Men's Basketball Hosts Road-Tested UT Arlington on Monday

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Game #11: UT Arlington Mavericks at Creighton Bluejays
Monday, Dec. 18, 2017 • 8:00 p.m.
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN (1620 AM), KOOO (101.9 FM), www.1620thezone.com
Television: FS1
Series History: Creighton leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Creighton 106, UT Arlington 50 on Nov. 17, 2002 in Omaha, Neb.

Next Game
Creighton (8-2) hosts UT Arlington (8-3) on Monday, Dec. 18 in an 8 p.m. contest.
   The contest will take place on First National Bank Court inside CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2017-18 season, while KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

Television Broadcast Information
Monday's game will be televised nationally on FS1. The announcers for the game will be Vince Welch and LaChina Robinson.

Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Monday'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.

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 8-2 this year, including three straight victories, to move into 25th in the Dec. 11 USA Today Coaches poll.
   Creighton is a perfect 6-0 at home, with six double-digit victories, outscoring foes 96.2 - 63.8 in those contests.
   The Bluejays posted consecutive top-25 wins away from home over No. 20 Northwestern and No. 23 UCLA in November, and both losses have come against ranked teams away from home, as CU lost to No. 22 Baylor in Kansas City and No. 15 Gonzaga in Spokane.
   Senior guard Marcus Foster (18.6 ppg.) was a unanimous First Team All-BIG EAST pick last season, when he scored 18.2 points per game. Foster led the BIG EAST in field goals made last winter and has earned Preseason All-BIG EAST acclaim this winter. He is the nation's active leader in field goals made and among the top-five in career points as well.
   Lockdown defender Khyri Thomas (15.7 ppg., 4.1 rpg.) was named an Honorable Mention Preseason All-BIG EAST choice in October. Thomas was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year last season and scored a career-high 24 points in the win at Northwestern.
   Sophomore big man Martin Krampelj has made a huge improvement from last year in the middle, averaging 12.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his first year as a starter. Krampelj owns two double-doubles in CU's last three games.
   CU's fourth- and fifth-leading scorers are both true freshmen, Mitch Ballock (8.3 ppg.) and Ty-Shon Alexander (7.4 ppg.), who have excelled in their rookie campaigns.
   Creighton is averaging 90.2 points per game this season, shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from three-point range. CU also owns a +7.4 rebound margin and a 188/109 assist/turnover ratio to date.

Scouting UT Arlington
UT Arlington is 8-3 on the season after snapping a two-game losing streak with an 86-65 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday.
   The Mavericks are led by Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Kevin Hervey, who averages 23.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest, and had 30 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday's victory.
   Erick Neal averages 13.8 points per game, tops UTA with 2.0 steals per game, and leads the nation with 9.4 assists per game. He's also an 89.7 percent free throw shooter. Neal did not play in Saturday's win over UTRGV.
   Inside, Virginia Tech grad transfer Johnny Hamilton averages 12.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per contest.
   The Mavericks average 78.5 points per game while allowing 69.2 per contest. UTA is +4.2 per game on the glass and shoots 47.4 percent from the field, 35.2 percent from downtown and 68.4 percent at the line.
   Among UTA's road wins in the last three seasons have been BYU (twice in 2017), Texas (2016), Saint Mary's (2016), Ohio State (2015) and Memphis (2015). This year's team also won 99-84 at Oklahoma in a charity exhibition in October.

The Series With UT Arlington
Creighton is 2-0 all-time against UT Arlington in a series that started in Honolulu in 1993 with an 81-63 Bluejay victory.
   The most recent meeting saw Creighton crush the Mavericks, 106-50, to open the 2002-03 campaign in the Guardians Classic.
   Greg McDermott has never faced UT Arlington, and is 3-0 all-time against teams that currently reside in the Sun Belt Conference (2-0 at Creighton, both over Louisiana).
   He has never coached against Scott Cross.

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his eighth season as head coach at Creighton. He is 174-84 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 454-279 in his 24th season and is 323-215 in his 17th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Preston Murphy and Alan Huss.
   Scott Cross (UT Arlington, 1998) owns a 212-151 record in his 12th season at UT Arlington, which doubles as his career mark. Cross has the Mavericks to the postseason five times, including the 2017 NIT quarterfinals, and last year guided UTA to the program's first Sun Belt Conference regular-season title. He is assisted by Greg Young, Zak Buncik and Kenneth Mangrum.

Last Time They Met
The last time Creighton met UT Arlington, the Bluejays won a 106-50 decision. The Bluejays broke open a 43-25 halftime score, blitzing UTA to the tune of 63-25 after the break.
   Kyle Korver opened his senior season 6-for-6 from three-point range, breaking Ryan Sears' CU career record for three-point baskets in the process, as CU posted its largest victory margin (at the time) since 1926.
   Creighton finished night 15-for-25 from three-point range, outrebounded UTA 44-23, and shot 59.4 percent from the field overall.

100 Grand In Sight
Having drawn 96,438 fans this season, Creighton is all but assured of surpassing 100,000 home fans during Monday night's game vs. UT Arlington.
   This season will mark the 16th straight season of 100,000 or more home fans for the program, a streak that started in the final season (2002-03) of the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
   Creighton has led its conference in home attendance each of the last 14 completed seasons, and is once again leading the way in the BIG EAST in 2017-18.

McDermott Seeks 175th Win at Creighton
With a win on Monday, Greg McDermott can become the second coach in program history to record 175 wins on the Bluejay sideline, as only Dana Altman (327) has previously reached that milestone.
   Monday will mark McDermott's 259th game on the Bluejay sideline, whereas Altman didn't win his 175th game at CU until his 274th contest.
   McDermott needed 71 games at Creighton to win his 50th contest and 134 games to earn his 100th win.
McDermott's Milestone Wins at Creighton
W-L Milestone   Opponent   Date
25-16   Chicago State   11/13/11
50-21   vs. Evansville   03/03/12
75-29   at Bradley   02/27/13
100-34   at Butler   02/15/14
125-58   vs. Massachusetts   11/25/15
150-72   at Nebraska   12/07/16
174-84   Maryland Eastern Shore   12/15/17

Quest For 19,000
Creighton has scored 18,918 points all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha, so it's a possible the Bluejays will surpass 19,000 on Monday.
    Creighton has currently outscored the opposition 18,918 to 15,860 at the 15-year old facility in 245 all-time games in the building that count.
    Creighton is 17-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CenturyLink Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date   Pts-Opp (CLCO Game #)   Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04   1,000-787 (14)   Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05   2,000-1,696 (28)   Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06   3,000-2,504 (41)   Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07   4,000-3,359 (56)   Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07   5,000-4,174 (69)   Ka. Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08   6,000-5,048 (82)   Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09   7,000-5,870 (95)   Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10   8,000-6,750 (109)   Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10   9,000-7,645 (123)   Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
03/23/11   10,000-8,500 (136)   Lawson FG vs. UCF
01/21/12   11,000-9,310 (148)   McDermott FG vs. Ind. St.
12/19/12   12,000-10,136 (161)   Echenique FG vs. Tulsa
11/23/13   13,000-10,922 (173)   Artino FG vs. Tulsa
02/23/14   14,000-11,711 (185)   Gibbs FG vs. Seton Hall
01/28/15   15,000-12,612 (198)   Hanson FT vs. St. John's
12/28/15   16,000-13,498 (211)   Huff FG vs. Coppin State
11/15/16   17,000-14,349 (224)   Patton FG vs. #9 Wisconsin
01/28/17   18,000-166 (235)   Hanson FG vs. DePaul

