text:
CenturyLink Center
Media Guide
CU in the NBA
Devin Brooks
Courtesy: © Steven Branscombe
Men's Basketball Visits Madison Square Garden To Face St. John's
By: None
Release: 02/08/2014
Download Creighton Notes as a PDF
Sign Up For Free Email Updates
2013-14 Creighton Men's Basketball
Game #23 • #12 Creighton at St. John's • Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 • 6:02 pm CST
#12/12 Creighton Bluejays at St. John's Red Storm
Madison Square Garden (19,979) • New York, N.Y.
Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com
TV: FOX Sports 1
Series History: St. John's leads, 5-3
Last Meeting: Creighton 63, St. John's 60 on Jan. 28, 2014 in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
No. 12/12 Creighton (19-3, 9-1 BIG EAST) has five road games amongst its next seven contests, beginning with Sunday night's contest at St. John's (14-9, 4-6 BIG EAST).
Tip-off at Madison Square Garden (19,979) in New York, N.Y., is scheduled for 6:02 pm CST.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOZN (1620 The Zone) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2013-14 season. John Bishop and Nick Bahe will call the action. The broadcast is also webcast live at 1620thezone.com.
The pregame show "Bluejay Shootaround" is hosted by Josh Peterson and former Bluejay Josh Dotzler, and will air from 4:00 - 5:30 pm.
Following the game, Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host "Overtime" for approximately one hour, while also taking calls from listeners.
Broadcast Information
Sunday's game will be broadcast nationwide on FOX Sports 1, with Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery on the call.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the top of the page for a link the exact URL.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Scouting #12/12 Creighton
Creighton owns an 19-3 record, including double-digit wins over Nebraska, Arizona State, Cal, Marquette, Seton Hall, Xavier, Butler, No. 4 Villanova and Georgetown.
The Bluejays are tied for first place in their first BIG EAST campaign with a 9-1 league mark. Creighton has won 14 of its last 15 games since December 2nd, including consecutive triumphs over Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's and DePaul.
Six-time BIG EAST Player of the Week Doug McDermott (25.3 ppg., 7.2 rpg., 42.6 3FG%) is the nation's only returning consensus First Team All-American, as well as the nation's leading returning scorer. He's led the Jays in scoring and rebounding each of the past three seasons, was named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, has scored 19 or more points in all but two games this year, and owns eight games of 30 or more points.
Austin Chatman (7.4 ppg., 3.9 rpg., 4.3 apg.) and Jahenns Manigat (8.2 ppg., 44.6 3FG%) help man the Bluejay backcourt and have combined for 165 assists against just 57 turnovers this year. Avery Dingman (3.3 ppg.) also sees time in the backcourt, starting the last seven games after Grant Gibbs (6.1 ppg., 4.4 apg.) suffered a dislocated kneecap on Jan. 7 at DePaul. Gibbs returned to the line-up on Friday vs. DePaul and had eight assists, seven points and five rebounds.
Helping to replace Gregory Echenique at the "5" spot have been the duo of Ethan Wragge (11.9 ppg., 50.0 3FG%) and Will Artino (6.4 ppg., 66.7 FG%). Wragge ranks in the top-four nationally in three-point percentage and three-pointers made per game.
Scouting St. John's
St. John's is 14-9 on the season and has won five of its last six games. The only loss in that time was a 63-60 setback at Creighton, a result the Red Storm will try to avenge on Sunday.
D'Angelo Harrison leads the Red Storm in scoring (18.3 ppg.), three-pointers (46) and free throws (126), while JaKarr Sampson tops the club with 6.3 rebounds per game and is second with 12.7 points per contest.
Chris Obekpa scores a mere 3.7 points per game, but is fourth in the country with 3.5 blocked shots per game after finishing second with 4.0 swats a contest a season ago. He had a career-high 11 points against Creighton two weeks ago.
As a team, St. John's scores 73.2 points per game while yielding just 67.2. The Red Storm are -0.4 on the glass, turn the ball over just 10.3 times per game, and shoot 71.6 percent at the line.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in the midst of his fourth season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 28-8 mark last year, and is now 99-33 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 379-228 in his 20th season and is 248-164 in his 13th Division I campaign. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Patrick Sellers.
Steve Lavin (Chapman, 1988) owns a 54-37 mark in his fourth year at St. John's, moving his career mark to 199-115 in 11 overall years as a head coach. He was previously head coach for seven seasons at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to five Sweet 16's. He is assisted by Rico Hines, Tony Chiles and Jim Whitesell.
The Series With St. John's
St. John's leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 5-3 count, including a 4-0 mark in New York.
The Bluejays won a 63-60 contest in Omaha on January 28th in the first meeting between the schools since 1971.
Greg McDermott is 1-0 against St. John's and Steve Lavin, while Lavin is 0-1 versus Creighton.
Milestone Watch
-A win would be Creighton's 100th in the last four years, most in school history for any four-year span. The current 99 wins in the last four years is tied with the 1999-2003 senior class headlined by Kyle Korver.
-A win would also mark Greg McDermott's 100th at Creighton.
-Doug McDermott is 28 points shy of tying Allan Houston (2,801) for 16th in NCAA history.
-Doug McDermott is three rebounds shy of moving into third place in Creighton history in that category, passing Benoit Benjamin (1,005).
-With 30 or more points on Sunday, Doug McDermott can become the first Bluejay with three straight games of 30 or more points since Benoit Benjamin in 1985.
-Grant Gibbs is three assists shy of moving into fourth-place in Creighton history, passing Randy Eccker (458).
-Jahenns Manigat is one made free throw shy of 100 and five rebounds shy of 300.
A Little Garden Variety
Sunday's trip to Madison Square Garden will be Creighton's first trek to the venue as it currently stands.
CU's last game on record at a "Madison Square Garden" was a February, 1964 visit to play New York University. That game, as well as several others before that (such as the 1942 NIT), took place in the third variation of Madison Square Garden. That facility was demolished in 1968.
The current Madison Square Garden (MSG IV) facility opened in 1967, with its first basketball game contested in 1968.
Creighton's only current student-athlete to play in a college game at The Garden is Grant Gibbs (in 2008-09 at Gonzaga).
Notably, Greg McDermott, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge all told the media after Friday's game that they've never visited the World's Most Famous Arena.
Famous Moment, Famous Coach
Madison Square Garden is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Arena", and a former Creighton coach is involved in what a 2013 Bleacher Report poll named the greatest moment in Madison Square Garden history.
After missing Game 6 with a severe thigh injury, NBA MVP Willis Reed limped out of the tunnel prior to Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to raucous applause. He would start and make the New York Knicks' first two baskets. Though he wouldn't score again, the tone was set and he was named Finals MVP.
Reed would later serve as head coach at Creighton from 1981-85, winning 52 games.
Big Stage
Doug McDermott is one of the frontrunners for the Wooden Award, which led us to look back at how the last 20 Wooden Award winners did in their first game of their award-winning season at Madison Square Garden, if they visited the World's Most Famous Arena.
Yr. Name, School Pts. Reb. Ast
'12 Anthony Davis, Kentucky 14 6 0*
'10 Evan Turner, Ohio State 23 11 4
'09 Blake Griffin, Oklahoma 32 15 3
'07 Kevin Durant, Texas 21 9 1
'04 Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's 20 8 10
'03 T.J. Ford, Texas 22 2 8
'01 Shane Battier, Duke 16 6 0
*7 blocked shots
Seeking 20 Wins, Again
With a win on Sunday, Creighton will reach 20 or more games for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally entered this season with 20 or more wins each of the previous 15 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton entered this season one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 14 of the previous 15 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky and Utah State.
Entering this season, that's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (13 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (12 each).
Most 20+ Win Seasons, Last 16 Years
Seasons* School 2013-14 W-L Next Game
15 Syracuse 22-0 2/9
15 Gonzaga 21-3 2/8
15 Florida 20-2 2/8
15 Duke 18-5 2/8
15 Kansas 17-5 2/8
14 Creighton 19-3 2/9
14 Kentucky 17-5 2/8
14 Utah State 13-9 2/8
14 Kent State 12-10 2/8
*entering 2013-14
20-Win Seasons
With a victory on Sunday, Creighton can earn its 26th 20-win season in the 96-season history of Bluejay Basketball.
Previous 20-Win Seasons, Sorted By Wins
W-L Season Postseason?
23-5 1921-22 --
20-12 1984-85 --
10 Conference Wins Within Reach, Again
Creighton has won 10 or more conference games in each of the last 17 seasons, a mark it can extend to 18 with a win on Sunday.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 17 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (19 straight seasons, and 8-1 this year).
Since 2007-08, the only 25 teams with 10 or more league wins each season (prior to 2013-14) are Belmont, Butler, BYU, Creighton, Davidson, Duke, George Mason, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Memphis, Mercer, Middle Tennessee, Murray State, Oakland, Ohio State, Oral Roberts, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Saint Mary's, Temple, UNC Asheville, VCU, Weber State and Wisconsin.
Pretty Good Stretch
Creighton owns 76 wins in the past three seasons and 99 wins during the last four years. The totals are among the best stretches in school history, as seen below
Most Wins, 3-Year Stretch
W-L Years
80 2010-13
76 2000-03
76 2011-Present
72 2001-04
72 2002-05
Most Wins, 4-Year Stretch
W-L Years
99 1999-03
99 2010-Present
98 2009-13
97 2008-12
96 2000-04
McDermott Eyes 100th Win at CU
Greg McDermott has won 99 games at Creighton and is hoping his first trip to Madison Square Garden provides him his 100th victory at the school.
With just 132 games on the Bluejay sideline so far, he can match Arthur A. Schabinger as quickest in CU history to 100 wins with 133.
Games Coach 100th Win Date
133 Arthur Schabinger 2/17/30 vs. Marquette
144 Tom Apke 1/3/80 at Southern Illinois
165 Eddie Hickey 1/16/42 vs. Oklahoma St.
171 "Red" McManus 2/2/66 vs. Memphis
178 Dana Altman 11/20/01 vs. Western Illinois
181 Tony Barone 3/3/91 vs. Southern Illinois
2,000 Points & 1,000 Rebounds
Creighton's Doug McDermott had 32 points and nine rebounds on Friday vs. DePaul, finishing the game with 2,773 career points and 1,003 career rebounds.
In Creighton history, only Bob Harstad (2,110 & 1,126) had reached 2,000 points & 1,000 rebounds before McDermott.
Nationally, McDermott is the eighth man to own at least 2,750 points and 1,000 rebounds, an elite group that includes Bird, Robertson, Tyler Hansbrough, Elvin Hayes and Danny Manning.
The complete list is on page five.
More Than 1,000 McBuckets Served
Doug McDermott enters Sunday's tilt with 1,001 career field goals.
According to research from ESPN, he's the nation's first player in more than 20 years to make 1,000 career field goals.
The last time someone made their 1,000th field goal was way back in 1992-93, when Indiana's Calbert Cheaney (1,018) and Mississippi Valley State's Alphonso Ford (1,121) both did it.
Cheaney would go on to win the Wooden Award as the National Player of the Year in 1992-93.
Efficient Scorer
Not only is Doug McDermott a prolific scorer, but he's an efficient one, as well. As seen in the list below, McDermott is one of 10 men in NCAA history to score at least 2,700 career points and make more than 50 percent of his shots from the field. On that list, only Danny Manning, Hank Gathers and Otis Birdsong have shot more accurately than McDermott from the field.
