Game #15: Creighton Bluejays at #17 Xavier Musketeers
Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022 • 11:00 a.m. CST
Cintas Center (10,224) • Cincinnati, Ohio
Radiodifusión: KOZN 1620 AM, 1620thezone.com; XM 384; SiriusXM app 974
Television: FOX (Aaron Goldsmith, Donny Marshall)
Series History: Xavier leads, 18-16
Last Meeting: Xavier 77, #13 Creighton 69 on Feb. 27, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES (PDF) | XU NOTES (PDF)
Next Game
Creighton (10-4, 2-1 BIG EAST) returns to the court for the first time in 10 days on Saturday, Jan. 15 when it visits No. 17 Xavier (12-3, 2-2 BIG EAST).
The Bluejays and Musketeers will tip at 11 a.m. Central at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Radiodifusión Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men’s básquet games during the 2021-22 season. KOOO (101.9 FM) also broadcasts all home games.
John Bishop and former Bluejay Taylor Stormberg will call the action.
The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com and can be heard on channel 974 of the Sirius/XM app or XM channel 384.
Broadcast Information
Saturday’s game will be called by the tandem of Aaron Goldsmith and Donny Marshall, and be televised on FOX.
The game will also be video webcast online at http://foxsports.com/live or the FoxSports app.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton’s games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 10-4 this season, including double-digit wins over No. 9 Villanova (79-59) and No. 24 BYU (83-71). The Bluejays have played just twice in the last four weeks while having three games postponed in that span due to positive COVID tests by its scheduled opponents.
The Bluejays return seven lettermen but no starters from last year’s team that finished 22-9 overall, runner-up in the BIG EAST, and reached the program’s first Sweet 16 since 1974.
Of CU’s scholarship returners, only Ryan Kalkbrenner (12.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg., 2.8 bpg.), Alex O’Connell (11.9 ppg., 5.2 rpg.) and Shereef Mitchell (3.5 ppg.) are back after playing last year.
The Bluejays brought in grad transfers Ryan Hawkins (13.4 ppg., 7.4 rpg.) and KeyShawn Feazell (3.9 ppg., 3.5 rpg.) to bolster the front line. Hawkins leads the squad with 32 three-pointers made and has averaged 17.3 points in four games against top-25 competition.
Creighton also features the nation’s No. 7 recruiting class, with Arthur Kaluma (8.1 ppg,. 4.6 rpg.) and four-time BIG EAST Freshman of the Week Ryan Nembhard (12.1 ppg., 4.4 apg.) starting every game to date.
Creighton averages 70.4 points per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and has outrebounded foes by 4.5 caroms per contest. The Bluejays have held foes to 39.5 percent shooting and 65.9 points per contest.
Scouting #17 Xavier
Ranked 17th nationally, Xavier is 12-3 overall after suffering its first home loss in 10 games on Wednesday vs. No. 14 Villanova.
Nate Johnson leads a balanced attack in scoring, and guard Colby Jones (10.9 ppg.;, 8.2 rpg.) is third in the league in rebounding, while Iowa transfer Jack Nunge (11.9 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 1.5 bpg.) has been the conference’s best reserve to date.
Not to be forgotten about are Preseason All-BIG EAST choices Paul Scruggs (11.1 ppg., 4.7 rpg., 4.1 apg.) and Zach Freemantle (7.9 ppg., 4.0 rpg.).
The Musketeers media 75.3 points per game on 45.0 percent shooting from the field, 33.7 percent shooting from deep and 72.8 percent marksmanship at the line. Xavier wins the rebound battle by 7.4 caroms per contest and holds foes to 62.8 points per game.
The Series With Xavier
Xavier owns an 18-16 lead in the series with Creighton, including a 10-7 mark in Cincinnati.
Creighton has won three of the past four meetings against the Musketeers at all sites.
Twenty-two of the 34 all-time meetings have been within five points in the final minute, including eight of the last 13 games.
McDermott is 10-9 against Xavier, and 4-3 contra Travis Steele.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 263-129 record in his 12th season with the Bluejays. He owns a career mark of 543-324 in his 28th season, and is 412-260 in his 21st Division I campaign.
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 then coached Creighton to its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20.
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, Ryan Miller and Jalen Courtney-Williams.
With A Win…
– Teams with Ryan Hawkins would improve to 170-12 at the college level, and 95-7 in league play. His teams would also improve to 12-0 after a loss.
– Creighton would improve to 27-37 all-time vs. top-25 teams under Greg McDermott.
– Creighton would improve to 3-2 this season vs. top-25 teams, trailing only Villanova (4) for the nation’s most top-25 wins this season.
– Creighton would pick up its eighth top-25 road win since the start of the 2016-17, tying Duke, Villanova, Kansas and Baylor for third-most nationally and just one behind Michigan State and Virginia.
– Creighton would improve to 9-2 in its last 11 BIG EAST games vs. top-25 teams at any site.
– Creighton would join Villanova (6) as the second visiting team to beat Xavier five times inside Cintas Center.
– Creighton would hand Xavier its second straight home loss after 11 consecutive victories. It’d be the first time Xavier dropped consecutive home games since Seton Recibidor and Creighton defeated the Muskies on Jan. 8 & 11, 2020.
– Creighton would pick up its fourth Quad 1 win of the season, which would trail only Wisconsin (6) and Baylor (5) nationally.
– Creighton would pick up its third top-25 win in a season for just the fifth time. Each of the first four occurrences have been since 2016-17.
Pink Out Auction Underway
When Creighton hosts Xavier on Saturday, January 29th in its 11th Annual Pink Out game, Bluejay players will wear pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game. Fans have the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt can be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.).
All funds raised go to benefit Hope Lodge Omaha. The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Nebraska provides a free home away from home for cancer patients and their caregivers who must travel to Omaha to receive their lifesaving treatment. More than just a roof over their heads, it’s a nurturing community that helps patients access the care they need.
The annual Creighton University Men’s Baloncesto Pink Out game has raised over $300,000 benefiting the Hope Lodge facility here in Omaha and the guests it serves.
To learn more or bid on a chaleco, please visit http://www.gocreighton.com/pinkoutauction.
Creighton &, Xavier To The Wire
Since both teams officially joined the BIG EAST in the summer of 2013, 14 of the 19 meetings (including the BIG EAST Tournament) between Creighton and Xavier have been decided by eight points or less, with two games going to overtime.
Twenty-two of the 34 all-time meetings have been within five points in the final minute, including eight of the last 13 games.
Creighton is 5-2 this season in games decided by eight points or less. Xavier is 4-1 in such games.
Uniform Success at Cintas
Xavier has been near unbeatable at Cintas Center since its 2000 opening, going 290-49 (.855) in the facility. The Musketeers are also an impressive 138-36 (.793) all-time in conference home games at Cintas Center.
By comparison, Creighton is 259-56 (.824) overall and 122-42 (.741) in league play all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha, another place where visiting teams have had trouble winning thanks to a tremendous home-court advantage.
