Game #27: Georgetown Hoyas (16-10, 7-8) at Creighton Bluejays (18-7, 11-4)
Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025 • 3 p.m. • Omaha, Neb. • CHI Health Center Omaha
| LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | CU NOTES | GU NOTES | PROGRAM |
Next Game
Creighton (18-8, 11-4 BIG EAST) starts its race to the finish when it hosts Georgetown (16-10, 7-8 BIG EAST) on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m. It’s the first of five games in a 14-day stretch as CU chases its first BIG EAST regular-season title since 2019-20.
CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb., will host the action.
Promotional Schedule
A group of Creighton Men’s Basketball alumni will be welcomed back to the court at halftime.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 AM) and KOOO (101.9 FM) will carry Creighton men’s basketball games during the 2024-25 season. John Bishop and Taylor Stormberg will call the action.
The audio is webcast at 1620thezone.com and can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 85 as well as https://sxm.app.link/SXM85.
Broadcast Information
Sunday’s game will be broadcast on Peacock with Noah Reed and Nick Bahe on the call. To subscribe to Peacock, visit http://peacocktv.com.
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.
Stats to all home games can also be followed at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 18-8 this year and 11-4 in BIG EAST. CU’s nine-game winning streak was snapped with losses against UConn and No. 9 St. John’s last week.
The Bluejays are the only team in the last 15 years to post a win over the defending national champion (No. 14 UConn on Jan. 18), defending NIT champion (Seton Hall on Jan. 25) and the nation’s top-ranked team (No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 4) in different games of the same season.
Senior Ryan Kalkbrenner (18.7 ppg., 8.5 rpg., 2.8 bpg., .663 FG%) was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and has been named a Preseason First Team All-American by CBS Sports, Fox Sports and Field of 68. In addition to being one of the most efficient shooters in NCAA history, Kalkbrenner is also a three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. He was named BIG EAST and National Player of the Week on Nov. 11 and Jan. 21 and became the third player in CU history to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Steven Ashworth (17.0 ppg., 7.0 apg., .952 FT%) is back at point guard, and is joined on the wing by Jamiya Neal (11.9 ppg., 5.9 rpg., 4.0 apg.). Those three seniors account for 67.9 percent of CU’s points in league play.
Creighton averages 75.2 points per game and shoots 47.2 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from three-point range and 75.3 percent at the line while grabbing 2.6 rebounds per game more than the opposition.
Scouting Georgetown
Georgetown has alternated wins and losses in its last six games and is 16-10 on the season and 7-8 in BIG EAST play, a vast improvement over last year’s team that finished 9-23 and 2-18 in league games.
Micah Peavy (16.0 ppg,. 5.5 rpg., 3.7 apg., 2.5 spg.) leads the Hoyas in scoring and steals and is joined in double-figures by Thomas Sorber (14.5 ppg., 8.5 rpg., 2.0 bpg.), Malik Mack (12.6 ppg,. 4.6 apg.) and Jayden Epps (12.2 ppg.). Sorber, a leading contender for BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors, missed Wednesday’s win vs. Providence due to injury.
GU averages 71.7 points per game, shooting 45.0 percent from the field, 30.6 percent from three-point range and 71.5 percent at the line. The Hoyas are +2.8 rebounds per game and limit foes to 66.4 points per contest.
The Series With Georgetown
Creighton is 16-10 all-time versus Georgetown and has won 13 of the last 17 meetings in the series.
Creighton is 9-2 all-time in Omaha against the Hoyas, and has won the last three of those encounters by an average of 24 points.
Each of the last nine Bluejay wins, and each of the last nine series meetings regardless of victor, have been decided by double-digits.
The series began in 1970 in West Palm Beach, Fla., before resuming in 2014 in BIG EAST play.
Greg McDermott is 15-11 all-time (15-10 as Creighton coach) against Georgetown. McDermott is 12-14 in his career against Ed Cooley, including a 2-1 mark since Cooley was hired at Georgetown.
Cooley is 14-13 in his career against Creighton, having also lost a CIT game when he was head coach at Fairfield in addition to his 13-10 mark leading the Friars vs. CU. Cooley is 1-2 as Georgetown coach against Creighton.
The Creighton Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a 343-168 record in his 15th season with the Bluejays, as he passed Dana Altman (327-176) as the winningest coach in program history on Nov. 13, 2024. He owns a career mark of 623-363 in his 31st season, and is 492-299 in his 24th Division I campaign.
McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST regular-season title in 2019-20, taking a Bluejay team that was picked seventh in the league’s preseason poll and ending the year ranked seventh nationally. The Cascade, Iowa native has coached Creighton to a share of its first regular-season BIG EAST title in 2019-20 its first Sweet 16 since 1974 in 2020-21 and its first Elite Eight since 1941 in 2022-23.
McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
He is assisted by Ryan Miller, Derek Kellogg and Trey Zeigler.
With A Win…
– Creighton is seeking its 12th conference win of the season. It would be the sixth straight year it’s won at least a dozen league games, something only Virginia has an active streak of among Power 5 teams (though UVA’s streak will end this year).
– Creighton would take a 17-10 lead in the all-time series against Georgetown with its seventh win in the last eight meetings against the Hoyas.
– Creighton would snap a two-game losing streak, avoiding its first three-game skid in league play since Feb. 6-17, 2019.
– Creighton would earn at least one win against every other league team in the same season for the fifth time in 12 years as a member of the BIG EAST.
– Creighton would avoid getting swept by Georgetown in both regular-season meetings for the first time since 2014-15.
– Creighton can clinch a top-five seed in the BIG EAST Tournament, ensuring the Bluejays a First Round bye.
Milestone Watch
– Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,286 career points in BIG EAST play, two shy of Kerry Kittles for eighth in league history and four away from St. John’s legend Chris Mullin for seventh place.
– Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 237 career blocked shots in BIG EAST play, just 10 shy of the record held by Patrick Ewing.
– Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 37 blocked shots in 14 home games this season are one shy of the single-season CHI Health Center Omaha record Kalkbrenner of 38 himself set in 15 games in 2021-22.
– Ryan Kalkbrenner is six made field goals shy of becoming the second player in Creighton history with 900, trailing only Doug McDermott’s 1,141.
– Jackson McAndrew is five three-pointers shy of 50 in his career and six points short of 200.
– Mason Miller is eight points away from 300 in his career.
Creighton vs. Everybody
Creighton has beaten all but one other BIG EAST team this season, with the lone exception being Sunday’s foe, Georgetown.
With a win, it would mark the fifth time in 12 years in the BIG EAST that Creighton would earn a victory over every other league foe, joining 2013-14, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2023-24.
The Avengers
Creighton’s 81-57 loss at Georgetown on Dec. 18th was just the program’s eighth league loss by 20 points or more in the past nine seasons.
CU has won the other meeting against the team that blew them out in six of the last seven occasions, and five of the wins were by double-figures.
Last 9 Seasons, CU’s BIG EAST Losses by 20+ Points
Year Bad Loss Other Meeting
2016-17 GU 71, CU 51 CU 87, GU 70
2017-18 XU 92, CU 70 XU 72, CU 71
2017-18 VU 98, CU 78 CU 89, VU 83 (OT)
2017-18 BU 93, CU 70 CU 85, BU 74
2019-20 SJU 91, CU 71 CU 94, SJU 82
2021-22 VU 75, CU 41 CU 86, VU 70
2021-22 PC 72, CU 51 CU 85, PC 58
2024-25 GU 81, CU 57 Sunday
It’s Not Easy
After scoring eight points or more just twice in Creighton’s first 23 games of the season while averaging 3.2 points per game, Jasen Green has now scored at least eight points in three straight games during which time he’s averaged 9.0 points per contest.
Green has made 10-of-15 baskets (.667) in that time after starting the year 28-for-58 (.482). His rebounds are also up from 2.6 to 4.7 boards per contest in that span.
And if that’s not enough Green has also blocked a shot in five consecutive contests.
Mr. Reliable
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns at least 10 points and a blocked shot in each of the last 11 games. He’s the only Bluejay to have done that in the last 20 seasons, and has now done it three times in his terrific career.
Kalkbrenner is the nation’s only major conference player with a streak of 11 or longer, and since 2005-06, the only player with more than Kalkbrenner’s 110 career games with 10+ points and a block is Auburn star Johni Broome’s 124.
After not having anyone average at least 18.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game for 32 years from 1991-92 to 2022-23, Kalkbrenner (18.7 ppg., 8.5 rpg.) is attempting to give CU a second straight player as he joins Baylor Scheierman (18.5 ppg., 9.0 rpg. in 2023-24). Kalkbrenner is one of two major conference players this season to average at least 18.5 and 8.5 this season, joining Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud.
Big Man With Big Numbers
The numbers surrounding Ryan Kalkbrenner’s career continue to impress.
Kalkbrenner owns 467 points this season and is 33 points shy of joining Doug McDermott (4), Rodney Buford (3), Bob Harstad (3) and Paul Silas (3) as the only Bluejay men in history with three seasons of 500 or more points.
Kalkbrenner is already one of three Bluejay men with four seasons of 400 or more points along with McDermott and Buford.
Kalkbrenner also has 69 blocked shots this season. He’s now responsible for four such seasons in his career, while all other Bluejays in program history have four total (three by Benoit Benjamin, one by Chad Gallagher).
Kalkbrenner is one of 23 players in NCAA history with four such seasons of 69+ blocks, a list that contains Georgetown great Patrick Ewing.
Scoring & Dishing
Steven Ashworth had 23 points and tied his career-high with 11 assists last Sunday at No. 9 St. John’s.
He’s the first Bluejay with at least 23 points and 11 assists in the same game in at least 40 years, and the first BIG EAST player with a league game like that since Tyler Kolek (27 points, 13 assists) on Feb. 10, 2024 vs. St. John’s.
Ashworth owns at least 13 points and six assists in each of the last seven games. That makes him one of 13 players nationally since 2015-16 to compile such a streak, a list that includes the likes of Ja Morant, Trae Young (twice) and Lonzo Ball among others. Before this current streak of seven in a row, no Bluejay in the last 20 years had done it more than four games in a row.
Foul Play
Creighton was whistled for 23 fouls last Sunday at St. John’s, its most since committing 24 fouls in an overtime win at Connecticut on Dec. 20, 2020, and its most in a regulation game since Nov. 12, 2017 vs. Alcorn State.
The 29 free throw attempts by the Red Storm were the second-most by a Bluejay foe this season. Creighton has lost six straight games when allowing 29 or more free throw attempts dating to a 100-89 win vs. No. 23 UCLA on Nov. 20, 2017.
Sunday was also the first time since Dec. 30, 2023 (Marquette) that a Bluejay opponent outscored CU by six points or more at the line.
The More, The Merrier
In 26 all-time meetings against the Hoyas, Creighton is 14-2 when scoring 74 points or more against Georgetown, but 2-8 when scoring 73 points or less.
The Bluejays average 82.82 points in the 16 wins, but 60.70 points per game in the 10 losses.
Creighton is fifth in the BIG EAST (and 147th nationally) with 75.15 points per game this season, but Georgetown is second in the BIG EAST in scoring defense (38th nationally), allowing 66.38 points per contest.
The improvement of the Hoya defense has been a major difference-maker this season. Last year Georgetown ranked 318th nationally while allowing 77.9 points per contest, while this year GU is 38th with 66.38 points per game allowed.
Kalkbrenner A Top Defender
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24 for the third straight season.
Kalkbrenner is just the third player in league history to win the recognition three times or more, joining Georgetown greats Patrick Ewing (4x) and Alonzo Mourning (3x).
Between Kalkbrenner and 2017 & 2018 winner Khyri Thomas, Creighton has now had a BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in five of the previous eight seasons.
Most BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Honors
Honors Name, School Years (*ties)
4 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown 1982, 83, 84, 85
3 Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown 1989, 90*, 92
3 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2022, 23, ’24
2 Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown 1990*, 91
2 Allen Iverson, Georgetown 1995, 96
2 Etan Thomas, Syracuse 1999, 00
2 John Linehan, Providence 2001, 02
2 Emeka Okafor, Connecticut 2003, 04
2 Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut 2008, 09
2 Kris Dunn, Providence 2015*, 16
2 Khyri Thomas, Creighton 2017*, 18
The Rare Three-Time All-Americans
Doug McDermott, the son of Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, wrapped up a memorable career in 2014 with his third straight First Team All-America honor and a sweep of all 14 National Player of the Year awards.
Prior to McDermott (in 2012, 2013 and 2014), the last player to be a three-time First Team All-American by the Associated Press had been Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing and Oklahoma standout Wayman Tisdale, who both did so in 1983, 1984 and 1985. Other three-time First Team All-Americans by the AP are Oscar Robertson, Lew Alcindor, Pete Maravich, Ralph Sampson, David Thompson, Jerry Lucas, Tom Gola and Bill Walton.
Ewing starred from 1981-85 with the Hoyas and in 1985 was named National Player of the Year by the Associated Press, NABC, Sporting News and won the Naismith Award, finishing with 2,184 career points. He later coached the Hoyas.
McDermott currently plays for the Sacramento Kings.
Coaching Consistency Is Key
Between women’s basketball coach Jim Flanery (449) and men’s basketball coach Greg McDermott (343), Creighton is the nation’s only school with a pair of active head coaches with at least 340 victories at their current school.