2,700 Points & 50% FG, All-Time
(Sorted by FG%)
Rk. Name, School FG% Points
1. Danny Manning, Kansas .593 2,951
2. Hank Gathers, USC & Loyola Marymount .585 2,723
3. Otis Birdsong, Houston .5475 2,832
4. Doug McDermott, Creighton .5467 2,773
5. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley .539 3,008
6. Elvin Hayes, Houston .5364 2,884
7. Tyler Hansbrough, N. Carolina .5360 2,872
8. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati .535 2,973
9. Larry Bird, Indiana State .533 2,850
10. Lionel Simmons, La Salle .501 3,217
New York, New York
Junior guard Devin Brooks has provided a spark for Creighton this season as the first guard off the bench. He ranks fourth on the team in scoring (8.0), third in rebounding (4.0) and fourth with 60 assists.
Brooks is the rare Creighton Bluejay that comes from New York, hailing from Harlem.
He is Creighton's first player from the Empire State since Buffalo native Dominic Bishop (2005-06).
Brooks missed Friday night's game vs. DePaul due to illness.
Father/Son Duos
According to the website CollegeHoopedia.com, Doug McDermott is just the sixth man in NCAA history to be named conference player of the year while playing for his father.
Joining them on that elite list are Dick/Mark Acres (Oral Roberts), Dick/Tony Bennett (UW Green Bay), Homer/Bryce Drew (Valparaiso), Press/Pete Maravich (LSU) and Clifford/C.J. Reed (Bethune-Cookman).
Below is a list compiled by ESPN.com of most points scored by a guy playing for his dad:
Name, School Points Father
Pete Maravich,LSU 3,667 Press
Allan Houston, Tennessee 2,801 Wade
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2,773 Greg
Tony Bennett, UWGB 2,285 Dick
Bryce Drew, Valparaiso 2,142 Homer
Turning 30
Doug McDermott had a season-best 39 points when Creighton beat St. John's less than two weeks ago in Omaha.
The last Creighton player with multiple games of 30+ points against the same opposition in the same season was Benoit Benjamin, who did it agianst Indiana State in 1984-85.
Block Party?
Sunday's match-up will feature two teams that use vastly different methods to hold the opposition to 40 percent shooting from the field.
St. John's ranks first nationally with 8.3 blocked shots per game, including 3.5 per game from Chris Obekpa.
Creighton, on the other hand, ranks 341st nationally with just 1.5 swats per game as a team. The Bluejays have a season-high of five rejections (vs. UMKC, 11/11) and have played five straight games without a block. The Bluejays haven't had more than eight blocks in a game since Jan. 3, 2010, a span of 152 games.
Creighton does not have a player with more than seven blocks all season, while the Red Storm own six different men with at least seven blocked shots.
Offensive Differences, Too
Just as the teams play different defensive styles, the same can also be said on the other end of the floor.
Creighton leads the nation with 18.4 assists per game and a 1.82 assist/turnover ratio. The Bluejays have four men with 60 assists or more, and the team has an assist on 65.6 percent of its field goals.
St. John's averages 12.8 assists per game and a 1.24 assist/turnover ratio while assisting on 48.5 percent of its baskets. No Red Storm player owns more than 65 assists this campaign.
30 x 3?
Since 1990, only two Creighton players have scored 30 points in consecutive games; Bob Harstad in 1990 and Doug McDermott on three occasions last season and once this year.
McDermott, who is coming off a 39-point game on Jan. 28 vs. St. John's and 32 more on Friday vs. DePaul, can become the first Bluejay since Benoit Benjamin (Jan. 17-23, 1985) with three straight games of 30 or more points.
McDermott Rains 39 on Red Storm
Doug McDermott had 39 points in the Jan. 28 win over St. John's.
It was the most points scored against St. John's by a BIG EAST player since Allen Iverson had 39 in 1996, and fourth-most ever by a league opponent.
McDermott is only the fourth BIG EAST player to ever score 39 or more against the Red Storm, joining Donyell Marshall (42 in 1994), Terry Dehere (41 in 1993) and Iverson (39 in 1996). Marshall, Dehere and Iverson would all end up being first or second team All-Americans.
McDermott's 39 points were the most by any player in the BIG EAST this season, and most since Villanova's Maalik Wayans had 39 at Cincinnati on Jan. 14, 2012.
McDermott's 39 points are tied for 14th-most in Creighton history for a single game.
McDermott's 39 points tied the third-highest effort of his career, and were five shy of his career high 44. McDermott and Bob Portman are the only players in CU history with four or more games of 39+ points.
For his performance, McDermott was named BIG EAST Player of the Week for the sixth time as well as ESPN.com National Player of the Week.
Road Success
Creighton is 22-9 in true road games the past three years, and 34-12 when you also include neutral site games.
This year's team is 5-1 in true road games and 1-2 at neutral sites. Each of Creighton's last 10 NCAA Tournament qualifiers have had 10 or more road/neutral wins.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Dramatics
Doug McDermott hit a game-winning three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left to beat St. John's in Creighton's home game on Jan. 28th.
It was Creighton's first go-ahead score in the last 10 seconds of a home game since Antoine Young's bucket with 0.3 seconds in 2012 vs. Long Beach State left made him the first player in CenturyLink Center Omaha history with two game-winning scores at the facility.
Creighton is now 7-2 in games with a go-ahead score in the final 10 seconds in the 11-year old facility.
Creighton's Go-Ahead Scores in Wins, 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
Opponent Go-Ahead Scores in CU Losses, Last 10 Seconds
Date Opponent Score Player/Score Time
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 53-52 G. Diaz FT :2.6
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 58-57 B. Mullins FG :4.1
To The Wire
Creighton's 63-60 win over St. John's was a rare Bluejay game that went down to the wire.
It was the only time in 22 games this season that a contest was decided by three points or less, and just the fifth such game during the 58 games over the previous two years.
After going 1-6 in his first year at Creighton, Greg McDermott is 10-3 on the Bluejay sidelines in games decided by three or fewer points in the last three campaigns.
Half & Half
Doug McDermott had 39 of Creighton's 63 points in its Jan. 28 win over St. John's. In the last 20 years, it was just the fifth time that a Bluejay had scored 50 percent or more of his team's points.
The 61.9 percent of CU's points was the most by any player in those 20 years.
50% Or More of Creighton's Points,
Games Since 1993-94
Pts. Player vs. Opponent Date
63 39, Doug McDermott vs. St. John's 1/28/14
74 39, Doug McDermott at Missouri St. 1/11/13
65 40, Rodney Buford vs. Bradley 12/30/98
72 36, Rodney Buford vs. Illinois St. 2/5/96
50 25, Tad Ackerman at Wichita St. 2/23/95
Will Power
Junior Will Artino had one of his best games of his career on Jan. 25 in the win over Georgetown, tying his career high with 14 points.
Artino made 6-of-8 shots from the field, including his team-leading ninth and 10th dunks of the season, and was also perfect in two attempts at the line.
Artino also sank 3-of-3 shots vs. St. John's and is 26-for-33 (78.8 percent) from the floor in the last seven games.
The 1 For Sports?
Creighton looks to improve upon its 12-1 record on FOX Sports 1 this season when it visits St. John's on Sunday.
In the eight home games that FOX Sports 1 has aired from CenturyLink Center Omaha, the Bluejays have trailed for just 10:07 of those 360 minutes.
Going a step further, in five games with Tavis Strand as producer (as he is slated to be for CU's next two home games), Doug McDermott averages 33.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest, including four games of 32 points or more.
Comparing Offenses
Creighton has had one of the nation's most effective and most efficient offenses in the past three seasons.
With the nucleus from those teams still intact, we thought we'd take a second to compare the 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams to this year's squad through 22 games:
Stat 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Record 20-2 19-3 19-3
FG Made 627 621 617
3FG Made 189 214 237
FT Made 336 285 315
Rebound Margin +5.5 +5.3 +4.6
Assists 421 400 405
Turnovers 285 265 222
Scoring Average 80.9 79.1 81.2
Scoring Margin +13.1 +16.1 +15.6
Poll Position
Creighton finished last season ranked 22nd in the final Associated Press poll, and made its 2013-14 debut in the top-25 poll on Nov. 18 when it was No. 23rd. The Jays then climbed to 20th the week of Nov. 25th.
The Jays dropped out of the poll for six weeks before returning on Jan. 13th with a No. 20 ranking. After one week out of the poll, CU was 20th last week before skyrocketing to a season-best 12th in this week's edition, the program's best mark since last year's team was also 12th in the January 14, 2013 poll.
Creighton is 76-27 all-time when ranked in the AP poll.
Including the February 3rd poll result, Creighton has been ranked 33 times in 71 weeks of AP polls under Greg McDermott, and ranked between 26th-to-28th in nine other AP polls. The 33 weeks in the top-25 under McDermott is more than any coach in Bluejay history.
In the February 3rd USA Today Coaches poll, Creighton was ranked 12th, and the Jays are also 10th in this week's NCAA RPI ranking.
Most Weeks in AP Top 25 at CU, By Coach
Greg McDermott, 2010-Pres. 33 (of 71)
Dana Altman, 1994-2010 18
Tom Apke, 1974-81 5
Eddie Sutton, 1969-74 5
Winning As A Team
Creighton has been anything but a one-man team of late, placing five men in double-figures during wins over DePaul, Xavier and Georgetown in the last eight games alone.
Not only did five men reach double-digits on Jan. 25 vs. Georgetown, but Austin Chatman's nine points nearly gave the Bluejays six double-figure scorers for the first time since Feb. 1, 2012.
Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of its league season in 36 straight trips through the league, including this year's first half.
Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC/BIG EAST season since 1995-96.
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2013-14 8-1 1-0 so far
2012-13 7-2 6-3
2011-12 8-1 6-3
2010-11 5-4 5-4
2009-10 5-4 5-4
2008-09 5-4 9-0
2007-08 5-4 5-4
2006-07 6-3 7-2
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
Total 114-57 (.667) 110-53 (.675)
Wragge Earns League & National Honor
Senior forward Ethan Wragge was named BIG EAST Player of the Week and ESPN.com's National Player of the Week on Jan. 27 after helping Creighton to double-digit wins over No. 4 Villanova and Georgetown and averaging 19.5 points and 3.5 rebounds.
He shot a blistering 60 percent from the field (12-20), with all 20 attempts coming from behind the three-point line, and was also perfect in three attempts from the charity stripe.
Wragge opened his week with one of the best shooting displays in Creighton history while scoring a career-high 27 points. He made 9-of-14 three-point shots, tying a single-game mark first set by Kyle Korver, while adding three rebounds and three assists. Wragge made each of his first seven three-point attempts, including one in each of the game's first seven minutes, as the Bluejays surged to a 27-8 lead against one of the nation's top defenses.
Wragge's eighth trey of the first half stopped a 13-0 run that had drawn 'Nova within 15 points, and he would tie the school mark with 14:02 left in the game.
The win was Creighton's first over a ranked team in a true road game since 1978, and matched the highest-ranked club that the Jays have ever beaten.
In the Jan. 25 win over Georgetown, Wragge had 12 points and four rebounds in a 13-point victory. After Creighton fell behind 11-7 early, Wragge scored all his points during a pivotal 15-4 run in a five-minute stretch that gave CU the lead for good. His second trifecta of the day made history as he joined Korver as the second player in Creighton history with 300 or more three-pointers.
Red Hot Wragge
Ethan Wragge has made a three-point basket in all 22 games he's played this season. Wragge's streak is the fifth-longest in Creighton history, and just nine behind the school record set by Booker Woodfox in 2008-09.