Creighton (4x) is one of nine visiting teams that have beaten Xavier at Cintas Center multiple times, joining Villanova (6x), Seton Recibidor (4x), Butler (3x), Marquette (3x), UMass (2x), Richmond (2x), Saint Louis (2x) and Saint Joseph’s (2x). A win on Saturday would make Creighton the second visiting team with five wins over Xavier at Cintas Center, along with Villanova’s six.
One of those rare Musketeer home losses came on Nov. 30, 2004, when Creighton overcame an early 33-22 deficit (including 35-26 at half) to stun the Musketeers, 73-72, on a Tyler McKinney hoop with 21.5 ticks left. At the time, it was just Xavier’s third non-conference home loss ever in the building.
On Feb. 4, 2015, Creighton picked up a 79-72 overtime win at Cintas Center. The Bluejays overcame a seven-point second half deficit to force overtime, and outscored the Muskies 14-7 in the extra session to hand the X-Men their first home loss of the year.
On January 16, 2017 in Cincinnati, No. 7 Creighton earned a 72-67 victory over No. 22 Xavier thanks to a 6-0 run in the final 50 seconds. Justin Patton had a tip-in with 49.0 left to give CU the lead, and Cole Huff and Khyri Thomas made insurance free throws after defensive stops. The win improved Creighton to 18-1 for the first time, but national assist leader Maurice Watson Jr. suffered a knee injury early in the first half and would miss the rest of the season.
In 2020 Creighton won 77-65 in Cincinnati as five men scored in double-figures to help Greg McDermott earn his 500th win as a head coach.
FOX Rocks
Saturday will mark Creighton’s lone scheduled appearance on FOX all season.
After a rough start on FOX, the network has been a good luck charm for the Bluejays in recent seasons, helping CU improve to 9-12 on the channel.
Creighton lost its first seven appearances and was 2-10 on FOX in its first six seasons as a BIG EAST member. In the previous two seasons, Creighton went 7-2 on the network.
Creighton’s Record on FOX Since 2013-14
Year W-L
2013-14 0-0
2014-15 0-0
2015-16 0-1
2016-17 0-4
2017-18 1-3 (lost first 2)
2018-19 1-2 (won last 1)
2019-20 2-0
2020-21 5-2 (won first 4)
2021-22 0-0
More Than A Number
Saturday’s match-up features a pair of teams who have traditionally excelled in their respective conferences.
Xavier entered the 2019-20 season with a streak of 37 straight seasons in which it has finished .500 or better in league play before going 8-10 in 2019-20 and 6-7 last season.
Creighton, meanwhile, entered this season having gone .500 or better in league play 26 of the past 27 seasons.
Collecting W’s
Creighton and Xavier enter Saturday’s game with a ton of similarities since the start of the 2010-11 season. Creighton owns 263 victories, which ranks 27th-most nationally in that time and 11 more than Xavier’s 252 that rank tied for 35th.
Gonzaga (352), Kansas (333) and Kentucky (317) lead the nation in wins during the past 12 seasons, while Villanova (299) ranks seventh and is best among current BIG EAST schools.
The 263 wins accumulated by Creighton ranks ahead of other schools with a national following such as Florida State (256), Purdue (256), Memphis (255), UCLA (252), Maryland (249), UConn (240), Marquette (231) and Texas (230) among others.
Teaching Moments
Last Wednesday was just Creighton’s fourth loss in by 30 points or more in the past 25 years.
Each of the previous three times it happened, success followed.
Creighton’s Losses by 30+ Points Since 1996
Date Loss by 30+ Points Then What Finished
12/19/01 Película del Oeste Kentucky 95, CU 61 Won 9 of next 11 23-9 (won MVC)
03/23/14 #23 Baylor 85, #16 CU 55 Won next 5 27-8 in 2013-14; 14-19 in ’14-15
11/28/19 San Diego State 83, CU 52 Won next 8 24-7 (Won Big East)
01/05/22 #19 Villanova 75, CU 41 TBD TBD
Bouncing Back
Creighton doesn’t lose many games by 20 or more points, as it did on Jan. 5 at Villanova in its last game.
However, each of the previous 14 times it has happened, Creighton has answered with a victory in its next game. The Jays are 17-1 since the Jan. 1, 2002 in those scenarios.
Creighton’s Losses by 20+ Points Since 2002
Date Loss by 20+ Points Next Game Result
02/28/04 Missouri State 70, CU 46 03/01/04 CU 75, Wichita State 61
02/16/08 Bradley 87, CU 59 02/19/08 CU 88, Missouri State 67
03/21/08 Florida 82, CU 54 11/1/08 CU 82, New Mexico 75
01/03/09 Illinois State 86, CU 64 01/06/09 Northern Iowa 69, CU 66
03/07/09 Illinois State 73, CU 49 03/18/09 CU 73, Bowling Green 71
02/11/12 Wichita State 89, #17 CU 68 02/14/12 CU 88, Southern Illinois 69
03/23/14 #23 Baylor 85, #16 CU 55 11/14/14 CU 104, Central Arkansas 77
01/25/15 #4 Villanova 71, CU 50 01/28/15 CU 77, St. John’s 74
01/31/15 #21 Georgetown 67, CU 40 02/04/15 CU 79, Xavier 72 (OT)
11/19/15 #14 Indiana 86, CU 65 11/23/15 CU 85, Rutgers 75
02/03/16 #3 Villanova 83, CU 58 02/06/16 CU 88, DePaul 66
01/25/17 Georgetown 71, #16 CU 51 01/28/17 #16 CU 83, DePaul 66
01/13/18 #10 Xavier 92, #25 CU 70 01/17/18 CU 80, #19 Seton Recibidor 63
02/01/18 #1 Villanova 98, CU 78 02/07/18 CU 76, DePaul 75
02/20/18 Butler 93, CU 70 02/24/18 CU 89, #3 Villanova 83 (OT)
11/28/19 San Diego State 83, CU 52 11/29/19 CU 83, #12 Texas Tech 76 (OT)
03/01/20 St. John’s 91, #10 CU 71 03/04/20 #11 CU 91, Georgetown 76
03/13/21 Georgetown 73, CU 48 03/20/21 #19 CU 63, UC Santa Barbara 62
01/05/22 #19 Villanova 75, CU 41 01/11/22 #16 Providence at CU
Seeking 57
Creighton failed to break the 50 point barrier in its last outing, when it finished the Villanova game with just 41 points. Creighton’s 41 points at Villanova were its fewest since a 67-40 loss to Georgetown on Jan. 31, 2015.
It was just the fourth time in Greg McDermott‘s 12 years at Creighton that the Bluejays failed to score 50 or more points.
In McDermott’s Division I career spanning 672 games, his teams are 1-17 when scoring less than 50 points. The lone win came on Feb. 28, 2004, when Northern Iowa defeated Indiana State 48-47 in Terre Haute.
CU is also 1-21 under McDermott when scoring 56 points or fewer, with the lone win coming earlier this season vs. Kennesaw State (51-44).
In the game after scoring 56 points or less, Creighton has won 10 straight and is 17-4 under McDermott while averaging 79.2 points.
