Men's Basketball Visits Kansas State on Tuesday - Creighton University Athletics

Tuesday, November 10

Manhattan, Kan.

8:00 PM

Creighton University

Kansas State

11/7/2026 2:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Creighton Notes (PDF)

By: Rob Anderson

Next Game

Creighton Men's Basketball (2-0) plays its first road game of the season on Tuesday, Nov. 10, when it heads to Manhattan, Kan., to take on Kansas State (1-1) at 8 p.m.

The game will be played at Bramlage Coliseum (11,654).

Broadcast Information

Tuesday's game will air on FS1, with Jack Kizer and Donny Marshall on the call. There's a link available at FoxSports.com/live or on Creighton Men's Basketball schedule at GoCreighton.com.

Radio Broadcast Information

1620 The Zone (KOZN; 1620 AM) will carry all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2026-27 season. The game will also air on Country One (KOPW, 106.9 FM) in Omaha and 97.7 The Zone in Grand Island. The game can also be heard on SiriusXM 990, and on the SiriusXM app at https://sxm.app.link/SXM990.

John Bishop and Tyler Clement will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.

Live Stats Information

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

Scouting Creighton

Creighton is 2-0 after a 76-61 win over Kansas City on Monday in its first game under Alan Huss, followed by an 83-55 victory over Le Moyne on Thursday. The Bluejays return three starters and six lettermen from last season's team that finished 16-18 and ended the year in Las Vegas as semifinalists at the College Basketball Crown.

Wes Enis (20.5 ppg.) leads Creighton in scoring and also tops the team with eight three-pointers made. Another sharpshooter, Jackson McAndrew, averages 12.0 points per game and is coming off a career-high 19 points on Thursday.

CU was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of league coaches, with McAndrew and Oswin Erhunmwunse both earning Preseason Third Team All-BIG EAST accolades.

Scouting Kansas State

Kansas State opened the regular-season last Tuesday with a two-point loss to South Dakota State (68-66) before burying 17 three-pointers and posting a 95-78 victory over CSUN on Friday.

Brandon Rechsteiner (21.0 ppg.) has made 10 of K-State's 25 three-pointers this season and leads the Wildcats in scoring, while Isaiah Abraham (12.0 ppg.) and Pape N'Diaye (10.0 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) also average in double-digits.

The Wildcats, under the direction of first-year coach Casey Alexander, were tied for 14th in the Preseason Big 12 poll of league coaches after returning just one player (Andrej Kostic and his 5.2 ppg.) from last year's team that finished 12-20 overall and 3-15 in the Big 12.

The Series With Kansas State

Kansas State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 9-8 margin, including a 4-1 mark in Manhattan.

The teams met last season in Omaha, with K-State winning 83-76 in the first regular-season meeting since 1987.

Creighton has not defeated the Wildcats at any site since a 79-76 overtime decision on Jan. 13, 1976, and its only win against K-State in Manhattan came on Dec. 14, 1968.

Alan Huss has never coached against Kansas State, nor Casey Alexander.

The Creighton Coaches

Alan Huss (Creighton, 2002) is 2-0 in his first season as head coach at Creighton, moving his career record to 58-15 in three seasons as a college head coach. Huss served as a Bluejay assistant from 2017-23, then returned in 2025-26 as associate head coach and head coach in waiting.

In between, Huss went 56-15 as head coach in two seasons at High Point, leading the Panthers to a pair of Big South Conference titles and the program's first NCAA Tournament bid.
Huss played at Creighton from 1997-2001, appearing in three NCAA Tournaments. The Kansas City, native is the program's first head coach to lead his alma mater since Tom Apke from 1974-81.

Huss is assisted by Derek Kellogg, Trey Zeigler, Mitch Ballock, Mike Nesbitt, Corey Edwards and Tom Ostrom.

With A Win...

- Creighton would even the all-time series with Kansas State (9-9) with its first win in Manhattan since 1968 and first win vs. KSU at any site since 1976.

- Creighton would improve to 3-0 for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

- Alan Huss would be the fifth coach (of 17) in Creighton history to win his first three games on the Bluejay sideline, but join Greg McDermott as just the program's second CU coach to do so in the last century.

- Creighton would win its true road opener for the first time since 2023-24 (at Oklahoma State).

Milestone Watch

Creighton has a couple of student-athletes approaching significant statistical milestones.

- Wes Enis is 12 points short of 1,600 in his career and 10 steals away from 100.

- Isaac Traudt is 26 points away from 500 in his career.

