Tuesday, November 29
Omaha, Neb.
7:30 PM
Creighton University
vs
Buffalo
Tyler Clement
Photo by: Corey Solotorovsky
#10 Men's Basketball Hosts Buffalo on Tuesday
11/28/2016 4:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton seeks first 7-0 start since 2011-12
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Download Notes as a PDF
Buffalo Bulls at No. 10 Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio:Â KOZN 1620 AM; KOOO 101.9; www.1620thezone.com
Television:Â FS1 (Kevin Kugler, Nick Bahe)
Series History:Â Creighton leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Creighton 36, Buffalo 27 on March 1, 1922 in Buffalo, N.Y.
Next Game
No. 10 Creighton (6-0) hosts the defending Mid-American Conference Tournament champion (Buffalo) and Mid-American Conference regular-season champion (Akron) this week.
   The home stretch begins on Tuesday night when Buffalo (4-2) arrives in Omaha for a game scheduled to tip at 7:45 pm.
   CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., will host the action.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2016-17 season, while KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler will call the action.
Television Information
Tuesday's game will be televised live on FS1, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 78 and 1078 (HD). It'll also re-air at 3 am Central on Wednesday morning, also on FS1.
   Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe will announce.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Tuesday's game will be available via FOXSportsGO.com for desktop users, and via the FOX Sports GO app for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Window devices). A cable authorization may be required.
   The FOX Sports GO mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store or the Windows Store, and the games are now available internationally.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
   Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting No. 10 Creighton
Creighton has climbed to 10th in the Associated Press poll after a stellar start to the season that includes wins over UMKC, No. 9 Wisconsin, Washington State, North Carolina State, Ole Miss and Loyola (Md.).
   The Bluejays are putting up 91.8 points per game (8th nationally) while shooting 54.7 percent from the field (2nd nationally) and 47.9 percent from three-point territory (1st nationally).
   Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster (17.7 ppg.) helped Creighton to the Paradise Jam title, scoring 25 points in the final and earning MVP honors.
   Joining him on the All-Tournament Team was senior forward Cole Huff (9.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg.). Huff made 10-of-15 three-point shots during the Paradise Jam and was perfect in 13 free throw attempts, leading the team in scoring vs. Washington State and NC State.
    Maurice Watson Jr. (11.2 ppg., 8.5 apg.) was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection. He's the nation's active leader in career assists (690), and his 51 assists this year rank third in the country.
   Two Omaha products in the starting line-up are also doing big things. Khyri Thomas averages 13.8 points per game, as the sophomore wing shoots 66.7 percent from the field and 57.9 percent from deep. Redshirt freshman big man Justin Patton averages 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He's shooting 77.5 percent from the field (3rd nationally) and has 17 dunks already.
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo is 4-2 on the season and went 2-1 last week to place third at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage.
   Blake Hamilton (16.7 ppg.) leads the team in points per game and is second in both rebounds per game (6.7) and assists per game (4.2).
   Nick Perkins is second on the team in scoring (14.7 pgg.) and tops in rebounding (8.2).
   Also in double-figures is Willie Conner (13.7 ppg.).
   The Bulls average 72.5 points per game and allow 68.0 per contest. UB shoots 46.4 percent from the floor and outrebounds teams by 8.0 caroms per contest.
The Series With Buffalo
Creighton won the only previous meeting against Buffalo, taking a 36-27 decision in Buffalo on March 1, 1922.
   That victory secured Creighton's first 20-win season in history.
   Greg McDermott has never faced Buffalo nor Nate Oats, and is 3-1 in his career against teams from the Mid-American Conference (1-1 at Creighton).
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his seventh season as head coach at Creighton. He is 147-72 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 427-267 in his 23rd season and is 296-203 in his 16th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
   Nate Oats (Maranatha Baptist, 1998) is 24-17 in his second year as a head coach at Buffalo, which doubles as his career mark. Oats led Buffalo to the NCAA Tournament last year in his first season with the Bulls. He was promoted after Bobby Hurley left Buffalo to head to Arizona State. Oats is assisted by Jim Whitesell, Lindsey Hunter and Bryan Hodgson.
Shuffling In From Buffalo
Creighton has had just two players from the state of New York in the last dozen years, guards Devin Brooks (Harlem) and Dominic Bishop (Buffalo).
   Bishop attended Bennett High School and after two years at Brown-Mackie (Kan.) JC, spent just one year at Creighton, contributing 75 points, 35 rebounds and 20 assists as a back-up point guard during the 2005-06 season. He is perhaps best remembered as being the 'host' when a California recruit named Russell Westbrook made an official visit from Sept. 23-25, 2005.
Chasing 1,000
Marcus Foster has averaged 17.7 points per game in his first six contests at Creighton, and is quickly closing in on 1,000 career points.
   Foster scored 875 points in two years at Kansas State, giving him 981 career points in 68 games as a collegian. That puts him 19 points from 1,000. Foster owns 15 career games of 19 or more points.
   Another Bluejay transfer, Cole Huff, averages 9.5 points per game and now owns 980 career points. Huff has played in 103 games as a collegian, and owns eight career games of 20 or more points.
Foster & Patton Honored By BIG EAST
Creighton picked up a pair of weekly awards from the BIG EAST Conference on Monday. Marcus Foster was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, while Justin Patton was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. It's the first weekly league honor for both as Bluejays.
   Foster averaged 20.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in a pair of Bluejay victories last week, shooting 60 percent from the floor (15-25), 50 percent from downtown (6-12) and 83.3 percent at the line (5-6).
   Foster's week began with a season-high 25 points against Ole Miss in the title game of the Paradise Jam. He scored 17 points in the first half to help keep Creighton within six at the break, and would take home Tournament MVP honors on the All-Tournament Team after leading CU back from a 11-point deficit.
   On Saturday, Foster had 16 points and two assists in an 82-52 win over Loyola (Md.). With Creighton off to a sluggish start, Foster scored the first nine points in an 11-2 Bluejay run as Creighton overcame a 20-18 deficit to take the lead for good.
   Foster is Creighton's first transfer to score 10 points or more in his first six games as a Bluejay since Tad Ackerman in 1994-95.
   Patton averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games last week while shooting 86.7 percent from the field. He added two assists, two blocked shots and a steal to help Creighton improve to 6-0. Twenty-two of his 28 points came after halftime, as Creighton outscored foes 98-58 (the Jays were outscored 71-70 in the first half).
   Patton's week began on Monday in a win over Ole Miss in the title game of the Paradise Jam. Patton had 11 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes, making 5-of-7 field goal attempts.
   He then had 15 of his season-high 17 points after halftime in Saturday's 82-52 win over Loyola (Md.). Patton was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and also led CU with six rebounds.
   Patton had three dunks in each game and now owns 17 dunks in his first six games as a Bluejay. He's also joined Doug McDermott as the only Bluejay freshmen in the last 35 years to debut with at least six straight games of 10 or more points.
Double-Digits x 6
Marcus Foster and Justin Patton have each scored in double-figures during each of Creighton's first six games this season.
   They join Doug McDermott as the only Bluejays to open their career in double-figures during CU's first six games in the last 20 years. McDermott opened his 2010-11 campaign with eight straight games in double-figures.
   McDermott is also the last player with six straight double-figure games to start any season, doing so in his 2013-14 senior season that ended with National Player of the Year acclaim.
   As it relates to Foster, he is the first Bluejay transfer to start his career with 10 or more points in each of CU's first six games since Wabash Valley JC transfer Tad Ackerman during the 1994-95 season.
   Before Foster this year, McDermott was the last Bluejay with six straight games of 15 points to start any season, having done so in 2013-14. The last Bluejay with seven straight games of 15 points to start a season is Rod Mason in 1987-88.
   Below is a list of Creighton's longest double figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
   Consec.   Name, Class   Year
   all 35   Doug McDermott, So.   2011-12
   all 32   Vernon Moore, Sr.   1984-85
   28   Benoit Benjamin, Jr.   1984-85
   27   Bob Harstad, Sr.   1990-91
   16   Rod Mason, Sr.   1987-88
   13   Rodney Buford, Sr.   1998-99
   12   Gary Swain, Sr.   1986-87
   10   Chad Gallagher, Sr.   1990-91
   9   Rodney Buford, So.   1996-97
   8   Benoit Benjamin, Fr.   1982-83
   8   Gregory Brandon, Sr.    1983-84
   8   Doug McDermott, Fr.   2010-11
   7   Jim Honz, Jr.   1979-80
   6   Chad Gallagher, So.   1988-89
   6   Randall Crutcher, So.   1994-95
   6   Tad Ackerman, Jr.   1994-95
   6   Doug McDermott, Sr.   2013-14
   6   Marcus Foster, Jr.   2016-17
   6   Justin Patton, Fr.   2016-17
Super Six
Junior Marcus Foster's 106 points so far are the most by any Bluejay newcomer through six games since at least 1979-80.
   For comparison, Doug McDermott had 86 points through six games and 106 points after his seventh career game of his freshman season. He would finish his career with 3,150 in 145 career games to rank fifth in NCAA history.
Most Points, Newcomers First 6 Games Since 1994-95
   Pts.   Name, Class   Year   After 7
   107   Marcus Foster   2016-17   ? ? ?
   86   Doug McDermott, Fr.    2010-11   106
   78   Cole Huff, Jr.   2015-16   88
   77   Maurice Watson Jr., Jr.   2015-16   87
   76   Tad Ackerman, Jr.   1994-95   86
   73   P'Allen Stinnett, Fr.   2007-08   86
   72   Terrell Taylor, Fr.   1999-00   85
   71   Edward St. Fleur, Jr.   1995-96   76
   70   Devin Brooks, Jr.   2013-14   73
   70   Justin Patton, Fr.   2016-17   ? ? ?
   69   Ryan Sears, Fr.   1997-98   90
   66   Darryl Ashford, Jr.   2009-10   79
   63   Ethan Wragge, Fr.   2009-10   63
   62   Brody Deren, So.   2001-02   81
   61   Rodney Buford, Fr.   1995-96   87
Up To 10th
The Creighton men's basketball team is ranked 10th in the country in this week's Associated Press poll.