CU has not been held to 55 points or less in consecutive games since January of 2008 and hasn’t been held under 50 points in consecutive contests since January of 1952.
Creighton has scored 61 or more points in each of its last 27 meetings against Xavier.
O’Connell Can
Senior Alex O’Connell has scored in double-figures in each of Creighton’s last five games, draining 12 three-pointers in that span.
After scoring in double-figures just 13-of-101 games at Duke and 3-of-24 contests last season at Creighton, O’Connell has scored 10 or more points in 11-of-14 battles this season.
During the loss at Villanova, Creighton fell to 8-1 all-time when O’Connell scores 12 points or more. The Georgia native is averaging 11.9 points per game overall this season for CU, including a team-best 14.0 points per game in BIG EAST action.
Chairmen Of The Boards
Creighton is 7-0 this season when grabbing 10 or more offensive rebounds. The Bluejays media 11.20 offensive rebounds in its 10 wins, compared to 8.00 offensive boards in its four losses.
Creighton is undefeated over the past two seasons when grabbing 10 or more offensive rebounds, going 12-0 since a loss on March 1, 2020 to St. John’s.
Kalkbrenner Doubles Up
Less than halfway into his sophomore season, Ryan Kalkbrenner is close to surpassing his totals from all of last season already.
Last season Kalkbrenner had 182 points, 108 rebounds, 38 blocks and 29 dunks in 422 minutes. This year Kalkbrenner owns 172 points, 97 rebounds, 39 blocks and 28 dunks in 364 minutes.
A big part of that has been his increased stamina. Even though his minutes per game have nearly doubled from 13.6 to 26.0 minutes per game, his per-minute stats have also risen.
Per 40 Minutes – Ryan Kalkbrenner
Year PTS/40 REB/40 BLOCKS/40 DUNKS/40
2020-21 17.3 10.2 3.6 2.7
2021-22 18.9 10.7 4.3 3.1
Ranking News & Notes
– Creighton is 26-37 under Greg McDermott against nationally-ranked teams, 19 more top-25 wins than any other coach in Creighton history. Prior to McDermott’s arrival, Creighton was 18-115 all-time against top-25 foes.
– Creighton’s 26 top-25 wins since McDermott took over in 2010 are as many top-25 wins as UCLA (26) owns, and more than schools like Arizona (24), Maryland (21), LSU (16), Houston (14), Wichita State (14), Nebraska (14), BYU (12), USC (10), Memphis (9), Saint Mary’s (6) and Loyola Chicago (5) in that time.
– Creighton has beaten at least one ranked team in each of the last eight seasons (including 2021-22), and multiple ranked foes in each of the last seven seasons (including 2021-22).
On a national basis, the only 23 teams with a top-25 win each of the previous eight seasons (entering 2021-22) were Baylor, Clemson, Creighton, Duke, Florida State, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Xavier.
– Creighton is 21-20 since the start of the 2016-17 season against ranked teams. The 21 wins over ranked teams in that time are 14th-most nationally, and trails only Villanova (28) among BIG EAST clubs.
– Creighton will be playing their fifth ranked team in a span of seven games for the first time in program history. The only other times CU played as many as six ranked teams in the same season have been 2017-18 (10), 2014-15 (8), 2015-16 (8), 2019-20 (8), 2016-17 (7), 1971-72 (6), 2018-19 (6) and 2020-21 (6).
Top 25 Success
A 79-59 win vs. No. 9 Villanova coupled with an 83-71 win vs. No. 24 BYU means Creighton owns a pair double-digit wins over top-25 competition this season, something only four other schools can also claim. Gonzaga’s done it three times while Villanova, Oklahoma and Iowa State have done it twice.
The Bluejays have now beaten multiple top-25 foes each of the last seven seasons (2015-16 to 2021-22), something only Baylor, Gonzaga, Purdue, Texas Tech and Villanova can also claim. Five other schools have beaten multiple top-25 foes in each of the previous six seasons — Florida State, Kansas (1), Michigan, Michigan State (1), Penn State and West Virginia (1) but are still seeking two top-25 wins this winter.
Creighton’s Most Top-25 Wins, Season
Wins Season Top-25 Victims
6 2019-20 #8 Villanova, #10 Seton Recibidor,
#12 Texas Tech, #19 Marquette,
#21 Butler, #8 Seton Recibidor
4 2016-17 #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
#16 Butler, #22 Xavier
4 2017-18 #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Recibidor,
#20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
3 2020-21 #5 Villanova, #22 Xavier, #23 UConn
2 1973-74 #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
2 2001-02 #15 Florida, #17 Película del Oeste Kentucky
2 2006-07 #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
2 2013-14 #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
2 2015-16 #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
2 2018-19 #10 Marquette, #16 Clemson
2 2021-22 #9 Villanova, #24 BYU
Big Mac On The Attack
Greg McDermott‘s teams have consistently battled some of the best teams in the country.
The chart below shows how his teams have consistently outpaced those of his predecessors against top-25 foes.
Category Pre-McDermott Under McDermott
vs. Top 25 Teams 18-115 26-37
vs. Top 10 Teams 5-31 11-17
vs. Top 10 on Road 1-28 4-9
vs. Top 25 on Road 2-63 8-17
Best Win % vs. Top-25 Since 2016-17 (thru 1/13/22)
(Minimum 30 games)
Rk. Team W-L Pct.
1. Gonzaga 23-10 .697
2. Duke 31-17 .646
3. Villanova 28-16 .636
4. Kansas 35-22 .614
5. Florida State 25-16 .610
6. Virginia 25-17 .595
7. Michigan 28-20 .583
8. Baylor 30-22 .577
9. Michigan State 30-23 .566
10. Creighton 21-20 .512
11. Purdue 26-25 .510
How’s This, For Starters?
Creighton and Villanova are the only two teams in the BIG EAST Conference to have used the same starting five for every game this season.
Creighton’s bench has scored 177 points in 14 games, while Nova’s reserve corps has scored 176 points in 16 games.
What makes it all the more impressive is that the five men to start for Creighton this year had combined for ZERO combined starts as Bluejays entering the season, whereas Villanova’s Collin Gillespie (87), Justin Moore (41), Jermaine Samuels (76) and Brandon Slater (2) had 206 career starts as a Wildcat entering this winter.
Up, Up And Away
Since Feb. 19, 2019, Creighton owns a 34-12 mark in regular-season BIG EAST games. That’s three more wins than anyone else in the league in that time.
Not only that, but Creighton owned the most wins to close the 2018-19 season after Feb. 19th, tied for the most wins in 2019-20, and had the most wins in 2020-21 as well.
