Saturday, January 9
Newark, N.J.
1:07 PM
Creighton University
at
Seton Hall
Zach Hanson
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
Men's Basketball Visits Seton Hall in Battle Of Second-Place Teams
1/7/2016 1:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The last three meetings have each been decided by one point
Download Notes as a PDF
Game #17 • Creighton at Seton Hall • Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 • 1:07 p.m. CST
Prudential Center (10,862) • Newark, N.J.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1
Series History: Seton Hall leads, 8-3
Last Meeting: Seton Hall 67, Creighton 66 on Feb. 28, 2015 in Newark, N.J.
Next Game
The Creighton men's basketball team (11-5, 2-1 BIG EAST) visits Seton Hall (12-3, 2-1 BIG EAST) on Saturday afternoon in Newark, N.J.
The game will be held at Prudential Center (10,862), with tip-off scheduled for 1:07 pm Central.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2015-16 season. John Bishop and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler will call the action.
Prior to the game, Corey Lathrop and Matt Dorwart will host "Bluejay Shootaround", beginning at 11 am.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will air live nationally on FS1, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 78 (1078 in HD).
Joe Davis and Jim Spanarkel will announce.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Saturday's game will be available via FOXSportsGO.com for desktop users, and via the FOX Sports GO app for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Window devices). A cable authorization may be required.
The FOX Sports GO mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store or the Windows Store, and the games are now available internationally.
GoCreighton.com/watch also has a free video webcast of the postgame press conference following all home games.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 11-5 on the season, including an 8-2 mark at home and a 2-0 mark on neutral floors. The Bluejays are 2-1 in league play after an 80-70 win at St. John's on New Year's Eve, an 85-71 setback to No. 16 Villanova last Saturday, and a 79-66 win over Georgetown on Tuesday.
The Bluejays are scoring an impressive 85.4 points per game (10th nationally) and have four men averaging more than 11 points per game.
Boston University transfer Maurice Watson Jr. leads Creighton with 6.2 assists per contest and 13.8 points per game, while Geoffrey Groselle tops the club with 6.4 rebounds per game and is second with 12.1 points per game. He's shooting a nation-leading 73.8 percent from the field this year.
Also averaging in double-figures are Cole Huff (11.0 ppg.) and Isaiah Zierden (11.3 ppg., 1.6 spg.), who lead one of the nation's top shooting teams in three-pointers made, as well.
The Bluejays return nine lettermen and one starter (Toby Hegner) from last year's team that finished 14-19 and tied for ninth in the BIG EAST with a 4-14 league mark. Hegner averages 6.7 points per game, while the team's leading returning scorer (James Milliken) averages 7.7 points per contest.
Scouting Seton Hall
Seton Hall is 12-3 on the season and tied for second place in the BIG EAST with a 2-1 league mark.
Seton Hall starts five sophomores, a group headed by former McDonald's All-American Isaiah Whitehead (15.5 ppg., 4.5 apg.).
Khadeen Carrington (13.9 ppg.) and Desi Rodriguez (12.0 ppg) also score in double-figures, while Angel Delgado (9.3 ppg., 9.9 rpg.) is second in the BIG EAST in rebounds per game.
The Pirates score 73.9 points per game and shoot 44.6 percent from the field, 34.0 percent from three-point range and 65.0 percent at the line. SHU yields 64.4 points per game, allowing opponents to shoot 40.4 percent.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his sixth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 132-62 with the Bluejays. 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 owns a career mark of 412-257 in his 22nd season and is 281-193 in his 15th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
Kevin Willard (Pittsburgh, 1997) owns a 94-84 record in his sixth season at Seton Hall, which moves his career mark to 139-133 in nine years as a college head coach. He came to Seton Hall after a three-year stint as Iona head coach. Willard is assisted by Shaheen Holloway, Fred Hill and Grant Billmeier.
The Series With Seton Hall
Seton Hall leads the all-time series with Creighton 8-3, including a 6-2 record in New Jersey. The last three meetings have each been decided by exactly one point.
Greg McDermott is 2-2 against Seton Hall and coach Kevin Willard. Willard is 3-2 all-time against Creighton, leading his 2009-10 Iona team to a 63-55 win over the Bluejays at the Old Spice Classic near Orlando, Fla.
Won By One
Each of the last three meetings between Creighton and Seton Hall have been decided by exactly one point, including both meetings last year.
Last year was just the second time ever that Creighton played multiple one-point games against the same team in the same season, joining the 2004-05 Northern Iowa series (CU won 67-66 and 83-82).
Creighton is 5-5 in one-point games under Greg McDermott and 78-72 in program history in one-point games.
Creighton went 0-4 last season in one-point games and its current streak of four straight losses in one-point games is tied for the program's second-longest streak ever, trailing only a stretch of five straight losses in one-point games between 1947-52.
The 67-66 meeting the last time these two teams met is the most frequent score in Creighton's history among its one-point games, as it's happened 10 times (CU has won three).
So Close, Yet So Far
Seton Hall won a pair of one-point decisions against Creighton last season, but Creighton led both games with 17 seconds left.
