28 Kentucky
28 Michigan State
28 Creighton
28 Murray State
Consecutive Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Power 5 Schools
Seasons Team
35 Kansas
29 Duke
13 Virginia
13 Oregon
12 Villanova
9 Creighton
9 Houston
9 Seton Hall
9 Florida
Consecutive Seasons 12+ League Wins
Power 5 Schools
Seasons Team
7 Virginia
5 Creighton
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men’s basketball team has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day.
It marks the second straight year CU has been picked second, and fourth time in the past five seasons the Bluejays have been tabbed for a top-two finish. CU’s 2020-21 squad and 2023-24 teams were also both picked second, and eventually finished in second place, while the 2022-23 squad that eventually reached the Elite Eight was picked first and finished in third place.
Connecticut, the defending BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion and the reigning national champion, was chosen to finish first in the poll. The Huskies received all possible 10 first-place votes and 100 points from the league’s head coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Creighton will be led by Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection for the third time and also earned his first Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year accolade. Kalkbrenner remains the only player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST honors multiple times. The only other Bluejays to be named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year have been Doug McDermott (2013-14) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
Joining Kalkbrenner with Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST acclaim was Connecticut’s Alex Karaban, Marquette’s Kam Jones, Providence’s Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s Kadary Richmond and Villanova’s Eric Dixon.
Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but one season since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time. The Bluejays are seeking a ninth straight finish in the top four of the league standings. CU’s team three years ago was predicted to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, then ended up in fourth. Five years ago, a team picked seventh in the BIG EAST’s preseason poll went 13-5 in league play to share its first league title with Villanova and Seton Hall. That Bluejay team ended the year ranked seventh in the entire nation.
Creighton’s BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year Preseason Actual Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14 3rd 2nd Doug McDermott (POY, 1st)
2014-15 9th T-9th –
2015-16 9th 6th –
2016-17 3rd T-3rd Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18 5th T-3rd Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19 9th T-3rd Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20 7th T-1st Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21 2nd 2nd Marcus Zegarowski (POY, 1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)
2021-22 8th 4th –
2022-23 1st 3rd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
2023-24 2nd ?? Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
Baylor Scheierman (2nd)
2024-25 2nd ?? Ryan Kalkbrenner (POY, 1st); Steven Ashworth (3rd)
Top 10 Wins Come Under McDermott
Creighton went 14,588 days from Feb. 10, 1974 to Jan. 19, 2014 without a win over a Top 10 team.
Since Jan. 20, 2014, it has 15 such wins, including at least one Top 10 win in each of the last 10 seasons.
Here’s a list of all 20 Top 10 wins in program history. Six have come against Villanova, while CU also owns multiple Top 10 wins over Marquette (3) and Seton Hall (2).
Creighton’s Top 10 Wins All-Time
Date Opponent Score Head Coach
12/13/63 #4 Arizona State W 84-83 McManus
12/01/65 #10 Kansas State W 83-75 McManus
01/29/70 #5 New Mexico State W 72-68 Sutton
02/17/73 #7 Houston W 78-77 Sutton
02/09/74 at #6 Marquette W 75-69 Sutton
01/20/14 at #4 Villanova W 96-68 McDermott
02/16/14 #6 Villanova W 101-80 McDermott
02/09/16 #5 Xavier W 70-56 McDermott
11/15/16 #9 Wisconsin W 79-67 McDermott
02/24/18 #3 Villanova W 89-83 (OT) McDermott
03/03/19 at #10 Marquette W 66-60 McDermott
02/01/20 at #8 Villanova W 76-61 McDermott
02/12/20 at #10 Seton Hall W 87-82 McDermott
03/07/20 #8 Seton Hall W 77-60 McDermott
02/13/21 #5 Villanova W 86-70 McDermott
12/17/21 #9 Villanova W 79-59 McDermott
11/22/22 vs. #9 Arkansas W 90-87 McDermott
02/20/24 #1 Connecticut W 85-66 McDermott
03/02/24 #5 Marquette W 89-75 McDermott
12/04/24 #1 Kansas W 76-63 McDermott
Neal’s Near Triple-Double
Jamiya Neal nearly had Creighton’s second points/rebounds/assists triple-double in program history on Dec. 7th vs. UNLV when he turned in 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists (along with a career-high four blocked shots).
Neal’s nine assists were a career-high and led directly to 22 points.
Steven Ashworth came even closer on Jan. 11 at Butler, finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists.
Creighton’s only points/rebounds/assists triple-double in program history came on Feb. 13, 2024 when Baylor Scheierman had a 15/11/11 line in a win over Georgetown.