Prolific Visitors Slowed At the Link
UT Arlington forward Kevin Hervey has scored in double-figures in each of the last 38 games, and owns a career-high of 34 points (at Louisiana on March 4, 2017). His 30 point performance on Saturday moved him up to fifth nationally with 23.6 points per game.
   The most points in CenturyLink Center Omaha history by a visiting player is 43 by Evansville's Colt Ryan on Feb. 21, 2012.
   Since CenturyLink Center Omaha opened, Creighton has hosted three players that finished in the top-10 in scoring that season. All but one of them scored below their season scoring average against CU, as seen below.
   I'ts also worth noting that Michael Beasley (Kansas State, 2008, 26.2 ppg.) and Joe Young (Oregon, 2015, 20.7 ppg.) also played at CenturyLink Center Omaha during the NCAA Tournament in a season in which they finished in the top-10 in scoring.
   And we'd be remiss if we didn't mention the scoring exploits of Doug McDermott, who ranked third nationally in scoring in 2011-12 (22.9 ppg.), second in 2012-13 (23.2 ppg.) and first in 2013-14 (26.7 ppg.). McDermott averaged 24.8 points per home game in those seasons, including 29.5 per home contest as a senior.
Year-End Top 10 in Scoring, Visited CenturyLink That Season
Player, Team   Date   PPG   Scored
Michael Beasley, Kansas St.#   03/20/08   26.2   23
Michael Beasley, Kansas St.#   03/22/08   26.2   23
Jodie Meeks, Kentucky   03/23/09   23.7   16
Jimmer Fredette, BYU   12/01/10   28.9   13
Bryce Cotton, Providence   03/08/14   21.8   23
Joe Young, Oregon#   03/20/15   20.7   27
Joe Young, Oregon#   03/22/15   20.7   30
#NCAA Tournament (not vs. Creighton)

NCAA Site Visit This Week
Among those in attendance at Monday night's game will be a crew of VIP's from the NCAA, in town for a site visit in advance of the 2018 Midwest Regional that will be held at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   While in town, they'll do an extensive tour of CenturyLink Center Omaha to best utilize the building to the tournament's needs, review the NCAA operations manual with the host staff, visit the hotels that will be used during the tournament, and much more.
   Creighton University McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen is the chairman of the Men's Basketball Selection Committee this season.

We Can Play Defense, Too
Creighton limited Maryland Eastern Shore to just 36 points and 23.6 percent shooting on Friday.
   Creighton had not held an opponent under 40 points since Indiana State (38) on March 2, 2008, and the 36 were the fewest by a Bluejay opponent since Illinois State scored 35 on Jan. 13, 1986.
   Indiana State (10-43, 23.3%), in that same 2008 game, had also been the last CU foe to shoot 25 percent or less from the field.
   Both the points scored and the field goal percentage were the lowest marks in the 266 game history of Century Link Center Omaha, which includes 21 tournament games that did not involve Creighton.
   While Creighton's offense gets all the attention, the Bluejay defense has made huge strides in recent seasons, especially when you consider the move to the BIG EAST. Here's where CU has ranked in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive ratings under Greg McDermott.
Year   Adj. D   Adj. D Rating   Team W-L
2010-11   103.5   174th   23-16 (CBI)
2011-12   102.7   166th   29-6 (NCAA)
2012-13   96.5   66th   28-8 (NCAA)
2013-14   102.5   124th   27-8 (NCAA)
2014-15   102.6   138th   14-19
2015-16   97.6   49th   20-15 (NIT)
2016-17   96.5   46th   25-10 (NCAA)
2017-18   97.6   61st   8-2 so far

Give Me Five
Creighton had five men finish in double-figures for the third straight game in Friday's win over Maryland Eastern Shore.
   It's the fifth time in the last seven games that CU has had five men score in double-digits.
   In fact, Creighton has had four or more players score 10+ points in all 10 games this season.
   Creighton has had four men average in double-figures in each of the last two seasons.
   Last year, Marcus Foster (18.2), Justin Patton (12.9), Maurice Watson Jr. (12.9) and Khyri Thomas (12.3) all put up double-digits on a nightly basis.
   In 2015-16 it was Watson (14.1), Cole Huff (11.3), Geoffrey Groselle (11.2) and Isaiah Zierden (10.2).
   Before 2015-16, Creighton had not previously had four men finish the year scoring in double-figures since 1979-80, when Kevin McKenna, Jim Honz, George Morrow and Daryl Stovall did so.

How Big?
Creighton's 87-36 win on Friday over Maryland Eastern Shore was tied for the seventh-largest margin of victory in program history.
   CU's largest win ever was by 57 points after beating Midland on Dec. 12, 1925 by a 63-6 score.
   The second-largest winning margin was 106-50 on Nov. 17, 2002. That came in the most recent meeting between Creighton and Monday's opponent, UT Arlington.
   Creighton is 10-1 all-time in the game after a win by 50 points or more, with the only loss coming by one point in 1925.
Largest Victory Margin, Creighton History
Opponent   Margin   Score   Date
Midland   57   63-6   12/12/1925
UT Arlington   56   106-50   11/17/2002
Regis   55   93-38   11/30/1973
Longwood   55   113-58   12/09/2016
Morningside   54   105-51   02/17/1961
Drake   53   79-26   02/14/1933
Northern Colorado   51   105-54   12/02/1959
South Dakota State   51   67-16   01/11/1927
Maryland Eastern Shore   51   87-36   12/15/2017
Nebraska-Omaha   50   90-40   03/01/1952
Washburn   50   66-16   03/06/1937
Yankton   50   70-20   01/07/1922

Ronnie On The Spot
Ronnie Harrell Jr. continues to provide a spark off the bench, with much of his best work coming on the glass.
   Harrell owns 10 or more rebounds in each of his last two games, both in a reserve role. Harrell is the only Bluejay reserve with consecutive games of 10 or more rebounds in the last 25 years.
   Harrell is one of six Creighton players to have 10 or more rebounds off the bench in a game under Greg McDermott, and the only player to do it more than once in a season.
Most Rebounds Off The Bench Under McDermott
   Reb.   Min.   Player   Date
   10   25   Wayne Runnels   11/14/10
   10   22   Will Artino   02/13/14
   10   29   James Milliken   11/25/14
   10   23   Devin Brooks   01/21/15
   14   20   Will Artino   02/14/15
   11   25   Ronnie Harrell Jr.   12/21/15
   10   17   Toby Hegner   12/07/16
   11   30   Ronnie Harrell Jr.   12/09/17
   10   22   Ronnie Harrell Jr.   12/15/17

Winning Combination
One key to Creighton's 87-36 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday was strong play to start each half.
   CU took a 13-0 lead to open the game, then began the second half on a 9-0 run.
   All told, Creighton outscored UMES 18-0 with its starting five on the floor on the night.
   With Toby Hegner on the floor, Creigthton outscored the Hawks 34-3 in 14 minutes of work.

