#9 Men's Basketball Seeks 12-0 Start With Tuesday Game at Arizona State

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Game #12: No. 9 Creighton at Arizona State • Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016 • 8:05 p.m. CST
Wells Fargo Arena (10,734) -- Tempe, Ariz.
Radio:? KOZN 1620 AM; www.1620thezone.com
Television:?ESPN2 (Eric Rothman, Kara Lawson)
Series History:?Arizona State leads, 5-4
Last Meeting: Arizona State 79, Creighton 77, Dec. 2, 2015 in Omaha, Neb.

Next Game
One of six remaining unbeaten teams, No. 10 Creighton (11-0) visits Arizona State (6-5) on Tuesday, December 20 at 8:05 p.m. Central
    Wells Fargo Arena (10,734) in Tempe, Ariz., 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 Nick Bahe will call the action.

Television Information
Tuesday's game will be televised live on ESPN2, which can be found in Omaha on Cox Cable channel 30 and 1030 (HD).
    Eric Rothman and Kara Lawson will announce.

Video Webcast Information
Tuesday's game can be viewed on ESPN3.com, as well as the WatchESPN app. A cable authorization may be required.

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. 9 Creighton
Creighton ranks ninth 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, Loyola (Md.), Buffalo, Akron, Nebraska, Longwood and Oral Roberts.
    The 11-0 start is the program's best since the 2003-04 club opened the year 12-0.
    The Bluejays are putting up 89.3 points per game (eighth nationally) while shooting 53.9 percent from the field (second nationally) and 44.2 percent from three-point territory (first nationally).
    Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster (18.2 ppg.) has lived up to lofty preseason expectations on the offensive end, leading the Bluejays in scoring. He's scored 15 points or more in 10 different games so far, and has already been named Paradise Jam MVP and BIG EAST Player of the Week in this young season.
   Maurice Watson Jr. (13.1 ppg., 9.2 apg.) was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection. He's the nation's active leader in career assists (740), and his 9.2 assists per game this year rank lead in the country.
    Two Omaha products in the starting line-up are also doing big things. Khyri Thomas averages 12.7 points per game, as the sophomore wing shoots 60 percent from the field and 53.1 percent from deep. Redshirt freshman big man Justin Patton averages 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He's shooting 78.4 percent from the field (third nationally) and has 28 dunks already.

Scouting Arizona State
Arizona State is 6-5 this season and have alternated wins and losses in its last 10 contests. ASU is looking to respond after an 81-70 home loss to New Mexico State on Saturday, the Sun Devils' first home loss this winter.
    ASU owns wins over Tulane, UNLV and San Diego State, but has also been blown out by Northern Iowa, Kentucky and Purdue.
    Torian Graham (16.5 ppg.) and Shannon Evans II (16.1 ppg., 4.6 apg.) lead the team in scoring, while Tra Holder (15.6 ppg.) and Obinna Oleka (12.1 ppg., 9.8 rpg.) are also forces to be reckoned with.
    ASU averages 80.7 points per game and shoots 43.3 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from three-point range. The Sun Devils allow 82.2 points per game as foes shoot 46.3 percent from the field.

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988)?is in his seventh season as head coach at Creighton. He is 152-72 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 432-267 in his 23rd season and is 301-203 in his 16th Division I?campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Preston Murphy.
    Bobby Hurley (Duke, 1994) is 21-22 in his second year at Arizona State, moving his career mark in four seasons to 63-42 when you factor in two seasons at Buffalo. Hurley remains the NCAA's all-time assist leader and was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1992 Final Four after helping Duke to a second straight NCAA title. Hurley is assisted by Rashon Burno, Levi Watkins and Anthony Coleman.

The Series With Arizona State
Arizona State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a slim 5-4 margin, including a 3-0 mark in Tempe.
    Tuesday will mark the fourth meeting between the schools in the last five seasons, including a 79-77 ASU win in Omaha last December.
    Greg McDermott is 2-1 against Arizona State in his career and 0-1 against Bobby Hurley.

Jays Match Best AP Ranking Ever At No. 9
The Creighton men's basketball team is ranked ninth in the country in this week's Associated Press poll.
    It's the sixth time in program history CU has been tabbed a top-10 team in the AP poll, which started in 1949, and matches the program's best mark ever. The Bluejays were previously ranked ninth on February 24, 2014 after a 23-4 start.
    CU has now been ranked 75 weeks in program history, with 47 of those under the direction of seventh-year head coach Greg McDermott.
    The Bluejays are one of four BIG EAST teams in the top-17, as Villanova ranks first, Xavier is 17th and Butler is 13th.
    Creighton is also ninth in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll, tying the best previous mark done on Jan. 20, 2003.
    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
9th - 12/19/16
10th - 1/20/03
10th - 11/28/16
10th - 12/5/16
10th - 12/12/16