Reserves Get It Done
Creighton’s bench combined for a season-high 33 points in its Dec. 7th win vs. UNLV, making 13-of-20 shots overall and 7-of-9 three-pointers.
The 33 bench points were CU’s most since scoring 47 on Dec. 9, 2023 vs. Central Michigan.
Creighton scored 29 bench points vs. Providence on Jan. 14th, its most in a league game since also scoring 29 vs. St. John’s on Jan. 25, 2023.
Creighton has won 45 straight games when scoring 17 bench points or more.
Did You Know?
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 4th, making him Creighton’s first player ever with a double-double against a top-ranked team.
Kalkbrenner’s 10 rebounds also tied the most ever by a Bluejay against a No.1 squad, as George Morrow also had 10 boards vs. DePaul on Jan. 28, 1980.
Pop Isaacs’ 27 points tied a program-record for the most by any Bluejay against a top-ranked team, something Ty-Shon Alexander also did vs. Gonzaga on Dec. 1, 2018. Isaacs is also the first player since Marquette’s Dwyane Wade (vs. Kentucky in 2003) with at least 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a win over the No. 1 ranked team.
Something Special
Per OptaStats, Creighton became the first team to beat two different AP No. 1 teams by double digits in the same calendar year since Oklahoma did it in back-to-back games in February 1990 (beat Missouri & Kansas). In addition to the 76-63 win over Kansas on Dec. 4, CU also topped UConn 85-66 on Feb. 20th.
Per ESPN, the Dec. 4 loss to Creighton was the third-largest margin in 105 all-time losses by a top-ranked Kansas team to an unranked foe, and the most since losing by 16 in 2011 to Kansas State.
At the time, the only other unranked team in the last five seasons (2020-21 to 2024-25) to beat the No. 1 team by 13+ points was Nebraska vs. Purdue on Jan. 9, 2024.
Elias Sports Bureau has confirmed that Creighton is the nation’s third team in the last 20 seasons to beat a top-ranked program with a +13 advantage in both scoring and rebounding, joining No. 5 Kentucky vs. #1 Tennessee on Feb. 16, 2019 as well as No. 3 Baylor over No. 1 Gonzaga in the 2021 national title game.
Creighton became just the fourth unranked BIG EAST school to beat the AP’s No. 1 team by double-digits, joining Louisville over Syracuse (78-68 on March 10, 2006), UConn over Texas (88-74 on Jan. 23, 2010) and Villanova over Syracuse (93-74 on Jan. 6, 1990), which means CU is the second to do so in a regular-season non-conference game.
Down Goes #1
Creighton is one of just eight teams in the last 15 seasons to defeat a No. 1 team in the country in back-to-back seasons. Here’s a list at the others to have done it:
Creighton 2023-24 (UConn) and 2024-25 (Kansas)
Northwestern 2022-23 (Purdue) and 2023-24 (Purdue)
Rutgers 2021-22 (Purdue) and 2022-23 (Purdue)
Kentucky 2018-19 (Tennessee) and 2019-20 (Michigan State)
Butler 2016-17 (Villanova) and 2017-18 (Villanova)
UCLA 2015-16 (Kentucky) and 2016-17 (Kentucky)
West Virginia 2015-16 (Kansas) and 2016-17 (Baylor)
Indiana 2011-12 (Kentucky) and 2012-13 (Michigan)
Unsung Heroes
Creighton has the luxury of bringing three veterans off the bench who can play a variety of positions and shoot it from deep in Mason Miller, Isaac Traudt and Jasen Green.
The trio has scored 197 points in Creighton’s 15 wins, but have a total of 19 points in CU’s six losses to date.
Denied!
Ryan Kalkbrenner had at least one blocked shot in 27 straight games played, the second-longest streak by a Bluejay since 1984-85, before being held without a swat at Marquette on Jan. 3rd.
It was Kalkbrenner’s third career streak of 25 or more games with a swat, making him the nation’s only player since 2005-06 with three such streaks.
Kalkbrenner’s six blocked shots on Jan. 11 at Butler and Jan. 14 vs. Providence were a season-high, and the 21st game of his career with five or more rejections. All other Bluejay players since 2005-06 have combined for 16 such games (7 by Gregory Echenique, 4 by Anthony Tolliver, 2 by Kenny Lawson Jr. and 1 each by Fredrick King, Jacob Epperson and Justin Patton).
Creighton’s Longest Streaks With A Block, Since 1984-85
Streak Name Dates
28 Benoit Benjamin 12/14/84 – 3/5/85
27 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2/2/24 – 12/31/24
26 Ryan Kalkbrenner 11/16/21 – 2/26/22
25 Ryan Kalkbrenner 11/14/22 – 3/1/23
17 Brody Deren 2/4/03 – 12/6/03
17 Gregory Echenique 2/16/11 – 11/25/11
Action Jackson
Jackson McAndrew had 12 points and 14 rebounds on Nov. 26 vs. San Diego State, then followed that up with a season-high 16 points vs. No. 20 Texas A&M a day later.