Wragge also had a 21-game streak to end his freshman season before it was snapped during his first appearance of 2010-11.
It's worth noting that Kyle Korver's second-place streak of 28 games with a trey was snapped when he did not attempt a field goal in 24 minutes of play during an 83-56 win over UNI on Feb. 9, 2002. Korver then drained a triple in 27 more games in a row, a stretch from Feb. 13, 2002 to Jan. 20, 2003.
Consecutive Games With a 3FG, CU History
Streak Name Dates
31 Booker Woodfox 11/25/08 to 3/23/09
28 Kyle Korver 2/4/01 to 2/6/02
27 Kyle Korver 2/13/02 to 1/20/03
25 Rodney Buford 1/25/97 to 1/10/98
22 Ethan Wragge 11/08/13 to Present
21 Ethan Wragge 1/3/10 to 3/24/10
20 Johnny Mathies 12/22/04 to 2/28/05
What's Your 20?
Creighton has been .500 or better after 20 games in each of the last 19 seasons, including this season.
Even more impressive, Creighton has won 13 of its first 20 games in 16 of the last 17 seasons, and begun 17-3 or better five times in the past 12 years..
Creighton -- First 20 Games, Last 19 Years
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2013-14 17-3 ? ? ? ? ? ?
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
Over 500 Points, Again
Doug McDermott is fifth in the nation with 557 points this season, his fourth straight season of 500 or more points.
McDermott is the only player in Creighton history to score 500 or more in four straight seasons, one more than the three times done by Paul Silas (1961-64), Bob Harstad (1988-91) and Rodney Buford (1996-99).
Since 1997-98, the only four other players nationwide to post four seasons of 550 or more points are Keydren Clark and Tyler Hansbrough.
McDermott has scored in double-figures in 122 of 132 career games, including 90-of-93 contests since the start of his sophomore season.
Home Sweet Home
Creighton is 61-7 (.897) at CenturyLink Center Omaha under Greg McDermott, improving to 158-25 (.863) all-time in the 11-year-old facility.
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 177-25 (.876) at home since the start of the 2002-03 campaign.
Doug McDermott is averaging 27.6 points per game at home this season in just 32.3 minutes per game. He's scored 15.8 points per game in the first half at home this season, and reached double-figures before half in all but one contest.
Each of Ethan Wragge's last 57 field goals at home have been three-pointers. He last made a two-pointer at home on Jan. 8, 2013 vs. Drake.
Point, Counterpoint
Austin Chatman owns 311 career assists in his first 93 career games. With seven helpers on Jan. 25th vs. Georgetown, Chatman became the 13th player in Bluejay history to 300 assists.
He is seventh on the list of fewest games played to reach 300 dimes.
Creighton's Quickest Players to 300 Assists
Games Name
53 Ralph Bobik
56 Grant Gibbs
59 Randy Eccker
69 Ryan Sears
85 Tyler McKinney
89 Duan Cole
91 Austin Chatman
92 Vernon Moore
94 Josh Dotzler
100 Antoine Young
102 Kevin McKenna
110 Latrell Wrightsell
129 Nate Funk
Big Margins vs. Top 5
According to ESPN.com, Creighton's 96-68 win over No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20 was a victory for the ages.
The chart below signifies the largest margin of victory by an unranked team over a top-five team in the last 20 seasons.
Year Winner Upset Victim Won By
2011-12 Florida State #3 North Carolina 33
2008-09 Notre Dame #5 Louisville 33
2013-14 Creighton #4 Villanova 28
21 Three-Pointers Sets Records
Creighton set a BIG EAST and school-record with 21 three-point baskets on Jan. 20 in a 28-point win at No. 4 Villanova.
Creighton's previous mark was 20, done vs. Chattanooga in 2005.
The previous BIG EAST mark was 20, done by Notre Dame vs. Villanova in 2011 and by West Virginia vs. Marquette in 2006.
The 21 three-pointers were the most by any college team since 2010, and according to Athlon Sports, the most in a game between major conference teams since Kentucky made 21 vs. North Carolina on Dec. 27, 1989.
Creighton's 35 three-point attempts tied the school record, done three times previously.
Creighton broke the Wells Fargo Center record for three-pointers by a Villanova opponent late in the first half (the old mark was 12), and also set a mark for most points against 'Nova at the Wells Fargo Center with 96, passing the old mark of 90.
Wragge "Balboa"
Playing in a city where "Rocky" was filmed, Creighton senior Ethan Wragge put one of the most impressive shooting displays in recent college basketball history on Jan. 20th.
Wragge shot 7-for-7 from three-point range in the first seven minutes at No. 4 Villanova, and would finish the first half with a career-best 24 points.
He finished the game with 27 points, and his nine three-pointers tied the previous Creighton record held by Kyle Korver.
Wragge's nine trifectas were one shy of the BIG EAST single-game record.
During the game, Wragge's name and #WraggeBombs were both trending nationally on Twitter.
In Creighton's previous trip to Philadelphia on Nov. 16 to play Saint Joseph's, Wragge drained a then-best seven three-pointers and scored 21 points.
Manigat Comes Up Big, Too
Lost in all the commotion of Ethan Wragge's unreal shooting was the performance by his senior teammate Jahenns Manigat on Jan. 20 at No. 4 Villanova.
Manigat had a career-high 19 points, making 6-of-7 shots and 4-of-5 attempts from downtown. He also added five assists and a steal and did not have a turnover in 28 minutes of work.
Austin's Market
Austin Chatman had a season-best 10 assists on Jan. 20th in the win at Villanova. The 10 helpers contributed to 29 points by his Bluejay teammates, nine three-pointers and a lay-up.
Chatman's seven assists on Jan. 25th vs. Georgetown led to 18 Bluejay points.
Top 25 Win, And More
Creighton's 96-68 win over No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20 rewrote the record book in numerous ways. Consider...
-The win over the No. 4 team matched the highest ranked team CU has ever beaten, previously No. 4 Arizona State on Dec. 13, 1963.
-Creighton had lost 22 straight games against top-10 teams dating to 1974.
-Creighton had lost 11 straight games against ranked teams since 2007.
-Creighton had lost 25 straight true road games against ranked teams since a 1978 win over a Larry Bird-led Indiana State team.
-Creighton improved to 19-118 all-time against ranked teams.
-It was Creighton's first win over a top-five team since Jan. 29, 1970. Creighton had been 2-25 all-time against top-five foes.
-It was the highest-ranked team ever beaten by Greg McDermott, who improved to 8-25 all-time as a Division I head coach vs. ranked foes (1-3 at CU).
-It was Creighton's largest margin of victory in 137 games against a ranked team. The previous high was 12, done in a 53-41 win vs. No. 17 Illinois State in 1983.
Fun Facts
Even more fun facts following Creighton's Jan. 20 win vs. Villanova.
-The victory made Creighton the nation's only team with five true road wins and a top-25 strength of schedule, per WarrenNolan.com, at the time.
-The 28-point loss was Villanova's largest in 13 years under Jay Wright, the largest by 'Nova since 2000-01 (93-65 at UCLA), and largest at home since the 1980-81 season when it lost to Notre Dame by a 94-65 count.
-The 96 points were the most allowed by Villanova since the 2009-10 season, when the Wildcats surrendered 103 points to Georgetown.
What A Start!
Creighton made a three-pointer on each of its first nine possessions in its Jan. 20 win at No. 4 Villanova. Creighton started the game 7-for-7 from deep, missed a two-pointer but turned an offensive rebound into another trey, and then sank a trifecta on its ninth trip, as well.
That brings to mind all sorts of fun stats.
-According to Ken Pomeroy, Creighton became the first team since Indiana State in 2012 to make its first nine attempts from three-point range in a game. Pomeroy found evidence of six teams in the last five years to make their first nine attempts from downtown.
-Pomeroy's research also indicates that Creighton is the only team in the last five years to make nine straight three's without any other scores to start a game.
-Pomeroy also found that Creighton was the second team in five years to score each of its first 30 points via the three-pointer. Miami (Ohio) had its first 33 points vs. Western Michigan on Jan. 28, 2012.
-The Villanova contest marked the eighth time under Greg McDermott that Creighton's made its first five (or more) shots (of any distance).
Start Opponent Date
13-13 Campbell 11/25/11
8-8 Illinois State 2/1/12
8-8 Idaho State 12/18/10
7-7 at #4 Villanova 1/20/14
6-6 Oregon 3/28/11
5-5 Chicago State 12/29/13
5-5 Alcorn State 11/8/13
1 If By Land, 2 If By Sea, 3 If By Wragge
Ethan Wragge owns 1,051 career points, but just 26 two-point field goals. Only one player since 1997 has scored 1,000 career points with fewer than career 40 two-pointers, Butler's Bruce Horan (2003-06). Horan finished his career with 1,018 career points and just 12 two-pointers, thanks to 314 treys and 52 free throws.
Since 2006-07, Wragge owns the nation's only two seasons with at least 78 three-pointers and six or fewer two-point baskets, having done it last year (78 3's, 6 2's) and this season (81 3's, 2 2's).
Wragge's 81 treys this year are more than any other player since 1997-98 in a season with two or fewer two-point field goals. In those seasons, Horan owns the mark for most trifectas with three two-pointers with 113 (and 3 2's) in 2005-06.
Among active players, the active player with more than 1,000 career points and the second-fewest amount of two-pointers is Harvard's Laurent Rivard (1,159 points; 87 two-pointers).
Racing To 75
Ethan Wragge needed just 20 games to reach 75 three-pointers made this season. He was the second-fastest player in program history to reach the milestone, trailing only Kyle Korver (16 games) in 2002-03.
In Korver's magical 2002-03 season, he would finish with a school-record 129 three-pointers in 34 games, an average of 3.79 treys per game.
By comparison, Wragge's 81 three-pointers in 22 games this year are a similar 3.68 trifectas per contest.
Below is a list of the fewest games to 75 three-pointers in program history.
Fewest Games Before Making 75th 3-Pointer
Name Year Games to 75
Kyle Korver 2002-03 16
Ethan Wragge 2013-14 20
Tad Ackerman 1994-95 25
Kyle Korver 2000-01 26
Booker Woodfox 2008-09 27
Kyle Korver 2001-02 28
Rod Mason 1987-88 32
Ethan Wragge 2012-13 35
Doug McDermott 2012-13 35
A KenPom Delight?
Noted statistician Ken Pomeroy's website, KenPom.com has numerous ratings that break down team efficiencies. The site consistently ranks Creighton's offense among the nation's best.
Pomeroy's site (through Feb. 7) ranks Creighton with the second-best mark nationwide in "Adjusted Efficiency" at 125.3 points per 100 possessions, first in "Effective Field Goal %" at 58.7 percent, first in three-point percentage at 42.6 percent and third in "Assists Per Field Goals Made" at 65.6 percent.
Creighton's 125.3 points per 100 possessions is on pace to be the second-best mark in any of the last 10 seasons that Pomeroy's web site tracks.
Grand Milestone Is Reached
Ethan Wragge became the 37th man in Creighton history to reach 1,000 career points on Jan. 18 at Providence.
He did it in the 132nd game of his career, more than any other player to reach the milestone.
Games To 1,000 Points, Last 13 Bluejays
Name Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Ethan Wragge 132 01/18/14
Gregory Echenique 101 03/24/13
Doug McDermott 57 01/15/12
Antoine Young 115 12/10/11
Kenny Lawson Jr. 108 11/21/10
P'Allen Stinnett 86 01/16/10
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Shooting Star
Ethan Wragge made multiple three-pointers in 16 games from Nov. 28 to Jan. 25th.