Road Openers

Creighton will play its first true road game of the season on Tuesday.

The road opener has been the barometer for Creighton's postseason plans in the previous 18 years.

Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament all seven times it has won the road opener, but after a loss in the road opener made it only three the 10 years where a postseason was contested. (CU would have made the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was canceled even though it lost its road opener that year.)

Creighton in Road Openers, Previous 18 Years

Year Opponent Score CU in NCAA's?

2008-09 UALR 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 Yes

2018-19 Nebraska L 75-94 No (NIT)

2019-20 Michigan L 69-79 No (Postseason CCD)

2020-21 #5 Kansas L 72-73 Yes

2021-22 Nebraska W 77-69 Yes

2022-23 #2 Texas L 67-72 Yes

2023-24 Oklahoma State W 79-65 Yes

2024-25 #7 Alabama L 75-83 Yes

2025-26 #19 Gonzaga L 63-90 No (Crown)

2026-27 Kansas State 8 p.m. TBA

Creighton / Kansas State Connections

Though Creighton and Kansas State haven't played a ton in the last 40 years, the programs certainly have some things in common.

Dana Altman was head coach at Kansas State from 1990-94, where he went 68-54 with the Wildcats. He left that job to take over at Creighton, where he went 327-176 and took the Bluejays to seven NCAA Tournaments in 16 seasons from 1994-2010. Altman was inducted into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

Marcus Foster began his career averaging 14.1 points per game over 62 games at Kansas State from 2013-15 before finishing up at Creighton from 2016-18. One of just two Bluejays to be a two-time First Team All-BIG EAST pick, Foster scored 1,292 points (19.8 ppg.) in two seasons on The Hilltop.

Arthur Kaluma played two seasons at Creighton from 2021-23, contributing 758 points (11.1 ppg.) and 388 rebounds (5.7 rpg.) for a pair of NCAA Tournament teams. He then transferred to Kansas State, where he averaged 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. He finished his college career at Texas and is now part of the Los Angeles Lakers organization.

Former Creighton center Brock Vice started K-State's opener vs. South Dakota State before coming off the bench vs. CSUN. He's averaging 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game. Vice redshirted at Creighton in 2023-24, where he was teammates with current Bluejays Jasen Green, Isaac Traudt, Fredrick King, Jackson McAndrew and Shane Thomas, and has spent recent seasons at North Texas (2024-25) and Murray State (2025-26) before joining the Wildcats and being named a tri-captain.

Creighton Head Coaching Debuts

Alan Huss is the 17th head coach in Creighton men's basketball history, and he's the 14th of those men to win his debut on the Bluejay sideline.

Creighton's 76 points were the most in a first game under a new head coach since Eddie Sutton's squad scored 84 points in his 1969 debut on the Bluejay sidelines.

Huss is CU's first coach to lead his team to 76 points or more in each of his first two games leading the Bluejays.

First Game as Head Coach at Creighton

Coach Score Date

Mills CU 30, Peru State 17 01/12/1917

Mulholland CU 48, Yankton 17 01/14/1921

Kearney CU 22, Des Moines 14 02/05/1921

Schabinger Kansas 29, CU 7 01/03/1923

Hickey CU 44, North Dakota 37 12/13/1935

Belford CU 48, Omaha 19 12/14/1945

Salerno CU 63, Buena Vista 39 11/29/1952

Thomsen CU 73, Buena Vista 36 12/02/1955

McManus CU 105, Northern Colorado 54 12/02/1959

Sutton CU 84, UW-Oshkosh 62 12/01/1969

Apke CU 74, North Dakota 68 12/03/1974

Reed UW-Stevens Point 57, CU 51 11/28/1981

Barone CU 61, Augustana 51 11/22/1985

Johnson Iowa State 92, CU 75 11/26/1991

Altman CU 68, Oral Roberts 61 11/26/1994

McDermott CU 71, Alabama State 57 11/12/2010

Huss CU 76, Kansas City 61 11/02/2026

Head Coach Starts

Alan Huss is one of 14 Creighton head coaches to win his debut. Nine of those coaches won their next game to start 2-0.

Most Wins To Start Career as Head Coach at Creighton

Coach Year Start Before First W or L

Mills 1916-17 6-0

Mulholland 1920-21 5-0

Kearney 1920-21 5-0

McDermott 2010-11 3-0

Belford 1945-46 2-0

Thomsen 1955-56 2-0

McManus 1959-60 2-0

Apke 1974-75 2-0

Barone 1985-86 2-0

Huss 2026-27 2-0 so far

Elite Company

Alan Huss went 56-15 in two seasons at High Point. Those 56 wins are tied for third-most by any coach in NCAA history for a coach in his first two years at the Division I level. Many of the names surrounding him on that list went on to legendary careers.