Flanery (hired in 2002) and McDermott (2010) also make Creighton one of three schools to have the same men’s and women’s basketball head coaches each of the last 15 seasons, joining Boise State (Leon Rice and Gordy Presnell) and Northern Iowa (Ben Jacobsen and Tanya Warren).
Jacobsen played on teams McDermott assisted at North Dakota from 1989-93 and later replaced McDermott as head coach at UNI In 2006, while Warren was a former Creighton player and assistant and is one of two women in program history to have her number retired.
Some Loyal Fans
Creighton’s average home crowd of 17,325 this year ranks third-most in program history.
Creighton had never attracted more than 141,000 home fans in any season prior to the opening of CHI Health Center Omaha, and now has done it each of the last 21 non-COVID seasons.
Creighton has led its conference in average home attendance every year (except the 2020-21 COVID season) since moving into CHI Health Center Omaha, which is in its 22nd season.
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,896 Creighton 2013-14
17,413 Creighton 2016-17
17,325 Creighton 2024-25
17,314 Creighton 2019-20
17,269 Creighton 2023-24
17,163 Creighton 2022-23
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
17,048 Creighton 2014-15
17,000 Creighton 2017-18
The Sun Will Come Up
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, there have been 56 separate losing streaks in league play of three games or more, but none by Creighton.
Here’s who they’ve belonged to:
BIG EAST Play -3+ Game Losing Streaks Since 2020
# of 3L Streaks Team Longest Skid
10 DePaul 39
9 Butler 8
7 Georgetown 29
7 Seton Hall 9
5 St. John’s 5
5 Providence 4
5 Marquette 3
4 Villanova 5
3 Xavier 5
1 Connecticut 3
0 Creighton 2
Fabulous In February
Nobody in the BIG EAST has more wins than Creighton in the month of February since the calendar turned to 2020.
Best February Records Since 2020
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 30 13 .698
Connecticut 30 13 .698
Villanova 28 17 .622
Marquette 24 16 .600
Providence 24 17 .585
Seton Hall 23 18 .561
Xavier 20 19 .513
St. John’s 20 23 .465
Butler 17 27 .386
Georgetown 11 33 .250
DePaul 7 33 .175
Jays Seek 29K at CHI
Creighton has outscored its opponents 28,911-24,154 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.93 points per game in 368 all-time games in the building that count.
Creighton is 26-2 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone at CHI Health Center Omaha, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (CLCO Game #) Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04 1,000-787 (14) Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05 2,000-1,696 (28) Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06 3,000-2,504 (41) Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07 4,000-3,359 (56) Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07 5,000-4,174 (69) Kaleb Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08 6,000-5,048 (82) Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09 7,000-5,870 (95) Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10 8,000-6,750 (109) Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10 9,000-7,645 (123) Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
03/23/11 10,000-8,500 (136) Lawson FG vs. UCF
01/21/12 11,000-9,310 (148) McDermott FG vs. Ind. St.
12/19/12 12,000-10,136 (161) Echenique FG vs. Tulsa
11/23/13 13,000-10,922 (173) Artino FG vs. Tulsa
02/23/14 14,000-11,711 (185) Gibbs FG vs. Seton Hall
01/28/15 15,000-12,612 (198) Hanson FT vs. St. John’s
12/28/15 16,000-13,498 (211) Huff FG vs. Coppin State
11/15/16 17,000-14,349 (224) Patton FG vs. #9 Wisconsin
01/28/17 18,000-15,166 (235) Hanson FG vs. DePaul
12/18/17 19,000-15,927 (246) Foster 3FG vs. UT Arlington
11/06/18 20,000-16,741 (258) Ballock 3FG vs. W. Illinois
02/03/19 21,000-17,619 (270) Zegarowski FG vs. Xavier
12/07/19 22,000-18,463 (282) Ballock 3FG vs. Nebraska
03/07/20 23,000-19,280 (294) Mahoney 3FG vs. #8 Seton Hall
02/13/21 24,000-20,103 (306) Zegarowski FG vs. #5 Villanova
02/14/22 25,000-20,950 (320) Hawkins 3FG vs. Georgetown
01/25/23 26,000-21,786 (333) Nembhard 3FG vs. St. John’s
12/20/23 27,000-22,535 (345) Kalkbrenner FG vs. Villanova
11/13/24 28,000-23,388 (357) Isaacs 3FG vs. Hou. Christian
McDermott Among The Best
Greg McDermott enters Sunday seventh in BIG EAST history with 134 regular-season league wins, three more than John Thompson III.
McDermott, along with Ed Cooley and Rick Pitino, are the only three active coaches with 100 regular-season BIG EAST wins. The list contains six different coaches who have won at least one national title.
McDermott has been at his current job (15 seasons) longer than any active BIG EAST coach, but since his first three years were as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, Cooley’s 14 years in the BIG EAST lead all active league coaches.
Most League Wins, BIG EAST MBB Coaches
Rk. Wins Name, School
1. 366 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2. 274 Jim Calhoun, UConn
3. 244 Jay Wright, Villanova
4. 198 John Thompson Jr., Georgetown
5. 136 Mike Brey, Notre Dame
136 Rick Pitino, Prov./Louisville/SJU
7. 134 Greg McDermott, Creighton
8. 131 John Thompson III, Georgetown
9. 128 Ed Cooley, Providence/G’Town
10. 127 Lou Carnesecca, St. John’s
League Of Their Own
Creighton entered 2024-25 having owned a .500 mark or better in league play 28 times in the previous 29 seasons, one of seven schools nationally that can say that.
The only BIG EAST teams to finish .500 or better in league play each of the previous nine seasons are Creighton, Villanova and Seton Hall. Seton Hall’s streak will end this season, while Villanova is currently 8-8.
Among the other “Power 5” Conference schools, only Virginia (7 straight years) also has an active streak of five years or longer with 12 or more league wins, but its streak will end this year.
Most Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Previous 29 Seasons (Entering 2024-25)
Seasons Team 2024-25 W-L Next
29 Duke 15-1 2/25
29 Kansas 8-7 2/22
29 Gonzaga 12-3 2/22
28 Kentucky 7-6 2/22
28 Michigan State 12-3 2/21
28 Creighton 11-4 2/23
28 Murray State 8-9 2/22
Consecutive Seasons .500 or Better League Record
Power 5 Schools (Entering 2024-25)
Seasons Team 2024-25 W-L Next
35 Kansas 8-7 2/22
29 Duke 15-1 2/25
13 Virginia 6-9 2/22
13 Oregon 8-8 2/22
12 Villanova 8-8 2/21
9 Creighton 11-4 2/23
9 Houston 14-1 2/22
9 Seton Hall 2-13 2/23
9 Florida 10-3 2/22
Consecutive Seasons 12+ League Wins
Power 5 Schools (Entering 2024-25)
Seasons Team 2024-25 W-L Next
7 Virginia 6-9 2/22
5 Creighton 11-4 2/23
Been Great For A While Now
Creighton is 15-5 in its last 20 regular-season BIG EAST games, trailing only St. John’s (18-2) for the best mark in the league in that time.
Here’s a look at how each team in the BIG EAST has fared in their last 20 conference contests:
Best Records, Last 20 BIG EAST Games
Team W L
St. John’s 18 2
Creighton 15 5
Connecticut 14 6
Marquette 14 6
Xavier 11 9
Villanova 10 10
Georgetown 8 12
Providence 7 13
Butler 7 13
Seton Hall 5 15
DePaul 2 18
How They Rank?
Last Sunday’s game at No. 9 St. John’s was Creighton’s seventh game of the year against a top-25 team.
This was the 11th straight season that the Bluejays have faced at least six ranked teams in one season, after doing it twice total prior to Greg McDermott‘s arrival in 2010-11.
Most Games vs. Top 25 Teams, Season
Games (W-L) Season Coach
14 (6-8) 2022-23 Greg McDermott
12 (5-7) 2021-22 Greg McDermott
10 (4-6) 2017-18 Greg McDermott
8 (1-7) 2014-15 Greg McDermott
8 (2-6) 2015-16 Greg McDermott
8 (6-2) 2019-20 Greg McDermott
7 (4-3) 2016-17 Greg McDermott
7 (3-4) 2024-25 Greg McDermott
6 (1-5) 1968-69 John J. Red McManus
6 (1-5) 1971-72 Eddie Sutton
6 (2-4) 2018-19 Greg McDermott
6 (3-3) 2020-21 Greg McDermott
6 (3-3) 2023-24 Greg McDermott
Top 25 Victims
This is Creighton’s 10th straight season with multiple Top 25 wins, and 14th time overall (and 11th time under Greg McDermott).
This year is the eighth time in the last nine seasons with three or more Top 25 wins, something that had never happened even once in program history prior to 2016-17.
Creighton’s Most Top-25 Wins, Season
Wins Season Top-25 Victims
6 2019-20 #8 Villanova, #10 Seton Hall,
#12 Texas Tech, #19 Marquette,
#21 Butler, #8 Seton Hall
6 2022-23 #9 Arkansas, #11 Baylor, #13 Xavier,
#19 Providence, #21 Texas Tech, #21 Connecticut
5 2021-22 #9 Villanova, #11 Providence,
#17 UConn, #18 UConn, #24 BYU
4 2016-17 #9 Wisconsin, #12 Butler,
#16 Butler, #22 Xavier
4 2017-18 #3 Villanova, #19 Seton Hall,
#20 Northwestern, #23 UCLA
3 2020-21 #5 Villanova, #22 Xavier, #23 UConn
3 2023-24 #1 UConn, #5 Marquette, #23 Providence
3 2024-25 #1 Kansas, #11 Marquette, #14 UConn
2 1972-73 #7 Houston, #20 Santa Clara
2 1973-74 #6 Marquette, #16 Louisville
2 2001-02 #15 Florida, #17 Western Kentucky
2 2006-07 #11 Southern Illinois, #24 Xavier
2 2013-14 #4 Villanova, #6 Villanova
2 2015-16 #5 Xavier, #18 Butler
2 2018-19 #10 Marquette, #16 Clemson
Automatic Ashworth
Steven Ashworth set a Creighton single-game record on Nov. 6 vs. UTRGV when he was a perfect 17-for-17 at the free throw line. It’s the most attempts without a miss in a game in CU history.
The 17 makes at the line were an arena record (two others had made 15), and tied for second-most in a game in CU history behind only Bob Portman’s 19 vs. UW-Milwaukee on Dec. 16, 1967.
Ashworth’s 17 attempts were 10th-most in CU history, and the most by a Bluejay since Nate Funk shot 18 in a double-overtime win vs. Dayton on Nov. 26, 2005.
Ashworth’s streak of 41 consecutive made free throws was snapped on Nov. 27th vs. Texas A&M, four shy of the record set by Doug McDermott in 2013-14. Ashworth shook off that rare miss and then made 38 free throws in a row, CU’s third-longest streak ever. Ashworth made his first nine tries at the charity stripe on Feb. 11th before a miss, snapping his streak at 31 in a row.
Ashworth is the lone player in program history with multiple streaks of 30 free throws made or more, and now has three such streaks this year.
Most Consecutive Free Throws Made Since 1980
FT Name Dates of Streak
45 Doug McDermott Dec. 1, 2013-Jan. 4, 2014
41 Steven Ashworth March 2 – Nov. 22, 2024
38 Steven Ashworth Nov. 27, 2024 – Jan. 11, 2025
36 Booker Woodfox Dec. 6, 2008-Jan. 6, 2009
35 Bob Portman 1967-68
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
31 Baylor Scheierman Feb. 17-March 29, 2024
31 Steven Ashworth Jan. 18 – Feb. 11, 2025
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
28 Doug McDermott March 10-Nov. 8, 2013
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
27 Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
27 Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
#1 In Your Program, #1 In Your Record Book
Steven Ashworth has made 95.2 percent of his free throw attempts this season. Not only does that put him on pace to shatter the Creighton single-season record, but he’s also not far behind former Missouri State guard Blake Ahearn’s NCAA record (.975 in 2003-04) as well.
Ashworth is 55-for-56 (.982) at the line at CHI Health Center Omaha this season.
Best Season FT Percentage, Creighton History (Min. 70 Attempts)
Pct. Name (Class, Year) FTM-FTA
.952 Steven Ashworth (Sr., 2024-25) 99-104
.908 Kyle Korver (Sr., 2002-03) 109-120
.907 Steven Ashworth (Sr., 2023-24) 68-75
.890 Kyle Korver (Jr., 2001-02) 97-109
.882 Doug Brookins (Sr., 1974-75) 98-111
.880 Mike Caruso (Sr., 1970-71) 95-108
.876 Baylor Scheierman (Sr., 2023-24) 99-113
.875 Doug McDermott (Jr., 2012-13) 189-216
.871 Ryan Nembhard (So., 2022-23) 74-85
.868 Booker Woodfox (Sr., 2008-09) 99-114
.867 Kyle Korver (So., 2000-01) 72-83
Best Season FT Percentage, NCAA History (based on qualifiers)
Pct. Name, School FTM-FTA Year
.975 Blake Ahearn, Missouri State 117-120 2003-04
.961 Derek Raivio, Gonzaga 148-154 2006-07
.9592 Craig Collins, Penn State 94-98 1984-85
.9589 Atin Wright, North Texas 70-73 2024-25
.955 Phil Forte III, Oklahoma State 76-88 2016-17
.953 J.J. Redick, Duke 143-150 2003-04
.952 Steven Ashworth, Creighton 99-104 2024-25
.951 Steve Drabyn, Belmont 78-82 2002-03
.951 Donald Sims, Appalachain State 175-184 2009-10
.950 Rod Foster, UCLA 95-100 1981-82
.950 DJ Davis, Butler 95-100 2023-24
Among The Best
Creighton owns more BIG EAST wins (78) than any other school in the last six seasons, nine more than Marquette 69.