Cold Potato
Creighton had 43 points (and allowed 43 points) with 14 turnovers in the first 28 minutes of the Dec. 9 game vs. Nebraska.
   In the 52 minutes that have followed (last 12 minutes vs. Nebraska, plus 40 minutes vs. UMES), Creighton owns 119 points (allowing 58 points) with just four turnovers.
   Creighton's four turnovers on Friday matched its fewest since owning four miscues against Western Illinois on Nov. 28, 2015. It's the fifth time under Greg McDermott CU has had just four turnovers in a game.
   CU last had three or less turnovers in a contest on Feb. 1, 2005, in a win over Wichita State.
   Creighton, Kansas and Louisiana Tech are the nation's only teams with three or more games in 2017-18 of 90+ points and single-digit turnovers, through games of Friday.
   Creighton has outscored opponents 50-4 in points off turnovers over the last three games.

Overtime Optional
Creighton has played 100 games in program history that have gone to overtime, going 55-45 in those contests.
   However, the Bluejays have completed 89 straight games since last going to overtime, the longest stretch without an extra session for the program since 136 straight games from 1939-47.
   CU's last overtime contest came Feb. 4, 2015 at Xavier, a 79-72 win at Cintas Center.
   Creighton is 5-1 under Greg McDermott in overtime games, including a 4-0 mark in conference play.
   Twelve of Creighton's last 13 games have been won by the team to score first in the extra session.

Nationally Elite
Creighton ranks in the top 20 of eight categories nationally, through games of Friday.
   Perhaps the most impressive figure on the list is in defensive rebounds per game, where CU is sixth. with 31.30 per game. No team nationally has finished a season averaging 31.30 defensive rebounds per game in the last five seasons, and last year CU was 63rd with 26.69 per game.
Category   Rank   Stat
Assist/Turnover Ratio   4th   1.72
Assists Per Game   12th   18.8
Defensive Rebounds/Game   6th   31.30
FG Percentage   10th   .516
Fewest Fouls/Game   19th   15.4
Scoring Margin   14th   +18.6
Scoring Offense   10th   90.2
Fewest Turnovers/Game   19th   10.9

My Favorite Martin
Martin Krampelj did not have a double-double in the first 44 games of his career, but turned in consecutive double-doubles on Dec. 5 (North Dakota) and Dec. 9 (Nebraska).
   Krampelj became the first Creighton player with point/rebound double-doubles in consecutive contests since Doug McDermott on March 1 and March 4, 2014.
   McDermott's performance on Feb. 9 and 13 of 2013 was also the last previous time a Bluejay had 11 or more rebounds in consecutive games.

Krampelj Replaces Patton
One of Creighton's biggest question marks entering the season was how the team would replace NBA First Round Draft pick Justin Patton. To date, Martin Krampelj has answered the questions.
   Here's a look at the stats for the two men:
Stat   Patton   Krameplj
Year   2016-17   2017-18
PPG   12.9   12.4
RPG   6.2   7.6
BPG   1.4   0.6
APG   1.2   1.4
FG%   .676   .684
FT%   .517   .643
Double-Doubles   3   2
Dunks/Game   2.06   1.70

Full House
Creighton is averaging 16,073 fans per home game this season, good for sixth-best nationally.
   Last season Creighton averaged 17,413 fans per home game, fifth-best in the country, and a figure that would have ranked 17th best in the NBA, ahead of 14 franchises.
   Last year was the 12th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the sixth straight season in the top-10 nationally in attendance, as well.
2017-18 Attendance Leaders (through 12/16)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Kentucky   20,771   12/23
   2.   Syracuse   18,853   12/19
   3.   Louisville   18,089   12/20
   4.   Wisconsin   17,287   12/23
   5.   Kansas   16,415   12/18
   6.   Creighton   16,073   12/18
   7.   North Carolina   15,805   12/20
   8.   Nebraska   15,422   12/20
   9.   Missouri   15,061   12/19
   10.   Indiana   15,027   12/18

2016-17 Attendance Leaders (FINAL)
   Rk.   School   Average
   1.   Kentucky   23,462
   2.   Syracuse   21,181
   3.   Louisville   20,846
   4.   North Carolina   18,067
   5.   Creighton   17,413
   6.   Wisconsin   17,286
   7.   Maryland   16,628
   8.   Kansas   16,395
   9.   Indiana   16,364
   10.   North Carolina State   15,907

TCB
Creighton has won 103 straight home games against teams that enter the night with a record of .500 or worse, a streak that dates to Feb. 25, 2002.
   Wednesday's foe, USC Upstate, owns a 3-10 record this season through games of Sunday.

National Ranking Update
The Creighton men's basketball team returned to the national rankings in the Dec. 11th USA Today Coaches poll, coming in at 25th. The Bluejays are atop those listed as "others receiving votes" in the Associated Press poll this week, good for 26th.
   Creighton was previously 25th in the Associated Press poll on Nov. 27th, the same week it was 23rd in the USA Today Coaches poll. CU received votes in both rankings a week ago, but not enough to climb into the top-25.
   This is the first week that Creighton has been ranked only by the coaches since Jan. 20, 2014, when Creighton was 24th in the USA Today poll and 26th in the AP voting. Creighton was last exactly 25th in the coaches poll on Nov. 21, 2011, the first time under Greg McDermott that CU was ranked by the coaches. Creighton has now been ranked 66 different weeks by the coaches under McDermott.

Ty-Shon Time
Ty-Shon Alexander made his first career start on Dec. 9 against Nebraska, coming through with three asissts, one rebound and one steal in 19 minutes of a double-digit victory.
   Alexander is just the second true freshman point guard to start a game for Creighton in the last 10 seasons, joining Davion Mintz (12 starts in 2016-17).
   Like Alexander, Mintz also won his starting debut by double-figures (beating DePaul 83-66).
   Mintz returned to the starting line-up vs. Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday.

Ballock Can Ball
For the second time this season, Mitch Ballock was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Dec. 11th.
   Ballock averaged 9.5 points, 5.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in a pair of double-digit wins for Creighton last week.
    The Eudora, Kan., native opened his week with six points, four rebounds and a team-best six assists in CU's 111-68 win over Big Sky Conference champion North Dakota.
    He then had 13 points, six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes off the bench to key CU's 75-65 win over Nebraska. With CU trailing by five at the half, Ballock had 11 points, three assists and two rebounds in 18 minutes after the break, including a lay-up with 9:18 left that gave Creighton the lead for good.
   For the season, Ballock is averaging 8.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He was previously honored on Nov. 27, 2017.

A Good Start
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 10 games in recent seasons.
   Notably, this year's 102 three-pointers rank second most at this point, trailing only CU's 2013-14 team that featured sharpshooters Doug McDermott, Ethan Wragge and Jahenns Manigat among others.
    Of note, Creighton has started 5-5 or better after 10 games in 23 of the past 24 seasons (including 2017-18).
Creighton Stats Through 10 Games, Since 1994-95
Year   W-L   PPG   FG%   3FG   10+ PPG guys
2017-18   8-2   90.2   .516   102   3
2016-17   10-0   91.6   .544   99   4
2015-16   7-3   85.5   .506   93   5
2014-15   8-2   73.8   .438   85   2
2013-14   8-2   83.7   .491   113   2
2012-13   9-1   80.2   .519   90   2
2011-12   9-1   86.0   .516   90   2
2010-11   6-4   69.0   .426   74   3
2009-10   4-6   71.3   .450   78   2
2008-09   8-2   75.6   .439   89   3
2007-08   9-1   80.8   .478   84   2
2006-07   6-4   66.0   .408   59   3
2005-06   7-3   69.3   .405   70   3
2004-05   8-2   69.2   .434   80   2
2003-04   10-0   72.1   .463   61   2
2002-03   10-0   84.9   .526   97   1
2001-02   6-4   75.9   .439   63   3
2000-01   8-2   76.0   .445   83   3
1999-00   9-1   74.7   .458   84   2
1998-99   8-2   78.4   .454   79   2
1997-98   7-3   77.3   .467   73   1
1996-97   5-5   65.7   .409   57   2
1995-96   5-5   66.7   .390   56   3
1994-95   4-6   65.1   .404   66   3