In Seton Hall's 68-67 win in Omaha, Creighton took a 67-65 lead with 17.2 seconds left on a tip-in by Will Artino, only to surrender a three-pointer by Sterling Gibbs with 2.2 left. A game-winning attempt from three-point range by James Milliken hit the front rim and rolled over the rim.
Five weeks later in Newark, Angel Delgado's putback with 15.9 seconds left provided the winning margin of SHU's 67-66 victory. After Delgado's score, Austin Chatman was stripped while shooting and Milliken, Geoffrey Groselle and Milliken (again) all missed putback tries amid contact in the final frenzied seconds before the clock expired. Creighton trailed for just 65 seconds in the entire game, and led by as much as 14 points in the contest.
Taking A Stand
Creighton led 63-60 with 6:50 to play on Tuesday vs. Georgetown before tightening up its defense down the stretch in a game-ending 16-6 run.
The Hoyas scored on just three of 14 possessions down the stretch, one of which was an uncontested lay-up in the final five seconds. With the game in the balance, the Hoyas made just 1-of-8 shots from the floor and had three consecutive turnovers at one point.
Have A Half
Maurice Watson Jr. scored 20 of his career-high 27 points against Georgetown in the second half, an impressive figure considering his previous career-high for a game was 21 points.
Watson made 6-of-7 field goals in the second half, including three lay-ups, two mid-range jumpers and a three-point try. He also sank 7-of-8 free throws while playing all 20 minutes.
He was the first Bluejay with a 20-point half since Doug McDermott had 27 points in the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal against DePaul. McDermott's 27 points set a tournament record for one half, and came the day after he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
On The (Defensive) Rebound
Creighton has allowed just five offensive rebounds in the past two games, surrendering just seven second-chance points in that span.
For the season, Seton Hall averages a BIG EAST-best 13.7 offensive rebounds per game in all games (and a BIG EAST-leading 14.7 orpg. in league play), and ranks second in the league by snaring 36.7 percent of available offensive rebounds.
Creighton ranks second in the BIG EAST by grabbing 74.5 percent of available defensive rebounds, a figure that's improved to a league-best 80.6 percent in conference action.
In last year's 67-66 Seton Hall win in Newark, the Pirates grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and converted those into 18 second-chance points, including the game-winning putback by Angel Delgado with 15.9 seconds left.
Watson Reaches Milestones
Though he's still relatively new to Creighton, that hasn't kept Maurice Watson Jr. from reaching a couple big milestones at the collegiate level.
Watson owns 221 points and 99 assists at Creighton this season, and when combined with his 800 points and 410 assists in two seasons at Boston University, now owns career collegiate totals of 1,021 points and 509 assists.
Only two players have ever attained 1,000 points and 500 assists (all with CU) during their Creighton careers, Ryan Sears (1,309/570) and Antoine Young (1,342/505). Both Sears and Young got there as seniors.
Watson surpassed 1,000 career points on Tuesday vs. Georgetown in the 81st game of Watson's collegiate career. If you're curious to see how that stacks up with others in recent Creighton history to reach 1,000 career points, here's a list:
Games To 1,000 CU Points, Last 15 Bluejays
Name Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Austin Chatman 139 03/11/15
Ethan Wragge 132 01/18/14
Gregory Echenique 101 03/24/13
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Standard Five
Creighton has used the same starting line-up in every game this season. They're the only BIG EAST team that can say so.
Last season Creighton used 10 different starting line-up combinations, its most in any season since using 11 pairings in 1994-95.
Magic Number is 79
Creighton has scored 79 points or more in all 11 wins thus far.
The only opponent to score more than 76 points against Seton Hall this season has been Long Beach State, which scored 80 against the Pirates on Nov. 19th while handing SHU its first loss of the season.
Z For 3!
Isaiah Zierden is leading the BIG EAST Conference with 39 three-pointers made, two more than St. John's Federico Mussini.
Last year through games of January 5th, Zierden was also leading the BIG EAST in three-pointers made, as his 40 were two more than Kellen Dunham's (Butler) 38.
Most Improved Groselle?
With the possible exception of Providence's Ben Bentil and Georgetown's Bradley Hayes, few players around the BIG EAST have improved more than Creighton's Geoffrey Groselle.
Groselle entered his senior season averaging 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per contest, collecting 200 career points and 102 career rebounds in his first 63 games. This year Groselle owns 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and has 194 points and 103 rebounds in 16 starts.
Groselle Good As Gold
Geoffrey Groselle made his last five shots in an 8-for-9 against North Texas on Dec. 21, then followed it with an 8-for-8 showing from the floor vs. Coppin State one week later. On Dec. 31 at St. John's, Groselle made his first eight shots before finishing 9-of-10. Groselle was also perfect from the field vs. Villanova on Jan. 2nd, though he only attempted one shot.
The streak of 21 straight field goals made was just five shy of the NCAA record set by Bowling Green's Torian Oglesby over seven games from Dec. 4, 2011-Jan. 1, 2012.