   It's the third time in program history CU has been tabbed a top-10 team by AP poll, which started in 1949. The Bluejays were previously ranked ninth on February 24, 2014 and 10th the week of January 20, 2003.
   CU has now been ranked 72 weeks in program history, with 44 of those under the direction of seventh-year head coach Greg McDermott.
   The Bluejays are one of three BIG EAST teams in the top-10, as Villanova ranks second and Xavier is seventh.
   Below is a list of the top weekly rankings in the AP poll in program history:
Best Weekly AP rankings, Creighton History
9th - 3/1/14
10th - 1/20/03
10th - 11/28/16
11th - 11/26/12
11th - 2/17/14
12th - 2/10/03
12th - 1/14/13
12th - 2/3/14
12th - 11/21/16
Top Five RPI
According to WarrenNolan.com on Monday morning, Creighton ranked No. 5 nationally in the RPI.
   Xavier was first and Villanova was third, which has helped the BIG EAST to an overwhelming spot as No. 1 in the conference RPI rankings.
Unlucky Game 7
Creighton is 52-4 in non-conference home games with Greg McDermott as head coach, but three of those four losses came in CU's seventh game of the season. Tuesday will be Creighton's seventh game of the 2016-17 season.
   In 2010-11, it was No. 21 BYU that upended the Bluejays.
   In 2012-13, Boise State topped Creighton by an 83-70 margin.
   Last season, Arizona State beat CU in Omaha in the seventh game of the season.
   Creighton's only other non-conference home loss in the last seven seasons came in the 11th game of the 2014-15 campaign, when it dropped an overtime contest to Saint Mary's.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!
Creighton ranks eighth with 91.8 points per game and has scored 79 points or more in all six games.
   The Bluejays were ranked sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 56th in tempo per KenPom.com on Monday morning.
Shooting Stars
Creighton is second nationally in field goal percentage at 54.72 percent, trailing only UCLA (54.73).
   Nationally, Creighton is the only team to shoot 50 percent or better in every game this season.
It Do Run, Run
Creighton ranks sixth in the KenPom.com's Adjusted Offensive rankings this year.
   Per figures from StatBroadcast.com, Creighton has scored on more than half its possessions in all six games this season, despite averaging just 14 seconds per possession.
Creighton Offense
Opponent   Poss.   Scores   Pts/Poss.   Sec/Poss.
UMKCÂ Â Â 80Â Â Â 40Â Â Â 1.113Â Â Â :14
#9 Wisconsin   68   35   1.162   :15
Washington St.   84   44   1.226   :13
NC State   80   45   1.400   :15
Ole Miss   70   35   1.229   :15
Loyola (Md.)Â Â Â 71Â Â Â 40Â Â Â 1.155Â Â Â :14
TOTALSÂ Â Â 453Â Â Â 239Â Â Â 1.216Â Â Â :14
BIG EAST Playing Big
Though the BIG EAST may not be considered of the traditional "Football 5" Conferences due to its lack of big time football, the performance of the league has been big time for a long time.
   The league has owned a top-five RPI in the NCAA RPI rankings in every season since 2000-01, as seen below:
BIG EAST in Conference RPI Rankings
2016-17:Â Â Â 1st (per WarrenNolan.com)
2015-16:Â Â Â 4th
2014-15:Â Â Â 3rd
2013-14:Â Â Â 4th
2012-13:Â Â Â 2nd
2011-12:Â Â Â 2nd
2010-11:Â Â Â 1st
2009-10:Â Â Â 3rd
2008-19:Â Â Â 4th
2007-08:Â Â Â 5th
2006-07:Â Â Â 5th
2005-06:Â Â Â 3rd
2004-05:Â Â Â 2nd
2003-04:Â Â Â 4th
2002-03:Â Â Â 5th
2001-02:Â Â Â 3rd
2000-01:Â Â Â 3rd
BIG EAST > "Football 5" So Far
Creighton has knocked off teams from the Big Ten (Wisconsin), Pac-12 (Washington State), ACC (North Carolina State) and SEC (Ole Miss) in the last 11 days, all by nine or more points.
   Those four wins over the "Football 5" leagues are more than any other team in the nation.
   The BIG EAST owns 14 wins over "Football 5" leagues. That is also four more than any other league.
   Both figures are through games of Nov. 27.
MBB Wins Over "Football 5" Leagues, By Team
   4   Creighton
   3   Baylor
   2   Davidson
   2   Gonzaga
   2   Kansas
   2   North Carolina
   2   Northern Iowa
   2   Notre Dame
   2   South Carolina
   2   Temple
   2   UCLA
   2   Villanova
   2   Xavier
MBB Wins Over "Football 5" Leagues, By Conference
   14   BIG EAST
   10   Big 12
   10   Atlantic Coast
   6   Big Ten
   6   American
   6   Atlantic 10
   6   Pac-12
   6   Southeastern
15 Treys & 50 Percent?
Creighton shot made 44-of-81 three-point attempts in three games at the Paradise Jam, good for 54.3 percent.
   The Bluejays shot 15-of-28 (53.6%) against Washington State, 13-of-27 (48.1%) against North Carolina State and 16-of-26 (61.5%) in the title tilt vs. Ole Miss.
   In program history, Creighton owns 11 all-time games in which it has made 15 or more three-pointers and shot 50 percent or better, as seen below. Two of those were last week in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Best 3FG%, Minimum 15 3FG Made
3FG%   Opponent   3FG-3FGA   Date
.667   Chattanooga   20-30   02/19/05
.640   Chicago State   16-25   12/29/13
.625   at Indiana State   15-24   12/31/08
.615   vs. Ole Miss   16-26   11/21/16
.600   at #4 Villanova   21-35   01/24/14
.600   Texas-Arlington   15-25   11/17/02
.600Â Â Â vs. IUPUIÂ Â Â 15-25Â Â Â 11/25/02
.593   Drake   16-27   01/08/13
.536   Missouri State   15-28   01/30/13
.536   vs. Washington State   15-28   11/18/16
.533   Evansville   16-30   01/04/99
Keeping It 100
Creighton cracked the century mark in its 103-77 win over Washington State on Nov. 18, then did it again two days later in a 112-94 win over North Carolina State.
   Creighton is 55-2 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, with 27 straight wins.
   Creighton scored 100 points in consecutive games for the fourth time in school history, having also done it once last year and twice in 1965-66. Creighton has never scored 100 points in three straight games.
   Creighton's 215 points over those two games were the second-most in school history for point totals in consecutive contests, trailing only the 219 in two straight games (104 & 115) in 1965-66.
   Creighton's 301 points at the Paradise Jam were its most points in a three-game stretch since scoring 303 points (84, 104, 115) over the course of three games from Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 1966.
   CU's November 18th win vs. Washington State marked the sixth straight season that Creighton has put up 100 or more points in one of its first four games of the season.
   Creighton's 112 points on November 20th were its fifth-most in school history for a game, and the most since 115 vs. Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985. It was also the second-most points NC State has ever allowed in one game.
   Below is a list of the most points in a game in Creighton history:
Score   Opponent   Date
124-94Â Â Â at Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â 02/10/1964
120-76   Nevada   12/21/1962
115-80   Indiana State   01/19/1985
115-82   Memphis   02/02/1966
112-94   vs. North Carolina St.   11/20/2016
111-110 (2ot)   Bradley   03/11/2008
We're Jamming!
Creighton had 11 dunks during its three wins in the Paradise Jam, then added five more last Saturday vs. Loyola (Md.). Justin Patton has 17 of CU's 24 dunks this season, with Zach Hanson (2), Khyri Thomas (2), Marcus Foster (2) and Martin Krampelj (1) accounting for the others.
   Last season Creighton had 58 dunks total in 35 games, the most its had in any of Greg McDermott's first six years at the helm of the Bluejays. That group had 13 dunks after six games.
   Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 10 or more dunks in a season under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Year
36   Gregory Echenique   2012-13
30   Gregory Echenique   2011-12
24   Gregory Echenique   2010-11
22   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2010-11
18   Geoffrey Groselle   2015-16
17   Justin Patton   2016-17
14   Zach Hanson   2015-16
12   Khyri Thomas   2015-16
12   Will Artino   2014-15
11   Will Artino   2013-14
We're Jamming, Part II
Creighton rewrote the Paradise Jam record books during its week in the Virgin Islands.
   On Nov. 18 vs. Washington State, Creighton tied a tournament record with 25 assists as Maurice Watson Jr. tied a tourney mark with 13 helpers in a game. Two days later vs. North Carolina State, Creighton set a tournament record with 112 points in a game.
   On Nov. 21, Creighton finished the tournament with records for points, assists, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage, most of them by a significant margin.
Category   Old Record   Creighton in 2016
Points   267   301
Assists   55   64
FG Percentage   .516   .569
3FG Percentage   .491   .543
Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, Not 4, Not 5, Not 6...
Creighton placed seven men in double-figures last Sunday against North Carolina State. All five starters scored in double-figures, as did Isaiah Zierden and Zach Hanson off the bench.
   It was just the second time since 1980-81 that Creighton has had seven men score 10 or more points in the same game, joining a win over Coppin State on Dec. 28, 2015.
First Half Blitz
Creighton led 60-36 at halftime on Nov. 18 vs. Washington State. The 60 points were the most by the Bluejays in one half since scoring 60 points in the second half vs. Massachusetts on Nov. 25, 2015.
   The last time Creighton had 60 points in the first half of a game came Nov. 17, 2015, when CU led 61-37 at halftime over UTSA.
   In the Nov. 20 romp over NC State, Creighton put up 54 and 58 in consecutive halves.
   Creighton has won 65 straight games in which it has scored 42 or more points in the first half, and 50 straight when scoring 44 or more in the first half.
Assist Leader
Not only is Maurice Watson Jr. is the nation's active leader in assists with 690, but he's also third in steals (170), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.08) and 12th in field goals made (518).
   Watson is the nation's only active Division I player with at least 500 field goals and 500 assists.
