Men's Hoops Closes Non-Conference Play vs. Utah Tech on Monday

Game #13: Utah Tech Trailblazers (7-6, 0-0 WAC) at Creighton Bluejays (7-5, 2-0 BIG EAST)
Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 • 7:00 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | UTAH TECH NOTES | PROGRAM |

Next Game
Creighton (7-5, 2-0 BIG EAST) hosts its final non-conference game of the regular-season on Monday, Dec. 22 when it meets Utah Tech (7-6, 0-0 Western Athletic) for the first time.
Monday's game will be played in Omaha, Neb., on First National Bank Court inside CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) and tip off at 7:00 p.m.

Promotional Calendar
Monday is a Lil' Jays Club eligible game.
There's also a student giveaway of 200 ugly Christmas t-shirts.
Halftime will feature a performance from Pear Tree Dance.

Broadcast Information
Monday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and streamed at https://WatchESPN.com
Jon Schriner and Nick Bahe will announce.

Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2025-26 season.
John Bishop and Taylor Stormberg will call the action. The audio is webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
The game can also be heard on SiriusXM 391 as well as https://sxm.app.link/SXM981.

Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats at http://Creighton.StatBroadcast.com.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 7-5 on the young season, after opening BIG EAST play with a convincing wins over Xavier (98-57) and Marquette (84-63). Three of the five losses have come against teams who are currently ranked.
Six of the top seven scorers are newcomers, led by Josh Dix (11.8 ppg.), Nik Graves (9.8 ppg., 3.6 apg.) and Blake Harper (9.3 ppg., 5.3 rpg.).
Coming on strong of late has been Austin Swartz (7.5 ppg.), who had eight points total in CU's first seven games but has averaged 15.0 points in five contests since then, including a career-high 27 at Xavier.
Creighton's most productive returner, Jackson McAndrew (6.8 ppg., 4.5 rpg.), as well as key subs Hudson Greer (8.0 ppg., 4.3 rpg.) and Josh Townley-Thomas (6.0 ppg.), have combined to play just nine games due to injuries.
Creighton is averaging 77.3 points per game and shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from three-point range and 74.1 percent at the line.

Scouting Utah Tech
Utah Tech is 7-6 this season, including road wins at South Dakota (81-79 in OT) and at Weber State (82-80). The Trailblazers most notable opposition to date came in losses at Arizona (93-67) and at Arizona State (81-66).
Ethan Potter (16.9 ppg., 7.2 rpg.) leads Utah Tech in scoring and rebounding, and also boasts a team-best 13 blocked shots.
Also scoring in double-figures is Noah Bolanga (11.9 ppg.), Chance Trujillo (11.1 ppg.) and Madiba Owona (10.1 ppg.).
The Trailblazers average 79.2 points per game and shoot 47.0 percent from the field, 30.1 percent from downtown and 71.6 percent at the line.

The Series With Utah Tech
Neither Greg McDermott nor Creighton has ever faced Utah Tech.
McDermott is 1-0 against the current members of the WAC, defeating UT Arlington in 2017.

The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 357-176 record in his 16th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 637-371 in his 32nd season, and is 506-307 in 25 Division I campaigns.
McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league's preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and its first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
He is assisted by Alan Huss, Derek Kellogg, Trey Zeigler, Mitch Ballock and Mike Nesbitt.

With A Win...
- Creighton would win a season-high third straight game.
- Creighton would close non-conference regular-season play with a 6-5 record, its 29th straight winning record in those games.
- Greg McDermott would improve his record as a Division I head coach to 200 games above the .500 mark (507-307).

Milestone Watch
- Liam McChesney is six rebounds short of 200 for his career.
- Josh Dix has 968 career points, just 32 shy of 1,000. He is also five rebounds short of 250.
- Owen Freeman has 779 career points and is 21 short of 800.

A Connection WIth Utah Tech
Creighton has very few connections with Utah Tech, but there is one that longtime Bluejay fans will recall.
Former Creighton guard Johnny Mathies, who contributed 1,031 points, 207 assists and 157 steals from 2003-06, spent his first year of college at Dixie State College.
Mathies became the second junior college transfer in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career points behind Northeastern Oklahoma A&M transfer Rod Mason (1,023 points from 1986-88).
Mathies also made the first three-pointer in CHI Health Center Omaha history (then known as Qwest Center Omaha).
In 2007 the school changed its name to Dixie State University, and in 2022 it was rebranded as Utah Tech University.
Mathies averaged 7.7 points while playing 19.1 minutes per game for the Rebels (as they were known then), helping his team to a 30-6 record and third-place finish at the national tournament.

Bench Boost
Creighton has scored 43 (at Xavier) and 41 (vs. Marquette) bench points in its past two games, a fact that's even more incredible when you consider that the Bluejays had gone 147 straight BIG EAST games without scoring 40+ points off the bench dating to Jan. 13, 2018.
Creighton had not scored 40+ bench points in consecutive games (conference or otherwise) since doingit vs. Presbyterian (43) and Longwood (56) in November of 2012.
40+ Points in BIG EAST Play
Year 40+ Bench Points Opponent
2013-14: 0 of 18 -
2014-15: 2 of 18 @SJU, SJU
2015-16: 1 of 18 DPU
2016-17: 0 of 18 -
2017-18: 1 of 18
2018-19: 0 of 18 -
2019-20: 0 of 18 -
2020-21: 0 of 20 -
2021-22: 0 of 19 -
2022-23: 0 of 20 -
2023-24: 0 of 20 -
2024-25: 0 of 20 -
2025-26: 2 of 2 @XU, MU

Most Creighton Bench Points in BIG EAST Play
Bench Pts. Opponent Date
51 DePaul 02/06/16
46 at Xavier 01/13/18
45 at St. John's 02/07/15
44 St. John's 01/28/15
43 at Xavier 12/17/25
41 Marquette 12/20/25

What's The Difference?
Creighton outscored Xavier by 41 and Marquette by 21 to open BIG EAST Conference play. That +62 point differential is the largest in league history, outpacing the 1988-89 Providence team coached by RIck Barnes that was +50 after two conference contests.
The +62 is the best margin in program history through two league games, just ahead of the +57 set by the 1924-25 squad that helped the Jays defeat North Central Conference rivals Marquette (31-15) and Morningside (53-12).

Triple Threats
Looking ahead to Dec. 30th, when Creighton returns to league action against Butler, two more records are in play.
The only two teams in BIG EAST history to be a combined +60 or better after three league games are 2000-01 Georgetown (+64) with Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje and Mike Sweetney and 1985-86 Syracuse (+60) team that featured Pearl Washington, Sherman Douglas and Rony Seikaly.
Creighton can also become the first men's team in history to win its first three BIG EAST games by 20+ points. CU has defeated Butler by 20+ points in Omaha during four of the previous 12 seasons.

