Tuesday, December 3
Omaha, Neb.
7:30 PM
Creighton University
vs
Oral Roberts
Jett Canfield
Photo by: Catherine Grosdidier
Men's Basketball Opens Homestand With Oral Roberts on Fan Appreciation Night
12/1/2019 12:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
$1 beverages from 6 pm - 7:30 p.m.
Download Notes as a PDF
Game #8: Oral Roberts at Creighton Bluejays
Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019 • 7:30 p.m.
CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com, KOOO (101.9 FM)
Television: FS1 (Kevin Kugler, Nick Bahe)
Series History: Creighton leads, 7-4
Last Meeting: Creighton 66, Oral Roberts 65 on Dec. 17, 2016 in Omaha, Neb.
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Next Game
Creighton (5-2) starts a season-long four-game homestand this week with a pair of contests. The stretch begins on Tuesday, Dec. 3 when the Bluejays welcome Oral Roberts (3-4) to CHI Health Center Omaha.
Tip-off at First National Bank Court is listed as 7:30 p.m.
Fan Appreciation Night Set For Tuesday
A special 90-minute beverage promotion will be available to early-arriving fans on Tuesday, Dec. 3 before the Bluejays take on Oral Roberts.
Venue doors open at 6:00 pm, and the promotion, available from 6:00-7:30 pm, only, includes 12-ounce beers and soft drinks for $1.00 each in the Bud Light Zone area.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2019-20 season.
KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games.
John Bishop and former Bluejay Brody Deren will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
Television Broadcast Information
Tuesday's game will be televised nationally by FS1, with Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe on the call.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Tuesday'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 5-2 this season and coming off an 83-76 overtime win vs. No. 12 Texas Tech on Friday in Las Vegas.
CU returns five of its top six scorers from a year ago, a group led by guards Marcus Zegarowski (18.4 ppg., 4.0 apg.), Ty-Shon Alexander (16.1 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) and Mitch Ballock (12.7 ppg., 5.4 rpg.). The trio have accounted for 59 three-pointers and 62.6 percent of CU's overall points thus far.
The Bluejays have played this year without the services of senior guard Davion Mintz (9.7 ppg., in 28.8 mpg. last season) and sophomore center Jacob Epperson (4.8 ppg last season) due to injury.
Overall, Creighton returns nine lettermen and four starters from last year's team that finished 20-15 and tied for third in the BIG EAST Conference with a 9-9 league record. The Bluejays advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT with victories over Loyola (Chicago) and Memphis before falling at TCU.
Scouting Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts is 3-4 this season, with the home team winning each game it has appeared in. Among the setbacks have been narrow road losses at Oklahoma State (80-75), Tulsa (74-67), Iowa (87-74) and Wichita State (68-59).
Emmanuel Nzekwesi (14.5 ppg., 7.8 rpg.) and Max Abmas (14.4 ppg.) lead the Golden Eagles in scoring, with Deondre Burns (13.0 ppg.) and Kevin Obanor (11.9 ppg., 8.0 rpg.) not far behind. Nzekwesi has missed the past three games, however.
ORU averages 77.4 points and allows 70.7 points per contest. The Golden Eagles have made 59 three-pointers in seven games (8.4 3FG/game) and shoot 28.5 percent from distance.
The Series With Oral Roberts
Creighton is 7-4 all-time against Oral Roberts and has won all three meetings in the last 20 seasons. Two of those meetings, however, were decided by a single point, including CU's 66-65 victory on Dec. 17, 2016.
CU is 5-1 in Omaha versus the Golden Eagles.
Greg McDermott is 1-0 all-time against Oral Roberts and has never coached against Paul Mills. McDermott is also 6-0 as Creighton head coach against the current membership of the Summit League.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his 10th season as head coach at Creighton. He is 212-111 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 492-306 in his 26th season and is 361-242 in his 19th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Alan Huss and Paul Lusk.
Wrecked 'Em
Before Creighton scored 83 points on Friday, Texas Tech had allowed only one team to score more than 80 points since the start of last year -- 85 by Virginia in the 2019 NCAA Tournament title game.
Creighton's 46 points in the first half tied the most by any TTU foe in a half since the start of last season, something only Kansas did (in Lawrence).