The recent play has moved Groselle's field goal percentage to 73.8 percent, the best mark nationally (min 5 FGA/game) and tops in the BIG EAST (min. 3 FG/game).
The man who is fourth in the rankings, Texas A&M's Tyler Davis, like Groselle also attended Plano (Texas) West High School.
If you're curious, the NCAA record (min. 5 FG/game) was set in 1981 by Oregon State's Steve Johnson, who shot 74.6 percent, while the Creighton record (min. 200 attempts) is 67.4 percent set by Vernon Moore in 1984-85.
Groselle's older brother, Mike Groselle, played at The Citadel from 2009-13 and ranks eighth in Southern Conference history with a 58.9 career field goal percentage and led the league in that category as a senior when he shot 57.4 percent from the floor.
FG Percentage Leaders (through 1/6)
Minimum 5 FGA/game
Rk. Team FG%
1. Geoffrey Groselle, Creighton .738
2. Thomas Bryant, Indiana .730
3. Sterling Brown, SMU .723
4. Tyler Davis, Texas A&M .714
5. Evan Bradds, Belmont .705
Watson Plays Distributor
Maurice Watson Jr. owns 47 assists in Creighton's last seven games against just 14 turnovers.
He was Creighton's first player in more than 30 years with five straight games with seven or more assists, but that streak was ended last Saturday vs. Villanova.
Watson is currently averaging 6.2 assists per game. Creighton's last player to average 6.0 assists per game or more for an entire season is Randy Eccker's 7.3 assists per contest in 1976-77.
Overall, Watson's 2.41 assist/turnover ratio this year ranks fourth in the BIG EAST (min. 3.0 assists per game), and his career ratio (including Boston) of 2.18 assists per turnover ranks seventh-best nationally among active players with 400 or more career assists.
That ratio ranks better that such highly-touted point guards such as Marcus Paige (2.15), Kay Felder (2.11), Nic Moore (2.10), Ryan Arcidiacono (2.04), Yogi Ferrell (1.97) and Kris Dunn (1.83).
Home Sweet Home
Creighton has averaged 90.0 points per game at home this season. CU has shot 50 percent or better in eight of the 10 games, and 53.2 percent overall.
Creighton is also shooting 40.3 percent from three-point land at home, and has made 10 or more trifectas in six of the 10 contests.
Making the high-octane offense all the more impressive is that the team is doing it while averaging just 10.2 turnovers per game, slightly more than the team's 9.3 three-pointers per contest.
Not So Sweet Home
After going 61-10 in home non-conference games, BIG EAST teams are 7-8 at home thus far in league play.
BIG EAST teams went 54-36 in league play at home last year after going 55-35 in 2013-14 in Creighton's first year as a league member.
Century Mark Back-to-Back
Creighton scored 105 points on Dec. 21st against North Texas, then had 102 more on Dec. 28th vs. Coppin State.
Creighton had not scored 100 points or more in consecutive games since Jan. 29 (104 at Idaho State) and Feb. 2 (115 vs. Memphis) during the 1965-66 season, and had not scored 100 points twice in the same month since February of 1990.
Creighton has scored 100 points or more in three different games this season. It's the fourth different season in program history it's done that, and first time since 1989-90's squad did it three times.
The 1965-66 team cracked the century mark seven times, while the 1971-72 club reached triple-digits five times.
The Fast And The Furious
Creighton has 180 fast break points already this winter. By comparison, last year Creighton had a total of 143 fast break points (4.3 per game), and never had more than 11 in any contest.
Creighton had a whopping 30 fast break points in its Nov. 14 win over Texas Southern, added 24 more on Nov. 17 vs. UTSA.
Creighton's 30 fast break points are believed to be its most since moving to CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003, with the next highest mark on file (before Texas Southern on Nov. 14) was listed as 24 vs. Kennesaw State on Nov. 26, 2010.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton has averaged 85.4 points per game in its first 16 regular-season contests to date.
Greg McDermott is 35-0 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 29-0 mark on the Creighton sideline.
In fact, McDermott's team has already scored 90 or more points seven times (in 16 games) this season, compared to six total times in 280 games on the sideline in nine years at Northern Iowa and Iowa State.
Creighton has won 73 straight games when scoring 90 or more points at all sites since a Jan. 11, 1988 loss to Southern Illinois.
Creighton is 52-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 24 straight wins since a 1977 loss to North Texas State.
Balance Is Key
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 16 games in recent seasons.
Of note, Creighton has started 10-6 or better after 16 games in 17 of the past 19 seasons.
This year's team, with four double-figure scorers, joins the 2010-11 and 2000-01 clubs as the only other squads since 1994-95 that Creighton has had more than three players scoring in double-figures after 16 games.
Creighton's 85.38 points per game clip is the team's third-highest mark after 16 games in history, and most since the 1970-71 club was averaging 86.56 points at this point. Creighton's single-season record is 88.2 points per game in 1965-66, and that team was averaging 87.69 points per game after 16 contests.