Nik The Quik
Nik Graves went nuclear in the first half of Creighton's Dec. 20 game vs. Marquette, scoring 17 points in a span of just 2:55. His 17 points were the most by any Bluejay in a half this season.
Graves entered the game with a season-high of 15 points in the South Dakota game before catching fire against the Golden Eagles.
Here's how it happened:
Time Play CU Score After Points
11:22 Graves Floater Down 15-14
10:56 Graves Jumper Up 16-15
10:07 Graves 3FG Up 21-15
9:03 Graves 3FG Up 27-17
8:46 Graves 3FG Up 30-17
8:24 Graves 3FG Up 33-17
8:24 Graves FT Up 34-17

That's A Plus
Nik Graves finished Saturday's win against Marquette with a +40 plus/minus rating, as Creighton outscored Marquette 66-26 with the senior guard on the floor.
That +40 mark out-did the previous high by a Bluejay this season (Josh Dix was +37 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore) and was the top mark by a Creighton player since James Milliken was also +40 on Feb. 28, 2016.

Three's Fallin'
One reason for Creighton's recent uptick is its improvement from three-point range in the last five games.
Creighton has shot 39.6 percent from three-point range (63-159) in the last five games while making an average of 12.6 treys per contest.
Take out an 8-for-33 showing in the road loss at Nebraska and the numbers soar even higher to 55-for-126 (43.7) and an average of 13.8 triples in those four selected games.
Leading the charge from deep has been Nik Graves. The senior guard is shooting 57.9 percent from deep (11-19) after starting the stretch shooting 15.6 percent (5-32) from deep in CU's first seven contests.
Others who are red-hot in the last five games are Isaac Traudt (.419; 13-31) and Austin Swartz (.395; 17-43).

Non-Con Success
Creighton is 5-5 in regular-season non-conference play this season heading into Monday's finale vs. Utah Tech.
Creighton has been .500 or better in regular-season non-conference games in each of the last 28 seasons. The last Bluejay team that wasn't was CU's 1996-97 team that went 5-6.
Below is a look at Creighton's annual regular-season non-conference marks under Greg McDermott.
W-L Year Year-End W-L (Postseason)
8-5 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
11-1 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
11-2 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
10-2 2013-14 27-8 (NCAA)
9-4 2014-15 14-19 (None)
9-4 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
13-0 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
11-2 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
9-4 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
11-2 2019-20 24-7 (None due to COVID-19)
4-1 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
8-3 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
6-5 2022-23 24-13 (NCAA)
9-2 2023-24 25-10 (NCAA)
7-4 2024-25 25-11 (NCAA)
5-5 so far 2025-26 TBD

They Did What?
Creighton led 49-22 at half and walloped Xavier, 98-57, on Dec. 17 in Cincinnati. It led to a plethora of eyebrow-raising stats.
- It was Creighton's largest halftime lead since leading Houston Christian 39-12 at the break on Nov. 13, 2024.
, - It was Creighton's largest halftime lead in a BIG EAST game since leading Georgetown 51-24 at the break on March 1, 2023, and tied for its third-largest ever in BIG EAST play.
- It is believed to be Creighton's largest halftime lead in a conference road game since at least 1948. Creighton's last halftime lead away from home of 27 points or more was also a 49-22 lead, which came on Nov. 30, 1990 in Iowa City, Iowa, against UTSA.
- It was Creighton's largest margin of victory ever in a conference road game, topping its 93-58 win at DePaul on Feb. 11, 2017.
- It was tied for Creighton's second-largest margin of victory ever in a conference game at any site, trialing only a 69-25 win vs. Saint Louis on Jan. 9, 1943 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
That Saint Louis game was also a league lid-lifter.
- It tied Creighton's largest margin of victory ever in a BIG EAST game at any site, matching a 100-59 win vs. St. John's on Feb. 28, 2016.
- Creighton's 98-57 win was the second-largest road win in a BIG EAST Conference game ever, trailing only UConn's 99-57 win at Seton Hall on Feb. 11, 2006. It was also tied for the eighth-largest BIG EAST victory margin in league history, regardless of site.
- Creighton's 41 point win at Xavier matched the combined margin of victory in Creighton's eight previous wins in Cincinnati over the Musketeers. CU had never before won at Xavier by more than 12 points.
- It was the largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST opener by any team, surpassing Villanova's 84-46 win vs. West Virginia on Jan. 5, 2005.
- Creighton's 98 points were its most ever in a conference road win, one more than its output on Jan. 20, 2024 in a 97-94 triple-overtime win at Seton Hall, and two more than its previous high in regulation in a conference road win done on Jan. 20, 2014 at No. 4 Villanova in a 96-68 win.
- Creighton's 98 points were the most Xavier has ever allowed inside Cintas Center, which opened in 2000.
- Along with the Creighton women defeating Omaha 92-48 on Wednesday, it was the first time a BIG EAST school posted 40+ point wins in men's and women's basketball on the same day since Nov. 6, 2018, when Seton Hall dominated Wagner in both sports.
The only other time in history that Creighton MBB and WBB had wins of 40+ points on the same day was Nov. 27, 1982, when the men beat Wisconsin-Platteville 98-54 and the women topped SIU Edwardsville 99-59, but both of those games were in Omaha.
- Creighton's men and women both made 16 three-pointers. It was the first time a BIG EAST school had both its men's and women's programs make 15+ three-pointers on the same day since Creighton did it on March 23, 2024. On that day, the CU men did it in a double-overtime win vs. Oregon, while the women did it in a victory against UNLV. Both of those were NCAA Tournament contests.
- It was Xavier's largest halftime deficit since trailing Duke 55-24 at half on Dec. 20, 2008 in East Rutherford, N.J., in an eventual 82-64 loss.
- It was Xavier's largest halftime deficit ever in a BIG EAST game (previously 48-22 vs. UConn on Jan. 28, 2024), and largest halftime deficit in a BIG EAST home game since trailing 44-28 vs. Seton Hall on Dec. 30, 2020.
- It was Xavier's second-largest loss ever in a conference game, trailing only its 99-56 loss at UConn on Jan. 28, 2024.
- It was Xavier's largest loss in a home game in program history, eclipsing an 86-48 loss to Dayton on March 5, 1977.
- Xavier's previous largest loss at Cintas Center (which opened in 2000) was a 64-42 loss to Oral Roberts on Dec. 18, 2011.

Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.79 points per home game (21,167 points in 262 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.25 points in non-conference home games (10,279 points in 122 home games).
Creighton is 159-7 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Creighton has won its last 23 games when scoring 80 points or more dating to a 91-87 overtime loss at Providence on Feb. 7, 2024. That's more than twice as long as UConn's 11-game streak that is the next-longest streak in the BIG EAST.