Scoring In Bunches
Creighton has scored 902 points through 10 games, to rank 10th nationally with 90.2 points per contest.
   The 902 points to date are second-most in program history after the first 10 games of any season, as seen below:
Most Points Through 10 Games, Creighton History
   Points   Year   Final W-L (Postseason)
   916   2016-17   25-10 (NCAA)
   902   2017-18   8-2 so far
   866   1965-66   14-12
   860   2011-12   29-6 (NCAA)
   855   1964-65   13-10
   855   2015-16   20-15 (NIT)

Have A Half
Creighton led 45-17 at halftime on Friday, one of the biggest leads at intermission in recent history.
   Below is a list of Creighton's largest halftime margins since 1990-91. Games with an * indicate contests held at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Creighton's Largest Halftime Leads, Since 1990-91
   Margin   Score   Opponent   Date
   38   54-16   Grambling State   12/06/99
   37   56-19   vs. IUPUI   11/25/02
   37   62-25   Longwood*   12/09/16
   29   48-19   Towson   11/14/98
   29   53-24   Longwood*   11/20/12
   29   53-24   Butler*   01/14/14
   29   53-24   St. John's*   02/28/16
   28   54-26   Western Illinois   11/20/00
   28   39-11   Alcorn State*   11/15/04
   28   45-17   Maryland Eastern Shore*   12/15/17
   27   49-22   vs. Texas-San Antonio   11/30/90
   27   47-20   Nebraska*   11/24/07
   27   47-20   Saint Joseph's*   12/01/12
   26   52-26   Southern   12/20/97
   26   42-16   vs. Southern Illinois   03/10/03
   26   43-17   Presbyterian*   11/18/12
   26   51-25   Nebraska*   12/08/13
   25   57-32   Grambling State   11/29/01
   25   49-24   Bradley*   01/19/11

Foster Fills It Up
Marcus Foster finished last season with 10 or more points in each of his final 18 games, and has started his senior season with 10 straight double-figure contests.
   His current 28-game double-figure streak is the longest by any Bluejay since Doug McDermott closed his career with 28 straight double-figure games from Dec. 3, 2013 to March 23, 2014. McDermott also owns the last streak of 29 or more as well, having done so in 37 straight games from April 1, 2011 to Nov. 9, 2012.
   Foster scored seven points or more in all 35 games last season, finishing in double-figures in 33 of them.
   Earlier this fall Foster became the first Creighton player with 23 points in each of CU's first two games of a season since Cyril Baptiste in 1970-71.
   Per STATS Inc., here's the nation's longest active streaks of double-figure scoring games.
10+ Point Streak, Nation's Active Leaders (12/16)
   Rank   Streak   Name, School   Next Game
   1.   58   Chris Clemons, Campbell   12/19
   2.   55   Fletcher Magee, Wofford   12/17
   3.   46   Jon Elmore, Marshall   12/19
   4.   40   Rob Gray, Houston   12/17
   5.   38   Kevin Hervey, UT Arlington   12/18
   6.   35   Bryant Crawford, Wake Forest   12/18
       35   Victor Sanders, Idaho   12/18
   8.   32   Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra   12/20
   9.   31   Matt Morgan, Cornell   12/20
   10.   30   Justin Strings, Sacramento State   12/19
   11.   29   Thomas Wilder, Western Michigan   12/18
   12.   28   Marcus Foster, Creighton   12/18

Double-Digits x 10
Marcus Foster has scored in double-figures in each of Creighton's first 10 games of the season, the first Bluejay to start his senior season with 10 straight games of 10 or more points since Rodney Buford had 13 straight in 1998-99.
   Doug McDermott had been the last player with nine straight double-figure games to start any season, doing so in all 35 games of his 2011-12 sophomore season that ended with First Team All-America accolades.
   Below is a list of Creighton's longest double figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80, where you can see that Foster (2016-17 and 2017-18) and McDermott (2010-11 and 2011-12) are the only men to start consecutive seasons with eight or more double-figure contests since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
   Consec.   Name, Class   Year
   all 35   Doug McDermott, So.   2011-12
   all 32   Vernon Moore, Sr.   1984-85
   28   Benoit Benjamin, Jr.   1984-85
   27   Bob Harstad, Sr.   1990-91
   16   Rod Mason, Sr.   1987-88
   13   Rodney Buford, Sr.   1998-99
   12   Gary Swain, Sr.   1986-87
   10   Chad Gallagher, Sr.   1990-91
   10   Marcus Foster, Sr.   2017-18
   9   Rodney Buford, So.   1996-97
   8   Benoit Benjamin, Fr.   1982-83
   8   Gregory Brandon, Sr.    1983-84
   8   Doug McDermott, Fr.   2010-11
   8   Justin Patton, Fr.   2016-17
   8   Marcus Foster, Jr.   2016-17

Marcus Foster, Bucket Getter
Marcus Foster ranks among the nation's best when it comes to putting the ball in the hole and scoring.
   Foster ranks first among the nation's active Division I players in field goals made, and fifth in scoring. Here's that list, through games of Dec. 15:
Most Career Field Goals, Nation's Active Leaders
   Rank   FG   Name, School   Next Game
   1.   607   Marcus Foster, Creighton   12/18
   2.   595   Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas   12/17
   5.   582   Trevon Bluiett, Xavier   12/16
   3.   580   Peyton Aldridge, Davidson   12/16
   4.   579   Jahad Thomas, UMass Lowell   12/23

Most Career Points, Nation's Active Leaders
   Rank   Points   Name, School   Next Game
   1.   1,984   James Daniel III, Tennessee   12/17
   2.   1,900   Jordan Howard, Central Arkansas   12/17
   3.   1,833   Andrew Rowsey, Marquette   12/18
   4.   1,802   Trevon Bluiett, Xavier   12/16
   5.   1,699   Marcus Foster, Creighton   12/18

Come One, Come All
Did you know that local area high school students can attend Creighton men's basketball home games during winter break at no charge?
   It's true.
   Tickets for CU's Dec. 15 (Maryland Eastern Shore), Dec. 18 (UT Arlington), Dec. 20 (USC Upstate) and Jan. 3 (St. John's) are available for students, subject to availability, by presenting an active school ID on gameday.
   Tickets will be redeemed at the top of the escalators at the main west entrance of CenturyLink Center Omaha starting 90 minutes prior to tip off.
   For more information, call the CU Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

The 1 For Sports
Monday's game will air nationally on FS1, a channel that has been quite kind to Creighton in recent seasons.
   Creighton is 3-0 on FS1 this winter, and last year went 12-1 on the network.
   Creighton is 50-22 when appearing on FS1 since the network formed in 2013. CU is also 12-1 when appearing on FS2 in program history.