Heavenly Eleven
Creighton is off to an 11-0 start for the first time since the 2003-04 team started 12-0. That team's first loss came to a Northern Iowa club coached by...Greg McDermott.
    This is Creighton's fifth different 11-0 start or better in school history, but just the second in the last 74 years.
    Below is a list of Creighton's most successful starts all-time:
Best Starts, Creighton History
Start          Year                  Final W-L                      First Loss
16-0             1942-43         *    16-1                 Washington & Jefferson
13-0             1916-17         !     18-2                                        Dubuque
12-0             2003-04         #    20-9                                Northern Iowa
11-0             1917-18         !     11-0                                                   - - -
11-0           2016-17           ? ? ?                                               ? ? ?
*Reached NCAA Tournament
#Reached NIT
!No postseason tournaments existed yet

Still Unbeaten
Through games of December 18th, Creighton was one of the nation's six remaining teams that were still unbeaten.
    With a win on Tuesday, Creighton can join UCLA as the nation's only 12-0 teams.
    Below is a list of the nation's remaining unbeaten teams:
Team                             W-L Record                    Next Game
UCLA                                                  12-0                                   12/21
Creighton                                   11-0                                 12/20
Villanova                                            11-0                                   12/21
Gonzaga                                             11-0                                   12/21
Baylor                                                 11-0                                   12/21
USC                                                    10-0                                   12/19

Playing With The Lead
With the exception of the Ole Miss game on November 21st, Creighton has played with the lead on a consistent basis this season.
    In the last four games, Creighton has not trailed in the first half except for 2-0 deficits to Longwood and Nebraska.
    CU's late deficit against Oral Roberts was the first time the Bluejays have trailed in the second half since the Ole Miss game on November 21st.
    Creighton had not trailed in the final eight minutes of any game prior to Oral Roberts, then overcame a 65-60 deficit in the final five minutes to stay unbeaten.
    On the season, Creighton has trailed for just 55:13 of 440 possible minutes of action, a figure that ranks fourth-lowest nationally among remaining unbeaten teams, as seen below:
Team                                            Time Trailing   Next Game
Gonzaga                                          33:06                                       12/21
UCLA                                              48:50                                       12/21
Villanova                                         48:56                                       12/21
Creighton                                 55:13                                  12/20
Baylor                                             94:04                                       12/21
Southern California                        118:56                                     12/19

Playing As The Hunted
Armed with a No. 9 national ranking, Creighton is sure to draw attention from visiting crowds as one of the nation's last six remaining unbeaten teams.
    In fact, Creighton is the first top-10 non-conference team to visit Arizona State since No. 7 Ohio State in 1980 in a game also played on December 20th.
    That 1980 game featured no less than nine future NBA players, as Sam Williams, Alton Lister, Lafayette "Fat" Lever and Byron Scott played for ASU, while Ohio State rolled out a team that included Clark Kellogg, Herb Williams, Jim Smith, Tony Campbell and Granville Waiters.

Defense Pitches A Late Shutout
Creighton's offense gets all the attention, but the defense stepped up when it was needed most on Saturday against Oral Roberts.
    Creighton found itself trailing 65-60 with 6:08 left after ORU's Albert Owens banked in a three-pointer to stun the crowd. The Golden Eagles would go scoreless in their final 10 possessions the rest of the way.
    Creighton would steadily come back, getting two hoops from Justin Patton before a Marcus Foster drive with 3:21 to play gave CU a 66-65 lead.
    Neither team would score in the final 3:21 of the contest.
    Saturday marked the first time since December 22, 2010, that Creighton held an opponent scoreless over the final 6:08 of regulation. That came when CU held Samford scoreless in the final 6:48 of a 58-40 victory.
    Those are the only two contests in the 423 games since the start of 2004-05 campaign that the Bluejays have held an opponent scoreless in the final 6:08 of any game.

Watson Dishes To History
Maurice Watson Jr. had 10 assists last Saturday against Oral Roberts after dishing 11 helpers on Dec. 9 vs. Longwood.
    Watson joins Grant Gibbs (in 2011-12) as the only Bluejays in the last 25 years with back-to-back games of 10+ assists, with Watson also having accomplished the feat earlier this season in November. No Creighton player since at least 1979-80 has had a stretch of three straight games with 10 or more assists.
    Watson is the first Bluejay with a point/assist double-double in consecutive games since at least 1978-79.

Road Warriors
Creighton is a perfect 4-0 away from home this winter, with those wins coming by an average of 17 points per game.
    Creighton has scored 94.5 points per game in those road/neutral contests this season, shooting 55.5 percent from the floor and 51.0 percent from three-point range.
    Cole Huff has been especially lethal in those games, shooting 14-of-20 from three-point range and ranking second on the team in both scoring (14.5 ppg.) and rebounding (5.3).
    With a win on Tuesday, Creighton will win its first five games away from home for just the third time since World War II, having also done it in 1999-2000 and 2012-13. Both of those seasons culminated with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