Sharing Is Caring
Creighton's 31 assists at Xavier were its second-most ever in a game under Greg McDermott, trailing only the 32 vs. USC Upstate on Dec. 20, 2017 in a 116-62 win.
Nationally, Creighton became the first road team with 31 or more assists in a Power 5 conference game since Washington at California on March 3, 2005.
Creighton's 31 assists were the most in a regular-season BIG EAST game by any school since Xavier had 32 vs. Georgetown on Jan. 21, 2023, and tied for the third-most in any league game since 1996-97. Creighton's 31 assists were also its most ever in any BIG EAST game.

Turnover Trends
How well Creighton has taken care of the ball has had a major correlation whether or not the Bluejays win.
Creighton owns a 142/74 assist/turnover ratio (1.92) in its seven wins this year, compared to a 62/67 (0.93) ratio in its five losses.
Josh Dix owns 18 assists and four turnovers in the wins compared to 15 assists and nine turnovers in CU's losses.
Ty Davis has nine assists and five turnovers since moving into the CU starting line-up on Dec. 13.
Lastly, Isaac Traudt is the only player in the nation with 90+ points and one turnover or less. Traudt is also one of four players in the country to have played 220 minutes or more with one turnover or less.

Sixty Percent Club
Creighton shot 60.3 percent in last Wednesday's win at Xavier. Since Greg McDermott was hired at Creighton, the Bluejays have shot 60 percent or better 33 times.
Here's that list, as well as several others, per Basketball-Reference.com and Elias, through Dec. 20.
Most Games, 60%+ FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 50 (50-0) Gonzaga
2. 33 (33-0) Creighton
3. 30 (30-0) Kansas
30 (29-1) Northern Colorado
5. 28 (28-0) Indiana
28 (27-1) Loyola (Chicago)

Most Games, 50%+ FG Shooting, Since 2010-11
Rk. Games (W-L) Team
1. 316 (306-10) Gonzaga
2. 224 (209-15) Belmont
3. 222 (207-15) Creighton
222 (209-13) Kansas
5. 216 (204-12) Duke

Best Field Goal Percentage, Since 2010-11
Rk. FG% Team
1. .508 Gonzaga
2. .482 Belmont
3. .477 Kansas
4. .4763 Creighton
5. .4758 Duke

Best 2-Point Field Goal Percentage, Since 2010-11
(includes teams that have been Division I 10+ years)
Rk. 2FG% Team
1. .574 Gonzaga
2. .573 Belmont
3. .553 Creighton
4. .541 Furman
5. .539 Duke

Austin Powers
Austin Swartz had 27 points in 23 minutes of Wednesday's road win at Xavier.
He's just the seventh Bluejay in the last 20 seasons with 25+ points in 25 minutes or less, and joined Cole Huff as one of two Bluejays with a game of 27+ points in 23 minutes or less since 1991-92.
25+ Points in 25 Minutes or Less
Creighton Players Since 1991-92
PTS MIN Name, Opponent Date
26 25 Dane Watts vs. Mississippi Valley State 11/17/07
25 18 Doug McDermott vs. Hou. Christian 12/17/11
27 24 Geoffrey Groselle vs. North Texas 12/21/15
28 22 Cole Huff vs. DePaul 02/06/16
25 25 Marcus Zegarowski vs. #21 Butler 02/23/20
25 23 Trey Alexander vs. Georgetown 03/01/23
27 23 Austin Swartz at Xavier 12/17/25

Triple Option
Creighton made 16 three-pointers in last Wednesday's victory at Xavier. It was tied for the third-most three-pointers ever by the Bluejays in a road game.
Most 3FG Made in a Road Game, Creighton History
3FG 3FGA Opponent Date
21 35 at #4 Villanova 01/20/14
17 35 at Seton Hall 01/27/21
16 36 at Georgetown 01/06/18
16 33 at Xavier 12/17/25

McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott ranks sixth in BIG EAST history with 140 regular-season league wins. The league's impressive history contains six different coaches who have won at least one national title.
McDermott, along with Ed Cooley, Rick Pitino and Kevin Willard are the only four active coaches with 100 regular-season BIG EAST wins.
McDermott has been at his current job (16 seasons) longer than any active BIG EAST coach, but since his first three years were as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Cooley's 15 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches (12/21)
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 366 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2. 274 Jim Calhoun, UConn
3. 244 Jay Wright, Villanova
4. 198 John Thompson Jr., Georgetown
5. 141 Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
6. 140 Greg McDermott, Creighton
7. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
8. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
9. 130 Ed Cooley, Providence/G'Town
10. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John's

Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (84) than any other school in the last six seasons, 13 more than Marquette, Connecticut and Villanova's 71.
Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 161 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 140 league victories are second-most.
Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to Dec. 21, 2025)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 84 35 .706
Villanova 71 42 .628
Marquette 71 47 .602
UConn 71 27 .724
Providence 64 52 .552
Xavier 60 52 .536
St. John's 60 57 .513
Seton Hall 60 57 .513
Butler 46 74 .383
Georgetown 25 90 .217
DePaul 18 97 .157

Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to Dec. 21, 2025)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 161 60 .729
Creighton 140 87 .617
Xavier 126 94 .573
Marquette 123 103 .544
Providence 122 102 .545
Seton Hall 113 112 .502
St. John's 100 125 .444
Butler 100 128 .439
Georgetown 71 152 .318
UConn 71 27 .724
DePaul 43 180 .193

Preseason All-BIG EAST Votes Revealed
The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to finish third in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of 2025 BIG EAST Media Day on October 21.
It marks the fourth straight year the Bluejays have been tabbed for a top-three finish and the third time CU has been picked exactly third in the BIG EAST poll, having also happened in 2013-14 as well as 2016-17.
Defending league champion St. John's garnered 7-of-11 first place votes and was chosen atop the poll with 97 points, just ahead of Connecticut. The Huskies collected four first place votes and 94 points. Creighton was third with 80 points, just ahead of Providence (64) and Marquette (60). The second half of the league poll consists of Georgetown (57), Villanova (50), Xavier (33), DePaul (29), Butler (26) and Seton Hall (15).
Creighton finished 25-11 overall and 15-5 in BIG EAST play last season and returns starters Jackson McAndrew (7.8 ppg., 4.4 rpg.) and Jasen Green (4.9 ppg., 3.2 rpg.) along with a talented crop of newcomers.
Three of those newcomers join McAndrew with Preseason All-BIG EAST accolades, giving CU four honorees for the first time since its 2022-23 team that eventually finished the season in the Elite Eight. Owen Freeman was voted a Preseason All- BIG EAST First Team selection and Josh Dix was a Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team choice. McAndrew and Nik Graves were both Preseason All-BIG EAST Third Team honorees.
Freeman is the eighth different Bluejay to earn Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team recognition, and first to do it prior to playing a game with the Bluejays. It also means CU has had a First Team pick each of the last four seasons, as Trey Alexander was chosen prior to 2023-24 and Ryan Kalkbrenner was honored each of the previous three campaigns.
Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but one season since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time. The Bluejays are seeking a 10th straight finish in the top four of the league standings.
Creighton's BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year Preseason Actual Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14 3rd 2nd Doug McDermott (POY, 1st)
2014-15 9th T-9th -
2015-16 9th 6th -
2016-17 3rd T-3rd Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18 5th T-3rd Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19 9th T-3rd Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20 7th T-1st Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21 2nd 2nd Marcus Zegarowski (POY, 1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)
2021-22 8th 4th -
2022-23 1st 3rd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
2023-24 2nd T-2nd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
Baylor Scheierman (2nd)
2024-25 2nd 2nd Ryan Kalkbrenner (POY, 1st); Steven Ashworth (3rd)
2025-26 3rd ? ? ? Owen Freeman (1st); Josh Dix (2nd)
Jackson McAndrew (3rd); Nik Graves (3rd)