Conference Records Since Feb. 19, 2019
(Through Jan. 14, 2022)
Team After 2/19/19 ’19-20 ’20-21 ’21-22 Total
Creighton 5-0 13-5 14-6 2-1 34-12
Villanova 2-3 13-5 11-4 5-1 31-13
Providence 3-2 12-6 9-10 4-1 28-19
Seton Recibidor 2-3 13-5 10-9 2-3 27-20
UConn 2-4# 10-8# 11-6 2-2 25-20
Marquette 2-4 8-10 8-11 3-3 21-28
Butler 1-4 10-8 8-12 2-2 21-26
Xavier 4-1 8-10 6-7 2-2 20-20
St. John’s 1-4 5-13 10-9 1-2 17-28
Georgetown 4-2 5-13 7-9 0-2 16-26
DePaul 2-3 3-15 2-13 1-5 8-36
#includes 2018-19 and 2019-20 in the AAC
Heavyweight Showdown
Villanova has 119 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton’s 85 league victories are second-most. Xavier is second with a .573 winning percentage in those league games.
Men’s Baloncesto BIG EAST Wins, 2013-14 to 1/14/22
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 119 28 .810
Creighton 85 64 .570
Xavier 82 61 .573
Providence 83 67 .553
Seton Recibidor 78 72 .520
Butler 74 76 .493
Marquette 71 80 .470
Georgetown 58 86 .403
St. John’s 56 92 .378
DePaul 31 116 .211
Connecticut 13 8 .619
Hawkins, Villanova or COVID?
It’s tough to predict who will win the national title in early January, but if the past is any indication, there was a good chance an unstoppable force was on the floor last Wednesday at Finneran Pavilion.
Each of the past six básquet seasons have seen either Villanova, Ryan Hawkins or COVID-19 emerge above all others end the season.
Villanova won the Division I national title in 2015-16 and 2017-18.
Hawkins was part of the Northwest Missouri State teams that won national titles at the Division II level in 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2020-21.
COVID-19 ended the 2019-20 season, a year in which Creighton and Villanova were likely headed towards top-three seeds. Meanwhile, Hawkins’ Northwest Missouri State team was the top-ranked squad in the Division II ranks and finished with 31-1 overall record and on a 23-game win streak.
Year National Champion
2015-16 Villanova
2016-17 Ryan Hawkins (Northwest Missouri State)
2017-18 Villanova
2018-19 Ryan Hawkins (Northwest Missouri State)
2019-20 COVID-19
2020-21 Ryan Hawkins (Northwest Missouri State)
Frosh Watch
Creighton is winning at a regular rate despite playing three freshmen (Trey Alexander, Arthur Kaluma, Ryan Nembhard) more than 22 minutes per game.
On a national basis through Jan. 13, only 145 players classified as freshmen (true, redshirt or otherwise) were playing 22 minutes per game per Baloncesto-Reference.com.
Only seven of those freshmen are from the BIG EAST, and besides Alexander, Kaluma and Nembhard the only other true freshmen in the BIG EAST playing 22 minutes per game or more are Georgetown’s Aminu Mohammed and Butler’s Jayden Taylor.
CU is the only team nationally to play three true freshmen more than 22 minutes per game.
And speaking of freshman minutes, Nembhard ranks fourth nationally among all freshmen with 35.1 minutes per game. The next-closest freshman from a Power 5 or BIG EAST program is Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens (33.5 mpg.).
Nembhard A Consistent Threat
Ryan Nembhard’s 169 points through 14 games are the most by any Bluejay true freshman since Doug McDermott had 185 in 2010-11.
McDermott would finish his career with 3,150 in 145 career games to rank fifth in NCAA history.
Most Points, Newcomers First 14 Games Since 1995-96
Pts. Name, Class Year After 15
266 Marcus Foster, Jr. 2016-17 281
188 Ryan Hawkins, Sr. 2021-22 ? ? ?
185 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11 197
183 Justin Patton, Fr. 2016-17 208
179 Maurice Watson Jr., Jr. 2015-16 194
169 Ryan Nembhard, Fr. 2021-22 ? ? ?
163 Cole Huff, Jr. 2015-16 176
161 P’Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08 177
157 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96 179
148 Gregory Echenique, So. 2010-11 156
146 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02 162
146 Marcus Zegarowski, Fr. 2021-22 155
145 Damien Jefferson, So. 2018-19 149
142 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98 152
138 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98 146
134 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10 148
130 Khyri Thomas, Fr. 2015-16 132
129 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96 145
128 Nick Porter, Jr. 2005-06 140
Youth Is Served
Creighton has just seven non-freshmen on this year’s roster, and is playing multiple freshmen on a consistent basis this season. Creighton has had at least one freshman on the floor for every second of every game this season, and actually had a late stretch of 1:28 vs. Colorado State when all five of its players on the floor were freshmen.
Creighton has outscored teams by 90 when it has two freshmen or less on the court, but have been outscored by 26 points when it has three or more freshmen on the floor.
All told, 1323:09 of Creighton’s 2,850 total minutes (46.43 percent) have been played by freshmen this season.
By comparison, last season Creighton had a freshman on the floor just 32.4 percent of the time and had multiple freshmen on the floor just 17 minutes (of 1,250) all season (1.4 percent). Only 7.5 percent (465:52 of 6250) of CU’s overall minutes were played by freshmen in 2020-21.
Freshmen Time Score Margin
0 freshmen: Never — —
1 freshmen: 33:45 54-49 +5
2 freshmen: 346:39 651-566 +85
3 freshmen: 143:03 232-245 (-13)
4 freshmen: 35:05 44-60 (-16)
5 freshmen: 1:28 5-2 +3
We’re Jamming!
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 28 dunks this season and 57 in his career. That trails only Justin Patton’s 34 dunks (in 2016-17) through 14 games of any season under Greg McDermott.
As a team, Creighton owns 57 dunks this season, its most through 14 games since the 2016-17 team had 60 slams.
Here’s a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, and 25 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Year
74 Martin Krampelj 2018-19
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
50 Christian Bishop 2020-21
38 Christian Bishop 2019-20
36 Gregory Echenique 2012-13
33 Martin Krampelj 2017-18
30 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
29 Marcus Foster 2017-18
29 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-21
28 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2021-22
24 Gregory Echenique 2010-11
23 Marcus Foster 2016-17
22 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010-11
20 Khyri Thomas 2017-18
Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Years
121 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
103 Christian Bishop 2018-21
90 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
57 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
52 Marcus Foster 2016-18
51 Khyri Thomas 2015-18
38 Will Artino 2011-15
33 Zach Hanson 2013-17
25 Geoffrey Groselle 2012-16
25 Damien Jefferson 2018-21
Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Year Team W-L
144 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
107 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
106 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
90 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
60 2019-20 24-7 (NCAA)
58 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
57 2021-22 10-4 so far
56 2010-11 23-16 (CBI)
54 2012-13 28-8 (NCAA)
42 2011-12 29-6 (NCAA)
35 2013-14 27-8 (NCAA)
29 2014-15 14-19
Our 2, D Too
Unlike past Creighton teams that thrived from three-point land, this year’s Bluejay squad is dominating from two-point range.
Creighton ranks 13th nationally (per BartTorvik.com) with its shooting 56.9 percent from two-point range. That’s its second-best mark ever under Greg McDermott (59.0 in 2017-18) and includes a 62.2 percent mark from inside the paint.