By comparison, Stephen Curry (in 2013) is the only NBA player in the last three years with multiple treys in 16 or more straight games, as he reached 19 games in a row.
Wragge is the first Creighton player with multiple three-pointers in 16 straight games, three more than the previous mark set by Kyle Korver, who ended his career in 2003 with 13 such games.
Wragge has made four or more three-pointers in 12 of 22 games this season for Creighton.
Shooting Towards A Triple Crown
Not only is Creighton leading the nation in three-point percentage (43.2), but the Bluejays are making three-pointers at a near-record clip, as well.
Creighton owns 237 three-pointers through 22 games this season, an average of 10.77 per game.
In the NCAA Division I history, the only team to average more than 10.7 three-pointers per game was the Troy State squad (11.11) in 1995-96. It's worth noting that this season Charleston Southern is averaging 10.50 treys per contest this season, as well.
Big Men, Big Promise
Creighton's three top big men off the bench have all shown great promise in limited playing time of late.
Will Artino has averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in the last six games.
Zach Hanson had 17 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes, while Geoffrey Groselle added 12 points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes.
Combined, the trio shot 33-for-42 from the floor (78.6 percent) and combined for 75 points and 36 rebounds in 112 minutes of work over the last five games.
What A Run!
Creighton scored on 14 straight possessions in the first half of its 88-60 rout of Butler on Jan. 14th. In all, it led to a 33-17 blitz that turned a 12-7 game into a 45-24 contest nine minutes later.
A look at the scores:
12:28 - McDermott 3-pointer
11:46 - Brooks lay-up
11:11 - McDermott jumper
10:10 - Brooks lay-up
9:33 - 3 McDermott free throws
8:40 - Artino 3-point play
8:17 - Dingman lay-up
7:50 - Chatman 3-pointer
7:18 - McDermott 3-pointer
6:18 - Artino lay-up
5:51 - McDermott lay-up
4:56 - Hanson lay-up
4:34 - Manigat lay-up
3:49 - Hanson lay-up
Jays Earn 10 Home Wins, Again
With a win vs. Butler on Jan. 14, Creighton clinched its 10th home win this season. Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 18 straight seasons.
The current streak is a school-record, six more than the previous standard of 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign with 10 or more home wins.
Creighton has won 10 or more home games in 35 of the last 45 seasons.
Player of the Week, Again
Doug McDermott was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 13th, the fifth time this year he was honored. McDermott averaged 26.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists as Creighton posted wins over DePaul and Xavier
McDermott was also named National Player of the Week by the USBWA, NBCSports.com and CBS Sports.
McDermott has been named a league Newcomer or Player of the Week in 26 of 61 weeks since enrolling at Creighton.
Deadly From Downtown
Through games of February 6th, Creighton was second in the nation with 230 three-point baskets and first with 11.0 three-pointers per game and 43.2 percent marksmanship from deep.
Creighton has made 10 or more three-pointers in all but six games, and seven or more in all but one contest this season.
Creighton also ranked first with 18.3 assists per game and in assist/turnover ratio (1.77), seventh in scoring margin (+15.8), 10th in field goal percentage (.493) and 17th in free-throw percentage (.751).
Doug McDermott ranked second nationally in scoring average, sixth in field goals made and sixth in total points.
Ethan Wragge ranked second in three-point percentage, ninth in three-pointers made and fourth in three-pointers per game.
Jahenns Manigat ranks seventh nationally with a 3.63 assist/turnover ratio, as well.
McDermott Among Wooden Award Top 25
Senior Doug McDermott was one of 25 men named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Watch List on Wednesday, Jan. 22nd.
This is the third straight year McDermott has been on the midseason top 25 chart.
McDermott Up For An Oscar
Senior Doug McDermott was one of 23 men named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List on Thursday, Jan. 23rd.
This is the third straight year McDermott has been on the midseason top 25 list that is determined by the USBWA.
McDermott's Quest For The Top 15
Creighton senior Doug McDermott enters Sunday's game 17th in NCAA history with 2,771 career points.
McDermott is 28 points shy of former Tennessee (and New York Knicks) standout Allan Houston, who is 16th with 2,801 points. He is already the all-time leading scorer of any player to appear in a BIG EAST game, passing former Boston College great Troy Bell.
McDermott has passed hoop legends J.J. Redick, Elgin Baylor, Bill Bradley, Sean Elliott, Jimmer Fredette, Joe Dumars, Calbert Cheaney, Don MacLean, Keith Van Horn, Stephen Curry, David Robinson, Hank Gathers and Wayman Tisdale in the NCAA record book during the last few weeks.
Page three of this release lists every player in NCAA history to score 2,500 career points.
New League, But Similar Results
Below is the records for each current BIG EAST school over the last four, eight and 14 (since 2000-01) seasons, ranked by overall wins.
The three newcomers to the league, Butler, Creighton and Xavier, are at the top of nearly each category.
Most Wins Since 2000-01 (2/7/14)
Team W L Pct.
Butler 333 128 .722
Creighton 327 131 .714
Xavier 324 129 .715
Marquette 310 146 .680
Georgetown 298 147 .670
Villanova 296 159 .651
Providence 229 199 .535
Seton Hall 224 202 .526
St. John's 207 218 .487
DePaul 179 244 .423
Most Wins - Last 8 Years
Team W L Pct.
Butler 207 66 .758
Creighton 188 79 .704
Xavier 187 75 .714
Marquette 184 84 .687
Georgetown 180 75 .706
Villanova 174 87 .667
Providence 129 118 .522
Seton Hall 128 118 .520
St. John's 125 124 .502
DePaul 88 158 .358
Most Wins - Last 4 Years
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 99 33 .750
Butler 89 44 .669
Marquette 88 42 .677
Georgetown 83 36 .697
Xavier 79 42 .653
Villanova 75 47 .615
Providence 65 56 .537
St. John's 65 56 .537
Seton Hall 62 59 .512
DePaul 40 78 .339
Just Win Baby
Creighton has won 15 straight home games, a streak that began on Feb. 19, 2013 vs. Southern Illinois. Below is a list of Creighton's longest home win streaks in the 11-year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Streak Dates Snapped By
16 Feb. 9, 2005 - Jan. 31, 2006 So. Illinois
16 Jan. 19, 2010 - Dec. 22, 2011 Missouri St.
15 Feb. 19, 2013 - Present ? ? ?
14 Feb. 2, 2008 - Dec. 28, 2008 No. Iowa
11 Nov. 22, 2003 - Feb. 4, 2004 So. Illinois
Perfect Ten
Creighton had won 10 straight games before a Jan. 18 loss at Providence. This was the fifth different win streak of seven or longer in the four years with Greg McDermott as coach.
Longest Win Streaks Under Greg McDermott
W's Dates Snapped By
11 Dec. 31, 2011 - Feb. 1, 2012 at Northern Iowa
11 Dec. 1, 2012 - Jan. 15, 2013 at Wichita State
10 Dec. 3, 2013 - Jan. 14, 2014 at Providence
8 Feb. 14 - March 16, 2012 vs. #4 North Carolina
A Very Good Avery
With Grant Gibbs sidelined by injury, junior guard Avery Dingman stepped up in a big way against DePaul on Jan. 7.
Dingman entered the game with 31 points (2.2 ppg.) in Creighton's first 14 games this year, but exploded for 16 points in 18 minutes off the bench in the victory.
Dingman made 6-of-8 shots from the field, including a four-point play. His 16 points were the second-most of any game in his 86-game career, while his five rebounds were the third-best game of his career.
In his second career start, Dingman had a (then) career-best seven rebounds in a career-high 27 minutes. He topped that with nine rebounds in his last outing, vs. St. John's on Jan. 28th.
Creighton is 6-1 this year with Dingman as a starter. In those contests, he has averaged 3.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest in that span.
Board Battle Is Big
One common theme during Creighton's 10-game winning streak was that the Bluejays had won the rebound battle in nine contests, and lost it by just one in the other.
In the loss at Providence, Creighton lost the glass battle 33-27, but the margin was double-digits most of the game.
In 10 BIG EAST contests, the Bluejays have collected 30 more rebounds than the opposition.
Dating to last season Creighton has won 21 straight games when winning the battle of the boards, and 80-14 in four years under Greg McDermott when winning the rebound column.
BCS Busters at Home
Creighton has won 21 straight regular-season home games against teams from BCS leagues (at time of game) since the start of the 1996-97 season.
Those 21 wins have been by an average of 11.81 points, with 13 coming by double-digits, and just one decided by fewer than six points.
BCS Schools at Creighton, Last 16 Years*
Date Score
02/07/14 Creighton 78, DePaul 66
01/28/14 Creighton 63, St. John's 60
01/25/14 Creighton 79, Georgetown 66
01/14/14 Creighton 88, Butler 60
01/12/14 Creighton 95, Xavier 89
12/31/13 Creighton 67, Marquette 49
12/22/13 Creighton 68, California 54
12/08/13 Creighton 82, Nebraska 67
12/22/11 Creighton 87, Northwestern 79
12/04/11 Creighton 76, Nebraska 66
12/06/09 Creighton 67, Nebraska 61
11/24/07 Creighton 74, Nebraska 62
11/09/07 Creighton 74, DePaul 62
12/11/05 Creighton 70, Nebraska 44
12/10/03 Creighton 61, Nebraska 54
12/12/01 Creighton 76, Nebraska 70
12/09/99 Creighton 89, Nebraska 72
11/27/99 Creighton 85, #23 Iowa 76
12/20/98 Creighton 66, #18 Oklahoma State 60
12/02/98 Creighton 73, Baylor 59
12/10/97 Creighton 84, Nebraska 73
*regular-season games only
Top Dog At The Halfway Point
Two-time All-American Doug McDermott is a well-known commodity among the national experts who cover the sport.
With conference play underway, numerous national publications and websites have named their Midseason Players of the Year.
Among the following individuals/organizations have named McDermott the front-runner for National Player of the Year were: Jay Bilas (ESPN), Jeff Goodman (ESPN), Andy Katz (ESPN), Jay Williams (ESPN), Dick Vitale (ESPN), Digger Phelps (ESPN), Dan Dakich (ESPN), Gary Parrish (CBS Sports), Jeff Borzello (CBS Sports), Jerry Palm (CBS Sports), Jon Rothstein (CBS Sports), CJ Moore (Bleacher Report), Kelli Anderson (Sports Illustrated), Seth Davis (Sports Illustrated), Luke Winn (Sports Illustrated) and Brian Hamilton (Sports Illustrated).
Assist Machine?
Doug McDermott has 21 assists in Creighton's last nine games, including when he tied a career-high with five helpers at Seton Hall on Jan. 4th.
The 21 assists have led directly to 56 points by his Bluejay teammates.
Link To Greatness
Creighton's home, CenturyLink Center Omaha, has received several rave reviews in recent weeks.
ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman ranked it as the 10th best college basketball arena.
ESPN's Dick Vitale listed the facility among six on his "Bucket List".
Stadium Journey, a site that ranks arenas, named it the 18th-best venue in North America, and fourth-best among college basketball sites. Only Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas), Rupp Arena (Kentucky), FedEx Forum (Memphis) were ranked higher.
McDermott Named Player of the Week
Creighton senior Doug McDermott picked up two more awards on Jan. 6 as he was named National Player of the Week by CBSSports.com in addition to his BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week accolade.
McDermott averaged 24.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in double-digit victories over Marquette and Seton Hall.
This was his fourth BIG EAST Player of the Week accolade this season, and his second National Player of the Week Award (also Nov. 18 from ESPN.com).