   Below is a look at the national active leaders in assists and steals, through Nov. 27th.
Active Leaders in Career Assists
1.   Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton   690
2.   Monte Morris, Iowa State   590
3.   Alec Wintering, Portland   507
4.   Marquis Wright, Siena   474
5.   London Perrantes, Virginia   467
Active Leaders in Career Steals
1.   Paris Lee, Illinois State   192
2.   Monte Morris, Iowa State   179
3.   Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton   170
4.   Justin Robinson, Monmouth   169
5.   Damon Lynn, NJIT   168
6-0 Start, Again
Creighton seeks a 7-0 start for the first time since the 2011-12 team opened 7-0 before a loss at Saint Joseph's. That club went on to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title, then reached the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament.
   Each of the last 10 Creighton teams to start 6-0 played in the postseason. The last team that didn't was in 1946-47.
   A victory on Tuesday would clinch Creighton's sixth 7-0 start since 1999-200.
Shooting Stars
Creighton has shot 54.7 percent from the field this season, and an equally impressive 47.9 percent from three-point range.
   No team has shot better than 47 percent from three-point territory for an entire season since Indiana (47.6) in 1988-89. When Creighton led the nation in three-point shooting percentage in 2013-14, it finished the year at 41.4 percent.
   Big man Justin Patton is shooting 77.5 percent from the field (3rd nationally), with 17 dunks among his 31 made field goals. Patton has made his last 12 field goal attempts dating to midway through the Ole Miss game.
   Fellow Omaha native Khyri Thomas is shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
   Each of Creighton's six players with multiple made three-pointers have connected on 44.4 percent or better of their shots from downtown.
BIG EAST in the Paradise Jam
Creighton's participation in the Paradise Jam marked the 11th straight year at BIG EAST has participated in the event, which began in 2001.
   Creighton's title was the sixth by a team that was a BIG EAST member at the time it won the title, joining Seton Hall (2014), Marquette (2011), Connecticut (2008), Boston College (2003) and Miami (2001).
Hanson Hurt
Senior center Zach Hanson is expected to miss 8-12 weeks after tearing a tendon and the ligaments in his left ankle during Creighton's win over Ole Miss on Nov. 21st.
   Hanson underwent tests on Nov. 23rd after the team returned to Omaha, and Greg McDermott made the announcement that afternoon to the local media.
   Hanson was scheduled to undergo surgery on Nov. 28th.
   A Pierre, S.D., native, Hanson was averaging 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 68.0 percent from the field in 13.2 minutes per game.
   Though he will not be on the court, look for Hanson to maintain a strong leadership role on the team as he mentors freshmen centers Justin Patton and Martin Krampelj.
All-Around Excellence
Creighton is ranked on the hardwood, but also excels in several other sports as well.
   In fact, Creighton, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Kentucky are the nation's only four schools that currently have a ranked team in men's basketball (AP poll), men's soccer (NSCAA poll) and women's volleyball (AVCA poll).
Omaha's Team
Creighton has started Omaha natives Justin Patton and Khyri Thomas in each of its first six games.
   It's the first time Creighton has started two Omaha products in the same game since March 16, 2000 vs. Auburn, when Matt West (Omaha Westside) and Donnie Johnson (Omaha Central) earning a nod.
   Johnson, coincidentally, coached Thomas at Omaha Benson High School.
November Reign
Creighton is a perfect 54-0 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th.
   Creighton has won 56 of its 57 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012.
   Overall, Creighton is 77-15 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
   Creighton has also won 67 of its last 70 regular-season non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish third in its fourth season as BIG EAST Conference members according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Villanova was picked first with 81 points and nine first-place votes, while Xavier and Creighton round out the top three. Seton Hall and Georgetown tied for fourth place, while Butler, Marquette, St. John's, Providence and DePaul rounded out the bottom half.
   Creighton guard Maurice Watson Jr. was named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, while Marcus Foster was picked to be a Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable-Mention choice.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns four regular starters (Maurice Watson Jr., Isaiah Zierden, Khyri Thomas and Cole Huff) from last year's team that finished 20-15. Creighton's roster contains players who made 130 starts a year ago (35 by Watson, 31 by Zierden, 28 by Thomas, 23 by Huff, 12 by Toby Hegner, 1 by Zach Hanson), and a combined 173 career starts as Bluejays. That doesn't factor in the 57 starts for Marcus Foster at Kansas State or the 30 starts at Syracuse for Kaleb Joseph.
   Each of Creighton's five teams since 1980-81 to return 130 or more starts from the previous season won 20 or more games and went on to reach the postseason.
   Returning   Returning Starts    Final
Year   Starters   From Previous Year   W-L
2016-17Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 130Â Â Â ? ? ?
2015-16Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 20-15
2014-15Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 14-19
2013-14Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 144Â Â Â 27-8
2012-13Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 140Â Â Â 28-8
2011-12Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 29-6
2010-11Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 23-16
2009-10Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 106Â Â Â 18-16
2008-09Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 27-8
2007-08Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 44Â Â Â 22-11
2006-07Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 120Â Â Â 22-11
2005-06Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 134Â Â Â 20-10
2004-05Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 23-11
2003-04Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 20-9
2002-03Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 159Â Â Â 29-5
2001-02Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 23-9
2000-01Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 90Â Â Â 24-8
1999-00Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 23-10
1998-99Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 22-9
1997-98Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 18-10
1996-97Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 126Â Â Â 15-15
1995-96Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 100Â Â Â 14-15
1994-95Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 52Â Â Â 7-19
1993-94Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 73Â Â Â 7-22
1992-93Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 8-18
1991-92Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 9-19
1990-91Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 132Â Â Â 24-8
1989-90Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 127Â Â Â 21-12
1988-89Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 20-11
1987-88Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 16-16
1986-87Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 9-19
1985-86Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 48Â Â Â 12-16
1984-85Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 20-12
1983-84Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 17-14
1982-83Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 77Â Â Â 8-19
1981-82Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 7-20
1980-81Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 21-9
Times, They Are A Changin'
Creighton made two changes to its schedule in late October.
   Creighton's home game vs. Longwood, originally set for Dec. 10th, was moved to 6:30 pm on December 9th. It will now air on FS1.
   Creighton's home game on January 21st vs. Marquette was moved up two hours to a 1:30 pm start. It will now air nationally on FOX.
NBA Representation
This year marks the third straight season that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Sacramento Kings) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
   Including 2016-17, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 33 of the last 34 years.
   Korver ranks eighth in NBA history with 1,917 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 42.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through November 27). He set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range in 2009-10, and is the only player in league history to lead the NBA in three-point percentage three times. He's currently averaging 9.5 points per game while making 42.3 percent of his three-point attempts this year.
   Tolliver is averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game this season for the Kings, his 11th NBA organization.
   McDermott is in his third season with the Chicago Bulls, where he's averaging 10.6 points per game and shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range for fellow Ames High alum Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg, ironically, is the same man who replaced Greg McDermott as Iowa State's head coach in 2010.
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the since Greg McDermott took over in 2010-11, per Basketball-Reference.com:
2010-11 to 2015-16
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank  Â
FG Percentage   .476   4th
3FG Made   1,775   4th
3FG Percentage   .386   5th  Â
Assists   3392   7th
FG Made   5,534   18th
Wins   141   31st
Winning Percentage   .662   47th
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 16 of the last 18 seasons (including 2015-16), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
   Just three schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 18 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
   Kentucky , Florida, Texas and Syracuse have each done it in 17 of the last 18 seasons.
   Along with Arizona, Xavier and Connecticut, Creighton is one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 16 of the past 18 years.
Eight Out Of 18 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 18 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (14), Duke (10), Winthrop (9), Creighton (8), Kansas (8) and Kentucky (8).
Full House
Creighton is averaging 17,157 fans per home game this season, fifth-best nationally. That figure would rank 18th best in the NBA, ahead of 13 franchises.
   Last year was the 11th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the fifth straight season in the top-10 nationally in attendance, as well.
2016-17 Attendance Leaders (11/28)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Kentucky   22,357   12/3
   2.   Syracuse   21,240   12/3
   3.   Louisville   18,260   11/30
   4.   Wisconsin   17,284   11/29
   5.   Creighton   17,157   11/29
   6.   Kansas   16,300   11/29
   7.   Maryland   15,922   11/29
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
   Avg. Att.   School   Year
   17,896   Creighton   2013-14
   17,157   Creighton   2016-17
   17,155   Creighton   2012-13
   17,048   Creighton   2014-15
   16,665   Creighton   2011-12
   15,941   Creighton   2015-16
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton attracted 302,887 fans at home in 2015-16, surpassing 200,000 fans for the 11th straight season. The 302,887 home fans this season ranked as the most in school history.
   Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CenturyLink Center Omaha, and now has done it in the previous 13 seasons.
   Creighton has led its conference in home attendance every year since moving into CenturyLink Center Omaha, which is opening its 14th season.
Creighton's Most Home Fans, Season
Rk.   Year   G   Attendance   Average
1.   2015-16   19   302,887   15,941
2.   2008-09   19   302,676   15,930
3.   2010-11   22   297,161   13,507
4.   2012-13   17   291,643   17,155
5.   2014-15   17   289,808   17,048
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 754 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak was the nation's 22nd-longest active streak as of Nov. 27th.