Most Wins, First 2 Years as Division I Head Coach

W-L Name, School Years

61-11 Tommy Lloyd, Arizona 2021-23

58-14 Bill Guthridge, North Carolina 1997-99

56-10 Brad Stevens, Butler 2007-09

56-15 Alan Huss, High Point 2023-25

55-8 Everett Case, NC State 1946-48

55-21 Shaka Smart, VCU 2009-11

54-18 Jon Scheyer, Duke 2022-24

The Best Debut In More Than A Century!

Senior guard Wes Enis scored 17 points in the second half and finished his Creighton debut with 25 points. It was the second-most points in a season-opener by a Creighton newcomer in school history.

The only player with more was Charles Kearney, who had 27 points in a 53-21 win over Cotner on Jan. 11, 1918.

You read that right...Enis scored more points than any Bluejay newcomer in a season-opener than any player in more than a century!

Three years after his big debut, Kearney would become the first (and only) player/coach in program history when he took over the reins after Eddie Mulholland resigned on Feb. 5, 1921 in a dispute over a slick floor caused by a dance prior to the team's loss one night earlier. Kearney then took over as player/coach and would win his first five games on the sideline.

Let's Go On A Run

Creighton unleashed a 24-0 run on Le Moyne during the first half on Nov. 5. 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

24-0 Le Moyne (18-9 to 42-9) 11/05/26

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

Speaking Of Runs

Through just two games this season, Creighton has already compiled five runs of 10-0 or longer, including four against Le Moyne.

Since 2000, there's been at least four other games where CU has compiled four other 10-0 runs in the same contest.

Creighton's 10-0 Runs This Season

Run Time Lapse Opponent

24-0 7:02 Le Moyne (18-9 to 42-9)

17-0 5:47 Kansas City (38-44 to 55-44)

13-0 3:55 Le Moyne (0-0 to 13-0)

11-0 3:28 Le Moyne (64-40 to 75-40)

10-0 3:35 Le Moyne (46-17 to 56-17)

Creighton Games With 4+ 10-0 Runs Since 2000

10-0 Runs Opponent Date

4 North Carolina A&T (W 97-65) 11/11/11

4 Houston Baptist (W 97-62) 12/17/11

4 Bemidji State (W 94-46) 02/13/18

4 Florida A&M (W 105-54) 11/07/23

4 Le Moyne (W 83-55) 11/05/26

A Baker's Dozen Will Do

Creighton scored the first 13 points in Thursday's victory vs. Le Moyne, as it never trailed in the win.

Since 2010, it was the 13th time that Creighton has opened a game by scoring the first 10 points (or more). Creighton's only better start in that time was when it took a 19-0 lead vs. Georgetown on March 1, 2023.

CU's Best Game Starting Runs Since 2010-11

Run School Final Score Date

19-0 Georgetown CU 99-59 03/01/23

13-0 Maryland-Eastern Shore CU 87-36 12/15/17

13-0 Le Moyne CU 83-55 11/05/26

12-0 at Villanova CU 69-67 03/09/24

11-0 North Carolina A&T CU 97-65 11/11/11

11-0 Drake CU 76-69 01/03/12

11-0 at DePaul CU 91-80 01/17/16

11-0 St. John's CU 82-68 02/.28/17

10-0 Houston Christian CU 97-62 12/17/11

10-0 UCF CU 82-64 03/23/11

10-0 Chicago State CU 84-66 11/16/14

10-0 at Providence CU 78-64 01/07/17

10-0 Nebraska CU 95-76 12/07/19

Halfway Home

Creighton led 54-17 at the half against Le Moyne, tied for the biggest halftime lead in its 389 game history of CHI Health Center Omaha.

Creighton's other 37-point halftime leads inside CHI Health Center Omaha came on Dec. 28, 2019 (58-21 vs. Midland) and Dec. 9, 2016 (62-25 vs. Longwood).

CU's last halftime lead bigger than 37 was a 54-16 edge over Grambling on Dec. 6, 1999 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

15 And Up

Creighton has won each of its first two games by 15 points or more for the first time since 2023-24.

Since 2000, the only times that Creighton has won each of its first three games by 15 or more points have been 2012-13, 2003-04 and 2002-23.