In the write-up on McDermott from CBSSports.com, Gary Parrish writes "McDermott is, quite simply, having one of the greatest college careers in modern history."
A Wonderful Day
Doug McDermott celebrated his first game since his 22nd birthday with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a 13-point road win at Seton Hall on Jan. 4th.
McDermott was Creighton's first player with a 30 point, 10 rebound, five assist line in the same game since Benoit Benjamin had 45 points, 16 rebounds and five assists on Jan. 19, 1985 vs. Indiana State.
Ball Control Offense
Creighton had just four turnovers in 66 possessions vs. Seton Hall on Jan. 4th, its fewest in any games of Greg McDermott's four-year tenure on the Bluejay sideline.
Just 10 days later, the Bluejays did it again in a victory over Butler.
The Jays also did it on Feb. 7 vs. St. John's.
Creighton's four turnovers were its fewest since having three miscues on Feb. 1, 2005 in a win vs. Wichita State, a span of 335 games.
Strong Start To League Play
Before its Jan. 18 loss to Providence, Creighton started 5-0 in league play for the third time in 12 years (also 2002-03 and 2012-13). Since the start of the NIT and NCAA Tournaments, the Bluejays have made the postseason all four times it has opened league play 5-0.
Last season Creighton started Missouri Valley Conference play with a 6-0 mark en route to an eventual regular-season title.
Impressive 125 Game Start
A Jan. 7 win at DePaul marked the 125th game at Creighton for Greg McDermott. During that time, he won 93 games, two MVC Tournament titles, one MVC regular-season title and two NCAA Tournament games while having three of his teams ranks among the top-six nationally in average home attendance.
The game was also McDermott's 600th career game as a head coach, and made him 373-227.
Scoring Early & Often
Doug McDermott has scored in double-figures before the second media timeout in eight of Creighton's last 14 games, and 11 of Creighton's 22 games this season.
In 22 games this year, McDermott has scored 200 points before checking out for the first time, logging a collective 192:39 of court time before hitting the bench.
That gives him 1.04 points per minute to start games, good for a 41.53 points per game average if her were to maintain it over the course of 40 minutes.
Looking only at the first five minutes of games this season, McDermott has scored 126 points in those 110 minutes, an average of 1.15 points per minute and a per-40 minute average of 45.8 points per game at that pace.
Playing With A Lead
In the 11 year history of CenturyLink Center Omaha, Creighton has led wire-to-wire in 48 games, including all five December home games this season, the Jan. 14 Butler game and the Jan. 28 St. John's game. That means the Jays haven't trailed in seven of the past 10 home contests.
Creighton has trailed for just 23:15 of 520:00 minutes this season at home, and just 27:29 of its last 600:00 minutes during its 15-game home win streak. Impressively, Creighton has not trailed at any point in the second half during that home win streak, winning 14 of the 15 games by six or more points (and all but two by double-digits).
Good As Gold
Not only has Creighton started games quickly this season, but the Bluejays have also done a good job maintaining those leads.
The Bluejays have won 28 straight games when leading with 5:00 to play.
Overall under Greg McDermott, Creighton is 90-4 when leading with 5:00 left, including victories in 52 of the last 53 scenarios. The Bluejays are also 3-0 under McDermott when tied with 5:00 to play.
CU is 5-29 under McDermott when trailing with 5:00 left, with the last such rally coming on Feb. 25, 2011 at Indiana State.
Seniors Lead The Way
Creighton's senior class has led the way in recent weeks, providing tremendous scoring and shooting in addition to unquestioned leadership.
Take a look at the collective performances of Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat, Doug McDermott and Ethan Wragge during the club's last 15 games:
Opponent 3FG-3FGA Points Rebounds
Long Beach State 8-16 39 9
Nebraska 11-24 67 21
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 7-22 47 16
California 5-18 46 24
Chicago State 15-21 60 14
Marquette 11-24 51 21
Seton Hall 9-22 64 27
DePaul 7-14 42 20
Xavier 12-24 61 13
Butler 5-11 36 14
Providence 3-13 38 10
#4 Villanova 18-27 69 11
Georgetown 6-15 36 15
St. John's 6-12 46 15
DePaul 6-20 51 19
14-Game Totals 129-283 753 249
Rest of Team 30-97 442 253
On A Roll
Since the start of 2011-12, Creighton is a remarkable 76-17. On a national basis, Creighton's 75 wins since the start of last season ranks tied for seventh, through games of Feb. 7, as seen below.
Most Wins, Since 2011-12
School '11-12 '12-13 '13-14 W-L Next
Syracuse 34-3 30-10 22-0 85-13 2/9
Louisville 30-10 35-5 19-4 84-19 2/13
Wichita State 27-6 30-9 24-0 80-16 2/8
Kansas 32-7 31-6 17-5 80-18 2/8
Gonzaga 26-7 32-3 21-3 79-13 2/8
Ohio State 31-8 29-8 18-5 78-21 2/8
Creighton 29-6 28-8 19-3 76-17 2/9
Kentucky 38-2 21-12 17-5 76-19 2/8
Michigan State 29-8 27-9 20-3 76-20 2/9
Give Me Five
Creighton's win vs. Chicago State on Dec. 29th was the Jays fifth straight this season, a streak that reached 10 after a Jan. 14 win vs. Butler. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in 16 of the last 17 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's, NIT or CBI all 18 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT/CBI all seven times they haven't.
BCS Busters
One frequent question about how Creighton will handle the move to the BIG EAST is how they'll handle the nightly rigors of playing against "BCS" competition on a regular basis.
In the past three seasons, Creighton is 21-3 against teams from those leagues, with two losses (North Carolina, Duke) coming in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, and another at Providence. Sixteen of the 21 wins came by double-digits, and just 10 of the games took place in Omaha.
Individually, Doug McDermott has scored at least 19 points in all but two of those games (Alabama & Georgetown), and in both of those he had a double-double. McDermott has averaged 23.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the 24 games.
D. McDermott
Date Opponent Score Pts Reb.
11/20/11 vs. Iowa W 82-59 25 9
12/04/11 Nebraska W 76-66 24 12
12/22/11 Northwestern W 87-79 27 5
03/16/12 vs. Alabama W 58-57 16 10
03/18/12 vs. #4 N. Carolina L 73-87 20 9
11/23/12 vs. Wisconsin W 84-74 30 8
11/24/12 vs. Arizona State W 87-73 29 9
12/06/12 at Nebraska W 64-42 27 4
12/15/12 at California W 74-64 34 9
03/22/13 vs. Cincinnati W 67-63 27 11
03/24/13 vs. #6 Duke L 50-66 21 9
11/28/13 vs. Arizona State W 88-60 27 6
12/08/13 Nebraska W 82-67 33 8
12/22/13 California W 68-54 20 11
12/31/13 Marquette W 67-49 19 7
01/04/14 at Seton Hall W 79-66 30 10
01/07/14 at DePaul W 81-62 19 5
01/12/14 Xavier W 95-89 35 7
01/14/14 Butler W 88-60 28 5
01/18/14 at Providence L 68-81 21 7
01/20/14 at #4 Villanova W 96-68 23 5
01/25/14 Georgetown W 76-63 14 10
01/28/14 St. John's W 63-60 39 6
02/07/14 DePaul W 78-66 32 9
3's vs. 2's
In Creighton's last 14 games, the Bluejays have attempted 837 shot attempts, with nearly half (380) of those coming from beyond the arc.
Creighton has made 249-of-457 two-pointers in that time, accounting for 498 points (1.09 points per shot).
Creighton has made 159-of-380 three-pointers in that time, accounting for 477 points (1.26 points per shot).
In its Dec. 29 win vs. Chicago State, Creighton made 16-of-25 three-point attempts, good for 1.92 points per shot attempt from deep. To earn the same point total (48 points) from 25 two-point attempts, Creighton would need to shoot 24-for-25 (96 percent).
Perhaps that's why Greg McDermott said in the postgame press conference: "If you're going to give us an open 3-point shot, that's the best percentage shot we can get."
Chicago State head coach Tracy Dildy agreed, "We've watched every game they had played, and we knew this was the best shooting team in the country. If there is another team in the country that shoots the ball like these guys shoot, I would love to see that team."
More Numbers From Deep
Creighton tied a school-record on Dec. 31 vs. Marquette with 35 attempts from three-point range, something previously done vs. North Carolina A&T (11/11/11) and at Bradley (2/1/11). The Bluejays matched the mark on Jan. 20 at #4 Villanova, when it also made a program- and BIG EAST record 21 trifectas.
He's The Man(igat)
Jahenns Manigat averaged a modest 5.6 points per game in the first eight contests this season, making 15-of-33 field goal attempts (45.4 percent).
Since returning home from CU's eight-day trek to California in early December, Manigat has averaged 9.6 points on 47-of-94 marksmanship (50.0 percent) from the floor, including 30-of-65 (46.2 percent) from downtown. He also owns a 55 assist, 13 turnover ratio in that time.
Manigat scored 15 points on Dec. 29 in a win over Chicago State, sinking 5-of-7 three-point shots.
Manigat then had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists in CU's win over Marquette two nights later.
Manigat continued his hot streak with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists at Seton Hall on Jan. 4.
This was the first time he's scored in double-digits three straight games.
Consistency A Key
Doug McDermott has scored 20 or more points in 18 of the 22 games he's played in this season, and 25 of his last 30 contests dating to last season. He had 19 points in two of the games where he didn't reach 20 points.
Nationally, only 30 players average 20 points per game or more, which gives you an idea of how hard it is to reach that mark on a nightly basis.
Consistent Challengers
Eleven of Creighton's last 16 teams finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the five that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and 2012-13, tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 16 Years
1st Place 2000-01, 2012-13
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.),
2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.), 2011-12 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place 2010-11
McDermott By The Numbers
Senior forward Doug McDermott has put together very similar numbers throughout his career, regardless of result, site, level of competition or score differential, as seen below:
Breakdown MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG PPG
Wins 30.5 .570 .479 .849 7.5 22.5
Losses 32.5 .471 .382 .765 7.9 16.5
Home 30.0 .557 .440 .836 7.6 21.5
Away 31.7 .549 .487 .824 7.5 20.1
Neutral 33.2 .507 .440 .843 7.7 21.5
BCS Foes 32.3 .507 .403 .874 7.1 23.2
Non-BCS Foes 30.7 .561 .473 .820 7.7 20.3
Margin 0-9 32.8 .527 .431 .769 7.7 19.5
Margin 10-19 31.3 .538 .423 .861 7.7 21.3
Margin 20+ 26.8 .604 .555 .894 7.2 23.5
CAREER (All) 31.0 .547 .454 .834 7.6 21.0
That's Why They're "Free" Throws
A pair of Bluejay seniors have had stellar free throw streaks in recent weeks.
Jahenns Manigat made his first 10 attempts at the line this season after making his final 13 attempts last year, giving him a career-long streak of 23 in a row.
Doug McDermott made his final three attempts against George Washington on Dec. 1 before going a combined 13-for-13 in wins vs. Long Beach State and Nebraska, giving him a streak of 16 in a row. He then made all 13 attempts on Dec. 17 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, pushing the streak to 29 and was 2-for-2 vs. Cal to make it 31 straight. On Dec. 29 vs. Chicago State, McDermott was 8-for-8 at the line, giving him a school-record streak of 39 in a row. He extended the mark to 41 with a 2-for-2 showing on Dec. 31 vs. Marquette. McDermott also made his first four foul shots at Seton Hall on Jan. 4 before a miss snapped his streak at 45 straight.