Creighton's 51.7 percent shooting was the best by a Texas Tech opponent since Oklahoma State shot 52.2 percent on Feb. 21, 2018. The Red Raiders had played 53 games since then before facing CU.
Surely Shereef
Creighton freshman Shereef Mitchell had a season-high 10 points in last Thursday's game vs. San Diego State, making 3-of-4 shots and 4-of-4 free throws.
Mitchell is the seventh different Creighton player to score in double-figures this season, and 11th man on the roster with a double-figure contest as a collegian.
Another One Bites The Dust
Last Friday's win vs. No. 12 Texas Tech marked the seventh straight season that Creighton has knocked off a top-25 opponent.
Creighton is now 34-145 all-time against ranked teams, and 11-13 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams.
Greg McDermott is 16-30 as Creighton coach against top-25 foes, more than twice as many top-25 wins as any other coach in program history. Prior to McDermott's arrival, Creighton was 18-115 all-time against top-25 foes.
Bouncing Back
Creighton doesn't lose many games by 20 or more points, as it did last Thursday vs. San Diego State. However, each of the last 12 times it has happened, Creighton has answered with a victory in its next game. Three of CU's last four losses by 20+ points were followed with a win over a ranked team.
Creighton's Losses by 20+ Points Since 2000
Date Loss by 20+ Points Next Game Result
03/07/08 Illinois State 73, CU 49 03/18/09 CU 73, Bowling Green 71
02/11/12 Wichita State 89, #17 CU 68 02/14/12 CU 88, Southern Illinois 69
03/23/14 #23 Baylor 85, #16 CU 55 11/14/14 CU 104, Central Arkansas 77
01/25/15 #4 Villanova 71, CU 50 01/28/15 CU 77, St. John's 74
01/31/15 #21 Georgetown 67, CU 40 02/04/15 CU 79, Xavier 72 (OT)
11/19/15 #14 Indiana 86, CU 65 11/23/15 CU 85, Rutgers 75
02/03/16 #3 Villanova 83, CU 58 02/06/16 CU 88, DePaul 66
01/25/17 Georgetown 71, #16 CU 51 01/28/17 #16 CU 83, DePaul 66
01/13/18 #10 Xavier 92, #25 CU 70 01/17/18 CU 80, #19 Seton Hall 63
02/01/18 #1 Villanova 98, CU 78 02/07/18 CU 76, DePaul 75
02/20/18 Butler 93, CU 70 02/24/18 CU 89, #3 Villanova 83 (OT)
11/28/19 San Diego State 83, CU 52 11/29/19 CU 83, #12 Texas Tech 76 (OT)
Upset Alert
The last time Creighton faced off with Oral Roberts on Dec. 17, 2016, an unbeaten (10-0) Bluejay team nearly tasted defeat for the first time.
CU trailed 65-60 with 6:08 left before scoring the final six points of the game, compiling 10 consecutive defensive stops. It was the first time since 2010 that Creighton held a foe scoreless in the final 6:08 of regulation.
Creighton would take the lead with 3:21 left, and neither team scored the rest of the night.
Overtime Odds & Ends
After going 1-3 last year in overtime, Creighton improved to 1-0 in overtime games this season with last Friday's victory over No. 12 Texas Tech.
Creighton has now won at least one overtime game in each of the past three seasons.
The team to score first in overtime has won 17 of Creighton's last 20 overtime games.
Creighton is now 58-49 all-time games to go to overtime, including a 44-43 mark in single-overtime games.
Creighton is now 5-5 in games to go to overtime at a neutral site.
Greg McDermott improved to 8-5 as Creighton's coach in overtime contests and is 19-13 as a Division I head coach in overtime games.
Creighton has played back-to-back overtime games just five times in school history, and just once in the last 25 years (Dec. 9 & 13, 2014).
Creighton is now 4-11 all-time in overtime games against top-25 foes.
Last year's team played four overtime games, tying the school record of four previously done in 1989-90 and again in 2001-02.
More information on Creighton's overtime history can be found on page 167 of the program's 2019-20 media guide.
Sophomore Scorers
Marcus Zegarowski scored a career-high 32 points in last Friday's victory over Texas Tech, becoming the latest Bluejay sophomore to pile up the points.
Each of the last three Creighton players to score 30 or more points have done it as a sophomore. Besides Zegarowski vs. Texas Tech, Mitch Ballock had 39 points vs. DePaul last season, and Ty-Shon Alexander added 36 vs. No. 16 Clemson on Nov. 21, 2018.