They Can All Shoot
All 12 Creighton men to see the floor this season have made multiple three-pointers, and each of them have also attempted at least five trifectas.
   In fact, in the Dec. 15 win over UT Arlington, all 12 Bluejays in uniform attempted at least one three-pointer.
   As a team, Creighton has made 102 treys this season, good for 10.2 per game, to rank third in the BIG EAST and 32nd nationally.

Friendly Confines
Creighton has scored 103 points or more in three of their six home games this season, and 75 points or more in all six contests.
   Creighton is averaging 96.2 points per home game this season, outrebounding foes by 12.2 caroms per contest, shooting 55.5 percent from the floor, and holding foes to 37.0 percent shooting.
   In the second half of home games this season, Creighton has outscored teams 314-192 (52.3-32.0) and shot 59.4 percent from the field. In the second half, Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas are a combined 15-for-24 from three-point range (68.2 percent), compared to CU's opponents who are 19-for-73 (26.0 percent) from downtown after the break
   Below is a list of seasons with the most 100+ point games in Creighton history
Most 100 Point Games in a Season, Creighton History
   Rank   Games   Year   Team W-L
   1.   7   1965-66   14-12
   2.   5   1971-72   15-11
   3.   4   2015-16   20-15
       4   2016-17   25-10
       4   2017-18   8-2 so far
   6.   3   1989-90   21-12

Home For The Holidays
The Dec. 5 game against North Dakota started a five-game homestand for Creighton, as the Bluejays won't have to don their road jerseys until December 28th at Seton Hall.
   The last time Creighton played five straight home games came to open the 2014-15 campaign, a stretch that saw the Jays go 5-0.
   Creighton also went 5-0 in a five-game homestand under Greg McDermott in December of 2013.
   Creighton is currently 3-0 on the current five-game homestand.

Tough At Home
Creighton has won 20 straight non-conference home games dating to a Dec. 2, 2015 loss to Arizona State.
   On a national basis, that ranks as the 14th-longest streak, per recent research from the NCAA
Non-Conference Home Win Streaks (Through 12/16)
   Rank   Streak   School   Next Home N-C Game
   1.   138   Duke   12/20
   2.   45   Arizona   12/18
   3.   41   Butler   12/19
   4.   36   Texas Tech   12/19
   5.   35   Villanova   12/22
   6.   30   SMU   12/18
   7.   28   Evansville   12/17
   8.   26   Seton Hall   12/20
   9.   25   South Dakota State   12/19
   10.   24   Florida State   12/18
   11.   22   William & Mary   12/17
       22   North Carolina   12/20
   13.   21   West Virginia   12/20
   14.   20   Creighton   12/18
       20   IPFW   12/21
   16.   17   Marshall   12/22

On The Rebound
Martin Krampelj (7.6) and Ronnie Harrell Jr. (8.0) are each putting together some of better Creighton rebounding figures in recent memory.
   Harrell had 15 rebounds against UCLA on Nov. 20th, while Krampelj snared 14 caroms on Dec. 5 vs. North Dakota. Both men finished with 11 rebounds vs. Nebraska on Dec. 9th.
   Since the start of the 1994-95 season, only one Bluejay player has averaged more than 7.4 rebounds per game over the course of a season. That player, Doug McDermott, did it twice.
   Here's Creighton's single-season rebounds per game leaders since 1994-95.
   Rank   RPG   Name   Season
   1.   8.2   Doug McDermott   2011-12
   2.   8.0   Ronnie Harrell Jr.   2017-18
   3.   7.7   Doug McDermott   2012-13
   4.   7.6   Martin Krampelj   2017-18
   5.   7.3   Rodney Buford   1997-98
       7.3   Gregory Echenique   2011-12

Shooters Shoot
Since Greg McDermott was hired eight years ago at Creighton, the Bluejays have shot 50 percent or better from the field in 116 games. That ranks third nationally, trailing only Gonzaga (130) and Kansas (121), Saint Mary's (110) and Kentucky (108) round out the top five.
   In those eight years, Gonzaga has shot 49.5 percent from the field, just ahead of Kansas (48.4%) and Creighton (48.2%). Belmont (48.1%) and Saint Mary's (47.9%) round out the top five.

Top 25 Jays
Creighton moved into the top 25 of both national polls on Monday, Nov. 27th, coming in at No. 25 in the Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches poll, though the team dropped out on Dec. 4th.
   Creighton is 109-41 all-time when playing as a ranked team in the AP poll.
   Creighton has now been ranked in 85 weeks in program history, with 57 of those under the direction of eighth-year head coach Greg McDermott.
   Creighton has been ranked in the top-10 in 10 different weeks in program history, with eight of those coming last season when the Jays reached an all-time best of seventh the week of January 16th.
   Below is a list of the best weekly rankings in the AP poll in program history:
Best Weekly AP Rankings, Creighton History
7th - 1/16/17
8th - 1/9/17
9th - 3/1/14
9th - 12/19/16
10th - 1/20/03
10th - 11/28/16
10th - 12/5/16
10th - 12/12/16
10th - 12/26/16
10th - 1/2/17

Rank And File
Creighton made some school history when it defeated top-25 teams in consecutive games for the first time last month with victories over No. 20 Northwestern and No. 23 UCLA.
   Through games of December 15th, Creighton is one of 10 teams nationally with a pair of top-25 wins this season, and is also one of 10 teams nationally with a top-25 true road win.
   Ranked Wins   School   Home   Road   Neutral
   2   Creighton   0   1   1
   2   Arizona State   0   1   1
   2   Duke   0   0   2
   2   Florida   0   0   2
   2   Michigan State   1   0   1
   2   Purdue   1   0   1
   2   Seton Hall   0   1   1
   2   Texas A&M   0   1   1
   2   Texas Tech   1   0   1
   2   Xavier   2   0   0
   1   Arizona   0   0   1
   1   Arkansas   1   0   0
   1   Ball State   0   1   0
   1   Boston College   1   0   0
   1   Florida State   0   1   0
   1   Georgia   0   0   1
   1   Gonzaga   1   0   0
   1   Kansas   0   0   1
   1   Loyola (Chicago)   0   1   0
   1   Miami (Fla.)   0   1   0
   1   Minnesota   0   0   1
   1   NC State   0   0   1
   1   Nebraska   1   0   0
   1   Notre Dame   0   0   1
   1   Oklahoma   0   0   1
   1   Rhode Island   0   0   1
   1   SMU   0   0   1
   1   TCU   0   0   1
   1   Tennessee   0   0   1
   1   UCF   0   1   0
   1   Villanova   0   0   1
   1   Washington   0   0   1
   1   Washington State   0   0   1
   1   West Virginia   1   0   0
   1   Western Kentucky   0   0   1
   1   Wichita State   0   1   0

Toby!
Toby Hegner sprained his ankle on Nov. 15 at Northwestern and it was expected that he'd miss 3-6 weeks.
   Instead, the fifth-year senior from Berlin, Wis., made a surprise return on December 1st at Gonzaga. Almost immediately, he drew a charge, and a short time later he hit back-to-back three-pointers. Hegner finished the game with 10 points in 16 minutes on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor.
   Hegner then scored a season-high 15 points in 17 minutes vs. North Dakota on Dec. 5, adding three rebounds and a blocked shot.
   This marks the first time Hegner has scored in double-figures in consecutive games since December of 2014.