McDermott To Join The 700 Club
Tuesday will mark Greg McDermott's 700th contest as a head coach. He brings a 432-267 career record into the game.
    McDermott has won his 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th, 500th and 600th game as a head coach, as seen below:
Game #    Opponent/Result                             Career W-L        100                  Wayne State 88, Northern State 75              60-40
200               UNI 74, Texas-Pan American 66                             135-65
300               UNI 62, Missouri State 53                                     190-110
400               Iowa State 57, Colorado 41                                 249-151
500               Creighton 75, Evansville 69                                  295-205
600               Creighton 81, DePaul 62                                       373-227
699               Creighton 66, Oral Roberts 65                             432-267

Won by One
Creighton got three defensive stands in the final 10 seconds to preserve Saturday's 66-65 win over Oral Roberts.
    It was Creighton's first victory by exactly one point since a 72-71 win over Seton Hall on February 23, 2014.
    Creighton improved to 6-6 in one-point games under Greg McDermott and 79-73 in program history in one-point games.
    The victory snapped a five-game losing streak in one-point games, matching a program record first done between 1947-52.

Learning From Past Failures
Creighton has thrived in non-conference play over the years, but will be looking to avenge last year's rare home loss to Arizona State.
    In the last 20 years, the only non-conference team to beat Creighton in consecutive seasons is Kent State. The Golden Flashes beat CU in Ohio in 2003-04, then repeated the feat in Omaha in 2004-05.
    Arizona State can join Kent State with a victory on Tuesday.

Point Guards In Sparky's House
When 2016-17 assists per game leader Maurice Watson Jr. directs Creighton's offense on Tuesday, he'll be doing it against an Arizona State team coached by Bobby Hurley.
    Hurley is the NCAA's all-time assist leader with 1,076 during a standout career at Duke from 1989-93.
    Watson owns 740 career assists to date, most among the nation's active players.
    Watson's 101 assists this year have been spread among nine different players, and have led to 49 three-pointers, 24 dunks, 21 lay-ups and seven other two-point jump shots.
    Including four converted "and-1" free throw opportunities, Watson's 101 assists have led to 255 points, an average of 23.2 points per game.

BIG EAST > "Football 5" So Far
Creighton has knocked off teams from the Big Ten (Wisconsin and Nebraska), Pac-12 (Washington State), ACC (North Carolina State) and SEC (Ole Miss) this year, all by nine or more points.
    Those five wins over the "Football 5" leagues are tied for the most of any other team in the nation.
    The BIG EAST owns 24 wins over "Football 5" leagues, second-most of any conference in the nation.
    Both figures are through games of Dec. 18.
MBB Wins Over "Football 5" Leagues, By Team
        5         Creighton
         5         Butler
         5         Gonzaga
         5         UCLA
         4         Kansas
         4         Xavier

MBB Wins Over "Football 5" Leagues, By Conference
       26         Atlantic Coast
      24         BIG EAST
       16         Big 12
       16         Big Ten
       12         Pac-12
       11         Southeastern

Foster's Finest
For the fourth time in seven seasons under Greg McDermott, Creighton has a player with at least 10 games of 15+ points during the team's first 11 games of a season.
    Marcus Foster has done it this year, joining Doug McDermott in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14. McDermott led all three teams to the NCAA Tournament, and was named a First Team All-American after each campaign, as well.
    Prior to the arrival of the McDermott's, no Bluejay had opened a season in more than 25 years with 15+ points in 10 of the first 11 games.

Scoring In Bunches
Creighton has scored 982 points through 11 games, to rank eighth nationally with 89.3 points per contest.
    The 982 points are 34 more points than Creighton has EVER scored in its first 11 games of any season, as seen below:
Most Points Through 11 Games, Creighton History
      Points    Year              Final W-L (Postseason)
      982           2016-17        ? ? ?
      948            1964-65           13-10
      947            2011-12           29-6 (NCAA)
      944            1965-66           14-12
      929            2015-16           20-15 (NIT)

A Good Start
Here's a look at how Creighton has done statistically after 11 games in recent seasons.
    Of note, Creighton has started 7-4 or better after 11 games in 19 of the past 20 seasons.
    This year's team, with four double-figure scorers, is only the second time since 1995-96 that Creighton has had more than three players scoring in double-figures after 11 games. Last year's team had five men in double-figures at this point.
    Creighton's 89.3 points per game clip is the team's highest mark after 11 games in program history.
    Creighton's 53.9 percent field goal percentage through 11 games is the best mark in the last 23 years, a good trend since the next three spots are owned by the three winningest teams in program history.
    Creighton's 106 three-pointers through 11 games are third-most in the last 23 years, as well.
Creighton Stats Through 11 Games, Since 1994-95
Year             W-L      PPG      FG%     3FG     10+ PPG guys
2016-17      11-0     89.3      .539        106                    4
2015-16          7-4         84.5        .490            105                    5
2014-15          8-3         73.2        .435              98                    2
2013-14          9-2         82.3        .487            120                    2
2012-13          10-1       79.6        .508              98                    2
2011-12          10-1       86.1        .517            102                    2
2010-11          7-4         68.2        .427              77                    3
2009-10          5-6         72.5        .455              91                    2
2008-09          9-2         76.4        .442              97                    3
2007-08          9-2         79.5        .476              92                    2
2006-07          7-4         67.0        .418              65                    3
2005-06          7-4         69.3        .401              77                    3
2004-05          8-3         68.5        .432              87                    2
2003-04          11-0       70.6        .459              66                    1
2002-03          10-1       83.8        .521            110                    1
2001-02          7-4         75.9        .453              67                    3
2000-01          9-2         77.0        .451              90                    3
1999-00          9-2         73.2        .457              88                    2
1998-99          9-2         77.2        .462              86                    2
1997-98          8-3         78.1        .474              81                    1
1996-97          5-6         64.8        .406              60                    2
1995-96          6-5         66.6        .395              65                    3
1994-95          5-6         65.0        .401              74                    4