Defensively, Creighton is holding the opposition to 43.0 percent shooting from two-point range, the nation’s 10th-best figure. That’s CU’s best mark under McDermott, far surpassing the 45.5 percent mark allowed by the 2012-13 club. Bluejay foes are shooting just 47.5 percent in the paint this season.
Nembhard Wins Fourth Freshman Honor
Ryan Nembhard was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the fourth time in six weeks, the league announced on Monday, Dec. 20.
Nembhard averaged 10.5 points, 6.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds as Creighton went 1-1. He was previously honored on Nov. 15, Nov. 22 and Nov. 29.
The Aurora, Ontario, Canada native opened his week with seven points, eight assists and his first career blocked shot in a one-point loss against Arizona State. He bounced back with 14 points, four assists and three rebounds in his BIG EAST apertura, a 79-59 win vs. No. 9 Villanova.
#1 In The Record Book; #44 In Your Program
Ryan Hawkins leads every active player at the Division I level in career rebounds (1,051) and field goals made (820) and is second in points (2,286).
Hawkins also ranks in the top 10 among the nation’s active Division I players in games played (9th), double-doubles (6th) and three-pointers made (10th).
And while it’s not among the categories the NCAA tracks among active players, it’s worth noting that Hawkins owns 100 career games of 10 or more points. The NCAA Division I record in that category is 135, done by former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott.
Only In 2020-21 (Let’s Hope)
Though Creighton’s 14 BIG EAST wins last season were three more than any other team in the BIG EAST, the Bluejays were the second seed in the conference tournament since the league decided before the season to go by winning percentage to determine a league champion and seeds.
The BIG EAST wasn’t alone in this. It was one of eight leagues that saw the top team in winning percentage not be the same team that had the most conference wins.
Wins Leader Not League Champ, Nationally, in 2020-21
League Conf. Wins Leader Conf. Champ
American Houston, 14-3 Wichita St., 11-2
BIG EAST Creighton, 14-6 Villanova, 11-4
Big 10 Illinois, 16-4 Michigan, 14-3
Conf-USA UAB, 13-5 Louisiana Tech, 12-4
MEAC Norfolk St., 8-4 North Carolina A&T, 7-1
Coppin State, 8-4
MWC Utah State, 15-4 San Diego St., 14-3
Pac-12 USC, 15-5 Oregon, 14-4
Summit South Dakota, 11-4 South Dakota St., 9-3
N. Dakota St., 11-4
Conference Openers Have Gone Well
Creighton owns a 17-7 record in its last 24 conference openers after a 79-59 win vs. Villanova in its last outing.
Greg McDermott is 12-9 all-time in conference openers as a Division I head coach, including an 8-4 mark at Creighton (6-3 in the BIG EAST).
The last team to win a share of any BIG EAST regular-season title after losing the league opener was the 2012-13 Georgetown club. No squad has won an outright title after losing the league opener since Notre Dame won the West Division in 2000-01. And no team has won a league outright title in a one-division BIG EAST after losing the league lid-lifter since Georgetown in 1988-89.
Yearly League Openers Under Greg McDermott
Year Won (Final W-L) Lost (Final W-L)
2010-11 Illinois St. (10-8)
2011-12 Missouri St. (14-4)
2012-13 Evansville (13-5)
2013-14 Marquette (14-4)
2014-15 Providence (4-14)
2015-16 St. John’s (9-9)
2016-17 Seton Recibidor (10-8)
2017-18 Seton Recibidor (10-8)
2018-19 Providence (9-9)
2019-20 Marquette (13-5)
2020-21 Marquette (14-6)
2021-22 #9 Villanova (TBD)
Block Party
After owning seven or more blocked shots in a game just nine times in Greg McDermott‘s first 11 seasons on the Bluejay sideline, Creighton has five contests this winter with at least seven swats.
Creighton is 10-4 all-time under McDermott when blocking seven or more shots, and the four losses have come by a combined 10 points.
Creighton’s 5.00 blocked shots per game as a team is its best figure since averaging 6.03 blocks per game in 1984-85.
Creighton is 6-0 this season when blocking six shots or more.
All Ball
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks third in the BIG EAST with 2.79 blocked shots per game, a figure that ranks as the best by a Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin averaged 5.06 blocks per game in 1984-85.
Though he’s got an uphill climb to catch Big Ben, Kalkbrenner is still on track to become the first Bluejay to media more than 2.00 blocks per game since Chad Gallagher (2.19) in 1990-91.
Making the 7-foot-1 sophomore’s accomplishments all the more impressive is that the big man owns 39 blocks but has been called for just 18 fouls. Through games of Jan. 13, that made him the nation’s only player with more than 30 blocked shots and 20 personal fouls or less.
Kalkbrenner owns 77 career blocked shots. He ranks 11th in Creighton history in that category and is two swats away from a spot in the top 10.
Most Career Blocked Shots (Since 1979-80)
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
174 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
82 Christian Bishop 2018-21
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
77 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Present
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
You’ve Been Blocked!
Ryan Kalkbrenner had five blocked shots on both Nov. 22 vs. Southern Illinois and Nov. 27 vs. SIUE. Just how rare is that? In Greg McDermott‘s 12 years on the Creighton sideline, the only Bluejay with multiple games of 5+ blocks in the same season had been Gregory Echenique, who did it in 2010-11 (2x) as well as 2012-13 (4x).
Kalkbrenner became the first Bluejay with five swats in consecutive games since Benoit Benjamin did it in six straight games from Jan. 27-Feb. 14, 1985. Benjamin had a streak of 7, 12, 6, 5, 5 and 6 rejections during that stretch.
Benjamin set MVC records that still stand with 411 career blocks and 162 rejections in 1984-85.
Kalkbrenner had his third game this season with five swats on Dec. 11 vs. No. 24 BYU, then did it again on Dec. 17 vs. No. 9 Villanova.
Strong League Start Projects To Postseason
Creighton has started 5-2 or better in league play in seven of Greg McDermott‘s first 11 seasons at the helm.
Six of those teams to start like that reached the NCAA Tournament, while a seventh reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.
Each of Creighton’s 15 teams since 1988-89 to start 5-2, 6-1 or 7-0 after seven games in league play have reached the postseason, a stretch that includes 10 NCAA Tournaments and five NIT’s.
Last year CU started 6-1 in league play and finished in second place at 14-6 overall in BIG EAST action.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked eighth in the preseason BIG EAST Conference poll that was selected via a vote of league coaches.
Villanova was a unanimous selection to win the league, with Connecticut and Xavier finishing second and third, respectively. St. John’s is fourth, followed by Seton Recibidor, Butler, Providence and Creighton. Rounding out the poll are Marquette, Georgetown and DePaul.
Villanova standout Collin Gillespie was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, and was joined on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team by Nate Watson (Providence), Julian Champagnie (St. John’s), Jared Rhoden (Seton Recibidor), Paul Scruggs (Xavier) and Zach Freemantle (Xavier).