   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 (11/27)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   980   Kentucky   11/29
   2.   979   UNLV   11/30
   3.   970   Vanderbilt   11/29
   4.   954   Duke   11/29
   5.   911   Western Kentucky   11/30
   6.   905   Arkansas   11/28
   7.   898   East Tennessee State   12/1
   8.   889   Pacific   11/29
   9.   874   Oakland   12/1
   10.   864   Texas   11/29
   11.   848   Princeton   11/29
   12.   840   Florida   12/1
   13.   814   La Salle   11/30
   14.   813   Marshall   11/30
   15.   806   Baylor   11/30
   16.   782   LIU-Brooklyn   11/30
   17.   779   Gonzaga   12/1
   18.   778   Cornell   11/30
   19.   761   Tennessee State   11/29
   20.   763   Mount St. Mary's   11/28
   21.   756   East Carolina   11/29
   22.   754   Creighton   11/29
Making A Jump
Creighton went from 14-19 in 2014-15 to 20-15 last season. In the last 50 seasons of Creighton basketball, there has been only six seasons where the team has grown its win total by six or more victories from one year to the next, with two of those gains under the direction of Greg McDermott:
Biggest Win Improvements, Last 50 Years
Jump   Year   W-L   Year   W-L
8Â Â Â 1972-73Â Â Â 15-11Â Â Â 1973-74Â Â Â 23-7
7Â Â Â 1986-87Â Â Â 9-19Â Â Â 1987-88Â Â Â 16-16
7Â Â Â 1994-95Â Â Â 7-19Â Â Â 1995-96Â Â Â 14-15
6Â Â Â 2001-02Â Â Â 23-9Â Â Â 2002-03Â Â Â 29-5
6Â Â Â 2010-11Â Â Â 23-16Â Â Â 2011-12Â Â Â 29-6
6Â Â Â 2014-15Â Â Â 14-19Â Â Â 2015-16Â Â Â 20-15
Multiple Choices
Creighton had four men average in double-figures in 2015-16, Maurice Watson Jr. (14.1), Cole Huff (11.3), Geoffrey Groselle (11.2) and Isaiah Zierden (10.2).
   Creighton had not previously had four men finish the year scoring in double-figures since 1979-80, when Kevin McKenna, Jim Honz, George Morrow and Daryl Stovall did so.
Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time. Â
    Rank   Att.   Opponent   Date
   1.   18,868   Providence   03/08/14
   2.   18,859   Georgetown   01/25/14
   3.   18,797   #6 Villanova   02/16/14
   4.   18,742   Seton Hall   02/23/14
   5.   18,735   Wichita State   02/11/12
   6.   18,613   Wichita State   03/02/13
   7.   18,525   Marquette   12/31/13
   8.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   9.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   10.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   11.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   12.   18,160   Central Arkansas   11/14/14
   13.   18,111   Bradley   02/02/13
   14.   18,078   Tulsa   11/23/13
   15.   18,073   Drake   01/08/13
   16.   17,971   #19 Butler   02/16/15
   17.   17,954   Wichita State   12/28/08
   18.   17,924   Seton Hall   01/30/16
   19.   17,766   Nebraska   12/09/15
   20.   17,740   Alcorn State   11/08/13
Très Bien
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 50-45 (.526) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 74-10 (.881) mark the last six years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
   Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 108-30 in the last six years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 16-25 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 16 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point. Nine of those comebacks came away from home, including the win over Ole Miss in the Virgin Islands on Nov. 21st.
   On Nov. 19, 2014, Creighton trailed 42-24 to No. 18 Oklahoma with 18:30 to go before putting together a comeback for the ages. It was CU's largest comeback victory under Greg McDermott (see chart below), and the second-biggest in the history of CenturyLink Center Omaha (see chart, left column on page four).
   On the other hand, CU is 128-9 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 116 of the last 121 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit   Opponent   Date
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
14   Evansville   02/21/12
13   at Saint Joseph's   11/16/13
13   Xavier   01/12/14
12   Saint Joseph's   12/11/10
12   at DePaul   01/17/16
11   at Wichita State   12/31/11
11   Northern Iowa   01/10/12
11   vs. Alabama   03/16/12
11   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/16
10Â Â Â UABÂ Â Â 11/14/12
10   vs. Drake   03/02/12
10   at Nebraska   12/07/14
10   South Dakota   12/09/14
CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Providence's Kris Dunn hit a game-winning shot as time expired to beat Creighton last Jan. 12th. It was the first game-winning shot with no time left to ever to beat Creighton at CenturyLink Center Omaha, exceeding the previous low with 1.9 seconds left by Butler's Roosevelt Jones in 2014-15.
   Dunn's shot was the first to beat Creighton (at any site) with no time left on the clock since Anthony James drained a game-winning three-pointer for Northern Iowa in a 65-62 win on Feb. 4, 2012 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
   Creighton is 7-6 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the 14-year old facility.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at CLCO, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
11/26/05   Dayton   W 91-90*   Funk FG   :5.7
01/28/06   Wichita St.   W 57-55   Tolliver FG   :0.0
11/25/06   George Mason   W 58-56   Watts FT   :7.5
03/18/08   Rhode Island   W 74-73   Witter 3FG   :3.2
01/13/10   Southern Illinois   W 71-69   Young FG   :1.3
02/18/12   Long Beach St.   W 81-79   Young FG   :0.3
01/28/14   St. John's   W 63-60   McDermott 3FG   :2.8
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at CLCO, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
03/20/06Â Â Â Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â 53-52Â Â Â G. Diaz FTÂ Â Â :2.6
01/20/07   Southern Illinois   58-57   B. Mullins FG   :4.1
01/10/15   #19 Seton Hall   68-67   S. Gibbs 3FG   :2.2
02/16/15   #19 Butler   58-56   R. Jones FG   :1.9
03/07/15   Xavier   74-73   D. Davis FT's   :6.3
01/12/16   #12 Providence   50-48   K. Dunn FG   :0.0
McDermott Passes McManus On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 147 victories at Creighton, good for third 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 80 years ago.
   Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton History
Rk.   W-L   Name   Years
1.   327-176   Dana Altman   1994-2010
2.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-35
3.   147-72   Greg McDermott    2010-Pres.
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-69
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-81
Watson Dishes and Scores
Maurice Watson Jr. led the team lead in both scoring and assists last season. In fact, Watson had owned or shared the team lead in assists in 23 straight games before that streak was snapped in the NIT vs. Alabama on March 15th.
   Watson became Creighton's sixth player since 1970-71 to lead the club in both points per game and assists per game, as seen below:
Creighton Leaders in PPG & APG, Since 1970-71
Name, Year   PPG   APG
Kevin McKenna, 1979-80Â Â Â 16.5Â Â Â 3.7
Matt Petty, 1992-93Â Â Â 17.2Â Â Â 3.1
Kyle Korver, 2001-02Â Â Â 15.1Â Â Â 3.3
Nate Funk, 2003-04Â Â Â 11.1Â Â Â 2.7
Nate Funk, 2006-07Â Â Â 17.7Â Â Â 3.0
Austin Chatman, 2014-15Â Â Â 11.5Â Â Â 3.7
Maurice Watson Jr., 2015-16Â Â Â 14.1Â Â Â 6.5
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 225 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 14-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 187-38 (.831) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (11-0).
   Creighton has outscored its opponents 17,160-14,468 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.96 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 62 different times, including 10 of its last 22 home games.
   Creighton is also 25-22 all-time in the 47 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 7-8 when down by 10 points at halftime at The Link, and 31-20 when trailing at halftime at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 90-20 (.818) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 52-4 record vs. non-conference teams.
   Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 207-38 (.845) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 147-72 on the Creighton sideline in his seventh year at the helm. The 147 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first seven seasons, way more than Tom Apke's 130.
Most Wins at CU, First Seven Seasons
Coach   Years   W-L After 7 Yrs
Greg McDermott   2010-Pres.   147-72 so far
Tom Apke   1974-80   130-64
Dana Altman   1994-00   123-86
Red McManus   1959-65   105-75
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton averaged 79.63 points per game in 2015-16.
   Greg McDermott is 39-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 33-1 mark on the Creighton sideline.
   In fact, McDermott's team scored 90 or more points 10 times (in 35 games) last season, compared to six total times in 280 games on the sideline in nine years at Northern Iowa and Iowa State.
   Creighton had won 75 straight games when scoring 90 or more points at all sites since a Jan. 11, 1988 loss to Southern Illinois, before a March 5th 98-93 loss at Xavier.
   Creighton is 55-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 27 straight wins since a 1977 loss to North Texas.
Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather's Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
   History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
   The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
   Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is 99-1 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha. In other words, Creighton is 111-1 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza. The perfect streak of 101-0 was snapped on Dec. 2, 2015 when Arizona State scored three points in the final 15 seconds to sneak away with a 79-77 victory.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 78.78 points per home game (8,666 points in 110 home games).
   Since a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000, Creighton is 122-0 at home (93-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more, and 102-0 at home (75-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to that same setback.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 20-15 last season and reached the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament before being eliminated at BYU. Maurice Watson Jr. (14.1 ppg., 6.5 apg.) led the Bluejays in both scoring and assists, while senior Geoffrey Groselle (6.1 rpg.) led the team in rebounding and set a Creighton record by shooting 70.2 percent from the field.
   Creighton's best victories last season included a 70-56 win over No. 5 Xavier, and a pair of wins to claim the title at the Men Who Speak Up Main Event in Las Vegas.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
   The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Harper Dining Center (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
   The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
   Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2016-17 season went on sale on October 24th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Download Notes as a PDF
Buffalo Bulls at No. 10 Creighton Bluejays
CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio:Â KOZN 1620 AM; KOOO 101.9; www.1620thezone.com
Television:Â FS1 (Kevin Kugler, Nick Bahe)
Series History:Â Creighton leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Creighton 36, Buffalo 27 on March 1, 1922 in Buffalo, N.Y.
Next Game
No. 10 Creighton (6-0) hosts the defending Mid-American Conference Tournament champion (Buffalo) and Mid-American Conference regular-season champion (Akron) this week.
   The home stretch begins on Tuesday night when Buffalo (4-2) arrives in Omaha for a game scheduled to tip at 7:45 pm.
   CenturyLink Center Omaha (17,390) in Omaha, Neb., will host the action.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2016-17 season, while KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home games. The audio is also webcast live at www.1620thezone.com.
   John Bishop and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler will call the action.
Television Information
Tuesday's game will be televised live on FS1, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 78 and 1078 (HD). It'll also re-air at 3 am Central on Wednesday morning, also on FS1.
   Kevin Kugler and Nick Bahe will announce.
Video Webcast Information
Live streaming video of Tuesday's game will be available via FOXSportsGO.com for desktop users, and via the FOX Sports GO app for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire tablets and Fire phones and select Window devices). A cable authorization may be required.