Greer's Monster Efforts Against The Big 12

Hudson Greer played in three games against the Big 12 Conference last season, and it turned out to be the three highest-scoring games of his freshman campaign.

This year against Iowa State on Oct. 18 in an exhibition game, he again scored in double-figures.

Creighton's next game against a Big 12 foe is Tuesday at Kansas State.

Opponent FG-FGA 3FG-FGA REB PTS

Baylor 7-8 2-2 3 16

Iowa State 4-7 3-4 5 12

West Virginia 4-6 3-4 1 15

Iowa State (Exh.) 2-6 2-5 6 11

vs. Big 12 Teams* 17-27 (.714) 10-15 (.667) 15 (3.8) 54 (13.5)

All Other Games 24-70 (.343) 12-43 (.279) 45 (2.1) 70 (3.3)

*includes 2026 exhibition vs. Iowa State

41 & 0 To Start?

Wes Enis has made an instant impact in his first two games, scoring 41 points without a turnover thus far.

He's the first Bluejay with at least 41 points and no turnovers in a two-game span since Ryan Kalkbrenner's 54 & 0 on Feb. 5-8, 2025, and just the fifth different Bluejay to do so in the last 20 seasons.

41+ Points, 0 Turnovers, 2-Game Span Since 2006

PTS. TO Name Dates

41 0 Wes Enis Nov. 2, 2026-Pres.

54 0 Ryan Kalkbrenner Feb. 5-8, 2025

57 0 Ryan Kalkbrenner Feb. 1-5, 2025

41 0 Cole Huff March 10-15, 2016

51 0 Doug McDermott Feb. 9-13, 2014

50 0 Booker Woodfox Dec. 22-23, 2008

43 0 Booker Woodfox Dec. 2-6, 2008

Sum 41

Wes Enis has 41 points through two games. He's just the sixth Bluejay this century to score 41 points or more through two games, as seen below along with what each player scored in their third outing.

41+ Points After 2 Games, Since 1999-00

First 2 Game 3 Name (Year-End PPG) Year

25+16 ? ? ? Wes Enis 2025-26

49+24 16 Ryan Kalkbrenner (19.2) 2024-25

20+21 23 Trey Alexander (17.6) 2023-24

23+23 12 Marcus Foster (19.8) 2017-18

20+37 20 Doug McDermott (26.7) 2013-14

13+28 4 Nate Funk (17.7) 2006-07

Up, Up & Away

Creighton led by as much as 62-20 against Le Moyne last Thursday before settling for an 83-55 triumph.

It was Creighton's largest lead in any game since taking a 73-29 advantage over Houston Christian on Nov. 13, 2024 in an eventual 78-43 victory.

That game against Houston Christian was also the last previous time that Creighton allowed 17 points or less in the first half of a game, as the Huskies owned 12 points at the break that day.

That's A Plus

Jackson McAndrew finished Thursday's win over Le Moyne with a +45 plus/minus in 23 minutes of action. It's the highest plus/minus figure for any Bluejay in the last 15 seasons.

McAndrew also led CU with a +21 plus/minus in the season-opener against Kansas City.

McAndrew entered 2026-27 with a plus/minus of +21 or better in just one of his first 40 career games.

Making An Entrance

Lost in the preseason hype among so many talented newcomers, freshman Trevon Carter-Givens made a huge impact in his collegiate debut on Monday against Kansas City.

Carter-Givens checked in at the 13:28 mark of the first half and recorded a steal 10 seconds later that led to a fast break lay-up by teammate Katrelle Harmon. On CU's next offensive trip, Carter-Givens threw down a dunk off a pass from Harmon. On the next two subsequent Kansas City possessions, Carter-Givens recorded a defensive steal and then a block. He checked out less than three minutes later before an even bigger second half.

Carter-Givens was one of the first reserves off the bench in the second half and the Jays scored the next 14 points of the game. During that spurt, Carter-Givens had three blocks and a dunk before departing to rousing applause. He later had a highlight-reel putback dunk to cap his debut with six points, four blocks, a rebound and a steal in 15 minutes of action.

Carter-Givens was the first Bluejay freshman with four blocks in a debut since Arthur Kaluma had four against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 9, 2021. CU's only other true freshmen in the last 22 seasons to record four blocks in any game were Fredrick King (5 on 12/12/22 vs. Arizona State), Ryan Kalkbrenner twice (4 at Providence on Jan. 2, 2021 and 4 vs. St. John's on Jan. 9, 2021) and Jacob Epperson (5 vs. Providence on March 8, 2018).