League Of Their Own
Creighton has finished with a .500 mark or better in league play 29 times in the previous 30 seasons, one of six schools nationally that can say that.
The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous 10 seasons are Creighton and Villanova.
Creighton is also the only "Power 5" school with an active streak of six years or longer with 12 or more league wins.
Most Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Last 30 Seasons (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
30 Duke
30 Kansas
30 Gonzaga
29 Creighton
29 Kentucky
29 Michigan State

Consecutive Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Power 5 Schools (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
36 Kansas
30 Duke
14 Oregon
13 Villanova
10 Creighton
10 Houston
10 Florida

Consecutive Seasons 12+ League Wins
Power 5 Schools (Entering 2025-26)
Seasons Team
6 Creighton

Still Fighting
Creighton is off to a 7-5 start through 12 games. Recent seasons would suggest it might be too early to write them off.
Last season Creighton started 7-5, including a loss at Georgetown to open league play, before heating up. The Jays would win 11 of their next 12 games, eventually finish 25-11, and go 15-5 in BIG EAST play to finish second in the league standings.
Creighton's 2022-23 team started 6-6, including a loss to open BIG EAST play at Marquette, before regrouping to win 11 of their next 13 games. That Bluejay team reached the Elite Eight.

After 12 Games
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 12 games in recent seasons, which is where CU is at right now.
Of note, Creighton has started 6-6 or better after 12 games in 28 of the past 29 seasons (including 2025-26).
Creighton Stats Through 12 Games, Since 1994-95
Year W-L PPG FG% 3FG 10+ PPG guys
2025-26 7-5 77.3 .458 122 1
2024-25 7-5 76.0 .464 119 4
2023-24 9-3 83.0 .498 132 3
2022-23 6-6 76.3 .458 105 5
2021-22 9-3 72.5 .488 76 4
2020-21 10-2 83.2 .496 130 5
2019-20 10-2 77.9 .467 117 4
2018-19 8-4 84.8 .518 146 4
2017-18 10-2 92.3 .521 134 3
2016-17 12-0 89.8 .538 120 4
2015-16 8-4 86.2 .497 109 4
2014-15 9-3 73.3 .441 106 2
2013-14 10-2 82.9 .492 136 2
2012-13 11-1 78.9 .509 107 2
2011-12 10-2 84.3 .506 111 2
2010-11 8-4 67.3 .426 85 3
2009-10 5-7 70.8 .447 98 1
2008-09 10-2 76.9 .445 106 3
2007-08 9-3 77.4 .468 100 2
2006-07 8-4 68.0 .433 69 2
2005-06 8-4 69.4 .414 86 3
2004-05 9-3 68.7 .434 93 2
2003-04 12-0 71.2 .467 75 1
2002-03 11-1 83.8 .520 116 1
2001-02 7-5 76.2 .451 71 3
2000-01 10-2 75.8 .446 95 4
1999-00 9-3 73.3 .459 96 2
1998-99 10-2 76.2 .466 90 2
1997-98 8-4 77.4 .473 88 2
1996-97 5-7 65.4 .407 66 2
1995-96 6-6 65.8 .389 69 2
1994-95 5-7 65.0 .396 81 4

Best BIG EAST Years
Creighton's 15 league wins last season set a program record for most conference wins in any of its first 12 seasons in the BIG EAST. It was the third straight season CU won 14 league games or more, something only Villanova (2013-14 to 2017-18) and Connecticut (1993-94 to 1995-96) have done in BIG EAST history.
Four of CU's seven teams to win 12 or more BIG EAST games reached the BIG EAST Tournament final, with the prematurely cancelled 2019-20 campaign being one of the exceptions.
Creighton's 15 conference wins last year matched its most as a member of any league, as it picked up 15 conference wins in 2002-03 when it was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Creighton has now set or tied program records for most conference wins in a one-year span (15), two-year span (29), thee-year span (43), four-year span (55), five-year span (69), six-year span (82) and seven-year span (91).
Creighton has finished first or second in the BIG EAST in four of the last six seasons.
Creighton's Most BIG EAST Wins, Season
W-L Year BIG EAST Tourney
15-5 2024-25 TBA
14-4 2013-14 Lost in Final
14-6 2020-21 Lost in Final
14-6 2022-23 Lost in Semi's
14-6 2023-24 Lost in Quarterfinals
13-5 2019-20 Tourney Cancelled
12-7 2021-22 Lost in Final

Creighton's Most Conference Wins, Season
W-L Year League
15-3 2002-03 MVC
15-5 2024-25 BIG EAST
14-4 2000-01 MVC
14-4 2001-02 MVC
14-4 2008-09 MVC
14-4 2011-12 MVC
14-4 2013-14 BIG EAST
14-6 2020-21 BIG EAST
14-6 2022-23 BIG EAST
14-6 2023-24 BIG EAST

Triple Jumper
Josh Dix has made a three-pointer in each of his first 12 games with Creighton, and also made a trey in his final 12 games with Iowa. His 24 game streak with a three-pointer is tied for the nation's 14th-longest active streak through games of Dec. 21.
Longest Active Streaks With a Made 3-Pointer (12/21)
Streak Name, Current School Next
59 Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State 12/29
41 Honor Huff, West Virginia 12/22
40 Martin Somerville, Florida State 12/22
40 John Camden, California 12/30
39 Bryce Lindsay, Villanova 12/23
39 Cliff Davis, James Madison 12/29
31 Tucker DeVries, Indiana 12/22
27 Emanuel Sharp, Houston 12/29
26 Jeremiah Wilkinson, Georgia 12/22
26 Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State 12/29
25 Nyle Ralph-Beyer, Sacred Heart 12/22
25 Ryan Conwell, Louisville 12/30
24 Josh Dix, Creighton 12/22
24 Vijami Vartiainen, Weber State 12/22
24 Tyler Lundblade, Belmont 12/29
24 Tyler Nickel, Vanderbilt 12/29
23 Solo Ball, Connecticut 12/31
23 Simeon Cottle, Kennesaw State 1/2
22 Miles Barnstable, Tulsa 12/22