Creighton's 49.9 percent field goal percentage through 16 games is the fourth-best mark in the last 20 years, trailing only the 2002-03, 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams that were led by Kyle Korver and Doug McDermott, respectively.
Creighton's 141 three-pointers through 16 games are its fourth-most in the last 20 years, as well.
Year W-L PPG FG% 3FG 10+ PPG guys
2015-16 11-5 85.4 .499 141 4
2014-15 9-7 69.5 .415 136 2
2013-14 14-2 82.3 .486 184 2
2012-13 15-1 80.2 .519 159 2
2011-12 14-2 81.9 .511 140 2
2010-11 11-5 67.0 .433 107 4
2009-10 7-9 69.8 .441 117 1
2008-09 12-4 75.0 .443 138 3
2007-08 13-3 74.5 .460 132 2
2006-07 11-5 67.8 .447 102 2
2005-06 12-4 69.9 .429 115 3
2004-05 10-6 68.1 .442 125 2
2003-04 14-2 70.9 .469 97 2
2002-03 15-1 82.8 .517 148 1
2001-02 11-5 76.1 .452 102 3
2000-01 12-4 75.1 .439 121 4
1999-00 11-5 70.9 .467 126 3
1998-99 12-4 76.5 .470 130 2
1997-98 10-6 75.9 .463 114 3
1996-97 8-8 65.7 .408 81 1
1995-96 8-8 65.4 .392 92 2
1994-95 6-10 62.9 .385 110 3
The Link Turns Into The Dunk Tank
Creighton has put down 35 dunks in 16 regular-season games as a unit this year. By comparison, Creighton had 29 dunks in 33 games all last season.
Seven different men have thrown down a dunk this winter, led by 10 each from Khyri Thomas and Geoffrey Groselle.
So Many Weapons
Creighton had seven players score in double-figures in its Dec. 28 win over Coppin State, as Geoffrey Groselle (16), Isaiah Zierden (16), Cole Huff (14), Malik Albert (13), Khyri Thomas (10), Maurice Watson Jr. (10) and Zach Hanson (10) all had 10 or more points.
It was the first time since at least 1980-81 that Creighton has had seven men score 10 or more points in the same game.
It's also the first time since Nov. 21, 2010 that all five Bluejay starters scored in double-figures in the same contest.
Albert's 13 points were a season-high, and make him the 11th different Bluejay with score 10 or more points in a game this season.
Guarded Optimism
Creighton's starting backcourt of Maurice Watson Jr., Khyri Thomas and Isaiah Zierden combined for 17 assists and one turnover in the win over Coppin State. That trio also made 7-of-9 three-point baskets.
For the season, Watson, Thomas and Zierden have combined for 33.6 points per game and are shooting a combined 63-for-148 from three-point range (42.6 percent) while owning a combined 172/78 (2.21) assist/turnover ratio.
Offensive-Minded
Creighton ranks 10th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 85.4 points per game. Six of the nation's top 10 teams in scoring offense are also ranked in the top-20 in the Jan. 4th AP poll.
National Scoring Offense Leaders (through 1/6)
Rk. Team PPG AP Rank
1. The Citadel 90.8 -
2. Kansas 89.8 1st
3. Duke 88.5 14th
4. Oklahoma 88.5 2nd
5. North Carolina 87.8 6th
6. Oakland 86.9 -
7. West Virginia 86.6 17th
8. Butler 86.5 18th
9. Indiana 85.9 RV
10. Creighton 85.4 --
Playing With The Lead
In 213 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 58 of those contests, a staggering 27.2 percent of the time, including six times (UTSA, Western Illinois, Nebraska, IUPUI, North Texas and Coppin State) this year.
Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is 81-17 and hasn't trailed in 33 of those games.
Creighton has not trailed in four of its last five home games (wins over Nebraska, IUPUI, North Texas and Coppin State).
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 729 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the 23rd-longest active streak.
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.
Creighton's streak of games with at least 15 trey attempts stands at 92, which is second-longest nationally.
Courtesy Stats Inc., below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (thru 1/6)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 955 UNLV 1/9
2. 952 Kentucky 1/9
3. 945 Vanderbilt 1/9
4. 926 Duke 1/9
5. 885 Western Kentucky 1/7
6. 883 Arkansas 1/9
7. 873 East Tennessee State 1/9
8. 870 Pacific 1/7
9. 850 Oakland 1/8
10. 839 Texas 1/9
11. 828 Princeton 1/9
12. 811 Florida 1/9
13. 791 La Salle 1/9
14. 789 Marshall 1/7
15. 780 Baylor 1/9
16. 758 Cornell 1/16
758 LIU-Brooklyn 1/7
18. 752 Gonzaga 1/9
19. 739 Tennessee State 1/9
20. 738 Mount St. Mary's 1/7
21. 736 Samford 1/9
22. 731 East Carolina 1/9
23. 729 Creighton 1/9
24. 693 Lafayette 1/9
25. 691 DePaul 1/9
26. 683 Davidson 1/9
Longest Active Streaks of 15+ 3FG Attempts
(Source: STATS Inc., thru Jan. 6)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 149 Coppin State 1/9
2. 92 Creighton 1/9
3. 82 Iona 1/7
4. 81 San Jose State 1/9
5. 72 Lipscomb 1/9
McDermott Moves Into Top Four
CU's Dec. 9 win over Nebraska was the 127th on the Creighton sideline for head coach Greg McDermott. The triumph helped McDermott pass Eddie Hickey for fifth in Creighton history in wins.