Creighton is the only school in the league that has met or exceeded its preseason BIG EAST prognostication every year since joining the league, as seen below:
Creighton’s BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year Preseason Contemporáneo Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14 3rd 2nd Doug McDermott (1st)
2014-15 9th T-9th –
2015-16 9th 6th –
2016-17 3rd T-3rd Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18 5th T-3rd Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19 9th T-3rd Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20 7th T-1st Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21 2nd 2nd Marcus Zegarowski (1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)
Looking At McDermott’s Home Run
The Dec. 17 win vs. No. 9 Villanova marked Greg McDermott‘s 200th home game as head coach at Creighton.
He’s currently 162-38 on the Bluejay sideline at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Wins On Wins on Wins
Creighton’s Nov. 21 loss vs. Colorado State was the first time in the six-year college career of Ryan Hawkins that one of his teams lost on a indiferente floor. The Northwest Missouri State transfer is now 40-1 on indiferente sites when you include his 3-1 mark this year.
He enters Saturday’s game at Xavier with a team record of 169-12 (.934) at all sites, and has never lost consecutive games at the college level.
CU’s January 1st win at Marquette marked the 100th conference game of Hawkins’ college career. He’s currently 94-7 in those games.
Hawkins Scores 25
Ryan Hawkins scored 25 points vs. No. 19 Iowa State. It was the 96th time in his career that the Atlantic, Iowa native scored in double-figures, and 46th time he’s scored 20 points or more in a game.
Hawkins’ 25 points were the most by a Bluejay in any game this season, and most by any CU player against a top-25 team since Marcus Zegarowski scored 25 points in an 86-70 win vs. No. 5 Villanova on Feb. 13, 2021.
Hawkins then scored 25 points against No. 24 BYU in his next outing, making him the first Bluejay with back-to-back games of 25 or more points since Marcus Foster had consecutive 29 point efforts on Feb. 7 & 10, 2018.
Hawkins is the first Bluejay with multiple games of 25+ points vs. top-25 teams in the same season since Ty-Shon Alexander in 2018-19. Marcus Foster in 2017-18 is the last person with three such games in a season.
The Ryan Express
Creighton has started three players with the first name of Ryan in each game this winter, as Ryan Nembhard, Ryan Hawkins and Ryan Kalkbrenner are all entrenched as starters. Those three men are also CU’s top three scorers.
In the Dec. 11 win vs. No. 24 BYU, Nembhard, Hawkins and Kalkbrenner combined for 56 points, 21 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
For the season, the “Ryan Express” has contributed 70.0 percent of Creighton’s blocked shots, 53.7 percent of its points, 47.7 percent of its assists, 61.2 percent of its rebounds grabbed and 43.5 percent of its steals.
Creighton had not started multiple players with the same first name in the same regular-season game since Nov. 18, 2006, when both Nick Porter and Nick Bahe started against Nebraska.
Creighton has not had a season in which three players with the same first name all started at least merienda in the regular-season since at least 1980.
With so many men named Ryan (not to mention assistant coach Ryan Miller), the Bluejay staff has gone to referring to Hawkins as “Hawk”, the 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner as “Big Ryan” and Nembhard as “R2”, in honor of his uniform number, as well as “Coach Miller”.
Elite Company For Hawkins
In 1991 when Creighton was in the Missouri Valley Conference, former Bluejay Bob Harstad (along with Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Xavier McDaniel) was one the answers to the trivia question of “Who are the only four players in MVC history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds”?
Years later, Doug McDermott finished his career with 3,150 points and 1,088 rebounds, though not all those rebounds came while playing within The Valley.
So what’s the point, you’re asking? Creighton senior Ryan Hawkins owns 2,286 career points and 1,051 career rebounds, though the majority of his totals were accumulated at the Division II level at Northwest Missouri State.
Entering this season, only 117 players in NCAA history have achieved 2,000 points and 1,000 points at the Division I level.
A Good Start
Here’s a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 14 games under Greg McDermott. Notably, the Bluejays have been 9-5 or better each campaign.
Creighton Stats Through 14 Games, Since 2010-11
Year W-L FG% 3FG% FT% PPG Opp PPG
2021-22 10-4 .469 .301 .692 70.4 65.9
2020-21 10-4 .490 .367 .662 81.1 69.4
2019-20 12-2 .474 .375 .709 79.9 68.4
2018-19 10-4 .520 .448 .638 84.7 73.9
2017-18 11-3 .514 .379 .742 91.1 72.4
2016-17 13-1 .536 .431 .674 88.4 72.6
2015-16 10-4 .503 .396 .675 86.9 74.8
2014-15 9-5 .427 .342 .746 70.8 64.6
2013-14 12-2 .483 .426 .766 81.5 63.9
2012-13 13-1 .509 .433 .759 79.5 62.1
2011-12 12-2 .506 .451 .698 82.6 68.4
2010-11 10-4 .433 .319 .771 67.5 61.9
Speaking of Defense
Creighton had nine blocked shots on Nov. 27 vs. SIUE, tying its most in any game in Greg McDermott‘s 12 seasons. CU also had nine rejections on Feb. 13, 2018 vs. Division II Bemidji State. The nine swats were CU’s most against a Division I foe since also posting nine at Evansville on Jan. 3, 2010.
Of Creighton’s nine blocks, eight came in the second half. Seven of those came in the final 15 minutes, when SIUE went just 2-of-16 from the floor.
Also noteworthy was CU’s defense beyond the arc. SIUE made just 1-of-15 three-point tries, tying the fewest trifectas made by a Bluejay opponent under McDermott. It was the fifth time it had happened, and first occasion since No. 5 Xavier shot 1-of-21 on Feb. 9, 2016.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 25 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including two this season. Twelve of those 25 comebacks have come away from home.
Creighton’s comeback from 16 points down vs. SIUE on Nov. 27 was its biggest since rallying from 16 points down at Seton Recibidor on Jan. 27th.
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 Since 2010-11
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
16 at Seton Recibidor 01/27/21
16 SIU Edwardsville 11/27/21
15 Arkansas-Pine Baladronada 11/09/21
14 Evansville 02/21/12
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
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
At The Buzzer!
Ryan Nembhard drove the length of the court in the final 5.2 seconds to sink a floater as time expired to give Creighton a 66-64 win vs. Southern Illinois on Nov. 22 in the third-place game of the Paradise Jam.
Ironically enough, the game-ending play was installed several years ago by former Bluejay assistant Paul Lusk, himself a Southern Illinois grad.
The basket was Creighton’s first go-ahead shot as time expired since Booker Woodfox beat Wichita State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals on March 6, 2009.
Prior to Woodfox, Creighton’s last previous buzzer-beater had also come against Wichita State, as Anthony Tolliver’s shot from the right baseline beat Wichita State on Jan. 28, 2006.
Nate Funk also hit a buzzer-beater to beat Greg McDermott‘s Northern Iowa team on Jan. 15, 2005 in Cedar Falls.
Shots by those four men remain the only game-winning buzzer-beaters by Creighton since the start of the 1999-2000 season.
Five Threats To Score
All five Creighton starters are averaging at least 8.1 points per game this season, a fact made all the more impressive when you consider that these men owned a total of ZERO career starts as a Bluejay entering this winter.