Give Me 10
Creighton has won 10 straight home games dating to last season.
    Creighton now owns six home win streaks of 10 or longer at CenturyLink Center Omaha, as seen below:
Streak      Dates                                                      Snapped by
    24            Feb. 19, 2013 - Dec. 9, 2014                          Saint Mary's
    16            Feb. 9, 2005 - Jan. 31, 2006                     Southern Illinois
    16            Jan. 19, 2011 - Dec. 22, 2011                      Missouri State
    14            Feb. 2, 2008 - Dec. 28, 2008                       Northern Iowa
    11            Nov. 22, 2003 - Feb. 4, 2004                    Southern Illinois
    10           Feb. 28, 2016 - Present                                       ???

We're Jamming!
Creighton has 15 dunks in its last two games, including nine on December 9th vs. Longwood.
    Justin Patton has 28 of CU's 52 dunks this season, with Marcus Foster (8), Khyri Thomas (5), Martin Krampelj (4), Toby Hegner (2), Zach Hanson (2), Cole Huff (1), Davion Mintz (1) and Kobe Paras (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 21 dunks after 11 games.
    Here's a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 20 or more dunks in a season, and 19 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks           Name                                                          Year
36                     Gregory Echenique                                    2012-13
30                     Gregory Echenique                                    2011-12
28                    Justin Patton                                    2016-17
24                     Gregory Echenique                                    2010-11
22                     Kenny Lawson Jr.                                        2010-11

Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks           Name                                                        Years
90                     Gregory Echenique                                    2010-13
38                     Will Artino                                                  2011-15
29                    Zach Hanson                             2013-Pres.
28                    Justin Patton                              2016-Pres.
25                     Geoffrey Groselle                                        2012-16
22                     Kenny Lawson Jr.                                        2010-11
19                     Doug McDermott                                       2010-14

Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks           Year                                                  Team W-L
58                     2015-16                                                   20-15 (NIT)
56                     2010-11                                                   23-16 (CBI)
54                     2012-13                                                28-8 (NCAA)
52                    2016-17                                          11-0 so far
42                     2011-12                                                29-6 (NCAA)
35                     2013-14                                                27-8 (NCAA)
29                     2014-15                                                           14-19

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 also scored 113 points against Longwood on Dec. 9th.
    Creighton is 56-2 all-time when scoring 100 or more points, with 28 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.
    Creighton's 113 points on December 9th vs. Longwood were its fifth-most in school history for a game, and the most since 115 vs. Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985.
    Below is a list of the most points in a game in Creighton history:
Score                   Opponent                                          Date
124-94                     at Miami (Fla.)                                02/10/1964
120-76                     Nevada                                           12/21/1962
115-80                     Indiana State                                  01/19/1985
115-82                     Memphis                                         02/02/1966
113-58                  Longwood                            12/09/2016
112-94                  vs. North Carolina St.     11/20/2016
111-110 (2ot)          Bradley                                           03/11/2008

Double-Doubles In Limited Minutes
Maurice Watson Jr. needed just 23 minutes of playing time to earn a double-double (10 points, 11 assists) against Longwood on December 9th
    In the seven-year era under Greg McDermott, only Will Artino (3x) and Gregory Echenique (2x) have produced double-doubles in less than 23 minutes, but all of those were of the point/rebound variety.
    The only previous Bluejay with a point/assist double-double in less than 30 minutes under McDermott had been Austin Chatman, who had 14 points and 10 assists in 28 minutes vs. Missouri State on Jan. 30, 2013.