   The FOX Sports GO mobile app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store or the Windows Store, and the games are now available internationally.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at the top of the page for the event of your choosing.
   Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting No. 10 Creighton
Creighton has climbed to 10th in the Associated Press poll after a stellar start to the season that includes wins over UMKC, No. 9 Wisconsin, Washington State, North Carolina State, Ole Miss and Loyola (Md.).
   The Bluejays are putting up 91.8 points per game (8th nationally) while shooting 54.7 percent from the field (2nd nationally) and 47.9 percent from three-point territory (1st nationally).
   Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster (17.7 ppg.) helped Creighton to the Paradise Jam title, scoring 25 points in the final and earning MVP honors.
   Joining him on the All-Tournament Team was senior forward Cole Huff (9.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg.). Huff made 10-of-15 three-point shots during the Paradise Jam and was perfect in 13 free throw attempts, leading the team in scoring vs. Washington State and NC State.
    Maurice Watson Jr. (11.2 ppg., 8.5 apg.) was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection. He's the nation's active leader in career assists (690), and his 51 assists this year rank third in the country.
   Two Omaha products in the starting line-up are also doing big things. Khyri Thomas averages 13.8 points per game, as the sophomore wing shoots 66.7 percent from the field and 57.9 percent from deep. Redshirt freshman big man Justin Patton averages 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He's shooting 77.5 percent from the field (3rd nationally) and has 17 dunks already.
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo is 4-2 on the season and went 2-1 last week to place third at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage.
   Blake Hamilton (16.7 ppg.) leads the team in points per game and is second in both rebounds per game (6.7) and assists per game (4.2).
   Nick Perkins is second on the team in scoring (14.7 pgg.) and tops in rebounding (8.2).
   Also in double-figures is Willie Conner (13.7 ppg.).
   The Bulls average 72.5 points per game and allow 68.0 per contest. UB shoots 46.4 percent from the floor and outrebounds teams by 8.0 caroms per contest.
The Series With Buffalo
Creighton won the only previous meeting against Buffalo, taking a 36-27 decision in Buffalo on March 1, 1922.
   That victory secured Creighton's first 20-win season in history.
   Greg McDermott has never faced Buffalo nor Nate Oats, and is 3-1 in his career against teams from the Mid-American Conference (1-1 at Creighton).
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his seventh season as head coach at Creighton. He is 147-72 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 427-267 in his 23rd season and is 296-203 in his 16th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
   Nate Oats (Maranatha Baptist, 1998) is 24-17 in his second year as a head coach at Buffalo, which doubles as his career mark. Oats led Buffalo to the NCAA Tournament last year in his first season with the Bulls. He was promoted after Bobby Hurley left Buffalo to head to Arizona State. Oats is assisted by Jim Whitesell, Lindsey Hunter and Bryan Hodgson.
Shuffling In From Buffalo
Creighton has had just two players from the state of New York in the last dozen years, guards Devin Brooks (Harlem) and Dominic Bishop (Buffalo).
   Bishop attended Bennett High School and after two years at Brown-Mackie (Kan.) JC, spent just one year at Creighton, contributing 75 points, 35 rebounds and 20 assists as a back-up point guard during the 2005-06 season. He is perhaps best remembered as being the 'host' when a California recruit named Russell Westbrook made an official visit from Sept. 23-25, 2005.
Chasing 1,000
Marcus Foster has averaged 17.7 points per game in his first six contests at Creighton, and is quickly closing in on 1,000 career points.
   Foster scored 875 points in two years at Kansas State, giving him 981 career points in 68 games as a collegian. That puts him 19 points from 1,000. Foster owns 15 career games of 19 or more points.
   Another Bluejay transfer, Cole Huff, averages 9.5 points per game and now owns 980 career points. Huff has played in 103 games as a collegian, and owns eight career games of 20 or more points.
Foster & Patton Honored By BIG EAST
Creighton picked up a pair of weekly awards from the BIG EAST Conference on Monday. Marcus Foster was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, while Justin Patton was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. It's the first weekly league honor for both as Bluejays.
   Foster averaged 20.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in a pair of Bluejay victories last week, shooting 60 percent from the floor (15-25), 50 percent from downtown (6-12) and 83.3 percent at the line (5-6).
   Foster's week began with a season-high 25 points against Ole Miss in the title game of the Paradise Jam. He scored 17 points in the first half to help keep Creighton within six at the break, and would take home Tournament MVP honors on the All-Tournament Team after leading CU back from a 11-point deficit.
   On Saturday, Foster had 16 points and two assists in an 82-52 win over Loyola (Md.). With Creighton off to a sluggish start, Foster scored the first nine points in an 11-2 Bluejay run as Creighton overcame a 20-18 deficit to take the lead for good.
   Foster is Creighton's first transfer to score 10 points or more in his first six games as a Bluejay since Tad Ackerman in 1994-95.
   Patton averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games last week while shooting 86.7 percent from the field. He added two assists, two blocked shots and a steal to help Creighton improve to 6-0. Twenty-two of his 28 points came after halftime, as Creighton outscored foes 98-58 (the Jays were outscored 71-70 in the first half).
   Patton's week began on Monday in a win over Ole Miss in the title game of the Paradise Jam. Patton had 11 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes, making 5-of-7 field goal attempts.
   He then had 15 of his season-high 17 points after halftime in Saturday's 82-52 win over Loyola (Md.). Patton was a perfect 8-for-8 from the field and also led CU with six rebounds.
   Patton had three dunks in each game and now owns 17 dunks in his first six games as a Bluejay. He's also joined Doug McDermott as the only Bluejay freshmen in the last 35 years to debut with at least six straight games of 10 or more points.
Double-Digits x 6
Marcus Foster and Justin Patton have each scored in double-figures during each of Creighton's first six games this season.
   They join Doug McDermott as the only Bluejays to open their career in double-figures during CU's first six games in the last 20 years. McDermott opened his 2010-11 campaign with eight straight games in double-figures.
   McDermott is also the last player with six straight double-figure games to start any season, doing so in his 2013-14 senior season that ended with National Player of the Year acclaim.
   As it relates to Foster, he is the first Bluejay transfer to start his career with 10 or more points in each of CU's first six games since Wabash Valley JC transfer Tad Ackerman during the 1994-95 season.
   Before Foster this year, McDermott was the last Bluejay with six straight games of 15 points to start any season, having done so in 2013-14. The last Bluejay with seven straight games of 15 points to start a season is Rod Mason in 1987-88.
   Below is a list of Creighton's longest double figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
   Consec.   Name, Class   Year
   all 35   Doug McDermott, So.   2011-12
   all 32   Vernon Moore, Sr.   1984-85
   28   Benoit Benjamin, Jr.   1984-85
   27   Bob Harstad, Sr.   1990-91
   16   Rod Mason, Sr.   1987-88
   13   Rodney Buford, Sr.   1998-99
   12   Gary Swain, Sr.   1986-87
   10   Chad Gallagher, Sr.   1990-91
   9   Rodney Buford, So.   1996-97
   8   Benoit Benjamin, Fr.   1982-83
   8   Gregory Brandon, Sr.    1983-84
   8   Doug McDermott, Fr.   2010-11
   7   Jim Honz, Jr.   1979-80
   6   Chad Gallagher, So.   1988-89
   6   Randall Crutcher, So.   1994-95
   6   Tad Ackerman, Jr.   1994-95
   6   Doug McDermott, Sr.   2013-14
   6   Marcus Foster, Jr.   2016-17
   6   Justin Patton, Fr.   2016-17
Super Six
Junior Marcus Foster's 106 points so far are the most by any Bluejay newcomer through six games since at least 1979-80.
   For comparison, Doug McDermott had 86 points through six games and 106 points after his seventh career game of his freshman season. He would finish his career with 3,150 in 145 career games to rank fifth in NCAA history.
Most Points, Newcomers First 6 Games Since 1994-95
   Pts.   Name, Class   Year   After 7
   107   Marcus Foster   2016-17   ? ? ?
   86   Doug McDermott, Fr.    2010-11   106
   78   Cole Huff, Jr.   2015-16   88
   77   Maurice Watson Jr., Jr.   2015-16   87
   76   Tad Ackerman, Jr.   1994-95   86
   73   P'Allen Stinnett, Fr.   2007-08   86
   72   Terrell Taylor, Fr.   1999-00   85
   71   Edward St. Fleur, Jr.   1995-96   76
   70   Devin Brooks, Jr.   2013-14   73
   70   Justin Patton, Fr.   2016-17   ? ? ?
   69   Ryan Sears, Fr.   1997-98   90
   66   Darryl Ashford, Jr.   2009-10   79
   63   Ethan Wragge, Fr.   2009-10   63
   62   Brody Deren, So.   2001-02   81
   61   Rodney Buford, Fr.   1995-96   87
Up To 10th
The Creighton men's basketball team is ranked 10th in the country in this week's Associated Press poll.
   It's the third time in program history CU has been tabbed a top-10 team by AP poll, which started in 1949. The Bluejays were previously ranked ninth on February 24, 2014 and 10th the week of January 20, 2003.
   CU has now been ranked 72 weeks in program history, with 44 of those under the direction of seventh-year head coach Greg McDermott.
   The Bluejays are one of three BIG EAST teams in the top-10, as Villanova ranks second and Xavier is seventh.
   Below is a list of the top weekly rankings in the AP poll in program history:
Best Weekly AP rankings, Creighton History
9th - 3/1/14
10th - 1/20/03
10th - 11/28/16
11th - 11/26/12
11th - 2/17/14
12th - 2/10/03
12th - 1/14/13
12th - 2/3/14
12th - 11/21/16
Top Five RPI
According to WarrenNolan.com on Monday morning, Creighton ranked No. 5 nationally in the RPI.
   Xavier was first and Villanova was third, which has helped the BIG EAST to an overwhelming spot as No. 1 in the conference RPI rankings.
Unlucky Game 7
Creighton is 52-4 in non-conference home games with Greg McDermott as head coach, but three of those four losses came in CU's seventh game of the season. Tuesday will be Creighton's seventh game of the 2016-17 season.