McAndrew was the first Bluejay freshman with a double-double since Fredrick King had 16 points and 10 rebounds at Marquette on Dec. 16, 2022.
McAndrew is the first Bluejay with a double-double in his first start at Creighton since South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman had 11 points and 10 rebounds on Nov. 7, 2022 vs. Florida A&M.
McAndrew was the first Bluejay freshman with a double-double in his first career start since Ryan Nembhard (15 points, 10 assists). No Bluejay freshman since at least 1987-88 had owned a points/rebounds double-double in his first career start.
McAndrew is one of three freshmen in the BIG EAST this season to have a double-double in his first career start, joining UConn’s Liam McNeeley (18 & 10 vs. Sacred Heart) and Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber (20 & 13 vs. Lehigh).
McAndrew’s 14 rebounds were the third-most by any freshman in Greg McDermott‘s 15 years as Creighton head coach (491 games). Doug McDermott had 17 at Bradley on Feb. 1, 2011 and 16 at Akron on Feb. 19, 2011.
McAndrew was also the first Bluejay freshman since Fredrick King in December of 2022 to score 12+ points in consecutive games.
McDermott Passes Altman On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 340 victories at Creighton, passing his predecessor Dana Altman (327) for the most in program history in CU’s Nov. 13 win vs. Houston Christian.
McDermott broke a different record on Jan. 21 at DePaul when he coached his 504th game on the Bluejay sideline, breaking the mark of 503 held by Altman.
McDermott’s .672 winning percentage is Creighton’s best since Arthur A. Schabinger’s .714 win rate from 90 years ago.
Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history, as well as the history of the Creighton Athletic Department.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton MBB History
Rk. W-L Name Years
1. 340-166 Greg McDermott 2010-Pres.
2. 327-176 Dana Altman 1994-2010
3. 165-66 Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-1935
4. 138-118 John J. “Red” McManus 1959-1969
5. 130-64 Tom Apke 1974-1981
Most Wins, Creighton Athletics History (after 1/29/25)
Coach, Sport Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball 819
Ed Servais, Baseball 678*
Mary Higgins, Softball 564
Tom Lilly, Men’s & Women’s Tennis 543*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 502*
Jim Flanery, Women’s Basketball 444*
Ed Hubbs, Men’s & Women’s Tennis 347
Greg McDermott, Men’s Basketball 340*
Dana Altman, Men’s Basketball 327
*still active coaching at Creighton
#currently just the women’s tennis coach
Stability Is Key
One reason for Creighton’s extended run of success has been the continuity within its coaching staff. The Bluejays have had just two head coaches in the last 31 years, Dana Altman (1994-2010) and Greg McDermott (2010-Present).
Here’s a list of major conference schools to have a coach with 300 wins at that school, and their predecessor also had 300 wins at the school:
School Former Coach Current Coach
Creighton Dana Altman Greg McDermott
Kansas Roy Williams Bill Self
Michigan State Jud Heathcote Tom Izzo
Purdue Gene Keady Matt Painter
The Launch Pad
Basketball-Reference.com did the math, and Creighton owns 9,508 three-pointers in 1,246 games since the rule went national in 1986-87.
That ranks second-most in the country in that span, trailing only Duke (9,890 through Jan. 30).
Additionally, Creighton’s 7.63 three-pointers per game in that time lead the nation among programs who are currently in a major conference.
7-Foot-1 Of Awesome
A few notes about Ryan Kalkbrenner.
There’s only two BIG EAST players to score 73+ points in 60 minutes or less in any two game span since 2005-06. Ryan Kalkbrenner (73 points in 58 minutes) in the opening week this season and UConn’s Kemba Walker (73 points in 60 minutes) in 2010.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of three major conference players since 2005-06 to score 73 points and block six shots in any two game span, joining Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley.
There’s been only four BIG EAST players to score 73+ points to score any two-game span since 2012: Marquette’s Markus Howard (7x), DePaul’s Max Strus, Creighton’s Doug McDermott and Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Kalkbrenner is the nation’s second player since 2005-06 to score 24+ points and shoot 90 percent (min. 10 FGA) in consecutive games, joining Belmont’s Evan Bradds from November of 2015.
Evan Bradds (7x) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (7x) are the only men in the country with five or more career games of 90 percent shooting (min. 10 FGA) since 2005-06.