More Top 25 News
Creighton owns six wins against the Top 25 since the start of last season, a figure that ranks tied for eighth-most nationally through games of December 15th:
   Ranked Wins   School
   11   Duke
   10   North Carolina
   8   Villanova
   7   Kansas
   7   Gonzaga
   7   Purdue
   7   Florida State
   6   Creighton
   6   Arizona
   6   Baylor
   6   Butler
   6   Kentucky
   6   South Carolina
   6   West Virginia
   6   Xavier

Dunk You Very Much
Creighton ranked fifth nationally last year with 144 dunks, with half of those coming from future NBA First Round Draft pick Justin Patton. Of Patton's 72 dunks last year, 32 came on alley-oops.
   This year's Bluejay squad owns 33 dunks through nine games this season, including nine against SIU Edwardsville. Five of the dunks against SIUE came from Martin Krampelj, who leads this year's club with 17 slams.

Putting Up The Points
Creighton scored 111 points on Dec. 5th vs. North Dakota, tied for the seventh-most in school history, and second-most ever recorded by the Bluejays at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   Creighton has now scored 111 points or more three times in the last 13 months (113 vs. Longwood; 112 vs. North Carolina State), after not doing it a single time from 2008-09 to 2015-16.
   The school record for points in a game by Creighton is 124, done on Feb. 10, 1964 vs. Miami (Fla.) in a 30-point win.
   Per Basketball-Reference.com, Creighton's 19 games of 100+ points since 2010-11 (when Greg McDermott was hired) are third-most in the nation, as seen below.
Most 100+ Point Games Since 2010-11 (thru 12/15/17)
   Rank   100 Pt. Games   Team
   1.   28   VMI
   2.   23   North Carolina
   3.   19   Creighton
       19   Indiana
   5.   18   Oakland
       18   Charleston Southern

Top 25 Success
Creighton had four wins over top-25 teams last season, twice as many as any previous campaign in program history. Six other Bluejay teams had two top-25 victories in the same season, including this year's club.
   This year's team is 2-2 against ranked teams, beating No. 20 Northwestern on Nov. 15th and No. 23 UCLA on Nov. 20th. The victories over the Wildcats and Bruins marked the first time in program history that CU has ever beaten top-25 foes in consecutive games.
Most Top-25 Wins, Season
   Wins   Season   Top-25 Victims
   4   2016-17   #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
           #16 Butler, #22 Xavier
   2   1973-74   #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
   2   2001-02   #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
   2   2006-07   #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
   2   2013-14   #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
   2   2015-16   #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
   2   2017-18   #20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA

Mitch-A-Palooza Makes A Stop in Kansas City
Freshman Mitch Ballock had 22 points on Nov. 20 vs. No. 23 UCLA, after scoring 26 points combined in his first three games as a Bluejay. The game was especially meaningful as the Eudora, Kan., native was playing just 35 miles from his hometown.
   Ballock's 22 points were the most by a Creighton freshman since Justin Patton had 25 points at St. John's on Jan. 4, 2017 in the eventual BIG EAST Freshman of the Year's breakout game on a national level.

Silas Enters College Hoops Hall of Fame
Creighton alum Paul Silas was enshrined into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City on Sunday, November 19th.
   In addition to Silas, the elite class included Gonzaga's John Stockton, Wake Forest's Tim Duncan, Winston-Salem State's Cleo Hill, Indiana's Scott May, Purdue's Rick Mount, and Duke's Jay Williams join former Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Platteville coach Bo Ryan to form the Class of 2017.
   Silas remains one of the most dominant rebounders in college basketball history. Following a season with the freshman team, Silas pulled down 1,751 rebounds for Creighton from 1961 to 1964 – a number that currently ranks sixth in Division I history and first among three-year players.
   He's also third all-time at Creighton with a career average of 20.5 points per game, and earned various All-America accolades in each of his three varsity seasons, including Academic All-America recognition from CoSIDA. The Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Famer won three NBA titles as a player in the 1970s, and later coached four different NBA franchises.
   Silas' No. 35 jersey was retired by Creighton, and he joins Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Kermit Washington and Artis Gilmore as one of five players in NCAA history to average at least 20 points (20.5) and 20 rebounds (21.6) during his college career.
   Silas owns the top 22 single-game rebounding totals in Creighton history, with a high of 38 vs. Centenary on Feb. 19, 1962.
   Silas owns more rebounds (1,751) than any player in the last 55 years (by comparison, Lehigh's Tim Kempton led all active rebounders at the end of 2016-17 with 1,095 career rebounds).
   Last year, across all of Division I, there were only 36 games where an individual grabbed 20+ rebounds. Purdue's Caleb Swanigan led all of college hoops with four games of 20+ boards.

Silas Not The First
Paul Silas is the fifth person with Creighton connections to enter the College Basketball Hall of Fame. He joined the following...
   Eddie Hickey, a 2006 inductee into the coaches wing, won 126 games as head coach at Creighton from 1935-43 and 1946-47.
   Willis Reed, a 2006 inductee as a player (at Grambling State), won 52 games as head coach at Creighton from 1981-85.
   Arthur A. Schabinger, a 2006 inductee as a contributor, won 165 games as head coach at Creighton from 1922-35.
   Eddie Sutton, a 2011 inductee into the coaches wing, won 82 games as head coach at Creighton from 1969-74.

No Doubting Thomas
Khyri Thomas had 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and a blocked shot on Nov. 15 at No. 20 Northwestern.
   Thomas is the first Creighton player with 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the same game since Rodney Buford had 24/11/7 on Nov. 25, 1998 at Iowa. That game, like this year's, was also CU's third game of the year, that saw Creighton win a road game against a Big Ten team that entered the night 2-0.

All The Three's
Creighton drilled 16 three-point shots in its Nov. 12 home game vs. Alcorn State, tied for the third-most in a game in program history.
   Here's a list of the games with 15 or more treys.
Most 3FG in a Game, Creighton History
   Rank   3FG   Opponent   Date   Score
   1.   21   at #4 Villanova   1/20/2014   W 96-68
   2.   20   Chattanooga   2/19/2005   W 100-69
   3.   16   Evansville   1/4/1999   L 79-84
       16   Drake   1/8/2013   W 91-61
       16   Chicago State   12/29/2013   W 90-58
       16   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/2016   W 86-77
       16   Alcorn State   11/12/2017   W 109-72
   8.   15   Six times

Road Openers
Creighton improved to 5-3 under Greg McDermott in its first true road game of the season with this year's win at Northwestern, and 14-10 in the last 24 years in the initial road game.
   The road opener has been the barometer for Creighton's postseason plans in the previous nine years. Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament the four times it has won the road opener, and missed the tournament the other five seasons.
Creighton in Road Openers, Last 9 Years
Year   Opponent   Score   CU in NCAA's?
2008-09   Ark.-Little Rock   L 69-71   No (NIT)
2009-10   #21 Dayton   L 80-90   No (CIT)
2010-11   Northwestern   L 52-65   No (CBI)
2011-12   UAB   W 70-60   Yes
2012-13   Nebraska   W 64-42   Yes
2013-14   Saint Joseph's   W 83-79   Yes
2014-15   Tulsa   L 64-77   No
2015-16   #14 Indiana   L 65-86   No (NIT)
2016-17   Nebraska   W 77-62   Yes
2017-18   #20 Northwestern   W 92-88   ? ? ?