Since the league’s 2013 realignment, Villanova has 158 league wins to lead the BIG EAST by a wide margin, but Creighton’s 134 league victories are second-most.
Most Men’s Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2019-20 to Feb. 20, 2025)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 78 34 .696
Marquette 69 42 .622
Villanova 68 41 .624
UConn 65 26 .714
Providence 64 46 .582
Seton Hall 59 52 .532
Xavier 55 51 .519
St. John’s 55 57 .491
Butler 44 69 .389
Georgetown 23 85 .213
DePaul 16 93 .147
Most Men’s Basketball BIG EAST Wins
(2013-14 to Feb. 20, 2025)
Team W L Pct.
Villanova 158 59 .728
Creighton 134 86 .609
Providence 122 96 .560
Xavier 121 93 .565
Marquette 121 98 .553
Seton Hall 112 107 .511
Butler 98 123 .443
St. John’s 95 125 .432
Georgetown 69 147 .319
UConn 65 26 .714
DePaul 41 176 .189
Draining & Dishing
Steven Ashworth dished seven assists and made 6-of-9 three-pointers in CU’s Feb. 8th victory over Marquette.
He’s just the second Bluejay in the last 20 seasons to distribute seven or more assists, make six or more three-pointers and shoot at least 66 percent from three-point range, joining Marcus Foster (8 assists, 6-9 3FG) vs. No. 2 Villanova on Feb. 25, 2017.
Before Ashworth, no BIG EAST player had done it since Xavier’s Souley Boum had the same line as Ashworth at Georgetown on Dec. 16, 2022.
The only other major conference player to do it this year was Iowa’s Josh Dix vs. Nebraska on Jan. 7, 2025 when Dix had seven assists and made 7-of-10 three-pointers in an overtime win. Dix is a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, which is located just across the Missouri River behind CHI Health Center Omaha.
McAndrew Moves Up The Charts
Jackson McAndrew has made 45 three-pointers and drained at least one three-pointer in all but four games this season.
McAndrew’s 45 triples are tied with Toby Hegner for seventh-most in program history by a freshman.
Most 3-Pointers Made by a Creighton Freshman
3FG-FGA 3FG% Name Year
68-157 .433 Ethan Wragge 2009-10
63-161 .391 Ryan Sears 1997-98
63-145 .434 Kyle Korver 1999-00
60-141 .426 Marcus Zegarowski 2018-19
47-116 .405 Doug McDermott 2010-11
46-118 .390 Rodney Buford 1995-96
45-125 .360 Toby Hegner 2014-15
45-131 .344 Jackson McAndrew 2024-25
44-135 .326 Mitch Ballock 2017-18
41-105 .390 Jahenns Manigat 2010-11
Guarding The Paint
The presence of three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner is key to Creighton’s success in defending the paint.
While Creighton opponents shoot a respectable 60.7 percent at the rim, that number falls off from there. Bluejay foes are shooting 36.1 percent from the paint outside the charge circle, and just 38.4 percent from two-point range outside the paint.
In other words, Creighton is shooting 63.6 percent from the painted area this year, while its opponents are shooting 47.4 percent.
Area Opp. FG% CU FG%
Inside Circle 239-394 .607 272-386 .705
Paint No Circle 167-463 .361 136-256 .531
2FG Outside Paint 99-258 .384 35-96 .365
3-Point FG’s 184-602 .306 247-724 .341
More Than Just Being Tall
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 301 dunks in his career, including 65 this season. He has 180 more career dunks more than any other Bluejay player since Greg McDermott‘s arrival in 2010.
Here’s a look at the Creighton student-athletes with 25 or more dunks in a season, and 30 or more dunks in a career, under McDermott:
Most Creighton Dunks, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Year
75 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2023-24
74 Martin Krampelj 2018-19
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
69 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2021-22
65 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2024-25
63 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2022-23
50 Christian Bishop 2020-21
38 Christian Bishop 2019-20
36 Gregory Echenique 2012-13
33 Martin Krampelj 2017-18
30 Gregory Echenique 2011-12
29 Marcus Foster 2017-18
29 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-21
25 Fredrick King 2022-23
Most Creighton Dunks, Career, Since 2010-11
Dunks Name Years
301 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
121 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
103 Christian Bishop 2018-21
90 Gregory Echenique 2010-13
72 Justin Patton 2016-17
53 Fredrick King 2022-Pres.
52 Marcus Foster 2016-18
51 Khyri Thomas 2015-18
43 Arthur Kaluma 2021-23
38 Will Artino 2011-15
33 Zach Hanson 2013-17
Most Creighton Dunks, Team, Season, Since 2010-11
Dunks Year Team W-L
144 2016-17 25-10 (NCAA)
132 2021-22 23-12 (NCAA)
115 2022-23 24-13 (NCAA)
111 2024-25 18-8 so far
107 2017-18 21-12 (NCAA)
106 2018-19 20-15 (NIT)
102 2023-24 25-10 (NCAA)
90 2020-21 22-9 (NCAA)
60 2019-20 24-7 (Postseason Canceled)
58 2015-16 20-15 (NIT)
Kalkbrenner Wows ‘Em
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 35 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots in Creighton’s last road game, a Feb. 5 win at Providence.
He is the first BIG EAST player with at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks in a game since Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody in 2008.
He’s also the first Creighton player with 35 points and 12 rebounds in a game since Bob Harstad on Feb. 10, 1990.
Kalkbrenner now owns two 35-point double-doubles this season, while all other Division I players have combined for four games, including UConn’s Liam McNeeley with one. Kalkbrenner is the only BIG EAST player in the last 15 years with multiple 35-point double-doubles in a season.
The nation’s only other player with multiple 35-point double-doubles in a season in the last 10 years was Purdue’s Zach Edey, who had four in 2023-24.
CU’s only men with 35 points and 10 rebounds in a game since 1995 are Kalkbrenner (2) and Doug McDermott (2).
Last 11 Games
Creighton is 9-2 in its last 11 league games following a 2-2 league start. The numbers help reflect why:
Stat First 4 BIG EAST Games Last 10
Record 2-2 9-2
Creighton PPG 67.8 75.3
Opponent PPG 73.8 66.2
Scoring Margin -6.0 +9.1
Kalkbrenner PPG 16.3 20.7
Kalkbrenner RPG 7.5 9.1
Neal PPG 11.5 13.3
Traudt PPG 4.3 5.7
Traudt FG% .429 .476
Traudt 3FG% .385 .419
20-Point Wins 0 3
CU Reb. Margin/Game -0.6 +2.2
CU Turnovers/Game 13.5 11.2
The Bank of Morman
Steven Ashworth’s final 30 seconds at Villanova on Feb. 1 was quite the roller coaster. His turnover led to a breakaway dunk with 15.3 left by Wooga Poplar that gave the Wildcats a 60-59 lead.
Ashworth then brought the ball upcourt and airballed a pull-up three-pointer, only to have teammate Jasen Green grab the rebound and alertly call timeout while falling out of bounds.
Given another chance to redeem himself, Ashworth caught Green’s inbounds pass in the left corner and improbably banked in a game-winning three-pointer with 5.8 seconds left to seal the regular-season sweep over the Wildcats.
It was the first time Creighton has squandered a lead in the final minute of an eventual win since its memorable triple-overtime win at Seton Hall on Jan. 20, 2024. On that day, CU led 90-89 before the Pirates took the lead on two Kadary Richmond foul shots with 42.3 seconds left in triple-OT. CU answered with a Trey Alexander three-pointer with 28.4 seconds left, followed by two game-clinching free throws each from Steven Ashworth and Baylor Scheierman in the final 12 seconds.
It was also Creighton’s first go-ahead basket in the final 10 seconds of a victory since Trey Alexander’s game-winner with 0.2 seconds left at Villanova last season.
Below is a list of Creighton’s victories under Greg McDermott in which it scored a go-ahead points in the final 30 seconds of a victory.
Go-Ahead Points in Last 30 Seconds of Wins Under McDermott
Player Time Opponent Date
Kenny Lawson Jr. 18.1, Dunk Northern Arizona 11/14/10
Antoine Young 0.3, FG Long Beach St. 02/18/12
Josh Jones 22.6, FG Evansville 02/21/12
Doug McDermott 4.9, FG at Saint Joseph’s 11/16/13
Doug McDermott 2.8, 3FG St. John’s 01/28/14
Marcus Foster 6.6, 3FG vs. Xavier 03/10/17
Marcus Foster 14.4, 3FG at DePaul 02/07/18
Marcus Zegarowski 3.2 3FG Providence 01/18/20
Christian Bishop 0.8, Dunk at Providence 01/02/21
Christian Bishop 16.0, 2 FT vs. UCSB 03/20/21
Ryan Nembhard 0.0, FG vs. So. Illinois 11/22/21
Trey Alexander 26.2, 2 FT Villanova 02/04/23
Trey Alexander 12.3, 2 FT St. John’s 01/13/24
Trey Alexander 28.4, 3FG at Seton Hall 01/20/24
Trey Alexander 0.2, FG at Villanova 03/09/24
Steven Ashworth 5.8, 3FG at Villanova 02/01/25
Road Trio
Creighton is just the fifth team since 1993-94 to beat Connecticut, Villanova and Providence on the road in the same season.
The only other teams to do it since 1993-94 were Xavier (2022-23), Marquette (2011-12) and Syracuse (2011-12 and 1996-97), though Syracuse later vacated the wins from 2011-12.
Kalkbrenner Passes 1,000 at CHI
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,062 career points inside CHI Health Center Omaha. He’s the second player to score 1,000 points in the facility, joining Doug McDermott (1,573 points).
Most Career Points at CHI Health Center Omaha
Rk. Name, Years Points (Games)
1. Doug McDermott, 2010-14 1,573 (71)
2. Ryan Kalkbrenner, 2020-Pres. 1,062 (74)
3. Nate Funk, 2003-07 735 (47)
4. Marcus Zegarowski, 2018-21 728 (50)
5. Ty-Shon Alexander, 2017-20 727 (55)
6. Marcus Foster, 2016-18 723 (35)
7. Mitch Ballock, 2017-21 721 (69)
8. Kenny Lawson Jr., 2006-11 707 (76)
9. Trey Alexander, 2021-24 655 (43)
10. Antoine Young, 2008-12 634 (71)
Kalkbrenner owns the facility records for career field goal percentage (.729), offensive rebounds (192) and blocks (170) and also ranks second in arena history in field goals made (425; McDermott has 563), field goal attempts (583; McDermott has 999), free throws made (193; McDermott has 313), free throws attempted (273; McDermott has 376), and rebounds (489; McDermott has 534).
Chairmen Of The Boards
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 1,056 rebounds in his career, far ahead of Eric Dixon’s 849 to rank tops among active BIG EAST players.
Kalkbrenner enters Sunday’s contest fourth in program history, after passing Benoit Benjamin’s 1,005 on Jan. 29 vs. Xavier.
Reb. Name Years
1,751 Paul Silas 1961-64
1,126 Bob Harstad 1987-91
1,088 Doug McDermott 2010-14
1,056 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
1,005 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
979 Bob Portman 1966-69
Into The Top 35
Ryan Kalkbrenner enters Sunday tied for 35th in NCAA history with 375 career blocked shots.
Rank Blk. Name School
1. 564 Jarvis Varnado Mississippi State
—
31. 396 Mickell Gladness Alabama A&M
32. 392 D’Or Fischer West Virginia
392 Tim Perry Temple
34. 388 Kevin Samuel South Alabama
35. 375 Jason Lawson Villanova
375 Ryan Kalkbrenner Creighton
37. 374 Pervis Ellison Louisville
Kalkbrenner Passes 2,000 Points
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 2,238 career points after passing the 2,000 point milestone on Jan. 3 at Marquette.
He is the fourth player to surpass 2,000 career points for Creighton, joining Doug McDermott (3,150), Rodney Buford (2,116) and Bob Harstad (2,110).
McDermott reached 2,000 points in 101 games, Buford needed 111 games, Harstad required 121 contests to reach 2,000 points, and Kalkbrenner did it in 148 games.
If you’re curious, Kalkbrenner reached 1,000 career points in his 91st career game on Feb. 25, 2023. McDermott got to 1,000 in 57 games, Buford needed 59 and Harstad reached that milestone in 73 games.
Here’s a list of Creighton’s top scorers ever.
Most Career Points, Creighton History
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 3,150 Doug McDermott 2010-14
2. 2,238 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
3. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-99
4. 2,110 Bob Harstad 1987-91
5. 1,983 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
KKalkbrenner
Ryan Kalkbrenner enters Sunday with 2,238 points and 1,056 career rebounds after becoming the 132nd men’s player in NCAA history have recorded at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career on Jan. 25 vs. Seton Hall.
He joins Doug McDermott (3,150/1,088) and Bob Harstad (2,110/1,126) as the third player in CU history in the exclusive 2,000/1,000 club.
Creighton is now the seventh school in NCAA history to have three different men reach 2,000 points & 1,000 rebounds with only one school, joining Duke (4), Kansas (3), La Salle (3), North Carolina (3), Syracuse (3) and Utah (3).
Baylor Scheierman surpassed 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds last year, but that combined three years at South Dakota State with two campaigns at Creighton.