   In 2010-11, it was No. 21 BYU that upended the Bluejays.
   In 2012-13, Boise State topped Creighton by an 83-70 margin.
   Last season, Arizona State beat CU in Omaha in the seventh game of the season.
   Creighton's only other non-conference home loss in the last seven seasons came in the 11th game of the 2014-15 campaign, when it dropped an overtime contest to Saint Mary's.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!
Creighton ranks eighth with 91.8 points per game and has scored 79 points or more in all six games.
   The Bluejays were ranked sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency and 56th in tempo per KenPom.com on Monday morning.
Shooting Stars
Creighton is second nationally in field goal percentage at 54.72 percent, trailing only UCLA (54.73).
   Nationally, Creighton is the only team to shoot 50 percent or better in every game this season.
It Do Run, Run
Creighton ranks sixth in the KenPom.com's Adjusted Offensive rankings this year.
   Per figures from StatBroadcast.com, Creighton has scored on more than half its possessions in all six games this season, despite averaging just 14 seconds per possession.
Creighton Offense
Opponent   Poss.   Scores   Pts/Poss.   Sec/Poss.
UMKCÂ Â Â 80Â Â Â 40Â Â Â 1.113Â Â Â :14
#9 Wisconsin   68   35   1.162   :15
Washington St.   84   44   1.226   :13
NC State   80   45   1.400   :15
Ole Miss   70   35   1.229   :15
Loyola (Md.)Â Â Â 71Â Â Â 40Â Â Â 1.155Â Â Â :14
TOTALSÂ Â Â 453Â Â Â 239Â Â Â 1.216Â Â Â :14
BIG EAST Playing Big
Though the BIG EAST may not be considered of the traditional "Football 5" Conferences due to its lack of big time football, the performance of the league has been big time for a long time.
   The league has owned a top-five RPI in the NCAA RPI rankings in every season since 2000-01, as seen below:
BIG EAST in Conference RPI Rankings
2016-17:Â Â Â 1st (per WarrenNolan.com)
2015-16:Â Â Â 4th
2014-15:Â Â Â 3rd
2013-14:Â Â Â 4th
2012-13:Â Â Â 2nd
2011-12:Â Â Â 2nd
2010-11:Â Â Â 1st
2009-10:Â Â Â 3rd
2008-19:Â Â Â 4th
2007-08:Â Â Â 5th
2006-07:Â Â Â 5th
2005-06:Â Â Â 3rd
2004-05:Â Â Â 2nd
2003-04:Â Â Â 4th
2002-03:Â Â Â 5th
2001-02:Â Â Â 3rd
2000-01:Â Â Â 3rd
BIG EAST > "Football 5" So Far
Creighton has knocked off teams from the Big Ten (Wisconsin), Pac-12 (Washington State), ACC (North Carolina State) and SEC (Ole Miss) in the last 11 days, all by nine or more points.
   Those four wins over the "Football 5" leagues are more than any other team in the nation.
   The BIG EAST owns 14 wins over "Football 5" leagues. That is also four more than any other league.
   Both figures are through games of Nov. 27.
MBB Wins Over "Football 5" Leagues, By Team
   4   Creighton
   3   Baylor
   2   Davidson
   2   Gonzaga
   2   Kansas
   2   North Carolina
   2   Northern Iowa
   2   Notre Dame
   2   South Carolina
   2   Temple
   2   UCLA
   2   Villanova
   2   Xavier
MBB Wins Over "Football 5" Leagues, By Conference
   14   BIG EAST
   10   Big 12
   10   Atlantic Coast
   6   Big Ten
   6   American
   6   Atlantic 10
   6   Pac-12
   6   Southeastern
15 Treys & 50 Percent?
Creighton shot made 44-of-81 three-point attempts in three games at the Paradise Jam, good for 54.3 percent.
   The Bluejays shot 15-of-28 (53.6%) against Washington State, 13-of-27 (48.1%) against North Carolina State and 16-of-26 (61.5%) in the title tilt vs. Ole Miss.
   In program history, Creighton owns 11 all-time games in which it has made 15 or more three-pointers and shot 50 percent or better, as seen below. Two of those were last week in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Best 3FG%, Minimum 15 3FG Made
3FG%   Opponent   3FG-3FGA   Date
.667   Chattanooga   20-30   02/19/05
.640   Chicago State   16-25   12/29/13
.625   at Indiana State   15-24   12/31/08
.615   vs. Ole Miss   16-26   11/21/16
.600   at #4 Villanova   21-35   01/24/14
.600   Texas-Arlington   15-25   11/17/02
.600Â Â Â vs. IUPUIÂ Â Â 15-25Â Â Â 11/25/02
.593   Drake   16-27   01/08/13
.536   Missouri State   15-28   01/30/13
.536   vs. Washington State   15-28   11/18/16
.533   Evansville   16-30   01/04/99
Keeping It 100
Creighton cracked the century mark in its 103-77 win over Washington State on Nov. 18, then did it again two days later in a 112-94 win over North Carolina State.
   Creighton is 55-2 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, with 27 straight wins.
   Creighton scored 100 points in consecutive games for the fourth time in school history, having also done it once last year and twice in 1965-66. Creighton has never scored 100 points in three straight games.
   Creighton's 215 points over those two games were the second-most in school history for point totals in consecutive contests, trailing only the 219 in two straight games (104 & 115) in 1965-66.
   Creighton's 301 points at the Paradise Jam were its most points in a three-game stretch since scoring 303 points (84, 104, 115) over the course of three games from Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 1966.
   CU's November 18th win vs. Washington State marked the sixth straight season that Creighton has put up 100 or more points in one of its first four games of the season.
   Creighton's 112 points on November 20th were its fifth-most in school history for a game, and the most since 115 vs. Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985. It was also the second-most points NC State has ever allowed in one game.
   Below is a list of the most points in a game in Creighton history:
Score   Opponent   Date
124-94Â Â Â at Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â 02/10/1964
120-76   Nevada   12/21/1962
115-80   Indiana State   01/19/1985
115-82   Memphis   02/02/1966
112-94   vs. North Carolina St.   11/20/2016
111-110 (2ot)   Bradley   03/11/2008
We're Jamming!
Creighton had 11 dunks during its three wins in the Paradise Jam, then added five more last Saturday vs. Loyola (Md.). Justin Patton has 17 of CU's 24 dunks this season, with Zach Hanson (2), Khyri Thomas (2), Marcus Foster (2) and Martin Krampelj (1) accounting for the others.
   Last season Creighton had 58 dunks total in 35 games, the most its had in any of Greg McDermott's first six years at the helm of the Bluejays. That group had 13 dunks after six games.
   Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 10 or more dunks in a season under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks   Name   Year
36   Gregory Echenique   2012-13
30   Gregory Echenique   2011-12
24   Gregory Echenique   2010-11
22   Kenny Lawson Jr.   2010-11
18   Geoffrey Groselle   2015-16
17   Justin Patton   2016-17
14   Zach Hanson   2015-16
12   Khyri Thomas   2015-16
12   Will Artino   2014-15
11   Will Artino   2013-14
We're Jamming, Part II
Creighton rewrote the Paradise Jam record books during its week in the Virgin Islands.
   On Nov. 18 vs. Washington State, Creighton tied a tournament record with 25 assists as Maurice Watson Jr. tied a tourney mark with 13 helpers in a game. Two days later vs. North Carolina State, Creighton set a tournament record with 112 points in a game.
   On Nov. 21, Creighton finished the tournament with records for points, assists, field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage, most of them by a significant margin.
Category   Old Record   Creighton in 2016
Points   267   301
Assists   55   64
FG Percentage   .516   .569
3FG Percentage   .491   .543
Not 1, Not 2, Not 3, Not 4, Not 5, Not 6...
Creighton placed seven men in double-figures last Sunday against North Carolina State. All five starters scored in double-figures, as did Isaiah Zierden and Zach Hanson off the bench.
   It was just the second time since 1980-81 that Creighton has had seven men score 10 or more points in the same game, joining a win over Coppin State on Dec. 28, 2015.
First Half Blitz
Creighton led 60-36 at halftime on Nov. 18 vs. Washington State. The 60 points were the most by the Bluejays in one half since scoring 60 points in the second half vs. Massachusetts on Nov. 25, 2015.
   The last time Creighton had 60 points in the first half of a game came Nov. 17, 2015, when CU led 61-37 at halftime over UTSA.
   In the Nov. 20 romp over NC State, Creighton put up 54 and 58 in consecutive halves.
   Creighton has won 65 straight games in which it has scored 42 or more points in the first half, and 50 straight when scoring 44 or more in the first half.
Assist Leader
Not only is Maurice Watson Jr. is the nation's active leader in assists with 690, but he's also third in steals (170), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.08) and 12th in field goals made (518).
   Watson is the nation's only active Division I player with at least 500 field goals and 500 assists.
   Below is a look at the national active leaders in assists and steals, through Nov. 27th.
Active Leaders in Career Assists
1.   Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton   690
2.   Monte Morris, Iowa State   590
3.   Alec Wintering, Portland   507
4.   Marquis Wright, Siena   474
5.   London Perrantes, Virginia   467
Active Leaders in Career Steals
1.   Paris Lee, Illinois State   192
2.   Monte Morris, Iowa State   179
3.   Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton   170
4.   Justin Robinson, Monmouth   169
5.   Damon Lynn, NJIT   168
6-0 Start, Again
Creighton seeks a 7-0 start for the first time since the 2011-12 team opened 7-0 before a loss at Saint Joseph's. That club went on to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title, then reached the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament.
   Each of the last 10 Creighton teams to start 6-0 played in the postseason. The last team that didn't was in 1946-47.
   A victory on Tuesday would clinch Creighton's sixth 7-0 start since 1999-200.
Shooting Stars
Creighton has shot 54.7 percent from the field this season, and an equally impressive 47.9 percent from three-point range.
   No team has shot better than 47 percent from three-point territory for an entire season since Indiana (47.6) in 1988-89. When Creighton led the nation in three-point shooting percentage in 2013-14, it finished the year at 41.4 percent.