Earlier this year McDermott had a streak of 28 straight makes snapped in CU's season-opening victory over Alcorn State.
Consecutive Free Throws Made, (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
45 Doug McDermott Dec. 1, 2013 - Jan. 4, 2014
36 Booker Woodfox Dec. 6, 2008-Jan. 6, 2009
35 Bob Portman 1967-68
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
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
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
24 Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
24 Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
24 Ethan Wragge Feb. 3, 2010 - Feb. 1, 2012
23 Jahenns Manigat Feb. 9, 2013 - Jan. 7, 2014
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
22 Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
22 Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
22 Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 5, 2007
Dougie McAutomatic?
Doug McDermott was a perfect 13-for-13 at the line on Dec. 17 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
McDermott became the first Bluejay to be perfect in 13 or more attempts from the line since Doug Brookins went 16-for-16 on Dec. 16, 1974.
In addition to Brookins, the only other CU players to make all of their 13+ attempts in the same game were Mike Caruso (14-14 on 1/21/70) and Bob Portman (13-13 on 1/13/68).
Toe The Line
Creighton shot a school-record 75.9 percent from the free-throw line last season, and with much of the same team back, it's no surprise the team is shooting 75.9 percent at the line in 2013-14.
Creighton has shot 77.3 percent or better from the stripe in 12 of the last 16 games, connecting on 230-of-289 overall (79.6 percent) in that time.
Creighton has missed two or less free throws in seven of its last 13 games, going 24-for-26 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 11-of-13 vs. Cal, 20-of-22 vs. Chicago State, 4-for-4 vs. Marquette, 7-of-8 at Seton Hall, 12-of-13 at Providence and 19-of-21 free throws at St. John's.
Defense Improves
Two years ago Creighton ranked 222nd in the nation in field goal percentage defense, as teams shot 44.1 percent from the field.
Last year the squad improved to 77th nationally, as teams dropped to 40.7 percent from the floor against the Jays.
The team continues to make strides in that area, holding foes to 40.8 percent marksmanship this year to rank 67th nationally.
Only nine of Creighton's first 22 opponents have shot 40 percent or better from the field this season.
Creighton's field goal percentage defense of 40.8 percent gives the team a chance to become the first squad since the 1962-63 club to hold foes to 40 percent (39.3%, 706-1795).
Full House
Last year's Creighton team ranked sixth nationally in average home attendance, averaging 17,155 fans per game. It's the seventh straight season that CU has been among the nation's top 25 in average home attendance, and set an MVC average home attendance record. The figure ranked ahead of 14 NBA teams (76ers, Rockets, Grizzlies, Wizards, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Suns, Bobcats, Pacers, Hawks, Bucks, Pistons, Pelicans, Kings).
Creighton also ranked sixth nationally in men's soccer attendance and 10th in baseball attendance, the nation's only school in the top-10 of those three sports.
This year's Creighton team is averaging 17,686 through 13 home dates, good for fifth-nationally.
2013-14 Attendance Leaders (2/7)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Syracuse 25,826 2/9
2. Kentucky 22,622 2/15
3. Louisville 21,107 2/16
4. North Carolina 17,710 2/12
5. Creighton 17,686 2/15
6. Indiana 17,326 2/12
7. Wisconsin 17,060 2/9
8. Kansas 16,499 2/8
9. Ohio State 15,891 2/8
10. Memphis 15,759 2/8
Highest Average Attendance, Creighton History
Avg. Att. School Year
17,686 Creighton 2013-14
17,155 Creighton 2012-13
16,665 Creighton 2011-12
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
National Leaders
Doug McDermott's career stats rank among the top-10 active players nationally in 10 of the 15 different categories tracked by the NCAA through games of Feb. 2nd.
Rank Category Total Leader
1 Points 2,741 --
1 FG Made 992 --
1 FG Attempted 1,810 --
2 FT Made 525 D. Burton, 572
2 Scoring Average 20.9 T. Haws, 22.8
3 3-Point Percentage .458 S. Hinrichs, .460
3 Rebounds 994 A. Rubit, 1,096
3 Double-Doubles 34 A. Rubit, 50
8 Games Played 131 J. Gollon, 142
10 FT Attempted 631 A. Francis, 762
McDermott In Elite Company
Since the start of his sophomore year (2011-12), Doug McDermott has averaged 23.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in 93 contests.
That makes him the only college player in the nation to average at least 23 points and seven rebounds per contest in that span.
In same time, only NBA guys to do so are Kevin Durant (28.8 & 7.9), LeBron James (26.8 & 7.7), Carmelo Anthony (26.3 & 7.2) and Kevin Love (24.7 & 13.4).
Simply No Comparison
Doug McDermott's stats this season of 25.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 42.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range put him in even more elite company than imagined.
Since 1998-99, no college player has averaged at least 25 points, 7.0 rebounds and 42.6 percent or better from three-point range over the course of an entire season (min. 15 3FG's).
In NBA history, only Larry Bird (in 1984-85) and has ever averaged 25 points, 7.0 or more rebounds and shot 42.6 percent or better from three-point range (min. 15 3FG's).
Where There's A Will
Will Artino started Creighton's first seven games, but has shined since returning to the reserve role he was used in during his first three seasons on campus.
Artino averaged 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game during his seven starts, but has averaged 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per contest in 14 games off the bench.
Artino had a season-best 13 points off the bench at Long Beach State on Dec. 3, then snared a season-high seven rebounds in 11 minutes vs. Nebraska.
When Artino Starts
Name PPG RPG MPG
Artino 5.7 3.0 14.3
Wragge 11.7 4.1 23.9
Combined 17.4 7.1 38.2
When Wragge Starts
Name PPG RPG MPG
Artino 6.7 4.1 12.9
Wragge 11.9 4.2 28.2
Combined 18.6 8.3 41.1
Wragge Time!
Ethan Wragge had 15 points vs. San Diego State, then added 16 more vs. George Washington two days later, before wrapping up CU's trip to California with 15 points at Long Beach State two days later. It marked the first time in his career he'd posted back-to-back contests of 15 or more points, and made him the first Bluejay reserve with consecutive games of 15+ points since Cavel Witter on Dec. 22 & 29, 2009.
Wragge finished three games at the Wooden Legacy averaging 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots. He tied for the Wooden Legacy lead with 11 three-point baskets, converting 47.8 percent of his 23 long-range attempts.
Full House
Creighton has attracted eight of its 20 largest home crowds in program history this season.
Here's a look at Creighton's top-20 home crowds all-time.
Rank Att. Opponent Date
1. 18,859 Georgetown 01/25/14
2. 18,735 Wichita State 02/11/12
3. 18,613 Wichita State 03/02/13
4. 18,525 Marquette 12/31/13
5. 18,494 Illinois State 02/09/13
6. 18,458 Evansville 12/29/12
7. 18,436 Bradley 01/28/12
8. 18,323 DePaul 02/07/14
9. 18,111 Bradley 02/02/13
10. 18,078 Tulsa 11/23/13
11. 18,073 Drake 01/08/13
12. 17,954 Wichita State 12/28/08
13. 17,740 Alcorn State 11/08/13
14. 17,694 Indiana State 01/05/13
15. 17,676 Northwestern 12/22/11
16. 17,665 Missouri State 12/28/11
17. 17,607 Drexel 02/17/07
18. 17,602 Butler 01/14/14
19. 17,589 Xavier 01/12/14
20. 17,533 California 12/22/13
Speaking of 30
According to available school records, Doug McDermott owns 22 of the 128 games in Creighton history with 30 points or more. That ties Bob Portman for most 30-point games in program history.
In addition, McDermott's eight games this season of 30 points or more are tied for third-most in school history. He also owns fifth and seventh place on that list.
Most 30-Point Games, Career
30-Pt. Games Name Years
22 Bob Portman 1966-69
22 Doug McDermott 2010-Pres.
12 Bob Harstad 1987-91
9 Paul Silas 1961-64
6 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 68-69
6 Cyril Baptiste 1969-71
6 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
Most 30-Point Games, Season
30-Pt. Games Name Year
10 Bob Portman 1967-68
10 Bob Portman 1968-69
8 Bob Harstad 1989-90
8 Doug McDermott 2013-14
7 Doug McDermott 2012-13
6 Doug McDermott 2011-12
5 Wally Anderzunas 1968-69
5 Benoit Benjamin 1984-85
4 Paul Silas 1962-63
4 Cyril Baptiste 1970-71
4 Rod Mason 1987-88
Thirty Point Buck
Doug McDermott owns 32 points or more in seven of his last 14 home games. He scored 41 points in his final home game last year vs. Wichita State (March 2), 37 against UMKC (Nov. 11), 33 vs. Tulsa (Nov. 23), 33 vs. Nebraska (Dec. 8), 35 vs. Xavier (Jan. 12), 39 points vs. St. John's (Jan. 28) and 32 points vs. DePaul (Feb. 7).
McDermott's 33 points were the most by a Bluejay against Nebraska since Duan Cole had 35 points on Dec. 7, 1991.
In his last 14 home games, McDermott has played 452 minutes and scored a staggering 400 points.
McDermott has scored 30 or more points in 22 career games. By comparison, all other Creighton players since 1991-92 have combined for 17 games of 30+ points in CU's 718 games played in that period.
Experienced Starters
One reason for Creighton's success is its veteran line-up. Creighton's recent starting line-up (before Gibbs' injury) has a combined 22 years of college experience under their belt, including 20 seasons at Creighton.
Grant Gibbs is a sixth-year senior who is in his fourth year with the Bluejay program. He has started every game the past three seasons and before his recent injury was on pace to challenge CU's record for career assists.
Ethan Wragge is a fifth-year senior who medically redshirted after plantar fasciitis issues during his second year on campus. He is second in school history in three-pointers made, trailing only 11-year NBA veteran Kyle Korver.
Both Jahenns Manigat and Doug McDermott are four-year seniors. McDermott has started every game of his career, while Manigat has started all but one of the last 108 games. McDermott already owns Creighton records for career points, field goals, three-point percentage and consecutive free throws made.
According to Ken Pomeroy's advanced statistics, Creighton's line-up averages 2.39 years of experience, making the Bluejays the 16th-most veteran group nationally, and tops among the nation's BCS schools.
Bench Points
Creighton's bench has averaged 25.0 points and 14.9 rebounds per contest. The reserves are shooting 51.7% from the field and 38.8% from downtown.
Both Ethan Wragge and Devin Brooks own games of 20 points or more this season in a reserve role.
Korver Sets NBA Record
Creighton alum Kyle Korver continues to extend his NBA record streak of games with a three-pointer.
Korver enters Saturday's (Feb. 8) game vs. Memphis with a three-pointer in 117 straight games, smashing Dana Barros' previous league-record of 89, and double the length of Joe DiMaggio's hallowed hit streak in baseball.
In 2009-10, Korver set an NBA single-season record by shooting 53.6 percent from three-point range, a record that still stands.
Korver played at Creighton from 1999-2003 and owns the school record with 371 career three-pointers, helping the Bluejays to a 29-5 mark as a senior.
Korver's longest three-point streak at Creighton was 28 and snapped by Greg McDermott's UNI team. His second-longest streak was 27 and snapped by Steve Merfeld's Evansville team.
Korver made at least one trifecta in 114 of his 128 games as a Bluejay.
Let's Chat About Austin
Junior point guard Austin Chatman had the best scoring day of his Creighton tenure on Nov. 23rd when he scored a career-high 19 points in an 82-72 win vs. Tulsa.