Use The Swartz
Sophomore guard Austin Swartz has stepped up in the absence of Hudson Greer.
One game after a DNP-CD against Oregon to close out the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, Swartz scored 11 points on Dec. 2 in 13 minutes vs. Nicholls, eclipsing his point total (8) in his first eight games of the season combined.
Swartz was a bright spot in the Dec. 7 game at Nebraska, scoring 16 points while also adding two steals. He shot 7-of-15 from the field, compared to 9-for-37 by the rest of the Jays.
Swartz made his first start with the Bluejays on Dec. 13 against Kansas State. scoring a dozen points in 25 minutes.
Swartz then poured in a career-high 27 points in just 23 minutes in a Dec. 17 win at Xavier, as the Charlotte native made seven three-pointers.
In other words, Swartz has 75 points in CU's last five games (15.0 ppg.) after just eight total points in Creighton's initial seven contests.

Balanced Effort
Austin Swartz's 27 points at Xavier was the first time all season that Creighton had a player produce a 20-point game this season.
It had been Creighton's longest drought to start a season since it didn't happen in the first 12 games in 2003-04.
Since Greg McDermott's 2010 arrival, Creighton has had at least one player score 20 points or more in 57.3 percent (305) of its 532 games.

Availability Reports
The BIG EAST is now requiring availability reports prior to each league game, with plans calling for the information will be released three hours prior to each conference contest.
The league website with that information is
https://bigeast.com/sports/2025/11/26/2526_mbb_availability_reports.aspx .

Three's Company
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 83 straight games, the nation's second-longest active streak.
CU's streak of 65 consecutive games with six or more three-pointers was snapped on Thanksgiving Day vs. Oregon when the Jays made five three-pointers.
Longest Active Streaks of 5+ 3FG Made (12/21)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 109 North Florida 12/28
2. 83 Creighton 12/22
3. 82 BYU 12/22
4. 79 Wofford 12/28

Seeking the Pefect Blend
Creighton's roster includes nine newcomers and seven returners. CU has yet to play a single possession with five returners on the floor at the same time.
# of Newcomers CU Pts.-Opp Pts. % of Pts. by CU
0 Newcomers on Floor Hasn't Happened n/a
1 Newcomer on Floor 55-45 .550
2 Newcomers on Floor 172-187 .479
3 Newcomers on Floor 349-299 .539
4 Newcomers on Floor 340-302 .530
5 Newcomers on Floor 12-13 .480

Newcomers Lead The Way
For the season, 626 of Creighton's 928 points have been scored by newcomers, an astounding 67.5 percent. This shouldn't be too much of a shock though, as only 28.0 percent of last year's points returned.
By comparison, newcomers on last year's team were responsible for only 36.6 percent of the points.

McChesney Perserveres
Liam McChesney capped Creighton's 96-76 win with a tip-dunk in the final 30 seconds.
It was McChesney's first field goal in a game since scoring at Arch Madness on March 2, 2023 when he played for Illinois State, a span of 1,007 days.

Hudson Strong
Hudson Greer made 7-of-8 shots and scored 16 points in the Nov. 24 game vs. Baylor, an impressive showing for the true freshman who had his redshirt lifted just a few days earlier.
Greer became the first Bluejay freshman with 16 points or more in one of his first two games since Khyri Thomas scored 18 points in his collegiate debut vs. Texas Southern on Nov. 14, 2015.

McDermott's Coaching Tree
Greg McDermott's coaching tree includes 11 men who are currently a head coach at the Division I level, including three men at Power 5 schools.
Here's a list:
Darian DeVries - Indiana
Eric Henderson - Drake
Ben Jacobson - Northern Iowa
Steve Lutz - Oklahoma State
Ryan Miller - Murray State
TJ Otzelberger - Iowa State
Bryan Petersen - South Dakota State
David Richman - North Dakota State
Daniyal Robinson - North Texas
Paul Sather - North Dakota
Patrick Sellers - Central Connecticut State

If At First You Don't Succeed
Creighton scored 29 second-chance points in its season-opening win over South Dakota, 12 more than any other game last season. The last time CU had scored 29 or more second-chance points was the 2023-24 season-opener against Florida A&M.
This year's Creighton team is averaging 11.08 second chance points per game.
Since 2003-04, Creighton's highest second-chance points average has been 11.31 points per game in 2011-12, and its top average since joining the BIG EAST was 10.43 second chance points per game in 2013-14.
CU currently ranks 182nd nationally in offensive rebound percentage (.311). Per KenPom.com, the last time Creighton's finished in the top 100 was way back in 1998-99 when it was 34th at .397. CU has been 278th, 274th, 280th, 165th, 258th and 295th nationally the previous six seasons.

Deep Thoughts
Greg McDermott talked in the off-season about how this year's squad figured to be the deepest team he's ever had at Creighton, and the early results have proven him right.
Creighton's bench has outscored foes 343-278 this season. That +65 figure would be CU's best year-end mark since 2018-19 (+96).
Creighton's bench has accounted for 36.96 percent of CU's scoring, and 28.58 points per game. That's the most bench points per game since the 2007-08 club averaged 36.91 points per game. CU's best figure in the last 20 seasons came in 2007-08, when the Jays averaged 36.91 bench points per game and actually outscored the starting line-up (34.61 ppg.).
Creighton entered this season with 48 straight wins when scoring 17 or more bench points, but are just 6-4 this year when scoring 18 points or more off the bench.

Postseason Success
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. That makes CU one of four teams in the country to have a win in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, joining Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston.
Nebraska, on the other hand, has never won an NCAA Tournament contest in men's basketball.
This is the first time that Creighton Basketball has won an NCAA Tournament game in five straight years. The only other CU program in any sport to win an NCAA Tournament game in five straight seasons is Creighton Volleyball (2015-19).
Even though a certain NCAA bid was wiped away in 2020 by COVID-19, Creighton has still appeared in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2021-25).
The only previous time that Creighton has appeared in five straight NCAA Tournaments was from 1999-2003.
Creighton is one of 13 teams to have appeared in each of the last five NCAA Tournaments (2021-25). That list consists of Alabama, Baylor, Connecticut, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue, San Diego State, Tennessee and Texas.