   Big man Justin Patton is shooting 77.5 percent from the field (3rd nationally), with 17 dunks among his 31 made field goals. Patton has made his last 12 field goal attempts dating to midway through the Ole Miss game.
   Fellow Omaha native Khyri Thomas is shooting 66.7 percent from the field.
   Each of Creighton's six players with multiple made three-pointers have connected on 44.4 percent or better of their shots from downtown.
BIG EAST in the Paradise Jam
Creighton's participation in the Paradise Jam marked the 11th straight year at BIG EAST has participated in the event, which began in 2001.
   Creighton's title was the sixth by a team that was a BIG EAST member at the time it won the title, joining Seton Hall (2014), Marquette (2011), Connecticut (2008), Boston College (2003) and Miami (2001).
Hanson Hurt
Senior center Zach Hanson is expected to miss 8-12 weeks after tearing a tendon and the ligaments in his left ankle during Creighton's win over Ole Miss on Nov. 21st.
   Hanson underwent tests on Nov. 23rd after the team returned to Omaha, and Greg McDermott made the announcement that afternoon to the local media.
   Hanson was scheduled to undergo surgery on Nov. 28th.
   A Pierre, S.D., native, Hanson was averaging 8.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 68.0 percent from the field in 13.2 minutes per game.
   Though he will not be on the court, look for Hanson to maintain a strong leadership role on the team as he mentors freshmen centers Justin Patton and Martin Krampelj.
All-Around Excellence
Creighton is ranked on the hardwood, but also excels in several other sports as well.
   In fact, Creighton, Wisconsin, North Carolina and Kentucky are the nation's only four schools that currently have a ranked team in men's basketball (AP poll), men's soccer (NSCAA poll) and women's volleyball (AVCA poll).
Omaha's Team
Creighton has started Omaha natives Justin Patton and Khyri Thomas in each of its first six games.
   It's the first time Creighton has started two Omaha products in the same game since March 16, 2000 vs. Auburn, when Matt West (Omaha Westside) and Donnie Johnson (Omaha Central) earning a nod.
   Johnson, coincidentally, coached Thomas at Omaha Benson High School.
November Reign
Creighton is a perfect 54-0 all-time in regular-season home games that take place on or before Nov. 26th.
   Creighton has won 56 of its 57 regular-season November home games since 1990, falling only to Boise State in 2012.
   Overall, Creighton is 77-15 in regular-season November games at all sites since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
   Creighton has also won 67 of its last 70 regular-season non-conference home games against unranked foes since falling to Drexel on Feb. 17, 2007.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish third in its fourth season as BIG EAST Conference members according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Villanova was picked first with 81 points and nine first-place votes, while Xavier and Creighton round out the top three. Seton Hall and Georgetown tied for fourth place, while Butler, Marquette, St. John's, Providence and DePaul rounded out the bottom half.
   Creighton guard Maurice Watson Jr. was named Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, while Marcus Foster was picked to be a Preseason All-BIG EAST Honorable-Mention choice.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns four regular starters (Maurice Watson Jr., Isaiah Zierden, Khyri Thomas and Cole Huff) from last year's team that finished 20-15. Creighton's roster contains players who made 130 starts a year ago (35 by Watson, 31 by Zierden, 28 by Thomas, 23 by Huff, 12 by Toby Hegner, 1 by Zach Hanson), and a combined 173 career starts as Bluejays. That doesn't factor in the 57 starts for Marcus Foster at Kansas State or the 30 starts at Syracuse for Kaleb Joseph.
   Each of Creighton's five teams since 1980-81 to return 130 or more starts from the previous season won 20 or more games and went on to reach the postseason.
   Returning   Returning Starts    Final
Year   Starters   From Previous Year   W-L
2016-17Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 130Â Â Â ? ? ?
2015-16Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 20-15
2014-15Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 49Â Â Â 14-19
2013-14Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 144Â Â Â 27-8
2012-13Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 140Â Â Â 28-8
2011-12Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 29-6
2010-11Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 23-16
2009-10Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 106Â Â Â 18-16
2008-09Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 27-8
2007-08Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 44Â Â Â 22-11
2006-07Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 120Â Â Â 22-11
2005-06Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 134Â Â Â 20-10
2004-05Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 58Â Â Â 23-11
2003-04Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 101Â Â Â 20-9
2002-03Â Â Â 5Â Â Â 159Â Â Â 29-5
2001-02Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 23-9
2000-01Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 90Â Â Â 24-8
1999-00Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 23-10
1998-99Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 84Â Â Â 22-9
1997-98Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 18-10
1996-97Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 126Â Â Â 15-15
1995-96Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 100Â Â Â 14-15
1994-95Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 52Â Â Â 7-19
1993-94Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 73Â Â Â 7-22
1992-93Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 64Â Â Â 8-18
1991-92Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 51Â Â Â 9-19
1990-91Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 132Â Â Â 24-8
1989-90Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 127Â Â Â 21-12
1988-89Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 123Â Â Â 20-11
1987-88Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 83Â Â Â 16-16
1986-87Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 65Â Â Â 9-19
1985-86Â Â Â 1Â Â Â 48Â Â Â 12-16
1984-85Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 124Â Â Â 20-12
1983-84Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 72Â Â Â 17-14
1982-83Â Â Â 3Â Â Â 77Â Â Â 8-19
1981-82Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 78Â Â Â 7-20
1980-81Â Â Â 4Â Â Â 112Â Â Â 21-9
Times, They Are A Changin'
Creighton made two changes to its schedule in late October.
   Creighton's home game vs. Longwood, originally set for Dec. 10th, was moved to 6:30 pm on December 9th. It will now air on FS1.
   Creighton's home game on January 21st vs. Marquette was moved up two hours to a 1:30 pm start. It will now air nationally on FOX.
NBA Representation
This year marks the third straight season that Creighton has three NBA players at the same time, as Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks), Anthony Tolliver (Sacramento Kings) and Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls) are all in the league.
   Including 2016-17, Creighton has now had an NBA player in 33 of the last 34 years.
   Korver ranks eighth in NBA history with 1,917 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 42.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through November 27). He set a single-season NBA mark that still stands with his 53.6 percent shooting from three-point range in 2009-10, and is the only player in league history to lead the NBA in three-point percentage three times. He's currently averaging 9.5 points per game while making 42.3 percent of his three-point attempts this year.
   Tolliver is averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game this season for the Kings, his 11th NBA organization.
   McDermott is in his third season with the Chicago Bulls, where he's averaging 10.6 points per game and shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range for fellow Ames High alum Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg, ironically, is the same man who replaced Greg McDermott as Iowa State's head coach in 2010.
Among The Nation's Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally in the since Greg McDermott took over in 2010-11, per Basketball-Reference.com:
2010-11 to 2015-16
Category   Stat   NCAA Rank  Â
FG Percentage   .476   4th
3FG Made   1,775   4th
3FG Percentage   .386   5th  Â
Assists   3392   7th
FG Made   5,534   18th
Wins   141   31st
Winning Percentage   .662   47th
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 16 of the last 18 seasons (including 2015-16), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
   Just three schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 18 years: Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas.
   Kentucky , Florida, Texas and Syracuse have each done it in 17 of the last 18 seasons.
   Along with Arizona, Xavier and Connecticut, Creighton is one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 16 of the past 18 years.
Eight Out Of 18 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns eight league tournament titles in the last 18 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (14), Duke (10), Winthrop (9), Creighton (8), Kansas (8) and Kentucky (8).
Full House
Creighton is averaging 17,157 fans per home game this season, fifth-best nationally. That figure would rank 18th best in the NBA, ahead of 13 franchises.
   Last year was the 11th straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and the fifth straight season in the top-10 nationally in attendance, as well.
2016-17 Attendance Leaders (11/28)
   Rk.   School   Average   Next Home
   1.   Kentucky   22,357   12/3
   2.   Syracuse   21,240   12/3
   3.   Louisville   18,260   11/30
   4.   Wisconsin   17,284   11/29
   5.   Creighton   17,157   11/29
   6.   Kansas   16,300   11/29
   7.   Maryland   15,922   11/29
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
   Avg. Att.   School   Year
   17,896   Creighton   2013-14
   17,157   Creighton   2016-17
   17,155   Creighton   2012-13
   17,048   Creighton   2014-15
   16,665   Creighton   2011-12
   15,941   Creighton   2015-16
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton attracted 302,887 fans at home in 2015-16, surpassing 200,000 fans for the 11th straight season. The 302,887 home fans this season ranked as the most in school history.
   Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CenturyLink Center Omaha, and now has done it in the previous 13 seasons.
   Creighton has led its conference in home attendance every year since moving into CenturyLink Center Omaha, which is opening its 14th season.
Creighton's Most Home Fans, Season
Rk.   Year   G   Attendance   Average
1.   2015-16   19   302,887   15,941
2.   2008-09   19   302,676   15,930
3.   2010-11   22   297,161   13,507
4.   2012-13   17   291,643   17,155
5.   2014-15   17   289,808   17,048
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 754 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak was the nation's 22nd-longest active streak as of Nov. 27th.