Kalkbrenner Block Machine
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 363. Kalkbrenner had 107 swats last year and is now 48 blocks behind Benoit Benjamin.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
363 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
Among The Best…EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 854 of 1,291 career shots, putting him at 66.15 percent overall. That places the senior center fourth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 700 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….he’s taken 116.
Best Career FG%, NCAA History (min. 700 FG, 4FG/game)
Pct. (FG-FGA) Name, School Years
.678 (828-1222) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1976-81
.667 (740-1109) Evan Bradds, Belmont 2013-17
.664 (702-1058) Todd MacCulloch, Washington 1995-99
.662 (854-1291) Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2020-Pres.
.651 (747-1147) Bill Walton, UCLA 1971-74
He Shoots, He Scores
Ryan Kalkbrenner had a night for the ages on Nov. 6 in the season-opener vs. UTRGV, finishing with 49 points on 20-of-22 shooting from the floor and 7-of-8 free throws while adding 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Kalkbrenner’s 49 points were the second-most in program history, two behind Bob Portman’s 51 on Dec. 16, 1967 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Portman made 16-of-35 field goal attempts and 18-of-23 foul shots in his record-setting contest.
Below is a list of the previous Bluejay performances of 40 points or more
Most Points, Creighton Game
Pts. Name, Opponent Date FG FT
51 Bob Portman vs. UW-Milwaukee 12/16/1967 16 19
49 Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. UTRGV 11/06/2024 20* 7
47 Eddie Cole vs. Morningside (OT) 11/29/1954 18 11
46 Bob Portman vs. Weber State 12/23/1968 19 8
45 Tim Powers at Idaho State 01/29/1966 17 11
45 Benoit Benjamin vs. Indiana State 01/19/1985 18 9
45 Doug McDermott vs. Providence 03/08/2014 17# 6
44 Doug McDermott at Bradley 01/07/2012 18@ 5
43 Bob Portman at Kansas State 02/12/1968 16 11
43 Benoit Benjamin vs. Southern Illinois 01/17/1985 18 7
42 Bob Portman vs. LaSalle 01/30/1968 19 4
42 Cavel Witter vs. Bradley (2OT) 03/01/2008 13% 12
41 Doug McDermott vs. Wichita State 03/02/2013 15# 6
40 Chad Gallagher vs. Wichita State 02/17/1990 14 12
40 Rodney Buford vs. Bradley 12/30/1998 13$ 8
*includes 2 three-pointers
@includes 3 three-pointers
%includes 4 three-pointers
#includes 5 three-pointers
$includes 6 three-pointers
Honors Roll In For Kalkbrenner
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named the first BIG EAST Player of the Week of the 2024-25 season, the conference announced on Nov. 11. He also picked up National Player of the Week acclaim from ESPN’s Dick Vitale, NCAA.com’s Andy Katz, the USBWA, Associated Press as well as the Lute Olson Award.
The 7-foot-1 center averaged 36.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game as No. 15 Creighton posted a pair of double-digit victories to open the season. The three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year shot 90.6 percent from the field (29-32), including 100 percent from three-point range (3-3), and also made 92.3 percent (12-13) of his free throw attempts.
It was the first weekly honor from the BIG EAST of Kalkbrenner’s career, though he’s certainly no stranger to hardware. Kalkbrenner is one of three men to earn at least three BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was named First Team All-BIG EAST in 2022-23, Second Team All-BIG EAST in 2023-24 and Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST in 2021-22. Prior to this season, Kalkbrenner was named the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. He is also a four-time member of the BIG EAST’s All-Academic Team.
Kalkbrenner Scoring Tidbits
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 49 points vs. UTRGV on Nov. 6 bring up all sorts of notes.
– In the last 25 years, the only player nationally with more points in a season-opener than Kalkbrenner’s 49 was Arkansas’ Rotnei Clarke, who had 51 in 2009 against Alcorn State.
– Kalkbrenner’s 49 points are the fourth-most ever in a season-opener by a player on a Top 25 team, trailing only LSU’s Bob Pettit (60 in 1953), UCLA’s Lew Alcindor (56 in 1966) and Jacksonville’s Artis Gilmore (50 in 1970). Those other three men are in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
– Kalkbrenner is the first Bluejay with 40+ points and 10+ rebounds in the same game since Chad Gallagher had 40 points and 11 rebounds vs. Wichita State on Feb. 17, 1990.
– Kalkbrenner’s 49 points were the fifth-most points in a game in BIG EAST history. Marquette’s Markus Howard had games of 53, 52 and 51, while Providence’s MarShon Brooks had a 52 point game as well.
– Kalkbrenner’s 49 points were the most in a double-double performance in BIG EAST history.