In addition to Zegarowski, Ballock and Alexander, one other player on the Bluejay roster has scored 30 or more points. That player is Denzel Mahoney, who scored 30+ points twice as a sophomore at Southeast Missouri State in 2017-18, and once as a freshman in 2016-17 with the Redhawks.
Creighton's last non-sophomore to score 30 points or more was then-senior Marcus Foster's 32 points vs. UT Arlington on Dec. 18, 2017.
Foreign Tours Lead To Early Success
Creighton is coming off a trip to Australia in August, which it hopes will prepare the team for early victories as past trips have done.
This year's team is off to a 5-2 start after going to Australia in August.
A 2015 trip to Italy helped the Bluejay start the season 5-1.
A 2011 trip to the Bahamas helped get the Bluejays ready for a 7-0 start.
A 2007 trip to Canada paid dividends as Creighton started 5-0.
In 2003, the Bluejays also went to Canada and started the subsequent season 12-0.
Tournament Success
Creighton has had some great success in tournament play in recent seasons, especially under Greg McDermott. In McDermott's tenure, CU is 32-6 in regular-season tournament action with five titles in 10 events.
Since 2002-03, Creighton is 45-10 (23-0 at home) with eight titles in 15 preseason tournaments, as seen below. CU last lost at home in a regular-season tournament in 1975.
In its first game after a tournament under McDermott, the Bluejays are 6-3.
Preseason Tournament Performances, Since 2002
Year Tourney (Site) W-L (Home W-L)
2002-03 Guardians Classic (Omaha/KC) 4-0 (2-0)
2004-05 Guardians Classic (Omaha/KC) 4-0 (2-0)
2006-07 Rainbow Classic (Honolulu) 2-1
2008-09 Las Vegas Classic (Omaha/Las Vegas) 4-0 (2-0)
2009-10 Old Spice Classic (Orlando) 0-3
2010-11 Hy-Vee Challenge (Omaha/Des Moines) 3-1 (3-0)
2011-12 Dale Howard Classic (Omaha/Des Moines) 4-0 (3-0)
2012-13 Las Vegas Invite (Omaha/Las Vegas) 4-0 (2-0)
2013-14 Wooden Legacy (Fullerton/Anaheim) 1-2
2014-15 Emerald Coast Classic (Omaha/Niceville) 3-1 (2-0)
2015-16 MGM Grand Main Event (Omaha/Las Vegas) 4-0 (2-0)
2016-17 Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands) 3-0
2017-18 Hall of Fame Classic (Omaha/Kansas City) 3-1 (2-0)
2018-19 Cayman Islands Classic (Omaha/Cayman Islands) 4-0 (1-0)
2019-20 Las Vegas Classic (Omaha/Las Vegas) 3-1(2-0)
Magic Number is 101
Greg McDermott is 101 games over .500 in his Creighton career, as well as 101 games over .500 at home in his Creighton career.
McDermott is currently 212-111 in his 10th year on the Bluejay sideline. Among men's basketball coaches in program history, only Dana Altman (327-176) has finished their CU career with 100+ more wins than losses.
McDermott is also 133-32 in his CU career in home games. Altman owns the most home victories in program history, going 199-46 from 1994-2010.
McDermott is well ahead of the where Altman was at during the same point in his Creighton tenure. When Altman was seven overall games into his 10th (2003-04) season, he owned a mark of 182-100 at Creighton. At that same juncture, he was 107-28 in home games.
Bishop No Longer A Rook
After a strong showing in Australia, sophomore Christian Bishop had been mentioned as a potential breakout candidate this season and has displayed that improvement so far.
Bishop, who was making his first career start, had career-highs with 12 points and three blocked shots against Kennesaw State. Bishop scored 10 points during CU's 20-2 run to open the second half.
He then had eight points, five rebounds and a career-high three assists at Michigan on Nov. 12.
During CU's trip to Australia, Bishop averaged 15.7 points per game, including a 25-point outburst in CU's final contest vs. Bullets Invitational.