Chatman had 15 points before the break and made a career-best four three-point hoops on the afternoon.
More recently, Chatman had a career-best eight rebounds vs. George Washington on Dec. 1st.
Chatman averaged 1.86 rebounds per game in his first two years on campus, but averages 3.9 per contest this season, including four or more caroms in 13 of 22 contests.
Chasing 3,000
In Major League Baseball, producing 3,000 career hits is something that's been done by just 24 Hall of Famers in history.
Doug McDermott has a chance to become just the eighth Division I male in NCAA history to score 3,000 or more points if he can stay healthy and average roughly 25 points per game this season.
To help put McDermott's career in perspective, the chart on page eight shows how many points McDermott owns and which famous ballplayer that is most comparable to. This season alone, McDermott has surpassed legends like Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Ryne Sandberg, Mike Schmidt, Kirby Puckett, Ernie Banks and Willie Stargell.
Productive Minutes
According to bbstate.com, Doug McDermott ranks first nationally this season with 31.6 points per 40 minutes played.
McDermott led the same category last year with 29.3 points per 40 minutes, and was second as a sophomore at 28.7 points per 40 minutes.
Rare Air
Doug McDermott had 33 points and 15 rebounds in a Nov. 23 win vs. Tulsa, leading to some additional research on the senior All-American.
McDermott was the first Creighton player with at least 33 points and 15 rebounds since Bob Harstad's 33/17 on December 6, 1989 vs. Cleveland State.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Including this year, Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 13 of the last 15 seasons. Each of Creighton's last 14 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
This season marks the third straight year Creighton has opened 4-0, something last done from 2002-03 to 2004-05. The only other time CU started 4-0 in three straight years had come in a five-year stretch from 1916-17 to 1920-21.
Wragge Bombs Away
Ethan Wragge has attempted 162 of his 168 shots this season from three-point range, sinking an incredible 81 of them (50 percent) behind the arc. He was 7-for-11 from deep in CU's 83-79 win at Saint Joseph's on Nov. 16, the most treys by a Bluejay in a game since Booker Woodfox had seven (also at Saint Joseph's) in 2008, before tying Kyle Korver's school record with nine three-pointers at No. 4 Villanova on Jan. 20th.
With four three-pointers vs. George Washington on Dec. 1, Wragge moved past Ryan Sears into second place in Creighton history for career trifectas. He now owns 302 career treys.
He also ranks fifth in CU history with 44.3 percent marksmanship from downtown.
For his career, Wragge has attempted 689-of-742 shots from beyond the arc.
McDermott, For The Win
Doug McDermott drained his first career game-winner in a Nov. 16 victory at Saint Joseph's. With Creighton trailing by one and 6.9 seconds left, McDermott caught an inbounds pass, hit a fadeaway jumper, and was fouled. He converted the three-point play in CU's eventual 83-79 win.
Said McDermott after the game "I didn't know how to celebrate…I've never hit one before."
McDermott is now 7-for-9 from the field and 20-for-24 from the line in the last minute of games in the past two seasons.
Creighton had not won a game when trailing in the final minute of overtime since Feb. 21, 2012, when Josh Jones hit a game-winner to beat Evansville in the final 30 seconds of overtime. Creighton had also tied that same game as time expired on a Gregory Echenique tip-in to close regulation.
Creighton last won a road game when trailing in the final minute on Jan. 7, 2011, at Southern Illinois, taking the lead for good with 36 seconds left on two Darryl Ashford free throws.
Creighton last won a game away from home when trailing in the final five seconds on March 6, 2009, when Booker Woodfox hit a buzzer-beater to stun Wichita State in the MVC Tournament quarterfinals.
Martelli On McDermott
Even before Doug McDermott hit a three-point play to beat Saint Joseph's, Hawks coach Phil Martelli was overwhelmingly complimentary on the skills of Doug McDermott. Here's what he had to say about McDermott prior to the game:
"The country is gaga over these freshmen but McDermott's the best player in the country. Tell me who does more for their team. They can give the awards at the end of the year to the freshmen because of the media blitz, but that kid is a magnificent, magnificent player."
Just Like Viejas Arena?
Creighton's win at Saint Joseph's had some similarities to its road win at San Diego State two years ago.
In both games, Creighton faced an early double-digit deficit before cutting into the lead before half (17 at SDSU, 13 at SJU).
In both games, Creighton got big nights from Ethan Wragge (19 points at SDSU, 21 at SJU).
In both games, Creighton held on to a lead in the last 10 seconds.
In both games, Creighton was playing its first true road game of the season, and in front of a sellout crowd known as one of the toughest atmospheres in college basketball.
Big Deficits, Big Deal
Creighton overcame a 13-point deficit to win at Saint Joseph's on Nov. 16 before posting an 83-79 win, then overcame another 13-point deficit to beat Xavier on Jan. 12th. It was the 10th and 11th times in four seasons under Greg McDermott that the Jays have won a game its trailed by double-figures at some point, including six such comebacks away from home.
On the other hand, CU is 86-5 under McDermott when putting together double-digit leads, including wins 74 of the last 75 times.
Double-Digit Comebacks Under G. McDermott
Deficit Opponent Date
17 at San Diego State 11/30/11
16 at Evansville 02/16/13
14 Evansville 02/21/12
13 at Saint Joseph's 11/16/13
13 Xavier 01/12/14
12 Saint Joseph's 12/11/10
11 at Wichita State 12/31/11
11 Northern Iowa 01/10/12
11 vs. Alabama 03/16/12
10 vs. Drake 03/02/12
@McDermottAlert Has You Covered
Rather than clog up its other social media accounts with the many exploits of Doug McDermott, Creighton Athletics has created a Twitter account specific to him, that can be found at twitter.com/McDermottAlert.
It contains links to dozens of national profiles and stats on the senior forward, and owns more than 1,700 followers.
Jays Sign A Pair Of Recruits
A pair of high school basketball standouts have signed letters-of-intent to play at Creighton University. Leon Gilmore III and Ronnie Harrell will both be freshmen when they enroll in the fall of 2014 and have four years of eligibility.
Gilmore is a 6'7" wing from Manvel, Texas, who attends Manvel High School and plays for coach Greg Devers. As a high school junior, he helped his team to a 30-6 record by averaging 13.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Gilmore competes for the Houston Hoops AAU program.
Harrell is a 6'7" wing from Denver (Colo.) East High School, where he plays for Rudy Carey. As a junior he averaged 13.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, helping the Angels reach the state title game. On the AAU circuit, Harrell plays for Billups Elite, which is supported by his cousin, NBA veteran Chauncey Billups.
20-20-20-20-20-20 Vision
Doug McDermott opened his senior season with 20 points vs. Alcorn State, 37 points vs. UMKC, 20 points at Saint Joseph's, 33 points vs. Tulsa, 27 points vs. Arizona State and 30 points vs. San Diego State. In the process, he became the first Bluejay to start a season with at least five consecutive games of 20 or more points since Bob Portman opened with five straight games in 1968-69.
Use The Four's
Doug McDermott converted a rare four-point play on Nov. 11 vs. UMKC, sinking a three-point shy while being fouled before making the subsequent free throw. Isaiah Zierden followed suit on Nov. 28 vs. Arizona State. Avery Dingman became the third Bluejay to do it when he converted a four-point play at DePaul on Jan. 7.
In Greg McDermott's four-year tenure at Creighton, the only previous players with a four-point play had been Kaleb Korver and Ethan Wragge, who had done it once each.
Crowd Control
Creighton's sellout crowd of 17,740 on Nov. 8 vs. Alcorn State was its largest ever for a home-opener. It was also Creighton's largest home crowd for any November game, and the ninth-largest home crowd in program history.
Hottest Ticket in Town
Creighton Basketball has proven to be a hot ticket in recent years, but the anticipation for this season has taken those levels up a notch.
Creighton sold more than 15,100 season tickets for the first time, a figure that doesn't factor in students. Last year's record was 13,739.
Creighton has also sold more than 2,100 all-session tickets for the BIG EAST Tournament already, the most by any league school since Connecticut in 2006.
When single-game tickets went on sale on Oct. 29, seven games sold out within an hour, including less than 20 minutes for games vs. Marquette, Georgetown, Nebraska, Seton Hall and Chicago State.
Nation's Best Offense?
You can make a case that Creighton boasted the nation's best offensive production last year.
Creighton was second in the country in field goal percentage (50.1) and three-point percentage (41.4), third in two-point field goal percentage (55.7), ninth in free-throw percentage (75.9) and 10th in three-pointers per game (8.5).
Below is where Creighton ranked nationally in the first three years of the Greg McDermott tenure (does not include 2013-14):
Category Stat NCAA Rank '13-14
FG Percentage .487 1st .492
3FG Percentage .401 2nd .425
Assists 1,793 4th 405
Assists/Game 16.30 5th 18.4
3FG Made 874 6th 237
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.34 10th 1.82
FG Made 2,852 13th 617
Wins 80 T-16th 19
Winning Pct. .727 26th .864
Ask The Experts
ESPN had 20 experts predict the 2013-14 season. Nine of them (Jay Bilas, Adrian Branch, Elena Bergeron, Dan Dakich, Jimmy Dykes, Myron Medcalf, Digger Phelps, Miles Simon and Dick Vitale) predicted Doug McDermott would be National Player of the Year.
CBS Sports asked six experts to predict the 2013-14 season. Two of them (Doug Gottlieb and Jon Rothstein) picked McDermott would be National Player of the Year.
Sports Illustrated had four experts predict the 2014-14 season. Two of them (Seth Davis and Luke Winn) picked McDermott would be National Player of the Year.
All told, McDermott collected 13 votes, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart 10 votes, Kansas' Andrew Wiggins three votes, Kentucky's Julius Randle three votes and Louisville's Russ Smith one vote.
Weekly Honor For McDermott Doug McDermott was named National Player of the Week by ESPN.com and BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 16th after averaging 25.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in three Creighton wins to start the season. McDermott made 55.8 percent from the field, 53.3 percent from three-point land, and 78.6 percent of his free throw attempts.
McDermott then earned his second consecutive BIG EAST Player of the Week honor on Nov. 23rd when he got the nod following a 33 point, 15 rebound showing in a 82-72 triumph vs. Tulsa.
McDermott earned his third BIG EAST honor on Dec. 9 after averaging 27.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in lopsided wins over Long Beach State and Nebraska.
Including his seven MVC Newcomer of the Week honors in 2010-11, 13 MVC Player of the Week honors from 2011-13, and six BIG EAST Player of the Week accolades of 2013-14, McDermott has now won at least one conference weekly award from the MVC or BIG EAST in 26 of 61 weeks since enrolling at Creighton.
McDermott Honored at Wooden Legacy
Doug McDermott added to his career honor roll when he picked up All-Tournament Team accolades at the Wooden Legacy.
McDermott led all players by averaging 21.3 points per game and also topped all players with 21 field goals made and 16 defensive rebounds.
San Diego State's Xavier Thames was named Wooden Legacy MVP after leading the Aztecs to the title.
Brooks Breaks Harden's Record
Devin Brooks set a Wooden Legacy for three-point marksmanship. Brooks was 6-for-8 from long-range at the Wooden Legacy (75.0 percent), well ahead of the previous mark set by James Harden of 66.7 percent (10-15) in 2008.
Record Watch
With seven field goals on Nov. 8, Doug McDermott took over sole possession of first place on Creighton's all-time field goals made list. He now owns 1,001 in his career. He had entered the season tied with Chad Gallagher (1987-91) for the school-record with 811.