Creighton has won 22 straight games when five or more players have 10 points or more.
Nembhard’s Big Day
Playing his first collegiate road game, freshman point guard Ryan Nembhard thrived in a hostile environment in Lincoln. The Canadian native had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Since Greg McDermott was hired in 2010, the only other Bluejays with a 20/5/5 game were Mitch Ballock (1), Marcus Foster (3), Grant Gibbs (1), Doug McDermott (2), Khyri Thomas (2), Maurice Watson Jr. (2) and Marcus Zegarowski (3).
Nembhard is CU’s first freshman with a 20/5/5 line since at least 1981-82.
Nembhard’s 22 points were the most by a Bluejay of any year in their first game vs. Nebraska since at least 1980.
Nembhard Earns All-Tourney Honors
Ryan Nembhard earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Paradise Jam after averaging 12.3 points, 4.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals in three games.
Nembhard shot 55.6 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 60 percent from the line and made a shot at the buzzer vs. Southern Illinois in the third-place game.
He is CU’s first true freshman to pick up All-Tournament Team honors at any event since Doug McDermott was named to the Entero Sports Hy-Vee Challenge All-Tournament Team in 2010.
Hawk Talk
Ryan Hawkins finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists on Nov. 16 at Nebraska. It was just the fourth 15/10/5 game in Greg McDermott‘s 12 seasons at Creighton, and first since Khyri Thomas had 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a Nov. 15, 2017 Gavitt Tipoff Games win at Northwestern.
The only others with a 15/10/5 game under McDermott were Austin Chatman (17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists vs. Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2014) and Doug McDermott (30 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists at Seton Recibidor on Jan. 4, 2014).
Hawkins’ performance was CU’s first 15/10/5 line without a turnover since at least 1980-81.
Like A Hawk
Ryan Hawkins had 10 or more rebounds in each of CU’s first three games. He’s the first Bluejay to do that to start a season since Benoit Benjamin’s streak of 27 consecutive double-figure rebounding games to open his junior campaign in 1984-85.
Hawkins owns 41 games with 10 or more rebounds in his college career.
Winning With Defense
Creighton’s made its reputation on the offensive side with its “Let It Fly” philosophy, but the Bluejays have won thanks in large part to their defense so far this season.
Creighton held each of its first four opponents under 40 percent from the field for the first time since at least 1980-81.
Creighton is holding teams to 39.5 percent shooting this season, which would also be the program’s best mark in more than 40 years.
Playing With The Lead
In 315 games at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 85 of those contests, a staggering 27.0 percent of the time.
Under Greg McDermott at home, Creighton is
162-38 and hasn’t trailed in 60 of those games. He owns an 91-8 record vs. non-conference teams at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Assists ‘R’ Us
Ryan Nembhard’s 10 assists in CU’s season-opener were the most by a Bluejay freshman in any game since Marcus Zegarowski had 10 on March 9, 2018 vs. DePaul. He was the nation’s ONLY freshman with 10+ assists on the opening night of the college básquet season.
Prior to Nembhard, no Bluejay (of any year) had dished 10 or more assists in a season-opener since Edward St. Fleur on Nov. 22, 1996 at Wyoming.
Making An Entrance
Arthur Kaluma (15) and Ryan Nembhard (15) became CU’s first true freshmen to apertura with 10 points or more since Khyri Thomas had 18 points vs. Texas Southern in 2015.
Nembhard (15 pts., 10 ast.) and Ryan Hawkins (16 pts., 11 reb.) were the first Bluejays since at least 1980 with double-doubles in the season-opener of their apertura campaign. No CU player (of any year) had started the season with a double-double since Will Artino (14 pts., 10 reb.) in 2014-15 vs. Central Arkansas.
Kaluma’s eight rebounds were the most by a true freshman in the regular-season opener since Martin Krampelj in 2015 and the most by any Bluejay freshman since redshirt freshman Justin Patton snared eight rebounds in his 2016 apertura.
Kaluma had four blocked shots on Nov. 9 vs. UAPB. The last previous Bluejay newcomer with multiple blocked shots in a season-opener? That’d be Artino on Nov. 11, 2011 vs. North Carolina A&T. Kaluma’s four swats were the most by any Bluejay (of any year) on Opening Day since Jeffrey Day had five swats vs. Alcorn State to open the 2004-05 campaign..
Kaluma (15 & 8) became Creighton’s second freshman since at least 1973 to apertura with 15+ points and 5+ rebounds, joining Doug McDermott (16 & 7) in 2010.
Ryan Hawkins grabbed 11 rebounds vs. Arkansas-Pine Baladronada, the most by a Bluejay since Damien Jefferson had 12 in 2018. Other than Jefferson, no one’s had more than 11 rebounds in their CU apertura since Cyril Baptiste snared 17 caroms in 1969. When Hawkins followed with 10 rebounds vs. Kennesaw State, he became CU’s first player (of any year) with 10+ rebounds in CU’s first two games since Doug Swenson in 1998-99.
Freshman Starts Almost Unheard Of
Between 1992-93 and 2020-21, only four true freshmen started Creighton’s regular-season opener. Then on Nov. 9 vs. Arkansas-Pine Baladronada, both Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma got the nod on opening night. Nembhard had 15 points and 10 assists while Kaluma owned 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
This season marked the first time Creighton started two true freshmen in a regular-season opener since 1991-92 (Eric Dantzler and Mike Amos).
About the other true freshmen to start…
Ryan Sears did so in 1997-98. The point guard would go on to start all 124 games of his CU career and remains the program’s all-time career assist (570) and steals (283) leader.
Doug McDermott did so in 2010-11, and he went on to start all 145 games of his career. He would graduate as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history with 3,150 career points and is the only three-time First Team All-American since 1986. He now plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
Khyri Thomas got a start in 2015-16 and remained in CU’s starting five each of his first 24 games, and 96-of-102 career contests with the Jays. He has spent parts of the past three seasons in the NBA.
Shereef Mitchell joined this elite group in 2019-20 when he got the starting nod against Kennesaw State. Mitchell finished with eight points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 28 minutes of work.
Top-10 Class
Creighton signed four top-100 players en route to inking the No. 7 recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports. That also ranks as the best class in the BIG EAST Conference.
Here’s how the nation’s top-10 classes shake out:
1. Memphis
2. Michigan
3. Gonzaga
4. Tennessee
5. Duke
6. LSU
7. Creighton
8. Florida State
9. Connecticut
10. Kentucky
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 927 straight games. The streak is the nation’s 14th-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 (1/13)
Rk. Streak School Next
1. 1,144 UNLV 1/14
2. 1,128 Duke 1/15
3. 1,091 Arkansas 1/15
4. 1,078 Película del Oeste Kentucky 1/15
5. 1,069 East Tennessee State 1/15
6. 1,046 Pacific 1/15
1,046 Oakland 1/15
8. 1,039 Texas 1/15
9. 985 Marshall 1/15
10. 978 Baylor 1/15
11. 972 Princeton 1/15
12. 965 Gonzaga 1/15
13. 940 Long Island 1/15
14. 927 Creighton 1/15
15. 925 Mount St. Mary’s 1/15
16. 913 Tennessee State 1/15
Triple Trouble
During Creighton’s current streak of 927 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 7,311 trifectas, an media of 7.89 treys per game.