– Before Kalkbrenner’s 49 points and 11 rebounds, no other high major player has posted as many points and rebounds in any game over the past 30 years.
– Kalkbrenner is also the nation’s only player with 49+ points and 3+ blocks in the same game since at least 2005-06.
– Kalkbrenner scored Creighton’s first eight points and got better as the game went on. He had nine points in the first 10 minutes, then scored 11 in the final 10 minutes before half for the highest-scoring first half of his career.
Kalkbrenner then scored 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half before closing his masterpiece with 15 points in the final 10 minutes.
– Kalkbrenner’s 49 points broke Doug McDermott’s record of 45 points by a Creighton player at CHI Health Center Omaha. The overall record is 53 by Marquette’s Markus Howard on Jan. 9, 2019.
Having A Field Day
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals made on Nov. 6 were a Creighton single-game record, eclipsing the previous mark of 19 done twice by Bob Portman in 1968.
Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals are the most in a season-opener by any player nationally in the last 15 seasons.
Kalkbrenner is the only player in the BIG EAST in at least 30 years with 49+ points and 20+ field goals in a game.
Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals tied the single-game BIG EAST record held by Providence’s MarShon Brooks vs. Notre Dame in 2011.
Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals made were a CHI Health Center Omaha record, breaking the old mark of 17 done twice by Doug McDermott and once by Evansville’s Colt Ryan.
Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals made were the most by any player in a game against a Division I foe since Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim made 20 hoops vs. TCU on Feb. 8, 2014.
Kalkbrenner’s 90.9 percent shooting from the field was the highest field goal percentage in a 45-point game by any Division I player in the past 25 seasons, and the highest by a player to attempt 20 or more shots in a game in the past 25 years.
– Kalkbrenner was the first player with 20 field goals on 90 percent shooting in a Division I game since UCLA’s Bill Walton made 21-of-22 shots vs. Memphis in the 1973 NCAA final.
– Kalkbrenner missed just three shots (2 FG, 1 FT). He’s the first Division I or NBA player to score 45+ points while missing no more than three shots (FG or FT) since Dirk Nowitzki did in the 2011 NBA playoffs.
– Kalkbrenner made his final three field goal attempts in the first half, then made 11-of-11 shots in the second half, giving him 14 buckets in a row. That’s two shy of the NCAA single-game record of 16 made field goals in a row set by Kent State’s Doug Grayson vs. North Carolina on Dec. 6, 1967.
Dynamic Duo
Ryan Kalkbrenner (49) and Steven Ashworth (25) combined for 74 points on Nov. 6th. It was the most points by any BIG EAST duo since at least 1996-97.
It’s the second-most points by any Creighton pair in the same game, one point shy of the mark set on Jan. 19, 1985 when Benoit Benjamin (45) and Vernon Moore (30) combined for 75.
It’s the most points by any Creighton duo in 15 seasons under Greg McDermott. The previous high was 62, done on March 9, 2019 by Mitch Ballock (39) and Martin Krampelj (23) vs. DePaul. Ballock is now a graduate manager on the Bluejay staff.
In addition to Ballock and Krampelj, Creighton’s only other duo to combine for 62+ points in a game since 1996-97 was Nate Funk (38) and Johnny Mathies (24), who did it in double-overtime on Nov. 26, 2005 vs. Dayton.
The last Division I duo to combine for 74+ points in a non-overtime game was Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor and Jordyn Adams (both with 37) vs. Tennessee State on Jan. 23, 2020.
Jays Don’t Foul…Do You Follow?
Creighton led the nation with just 11.5 fouls per game last year, well ahead of runner-up Lipscomb’s 12.9 per contest, and are averaging an 10.43 fouls per game this season to lead the country. That puts CU on pace to shatter the NCAA single-season record for fewest fouls per game, a mark currently held by the 1961-62 Air Force team that averaged 11.0 fouls per game.
Creighton’s streak of 60 straight games without a foul out was snapped on Nov. 30 vs. Notre Dame. Per Elias, that streak had been the nation’s longest since at least 2005-06.
Since the start of last year, Creighton has committed three fouls or less in 26 different halves.
In 56 games since the start of last season, Creighton has allowed just 59 made free throws in a 1-and-1 situation, and just 18 made free throws in the double bonus (and 6 of those came in an overtime session). Only four of those free throws in a 1-and-1 situation came in the first half (2 each vs. Alabama and San Diego State).