Have A Half
Creighton opened up a 62-25 halftime lead over Longwood on December 9th, the program's largest lead at intermission since a 56-19 lead over IUPUI on Nov. 25, 2002 in a game played in Kansas City, Mo.
    Longwood is one of two schools that Creighton has had multiple halftime leads of more than 25 points against since 1990-91, joining Nebraska.
    Below is a list of Creighton's largest halftime margins since 1990-91.
Largest Halftime Leads, Since 1990-91
     Margin         Score      Opponent                              Date
     38                     54-16         Grambling State                    12/06/99
     37                     56-19         IUPUI                                       11/25/02
     37                    62-25       Longwood                     12/09/16
     29                     48-19         Towson                                    11/14/98
     29                     53-24         Longwood                               11/20/12
     29                     53-24         Butler                                      01/14/14
     29                     53-24         St. John's                                 02/28/16
     28                     54-26         Western Illinois                       11/20/00
     28                     39-11         Alcorn State                           11/15/04
     27                     49-22         Texas-San Antonio                  11/30/90
     27                     47-20         Nebraska                                11/24/07
     27                     47-20         Saint Joseph's                         12/01/12
     26                     52-26         Southern                                 12/20/97
     26                     42-16         Southern Illinois                      03/10/03
     26                     43-17         Presbyterian                           11/18/12
     26                     51-25         Nebraska                                12/08/13
     25                     57-32         Grambling State                    11/29/01
     25                     49-24         Bradley                                   01/19/11

Most Lopsided Wins
Creighton's 113-58 win over Longwood is tied for the third-largest margin of victory in school history, just two behind a record set 91 years ago.
Most Lopsided Wins
Opponent                       Margin         Score                Date
Midland                                            57              63-6           12/12/25
Texas-Arlington                                56          106-50           11/17/02
Regis                                                 55            93-38           11/30/73
Longwood                                 55       113-58        12/09/16
Morningside                                     54          105-51           02/17/61
Drake                                                53            79-26           02/14/33
Northern Colorado                          51          105-54           12/02/59
South Dakota State                         51            67-16           01/11/27
Nebraska-Omaha                            50            90-40           03/01/52
Washburn                                         50            66-16           03/06/37
Yankton                                            50            70-20           01/07/22

Toby Steps Up
Toby Hegner grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes during Creighton's Dec. 7 win at Nebraska.
    Making the achievement all the more impressive is that he played just two minutes before half thanks to two quick fouls.
    Hegner's previous high for rebounds in a game was eight vs. Georgetown during his freshman season.
    Hegner also established a career-high in dunks vs. Nebraska, when he had back-to-back throwdowns in a span of 38 seconds. Prior to that, the 6-foot-10 perimeter-based big man had one career dunk at Creighton in 74 career games.
    Hegner continued his prowess with 10 points and nine rebounds in 14 minutes vs. Longwood.

McDermott Earns 150th Win At Creighton
With a win at Nebraska on Dec. 7th, Greg McDermott became the third coach in CU history to record 150 wins on the Bluejay sideline, as only Arthur A. Schabinger (165) and Dana Altman (327) had previously reached that milestone.
    McDermott needed 71 games at Creighton to win his 50th contest and 134 games to earn his 100th win.
    The Nebraska win marked McDermott's 222nd game on the Bluejay sideline.
    McDermott is now 152-72 with the Bluejays when you include his Longwood and Oral Roberts victories. That Longwood win was the 300th Division I victory of McDermott's career.

1,000 x 3
Cole Huff became the third member of the current Creighton team to surpass 1,000 career points when he reached the mark at Nebraska on Dec. 7. Huff entered the game with 999 points (including 527) at Nevada, then added 13 points in the win on 4-of-5 shooting from long-range.
    Marcus Foster surpassed the 1,000 point mark during the Nov. 29 win over Buffalo. Foster owns 200 points this season, and scored 875 points during his first two seasons at Kansas State. It took Foster 69 games total to reach the mark.
    Last year Maurice Watson Jr. surpassed 1,000 career points (including Boston), and he now owns 1,436 career points.
    Creighton has never previously had three players with 1,000 career points on the roster at the same time.

Double-Digits x 8
Marcus Foster and Justin Patton each scored in double-figures during each of Creighton's first eight games this season.
    They joined Doug McDermott as the only Bluejays to open their career in double-figures during CU's first eight games in the last 35 years. McDermott opened his 2010-11 campaign with eight straight games in double-figures before being held scoreless in his ninth contest (against Saint Joseph's) for the only time in his college career.
    Before Foster this year, Rod Mason was the last Bluejay with seven straight games of 15+ points to start any season, having done so 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
        8                Marcus Foster, Jr.                             2016-17
        8                Justin Patton, Fr.                              2016-17

Terrific Start
Junior Marcus Foster's 200 points so far are the most by any Bluejay newcomer through 11 games since at least 1979-80.
    For comparison, Doug McDermott had 137 points through 11 games and 151 points after the 12th 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 11 Games Since 1995-96
   Pts.     Name, Class                                       Year    After 12
   200      Marcus Foster, Jr.                    2016-17              ? ? ?
   137       Doug McDermott, Fr.                           2010-11                151
   136       Maurice Watson Jr., Jr.                        2015-16                152
   130      Justin Patton, Fr.                     2016-17              ? ? ?
   128       Gregory Echenique, So.                       2010-11                138
   125       P'Allen Stinnett, Fr.                              2007-08                130
   122       Cole Huff, Jr.                                         2015-16                135
   116       Rodney Buford, Fr.                               1995-96                128
   115       Brody Deren, So.                                  2001-02                134
   114       Khyri Thomas, Fr.                                 2015-16                118
   110       Edward St. Fleur, Jr.                            1995-96                115