All He Does Is Win
Ryan Kalkbrenner has appeared in 111 wins over the past five seasons and is now the winningest player in program history.
Here’s a list of the only players on record to have appeared in at least 98 wins in a Creighton uniform:
Most Wins Played In For Creighton
Wins Name Years
111 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
107 Ethan Wragge 2009-14
107 Jahenns Manigat 2010-14
107 Doug McDermott 2010-14
98 Kyle Korver 1999-03
98 Austin Chatman 2011-15
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
Ryan Kalkbrenner has played in 159 games in his career, a Creighton record. Fellow fifth-year senior Steven Ashworth has played in 157 career games, but the first 97 of those came with Utah State.
Most Games Played For Creighton
Games Name Years
159 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
149 Ethan Wragge 2009-14
145 Jahenns Manigat 2010-14
145 Doug McDermott 2010-14
143 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
Kalkbrenner Honored, Thrice More
Ryan Kalkbrenner was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 20 and the Associated Press National Player of the Week a day later after helping Creighton to a 2-0 week in which he averaged 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game.
It was the second time Kalkbrenner has earned each honor, also picking up the acclaim on Nov. 11, 2024 after opening the year with a 49 point game.
On Jan. 22nd, Kalkbrenner was named a Midseason Second Team All-American by The Sporting News.
Kalkbrenner Chases BIG EAST Legends
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns the career record for field goal percentage in BIG EAST play (min. 5 FG/game) among multi-year players at 64.0 percent.
Kalkbrenner owns 237 career blocks in BIG EAST play, third-most in league history.
Kalkbrenner also became the 49th player in league history to score 1,000 career points in BIG EAST play on Dec. 18 and now owns 1,286 to rank ninth all-time.
Kalkbrenner also owns 618 career rebounds in BIG EAST play, which is fifth-most in league history.
Kalkbrenner is the 11th man with 1,000+ points and 500+ rebounds in BIG EAST action over a career, but the only man in history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocked shots in BIG EAST play during a career.
Best Career FG% in BIG EAST Play (min. 5 FG/game)
Pct. FG-FGA Name, School
.641 506-791 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
.608 377-620 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
.593 270-455 Emeka Okafor, UConn
.575 337-586 Otis Thorpe, Providence
1,000 Career Points & 500 Rebounds in BIG EAST Play
PTS REB Name, School
1,329 662 Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
1,286 618 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
1,177 561 Bill Curley, Boston College
1,173 534 Ryan Gomes, Providence
1,170 582 John Wallace, Syracuse
1,152 580 Zendon Hamilton, St. John’s
1,148 609 Danya Abrams, Boston College
1,071 563 LaDontae Henton, Providence
1,062 545 Tim James, Miami (Fla.)
1,047 502 Charles Smith, Pittsburgh
1,033 701 Derrick Coleman, Syracuse
Most Career Points in BIG EAST Play
Rk. Points Name, School
1. 1,587 Markus Howard, Marquette
2. 1,405 Lawrence Moten, Syracuse
3. 1,388 Troy Bell, Boston College
4. 1,329 Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
5. 1,320 Terry Dehere, Seton Hall
6. 1,316 Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
7. 1,290 Chris Mullin, St. John’s
8. 1,288 Kerry Kittles, Villanova
9. 1,286 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
10. 1,257 Dana Barros, Boston College
Most Career Rebounds in BIG EAST Play
Rk. Rebounds Name, School
1. 828 Angel Delgado, Seton Hall
2. 701 Derrick Coleman, Syracuse
3. 662 Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
4. 630 Michael Smith, Notre Dame
5. 618 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
6. 609 Danya Abrams, Boston College
Most Career Blocks in BIG EAST Play
Rk. Blocks Name, School
1. 247 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
2. 243 Hasheem Thabeet, UConn
3. 237 Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
4. 232 Etan Thomas, Syracuse
5. 224 Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown
He Shoots, He Scores
There’s been 704 players in NCAA history to score 2,000 career points, but Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks second among that list in field goal percentage.
The top seven men on that list combined to win six AP National Player of the Year awards.
Best FG%, 2,000 Point Scorers, NCAA History
FG% FG-FGA Name School
.678 828-1222 Steve Johnson Oregon State
.661 889-1344 Ryan Kalkbrenner Creighton
.639 943-1476 Lew Alcindor UCLA
.621 925-1490 Zach Edey Purdue
.620 857-1382 Patrick Ewing Georgetown
.618 910-1473 Drew Timme Gonzaga
.613 1032-1683 David Robinson Navy
Give Me 10
Creighton owns 12 home wins this season, the 28th time in the last 29 seasons that CU has won at least 10 games at home.
The only exception in that time came in 2014-15, when the Jays won nine times at home.
Filling The Building
Creighton currently ranks sixth nationally in average home attendance.
Excluding the 2020-21 season that had limited fans due to COVID, this would be Creighton MBB’s 13th straight season in the Top 10 in average home attendance.
Average Home Attendance Leaders (2/21)
Rk. Avg. Team Next Home Game
1. 20,216 Kentucky 3/1
2. 20,214 North Carolina 2/22
3. 19,758 Tennessee 3/1
4. 18,956 Arkansas 2/22
5. 18,762 Syracuse 2/26
6. 17,325 Creighton 2/23
7. 16,931 BYU 3/1
8. 16,292 Indiana 2/23
9. 15,376 Marquette 2/25
10. 15,300 Kansas 2/22
Yearly Pink Out Totals
Creighton has raised $1,000,074.65 since the start of the 2011-12 season during its annual men’s and basketball Pink Out auctions, plus additional money collected on gameday, underwriting, matching donations and volleyball/women’s basketball jersey auctions.
The numbers below show the annual figures for the men’s basketball jersey auction unless otherwise noted, but do not include the matching totals or donations collected at the door in 2025, as those were still being calculated at press time.
2011-12: $20,600
2012-13: $24,444
2013-14: $48,247.11
2014-15: $16,384.03
2015-16: $16,527.90
2016-17: $26,361.64
2017-18: $28,796
2018-19: $19,595
2019-20: $31,803.18
2020-21: $40,381
2021-22: $24,165
2022-23: $27,432
2023-24: $36,002.46
2024-25: $43,995.92
MBB Auction Totals = $404,735.24
WBB/VB Auctions + Additional Donations: $595,339.41
14-Year Totals: $1,000,074.65
12 Blocks, No Fouls?
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s fifth year of college could see him winning a fourth BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award, something only Patrick Ewing has done in league history.
Kalkbrenner had back-to-back games with six blocked shots and no fouls on Jan. 11 & 14, making him just the third player nationally since 2005-06 to do that in consecutive games, joining Southeastern Louisiana’s Jalyn Hinton (March 11 & 12, 2022) and Washington’s Robert Upshaw (Nov. 14 & 21, 2014).
Kalkbrenner (on Jan. 11 and Jan. 14) now owns two games in the last month or so with six blocks and no fouls. All other Creighton players since 1991-92 combined for one such game (Gregory Echenique vs. Drake on March 8, 2013).
20 & 10 For Kalkbrenner
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 35 points and 12 rebounds at Providence on Feb. 5, the ninth time in his career he’s had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in the same contest.
In the last 20 seasons, the only other two Creighton basketball players (men or women) with eight or more 20/10 career games were both First Round NBA Draft picks.
CU’s Most Career Games With 20 Points & 10 Rebounds
(Since 2005-06)
Qty. Name Years
25 Doug McDermott 2010-14
9 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
8 Baylor Scheierman 2022-24
Kalkbrenner now owns 23 double-doubles, the third-most by any Bluejay under Greg McDermott.
Most CU Double-Doubles Under Greg McDermott
Qty. Name Years
37 Doug McDermott 2010-14
29 Baylor Scheierman 2022-24
23 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
13 Martin Krampelj 2015-19
11 Ryan Hawkins 2021-22
Taking Down The Champs, And #1
Creighton beat No. 1 Kansas on December 4th, defeated defending NCAA champion UConn on Jan. 18th and defending NIT champion Seton Hall on Jan. 25th. For good measure, CU also topped defending runner-up Purdue in an exhibition game this season.
Even when you take out the Purdue win, Creighton is first team to defeat the defending NCAA champ, the defending NIT champ and the No. 1 team in the country in the same season since Michigan State in 2008-09. The Spartans beat NCAA champ Kansas (twice), NIT champ Ohio State (twice) and No. 1 Louisville.
Traudt Uses The 4’s
Isaac Traudt is 18-for-28 from the field and 13-of-22 from deep in the past sx home games.
The hot streak has seen Traudt up his career three-point marksmanship at home to 48.4 percent (44-91), a CHI Health Center Omaha record among players with 25 or more made trifectas.
Since his arrival on The Hilltop, when Traudt plays Creighton is 25-6 when he scores and 16-10 when he’s scoreless.
Best 3FG%, CHI Health Center Omaha History
(min. 25 3FG’s)
Pct. Name 3FG-3FGA
.484 Isaac Traudt 43-89
.483 Booker Woodfox 83-172
.457 Ethan Wragge 156-341
.449 Marcus Zegarowski 122-272
.448 Doug McDermott 134-299
Hands Off
Creighton leads the nation with 14 games this season of 10 fouls or less, and is the only team nationally with more than eight league games with 10 fouls or less this winter. Creighton has done it 9-of-14 BIG EAST games, while all other BIG EAST teams have done it a combined total of 10 times.
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, Creighton owns 43 games with 10 fouls or less, with Appalachian State second with just 25 such contests.
Since the start of last season, Creighton owns a nation-leading 12 conference games with nine fouls or less. No other team has done it more than seven times.
Jays Don’t Foul…Do You Follow?
Creighton led the nation with just 11.5 fouls per game last year, well ahead of runner-up Lipscomb’s 12.9 per contest, and are averaging an 11.0 fouls per game this season to lead the country. That puts CU on pace to tie the NCAA single-season record for fewest fouls per game, a mark currently held by the 1961-62 Air Force team that averaged 11.0 fouls per game.
Creighton’s streak of 60 straight games without a foul out was snapped on Nov. 30 vs. Notre Dame. Per Elias, that streak had been the nation’s longest since at least 2005-06.
Since the start of last year, Creighton has committed three fouls or less in 27 different halves.
In 61 games since the start of last season, Creighton has allowed just 65 made free throws in a 1-and-1 situation, and just 27 made free throws in the double bonus (and 6 of those came in an overtime session). Only four of those made free throws in a 1-and-1 situation came in the first half (2 each vs. Alabama and San Diego State).
Here’s a look at how many fouls Creighton was called for this season by half:
Creighton Fouls By Half
Opponent First Half Second Half
UTRGV 4 7
FDU 5 7
Houston Christian 2 6
Kansas City 2 4
Nebraska 7 12
San Diego State 1 5
Texas A&M 9 8
Notre Dame 5 8
#1 Kansas 3 4
UNLV 4 4
#7 Alabama 7 11
Georgetown 4 4
Villanova 1 7
St. John’s 3 6
#8 Marquette 3 9
Butler 1 8
Providence 5 3
#14 UConn 3 5
DePaul 5 7
Seton Hall 4 5
Xavier 4 7
Villanova 7 7
Providence 5 5
#11 Marquette 3 4
UConn 4 9
#9 St. John’s 7 16
Total 108 178
The McDermott Era
Greg McDermott owns 343 wins in 511 games at Creighton since his arrival in 2010-11.
That gives Creighton the 24th-most wins nationally in that span, but it’s eighth-most of programs that have had the same coach the entire time.
Schools With Most Wins Since 2010-11, Only 1 Coach
(After 2/20/25)
Rk. Wins School Coach Next
1. 446 Gonzaga Mark Few 2/22
2. 422 Kansas Bill Self 2/22
3. 377 Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett 2/22
4. 364 Michigan State Tom Izzo 2/21
364 Oregon Dana Altman 2/22
6. 354 Purdue Matt Painter 2/23
7. 353 Baylor Scott Drew 2/22
8. 343 Creighton Greg McDermott 2/23
9. 308 Colorado Tad Boyle 2/22
308 Boise State Leon Rice 2/22
McDermott’s 343 wins since the start of the 2010-11 season started are 12th-most nationally among all coaches at the Division I level, including those at multiple schools and/or retired coaches.
Most Division I Coaching Wins Since 2010-11
(Can Include Multiple Schools – after 2/20/25)
Rk. W-L Coach Next
1. 445-77 Mark Few 2/22
2. 418-109 Bill Self 2/22
3. 390-131 John Calipari 2/22
4. 373-117 Randy Bennett 2/22
5. 369-140 Mick Cronin 2/23
6. 364-154 Tom Izzo 2/21
364-160 Dana Altman 2/22
8. 354-155 Matt Painter 2/23
9. 353-151 Scott Drew 2/22
10. 349-120 Tony Bennett —
11. 346-132 Sean Miller 2/23
12. 343-168 Greg McDermott 2/23
13. 340-169 Shaka Smart 2/21
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Sunday will be Creighton’s 25th meeting against Georgetown. The meetings have been decided by an average of 15.00 points per game.
Avg. Margin CU W-L Opponent
6.64 8-3 Connecticut
7.28 13-12 Marquette
8.33 14-13 Xavier
10.14 13-15 Providence
11.38 14-10 Seton Hall
12.93 11-16 Villanova
12.67 17-7 St. John’s
13.33 15-9 Butler
15.00 14-11 Georgetown
17.16 24-1 DePaul
Video Game Numbers
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s numbers defy logic. Take a look:
In his career, Kalkbrenner has been fouled 546 times, owns 375 blocked shots, 301 dunks and just 259 career personal fouls in 159 games played.