Here’s a look at how many fouls Creighton was called for this season by half:
Creighton Fouls By Half
Opponent First Half Second Half
UTRGV 4 7
FDU 5 7
Houston Christian 2 6
Kansas City 2 4
Nebraska 7 12
San Diego State 1 5
Texas A&M 9 8
Notre Dame 5 8
#1 Kansas 3 4
UNLV 4 4
#7 Alabama 7 11
Georgetown 4 4
Villanova 1 7
St. John’s 3 6
#8 Marquette 3 9
Butler 1 8
Providence 5 3
#14 UConn 3 5
DePaul 5 7
Seton Hall 4 5
Xavier 4 7
Total 82 137
Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Not counting 2019-20, when there was no postseason, Creighton has made the postseason each of the previous 11 times in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year. That’s a good sign since CU shot 60 percent on Nov. 6, its best mark since at least 1993-94 in a lid-lifter.
Nine of those postseason trips were NCAA Tournament berths. The last time that didn’t hold true was 1991-92, when CU shot 51.0 percent in the opener but finished just 9-19.
Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in nine of its last 13 season-openers.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage 50+%
Since 1993-94
FG% Year Opponent Postseason
.541 1997-98 UMKC NIT
.524 1998-99 Towson State NCAA
.569 2000-01 Western Illinois NCAA
.594 2002-03 UT Arlington NCAA
.500 2012-13 North Texas NCAA
.556 2013-14 Alcorn State NCAA
.528 2015-16 Texas Southern NIT
.508 2016-17 UMKC NCAA
.558 2017-18 Yale NCAA
.524 2019-20 Kennesaw St. Postseason Ccd.
.585 2021-22 Ark.-Pine Bluff NCAA
.567 2023-24 Florida A&M NCAA
.600 2024-25 UTRGV ? ? ?
The Push For 90
Of Creighton’s 25 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, 12 have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Put another way…of CU’s 19 teams (before 2024-25) to score 90 points in an opener, 12 would reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a look at Creighton’s last 12 teams to score 90 or more points in a season-opener:
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
97-65 North Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 27-8 NCAA
104-77 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 14-19 —
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 20-15 NIT
92-76 Yale 11/10/17 21-12 NCAA
90-77 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21 23-12 NCAA
105-54 Florida A&M 11/07/23 25-10 NCAA
99-86 UTRGV 11/06/24 ? ? ? ? ? ?
One Of The Best
Senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named one of 20 candidates on the NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, one of 50 players up for the John R. Wooden Award, and one of 50 candidates for the Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year Watch List.
Kalkbrenner is four players named to the Naismith’s Preseason list each of the last three years (joining Hunter Dickinson, RJ Davis and Caleb Love). He’s also one of four players to make the NABC Preseason list each of the past two seasons, joining Dickinson, Oumar Ballo and Wade Taylor IV.
Who’s Back?
With Creighton returning six of the 11 men who appeared in a game last season, it’s no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2023-24 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 119 (83.2%) 24 (16.8%)
Starts 105 (60.0%) 70 (40.0%)
Minutes 3684 (51.3%) 3491 (48.7%)
Rebounds 636 (51.1%) 608 (48.9%)
Points 1383 (49.1%) 1432 (50.9%)
3FG Made 171 (45.6%) 204 (54.4%)
Assists 226 (38.4%) 362 (61.6%)
Steals 42 (31.3%) 92 (68.7%)
Charges Taken 4 (30.8%) 9 (69.2%)
Preseason Top 15
The Creighton men’s basketball team was ranked 15th in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, the third straight season the Bluejays have been ranked among the nation’s best in the preseason.
This year’s announcement marks the seventh time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22), 2020-21 (No. 11), 2022-23 (No. 9) and 2023-24 (No. 8). All six of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with the last three most recent squads making the Sweet 16.
Creighton’s best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Creighton has been ranked 146 times in program history, with 118 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 180-76 all-time as a ranked team, including a 146-64 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 11 of McDermott’s 15 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton is one of 13 schools ranked in the Top 25 of the Preseason AP poll each of the last three years, joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Narrow that list to just the Preseason Top 15 the past three seasons and only seven schools can claim that, with Creighton joining Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Creighton was one of three BIG EAST Conference schools in the preseason poll, joining No. 3 Connecticut and No. 18 Marquette. Two of Creighton’s December opponents, No. 1 Kansas (Dec. 4) and No. 2 Alabama (Dec. 14), are atop the poll. CU met preseason No. 13 Texas A&M on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas.
Creighton was also 14th in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll.
CU dropped out of both polls on Monday, Dec. 9.
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 Jan. 29, 2024
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 4,525 2nd
2FG Percentage .551 3rd
FG Percentage .477 4th
Assists 8,110 5th
3FG Percentage .374 5th
FG Made 13,836 7th
Points 38,691 9th
Wins 340 23rd
Winning Percentage .672 29th
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 105 starts from last year’s team, the fifth time in the past six seasons its returned at least 100 starts.