Happy Birthday, Old Man(ny)
Manny Suarez turned 24 on November 12th. He's nearly 14 months older than his next-closest teammate, Tyler Clement (Dec. 25, 1994).
   Per a list compiled by Northwestern State SID Doug Ireland, Suarez is the nation's 14th-oldest active player, with six men above him having served a church mission while in school.
NCAA's Oldest Players (as of 11/12/17)
Age (Yrs-Days)   Name, Current School   Key
   25-309   Josh Boutte, Sam Houston State
   25-275   Gibson Johnson, Hawai'i   C
   25-145   Zach Nelson, Utah Valley   C
   24-354   Isaac Neilson, Utah Valley   C
   24-347   Kyle Brown, Cornell   C
   24-298   Ron Patterson, IUPUI
   24-284   Dusty Baker, Weber State   C
   24-228   Ronald Delph, Florida Atlantic
   24-215   Jalan West, Northwestern State
   24-175   David Collette, Utah   C
   24-132   Kevin Mickle, Ohio
   24-27   Isaiah Brock, Oakland
   24-5   Peter Ryckbosch, DePaul
   24-0   Manny Suarez, Creighton
   23-346   Quinn Taylor, Utah State   C
KEY: C = served church mission

Foster Up For Naismith & Wooden Awards
Creighton men's basketball senior Marcus Foster has been named one of 50 candidates for the Citizen Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced. A list of 30 midseason candidates will be released on Feb. 14, 2018 before the 50th presentation of the award April 1, 2018.
   A senior from Wichita Falls, Texas, Foster was a unanimous All-BIG EAST selection last year after leading Creighton with 18.2 points per game a year ago. He ranked among the league leaders in scoring after posting the highest scoring average for a Bluejay newcomer since 1970. Foster's 638 points were the 10th-most in CU history and the most ever by a Bluejay newcomer in their debut season on the court.
   Foster is also one of 50 preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award.
   Creighton has had one previous winner of the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award, as Doug McDermott collected the hardware for both following the 2013-14 campaign.

Foster Up For Jerry West Award
Creighton men's basketball guard Marcus Foster is one of 20 preseason candidates for the 2018 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, which is bestowed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
   Last year Foster was one of five finalists for the award.
   Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its fourth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men's college basketball.
   Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017) Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).

CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 245 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 15-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 203-42 (.829) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (14-0).
   Creighton's Nov. 25 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 18,918-15,860 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.48 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 70 different times, including 18 of its last 42 home games.
   Creighton is also 25-24 all-time in the 49 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 7-9 when down by 10+ points at halftime at The Link, and 32-22 when trailing at halftime at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 106-24 (.815) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 63-4 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 223-42 (.842) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Heeeeeeerrrrrreeeeee's Ronnie
Ronnie Harrell Jr.'s 15 rebounds vs. No. 23 UCLA on Nov. 20th were three more than his previous career-high, and the most by a Bluejay in any game since Doug McDermott had 15 boards vs. Tulsa on Nov. 23, 2013.
   Harrell's 14 defensive rebounds were the most by any Bluejay since Kenny Lawson Jr. had 18 rebounds (14 defensive) vs. Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11, 2010.

Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Creighton shot 58.8 percent from the floor on November 10th, the program's best mark in a season-opener since blistering UT Arlington 106-50 on 59.4 percent shooting to open the 2002-03 season.
   Creighton has made the postseason all eight times in the previous 25 seasons in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year. 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.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage Over 50%
Since 1992-93
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   TBD

Big Margin Can Lead To Big Things
Creighton beat Yale, 92-76, in the season-opener.
   Of Creighton's 20 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, nine 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.
               Final   Post-
   Score   Opponent   Date   W-L   Season
   92-76   Yale   11/10/17   TBD   TBD
   93-70   Texas Southern   11/14/15   20-15   NIT
   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

Two Of The Best
A pair of Creighton players were recently ranked among the best in college basketball in some preseason rankings of top-100 players.
   CBSSports.com lists Marcus Foster as the nation's 31st-best player and Khyri Thomas as 70th-best.
   NBCSports.com listed Foster as the No. 21 player, and Thomas as 67th-best nationally.
   ESPN.com did a list of the nation's top 50 players, and Foster finished 30th in that voting.

#ProJays
For the first time since 1969-70, Creighton has four NBA players at the same time as Kyle Korver (Cleveland Cavaliers), Anthony Tolliver (Detroit Pistons), Doug McDermott (New York Knicks) and Justin Patton (Minnesota Timberwolves) are all in the league.
   Including 2017-18, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 34 of the last 35 years.
   Korver ranks fifth in NBA history with 2,124 three-pointers and is sixth in league history with 43.14 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through December 15). He set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range in 2009-10, and is the only player in league history to lead the NBA in three-point percentage four times. Korver is averaging 10.6 points per game this year and shooting 44.4 percent from downtown.
   Tolliver is averaging 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game this season for the Pistons, his 11th NBA organization.
   McDermott is in his fourth season in the NBA, and first with the New York Knicks. He was traded to the Knicks with Enes Kanter in exchange for All-Star Carmelo Anthony. McDermott is averaging 8.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game this season.
   Creighton's newest NBA product is Justin Patton, who is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves but currently injured. Patton redshirted in 2015-16 before turning pro and being the 16th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. Patton was then part of the Jimmy Butler trade to end up in Minneapolis, and was assisgned to the G-League affiliate in Des Moines on December 3rd.
   In addition, May graduates Cole Huff and Isaiah Zierden were each selected in the 2017 NBA G League Draft on Oct. 21st. Huff is now on the Greensboro Swarm roster, while Zierden was cut.

Racking Up The Victories
In 99 previous seasons of Bluejay Basketball, last season was the sixth team to earn 25 or more wins.
   Of Creighton's six seasons in history with 25 or more wins, Greg McDermott has coached four of those in the previous six years.
Most Creighton MBB Wins, Season
       Pre   Pre-Post   Postseason
Year   Final W-L   Tourney   Season   Tournament
2002-03   29-5   26-4   29-4   NCAA
2011-12   29-6   25-5   28-5   NCAA
2012-13   28-8   24-7   27-7   NCAA
2008-09   27-8   25-6   26-7   NIT
2013-14   27-8   24-6   26-7   NCAA
2016-17   25-10   23-8   25-9   NCAA
1990-91   24-8   20-7   23-7   NCAA
2000-01   24-8   23-6   24-7   NCAA
1921-22   23-5   23-5   23-5   didn't exist
1973-74   23-7   21-7   21-7   NCAA
2001-02   23-9   19-8   22-8   NCAA
1999-00   23-10   20-9   23-9   NCAA
2004-05   23-11   20-10   23-10   NCAA
2010-11   23-16   18-14   19-15   CBI
*Bold italics indicates Greg McDermott teams

Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the since Greg McDermott took over in 2010-11, per Basketball-Reference.com, through games of December 15th.
2010-11 to Present
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank
FG Percentage   .482   3rd
3FG Percentage   .387   4th
3FG Made   2,181   5th
Assists   4,179   5th
FG Made   6,942   12th
Wins   174   29th
Winning Percentage   .674   36th

All-Tourney Duo
Creighton's Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas were both named to the 2017 Hall of Fame Classic All-Tournament Team in November.
   Foster averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two games in Kansas City, while Thomas averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in the championship rounds.
   Foster has now played in three tournaments since coming to Creighton, and been named All-Tournament in each one, as he was recognized last season in the Paradise Jam (MVP) as well as the BIG EAST Tournament.

Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 17 of the last 19 seasons (including 2016-17), 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 19 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
   Kentucky and Florida have each done it in 18 of the last 19 seasons.
   Along with Arizona, Syracuse and Xavier, Creighton is one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 17 of the past 19 years.

Some Loyal Fans
Creighton attracted 296.013 fans at home in 2016-17, surpassing 200,000 fans for the 12th straight season. CU's average of 17,413 was second-most in program history, while the 296,013 fans were the fourth-most ever.
   Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CenturyLink Center Omaha, and now has done it in the past 14 seasons.
   Creighton has led its conference in home attendance every year since moving into CenturyLink Center Omaha, which is in its 15th season.
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
   Avg. Att.   School   Year
   17,896   Creighton   2013-14
   17,413   Creighton   2016-17
   17,155   Creighton   2012-13
   17,048   Creighton   2014-15
   16,665   Creighton   2011-12

Creighton's Most Home Fans, Season
Rk.   Year   G   Attendance   Average
1.   2015-16   19   302,887   15,941
2.   2008-09   19   302,676   15,930
3.   2010-11   22   297,161   13,507
4.   2016-17   17   296,013   17413
5.   2012-13   17   291,643   17,155

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton averaged 81.83 points per game in 2016-17, and its 2,864 points a year ago were a school-record. This year's team is averaging 90.2 points per game.
   Greg McDermott is 50-2 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 44-2 mark on the Creighton sideline.
   Creighton is 61-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 32 straight wins since a 1977 loss to North Texas State.

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 793 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the nation's 19th-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.
   Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks, through December 15.
Longest Active 3-Point Streak, Through 12/15
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next
   1.   1,022   Kentucky   12/16
   2.   1,017   UNLV   12/16
   3.   1,008   Vanderbilt   12/17
   4.   997   Duke   12/20
   5.   946   Arkansas   12/16
       946   Western Kentucky   12/16
   7.   935   East Tennessee State   12/16
   8.   928   Pacific   12/16
   9.   914   Oakland   12/16
   10.   903   Texas   12/16
   11.   883   Princeton   12/16
   12.   853   Marshall   12/16
   13.   845   Baylor   12/17
   14.   823   Gonzaga   12/16
   15.   820   LIU-Brooklyn   12/17
   16.   808   Cornell   12/16
   17.   803   Mount St. Mary's   12/18
   18.   794   Tennessee State   12/18
   19.   793   Creighton   12/18
   20.   791   East Carolina   12/18

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 16 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point. Nine of those comebacks have come away from home.
   On the other hand, CU is 152-13 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 140 of the last 149 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
12   at DePaul   01/17/16
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
10   UAB   11/14/12
10   vs. Drake   03/02/12
10   at Nebraska   12/07/14
10   South Dakota   12/09/14

Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish fifth in the BIG EAST Conference according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Villanova was picked first with 80 points and eight first-place votes, while Seton Hall and Xavier, Providence round out the top four. After Creighton, St. John's, Marquette, Butler, Georgetown and DePaul rounded out the bottom half.
   Creighton guard Marcus Foster was named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, while Khyri Thomas was picked to be a Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention choice.
   Since the reconfiguration of the BIG EAST in 2013, Creighton, Providence and Villanova are the only teams to meet or exceed their poll prediction each season.

CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 7-7 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CenturyLink Center Omaha, which opened in the fall of 2003.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at CLCO, 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
*double-overtime

Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at CLCO, 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

McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 174 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
   McDermott's .674 winning percentage is Creighton's best since Arthur A. Schabinger's .714 win rate more 80 years ago.
   Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton History
Rk.   W-L   Name   Years
1.   327-176   Dana Altman   1994-2010
2.   174-84   Greg McDermott    2010-Pres.
3.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-35
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-69
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-81

Eight Out Of 19 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 19 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (15), Duke (11), Winthrop (10), Kentucky (9), Creighton (8), Kansas (8) and New Mexico State (8).

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.   18,742   Seton Hall   02/23/14
   6.   18,735   Wichita State   02/11/12
   7.   18,613   Wichita State   03/02/13
   8.   18,525   Marquette   12/31/13
   9.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   10.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   11.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   12.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   13.   18,160   Central Arkansas   11/14/14
   14.   18,145   Marquette   01/21/17
   15.   18,111   Bradley   02/02/13
   16.   18,084   Seton Hall   12/28/16
   17.   18,078   Tulsa   11/23/13
   18.   18,073   Drake   01/08/13
   19.   18,032   #12 Butler   01/11/17
   20.   17,971   #19 Butler   02/16/15

Très Bien
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 66-52 (.559) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 83-15 (.847) mark the last seven years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
   Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 130-37 in the last seven years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 20-31 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.

Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 79.95 points per home game (10,313 points in 129 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.66 points in non-conference home games (5,672 points in 67 home games).
   Creighton is 88-2 all-time at CenturyLink Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points and has won 86 straight non-conference home games when scoring 80 or more points, dating to a 90-85 loss to Nebraska on Dec. 7, 1991.

BIG EAST Playing Big
Though the BIG EAST may not be considered of the traditional "Football 5" Conferences due to its lack of big time football, the performance of the league has been big time for a long time.
   The league has owned a top-five RPI in the NCAA RPI rankings in every season since 2000-01, as seen below:
BIG EAST in Conference RPI Rankings (after 12/15)
2017-18:   2nd (via WarrenNolan.com)
2016-17:   3rd
2015-16:   4th
2014-15:   3rd
2013-14:   4th
2012-13:   2nd
2011-12:   2nd
2010-11:   1st
2009-10:   3rd
2008-19:   4th
2007-08:   5th
2006-07:   5th
2005-06:   3rd
2004-05:   2nd
2003-04:   4th
2002-03:   5th
2001-02:   3rd
2000-01:   3rd

Clear Bag Policy Comes to CenturyLink on 12/31
Starting December 31, 2017, CenturyLink Center Omaha will adopt new clear bag regulations for all arena events including Creighton University men's home basketball games. Bags permitted under the policy include clear plastic, vinyl or PVC totes.
   Additionally, small clutch-sized bags will also be allowed inside the arena after a proper security inspection. However, oversized bags or purses will no longer be allowed inside the premises.
   After observing the success and ease of transition with arenas and venues across the state, MECA and Creighton University believe the updated policy to be the best safety practice for the thousands of fans who loyally attend each basketball game, and countless concert-goers who walk through the doors at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   Here are the main bullet-points of the new bag policy, effective on December 31 when the Bluejays host Providence (1:30 p.m., tip-off):
•   Clear plastic bags, measuring 12 inches tall, 12 inches long, and 6 inches wide
•   Small or clutch-sized purses or wallets, not exceeding 4.5 inches tall by 6.5 inches long
•   One-gallon, clear plastic freezer bags are permitted (Ziploc bag or similar)
•   No large purses, bags, backpacks or fanny-packs will be allowed inside
•   MECA staff members are not allowed to hold bags during an event
•   Exceptions will be made for bags with medical necessity after appropriate inspection

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2017-18 season went on sale on October 18th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any regular-season game.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

Men's Basketball Hosts Road-Tested UT Arlington on Monday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ty-Shon Alexander

Mitch Ballock

Tyler Clement

Marcus Foster

Ronnie Harrell Jr.

Toby Hegner

Martin Krampelj

Davion Mintz

Manny Suarez

Khyri Thomas