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 through Nov. 30, 2019
Category Stat NCAA Rank
3FG Made 2,859 2nd
3FG Percentage .385 3rd
FG Percentage .481 4th
Assists 5,241 4th
FG Made 8,799 11th
Wins 212 32nd
Winning Percentage .656 39th
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 858 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the nation's 17th-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.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (through 11/30)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,079 UNLV 12/4
2. 1,070 Vanderbilt 12/3
3. 1,067 Duke 12/3
4. 1,018 Arkansas 12/3
5. 1,016 Western Kentucky 12/3
6. 1,001 East Tennessee State 12/3
7. 991 Pacific 12/4
8. 978 Oakland 12/3
9. 972 Texas 12/3
10. 938 Princeton 12/4
11. 922 Marshall 12/4
12. 908 Baylor 12/3
13. 896 Gonzaga 12/4
14. 884 Long Island 12/7
15. 866 Cornell 12/1
16. 864 Mount St. Mary's 12/3
17. 858 Creighton 12/3
18. 853 Tennessee State 12/6
19. 850 East Carolina 12/4
Playing With The Lead
Including its Nov. 5 win over Kennesaw State, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 20 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
In 280 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 78 of those contests, a staggering 27.9 percent of the time.
Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is
133-32 and hasn't trailed in 53 of those games.
Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Creighton shot 52.4 percent from the floor in its lid-lifter against Kennesaw State on Nov. 5.
Creighton has made the postseason each of the last nine times in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year, with seven of those postseason trips being NCAA Tournament berths. The last time that didn't hold true was 1991-92, when CU shot 51.0 percent in the opener but finished just 9-19.
Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in six of its last eight season-openers.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage 50+%
Since 1993-94
FG% Year Opponent Postseason
.541 1997-98 UMKC NIT
.524 1998-99 Towson State NCAA
.569 2000-01 Western Illinois NCAA
.594 2002-03 UT Arlington NCAA
.500 2012-13 North Texas NCAA
.556 2013-14 Alcorn State NCAA
.528 2015-16 Texas Southern NIT
.508 2016-17 UMKC NCAA
.558 2017-18 Yale NCAA
.524 2019-20 Kennesaw State ? ? ?
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 80.90 points per home game (13,349 points in 165 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.93 points in non-conference home games (7,134 points in 84 home games).
Creighton is 106-5 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points and had won 90 straight non-conference home games since Dec. 7, 1991 when scoring 80+ points before falling 103-92 to No. 1 Gonzaga on Dec. 1.
Australia Recap
Creighton got a head start on the 2019-20 season with a trip to Australia from August 1-13. The Bluejays spent the majority of their time in Sydney, Cairns and the Gold Coast, and went 2-1 in three games while Down Under.
Five men averaged in double-figures in CU's three games, led by Mitch Ballock (18.3 ppg.), Christian Bishop (15.7 ppg.) and Davion Mintz (13.3 ppg.).
Among the activities on the adventurous trip were climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, SCUBA diving and snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef, a visit to Hartley's Crocodile Farm, zip lining and a high ropes course at the Tree Top Challenge and whitewater rafting.
For photos, videos and diaries from the trip, visit https://gocreighton.com/JaysDownUnder.
Where In The World Is Ty-Shon Alexander?
Basketball took Ty-Shon Alexander all over the globe this summer.
The Charlotte, N.C., native stayed in Omaha for much of the summer before heading to the Chris Paul CP3 Elite Guard Camp in mid-July in Winston-Salem, N.C. Alexander then went to Providence, R.I., for USA Basketball training camp from July 21-26.
The team, which consisted solely current and former of BIG EAST players, then departed for Lima, Peru, where it played five games in five days from July 31-Aug. 4 and won the bronze medal.
Alexander then boarded a plane in Lima and flew nine hours to Los Angeles, Calif., where he had about two hours to change terminals and get through customs to board a 15 hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia.
Upon arriving in Sydney, the jet-lagged junior once again had to clear customs and met the Creighton team at the gate as it was boarding a three-hour flight to Cairns.
Not surprisingly, minutes for a tired and travel-weary Alexander were closely monitored during the team's final two games in Australia.
Alexander Gets Preseason Hype
League coaches didn't give Ty-Shon Alexander anything more than Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST acclaim following last season, but don't tell that to the publishers of Street & Smith's.
The magazine named Alexander as a Preseason Second Team All-American in its annual basketball issue.
Alexander was also named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List, the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Watch List and was a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST choice.