Nineteen days later on Dec. 28, McDermott tied Tom Apke (1974-81), who had 130 wins for fourth place on the wins list. He currently has 132 victories to own sole possession of fourth place.
McDermott's .680 winning percentage is Creighton's best since Arthur A. Schabinger's .714 win rate more 80 years ago.
McDermott reached 130 wins quicker than any coach except Schabinger, as well.
Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton MBB coaches in history.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton History
Rk. W-L Name (games to 130 wins) Years
1. 327-176 Dana Altman (220) 1994-2010
2. 165-66 Arthur A. Schabinger (182) 1922-35
3. 138-118 John J. "Red" McManus (242) 1959-69
4. 132-62 Greg McDermott (191) 2010-Pres.
5. 130-64 Tom Apke (193) 1974-81
Double R's, Double L's, Double-Double Harrell
With Toby Hegner and Martin Krampelj out of the line-up, Ronnie Harrell Jr. took advantage of an opportunity to play extended minutes on Dec. 21 vs. North Texas.
Harrell, who entered the game with 16 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals in his first six career games, had career-highs with 14 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals against the Mean Green.
Harrell became the first Creighton freshman with a double-double since Doug McDermott had 31 points and 10 rebounds against Davidson in the 2011 CBI.
Since Greg McDermott took over as coach six years ago, the only other Creighton player with at least 14 points, 11 rebounds and five or more assists was Austin Chatman. Chatman had 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in Creighton's 65-63 win over Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014.
Big Men In The Middle
Geoffrey Groselle and Zach Hanson were a big part of Creighton's 105-82 romp over North Texas on Dec. 21, as both men went for career-highs and combined for 40 points on 14-of-15 shooting from the floor, adding five blocked shots.
Groselle's 27 points were seven more than his previous best and came on 8-of-9 shooting from the floor and 11-of-14 free throw marksmanship.
Hanson's 13 points were two more than his previous best. He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor and also 1-for-2 at the line.
The duo continued their effectiveness on Dec. 28 vs. Coppin State. Groselle was a perfect 8-for-8 from the floor and added nine rebounds, while Hanson was 3-for-4 from the floor. Both men added two blocked shots.
Dynamite Starts For Newcomers
A pair of newcomers are among Creighton's leading scorers through 16 games, as Cole Huff has 176 points and Maurice Watson Jr. has 221.
Since 1995-96, Watson's figure is first among all Creighton newcomers through 16 games, 19 ahead of Doug McDermott's 202 points.
McDermott would finish his career with 3,150 in 145 career games to rank fifth in NCAA history.
Most Points, CU Newcomers First 16 Games Since 1995-96
Pts. Name, Class Year After 17
221 Maurice Watson Jr., Jr. 2015-16 TBD
202 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11 229
189 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96 199
189 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08 195
176 Cole Huff, Jr. 2015-16 TBD
170 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02 186
168 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98 168
167 Gregory Echenique, So. 2010-11 178
Assists Are Elementary For Watson
Maurice Watson Jr. had his second game this season with 10 assists on Dec. 12th against IUPUI. Watson had six such games at Boston University in his first two years as a collegian.
Watson is the first Bluejay with two games of 10 or more assists in the same season since Austin Chatman had two in 2012-13.
Since 2001-02, the only Bluejay with more than two games of 10+ assists in the same year has been Grant Gibbs, who had three such games in 2011-12.
Pace Makers
Creighton ranks 10th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 85.4 points per game to date.
This year's team has scored 79 points or more in all 11 victories, significantly better than last year's team that reached 85 just twice all winter.
Since 2000-01, Creighton owns 54 games of 85+ points in the eight seasons it has made the NCAA Tournament, compared to 19 such outbursts in the seven years it has missed the Big Dance.
Year 85+ Point Games Postseason?
2015-16 8 TBD
2014-15 2 None
2013-14 12 NCAA
2012-13 7 NCAA
2011-12 13 NCAA
2010-11 3 CBI
2009-10 2 CIT
2008-09 3 NIT
2007-08 6 NIT
2006-07 0 NCAA
2005-06 2 NIT
2004-05 1 NCAA
2003-04 1 NIT
2002-03 11 NCAA
2001-02 6 NCAA
2000-01 4 NCAA
Khyri Lets It Fly
Khyri Thomas had the best scoring game of his young career on Dec. 5 when he poured in 22 points at Loyola (Chicago). Thomas sank 9-of-10 shots from the field, and was 4-for-4 from three-point range.