This year only, he’s been fouled 113 times and has 69 blocks, 65 dunks and committed 34 fouls.
The only major conference men’s players in history besides Kalkbrenner (+113) to block 360 shots and own at least 100 more blocks than fouls are Jarvis Varnado (+220), Tim Duncan (+178), Emeka Okafor (+170), Calvin Booth (+165), Hasheem Thabeet (+159) and Shaquille O’Neal (+125).
Neal Passing The Rock
Jamiya Neal played 93 games in the previous three seasons at Arizona State and had just one outing with five assists in a game.
He’s transformed his game in Omaha, where he’s now 10th in the BIG EAST with his 4.0 assists per game average, and he’s the only player in the BIG EAST that’s top 11 in the league in both rebounds and assists per game.
Neal owns six assists or more in eight games this season, with Creighton going 7-1 in those contests.
Neal’s 105 assists are already the most for any season of his career.
Neal opened his senior season with 17 straight games of three assists or more before it was snapped in the win at UConn, when he scored a career-high 24 points.
More Kalkbrenner Unicornisms
Ryan Kalkbrenner owns 2,238 points and 375 blocks in his career.
Per Basketball-Reference.com, he is the seventh player in Division I men’s basketball history with at least 2,100 points and 350 blocked shots in a career.
Each of the first five men to do it were picked No. 1 in the NBA Draft. The other, Auburn star Johni Broome, is currently active.
2,100 Points & 350 Career Blocks, NCAA History
PTS BLK DRAFT Name, School
2,669 516 1 David Robinson, Navy
2,184 493 1 Patrick Ewing, Georgetown
2,117 481 1 Tim Duncan, Wake Forest
2,228 462 1 Ralph Sampson, Virginia
2,462 405 Active Johni Broome, Morehead St./Auburn
2,238 375 Active Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
2,143 374 1 Pervis Ellison, Louisville
How Much Is 2,238 Points?
Per Basketball-Reference.com, Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks tied for 257th in NCAA history with 2,238 career points. He can move into the top 250 with 11 more points.
Among the notable players that Kalkbrenner could pass on Sunday are Vin Baker (2,238), Kerry Kittles (2,243), Myles Powell (2,252), Trayce Jackson-Davis (2,258) and Juan Dixon (2,269).
Eyebrow Raising Numbers
Ryan Kalkbrenner had quite the stat line on Jan. 11 at Butler, finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds, six blocked shots, three steals and no fouls while also making three three-pointers.
Before Kalkbrenner that game at Butler, the nation’s last player with 26 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots in a game…was also Kalkbrenner, who had a 28/9/7 line in a triple-overtime win at Seton Hall on Jan. 20, 2024.
Digging deeper, Kalkbrenner became the nation’s first Division I men’s player with at least 26 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots while not committing a foul in a conference game since Kentucky’s Anthony Davis had 27/14/7 vs. Arkansas on Jan. 17, 2012.
Kalkbrenner was the first high major player with at least 26 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots in a game that he made three or more three-pointers since Oregon’s Chris Boucher had a 26/10/7/4 line at Arizona State on Jan. 31, 2016.
And if you combine his whole line of 26 points, nine rebounds, six blocks, three steals and three three-pointers and you’ll learn Kalkbrenner is the nation’s only high-major player since 2005-06 with such a box score line like that.
Rare Air
Ryan Kalkbrenner is the nation’s only high major players to average at least 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game this season.
In the last 25 seasons, only eight high-major players have finished a season hitting each of those benchmarks, with five of those men hailing from the BIG EAST.
High Major Players to Average 17 PPG, 8 RPG & 2.6 BPG
(Last 25 Seasons)
Name, School Year PPG RPG BPG
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton ’24-25 18.7 8.5 2.8
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana ’22-23 20.9 10.8 2.9
Herbert Hill, Providence ’06-07 18.1 8.8 2.9
Shelden Williams, Duke ’05-06 18.8 10.7 3.8
Emeka Okafor, UConn ’03-04 17.6 11.5 4.1
David Harrison, Colorado ’03-04 17.1 8.8 2.9
Mike Sweetney, Georgetown ’02-03 22.8 10.4 3.2
Ryan Humphrey, Notre Dame ’01-02 18.9 10.9 2.8
Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall ’00-01 17.8 10.8 4.4
Ashworth Passes Century Mark
Steven Ashworth’s owns 6.8 assists per game this season, a figure that ranks seventh nationally.
Earlier this year Ashworth became just the second Creighton player in the last 40 seasons to reach the 100 assist mark in his first 16 games of a season, as seen below.
Fewest Season Games to 100 Assists, Since 1985-86
Name, Year GP to 100 AST
Maurice Watson Jr., 2016-17 11
Steven Ashworth, 2024-25 15
Grant Gibbs, 2011-12 17
Maurice Watson Jr., 2015-16 17
Latrell Wrightsell, 1991-92 18
Grant Gibbs, 2012-13 18
On The Double
After not having a double-double in the first 143 games of his career, Steven Ashworth has had four double-doubles in his last 14 games.
He’s one of just five Bluejay men to have multiple points/assists double-doubles in a season since 1992-93.
Ashworth, who is now averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 assists per game, is also on pace to be the seventh different BIG EAST player in the last 40 years to average at least 16.3 points and 6.5 assists per game. Of that grouping, he’d be the first to do it while making at least 2.90 three-pointers per game.
Most Points/Assists Double-Doubles, Season (Since 1992-93)
P/A D-D Name Years
6 Maurice Watson Jr. 2016-17
3 Maurice Watson Jr. 2015-16
3 Steven Ashworth 2024-25
2 Edward St. Fleur 1995-96
2 Marcus Zegarowski 2020-21
2 Trey Alexander 2023-24
BIG EAST Seasons With 16.3 PPG & 6.5 APG (Since 1986-87)
PPG APG 3FG/G Name, School Year
17.3 7.8 — Pearl Washington, Syracuse 1985-86
20.6 7.1 2.9 Billy Donovan, Providence 1986-87
17.3 7.6 0.4 Sherman Douglas, Syracuse 1986-87
18.2 8.6 1.0 Sherman Douglas, Syracuse 1988-89
18.7 6.9 2.4 Chris Thomas, Notre Dame 2002-03
17.4 6.7 1.2 Jonny Flynn, Syracuse 2008-09
17.0 7.0 3.1 Steven Ashworth, Creighton 2024-25
Sniper!
Jackson McAndrew made a three-pointer in each of his first nine BIG EAST games before being blanked on Jan. 29 vs. Xavier. He was Creighton’s first freshman in the BIG EAST era to make a triple in nine straight league games.
Before McAndrew, no CU freshman had made a triple in at least nine straight league games since Ethan Wragge’s streak of 16 in a row from Jan. 3 – Feb. 27, 2010 when the Bluejays were part of the Missouri Valley Conference.
McAndrew is the only freshman in the BIG EAST to make a three-pointer in nine straight league games this season, and was the league’s first freshman to do it in nine straight conference games since Villanova’s Cam Whitmore’s 11 game streak in 2022-23.
Consecutive BIG EAST Games With A 3FG
Creighton Freshmen
3FG Streak Name Year
9 Jackson McAndrew 2024-25
6 Marcus Zegarowski 2018-19
Let’s Compare
How do Jackson McAndrew’s league stats as a freshman compare to some other Creighton power forwards of note in recent years?
Let’s have a look…
Name, Year MPG PPG RPG 3FG 3FG%
Jackson McAndrew, 2024-25 21.2 6.9 4.1 25 .347
Arthur Kaluma, 2021-22 26.5 9.9 5.1 14 .304
Toby Hegner, 2014-15 16.8 5.5 3.4 22 .373
Doug McDermott, 2010-11 30.6 15.3 8.1 23 .442
Ethan Wragge, 2009-10 15.4 5.8 1.9 32 .390
Dane Watts, 2004-05 19.3 6.3 3.1 17 .370
Anthony Tolliver, 2003-04 6.1 0.6 1.1 0 .000
Kyle Korver, 1999-00 18.6 10.5 3.3 41 .526
McAndrew Making History
Jackson McAndrew scored 13 points in each of his first two BIG EAST games and has scored in double-figures nine times this winter.
McAndrew was Creighton’s first true freshman with 13 or more points in each of Creighton’s first two conference games since Chad Gallagher in 1988-89 when CU was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Gallagher is now Creighton’s fifth-leading scorer in program history with 1,983 career points.
CU’s only other freshman in the last 35 years to score 13+ in his first four league games was redshirt freshman Justin Patton, who did it in his first four BIG EAST games in 2016-17. Patton would go on to earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors and went on to become the No. 16 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
McAndrew’s nine games this season with 10 or more points ranks tied for 10th-most among Creighton true freshmen in the last 25 seasons. Of the 13 most recent players to do it (before McAndrew), 11 went on to be named to the conference’s All-Freshman Team other than two men who eventually played in the NBA.
This season, the only other BIG EAST players with more than nine double-digit performances this season have been UConn’s Liam McNeeley (15) and Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber (18).
Most 10+ Point Games, Creighton True Freshmen
Since 1999-2000
Rk. 10+ Pts Player (All-Frosh Team?) Year
1. 32 Doug McDermott (Y) 2010-11
2. 21 P’Allen Stinnett (Y) 2007-08
3. 17 Marcus Zegarowski (Y) 2018-19
17 Ryan Nembhard (Y) 2021-22
5. 14 Arthur Kaluma (Y) 2021-22
6. 13 Kyle Korver (Y) 1999-00
7. 11 Trey Alexander (Y) 2021-22
11 Terrell Taylor (Y) 1999-00
9. 10 Mitch Ballock (Y) 2017-18
10. 9 Ethan Wragge (Y) 2009-10
9 Ty-Shon Alexander (N) 2017-18
9 Jackson McAndrew 2024-25
13. 8 Jahenns Manigat (Y) 2010-11
8 Khyri Thomas (N) 2015-16
Kalkbrenner On Midseason Wooden Award List
Ryan Kalkbrenner was named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on February 11th.
Selected by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 20 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award All-American Team™ and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2025 John R. Wooden Award® Men’s Player of the Year. Players not selected for the midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.
Nearly 1,000 voters will be invited to rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament’s early rounds, players’ contributions to their teams and their character. The Wooden Award All-American Team™ will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament’s “Elite Eight.”
The winners and the All Americans of the 2025 John R. Wooden Award®, presented by Principal, will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 11.
Big Deficits, No Big Deal
Creighton owns 28 victories since the start of the 2010-11 season after trailing by double-figures at some point, including a New Year’s Eve comeback win after trailing 18-7 early vs. St. John’s.
Thirteen of those 28 comebacks have come away from home.
If you’re curious, CU’s largest comeback win since 2000 came on Jan. 28, 2006, when the Jays trailed 25-6 early before rallying to beat Wichita State on a buzzer-beater by Anthony Tolliver.
CU’s Double-Digit Comebacks Under McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
18 #18 Oklahoma 11/19/14
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
16 at Seton Hall 01/27/21
16 SIU Edwardsville 11/27/21
15 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21
14 Evansville 02/21/12
14 vs. San Diego State 03/17/22
13 at Saint Joseph’s 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
13 #22 Xavier 12/23/20
12 Saint Joseph’s 12/11/10
12 at DePaul 01/17/16
12 East Tennessee State 11/11/18
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
11 vs. Ole Miss 11/21/16
11 vs. Connecticut 03/12/21
11 DePaul 01/22/22
11 St. John’s 12/31/24
10 UAB 11/14/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
10 at Nebraska 12/07/14
10 South Dakota 12/09/14
10 St. John’s 01/03/18
10 at DePaul 02/07/18
10 Bemidji State 02/13/18
Stat Leaders, Nationally
Here’s a list of the categories that Creighton is in the Top 20 in, through games of Feb. 19.
Category Rank Stat
Team Fouls Per Game 1st 11.0
FT Pct. (Ashworth) 2nd .952
Field Goal Percentage (Kalkbrenner) 3rd .663
Blocks (Kalkbrenner) 4th 69
Blocks Per Game (Kalkbrenner) 4th 2.76
Team Defensive Rebounds Per Game 4th 29.38
Assists Per Game (Ashworth) 7th 7.0
Assists (Ashworth) 9th 174
300 In The Books
Creighton is 304-64 all-time inside CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton needed 118 games to reach 100 victories, with that coming on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana. Creighton’s Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program’s 200th at the facility and came in its 242nd home game.
Creighton won its 300th game vs. St. John’s on Dec. 31, 2024 in its 363rd game.
Thomas Earns Scholarship Under Xmas Tree
Redshirt freshman guard Shane Thomas was surprised on Christmas morning, as one of the gifts he received was an envelope from the Creighton Basketball program.
Thomas opened the letter and read it to himself with a puzzled look. After his family asked him what the letter said, Thomas recited aloud “full grant in aid, spring of 2025…I think it’s a scholarship.”
Thomas’ guess was accurate, as the former walk-on will now be on scholarship for the spring semester.
Steven’s Streaks Speaking of streaks owned by Steven Ashworth, the senior had buried a three-pointer in 42 games in a row before it was snapped on Feb. 11th vs. UConn. That’s the second-longest in program history, trailing Baylor Scheierman’s 48 in a row (which didn’t include his final 10 games at South Dakota State).