Dish Network

Katrelle Harmon had six assists in his collegiate debut on Monday vs. Kansas City, the most by any Bluejay freshman in their debut since Ryan Nembhard had 10 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 9, 2021.

It was the most assists by a Creighton freshman in any game since Trey Alexander had nine against top-seeded Kansas on March 19, 2022 in the NCAA Tournament.

Harmon, who had five assists in the second game on Thursday, is CU's first freshman to open his career with back-to-back games of five or more assists since at least 1981. Before Harmon this year, the last four Creighton players with five or more assists in each of the first two games of the season include Steven Ashworth (2024-25), Ryan Nembhard (2022-23), Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21) and Maurice Watson Jr. (both 2016-17 and 2015-16).

Man of Steal

BJ Davis had four steals last Monday against Kansas City, tying the most by any player in Alan Huss' three years (73 games) as a Division I head coach.

The four steals were the most by a Creighton player in a season-opener since Josh Dotzler had five steals on Nov. 16, 2008 against New Mexico.

Going back through box scores, no Creighton newcomer had owned four steals or more in a season-opener since at least 1981.

Stealing Our Heart

Creighton forced 22 turnovers and recorded 15 steals against Kansas City last Monday. Both figures were the most by a Bluejay team since forcing 24 turnovers and a school-record 19 steals vs. Georgetown on Feb. 9, 2021.

In fact, CU's 15 steals were tied for its eighth-most in any game in the last 20 seasons

After 15 steals on Monday, Creighton had 11 steals on Thursday against Le Moyne. It's the first time that Creighton has had 10 or more steals in back-to-back games since March 3 & 6, 2019.

Creighton has not had three straight games of 10 or more steals since Nov. 24-Dec. 1, 2007.

A One And A Two...

Not only has Creighton won 17 straight season-openers, but the Bluejays have started 2-0 in all but two of those campaigns (2019-20 and 2025-26) as well.

That 2019-20 team (which lost at Michigan), of course, went on to share the BIG EAST regular-season title.

The 2025-26 team (which lost at Gonzaga) advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown.

Newcomers Lead The Way

Creighton's eight newcomers (including Fredrick King) have been responsible for 68.6 percent of CU's points, 57.3 percent of its rebounds, 75.8 percent of its assists, 100 percent of its blocks and 61.5 percent of its steals, all while playing just 59.8 percent of the minutes.

Three of Creighton's five starters (Oswin Erhunmwunse, Wes Enis and BJ Davis) were newcomers.

Defense Turns It Up

Keying Creighton's comeback win on Monday was its defense in a game-defining 17-0 run early in the second half, as Creighton held Kansas City scoreless for 14 straight possessions, a stretch of 8:03 as CU went from down 44-38 to up 55-44.

The Roos went 0-for-8 from the field in that span, with three of their final five shots blocked by Trevon Carter-Givens.

At one point in the stretch, CU forced a turnover in seven consecutive possessions and the Roos went a span of 3:45 without even getting a shot off against CU's pressure defense.

Huss Becomes Head Coach

Alan Huss was introduced as the 17th head coach in the Creighton men's basketball history on March 25, 2026 and officially took over roughly two weeks later on April 7, 2026.

Huss, who served six years as assistant coach (2017-23) before returning last April as associate head coach and head coach in waiting, took over after the retirement of Greg McDermott following Creighton's postseason run at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas.

A 2002 Creighton graduate, Huss becomes the first alum to take the reins of the men's basketball program since Tom Apke patrolled the Bluejay sideline from 1974-81.

Huss compiled a head coaching record of 56-15 during his two years at High Point University from 2023-25, highlighting his ability to build and lead teams to success. High Point achieved historic milestones, including the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in Division I history and a then-program-record 29 Division I wins during the 2024-2025 season, showcasing his capacity to elevate a program to new heights. Huss was named the Big South Conference Coach of the Year in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

In seven seasons assistant coach under McDermott (2017-23, 2025-26), Huss has helped CU to 150 victories, eight wins in four NCAA Tournament appearances and its first BIG EAST title in 2019-20. He worked closely with Creighton's big men, the Bluejay offense and recruiting.

Huss was a four-year member of the Creighton men's basketball team from 1997-2001, where he played under head coach Dana Altman and alongside future NBA sharpshooter Kyle Korver. During his collegiate career with the Bluejays, Huss was part of three NCAA Tournament teams (1999, 2000, 2001), two Missouri Valley Conference Tournament titles (1999, 2000) and one MVC regular-season title (2001).