Ain't Too Proud To Brag
Creighton has won 20 or more games in each of the past 10 seasons, tied for the nation's fourth-longest active streak. Kansas leads the way with 36, followed by Gonzaga (28) and Belmont (15). The others with 10 (like Creighton) include Oregon and Houston.
Creighton has won 22 games or more in six straight seasons. Only Gonzaga (28) and Houston (8) have longer streaks.
Creighton is one of two schools to have men's and women's basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous four seasons, a list that includes Creighton and UConn.
Creighton is one of two teams in the nation with 25 or more wins in both men's basketball and women's basketball each of the previous two seasons. That list consists of Creighton and Gonzaga.
Most Consecutive 20-Win Seasons
Team Consec. 20-Win Seasons (entering 2025-26)
Kansas 36
Gonzaga 28
Belmont 15
Oregon 15
Creighton 10
Houston 10

Most Consecutive 22-Win Seasons
Team Consec. 22-Win Yrs. (entering 2025-26)
Gonzaga 28
Houston 8
Creighton 6

25 of 27 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 25 of the previous 27 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Entering 2025-26, just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the previous 27 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 26 times, Creighton and Kentucky 25 times each.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 27 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons (Entering 2025-26)
Gonzaga 27
Kansas 27
Duke 26
Creighton 25
Kentucky 25
Arizona 23
Florida 23
Michigan State 23
BYU 22
Memphis 22
North Carolina 22
Ohio State 22
Wisconsin 22

Two Dozen, Cousin
Creighton is one of 15 schools to have won 24 games or more in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024- 25. That group consists of Alabama, Arizona, Charleston, Connecticut, Creighton, Drake, Duke, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Houston, Purdue, Saint Mary's, Tennessee, Utah State and VCU.

Sweetness!
Creighton is one of just nine teams to have reached at least three of the last five Sweet 16s.
Houston has done it each of the previous five seasons, while Alabama, Arkansas and Gonzaga have done it four times each.
Doing it three times in the previous five seasons are Duke, Michigan, Purdue, Tennessee, UCLA and Creighton.
Most Sweet 16's, Previous Five Seasons
# Team Years
5 Houston 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
4 Alabama 2021 - 2023 2024 2025
4 Arkansas 2021 2022 2023 - 2025
4 Gonzaga 2021 2022 2023 2024 -
3 Creighton 2021 - 2023 2024 -
3 UCLA 2021 2022 2023 - -
3 Duke - 2022 - 2024 2025
3 Michigan 2021 2022 - - 2025
3 Purdue - 2022 - 2024 2025
3 Tennessee - - 2023 2024 2025

Coaching Consistency Is Key
Between women's basketball coach Jim Flanery (459) and men's basketball coach Greg McDermott (357), Creighton is the nation's only school with a pair of active head coaches with at least 350 victories at their current school.
Flanery (hired in 2002) and McDermott (2010) also make Creighton one of three schools to have the same men's and women's basketball head coaches each of the last 15 seasons, joining Boise State (Leon Rice and Gordy Presnell) and Northern Iowa (Ben Jacobsen and Tanya Warren).
Jacobsen played on teams McDermott assisted at North Dakota from 1989-93 and later replaced McDermott as head coach at UNI In 2006, while Warren was a former Creighton player and assistant and is one of two women in program history to have her number retired.

Stability is Key
One reason for Creighton's extended run of success has been the continuity within its coaching staff. The Bluejays have had just two head coaches in the last 32 years, Dana Altman (1994-2010) and Greg McDermott (2010-Present).
Here's a list of major conference schools to have a coach with 300 wins at that school, and their predecessor also had 300 wins at the school:
School Former Coach Current Coach
Creighton Dana Altman Greg McDermott
Kansas Roy Williams Bill Self
Michigan State Jud Heathcote Tom Izzo
Purdue Gene Keady Matt Painter

Long Run
Greg McDermott is in his 16th season on the Creighton sideline in 2025-26. That's tied for the 15th-longest active run of any men's coach with his current team.
Most Consecutive Years as Head Coach, Current Team
Years Name School
1995-Pr. Tom Izzo Michigan State
1998-Pr. Greg Kampe Oakland
1999-Pr. Mark Few Gonzaga
1999-Pr. James Jones Yale
2001-Pr. Randy Bennett Saint Mary's
2002-Pr. Bill Self Kansas
2003-Pr. Scott Drew Baylor
2005-Pr. Matt Painter Purdue
2006-Pr. Ben Jacobsen Northern Iowa
2006-Pr. Bill Coen Northeastern
2007-Pr. Mark Schmidt St. Bonaventure
2007-Pr. Brent Reed Lehigh
2007-Pr. Tommy Amaker Harvard
2009-Pr. LaVelle Moton North Carolina Central
2010-Pr. Greg McDermott Creighton
2010-Pr. Andy O'Toole Robert Morris
2010-Pr. Tad Boyle Colorado
2010-Pr. Leon Rice Boise State
2010-Pr. Dana Altman Oregon
2010-Pr. Russell Turner UC Irvine
2010-Pr. Brad Brownell Clemson

The McDermott Era
Greg McDermott owns 357 wins at Creighton since his arrival in 2010-11. It's the eighth-most of programs that have had the same coach the entire time.
Schools With Most Wins Since 2010-11, Only 1 Coach
(Through games of Dec. 21)
Rk. Wins School Coach Next
1. 464 Gonzaga Mark Few 12/28
2. 435 Kansas Bill Self 12/22
3. 394 Saint Mary's Randy Bennett 12/22
4. 385 Michigan State Tom Izzo 12/29
5. 376 Oregon Dana Altman 12/28
6. 370 Purdue Matt Painter 12/29
7. 366 Baylor Scott Drew 12/29
8. 357 Creighton Greg McDermott 12/22

National Ranks In The McDermott Era
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 150 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Dec. 20, 2025
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 4,784 2nd
2FG Percentage .553 3rd
FG Percentage .476 4th
Assists 8,568 5th
3FG Percentage .371 6th
FG Made 14,577 8th
Points 40,740 8th
Wins 357 23rd
Winning Percentage .670 32nd

Among The Best
CBS Sports conducted a pair of surveys during the summer that highlight Greg McDermott as one of the best in the country at what he does.
Who is the best X's and O's coach in college basketball right now? (Asked to roughly 100 coaches)
1. Matt Painter (Purdue): 19%
2. Dan Hurley (UConn): 18%
3. Greg McDermott (Creighton): 16%
4. Kelvin Sampson (Houston): 7%
5. Ben McCollum (Iowa): 5%
6. Randy Bennett (Saint Mary's): 4%
Tom Izzo (Michigan State): 4%
Dusty May Michigan): 4%
Bill Self (Kansas): 4%
10. Rick Barnes (Tennessee): 2%
Chris Collins (Northwestern): 2%
Grant McCasland (Texas Tech): 2%
Nate Oats (Alabama): 2%
Rick Pitino (St. John's): 2%
Mark Schmidt (St. Bonaventure): 2%
Others: 7%