   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 (11/27)
   Rk.   Streak   School   Next Game
   1.   980   Kentucky   11/29
   2.   979   UNLV   11/30
   3.   970   Vanderbilt   11/29
   4.   954   Duke   11/29
   5.   911   Western Kentucky   11/30
   6.   905   Arkansas   11/28
   7.   898   East Tennessee State   12/1
   8.   889   Pacific   11/29
   9.   874   Oakland   12/1
   10.   864   Texas   11/29
   11.   848   Princeton   11/29
   12.   840   Florida   12/1
   13.   814   La Salle   11/30
   14.   813   Marshall   11/30
   15.   806   Baylor   11/30
   16.   782   LIU-Brooklyn   11/30
   17.   779   Gonzaga   12/1
   18.   778   Cornell   11/30
   19.   761   Tennessee State   11/29
   20.   763   Mount St. Mary's   11/28
   21.   756   East Carolina   11/29
   22.   754   Creighton   11/29
Making A Jump
Creighton went from 14-19 in 2014-15 to 20-15 last season. In the last 50 seasons of Creighton basketball, there has been only six seasons where the team has grown its win total by six or more victories from one year to the next, with two of those gains under the direction of Greg McDermott:
Biggest Win Improvements, Last 50 Years
Jump   Year   W-L   Year   W-L
8Â Â Â 1972-73Â Â Â 15-11Â Â Â 1973-74Â Â Â 23-7
7Â Â Â 1986-87Â Â Â 9-19Â Â Â 1987-88Â Â Â 16-16
7Â Â Â 1994-95Â Â Â 7-19Â Â Â 1995-96Â Â Â 14-15
6Â Â Â 2001-02Â Â Â 23-9Â Â Â 2002-03Â Â Â 29-5
6Â Â Â 2010-11Â Â Â 23-16Â Â Â 2011-12Â Â Â 29-6
6Â Â Â 2014-15Â Â Â 14-19Â Â Â 2015-16Â Â Â 20-15
Multiple Choices
Creighton had four men average in double-figures in 2015-16, Maurice Watson Jr. (14.1), Cole Huff (11.3), Geoffrey Groselle (11.2) and Isaiah Zierden (10.2).
   Creighton had not previously had four men finish the year scoring in double-figures since 1979-80, when Kevin McKenna, Jim Honz, George Morrow and Daryl Stovall did so.
Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time. Â
    Rank   Att.   Opponent   Date
   1.   18,868   Providence   03/08/14
   2.   18,859   Georgetown   01/25/14
   3.   18,797   #6 Villanova   02/16/14
   4.   18,742   Seton Hall   02/23/14
   5.   18,735   Wichita State   02/11/12
   6.   18,613   Wichita State   03/02/13
   7.   18,525   Marquette   12/31/13
   8.   18,494   Illinois State   02/09/13
   9.   18,458   Evansville   12/29/12
   10.   18,436   Bradley   01/28/12
   11.   18,323   DePaul   02/07/14
   12.   18,160   Central Arkansas   11/14/14
   13.   18,111   Bradley   02/02/13
   14.   18,078   Tulsa   11/23/13
   15.   18,073   Drake   01/08/13
   16.   17,971   #19 Butler   02/16/15
   17.   17,954   Wichita State   12/28/08
   18.   17,924   Seton Hall   01/30/16
   19.   17,766   Nebraska   12/09/15
   20.   17,740   Alcorn State   11/08/13
Très Bien
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 50-45 (.526) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 74-10 (.881) mark the last six years when shooting better than 40.00 percent from downtown.
   Lower the standards to 30%, and it's still impressive. Creighton is 108-30 in the last six years when shooting 30 percent or better from deep, compared to 16-25 when shooting 29.99 percent or less.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 16 victories under Greg McDermott after trailing by double-figures at some point. Nine of those comebacks came away from home, including the win over Ole Miss in the Virgin Islands on Nov. 21st.
   On Nov. 19, 2014, Creighton trailed 42-24 to No. 18 Oklahoma with 18:30 to go before putting together a comeback for the ages. It was CU's largest comeback victory under Greg McDermott (see chart below), and the second-biggest in the history of CenturyLink Center Omaha (see chart, left column on page four).
   On the other hand, CU is 128-9 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 116 of the last 121 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under Greg McDermott
Deficit   Opponent   Date
18   #18 Oklahoma   11/19/14
17   at San Diego State   11/30/11
16   at Evansville   02/16/13
14   Evansville   02/21/12
13   at Saint Joseph's   11/16/13
13   Xavier   01/12/14
12   Saint Joseph's   12/11/10
12   at DePaul   01/17/16
11   at Wichita State   12/31/11
11   Northern Iowa   01/10/12
11   vs. Alabama   03/16/12
11   vs. Ole Miss   11/21/16
10Â Â Â UABÂ Â Â 11/14/12
10   vs. Drake   03/02/12
10   at Nebraska   12/07/14
10   South Dakota   12/09/14
CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Providence's Kris Dunn hit a game-winning shot as time expired to beat Creighton last Jan. 12th. It was the first game-winning shot with no time left to ever to beat Creighton at CenturyLink Center Omaha, exceeding the previous low with 1.9 seconds left by Butler's Roosevelt Jones in 2014-15.
   Dunn's shot was the first to beat Creighton (at any site) with no time left on the clock since Anthony James drained a game-winning three-pointer for Northern Iowa in a 65-62 win on Feb. 4, 2012 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
   Creighton is 7-6 in games with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the 14-year old facility.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at CLCO, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
11/26/05   Dayton   W 91-90*   Funk FG   :5.7
01/28/06   Wichita St.   W 57-55   Tolliver FG   :0.0
11/25/06   George Mason   W 58-56   Watts FT   :7.5
03/18/08   Rhode Island   W 74-73   Witter 3FG   :3.2
01/13/10   Southern Illinois   W 71-69   Young FG   :1.3
02/18/12   Long Beach St.   W 81-79   Young FG   :0.3
01/28/14   St. John's   W 63-60   McDermott 3FG   :2.8
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at CLCO, Last 10 Seconds
Date   Opponent   Score   Player/Score   Time
03/20/06Â Â Â Miami (Fla.)Â Â Â 53-52Â Â Â G. Diaz FTÂ Â Â :2.6
01/20/07   Southern Illinois   58-57   B. Mullins FG   :4.1
01/10/15   #19 Seton Hall   68-67   S. Gibbs 3FG   :2.2
02/16/15   #19 Butler   58-56   R. Jones FG   :1.9
03/07/15   Xavier   74-73   D. Davis FT's   :6.3
01/12/16   #12 Providence   50-48   K. Dunn FG   :0.0
McDermott Passes McManus On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 147 victories at Creighton, good for third 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 80 years ago.
   Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton History
Rk.   W-L   Name   Years
1.   327-176   Dana Altman   1994-2010
2.   165-66   Arthur A. Schabinger    1922-35
3.   147-72   Greg McDermott    2010-Pres.
4.   138-118   John J. "Red" McManus    1959-69
5.   130-64   Tom Apke   1974-81
Watson Dishes and Scores
Maurice Watson Jr. led the team lead in both scoring and assists last season. In fact, Watson had owned or shared the team lead in assists in 23 straight games before that streak was snapped in the NIT vs. Alabama on March 15th.
   Watson became Creighton's sixth player since 1970-71 to lead the club in both points per game and assists per game, as seen below:
Creighton Leaders in PPG & APG, Since 1970-71
Name, Year   PPG   APG
Kevin McKenna, 1979-80Â Â Â 16.5Â Â Â 3.7
Matt Petty, 1992-93Â Â Â 17.2Â Â Â 3.1
Kyle Korver, 2001-02Â Â Â 15.1Â Â Â 3.3
Nate Funk, 2003-04Â Â Â 11.1Â Â Â 2.7
Nate Funk, 2006-07Â Â Â 17.7Â Â Â 3.0
Austin Chatman, 2014-15Â Â Â 11.5Â Â Â 3.7
Maurice Watson Jr., 2015-16Â Â Â 14.1Â Â Â 6.5
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 225 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 14-year-old facility.
   The Bluejays own a 187-38 (.831) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (11-0).
   Creighton has outscored its opponents 17,160-14,468 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.96 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 62 different times, including 10 of its last 22 home games.
   Creighton is also 25-22 all-time in the 47 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 7-8 when down by 10 points at halftime at The Link, and 31-20 when trailing at halftime at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
   Creighton is 90-20 (.818) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 52-4 record vs. non-conference teams.
   Factor in a 17-0 home mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 2002-03 and two wins at the Civic in the 2010 CIT, and the Bluejays are 207-38 (.845) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 147-72 on the Creighton sideline in his seventh year at the helm. The 147 wins are easily the most in Creighton history in the first seven seasons, way more than Tom Apke's 130.
Most Wins at CU, First Seven Seasons
Coach   Years   W-L After 7 Yrs
Greg McDermott   2010-Pres.   147-72 so far
Tom Apke   1974-80   130-64
Dana Altman   1994-00   123-86
Red McManus   1959-65   105-75
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton averaged 79.63 points per game in 2015-16.
   Greg McDermott is 39-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 33-1 mark on the Creighton sideline.
   In fact, McDermott's team scored 90 or more points 10 times (in 35 games) last season, compared to six total times in 280 games on the sideline in nine years at Northern Iowa and Iowa State.
   Creighton had won 75 straight games when scoring 90 or more points at all sites since a Jan. 11, 1988 loss to Southern Illinois, before a March 5th 98-93 loss at Xavier.
   Creighton is 55-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 27 straight wins since a 1977 loss to North Texas.
Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather's Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
   History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
   The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
   Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is 99-1 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha. In other words, Creighton is 111-1 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza. The perfect streak of 101-0 was snapped on Dec. 2, 2015 when Arizona State scored three points in the final 15 seconds to sneak away with a 79-77 victory.
Home Run
Since Greg McDermott took over in 2010, Creighton is averaging 78.78 points per home game (8,666 points in 110 home games).
   Since a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000, Creighton is 122-0 at home (93-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more, and 102-0 at home (75-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to that same setback.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 20-15 last season and reached the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament before being eliminated at BYU. Maurice Watson Jr. (14.1 ppg., 6.5 apg.) led the Bluejays in both scoring and assists, while senior Geoffrey Groselle (6.1 rpg.) led the team in rebounding and set a Creighton record by shooting 70.2 percent from the field.
   Creighton's best victories last season included a 70-56 win over No. 5 Xavier, and a pair of wins to claim the title at the Men Who Speak Up Main Event in Las Vegas.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
   The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Harper Dining Center (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
   The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
   Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2016-17 season went on sale on October 24th.
   Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game.
   For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball vs. South Dakota Press Conference - 11/5/25
Tuesday, November 04
Creighton Men's Basketball Availability - 11/3/25
Monday, November 03
MBB: Creighton vs. Colorado State Exhibition
Saturday, October 25
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Colorado State Press Conference - 10/25/25
Saturday, October 25