Creighton has won 20 or more games each of the previous nine times (and 13 of the last 14 times) it has returned 100 or more starts.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2024-25 3 105 ? ? ?
2023-24 3 111 25-10
2022-23 3 104 24-13
2021-22 0 2 23-12
2020-21 5 124 22-9
2019-20 4 136 24-7
2018-19 2 57 20-15
2017-18 2 72 21-12
2016-17 4 130 25-10
2015-16 1 64 20-15
2014-15 1 49 14-19
2013-14 4 144 27-8
2012-13 4 140 28-8
2011-12 3 101 29-6
2010-11 4 123 23-16
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
#ProJays
Creighton has three alums in the NBA this season.
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is with the Sacramento Kings as he begins his 11th year in the NBA.
Baylor Scheierman was a First Round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Trey Alexander went undrafted, but was signed on a two-way contract by the Denver Nuggets.
These men give Creighton at least one NBA player for the 41st time in the last 42 seasons.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
Let’s Go On A Run
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. That makes CU one of five teams in the country to have a win in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments, joining Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston and Kansas.
This is the first time that Creighton has won an NCAA Tournament game in four straight years.
Sweetness!
Creighton is one of just five teams to have reached at least three of the last four Sweet 16s.
Gonzaga and Houston have done it each of the last four seasons, while Alabama, UCLA and Creighton have done it three times each.
This is the first time Creighton has been in the Sweet 16 in back-to-back tournaments.
Most Sweet 16’s, Last Four Years
# Team Years
4 Gonzaga 2021 2022 2023 2024
4 Houston 2021 2022 2023 2024
3 Creighton 2021 – 2023 2024
3 UCLA 2021 2022 2023 –
3 Alabama 2021 – 2023 2024
Ain’t Too Proud To Brag
Creighton (9 straight seasons) is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the previous nine seasons joining Kansas (35), Gonzaga (27), Belmont (14), Oregon (9) and Houston (9).
Creighton (5 straight seasons) is also one of five teams to post 22 or more wins in each of the previous five seasons, joining Gonzaga (27), Houston (7), San Diego State (5) and Baylor (5).
Creighton was one of six teams in the nation with 25 or more wins in both men’s basketball and women’s basketball last season. That list consists of Creighton, Gonzaga, NC State, South Carolina, UConn and Vermont.
Creighton is one of four schools to have men’s and women’s basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous three seasons, a list that included Creighton, Gonzaga, Princeton and UConn.
24 of 26 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 24 of the previous 26 seasons (1998-99 to 2023-24), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 26 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 25 times, Creighton and Kentucky 24 times each.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 26 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons
Gonzaga 26
Kansas 26
Duke 25
Creighton 24
Kentucky 24
Arizona 22
Florida 22
Ohio State 22
Michigan State 22
BYU 21
Memphis 21
North Carolina 21
Wisconsin 21
Most Consecutive 22-Win Seasons
Team Consec. 22-Win Years
Gonzaga 27
Houston 7
Creighton 5
San Diego State 5
Baylor 5
Top 25 Men & Women
Creighton was one of 12 schools with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men’s and women’s side in 2024-25, joining Alabama, Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas and UCLA.
The only five schools to be ranked in the preseason men’s and women’s basketball Top 25 of the AP Poll each of the last three seasons are Baylor, Creighton, North Carolina and Texas.
Creighton is one of eight schools to make the NCAA Tournament in both men’s and women’s basketball each of the previous three seasons, a list that consists of Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
Creighton is one of 14 schools that won an NCAA Tournament game last season in both men’s and women’s basketball: Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Colorado, Creighton, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee, Texas, and UConn.
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,040 straight games. That ranks as the nation’s 10th-longest active streak.
Creighton’s last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton’s last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
Below is a list of the nation’s longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (through 1/29)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,248 UNLV 2/1
2. 1,245 Duke 2/1
3. 1,180 East Tennessee State 2/2
4. 1,155 Oakland 1/30
5. 1,151 Pacific 1/30
6. 1,148 Texas 2/1
7. 1,088 Marshall 1/30
8. 1,081 Gonzaga 2/1
9. 1,069 Princeton 1/31
10. 1,041 Creighton 2/1
11. 1,037 Long Island 1/30
12. 1,025 Mount St. Mary’s 1/31
Triple Trouble
During Creighton’s current streak of 1,041 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,367 trifectas, an average of 8.04 treys per game.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 316 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 95-24 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 35-32 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: 109 times
7: 152 times 8: 130 times 9: 95 times
10: 87 times 11: 63 times 12: 63 times
13: 50 times 14: 26 times 15: 9 times
16: 8 times 17: 4 times 18: 1 time
19: 2 times 20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
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. 18,571 DePaul 01/22/24
10. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
11. 18,519 #8 Seton Hall 03/07/20
12. 18,518 Georgetown 01/27/18
13. 18,509 Villanova 02/04/23
14. 18,495 Marquette 02/17/18
15. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
16. 18,475 Nebraska 11/22/24
17. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
18. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
19. 18,430 SetonHall 01/25/25
20. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 366 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the now 22-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 303-63 (.828) record all-time at the facility.