Getting Votes A Good Sign
Creighton received four votes in the Associated Press preseason poll, good for 40th place.
It's the fifth time that Creighton has picked up votes in the preseason poll under Greg McDermott. Each of the first four times that's happened, the Bluejays would finish top three in the league, reach the finals of the conference tournament, and play in the NCAA Tournament.
Preseason Poll Votes Under Greg McDermott
Year Preseason Rank League Finish NCAA's?
2011-12 34th 2nd, MVC Yes
2012-13 16th 1st, MVC Yes
2013-14 27th 2nd, BIG EAST Yes
2016-17 22nd T-3rd, BIG EAST Yes
2019-20 40th TBD TBD
Downtown Duo
Creighton is one of two schools that return a pair of players who each made 95 or more three-pointers at their current school last season, joining UTSA.
Creighton's Ty-Shon Alexander drained 97 triples last year, two more than Mitch Ballock's 95.
UTSA's dynamic duo includes Keaton Wallace (121) and Jhivvan Jackson (104).
Creighton made a school-record 372 three-pointers a year ago, which ranked tied for fifth nationally.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked seventh in the preseason BIG EAST Conference poll that was selected via a vote of league coaches.
Seton Hall edged Villanova by one point to be named league favorites for the first time since 1992-93, as both the Pirates and Wildcats garnered five first place votes.
Xavier was third, with Marquette and Providence tying for fourth place. Georgetown was tabbed sixth, just ahead of Creighton, while Butler, St. John's and DePaul round out the poll.
Seton Hall standout Myles Powell was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, and was joined on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team by Ty-Shon Alexander (Creighton), Kamar Baldwin (Butler), Alpha Diallo (Providence), Markus Howard (Marquette) and Naji Marshall (Xavier).
Creighton has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below:
Creighton's BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year Preseason Actual Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14 3rd 2nd Doug McDermott (1st)
2014-15 9th T-9th -
2015-16 9th 6th -
2016-17 3rd T-3rd Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18 5th T-3rd Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19 9th T-3rd Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20 7th TBD Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
#ProJays
Creighton has five NBA players on NBA contracts as Kyle Korver (Milwaukee Bucks), Anthony Tolliver (Portland Trail Blazers), Doug McDermott (Indiana Pacers, Justin Patton (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Khyri Thomas (Detroit Pistons) are all in the league.
Including 2019-20, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 36 of the last 37 years.
Korver ranks fourth in NBA history with 2,375 three-pointers and is ninth in league history with 42.87 percent marksmanship from three-point range. 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 shooting 38.7 percent from three-point range this season and averages 5.9 points per game.
Tolliver is averaging 3.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game this season for the Trail Blazers.
McDermott is in his sixth season in the NBA, and second with the Indiana Pacers. He is averaging 8.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game this year while shooting 42.9 percent from three-point range.
Patton is on his fourth organization since being the 16th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls. He signed with the Thunder in August and had a pair of rebounds in his only game this season. He was recently sent down to the OKC Blue in the G-League, where he plays for former Bluejay Grant Gibbs.
Thomas was the 38th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded minutes later to the Detroit Pistons. Thomas was a two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year who has played in two games this winter for Detroit, but underwent foot surgery on Nov. 13th that will sideline him for six weeks.
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 19 of the previous 21 seasons, 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 21 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas. Kentucky and Florida have done it in 20 of the last 21 seasons.
Creighton and Syracuse each are in the 19-of-21 seasons club.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 21 Years
Team 20-Win Seasons 2018-19 W-L
Gonzaga 21 33-4
Duke 21 32-6
Kansas 21 26-10
Kentucky 20 30-7
Florida 20 20-16
Creighton 19 20-15
Syracuse 19 20-14
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 280 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 17-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 230-50 (.821) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (18-0).
Creighton's Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program's 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU's 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 21,843-18,342 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.50 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 78 different times.
Creighton is also 28-30 all-time in the 58 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 7-11 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 35-25 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 133-32 (.805) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 78-6 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 249-50 (.833) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Full House
Last year Creighton averaged 15,980 fans per game at home, good for seventh place. The Jays average of 17,108 prior to the NIT would have placed the program sixth.
It's the 14th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the eighth straight season in the top-10.