Ashworth’s streak of 16 straight games with multiple three-pointers was snapped on Jan. 3 at Marquette, but it was still tied for the second-longest in the BIG EAST since 2005-06.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Creighton History
Streak Name Dates of Streak
48 Baylor Scheierman Nov. 7, 2022 – Dec. 16, 2023
42 Steven Ashworth Jan. 13, 2024 – Feb. 8, 2025
33 Ty-Shon Alexander Feb. 27, 2018-March 6, 2019
31 Booker Woodfox Nov. 25, 2008-March 23, 2009
28 Kyle Korver Feb. 4, 2001-Feb. 6, 2002
Consecutive Games With Multiple 3-Pointers
BIG EAST Players Since 2005-06
Streak Name, School Streak
25 Frank Young, WVU Nov. 18, 2006 – Feb. 20, 2007
16 Steven Ashworth, CU March 21 – Dec. 31, 2024
16 Ethan Wragge, CU Nov. 28, 2013 – Jan. 25, 2014
16 Taquan Dean, LOU Jan. 25-March 28, 2006
16 Steve Novak, MU Nov. 25, 2005 – Jan. 20, 2006
15 Baylor Scheierman, CU Nov. 7, 2022 – Jan. 1, 2023
15 Myles Powell, SHU Jan. 30 – Nov. 2019
Isaacs To Miss Remainder Of Season
Junior guard Pop Isaacs will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season as the Las Vegas native underwent hip surgery on Dec. 11th.
Isaacs ranked second on the team with 16.3 points per game in eight appearances, including a season-high 27 points in CU’s victory over No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 4 in his final game, which helped him earn BIG EAST Player of the Week honors.
Combo #7
Creighton has used seven different starting line-up combinations thanks to a variety of injuries and other circumstances, even though it’s kept the same starting five over each of the last 14 games.
In McDermott’s 15 years patrolling the Bluejay sideline, this year’s seven different line-ups are the second-most he’s used over the course of an entire campaign.
Different Starting Lineups Under Greg McDermott
Year Entire Season
2010-11 5
2011-12 1
2012-13 1
2013-14 3
2014-15 10
2015-16 6
2016-17 4
2017-18 5
2018-19 5
2019-20 3
2020-21 3
2021-22 4
2022-23 2
2023-24 2
2024-25 7 so far
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
The Creighton men’s basketball team has been picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference in the annual survey of league coaches, which was unveiled as part of BIG EAST Media Day.
It marks the second straight year CU has been picked second, and fourth time in the past five seasons the Bluejays have been tabbed for a top-two finish. CU’s 2020-21 squad and 2023-24 teams were also both picked second, and eventually finished in second place, while the 2022-23 squad that eventually reached the Elite Eight was picked first and finished in third place.
Connecticut, the defending BIG EAST regular season and tournament champion and the reigning national champion, was chosen to finish first in the poll. The Huskies received all possible 10 first-place votes and 100 points from the league’s head coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Creighton will be led by Ryan Kalkbrenner, who is a Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST selection for the third time and also earned his first Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year accolade. Kalkbrenner remains the only player in program history to earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST honors multiple times. The only other Bluejays to be named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year have been Doug McDermott (2013-14) and Marcus Zegarowski (2020-21).
Joining Kalkbrenner with Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST acclaim was Connecticut’s Alex Karaban, Marquette’s Kam Jones, Providence’s Bryce Hopkins, St. John’s Kadary Richmond and Villanova’s Eric Dixon.
Creighton has matched or exceeded its preseason projection in all but one season since joining the BIG EAST in 2013-14, the best showing in the league in that time. The Bluejays are seeking a ninth straight finish in the top four of the league standings. CU’s team three years ago was predicted to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, then ended up in fourth. Five years ago, a team picked seventh in the BIG EAST’s preseason poll went 13-5 in league play to share its first league title with Villanova and Seton Hall. That Bluejay team ended the year ranked seventh in the entire nation.
Creighton’s BIG EAST Preseason Poll History
Year Preseason Actual Preseason All-BIG EAST
2013-14 3rd 2nd Doug McDermott (POY, 1st)
2014-15 9th T-9th –
2015-16 9th 6th –
2016-17 3rd T-3rd Maurice Watson Jr. (1st); Marcus Foster (HM)
2017-18 5th T-3rd Marcus Foster (1st); Khyri Thomas (HM)
2018-19 9th T-3rd Martin Krampelj (HM)
2019-20 7th T-1st Ty-Shon Alexander (1st)
2020-21 2nd 2nd Marcus Zegarowski (POY, 1st); Mitch Ballock (2nd)
2021-22 8th 4th –
2022-23 1st 3rd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Arthur Kaluma (2nd)
Ryan Nembhard (2nd); Baylor Scheierman (HM)
2023-24 2nd T-2nd Ryan Kalkbrenner (1st); Trey Alexander (1st)
Baylor Scheierman (2nd)
2024-25 2nd ?? Ryan Kalkbrenner (POY, 1st); Steven Ashworth (3rd)
Reserves Get It Done
Creighton’s bench combined for a season-high 33 points in its Dec. 7th win vs. UNLV, making 13-of-20 shots overall and 7-of-9 three-pointers.
The 33 bench points were CU’s most since scoring 47 on Dec. 9, 2023 vs. Central Michigan.
Creighton scored 29 bench points vs. Providence on Jan. 14th, its most in a league game since also scoring 29 vs. St. John’s on Jan. 25, 2023.
Creighton has won 45 straight games when scoring 17 bench points or more.
Did You Know?
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 17 points and 10 rebounds vs. No. 1 Kansas on Dec. 4th, making him Creighton’s first player ever with a double-double against a top-ranked team.
Kalkbrenner’s 10 rebounds also tied the most ever by a Bluejay against a No.1 squad, as George Morrow also had 10 boards vs. DePaul on Jan. 28, 1980.
Pop Isaacs’ 27 points tied a program-record for the most by any Bluejay against a top-ranked team, something Ty-Shon Alexander also did vs. Gonzaga on Dec. 1, 2018. Isaacs is also the first player since Marquette’s Dwyane Wade (vs. Kentucky in 2003) with at least 27 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a win over the No. 1 ranked team.
Something Special
Per OptaStats, Creighton became the first team to beat two different AP No. 1 teams by double digits in the same calendar year since Oklahoma did it in back-to-back games in February 1990 (beat Missouri & Kansas). In addition to the 76-63 win over Kansas on Dec. 4, CU also topped UConn 85-66 on Feb. 20th.
Per ESPN, the Dec. 4 loss to Creighton was the third-largest margin in 105 all-time losses by a top-ranked Kansas team to an unranked foe, and the most since losing by 16 in 2011 to Kansas State.
At the time, the only other unranked team in the last five seasons (2020-21 to 2024-25) to beat the No. 1 team by 13+ points was Nebraska vs. Purdue on Jan. 9, 2024.
Elias Sports Bureau has confirmed that Creighton is the nation’s third team in the last 20 seasons to beat a top-ranked program with a +13 advantage in both scoring and rebounding, joining No. 5 Kentucky vs. #1 Tennessee on Feb. 16, 2019 as well as No. 3 Baylor over No. 1 Gonzaga in the 2021 national title game.
Down Goes #1
Creighton is one of just eight teams in the last 15 seasons to defeat a No. 1 team in the country in back-to-back seasons. Here’s a list at the others to have done it:
Creighton 2023-24 (UConn) and 2024-25 (Kansas)
Northwestern 2022-23 (Purdue) and 2023-24 (Purdue)
Rutgers 2021-22 (Purdue) and 2022-23 (Purdue)
Kentucky 2018-19 (Tennessee) and 2019-20 (Michigan State)
Butler 2016-17 (Villanova) and 2017-18 (Villanova)
UCLA 2015-16 (Kentucky) and 2016-17 (Kentucky)
West Virginia 2015-16 (Kansas) and 2016-17 (Baylor)
Indiana 2011-12 (Kentucky) and 2012-13 (Michigan)
Unsung Heroes
Creighton has the luxury of bringing three veterans off the bench who can play a variety of positions and shoot it from deep in Mason Miller, Isaac Traudt and Jasen Green.
The trio has scored 218 points in Creighton’s 18 wins, but have a total of 46 points in CU’s eight losses to date.
Denied!
Ryan Kalkbrenner had at least one blocked shot in 27 straight games played, the second-longest streak by a Bluejay since 1984-85, before being held without a swat at Marquette on Jan. 3rd.
It was Kalkbrenner’s third career streak of 25 or more games with a swat, making him the nation’s only player since 2005-06 with three such streaks.
Kalkbrenner’s six blocked shots on Jan. 11 at Butler and Jan. 14 vs. Providence were a season-high, and the 21st game of his career with five or more rejections. All other Bluejay players since 2005-06 have combined for 16 such games (7 by Gregory Echenique, 4 by Anthony Tolliver, 2 by Kenny Lawson Jr. and 1 each by Fredrick King, Jacob Epperson and Justin Patton).
Creighton’s Longest Streaks With A Block, Since 1984-85
Streak Name Dates
28 Benoit Benjamin 12/14/84 – 3/5/85
27 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2/2/24 – 12/31/24
26 Ryan Kalkbrenner 11/16/21 – 2/26/22
25 Ryan Kalkbrenner 11/14/22 – 3/1/23
17 Brody Deren 2/4/03 – 12/6/03
17 Gregory Echenique 2/16/11 – 11/25/11
Action Jackson
Jackson McAndrew had 12 points and 14 rebounds on Nov. 26 vs. San Diego State, then followed that up with a season-high 16 points vs. No. 20 Texas A&M a day later.
McAndrew was the first Bluejay freshman with a double-double since Fredrick King had 16 points and 10 rebounds at Marquette on Dec. 16, 2022.
McAndrew is the first Bluejay with a double-double in his first start at Creighton since South Dakota State transfer Baylor Scheierman had 11 points and 10 rebounds on Nov. 7, 2022 vs. Florida A&M.
McAndrew was the first Bluejay freshman with a double-double in his first career start since Ryan Nembhard (15 points, 10 assists). No Bluejay freshman since at least 1987-88 had owned a points/rebounds double-double in his first career start.
McAndrew is one of three freshmen in the BIG EAST this season to have a double-double in his first career start, joining UConn’s Liam McNeeley (18 & 10 vs. Sacred Heart) and Georgetown’s Thomas Sorber (20 & 13 vs. Lehigh).
McAndrew’s 14 rebounds were the third-most by any freshman in Greg McDermott‘s 15 years as Creighton head coach (491 games). Doug McDermott had 17 at Bradley on Feb. 1, 2011 and 16 at Akron on Feb. 19, 2011.
McAndrew was also the first Bluejay freshman since Fredrick King in December of 2022 to score 12+ points in consecutive games.
McDermott Passes Altman On CU Wins List
Greg McDermott has 343 victories at Creighton, passing his predecessor Dana Altman (327) for the most in program history in CU’s Nov. 13 win vs. Houston Christian.
McDermott broke a different record on Jan. 21 at DePaul when he coached his 504th game on the Bluejay sideline, breaking the mark of 503 held by Altman.
McDermott’s .671 winning percentage is Creighton’s best since Arthur A. Schabinger’s .714 win rate from 90 years ago.
Below is a list of the most victorious Creighton coaches in program history, as well as the history of the Creighton Athletic Department.
Most Coaching Wins, Creighton MBB History
Rk. W-L Name Years
1. 343-168 Greg McDermott 2010-Pres.
2. 327-176 Dana Altman 1994-2010
3. 165-66 Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-1935
4. 138-118 John J. “Red” McManus 1959-1969
5. 130-64 Tom Apke 1974-1981
Most Wins, Creighton Athletics History (after 2/19/25)
Coach, Sport Victories
Brent Vigness, Softball 819
Ed Servais, Baseball 678*
Mary Higgins, Softball 564
Tom Lilly, Men’s & Women’s Tennis 547*#
Kirsten Bernthal Booth, Volleyball 502*
Jim Flanery, Women’s Basketball 449*
Ed Hubbs, Men’s & Women’s Tennis 347
Greg McDermott, Men’s Basketball 343*
Dana Altman, Men’s Basketball 327
*still active coaching at Creighton
#currently just the women’s tennis coach
Stability Is Key
One reason for Creighton’s extended run of success has been the continuity within its coaching staff. The Bluejays have had just two head coaches in the last 31 years, Dana Altman (1994-2010) and Greg McDermott (2010-Present).
Here’s a list of major conference schools to have a coach with 300 wins at that school, and their predecessor also had 300 wins at the school:
School Former Coach Current Coach
Creighton Dana Altman Greg McDermott
Kansas Roy Williams Bill Self
Michigan State Jud Heathcote Tom Izzo
Purdue Gene Keady Matt Painter
The Launch Pad
Basketball-Reference.com did the math, and Creighton owns 9,548 three-pointers in 1,251 games since the rule went national in 1986-87.
That ranks second-most in the country in that span, trailing only Duke (9,954 through Feb. 21).
Additionally, Creighton’s 7.63 three-pointers per game in that time lead the nation among programs who are currently in a major conference.
7-Foot-1 Of Awesome
A few notes about Ryan Kalkbrenner.
There’s only two BIG EAST players to score 73+ points in 60 minutes or less in any two game span since 2005-06. Ryan Kalkbrenner (73 points in 58 minutes) in the opening week this season and UConn’s Kemba Walker (73 points in 60 minutes) in 2010.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of three major conference players since 2005-06 to score 73 points and block six shots in any two game span, joining Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley.