Creighton’s Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program’s 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU’s 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 28,768-24,017 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.98 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 93 different times, including twice this year (Kansas City, #1 Kansas).
Incredibly, Creighton hasn’t trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 24 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 33-37 all-time in the 70 games at the arena in which it’s fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-12 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 42-30 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 206-45 (.821) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn’t trailed in 66 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 106-10 home record (.914) 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 321-63 (.836) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.77 points per home game (20,274 points in 251 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.23 points in non-conference home games (9,855 points in 117 home games).
Creighton is 153-7 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Nine Is Divine
Greg McDermott has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament nine times at Creighton. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, and most among basketball coaches.
McDermott is one of three head coaches in Creighton history to lead eight or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA’s @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 14
Bob Warming Men’s Soccer 11
Greg McDermott Men’s Basketball 9
Dana Altman Men’s Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Jim Flanery Women’s Basketball 7
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished the 2023-24 season ranked 11th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation’s No. 9 offense, and No. 24 defense.
Creighton has finished with a top-25 offense per KenPom eight times and a top-25 defense three times in 14 completed seasons under Greg McDermott.
Year Off. Rating Def. Rating Overall Rank
2010-11 66 174 98
2011-12 5 166 28
2012-13 5 66 15
2013-14 2 124 17
2014-15 59 138 79
2015-16 43 76 40
2016-17 32 46 28
2017-18 25 58 30
2018-19 47 83 55
2019-20 3 78 12
2020-21 25 32 22
2021-22 112 19 50
2022-23 23 14 12
2023-24 9 24 11
2024-25 43 33 33
New Court Debuts
Creighton is playing home games on a new basketball court designed to tell the story of Creighton University and the program’s proud history.
The court was designed by GLGR out of Beaverton, Ore., and produced by Ledford Sports Floors out of Jenks, Okla.
The court includes multiple intricate features that merit up-close inspection to gain a full appreciation for the attention to detail in the new Creighton-centric design.
• Six numbers will appear on the west sideline, three in front of each bench, to recognize the retired jersey numbers for No. 3 (Doug McDermott), No. 25 (Kyle Korver), No. 30 (Bob Harstad), No. 33 (Bob Portman), No. 35 (Paul Silas) and No. 45 (Bob Gibson).
• Within the eye of the Bluejay logo at midcourt will be the number 1916, a nod to Creighton’s first recognized year of intercollegiate basketball.
• Just inside the three-point line on the South end will be text of seven core Jesuit values, such as “Women and Men For and With Others”. It is believed that Creighton is the nation’s first Division I team with its school motto included inside its basketball court.
• Also inside the three-point line on the North side of the court are Heritage logos to honor Creighton’s history.
• The new color scheme also features an updated courtside gradient, in addition to a feather pattern inside the three-point line, a nod to Creighton’s Bluejay nickname.
McDermott’s Coaching Tree
Greg McDermott‘s coaching tree owns 10 men who are currently a head coach at the Division I level. Seven of the 10 won 20+ games last season. Here’s a list:
Darian DeVries – West Virginia
Eric Henderson – South Dakota State
Alan Huss – High Point
Ben Jacobson – Northern Iowa
Steve Lutz – Oklahoma State
TJ Otzelberger – Iowa State
David Richman – North Dakota State
Daniyal Robinson – Cleveland State
Paul Sather – North Dakota
Patrick Sellers – Central Connecticut State
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2024-25 season went on sale on October 16th.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
The Men’s Basketball team is gearing up for an exciting month as they kick off February with a tough matchup against Villanova. This game is sure to set the tone for the rest of the month as the team looks to continue their winning streak and climb up the rankings.
Villanova is known for their strong defense and fast-paced offense, making them a formidable opponent for any team. However, our team has been putting in the work and honing their skills in preparation for this game. With a talented roster and a dedicated coaching staff, we are confident that we can come out on top.
Be sure to tune in and support the Men’s Basketball team as they take on Villanova in what is sure to be an intense and thrilling game. Let’s show our team spirit and cheer them on to victory! Go team! #Basketball #Villanova #GameDay
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