Thomas' 22 points were the most by a Bluejay freshman in a game since Doug McDermott had 31 vs. Davidson on March 21, 2011, and the most points by a Creighton freshman in a true road game since Rodney Buford also scored 22 points at Wichita State on Feb. 3, 1996.
Thomas' 90 percent marksmanship from the field was the second-best single-game showing by a Bluejay (minimum 8 FG) since 1994, trailing only an 11-for-11 outing from Anthony Tolliver vs. Illinois State on Jan. 1, 2007.
Thomas' 4-for-4 showing from three-point range was the most makes without a miss from downtown since Devin Brooks also went 4-for-4 from deep on Nov. 28, 2013 vs. Arizona State.
Creighton hasn't had a player go 5-for-5 (or better) from three-point range since Michael Lindeman was 5-for-5 vs. Bradley on Feb. 8, 2003.
Triple Threat
Khyri Thomas entered the Dec. 9 game vs. Nebraska with five total assists in Creighton's first eight games, but the freshman guard would match that total in the first 14 minutes, and tallied seven helpers overall.
Thomas finished with seven points, seven assists and nine rebounds against the Cornhuskers. He is just the third Bluejay in Greg McDermott's six-year tenure to post at least seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the same game, joining Austin Chatman and Grant Gibbs. Both Chatman and Gibbs did it twice each.
Creighton has never had a traditional point/rebound/assist triple-double.
7+ Point, 7+ Rebound, 7+ Assist Games, Since 2010-11
Pts. Reb. Ast. Name Date
12 10 7 Grant Gibbs 1/13/12
12 7 9 Austin Chatman 11/11/13
9 7 10 Grant Gibbs 12/19/11
9 7 7 Austin Chatman 1/25/14
7 9 7 Khyri Thomas 12/9/15
Full House
Creighton's Dec. 9 crowd of 17,766 was the program's 18th largest home crowd ever. 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. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
4. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
5. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
6. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
7. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
8. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
9. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
10. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
11. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
12. 18,160 Central Arkansas 11/14/14
13. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
14. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
15. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
16. 17,971 #19 Butler 02/16/15
17. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
18. 17,766 Nebraska 12/09/15
19. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
20. 17,694 Indiana State 01/05/13
Huff Earns MVP Honor
Nevada transfer Cole Huff returned to the Silver State and picked up MVP honors of the 2015 Men Who Speak Up Main Event after averaging 19.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in the two wins.
Huff made 13-of-25 field goal attempts, including 7-of-15 three-pointers. He scored 26 points in the victory over Rutgers before a 12-point effort over UMass in the title game.
What's Your Twenty?
Creighton has had five different players score 20 points or more this season, as Isaiah Zierden, Cole Huff, Maurice Watson Jr. (twice), Khyri Thomas and Geoffrey Groselle (three times) have all reached that mark.
By comparison, last year Creighton had five players all year reach 20+ points (Austin Chatman, James Milliken, Toby Hegner, Will Artino and Zierden), and in the two previous years had only three players surpass 20 points in any game.
Thomas Makes History
Khyri Thomas opened his Creighton career with 18 points in a win over Texas Southern, which earned him BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors on Nov. 16th.
Thomas is the first Bluejay in program history to be named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
Creighton's last player to be named league Freshman/Newcomer of the Week following the first week of the season was Doug McDermott on Nov. 15, 2010, when CU was in the Missouri Valley Conference. McDermott would go on to be named First-Team All-MVC and, MVC Newcomer of the Year and MVC Freshman of the Year.
Among The Best
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, which coincides with Greg McDermott's arrival, Creighton has been the nation's fourth-most accurate team from three-point range.
The Bluejays are 1633-4161 from deep in that time, shooting 39.25 percent from deep in that span.
Best 3FG%, Since 2010-11
Rk. Pct. Team 3FG 3FGA
1. .3949 Indiana 1330 3368
2. .3945 Northern Colorado 1161 2943
3. .3936 Weber State 1370 3481
4. .3925 Creighton 1633 4161
5. .3880 UC Davis 1329 3425
Shooting Stars
Creighton has proven to be one of the nation's best shooting teams since the 2010-11 season, which coincides with when Greg McDermott arrived at Creighton.
Check out the lists below that show various categories showcasing their dominance, through Jan. 6:
Most Games, 50% FG & 40% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 66 Creighton
2. 57 Gonzaga
57 Kansas
4. 56 Saint Mary's
5. 55 Denver
Most Games, 50% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 44 Creighton
2. 40 Northern Colorado
3. 38 UCLA
38 Northeastern
38 Michigan State
38 Weber State
Most Games, 40% 3FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 101 Creighton
2. 96 Duke
3. 94 Indiana
4. 90 Weber State
5. 88 Saint Mary's
Most Games, 50% FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 93 Gonzaga
2. 87 Kansas
3. 83 Creighton
83 Belmont
5. 79 Indiana
Most Games, 60% FG
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 16 Creighton
16 Ohio State
3. 15 Utah
4. 14 Kansas
14 Gonzaga
14 North Dakota State
Most Games, 25+ Assists
Rk. Occasions Team
1. 17 Michigan State
2. 16 North Carolina
3. 15 Iona
4. 14 Creighton
14 Sam Houston State
A 60 Point Half!