All Aboard The Huss Bus

When Alan Huss was named head coach at High Point in 2023, he took over a program that had won 59 games in the previous five seasons, with all but one of those seasons being led by legendary head coach (and High Point alum) Tubby Smith.

Huss wasted no time making an impact, leading High Point to a 27-9 record in his first season and a 29-6 mark his second campaign. Huss led both teams to Big South Conference titles, including the program's first Division I NCAA Tournament bid, while bringing home back-to-back Big South Coach of the Year recognition.

Last year's High Point team, which upset Wisconsin, featured three returners from Huss' final squad as well as three players that Huss and his staff recruited before he was hired back at Creighton in April of 2025.

High Point, Previous 10 Seasons

Year Head Coach W-L

2016-17 Scott Cherry 15-16

2017-18 Scott Cherry 14-16

2018-19 Tubby Smith 16-15

2019-20 Tubby Smith 16-15

2020-21 Tubby Smith 9-15

2021-22 Tubby Smith 11-15

G.G. Smith 3-3

2022-23 G.G. Smith 14-17

2023-24 Alan Huss 27-9

2024-25 Alan Huss 29-6

2025-26 Flynn Clayman 31-5

Huss Among New Hires

Alan Huss is one of 57 new head coaching hires at the Division I level this season, and just one of 15 from a Power 5 Conference. The new Power 5 head coaches are listed below:

School New Coach

Arizona State Randy Bennett

Boston College Luke Murray

Butler Ronald Nored

Cincinnati Jerrod Calhoun

Creighton Alan Huss

Georgia Tech Scott Cross

Kansas State Casey Alexander

LSU Will Wade

Michigan Mike Boynton

North Carolina Michael Malone

NC State Justin Gainey

Oregon Tony Stubblefield

Providence Bryan Hodgson

Syracuse Gerry McNamara

Big Shoes To Fill

Over 16 seasons from 2010-26, Greg McDermott transformed Creighton from a strong mid-major to a BIG EAST power. Huss assisted McDermott for seven of those seasons, during which time the Bluejays went 150-86 (.636).

Here's some of McDermott's biggest accomplishments....

- 366 wins (CU MBB record)

- 147 BIG EAST wins (CU MBB record; 6th league history)

- 10 NCAA Tournament trips (CU MBB record)

- 12-10 NCAA Tournament record (CU MBB record)

- 3 Sweet 16's (2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24)

- 1 Elite Eight (2022-23)

- 121 weeks in AP poll (CU MBB record)

- 43 Top 25 wins (CU MBB record)

- 17 Top 10 wins (CU MBB record)

- 14 seasons of 20+ wins (CU MBB record)

- 14 Postseason trips (CU MBB record)

- 21 Postseason wins (CU MBB record)

- 6 NBA Draft Picks (3 First Round, 3 Second Round)

- 2 MVC Tournament titles (2011-12, 2012-13)

- 1 MVC regular-season title (2012-13)

- 1 BIG EAST regular-season title (2019-20)

- 1 National Player of the Year (Doug McDermott)

- Over $1 million raised for Hope Lodge

Merfeld Gets Hall Call

Longtime Creighton men's basketball staffer Steve Merfeld was part of the 2026 Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame induction class in late September.

Merfeld is a Wisconsin native who graduated from Wisconsin-La Crosse in 1984 and then got his coaching start at St. John's Military Academy in 1984. He served as an assistant coach at Bowling Green (1986-96) and Hampton (1996-97) before serving as head coach at Hampton from 1997-2002.

Merfeld then went on to be head coach at Evansville from 2002-07 and an assistant coach at Bradley before joining the Greg McDermott's original Creighton staff as an assistant coach in 2010. He has been the Bluejays' assistant to the head coach since 2013.

Perhaps the crowning achievement of Merfeld's career was a 2001 NCAA Tournament win over Iowa State when he was head coach at Hampton. As the final buzzer sounded, Hampton forward David Johnson grabbed and lifted a jubilant Merfeld into the air, creating one of the most famous images in March Madness history and an enduring highlight still seen on CBS' March Madness coverage.

Who's Back?

With Creighton returning only six of the 15 men who appeared in a game last season -- including its top two scorers -- much of the production is gone.