There’s been only four BIG EAST players to score 73+ points to score any two-game span since 2012: Marquette’s Markus Howard (7x), DePaul’s Max Strus, Creighton’s Doug McDermott and Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Kalkbrenner is the nation’s second player since 2005-06 to score 24+ points and shoot 90 percent (min. 10 FGA) in consecutive games, joining Belmont’s Evan Bradds from November of 2015.
Evan Bradds (7x) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (7x) are the only men in the country with five or more career games of 90 percent shooting (min. 10 FGA) since 2005-06.
Kalkbrenner Block Machine
Ryan Kalkbrenner ranks second in program history in blocked shots with 375. Kalkbrenner had 107 swats last year and is now 36 blocks behind Benoit Benjamin.
Most Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
375 Ryan Kalkbrenner 2020-Pres.
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
Among The Best…EVER!
Ryan Kalkbrenner has made 894 of 1,353 career shots, putting him at 66.1 percent overall. That places the senior center fourth in field goal percentage in NCAA history among players to make 700 or more field goals and at least four field goals per game.
However, Kalkbrenner is first among all such players who have ever attempted 50 or more three-point field goal attempts….he’s taken 123.
Best Career FG%, NCAA History (min. 700 FG, 4FG/game)
Pct. (FG-FGA) Name, School Years
.678 (828-1222) Steve Johnson, Oregon State 1976-81
.667 (740-1109) Evan Bradds, Belmont 2013-17
.664 (702-1058) Todd MacCulloch, Washington 1995-99
.661 (894-1353) Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton 2020-Pres.
.651 (747-1147) Bill Walton, UCLA 1971-74
He Shoots, He Scores
Ryan Kalkbrenner had a night for the ages on Nov. 6 in the season-opener vs. UTRGV, finishing with 49 points on 20-of-22 shooting from the floor and 7-of-8 free throws while adding 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.
Kalkbrenner’s 49 points were the second-most in program history, two behind Bob Portman’s 51 on Dec. 16, 1967 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Portman made 16-of-35 field goal attempts and 18-of-23 foul shots in his record-setting contest.
Below is a list of the previous Bluejay performances of 40 points or more
Most Points, Creighton Game
Pts. Name, Opponent Date FG FT
51 Bob Portman vs. UW-Milwaukee 12/16/1967 16 19
49 Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. UTRGV 11/06/2024 20* 7
47 Eddie Cole vs. Morningside (OT) 11/29/1954 18 11
46 Bob Portman vs. Weber State 12/23/1968 19 8
45 Tim Powers at Idaho State 01/29/1966 17 11
45 Benoit Benjamin vs. Indiana State 01/19/1985 18 9
45 Doug McDermott vs. Providence 03/08/2014 17# 6
44 Doug McDermott at Bradley 01/07/2012 18@ 5
43 Bob Portman at Kansas State 02/12/1968 16 11
43 Benoit Benjamin vs. Southern Illinois 01/17/1985 18 7
42 Bob Portman vs. LaSalle 01/30/1968 19 4
42 Cavel Witter vs. Bradley (2OT) 03/01/2008 13% 12
41 Doug McDermott vs. Wichita State 03/02/2013 15# 6
40 Chad Gallagher vs. Wichita State 02/17/1990 14 12
40 Rodney Buford vs. Bradley 12/30/1998 13$ 8
*includes 2 three-pointers
@includes 3 three-pointers
%includes 4 three-pointers
#includes 5 three-pointers
$includes 6 three-pointers
Honors Roll In For Kalkbrenner
Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was named the first BIG EAST Player of the Week of the 2024-25 season, the conference announced on Nov. 11. He also picked up National Player of the Week acclaim from ESPN’s Dick Vitale, NCAA.com’s Andy Katz, the USBWA, Associated Press as well as the Lute Olson Award.
The 7-foot-1 center averaged 36.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game as No. 15 Creighton posted a pair of double-digit victories to open the season. The three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year shot 90.6 percent from the field (29-32), including 100 percent from three-point range (3-3), and also made 92.3 percent (12-13) of his free throw attempts.
It was the first weekly honor from the BIG EAST of Kalkbrenner’s career, though he’s certainly no stranger to hardware. Kalkbrenner is one of three men to earn at least three BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was named First Team All-BIG EAST in 2022-23, Second Team All-BIG EAST in 2023-24 and Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST in 2021-22. Prior to this season, Kalkbrenner was named the league’s Preseason Player of the Year. He is also a four-time member of the BIG EAST’s All-Academic Team.
Kalkbrenner Scoring Tidbits
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 49 points vs. UTRGV on Nov. 6 bring up all sorts of notes.
– In the last 25 years, the only player nationally with more points in a season-opener than Kalkbrenner’s 49 was Arkansas’ Rotnei Clarke, who had 51 in 2009 against Alcorn State.
– Kalkbrenner’s 49 points are the fourth-most ever in a season-opener by a player on a Top 25 team, trailing only LSU’s Bob Pettit (60 in 1953), UCLA’s Lew Alcindor (56 in 1966) and Jacksonville’s Artis Gilmore (50 in 1970). Those other three men are in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
– Kalkbrenner is the first Bluejay with 40+ points and 10+ rebounds in the same game since Chad Gallagher had 40 points and 11 rebounds vs. Wichita State on Feb. 17, 1990.
– Kalkbrenner’s 49 points were the fifth-most points in a game in BIG EAST history. Marquette’s Markus Howard had games of 53, 52 and 51, while Providence’s MarShon Brooks had a 52 point game as well.
– Kalkbrenner’s 49 points were the most in a double-double performance in BIG EAST history.
– Before Kalkbrenner’s 49 points and 11 rebounds, no other high major player has posted as many points and rebounds in any game over the past 30 years.
– Kalkbrenner is also the nation’s only player with 49+ points and 3+ blocks in the same game since at least 2005-06.
– Kalkbrenner scored Creighton’s first eight points and got better as the game went on. He had nine points in the first 10 minutes, then scored 11 in the final 10 minutes before half for the highest-scoring first half of his career.
Kalkbrenner then scored 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half before closing his masterpiece with 15 points in the final 10 minutes.
– Kalkbrenner’s 49 points broke Doug McDermott’s record of 45 points by a Creighton player at CHI Health Center Omaha. The overall record is 53 by Marquette’s Markus Howard on Jan. 9, 2019.
Having A Field Day
Ryan Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals made on Nov. 6 were a Creighton single-game record, eclipsing the previous mark of 19 done twice by Bob Portman in 1968.
Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals are the most in a season-opener by any player nationally in the last 15 seasons.
Kalkbrenner is the only player in the BIG EAST in at least 30 years with 49+ points and 20+ field goals in a game.
Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals tied the single-game BIG EAST record held by Providence’s MarShon Brooks vs. Notre Dame in 2011.
Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals made were a CHI Health Center Omaha record, breaking the old mark of 17 done twice by Doug McDermott and once by Evansville’s Colt Ryan.
Kalkbrenner’s 20 field goals made were the most by any player in a game against a Division I foe since Iowa State’s Melvin Ejim made 20 hoops vs. TCU on Feb. 8, 2014.
Kalkbrenner’s 90.9 percent shooting from the field was the highest field goal percentage in a 45-point game by any Division I player in the past 25 seasons, and the highest by a player to attempt 20 or more shots in a game in the past 25 years.
– Kalkbrenner was the first player with 20 field goals on 90 percent shooting in a Division I game since UCLA’s Bill Walton made 21-of-22 shots vs. Memphis in the 1973 NCAA final.
– Kalkbrenner missed just three shots (2 FG, 1 FT). He’s the first Division I or NBA player to score 45+ points while missing no more than three shots (FG or FT) since Dirk Nowitzki did in the 2011 NBA playoffs.
– Kalkbrenner made his final three field goal attempts in the first half, then made 11-of-11 shots in the second half, giving him 14 buckets in a row. That’s two shy of the NCAA single-game record of 16 made field goals in a row set by Kent State’s Doug Grayson vs. North Carolina on Dec. 6, 1967.
Dynamic Duo
Ryan Kalkbrenner (49) and Steven Ashworth (25) combined for 74 points on Nov. 6th. It was the most points by any BIG EAST duo since at least 1996-97.
It’s the second-most points by any Creighton pair in the same game, one point shy of the mark set on Jan. 19, 1985 when Benoit Benjamin (45) and Vernon Moore (30) combined for 75.
It’s the most points by any Creighton duo in 15 seasons under Greg McDermott. The previous high was 62, done on March 9, 2019 by Mitch Ballock (39) and Martin Krampelj (23) vs. DePaul. Ballock is now a graduate manager on the Bluejay staff.
In addition to Ballock and Krampelj, Creighton’s only other duo to combine for 62+ points in a game since 1996-97 was Nate Funk (38) and Johnny Mathies (24), who did it in double-overtime on Nov. 26, 2005 vs. Dayton.
The last Division I duo to combine for 74+ points in a non-overtime game was Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor and Jordyn Adams (both with 37) vs. Tennessee State on Jan. 23, 2020.
Nifty Fifty Leads To Postseason?
Not counting 2019-20, when there was no postseason, Creighton has made the postseason each of the previous 11 times in which it has made at least 50 percent of its field goal attempts to open the year. That’s a good sign since CU shot 60 percent on Nov. 6, its best mark since at least 1993-94 in a lid-lifter.
Nine of those postseason trips were NCAA Tournament berths. The last time that didn’t hold true was 1991-92, when CU shot 51.0 percent in the opener but finished just 9-19.
Creighton has shot 50 percent or better in nine of its last 13 season-openers.
CU Season-Opener Field Goal Percentage 50+%
Since 1993-94
FG% Year Opponent Postseason
.541 1997-98 UMKC NIT
.524 1998-99 Towson State NCAA
.569 2000-01 Western Illinois NCAA
.594 2002-03 UT Arlington NCAA
.500 2012-13 North Texas NCAA
.556 2013-14 Alcorn State NCAA
.528 2015-16 Texas Southern NIT
.508 2016-17 UMKC NCAA
.558 2017-18 Yale NCAA
.524 2019-20 Kennesaw St. Postseason Ccd.
.585 2021-22 Ark.-Pine Bluff NCAA
.567 2023-24 Florida A&M NCAA
.600 2024-25 UTRGV ? ? ?
The Push For 90
Of Creighton’s 25 all-time NCAA Tournament teams, 12 have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Put another way…of CU’s 19 teams (before 2024-25) to score 90 points in an opener, 12 would reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s a look at Creighton’s last 12 teams to score 90 or more points in a season-opener:
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
97-65 North Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 27-8 NCAA
104-77 Central Arkansas 11/14/14 14-19 —
93-70 Texas Southern 11/14/15 20-15 NIT
92-76 Yale 11/10/17 21-12 NCAA
90-77 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 11/09/21 23-12 NCAA
105-54 Florida A&M 11/07/23 25-10 NCAA
99-86 UTRGV 11/06/24 ? ? ? ? ? ?
One Of The Best
Senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named one of 20 candidates on the NABC Division I Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, one of 50 players up for the John R. Wooden Award, and one of 50 candidates for the Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year Watch List.
Kalkbrenner is four players named to the Naismith’s Preseason list each of the last three years (joining Hunter Dickinson, RJ Davis and Caleb Love). He’s also one of four players to make the NABC Preseason list each of the past two seasons, joining Dickinson, Oumar Ballo and Wade Taylor IV.
Who’s Back?
With Creighton returning six of the 11 men who appeared in a game last season, it’s no surprise that a similar ratio of the production from 2023-24 is also gone. Below is a breakdown of what is back:
Stat Returners Departures
Blocks 119 (83.2%) 24 (16.8%)
Starts 105 (60.0%) 70 (40.0%)
Minutes 3684 (51.3%) 3491 (48.7%)
Rebounds 636 (51.1%) 608 (48.9%)
Points 1383 (49.1%) 1432 (50.9%)
3FG Made 171 (45.6%) 204 (54.4%)
Assists 226 (38.4%) 362 (61.6%)
Steals 42 (31.3%) 92 (68.7%)
Charges Taken 4 (30.8%) 9 (69.2%)
Preseason Top 15
The Creighton men’s basketball team was ranked 15th in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, the third straight season the Bluejays have been ranked among the nation’s best in the preseason.
This year’s announcement marks the seventh time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22), 2020-21 (No. 11), 2022-23 (No. 9) and 2023-24 (No. 8). All six of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament, with the last three most recent squads making the Sweet 16.
Creighton’s best ranking in program history is seventh, done five times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020, Jan. 7, 2021 and Nov. 28, 2022).
Creighton has been ranked 146 times in program history, with 118 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 180-76 all-time as a ranked team, including a 146-64 mark under McDermott. Creighton has now been ranked at least one week in 11 of McDermott’s 15 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton is one of 13 schools ranked in the Top 25 of the Preseason AP poll each of the last three years, joining Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Creighton, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. Narrow that list to just the Preseason Top 15 the past three seasons and only seven schools can claim that, with Creighton joining Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Creighton was one of three BIG EAST Conference schools in the preseason poll, joining No. 3 Connecticut and No. 18 Marquette. Two of Creighton’s December opponents, No. 1 Kansas (Dec. 4) and No. 2 Alabama (Dec. 14), are atop the poll. CU met preseason No. 13 Texas A&M on Nov. 27 in Las Vegas.
Creighton was also 14th in the preseason USA Today Coaches poll.
CU dropped out of both polls on Monday, Dec. 9 but returned on Feb. 11th when it was No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 21 in the Coaches poll before dropping out again on Feb. 17th.