McDermott also made four free throws vs. Alcorn State, passing MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson for third in CU history, and now owns 538.
Preseason Acclaim
Doug McDermott has garnered a ton of preseason hype you'd expect from a returning two-time consensus First Team All-American.
In addition to being named the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year, McDermott has also been named a Preseason First Team All-American by the Associated Press, USA Today, Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, CBSSports.com, NBCSports.com and Sporting News.
McDermott is also one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award, one of 15 men named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Watch List, and one of 50 players on the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award.
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 14 of the last 15 seasons, a feat that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 15 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of four schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 14 of the past 15 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky and Utah State.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (13 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (12 each).
10 Conference Wins x 17
Last season's Creighton team won 10 or more league games for a 17th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 17 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (19).
Each of the last 17 seasons has seen the team finish fourth place or better in the league standings as well, though all of those took place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Postseason x 16
Creighton has made the postseason in 16 consecutive seasons. The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 16 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.
Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Cincinnati last spring, the Creighton men's basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record six straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
The following five programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in six straight seasons, including 2012-13: Creighton, Kansas, North Carolina, Purdue and Syracuse.
Preseason BIG EAST Poll
Creighton was picked to finish third in its first season as BIG EAST Conference members according to a preseason poll of league coaches. Marquette was picked first with 74 points and five first-place votes, while Georgetown (70, 2) was also selected ahead of the Bluejays (61, 1). Rounding out the top half were Villanova (58) and St. John's (56, 2).
Creighton forward Doug McDermott was named preseason BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year by the coaches.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Senior forward Doug McDermott served as a captain for Team USA last summer at the World University Games in Kazan, Russia. Playing under the direction of coaches Bob McKillop (Davidson), John Beilein (Michigan) and Frank Martin (South Carolina), McDermott led the team in scoring (14.1 ppg.), field goals (39), three-pointers (18), free throws (17), free-throw percentage (.895) and minutes (23.8) as the team went 6-2 in eight games.
On his way back from Russia, McDermott was invited to the USA Basketball Men's National Team Mini-Camp along with 28 of the NBA's rising stars and fellow collegian Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), where he received rave reviews.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has five players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's Iowans this season includes seniors Grant Gibbs (Marion) and Doug McDermott (Ames), junior Will Artino (Waukee), sophomore Alex Olsen (Council Bluffs) and freshman John Burns (Algona).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 643 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 667 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993.
CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 183 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in 11 seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 158-25 (.863) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (8-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 13,796-11,663 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.7 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 48 different times, including five times last season and the Nebraska, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, California, Chicago State, Marquette, Butler and St. John's games this year.
Creighton is also 23-15 all-time in the 38 games at CLCO in which it's fallen behind by double-figures.
Big Margin Leads To Big Things
Creighton's 107-61 win on Nov. 8 vs. Alcorn State was its highest point total in a season-opener ever, one point more than the 2002-03 team that opened with a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington. The 2002-03 team went on to be 29-5.
Eight of Creighton's 18 all-time NCAA Tournament teams have scored 90 or more points in their season-opener.
Here's a look at Creighton's last six teams to score 90 or more in a season-opener.
Final Post-
Score Opponent Date W-L Season
107-61 Alcorn State 11/08/13 ? ? ? ? ?
97-65 N. Carolina A&T 11/11/11 29-6 NCAA
106-50 Texas-Arlington 11/17/02 29-5 NCAA
96-50 Western Illinois 11/20/00 24-8 NCAA
93-48 Towson State 11/14/98 22-9 NCAA
93-47 UT-San Antonio 11/30/90 24-8 NCAA
Everybody's All-American
Doug McDermott hauled in All-America honors on a regular basis last year.
He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, Basketball Times, CBSSports.com and ESPN.com, and a second-team selection by The Sporting News. He was also named to the 10-man John R. Wooden Award All-America team.
Prior to McDermott, the only other player honored by the USBWA with All-America status had been second-team selection Kyle Korver in 2003, and the only prior NABC selections from Creighton had been second-teamer Paul Silas (1964) and third-team selections Benoit Benjamin (1985) and Korver (2003).
Oscar, Bird, Doug
Doug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581 in 2010-11.
As a sophomore McDermott had 801 points, joining Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird as the only sophomores in MVC history with at least 800 points in a season.
Last year McDermott became the first player in MVC history to reach 2,000 career points as a junior, and joined Robertson and Bird as the only players in league history to reach 2,000 points in less than three seasons of work.
Below is a list of the most prolific scorers in MVC history, as well as the top single-season scorers in Creighton history (all classes):
Top Scorers, MVC History (All Years)
Pts. Name, School Years
1125 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1987-88
1011 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1959-60
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
978 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1958-59
973 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1978-79
959 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1977-78
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
844 Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State 1984-85
834 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2012-13
815 Lewis Lloyd, Drake 1979-80
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
Top Sophomore Scorers, MVC History
Pts. Name, School Years
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
680 Mitchell Anderson, Bradley 1979-80
Top Junior Scorers, MVC History
Pts. Name, School Years
978 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1958-59
959 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1977-78
834 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2012-13
815 Lewis Lloyd, Drake 1979-80
Top Scorers, Creighton Single-Season History
Pts. Name (Class) Year
834 Doug McDermott (Jr.) 2012-13
801 Doug McDermott (So.) 2011-12
738 Bob Portman (Jr.) 1967-68
734 Bob Harstad (Jr.) 1989-90
Most Career Points, Active Seniors
Source: Creighton Sports Info/STATS Inc. (2/7)
Rk. Pts. Name, School Next Game
1. 2,773 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2/9
2. 2,174 Travis Bader, Oakland 2/9
Scoring In Numbers
Doug McDermott owned 834 points in 36 games last year, an average of 23.2 per contest that ranked him second nationally in scoring.
McDermott's 23.2 points per game ranked fourth-most in CU single-season history and were the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69.
Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), was the only previous Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders, before McDermott did it each of the past two seasons (3rd in 2011-12, 2nd last year).
McDermott's 23.2 points per game were the most by a MVC player since Bradley's Curtis Stuckey (25.1 ppg.) in 1990-91.
Repeat All-American
Doug McDermott joined some elite company by being named a First Team All-American by the USBWA, Associated Press and the NABC for a second consecutive season last spring.
He is the 70th player to repeat the honor from the USBWA, 55th from the NABC, and 51st in the history of the Associated Press.
If McDermott is named First Team All-American by the AP this year, he'll become the first three-time first team selection since Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale from 1983-85.
Not Half Bad
Doug McDermott's highest scoring half of his career has been 31 points, done as a sophomore in the second half at Bradley when he scored a career-best 44 points.
McDermott has scored 15 points or more in a half 60 times during his career, and Creighton is 48-3 in those contests (nine times he's scored 15 or more in both halves).
McDermott owns 14 halves in his career with 20 or more points, and just six scoreless halves.
The 800 Club
Creighton's Doug McDermott led the nation with 834 points last season after owning a league-high (and second-most nationally) 801 as a sophomore.
McDermott joined Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird as the third player in MVC history with multiple 800-point seasons.
Nationwide, McDermott was the first player with consecutive seasons of 800 points or more since Stephen Curry (Davidson) and Lester Hudson (Tennessee-Martin) in both 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Supporting Cast
Doug McDermott was Creighton's only player to average in double-figures last year, but he had lots of support to help lead the Jays to 28 wins.
Creighton was 11-0 when Ethan Wragge scored in double-figures last year. CU is 38-3 under Greg McDermott when Wragge shoots 50 percent or better from three-point range, and 29-3 under McDermott when Wragge scores in double-figures.
Creighton was 8-1 when Austin Chatman scored in double-figures last year.
Creighton was 6-2 when Jahenns Manigat scored in double-figures last year. CU is now 25-1 all-time when Manigat makes three or more 3-pointers, including 23 straight wins, and the Jays are 25-2 (with 23 straight wins) when Manigat shoots better than 50 percent from 3-point range.
Creighton is 14-0 all-time when Avery Dingman makes multiple three-pointers.
Creighton is 47-4 all-time when Will Artino (64.8 percent) misses a field goal attempt.
His Own Game of H-O-R-S-E
Doug McDermott led the nation in 2011-12 with 307 field goals made, and his 284 buckets last year once again led the nation.
Prior to McDermott, no player had led the country in field goals made in back-to-back seasons since at least 1995-96.
One area that makes McDermott so unique is his ability to use his off (left) hand, and to use the backboard, as seen below:
Year FG Backboard Left-Hand
2010-11 220 64 28
2011-12 307 174 56
2012-13 284 132 26
2013-14 190 70 16
Totals 1,001 440 126
What A Start!
Greg McDermott is 99-33 on the Creighton sideline early in his fourth year at the helm. The 99 wins are already the most in Creighton history in the first four seasons.
Most Wins at CU, First Four Seasons
Coach Years W-L After 4 Yrs
Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 99-33 so far
Tom Apke 1974-78 79-30
Eddie Sutton 1969-73 59-43
Tony Barone 1985-89 57-62
Red McManus 1959-63 56-46
Dana Altman 1994-98 54-59
Thomas E. Mills 1916-20 53-6
Willis Reed 1981-85 52-65
A.A. Schabinger 1922-26 50-18
Rasmussen Named to MBB Committee
Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen began a five-year term on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee on September 1st.
He is the only newcomer to the committee for the 2013-14 academic year, replacing last year's chair, Mike Bobinski.
Championship Duo, Men & Women
Creighton was one of seven schools that won a regular-season conference title in both men's and women's basketball last year.
That elite group consists of Montana (Big Sky), Akron (Mid-American), Texas Southern (Southwestern Athletic), South Dakota State (Summit), Middle Tennessee (Sun Belt), Gonzaga (West Coast) and Creighton (Missouri Valley).
Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather's Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is a perfect 77-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 89-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.
Good As Gold
Since Greg McDermott took over four years ago, Creighton is averaging 79.10 points per home game (5,379 points in 68 home games).
That's a vital number since Creighton is 103-0 at home (74-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 85-0 at home (58-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 28-8 and reached the third round of the MVC Tournament last season. Creighton was ranked in the Associated Press top-25 in 16-of-20 weeks and finished 22nd in the year-end poll.
Doug McDermott ranked second nationally in scoring (23.2), breaking his own school-record with 834 points. He repeated as a consensus First Team All-American while also sweeping MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP honors for a second straight winter.
Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 6.6 rpg.) and Grant Gibbs (8.5 ppg., 5.8 apg.) were named Honorable-Mention All-Valley, while Ethan Wragge nabbed Sixth Man of the Year accolades.
The Jays ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (.501) and three-point percentage (.414), fourth in assists (16.9), sixth in home attendance (17,155) and ninth in free throw percentage (.759).
Creighton defeated Wichita State in the regular-season finale to claim the outright MVC title before winning its league-record 12th Valley Tournament title to clinch an NCAA bid with another win over the Shockers. At the NCAA's, Creighton topped Cincinnati 67-63 before falling to No. 6 Duke in the third round.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2013-14 season went on sale on October 29th at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Jays Video
Log In
(M) Basketball
Creighton Postgame Interviews - All Star Rome -8-11-15
(M) Basketball
Interviews from Ollegio, Italy.
(M) Basketball
Highlights from Creighton Men's Basketball first game in Italy against Ollegio...
All Videos
Upcoming Live Events
Cross Country
Cross Country
Seating Charts
Staff Directory
Live Stats
News Feeds (RSS)
Photo Galleries
Copyright © 2015, Creighton University. All Rights Reserved.
Contact Us
Email Updates
Site Map
Directions & Maps