2018-19 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average
1. Syracuse 21,992
2. Kentucky 21,695
3. North Carolina 19,715
4. Tennessee 19,034
5. Wisconsin 17,170
6. Kansas 16,236
7. Creighton 15,980
8. Louisville 15,748
9. Marquette 15,611
10. Nebraska 15,341
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 212 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU's all-time wins list.
McDermott's .656 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. 212-111 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 21 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the previous 21 years.
On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (16), Duke (12), Winthrop (10), Kentucky (10), New Mexico State (10), Kansas (9), Creighton (8), Iona (8), Montana (8) and Murray State (8).
CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 7-8 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in the fall of 2003.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.7
01/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.0
11/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.5
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.2
01/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.3
02/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.3
01/28/14 St. John's W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) L 53-52 G. Diaz FT :2.6
01/20/07 Southern Illinois L 58-57 B. Mullins FG :4.1
01/10/15 #19 Seton Hall L 68-67 S. Gibbs 3FG :2.2
02/16/15 #19 Butler L 58-56 R. Jones FG :1.9
03/07/15 Xavier L 74-73 D. Davis FT's :6.3
01/12/16 #12 Providence L 50-48 K. Dunn FG :0.0
02/22/17 Providence L 68-66 K. Cartwright 3FG :2.4
02/10/18 #5 Xavier L 71-72 Q. Goodin FT's :0.3
Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time, which features five games from last year. Last season's Gonzaga game ranks fifth on that list, and was the best-attended non-conference home game in program history.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,868 Providence 03/08/14
2. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
3. 18,831 #1 Villanova 12/31/16
4. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
5. 18,759 #1 Gonzaga 12/01/18
6. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
7. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
8. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
9. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
10. 18,518 Georgetown 01/27/18
11. 18,495 Marquette 02/17/18
12. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
13. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
14. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
15. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
16. 18,321 #3 Villanova 02/24/18
17. 18,257 #5 Xavier 02/10/18
18. 18,191 DePaul 02/27/18
19. 18,160 Central Arkansas 11/14/14
20. 18,145 Marquette 01/21/17
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton has played in front of more than 300,000 fans at home in each of the past two seasons.
Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CHI Health Center Omaha, and now has done it in the previous 16 seasons entering 2019-20.
Creighton has led its conference in average home attendance every year since moving into CHI Health Center Omaha, which is in its 17th 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
17,000 Creighton 2017-18
Creighton's Most Home Fans, Season
Rk. Year G Attendance Average
1. 2017-18 18 306,000 17,000
2. 2018-19 19 303,629 15,980
3. 2015-16 19 302,887 15,941
4. 2008-09 19 302,676 15,930
5. 2010-11 22 297,161 13,507
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 20 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point, none larger than the 18-point deficit the Bluejays overcame against then-No.18 Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014. Ten of those 20 comebacks have come away from home.
Creighton's largest comeback to win in 2018-19 was a 12-point deficit it rallied from to defeat East Tennessee State on Nov. 11.
Creighton owns 11 victories since 2000 in which it has won after overcoming a deficit of 15 points or more, as seen below:
Overcoming Double-Digit Deficits, CU Since 2000
Deficit Opponent Date
19 Wichita State 01/28/06
18 #17 Western Kentucky 11/27/01
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 Missouri State 02/12/03
17 DePaul 11/09/07
17 Rhode Island 03/18/08
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 TCU 01/26/03
16 at Drake 02/04/06
16 New Mexico 11/16/08
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
15 Wichita State 02/02/08
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
2000-01: 3rd
2001-02: 3rd
2002-03: 5th
2003-04: 4th
2004-05: 2nd
2005-06: 3rd
2006-07: 5th
2007-08: 5th
2008-09: 4th
2009-10: 3rd
2010-11: 1st
2011-12: 2nd
2012-13: 2nd
2013-14: 4th
2014-15: 3rd
2015-16: 4th
2016-17: 3rd
2017-18: 2nd
2018-19 5th
2019-20: 5th
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2019-20 season went on sale on October 14th.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any regular-season game.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball vs. Utah Tech Press Conference - 12/22/25
Friday, December 19
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Marquette Press Conference - 12/20/25
Friday, December 19
Greg McDermot Interview After Xavier Win - 12/17/25
Thursday, December 18
Creighton Men's Basketball Highlights vs. Kansas State - 12/13/25
Saturday, December 13