Creighton scored 61 points in the first half on Nov. 17 vs. UTSA, tying a CenturyLink Center Omaha record first done in the second half vs. Houston Baptist on Dec. 12, 2007.
It was also the most points in any first half since scoring 61 vs. Drake on Feb. 3, 1990.
Creighton had not scored 60 points in any half since doing so in the first half on Nov. 25, 2011 vs. Campbell, and the 61 were tied for its second-most point in any half since 1996-97, trailing only a 63-point outburst in the second half of the 2002-03 opener vs. Texas-Arlington.
Creighton scored 60 points in a half for the second time this year when it did so in the second half of a 97-76 win over Massachusetts on Nov. 25th.
Malik's Magic
Junior guard Malik Albert got extended run on Nov. 17 vs. UTSA with Maurice Watson Jr. saddled to the bench with two personal fouls. The Detroit native responded in a big way, finishing with 10 assists in 20 minutes of work. The 10 assists led to 28 points from his Bluejay teammates.
In the process, Albert became the nation's third reserve with 10 or more assists in 20 minutes or less in a win against a Division I team since 2010-11. He joins Kansas's Naadir Tharpe (12 assists in 20 minutes vs. American on Dec. 29, 2012) and Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Smith (10 assists in 20 minutes on Nov. 20, 2013 vs. Central Arkansas).
Per STATS Inc., Albert became the second BIG EAST reserve since 2004-05 with 10+ assists in 20 minutes or less against a Division I team, joining Marquette's Maurice Acker (12/28/08 vs. Presbyterian).
Albert is Creighton's only player in the last 30 years to have a game of 10 or more assists as a reserve.
Big Margin Can Lead To Big Things
Creighton's 104-77 win last year vs. Central Arkansas was the second straight season the team has cracked triple-digits in a season-opener.
The 2015-16 season saw Creighton reach 90 points in each of its first two games this season, just the fourth time that's happened. Each of the previous three times (1973-74, 2011-12, 2013-14), the Bluejays would reach the NCAA Tournament and then win at last one game in the Big Dance.
Nine of Creighton's 19 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Here's a look at Creighton's last eight teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener, which shows that six of the previous seven to do so reached the NCAA Tournament.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 ? ? ? ? ? ?
104-77 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 14-19 --
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 27-8 NCAA
97-65 N. Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
Debut News
Creighton started three players on Nov. 14 who were making their Bluejay debut, as transfers Cole Huff and Maurice Watson Jr. joined true freshman Khyri Thomas in the first five.
Thomas' start was especially historic, as he became just the third true freshman to start since 1992-93, joining Bluejay legends Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Ryan Sears (1997-98). Both McDermott (145 games) and Sears (124) started every contest of their four-year Creighton careers.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish ninth in its third season as BIG EAST Conference members according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Villanova was picked first with 81 points and nine first-place votes, while Georgetown (70, 1), Butler (67), Xavier (55) and Providence (45) round out the top half. The predicted lower half was Marquette (44), Seton Hall (27), DePaul (25), Creighton (23) and St. John's (13).
Creighton did not have any honorees on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Teams, which was led by Preseason Player of the Year Kris Dunn from Providence.
Zierden Returns From Second Knee Injury
Isaiah Zierden had 15 points on Nov. 14 after missing the second half of last season after suffering a season-ending injury to his right knee for the second straight campaign.
Zierden was carried off the floor with 4:05 left in the first half on Jan. 21, 2015 at Butler and did not return.
An MRI two days later determined that Zierden partially tore the MCL in his knee, while also suffering an injury to his patella.
Unlike his first injury, Zierden elected to have surgery this time around, as he underwent a medical procedure in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2015.
The uncommon injury is very similar to one he suffered the previous March at Xavier, which caused him to miss CU's last seven games.
Zierden's 15 points and four assists vs. Texas Southern were both second-most on the team.
He did even better on Nov. 17 vs. UTSA, scoring a career-high 24 points in 23 minutes.
NBA Representation
This year marks the second time since 1970 (joining last season) that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Detroit Pistons) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
Including 2015-16, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 32 of the last 33 years.
Korver ranks ninth in NBA history with 1,792 three-pointers and is also ninth in league history with 42.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through Jan. 6). He owns NBA records with 127 straight games with a three-pointer, and also set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range. Last season he was named an All-Star and led the league in three-point percentage for the third time.
Tolliver is averaging 5.1 points per game this season for the Pistons, his 10th NBA organization.
McDermott is in his second season with the Chicago Bulls, where he's averaging 8.2 points per game and shoots 42.1 percent from three-point range for fellow Ames High alum Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg, ironically, is the same man who replaced Greg McDermott as Iowa State's head coach in 2010.
Full House
Last year's Creighton team averaged 17,048 fans in 17 home dates, good for sixth-nationally, and better than 11 NBA franchises.
It's the 10th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the fourth straight season in the top-six nationally in attendance, as well.