Below is a breakdown of what is back:

Stat Returners Departures

3FG Made 169 (51.4%) 160 (48.6%)

Blocks 42 (43.8%) 54 (56.3%)

Starts 71 (41.8%) 99 (58.2%)

Rebounds 453 (41.7%) 633 (58.3%)

Points 1,039 (40.6%) 1,517 (59.4%)

Minutes 2,672 (39.2%) 4,153 (60.8%)

Steals 69 (35.8%) 124 (64.2%)

Charges Taken 4 (30.8%) 9 (69.2%)

Assists 152 (29.0%) 372 (71.0%)

Court Report

Fifth-year seniors Jasen Green and Isaac Traudt are both eligible, as both men redshirted their initial college season in 2022-23.

Fifth-year senior Fredrick King is eligible (as of Nov. 6), but Brody Robinson is not yet eligible. Robinson was part of lawsuits in Tennessee and Texas to get eligible, while King was part of the lawsuit in Kentucky.

Have We Met?

Of the 165 players listed on BIG EAST rosters just five years ago (2022-23), only two of those men are still playing for the same school without transferring. Those men are Creighton's Jasen Green and former Xavier walk-on Michael Wolf.

Here's a list of who remains from 2022-23:

Team 2022-23 Roster Size Who's Still There?

Butler 13 -

Connecticut 16 -

Creighton 16 Jasen Green

DePaul 15 -

Georgetown 14 -

Marquette 18 -

Providence 14 -

Seton Hall 16 -

St. John's 15 -

Villanova 12 -

Xavier 16 Michael Wolf

No Jitters Here

Freshman Katrelle Harmon didn't look like a true freshman in his exhibition debut on Oct. 18 at Iowa State.

The guard from Seattle, Wash., led CU with 16 points and six assists while also sharing the team-lead with two blocked shots and two steals.

The only time last year the same Bluejay led CU in points, assists, blocks and steals of a game that counted was Dec. 30 against Butler, when Jasen Green did it

In Creighton's last 30 seasons, no Bluejay player has had at least 16 points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots in a game that counted.

Among BIG EAST players, the only 16/6/3/2/2 game last year came by eventual BIG EAST Player of the Year St. John's Zuby Ejiofor against UConn (21/10/7/2/3). No BIG EAST freshman has had a 16/6/3/2/2 line since Rutgers' Dane Miller vs. Villanova on Jan. 20, 2010.

Preseason All-BIG EAST Votes Revealed

The Creighton men's basketball team was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of 2026 BIG EAST Media Day on October 1.

It's not the first time that Creighton has been picked to finish seventh by BIG EAST coaches. It also happened in 2019-20, when the Bluejays won their only BIG EAST title and finished the year ranked seventh nationally. This year's prediction snapped a four-year streak of being tabbed for a top-three finish.

Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but two seasons since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time.

Both Jackson McAndrew and Oswin Erhunmwunse were chosen as Third Team Preseason All-BIG EAST selections.

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 5th Owen Freeman (1st); Josh Dix (2nd)
Jackson McAndrew (3rd); Nik Graves (3rd)

2026-27 7th ??? Jackson McAndrew (3rd); Oswin Erhunmwunse (3rd)

Who Are These Guys?

Creighton returns 71 starts from last year's team (30 by Jasen Green, 23 by Isaac Traudt, 14 by Austin Swartz, 4 by Jackson McAndrew).

All 20 of Creighton's teams since 1997-98 to have returned 71 or more starts have played in the postseason other than the 2019-20 club that was ranked No. 7 nationally when COVID-19 cancelled the postseason.

Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L

2026-27 3 71 ? ? ?

2025-26 2 61 16-18

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

25 of 28 Seasons With 20 Wins

Creighton has won 20 or more games in 25 of the last 28 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.

Most 20-Win Seasons, Last 28 Seasons

Team 20-Win Seasons

Gonzaga 28

Kansas 28

Duke 27

Kentucky 26

Creighton 25

Arizona 24

Florida 24

Michigan State 24

BYU 23

North Carolina 23

Ohio State 23

Wisconsin 23

Among The Best

Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (91) than any other school since the 2019-20 season started, five more than Connecticut's 86.

Since the league's 2013 realignment, Villanova has 176 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton's 147 league victories are second-most.

Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins

(2019-20 to 2025-26)

Team W L Pct.

Creighton 91 46 .664

UConn 86 30 .741

Villanova 86 47 .647

Marquette 78 58 .574

St. John's 77 59 .566

Providence 71 63 .530

Seton Hall 69 67 .507

Xavier 65 65 .500

Butler 52 86 .377

Georgetown 30 103 .226

DePaul 26 107 .195

Most Men's Basketball BIG EAST Wins

(2013-14 to 2025-26)

Team W L Pct.