Among The Nation’s Best
Below is where Creighton ranks nationally since the start of the 2010-11 season among teams to have played 100 or more Division I games, per Basketball-Reference.com.
2010-11 to Feb. 19, 2024
Category CU Stat CU Rank
3FG Made 4,565 2nd
2FG Percentage .551 3rd
FG Percentage .477 4th
3FG Percentage .373 6th
Assists 8,187 6th
FG Made 13,960 8th
Points 39,049 9th
Wins 343 23rd
Winning Percentage .671 29th
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns 105 starts from last year’s team, the fifth time in the past six seasons its returned at least 100 starts.
Creighton has won 20 or more games each of the previous nine times (and 13 of the last 14 times) it has returned 100 or more starts.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2024-25 3 105 ? ? ?
2023-24 3 111 25-10
2022-23 3 104 24-13
2021-22 0 2 23-12
2020-21 5 124 22-9
2019-20 4 136 24-7
2018-19 2 57 20-15
2017-18 2 72 21-12
2016-17 4 130 25-10
2015-16 1 64 20-15
2014-15 1 49 14-19
2013-14 4 144 27-8
2012-13 4 140 28-8
2011-12 3 101 29-6
2010-11 4 123 23-16
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
#ProJays
Creighton has three alums in the NBA this season.
Former Creighton All-American Doug McDermott is with the Sacramento Kings as he begins his 11th year in the NBA.
Baylor Scheierman was a First Round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the NBA champion Boston Celtics.
Trey Alexander went undrafted, but was signed on a two-way contract by the Denver Nuggets.
These men give Creighton at least one NBA player for the 41st time in the last 42 seasons.
Other famous Bluejays to play in the NBA in the past include Paul Silas, Kyle Korver, Benoit Benjamin and Anthony Tolliver.
Let’s Go On A Run
Creighton has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. That makes CU one of five teams in the country to have a win in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments, joining Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston and Kansas.
This is the first time that Creighton has won an NCAA Tournament game in four straight years.
Sweetness!
Creighton is one of just five teams to have reached at least three of the last four Sweet 16s.
Gonzaga and Houston have done it each of the last four seasons, while Alabama, UCLA and Creighton have done it three times each.
This is the first time Creighton has been in the Sweet 16 in back-to-back tournaments.
Most Sweet 16’s, Last Four Years
# Team Years
4 Gonzaga 2021 2022 2023 2024
4 Houston 2021 2022 2023 2024
3 Creighton 2021 – 2023 2024
3 UCLA 2021 2022 2023 –
3 Alabama 2021 – 2023 2024
Ain’t Too Proud To Brag
Creighton (9 straight seasons) is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in each of the previous nine seasons joining Kansas (35), Gonzaga (27), Belmont (14), Oregon (9) and Houston (9).
Creighton (5 straight seasons) is also one of five teams to post 22 or more wins in each of the previous five seasons, joining Gonzaga (27), Houston (7), San Diego State (5) and Baylor (5).
Creighton was one of six teams in the nation with 25 or more wins in both men’s basketball and women’s basketball last season. That list consists of Creighton, Gonzaga, NC State, South Carolina, UConn and Vermont.
Creighton is one of four schools to have men’s and women’s basketball programs to both own 22 wins or more each of the previous three seasons, a list that included Creighton, Gonzaga, Princeton and UConn.
24 of 26 Seasons With 20 Wins
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 24 of the previous 26 seasons (1998-99 to 2023-24), a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just two schools have had 20 or more wins each of the last 26 years: Gonzaga and Kansas. Duke has done it 25 times, Creighton and Kentucky 24 times each.
Most 20-Win Seasons, Previous 26 Seasons
Team 20-Win Seasons
Gonzaga 26
Kansas 26
Duke 25
Creighton 24
Kentucky 24
Arizona 22
Florida 22
Ohio State 22
Michigan State 22
BYU 21
Memphis 21
North Carolina 21
Wisconsin 21
Most Consecutive 22-Win Seasons
Team Consec. 22-Win Years
Gonzaga 27
Houston 7
Creighton 5
San Diego State 5
Baylor 5
Top 25 Men & Women
Creighton was one of 12 schools with a preseason top-25 squad on both the men’s and women’s side in 2024-25, joining Alabama, Baylor, Connecticut, Duke, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Texas and UCLA.
The only five schools to be ranked in the preseason men’s and women’s basketball Top 25 of the AP Poll each of the last three seasons are Baylor, Creighton, North Carolina and Texas.
Creighton is one of eight schools to make the NCAA Tournament in both men’s and women’s basketball each of the previous three seasons, a list that consists of Arizona, Baylor, Creighton, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Tennessee, Texas and UConn.
Creighton is one of 14 schools that won an NCAA Tournament game last season in both men’s and women’s basketball: Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Colorado, Creighton, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee, Texas, and UConn.
Release, Rotation, Splash, Repeat
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 1,046 straight games. That ranks as the nation’s 10th-longest active streak.
Creighton’s last game without a three-pointer came at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993, when the Jays were 0-for-5. Creighton’s last win without making a three-point basket came on March 3, 1991 when the Jays went 0-for-2 from three-point range in a 71-66 win over Southern Illinois in the championship game of the MVC Tournament.
Below is a list of the nation’s longest active three-point streaks.
Longest Active 3-Point Streaks (through 2/19)
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 1,253 UNLV 2/22
2. 1,251 Duke 2/22
3. 1,187 East Tennessee State 2/22
4. 1,160 Oakland 2/21
5. 1,157 Pacific 2/20
6. 1,153 Texas 2/22
7. 1,093 Marshall 2/20
8. 1,087 Gonzaga 2/22
9. 1,074 Princeton 2/21
10. 1,046 Creighton 2/23
11. 1,042 Long Island 2/22
12. 1,030 Mount St. Mary’s 2/21
Triple Trouble
During Creighton’s current streak of 1,046 straight games with a three-pointer, the Jays have drained 8,407 trifectas, an average of 8.04 treys per game.
Only five times in the streak has Creighton made just one three-pointer, but on 317 occasions the Bluejays have made 10 or more trifectas, including three games of 20 or more.
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Bluejays are 97-25 when making eight or more three-pointers, compared to a 36-33 mark when making seven treys or fewer.
Team 3FG Made During Creighton’s 3-Point Streak
1: 5 times 2: 19 times 3: 36 times
4: 75 times 5: 104 times 6: 110 times
7: 153 times 8: 132 times 9: 95 times
10: 87 times 11: 64 times 12: 63 times
13: 50 times 14: 26 times 15: 9 times
16: 8 times 17: 4 times 18: 1 time
19: 2 times 20: 1 time 21: 1 time 22: 1 time
CHI Health Center Omaha Dramatics
Creighton is 8-8 in contests with a game-winning go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds at CHI Health Center Omaha, which opened in 2003.
The last time such a game happened was in 2020 when Creighton’s Marcus Zegarowski hit a shot with 3.2 seconds left to beat Providence.
Creighton’s Go-Ahead Scores in Wins at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
11/26/05 Dayton W 91-90* Funk FG :5.7
01/28/06 Wichita St. W 57-55 Tolliver FG :0.0
11/25/06 George Mason W 58-56 Watts FT :7.5
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 Witter 3FG :3.2
01/13/10 Southern Illinois W 71-69 Young FG :1.3
02/18/12 Long Beach St. W 81-79 Young FG :0.3
01/28/14 St. John’s W 63-60 McDermott 3FG :2.8
01/18/20 Providence W 78-74 Zegarowski 3FG :3.2
*double-overtime
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses at
CHI Health Center Omaha, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) L 53-52 G. Diaz FT :2.6
01/20/07 Southern Illinois L 58-57 B. Mullins FG :4.1
01/10/15 #19 Seton Hall L 68-67 S. Gibbs 3FG :2.2
02/16/15 #19 Butler L 58-56 R. Jones FG :1.9
03/07/15 Xavier L 74-73 D. Davis FT’s :6.3
01/12/16 #12 Providence L 50-48 K. Dunn FG :0.0
02/22/17 Providence L 68-66 K. Cartwright 3FG :2.4
02/10/18 #5 Xavier L 71-72 Q. Goodin FT’s :0.3
Top-20 Crowds
Here’s a look at Creighton’s top-20 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,868 Providence 03/08/14
2. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
3. 18,831 #1 Villanova 12/31/16
4. 18,797 #6 Villanova 02/16/14
5. 18,759 #1 Gonzaga 12/01/18
6. 18,742 Seton Hall 02/23/14
7. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
8. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
9. 18,571 DePaul 01/22/24
10. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
11. 18,519 #8 Seton Hall 03/07/20
12. 18,518 Georgetown 01/27/18
13. 18,509 Villanova 02/04/23
14. 18,495 Marquette 02/17/18
15. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
16. 18,475 Nebraska 11/22/24
17. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
18. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
19. 18,430 Seton Hall 01/25/25
20. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
CHI Health Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 368 regular and postseason contests at CHI Health Center Omaha all-time in the now 22-year-old facility.
The Bluejays own a 304-64 (.826) record all-time at the facility.
Creighton’s Nov. 25, 2017 win over SIU Edwardsville was the program’s 200th at the facility, coming in its 242nd home game. CU’s 100th win came on Nov. 17, 2010, a 63-58 win over Louisiana.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 28,911-24,154 in games at CHI Health Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.93 points per game. Creighton has not trailed 93 different times, including twice this year (Kansas City, #1 Kansas).
Incredibly, Creighton hasn’t trailed in its home opener in 10 of the past 24 seasons (2000-01, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016-17 and 2019-20).
Creighton is also 33-37 all-time in the 70 games at the arena in which it’s fallen behind by double-figures at any point, 8-12 when down by 10+ points at halftime in the facility, and 42-30 when trailing at halftime at CHI Health Center Omaha.
Creighton is 207-46 (.818) at CHI Health Center Omaha under Greg McDermott and hasn’t trailed in 66 of those games. In that same span, CU owns a 106-10 home record (.914) 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 322-64 (.834) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Home Run
Under Greg McDermott Creighton is averaging 80.70 points per home game (20,417 points in 253 home games), a figure that climbs to 84.23 points in non-conference home games (9,855 points in 117 home games).
Creighton is 153-7 all-time at CHI Health Center Omaha when scoring 80 or points.
Nine Is Divine
Greg McDermott has guided his team to the NCAA Tournament nine times at Creighton. That put him in the company of some of the greatest coaches in CU Athletics history, and most among basketball coaches.
McDermott is one of three head coaches in Creighton history to lead eight or more NCAA Tournament teams.
Name Sport NCAA’s @CU
Kirsten Bernthal Booth Volleyball 14
Bob Warming Men’s Soccer 11
Greg McDermott Men’s Basketball 9
Dana Altman Men’s Basketball 7
Brent Vigness Softball 7
Jim Flanery Women’s Basketball 7
Firing On All Cylinders
Creighton finished the 2023-24 season ranked 11th overall by KenPom.com. That included the nation’s No. 9 offense, and No. 24 defense.
Creighton has finished with a top-25 offense per KenPom eight times and a top-25 defense three times in 14 completed seasons under Greg McDermott.
Year Off. Rating Def. Rating Overall Rank
2010-11 66 174 98
2011-12 5 166 28
2012-13 5 66 15
2013-14 2 124 17
2014-15 59 138 79
2015-16 43 76 40
2016-17 32 46 28
2017-18 25 58 30
2018-19 47 83 55
2019-20 3 78 12
2020-21 25 32 22
2021-22 112 19 50
2022-23 23 14 12
2023-24 9 24 11
2024-25 44 30 33
New Court Debuts
Creighton is playing home games on a new basketball court designed to tell the story of Creighton University and the program’s proud history.
The court was designed by GLGR out of Beaverton, Ore., and produced by Ledford Sports Floors out of Jenks, Okla.
The court includes multiple intricate features that merit up-close inspection to gain a full appreciation for the attention to detail in the new Creighton-centric design.
• Six numbers will appear on the west sideline, three in front of each bench, to recognize the retired jersey numbers for No. 3 (Doug McDermott), No. 25 (Kyle Korver), No. 30 (Bob Harstad), No. 33 (Bob Portman), No. 35 (Paul Silas) and No. 45 (Bob Gibson).
• Within the eye of the Bluejay logo at midcourt will be the number 1916, a nod to Creighton’s first recognized year of intercollegiate basketball.
• Just inside the three-point line on the South end will be text of seven core Jesuit values, such as “Women and Men For and With Others”. It is believed that Creighton is the nation’s first Division I team with its school motto included inside its basketball court.
• Also inside the three-point line on the North side of the court are Heritage logos to honor Creighton’s history.
• The new color scheme also features an updated courtside gradient, in addition to a feather pattern inside the three-point line, a nod to Creighton’s Bluejay nickname.
McDermott’s Coaching Tree
Greg McDermott‘s coaching tree owns 10 men who are currently a head coach at the Division I level. Seven of the 10 won 20+ games last season. Here’s a list:
Darian DeVries – West Virginia
Eric Henderson – South Dakota State
Alan Huss – High Point
Ben Jacobson – Northern Iowa
Steve Lutz – Oklahoma State
TJ Otzelberger – Iowa State
David Richman – North Dakota State
Daniyal Robinson – Cleveland State
Paul Sather – North Dakota
Patrick Sellers – Central Connecticut State
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2024-25 season went on sale on October 16th.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CHI Health Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, by calling Ticketmaster or visiting Ticketmaster.com, and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