Last year Creighton was the nation's first team to average 17,000+ fans, despite a losing record, since Louisville in 2000-01.
This year's team is averaging 16,852 fans per game after eight home dates, which ranks seventh nationally through Jan. 6.
2015-16 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 22,983 1/12
2. Louisville 20,052 1/14
3. Syracuse 19,573 1/9
4. Maryland 17,876 1/16
5. Wisconsin 17,287 1/9
6. Indiana 16,903 1/10
7. Creighton 16,852 1/12
8. North Carolina 16,620 1/16
9. Kansas 16,557 1/16
10. North Carolina State 16,025 1/7
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
17,048 Creighton 2014-15
16,852 so far Creighton 2015-16
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 15 of the last 17 seasons (including 2014-15), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just three schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 17 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
Kentucky , Florida, Texas and Syracuse have each done it in 16 of the last 17 seasons.
Along with Arizona, Xavier, Kent State and Connecticut, Creighton is one of five schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 15 of the past 17 years.
Très Bien
Creighton made 39-of-91 three-pointers (42.9 percent) in its BIG EAST victories last season, but just 93-for-299 (31.1 percent) from deep in its league losses.
For the season Creighton shot 34.5 percent from three-point land.
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 42-35 (.545) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 67-10 (.870) mark the last five years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 97-24 in the last five years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 12-21 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
NCAA Success
Creighton is one of 18 schools to have won an NCAA Tournament game in at least three of the last four seasons.
Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina are the only five teams to have won at least one game all four seasons.
The list of teams with an NCAA win in three of the last four campaigns consists of Arizona, Creighton, Florida, Iowa State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oregon, Saint Louis, San Diego State, Syracuse, Wichita State and Wisconsin.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 213 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 13-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 178-35 (.836) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (10-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 16,247-13,723 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.85 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 58 different times, including six times this year (UTSA, Western Illinois, Nebraska, IUPUI, North Texas and Coppin State).
Creighton is also 25-20 all-time in the 45 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
Creighton is 81-17 (.827) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 47-4 record vs. non-conference teams.
Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 197-35 (.849) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 14 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, including three games last year, and seven such comebacks away from home.
On Nov. 19, 2014, Creighton trailed 42-24 to No. 18 Oklahoma with 18:30 to go before putting together a comeback for the ages. It was CU's largest comeback victory under Greg McDermott (see chart below), the second-largest since 2000 (see chart below), and the second-biggest in the history of CenturyLink Center Omaha (see chart, left column on page five).
On the other hand, CU is 116-6 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 104 of the last 106 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
14 Evansville 02/21/12
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
Winning Formulas
Below are the records for each current BIG EAST school over the last four, 10 and 16 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins, through games of Jan. 8.
Most Wins Since 2000-01 (thru 1/8)
Team W L
Butler 370 149
Xavier 367 150
Creighton 360 160
Villanova 350 167
Marquette 338 174
Georgetown 334 170
Providence 272 218
Seton Hall 256 227
St. John's 241 243
DePaul 199 280
Most Wins - Last 10 Years (2006-07 thru 1/8)
Team W L
Butler 244 87
Xavier 230 96
Villanova 228 95
Creighton 221 108
Georgetown 216 98
Marquette 212 112
Providence 172 137
Seton Hall 160 143
St. John's 159 149
DePaul 108 194
Most Wins - Last 4 Years (2012-13 thru 1/8)
Team W L
Villanova 95 24
Creighton 80 40
Providence 78 41
Butler 76 40
Xavier 75 42
Georgetown 74 39
Marquette 67 47
St. John's 65 50
Seton Hall 60 53
DePaul 41 71
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 132-62 on the Creighton sideline early in his sixth year at the helm. The 132 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first six seasons, way more than Tom Apke's 109.
Most Wins at CU, First Six Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 6 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 132-62 so far
Tom Apke 1974-80 109-55
Tony Barone 1985-91 102-82
Dana Altman 1994-00 99-78
Red McManus 1959-65 91-63
Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather's Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is 94-1 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha. In other words, Creighton is 106-1 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza. The perfect streak of 101-0 was snapped on Dec. 2, 2015 when Arizona State scored three points in the final 15 seconds to sneak away with a 79-77 victory.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 78.38 points per home game (7,681 points in 98 home games).
Since a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000, Creighton is 116-0 at home (87-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more, and 97-0 at home (70-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to that same setback.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 14-19 last season, finishing 4-14 to tie for ninth place in the BIG EAST Conference.
The Bluejays started the season 5-0, including a win over No. 18 Oklahoma, before losing eight remaining games in the final minute.
Senior point guard Austin Chatman led Creighton in scoring (11.5 ppg.) and assists (3.7 apg.), while fellow senior Devin Brooks paced the team in rebounds (5.0 ppg.) and steals (1.0 spg.).
Despite the struggles on the court, Creighton still ranked sixth nationally with 17,048 fans per home game.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2015-16 season went on sale on October 29th.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
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/ Men's BasketballMeet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
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Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Ty Davis
Friday, August 15