Villanova 176 65 .730

Creighton 147 98 .600

Xavier 131 107 .550

Providence 129 113 .533

Marquette 130 114 .533

Seton Hall 122 122 .500

St. John's 117 127 .480

Butler 106 140 .431

UConn 86 30 .741

Georgetown 77 165 .318

DePaul 51 191 .211

Postseason Regulars

Not counting the 2019-20 season when the postseason was canceled due to COVID-19 (Creighton was ranked No. 7 nationally in the final poll), Creighton is one of 11 schools to have made the postseason each of the last 10 seasons.

Here's that list, which doesn't count 2019-20 (COVID-19), nor any postseason trips that were later vacated.

Most Consecutive Postseasons, Active Streaks

(includes 2025-26, but not 2019-20 due to COVID-19)

Streak Team NCAA NIT Crown

37 Michigan State 33 4 -

36 Kansas 36 - -

28 Gonzaga 27 1 -

17 Saint Mary's 11 6 -

14 Baylor 11 2 1

13 Villanova 10 2 1

11 Alabama 7 4 -

11 Purdue 11 - -

10 Creighton 7 2 1

10 Houston 8 2 -

10 Florida 7 3 -

Top Five Finish

Despite a 9-11 league record last winter, Creighton finished fifth in the BIG EAST. It was the 10th straight season CU has finished in the top-five or better, good for the league's longest streak in more than three decades.

It's the longest active streak in the BIG EAST, and third-longest in league history. Georgetown finished in the top-five in the first 11 seasons of the BIG EAST from 1979-80 to 1989-90, and Syracuse did it in 15 years in a row from 1981-82 to 1995-96.

Creighton's BIG EAST Finish History

Year Finish Final League W-L

2013-14 2nd 14-4

2014-15 T-9th 4-14

2015-16 6th 9-9

2016-17 T-3rd 10-8

2017-18 T-3rd 10-8

2018-19 T-3rd 9-9

2019-20 T-1st 13-5

2020-21 2nd 14-4

2021-22 4th 12-7

2022-23 3rd 13-7

2023-24 T-2nd 14-6

2024-25 2nd 15-5

2025-26 5th 9-11

Longest BIG EAST Streaks, 5th Place or Better

Streak Team Streak Started Streak Ended

15 Syracuse 1981-82 1995-96

11 Georgetown 1979-80 1989-90

10 Creighton 2016-17 Present

Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat

Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,092 straight games. That ranks as the nation's 10th-longest active streak.

Creighton's last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.

Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.

Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (Through 11/6)

Rk. Streak School Next Game

1. 1,304 Duke 11/10

2. 1,296 UNLV 11/7

3. 1,227 East Tennessee State 11/11

4. 1,200 Oakland 11/7

1,200 Texas 11/9

6. 1,195 Pacific 11/7

7. 1,132 Marshall 11/7

8. 1,130 Gonzaga 11/7

9. 1,111 Princeton 11/8

10. 1,092 Creighton 11/10

11. 1,084 Long Island 11/7

12. 1,074 Mount St. Mary's 11/13

Triple Trouble

During Creighton's current streak of 1,092 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,853 trifectas, an average of 8.11 treys per game.

Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 342 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 119-38 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 39-41 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: 106 times 6: 116 times

7: 156 times 8: 139 times 9: 98 times

10: 97 times 11: 68 times 12: 65 times

13: 55 times 14: 27 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

Three's Company

Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in 107 straight games that count, the nation's second-longest active streak.

It's the longest streak by a BIG EAST team in at least 20 years, and almost certainly ever.

Longest Active Streaks of 5+ 3FG Made

Rk. Streak School Next Reg-Season Game

1. 131 North Florida 11/9

2. 107 Creighton 11/10

3. 101 Wofford 11/8

CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics

Creighton is 10-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003.

Last year Austin Swartz hit a shot with 0.6 seconds left to beat Xavier on January 21st, CU's first game-winner in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha since 2020. With Swartz out of the line-up on Feb. 7th, Nik Graves buried a game-winning three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to stun Seton Hall.

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

01/21/26 Xavier W 94-93 Swartz FG :0.6

02/07/26 Seton Hall W 69-68 Graves 3FG :2.5

*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

CHI Health Center Omaha Success

Creighton has played 389 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the now 24-year-old facility.

The Bluejays own a 319-70 (.820) 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 30,596-25,675 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.65 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 96 different times.

Incredibly, Creighton hasn't trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 27 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 36-41 all-time in the 77 games at the arena in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-16 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 44-35 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.

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 337-70 (.828) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

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. 18,650 #2 Connecticut 01/31/26

9. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13