Opposites Attract
UCF's 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall leads the nation in field goal percentage at 81.6 percent, making 62-of-76 field goal attempts.
    UNCW's Devontae Cacok is second, having made 80.7 percent of his shots.
    That puts Fall and Cacok just ahead of Creighton center Justin Patton, who is at 78.4 percent while shooting 58-for-74 to rank second.
    Making Patton's figures all the more impressive is that he's also 3-for-5 from three-point range this fall.
    Despite their marksmanship while being guarded, both men have struggled at the charity stripe. Fall is 16-for-45 (35.6 percent) at the free throw line this year, Cacock is 20-for-35 (57.1 percent), and Patton is 11-for-28 (39.3 percent).

Patton Wins Second BIG EAST Freshman Honor
Creighton basketball center Justin Patton won BIG EAST Freshman of the Week accolades for the second straight week on December 5th.
    Patton averaged 16.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocked shots per game on 82.4 percent shooting from the field as Creighton posted a pair of double-digit wins over the defending champions from the Mid-American Conference Tournament (Buffalo) and regular-season (Akron).
    Patton started his week by becoming just the third Creighton freshman in the last 25 years to post a double-double, as he had 21 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a win vs. Buffalo. Patton made 9-of-10 shots from the field, becoming the first 7-footer in program history to sink a three-pointer.
    He then had 11 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks in a win vs. Akron. Patton had eight of his points and five of his rebounds after halftime, including a pair of slams that give him 21 dunks in eight games the season.

Baker's Dozen For Watson
Maurice Watson Jr. had a CenturyLink Center Omaha 13 assists in a Dec. 3 win over Akron. That's one more than the previous record held by Creighton's Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern on December 22, 2011.
    The contest was the third of Watson's Creighton career with 13 or more helpers, and fifth overall as a collegian.
    Per Sports-Reference.com, Watson is one of nine men with five games of 13+ assists since 2010-11, and the only active player. He's joined on that list by players such as Kris Dunn, Kendall Marshall and Michael Carter-Williams. The list is topped by Marshall and LIU-Brooklyn's Jason Brickman, with 10 each.
    Watson now owns three of Creighton's eight games all-time of 13+ assists, with Ralph Bobik (3), Latrell Wrightsell (1) and Jason Bey (1) owning the others.

Patton On The Button
Justin Patton has made 39 of his last 46 field goal attempts dating back to midway through the Ole Miss (Nov. 21) win and now is third the nation in field goal percentage at 78.4 percent.
    Patton owns 28 dunks this year, which no doubt contributes to his high accuracy rate, but he also shown his range by making 3-of-5 three-point attempts.
    Patton is the only Bluejay 7-footer in history to make a three-point shot.
    Since 1994-95, Creighton has had six performances where a player shot 90 percent or better from the field with eight or more attempts. Two of those were done by Justin Patton in his consecutive games in late November, as seen below:
Best FG%, Since 1994-95, Minimum 8 FG
    FG%      Name (FG-FGA), Opponent                                      Date
   1.000      Anthony Tolliver (11-11) vs. Illinois State                1/1/07
   1.000      Geoffrey Groselle (8-8) vs. Coppin State              12/28/15
   1.000      Justin Patton (8-8) vs. Loyola (Md.)                      11/26/16
     .900      Khyri Thomas (9-10) at Loyola (IL)                           12/5/15
     .900      Geoffrey Groselle (9-10) at St. John's                    12/31/15
     .900      Justin Patton (9-10) vs. Buffalo                             11/29/16

More From Patton
Justin Patton made more history when he had 21 points in 10 rebounds vs. Buffalo on Nov. 29.
    He's just the third Creighton freshman since 1988-89 to post a double-double. Ronnie Harrell Jr. had 14 points and 11 rebounds vs. North Texas last December, while Doug McDermott had nine double-dips as a freshman in 2010-11.
    McDermott had three games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds during his freshman campaign, with his first one coming in his seventh game (like Patton) when he had 20 points and 12 rebounds vs. BYU.

Foster & Patton Honored By BIG EAST
Creighton picked up a pair of weekly awards from the BIG EAST Conference on Nov. 28th. Marcus Foster was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, while Justin Patton was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. It was 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, 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.
    Patton averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games 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.