That’s not surprising since during the streak, Creighton has made exactly 7 three-pointers 139 times, more than any figure.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 262 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
Creighton has also made a trifecta in the first half of 298 straight games (since going 0-7 vs. Drake on Jan. 23, 2013). That streak was in serious jeopardy on Opening Day this season as CU missed its first 14 three-point tries before a man named Trey (Alexander) extended the streak.
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Bluejays are 40-6 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 14-13 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton’s 3-Point Streak
1: 5 times 2: 15 times 3: 32 times
4: 71 times 5: 99 times 6: 99 times
7: 139 times 8: 116 times 9: 89 times
10: 77 times 11: 53 times 12: 49 times
13: 44 times 14: 18 times 15: 7 times
16: 7 times 17: 3 times 19: 1 time
20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
My Name Is…
Only five men who played for Creighton last season are back this winter, and none of them averaged more than 15 minutes per game.
Per research by TCU, Creighton’s 18.0 percent of minutes returning ranks third-lowest among all teams nationally, and is the least among all teams from the BIG EAST or a Power 5 Conference.
Lowest Percentage of Minutes Returning
School Pct. of Minutes Returning
Tennessee-Martin 0.0
Portland 8.5
Creighton 18.0
Missouri 19.7
Duquesne 23.2
Iowa State 25.1
Robert Morris 26.3
Boston College 27.6
South Alabama 28.6
TCU 29.2
Who’s Back?
With Creighton returning only five of the 15 men who appeared in a game last season, it’s no surprise that much of the production from 2020-21 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Starts 2 (1.3%) 153 (98.7%)
3FG Made 25 (8.5%) 268 (91.5%)
Assists 68 (14.0%) 417 (86.0%)
Points 371 (15.8%) 1,984 (84.2%)
Minutes 1,124 (18.0%) 5,126 (82.0%)
Steals 39 (18.1%) 177 (81.9%)
Rebounds 207 (20.7%) 794 (79.3%)
Charges Taken 5 (29.4%) 12 (70.6%)
Blocks 39 (37.9%) 64 (62.1%)
Among The Nation’s Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season, per Baloncesto-Reference.com.
2010-11 through Jan. 13, 2022
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 3,479 2nd
3FG Percentage .381 3rd
FG Percentage .479 3rd
Assists 6,309 5th
FG Made 10,719 8th
Points 30,016 9th
Wins 263 27th
Winning Percentage .671 31st
#ProJays
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is a starter for the San Antonio Spurs, giving Creighton at least one NBA player in 38 of the last 39 seasons.
Last year five Bluejays appeared in an NBA game, as McDermott was joined by Ty-Shon Alexander, Justin Patton, Khyri Thomas and Anthony Tolliver.
McDermott is in his eighth season in the NBA. Last year he with Indiana he averaged a career-high 13.6 points per game.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
Who Are These Guys?
For the first time since at least 1980-81, Creighton will not return any of its five starters as Mitch Ballock, Christian Bishop, Damien Jefferson, Denzel Mahoney and Marcus Zegarowski are all gone after combining to make 152-of-155 possible starts last season.
In fact, there’s only been four previous times in the last 40 years that just one starter has returned. Those four occurrences came in 1985-86 (went 12-16), 2007-08 (22-11), 2014-15 (14-19) and
2015-16 (20-15).
Shereef Mitchell started two games last season when Zegarowski was injured, and no other active Bluejay had ever started a game for CU prior to CU’s Nov. 9 season-opener. In the previous 40 seasons, Creighton’s always returned players who combined for at least 40 starts in the previous season.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2021-22 0 2 ? ? ?
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
In Search Of 20 Wins, Again
Creighton had 22 wins last season, its sixth consecutive campaign with 20 or more victories.
Only six teams have won 20 games or more in each of the previous six seasons: Belmont, Creighton, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Oregon.
21 of 23 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 21 of the last 23 seasons (entering 2021-22), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 23 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 22 times, Creighton and Kentucky 21 times.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 23 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons 2020-21 W-L
Gonzaga 23 31-1
Kansas 23 21-9
Duke 22 13-11
Creighton 21 22-9
Kentucky 21 9-16
McDermott Ranks Second On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 263 victories at Creighton, good for second place on CU’s all-time wins list.
McDermott’s .671 winning percentage is Creighton’s best since Arthur A. Schabinger’s .714 win rate more than 85 years ago.
Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton History
Rk. W-L Name Years
1. 327-176 Dana Altman 1994-2010
2. 263-129 Greg McDermott 2010-Pres.
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 games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in the fall of 2003.
Creighton’s Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.7
01/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.0
11/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.5
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.2
01/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.3
02/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.3
01/28/14 St. John’s W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8
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 Recibidor 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
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton continued to be highly regarded by KenPom.com, and finished last season 22nd. That included the nation’s No. 25 offense, and No. 32 defense.
Creighton had not finished with a top-35 defense since 2006-07, and has not finished better than 30th since 2001-02.
Last season was the sixth different time in the last 10 seasons that Creighton has had a top-25 offense per KenPom.
Creighton has finished with an offensive and defending rating in the top-83 nationally every season since 2015-16. Nationally, the only nine other schools that can claim that (entering 2021-22) are Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Maryland, Purdue, Texas Tech and Villanova.
Year Off. Rating Def. Rating Team W-L
2010-11 66 174 23-16
2011-12 5 166 29-6
2012-13 5 66 28-8
2013-14 2 124 27-8
2014-15 59 138 14-19
2015-16 43 76 20-15
2016-17 32 46 25-10
2017-18 25 58 21-12
2018-19 47 83 20-15
2019-20 3 78 24-7
2020-21 25 32 22-9
2021-22 69 54 10-4 so far
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 Recibidor 02/23/14
7. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
8. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
9. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
10. 18,519 #8 Seton Recibidor 03/07/20
11. 18,518 Georgetown 01/27/18
12. 18,495 Marquette 02/17/18
13. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
14. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
15. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
16. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
17. 18,321 #3 Villanova 02/24/18
18. 18,294 #19 Iowa State 12/04/21
19. 18,257 #5 Xavier 02/10/18
20. 18,191 DePaul 02/27/18
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 315 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the 19-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 259-56 (.822) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Friday (22-0).
Creighton’s Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program’s 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU’s 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 24,669-20,666 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an media margin of 12.71 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 85 different times.
Creighton is also 31-33 all-time in the 63 games at the arena in which it’s fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-11 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 38-27 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 162-38 (.815) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn’t trailed in 60 of those games. In that same span, CU owns an 91-8 home record vs. non-conference teams.
Creador 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 278-56 (.832) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Home Run
Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Creighton is averaging 80.88 points per home game (16,175 points in 200 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.08 points in non-conference home games (8,324 points in 99 home games).
Creighton is 124-6 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2021-22 season went on sale on October 18th.
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.
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