Who are the best college basketball coaches? (Asked to 6 CBB writers)
1. Dan Hurley, Connecticut
2. Kelvin Sampson, Houston
3. Rick Pitino, St. John's
4. Bill Self, Kansas
5. Matt Painter, Purdue
6. Nate Oats, Alabama
7. Todd Golden, Florida
8. Tom Izzo, Michigan State
9. Mark Few, Gonzaga
10. Scott Drew, Baylor
11. Jon Scheyer, Duke
12. Dusty May, Michigan
13. Rick Barnes, Tennessee
14. John Calipari, Arkansas
15. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
16. Mark Pope, Kentucky
17. Greg McDermott, Creighton
18. Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
19. Brad Underwood, Illinois
20. Pat Kelsey, Louisville
21. TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State
22. Chris Beard, Ole Miss
23. Mick Cronin, UCLA
24. Randy Bennett, Saint Mary's
25. Shaka Smart, Marquette
And 1. Ben McCollum, Iowa

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,068 straight games. That ranks as the nation's 10th-longest active streak.
Creighton's last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (12/20)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,276 Duke 12/31
2. 1,271 UNLV 12/29
3. 1,204 East Tennessee State 12/30
4. 1,180 Oakland 12/29
5. 1,174 Texas 12/22
1,174 Pacific 12/28
7. 1,111 Marshall 12/23
8. 1,107 Gonzaga 12/28
9. 1,093 Princeton 12/22
10. 1,068 Creighton 12/22
11. 1,059 Long Island 12/29
12. 1,053 Mount St. Mary's 12/29

Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Not counting 2019-20, when there was no postseason, Creighton has made the postseason each of the 12 most recent times in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year.
Ten of those postseason trips were NCAA Tournament berths. The last time that didn't hold true was 1991-92, when CU shot 51.0 percent in the opener but finished just 9-19.
Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in 10 of its last 14 season-openers, including 50 percent (37-for-74) on Wednesday vs. South Dakota.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage 50+%
Since 1993-94
FG% Year Opponent Postseason
.541 1997-98 UMKC NIT
.524 1998-99 Towson State NCAA
.569 2000-01 Western Illinois NCAA
.594 2002-03 UT Arlington NCAA
.500 2012-13 North Texas NCAA
.556 2013-14 Alcorn State NCAA
.528 2015-16 Texas Southern NIT
.508 2016-17 UMKC NCAA
.558 2017-18 Yale NCAA
.524 2019-20 Kennesaw St. Postseason Ccd.
.585 2021-22 Ark.-Pine Bluff NCAA
.567 2023-24 Florida A&M NCAA
.600 2024-25 UTRGV NCAA
.500 2025-26 South Dakota ? ? ?

The Push For 90
Of Creighton's 26 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, 13 have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Put another way...of CU's 20 teams (before 2025-26) to score 90 points in an opener, 13 would reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here's a look at Creighton's 12 most recent teams (before 2025-26) to score 90 or more points in a season-opener:
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
97-65 North Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 27-8 NCAA
104-77 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 14-19 --
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 20-15 NIT
92-76 Yale 11/10/17 21-12 NCAA
90-77 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21 23-12 NCAA
105-54 Florida A&M 11/07/23 25-10 NCAA
99-86 UTRGV 11/06/24 25-11 NCAA
92-76 South Dakota 11/05/25 ? ? ? ? ? ?

NBA Jays
There are five former Creighton players in the NBA this season.
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is with the Sacramento Kings as he begins his 12th year in the NBA. He was a Lottery pick in 2014 by the Denver Nuggets.
Baylor Scheierman is in his second year with the Boston Celtics after being a First Round pick in 2024.
Trey Alexander, who was named 2024-25 G-League Rookie of the Year in the Denver Nuggets organization, is now on a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.
There is palpable buzz around Ryan Kalkbrenner, a Second Round pick of the Charlotte Hornets, in his rookie campaign.
Lastly, former Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard is on a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Nembhard played two years at Creighton before finishing his career at Gonzaga.
These men give Creighton at least one NBA player for the 42nd time in the last 43 seasons.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.

Who's Back?
With Creighton returning only seven of the 15 men who appeared in a game last season -- including its top three scorers -- much of the production is gone.
Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
3FG Made 135 (39.2%) 209 (60.8%)
Minutes 2661 (36.7%) 4589 (63.3%)
Rebounds 426 (34.4%) 811 (65.6%)
Starts 61 (33.9%) 119 (66.1%)
Steals 43 (33.1%) 87 (66.9%)
Points 761 (28.0%) 1956 (72.0%)
Assists 112 (18.2%) 503 (81.8%)
Blocks 28 (17.4%) 133 (82.6%)
Charges Taken 2 (16.7%) 10 (83.3%)

McChesney On The Mend
Liam McChesney is a rare seventh-year junior who saw his first regular-season action in 979 days on Nov. 5 against South Dakota. He played just over four minutes, collecting a rebound and a blocked shot but missing both field goal attempts.
McChesney began his career in 2019-20 when he redshirted at Utah State. He played in three games at Utah State in 2020-21 before suffering a season-ending broken ankle.
The Prince Rupert, Canada native then transferred to Illinois State, where he played in 60 games and made 27 starts for the Redbirds in two seasons from 2021-23.
McChesney transferred to High Point to play for then-Panther head coach Alan Huss (now Creighton's associate head coach and head coach in waiting), but was sidelined after a preseason medical evaluation revealed an issue with one of his heart valves, which led to heart surgery that has caused him to miss the past two seasons as his weight dropped 208 to 172 pounds.
McChesney transferred to Creighton this summer and continues his comeback.

Preseason Top 25
The Creighton men's basketball team was ranked 23rd in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, the fourth straight season the Bluejays have been ranked among the nation's best in the preseason.
This year's announcement marks the eighth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the Top 25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22), 2020-21 (No. 11), 2022-23 (No. 9), 2023-24 (No. 8) and 2024-25 (No. 15). All seven of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with three of the four most recent squads making the Sweet 16.
Creighton's best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Including this year's preseason ranking, Creighton has now been ranked 148 times in program history, with 120 of those under the direction of Greg McDermott. Creighton is 180-78 all-time as a ranked team, including a 146-66 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 12 of McDermott's 16 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton has been one of 11 schools ranked in the Top 25 of the Preseason AP poll each of the last four years, joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Creighton was one of three BIG EAST Conference schools in the poll, joining No. 4 Connecticut and No. 5 St. John's.
Among Creighton's non-conference opponents in the poll are preseason No. 21 Gonzaga and preseason No. 16 Iowa State.
Creighton was also ranked 23rd in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll.