It Do Run, Run
Creighton ranks 12th in the KenPom.com's Adjusted Offensive rankings this year and 51st in tempo through Monday morning.
    Per figures from StatBroadcast.com, Creighton has scored on more than half its possessions in all but two games this season, despite averaging just 13 seconds per possession.
Creighton Offense
Opponent          Poss.    Scores    Pts/Poss.       Sec/Poss.
UMKC                              80               40               1.113                      :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.)                    71               40               1.155                      :14
Buffalo                             79               43               1.177                      :13
Akron                              70               37               1.171                      :12
Nebraska                        78               37                 .987                      :12
Longwood                       82               54               1.378                      :13
Oral Roberts                   71               30                 .930                      :13
TOTALS                  833          440           1.179                    :13

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:      1st (per WarrenNolan.com)
2015-16:          4th
2014-15:          3rd
2013-14:          4th
2012-13:          2nd
2011-12:          2nd
2010-11:          1st
2009-10:          3rd
2008-19:          4th
2007-08:          5th
2006-07:          5th
2005-06:          3rd
2004-05:          2nd
2003-04:          4th
2002-03:          5th
2001-02:          3rd
2000-01:          3rd

Top Five RPI
According to WarrenNolan.com on Monday morning, Creighton ranked No. 10 nationally in the RPI.
    Villanova was first, Xavier was third and Butler 11th, which has helped the BIG EAST to No. 1 in the conference RPI rankings.

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, in its only three previous games outside Omaha.
    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 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
.600             vs. IUPUI                                   15-25                    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

Virgin Territory
Creighton rewrote the Paradise Jam record books during its week in the Virgin Islands in late November.
    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 on Nov. 20 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 62-25 at halftime on Dec. 9 vs. Longwood. The 62 points were a CenturyLink Center Omaha record for points in a half, and the most by the Bluejays in any half since scoring 63 in the second half of a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002.
    Creighton's 55-point win was also its largest since that same 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002.
    Creighton has won 67 straight games in which it has scored 42 or more points in the first half, and 52 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 740, but he's also fifth in steals (177), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (2.11) and 13th in field goals made (549).
    Watson is the nation's only active Division I player with at least 500 field goals and 600 assists.
    Below is a look at the national active leaders in assists and steals, through Dec. 18th.
Active Leaders in Career Assists
1.      Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton                         740
2.       Monte Morris, Iowa State                                                    610
3.       Alec Wintering, Portland                                                     529
4.       Marquis Wright, Siena                                                         502
5.       Siyani Chambers, Harvard                                                  500

Active Leaders in Career Steals
1.       Paris Lee, Illinois State                                                         203
2.       Monte Morris, Iowa State                                                    182
3.       Justin Robinson, Monmouth                                                 180
4.      Damon Lynn, NJIT                                                                177
5.       Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton                         177

Shooting Stars
Creighton has shot 53.9 percent from the field this season, and an equally impressive 44.2 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 78.4 percent from the field (third nationally), with 28 dunks among his 58 made field goals.
    Each of Creighton's nine players with multiple made three-pointers have connected on 37.5 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 was 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 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, North Carolina and Kentucky are the nation's only three 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 11 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) earned a nod.
    Johnson, coincidentally, coached Thomas at Omaha Benson High School.

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.

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 1,936 three-pointers and is also eighth in league history with 42.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range (through December 18). 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 9.2 points per game while making 41.2 percent of his three-point attempts this year.
    Tolliver is averaging 4.0 points and 2.9 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 9.4 points per game and shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 32.4 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.

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
2016-17             4                                  130                                ? ? ?
2015-16                 1                                      64                               20-15
2014-15                 1                                      49                               14-19
2013-14                 4                                    144                                 27-8
2012-13                 4                                    140                                 28-8
2011-12                 3                                    101                                 29-6
2010-11                 4                                    123                               23-16
2009-10                 3                                    106                               18-16
2008-09                 3                                      83                                 27-8
2007-08                 1                                      44                               22-11
2006-07                 4                                    120                               22-11
2005-06                 4                                    134                               20-10
2004-05                 2                                      58                               23-11
2003-04                 3                                    101                                 20-9
2002-03                 5                                    159                                 29-5
2001-02                 2                                      65                                 23-9
2000-01                 3                                      90                                 24-8
1999-00                 3                                      84                               23-10
1998-99                 3                                      84                                 22-9
1997-98                 4                                      72                               18-10
1996-97                 4                                    126                               15-15
1995-96                 4                                    100                               14-15
1994-95                 2                                      52                                 7-19
1993-94                 3                                      73                                 7-22
1992-93                 2                                      64                                 8-18
1991-92                 2                                      51                                 9-19
1990-91                 4                                    132                                 24-8
1989-90                 4                                    127                               21-12
1988-89                 4                                    123                               20-11
1987-88                 3                                      83                               16-16
1986-87                 2                                      65                                 9-19
1985-86                 1                                      48                               12-16
1984-85                 4                                    124                               20-12
1983-84                 3                                      72                               17-14
1982-83                 3                                      77                                 8-19
1981-82                 2                                      78                                 7-20
1980-81                 4                                    112                                 21-9

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
FG Percentage                               .476                 4th
3FG Made                                     1,775                 4th
3FG Percentage                             .386                 5th
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 16,849 fans per home game this season, fifth-best nationally. That figure would rank 17th best in the NBA, ahead of 14 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 (12/18)
Rk.     School                                Average          Next Home
     1.     Kentucky                                22,509                                     1/3
     2.     Syracuse                                 22,191                                 12/19
     3.     Louisville                                19,222                                 12/21
     4.     Wisconsin                               17,284                                 12/23
    5.     Creighton                         16,849                              12/28
     6.     Indiana                                   16,553                                 12/19
     7.     Kansas                                     16,300                                     1/3
     8.     Maryland                                15,812                                 12/27

Highest Average Attendance, Creighton?History
   Avg.?Att.                    School                          Year
            17,896                    Creighton                      2013-14
            17,155                    Creighton                      2012-13
            17,048                    Creighton                      2014-15
16,849 so far               Creighton            2016-17
            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 759 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. The streak is the nation's 22nd-longest active streak as of Dec. 18th.
    Creighton's last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
    Below is a list of the nation's longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (12/18)
Rk.     Streak             School                                  Next Game
     1.     985                     Kentucky                                                 12/21
     2.     984                     UNLV                                                       12/19
     3.     975                     Vanderbilt                                              12/21
     4.     958                     Duke                                                        12/19
     5.     916                     Western Kentucky                                  12/21
     6.     911                     Arkansas                                                 12/20
     7.     903                     East Tennessee State                             12/22
     8.     895                     Pacific                                                     12/20
     9.     877                     Oakland                                                  12/20
   10.     870                     Texas                                                       12/21
   11.     853                     Princeton                                                12/20
   12.     844                     Florida                                                    12/21
   13.     819                     La Salle                                                   12/22
   14.     818                     Marshall                                                  12/19
   15.     811                     Baylor                                                      12/21
   16.     788                     LIU-Brooklyn                                           12/21
   17.     784                     Gonzaga                                                  12/21
   18.     780                     Cornell                                                    12/19
   19.     765                     Tennessee State                                     12/19
   20.     767                     Mount St. Mary's                                    12/19
   21.     760                     East Carolina                                          12/20
22.     759                    Creighton                                        12/20

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
+8                  1972-73             15-11               1973-74           23-7
+7                  1986-87             9-19                 1987-88           16-16
+7                  1994-95             7-19                 1995-96           14-15
+6                  2001-02             23-9                 2002-03           29-5
+6                  2010-11             23-16               2011-12           29-6
+6                 2014-15          14-19             2015-16        20-15

Top-20 Crowds
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
  Rank     Att.             Opponent                                   Date
         1.      18,868           Providence                                   03/08/14
         2.      18,859           Georgetown                                 01/25/14
         3.      18,797           #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

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.
    This year's team also has four men scoring at a double-figure clip, with Huff not far behind at 9.3 ppg.

Très Bien
Since 2011-12, Creighton is 54-45 (.545) when shooting 40.00 percent or worse from three-point range. While respectable, that pales in comparison to CU's 75-10 (.882) 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 113-30 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 131-9 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 119 of the last 124 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
10                  UAB                                                                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
03/20/06       Miami (Fla.)              53-52             G. Diaz FT               :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

What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 152-72 on the Creighton sideline in his seventh year at the helm. The 152 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.        152-72 so far
Tom Apke                               1974-80                          130-64
Dana Altman                          1994-00                          123-86
Red McManus                         1959-65                          105-75

McDermott Passes McManus On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott currently has 152 victories at Creighton, good for third place on CU's all-time wins list.
    McDermott's .679 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.       152-72        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 has also led Creighton in assists every game this season, which means he's led or tied for the team lead in assists in all but three of his 46 games since becoming eligible at Creighton.
    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, 1979-80                               16.5                      3.7
Matt Petty, 1992-93                                      17.2                      3.1
Kyle Korver, 2001-02                                     15.1                      3.3
Nate Funk, 2003-04                                       11.1                      2.7
Nate Funk, 2006-07                                       17.7                      3.0
Austin Chatman, 2014-15                             11.5                      3.7
Maurice Watson Jr., 2015-16        14.1                    6.5

CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 229 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in the 14-year-old facility.
    The Bluejays own a 191-38 (.834) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (12-0).
    Creighton has outscored its opponents 17,514-14,733 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.14 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 63 different times, including 11 of its last 26 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 94-20 (.825) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, including a 56-4 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 211-38 (.847) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go
Creighton averaged 79.63 points per game in 2015-16, and is scoring 89.27 points per game in 2016-17.
    Greg McDermott is 41-1 as a Division I head coach when his teams score 90 or more points, including a 35-1 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 56-2 all-time when scoring 100 points or more, including 28 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 102-1 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha. In other words, Creighton is 114-1 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 79.12 points per home game (9,020 points in 114 home games).
    Since a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000, Creighton is 125-0 at home (95-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more, and 105-0 at home (78-0 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.

#9 Men's Basketball Seeks 12-0 Start With Tuesday Game at Arizona State

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Players Mentioned

Marcus Foster

Geoffrey Groselle

Zach Hanson

Ronnie Harrell Jr.

Toby Hegner

Cole Huff

Kaleb Joseph

Martin Krampelj

Davion Mintz

Kobe Paras

Justin Patton

Khyri Thomas

Maurice Watson Jr.

Isaiah Zierden