Let's Go On A Run
Creighton unleashed a 23-0 run on Iowa State during its exhibition meeting, turning an early 8-4 deficit into a 27-8 lead over a span of just under seven minutes (6:57).
Dating back to the start of the 2021-22 season, it was Creighton's largest run in any game, including exhibitions. Below is that list.
Longest Creighton Runs Since 2021-22
Run Opponent (Score change) Date
23-0* #16 Iowa State (4-8 to 27-8) 10/17/25
21-0* Upper Iowa (32-29 to 53-29) 10//30/21
20-0 Texas Southern (61-44 to 81-44) 11/18/23
19-0 vs. #11 Providence (37-27 to 56-27) 03/11/22
19-0 Georgetown (0-0 to 19-0) 03/01/23
18-0 Houston Christian (19-9 to 37-9) 11/13/24
*exhibition game

Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 61 starts from last year's team (31 by Jackson McAndrew, 25 by Jasen Green, 4 by Isaac Traudt, 1 by Ty Davis), its fewest since the 2021-22 team returned just two starts.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2025-26 2 61 ? ? ?
2024-25 3 105 25-11
2023-24 3 111 25-10
2022-23 3 104 24-13
2021-22 0 2 23-12
2020-21 5 124 22-9
2019-20 4 136 24-7
2018-19 2 57 20-15
2017-18 2 72 21-12
2016-17 4 130 25-10
2015-16 1 64 20-15
2014-15 1 49 14-19
2013-14 4 144 27-8
2012-13 4 140 28-8
2011-12 3 101 29-6
2010-11 4 123 23-16
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9

Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 30 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point.
Fourteen of those 30 comebacks have come away from home.
If you're curious, CU's largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU's Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
17 vs. DePaul 03/13/25
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
16 at Seton Hall 01/27/21
16 SIU Edwardsville 11/27/21
15 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21
14 Evansville 02/21/12
14 vs. San Diego State 03/17/22
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
13 #22 Xavier 12/23/20
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
12 at DePaul 01/17/16
12 East Tennessee State 11/11/18
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
11 vs. Ole Miss 11/21/16
11 vs. Connecticut 03/12/21
11 DePaul 01/22/22
11 St. John's 12/31/24
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
10 St. John's 01/03/18
10 at DePaul 02/07/18
10 Bemidji State 02/13/18
10 Georgetown 02/23/25

Triple Trouble
During Creighton's current streak of 1,068 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,626 trifectas, an average of 8.08 treys per game.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 330 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Bluejays are 109-30 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 38-36 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton's 3-Point Streak
1: 5 times 2: 19 times 3: 36 times
4: 75 times 5: 105 times 6: 113 times
7: 154 times 8: 135 times 9: 96 times
10: 92 times 11: 67 times 12: 65 times
13: 50 times 14: 26 times 15: 9 times
16: 10 times 17: 5 times 18: 1 time
19: 2 times 20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time

McDermott Is Wins Leader
Greg McDermott has 357 victories at Creighton, passing his predecessor Dana Altman (327) for the most in program history in CU's Nov. 13, 2024 win vs. Houston Christian.
McDermott broke a different record on Jan. 21, 2025 at DePaul when he coached his 504th game on the Bluejay sideline, breaking the mark of 503 held by Altman.
McDermott's .670 winning percentage is Creighton's best since Arthur A. Schabinger's .714 win rate from 90 years ago.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton MBB History
Rk. W-L Name Years
1. 357-176 Greg McDermott 2010-Pres.
2. 327-176 Dana Altman 1994-2010
3. 165-66 Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-1935
4. 138-118 John J. "Red" McManus 1959-1969
5. 130-64 Tom Apke 1974-1981

CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 8-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003.
The last time such a game happened was in 2020 when Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski hit a shot with 3.2 seconds left to beat Providence.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.7
01/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.0
11/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.5
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.2
01/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.3
02/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.3
01/28/14 St. John's W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8
01/18/20 Providence W 78-74 Zegarowski 3FG :3.2
*double-overtime

Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) L 53-52 G. Diaz FT :2.6
01/20/07 Southern Illinois L 58-57 B. Mullins FG :4.1
01/10/15 #19 Seton Hall L 68-67 S. Gibbs 3FG :2.2
02/16/15 #19 Butler L 58-56 R. Jones FG :1.9
03/07/15 Xavier L 74-73 D. Davis FT's :6.3
01/12/16 #12 Providence L 50-48 K. Dunn FG :0.0
02/22/17 Providence L 68-66 K. Cartwright 3FG :2.4
02/10/18 #5 Xavier L 71-72 Q. Goodin FT's :0.3

Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,868 Providence 03/08/14
2. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
3. 18,831 #1 Villanova 12/31/16
4. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
5. 18,759 #1 Gonzaga 12/01/18
6. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
7. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
8. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
9. 18,571 DePaul 01/22/24
10. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
11. 18,519 #8 Seton Hall 03/07/20
12. 18,518 Georgetown 01/27/18
13. 18,509 Villanova 02/04/23
14. 18,495 Marquette 02/17/18
15. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
16. 18,475 Nebraska 11/22/24
17. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
18. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
19. 18,430 Seton Hall 01/25/25
20. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14

CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 377 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the now 23-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 312-65 (.828) record all-time at the facility.
Creighton's Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program's 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU's 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 29,660-24,755 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 13.01 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 94 different times, including once this year (Maryland Eastern Shore).
Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 25 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
Creighton is also 34-38 all-time in the 72 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-13 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 42-31 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 215-47 (.821) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn't trailed in 67 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 111-11 home record (.910) 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 330-65 (.835) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

Perfect 10
Greg McDermott has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament 10 times at Creighton. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, and most among basketball coaches.
McDermott is one of three head coaches in Creighton history to lead 10 or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA's @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 14
Bob Warming Men's Soccer 11
Greg McDermott Men's Basketball 10
Jim Flanery Women's Basketball 8
Dana Altman Men's Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7

Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished the 2024-25 season ranked 35th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation's No. 33 offense, and No. 44 defense.
Creighton has finished with a top-25 offense per KenPom eight times and a top-25 defense three times in 15 completed seasons under Greg McDermott.
Year Off. Rating Def. Rating Overall Rank
2010-11 66 174 98
2011-12 5 166 28
2012-13 5 66 15
2013-14 2 124 17
2014-15 59 138 79
2015-16 43 76 40
2016-17 32 46 28
2017-18 25 58 30
2018-19 47 83 55
2019-20 3 78 12
2020-21 25 32 22
2021-22 112 19 50
2022-23 23 14 12
2023-24 9 24 11
2024-25 33 44 35
2025-26 (12/20) 59 43 46

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season went on sale on October 16th.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

Men's Hoops Closes Non-Conference Play vs. Utah Tech on Monday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Steven Ashworth

Ty Davis

Josh Dix

Owen Freeman

Nik Graves

Jasen Green

Hudson Greer

Blake Harper

Ryan Kalkbrenner

Jackson McAndrew

Liam McChesney

Austin Swartz

Josh Townley-Thomas

Isaac Traudt