2020-21 Creighton Men’s Basketball Game #5: Nebraska at #8 Creighton • Friday, Dec. 11, 2020 • 6:00 p.m. SID Contact: Rob Anderson • Office Phone: (402) 280-5544 • Cell Phone: (402) 660-5854 • E-mail: [email protected] Nebraska Cornhuskers at #8 Creighton Bluejays Omaha, Neb. (17,352) • Omaha, Neb. Radio: KOZN 1620 AM, www.1620thezone.com Television: BTN (Kevin Kugler, Shon Morris) Series History: Creighton leads, 27-26 (3-2) Last Meeting: Creighton 95, Nebraska 76 on Dec. 7, 2019 in Omaha, Neb. (3-1) November Next Game Live Stats Information 29 NORTH DAKOTA STATE (FS1) W 69-58 In-state bragging rights are on the line on Friday All of Creighton’s games this season will have free when No. 8 Creighton (3-1) hosts Nebraska (3-2) on live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click December Friday, Dec. 11. on the small bar graph icon on the scoreboard at 1 NEBRASKA-OMAHA (FS1) W 94-67 Tip-off on First National Bank Court at CHI Health the top of the page for the event of your choosing. 4 KENNESAW STATE (FS1) W 93-58 Center Omaha (17,352) in Omaha, Neb,. is set for 6 Home games can also be followed by those who 8 at #5 Kansas ! (ESPN) L 72-73 p.m. have mobile devices with internet capability at 11 NEBRASKA (BTN) 6:00 pm www.gocreightonstats.com. 14 MARQUETTE* (FS1) 8:00 pm Radio Broadcast Information 17 at St. John’s* (FS1) 4:00 pm KOZN (1620 AM) will broadcast all Creighton men’s Scouting No. 8 Creighton 20 at Connecticut* (FS1) 11:00 am basketball games during the 2020-21 season. Creighton is ranked eighth nationally in the AP 23 XAVIER* (FS1) 2:00 pm KOOO (101.9 FM) will also broadcast all home poll after a 3-1 start that includes convincing wins games that start after 5 p.m. vs. North Dakota State (69-58), Omaha (94-67) and After Dec. 23 To Be Determined John Bishop will call the action with Nick Kennesaw State (93-58) before a narrow one-point January Bahe. The audio is also webcast live at loss at No. 5 Kansas on Tuesday (73-72). To Be Determined www.1620thezone.com. The Bluejays return four starters and five of its top six scorers from last season’s team that finished February Television Broadcast Information 24-7 and won a share of its first BIG EAST regular- To Be Determined Friday’s game will be televised by BTN, with Kevin season title. CU’s 2019-20 team was ranked No. 7 in Kugler and Shon Morris on the call. the year-end Associated Press poll, while this year’s March Of Creighton’s last 135 games, all but the three club was 11th in the preseason AP poll. Both are To Be Determined contests at the 2018 Cayman Islands Classic have program bests for a preseason or postseason poll. been televised. The Bluejays are 90-45 in those Point guard Marcus Zegarowski (13.3 ppg., 6.3 BIG EAST Tournament (New York, N.Y.) contests. apg.) has been named Preseason BIG EAST Player 10 First Round (FS1) 3;30 / 6:00 / 8:30 pm Creighton is 4-3 all-time on BTN. of the Year and is a Preseason All-American by 11 Quarterfinals (FS1) 11:00 am/1:30/6:00/8:30 pm nearly every outlet after averaging 16.1 points and 12 Semifinals (FS1) 5:30 / 8:00 pm 13 Championship (FOX) 5:30 pm Creighton -- Last Game Starters Marcus Zegarowski • G • Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and a Preseason First Team All-American by multiple outlets. * BIG EAST Conference regular season games 11 6-2 • 180 • Jr. • Hamilton, Mass. % Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic (Sioux Falls, S.D.) • On the Naismith, Wooden & Bob Cousy Point Guard Watch Lists. ! Big 12 - BIG EAST Battle PPG APG 3FG% FT% • Leading returning scorer in the BIG EAST (16.0 ppg. in 2019-20). All times listed are Central and subject to change Home games in BOLD CAPS at CHI Health Center Omaha 13.3 6.3 .333 .556 • 11 pts & 11 assists vs. Omaha (12/1) for 1st career double-double. Christian Bishop • F • Led Creighton in scoring during each of first two games with 16 13 6-7 • 220 • Jr. • Lee’s Summit, Mo. points vs. NDSU (11/29) and 18 vs. Omaha (12/1). • Leads BIG EAST in FG% and 4th in free throw percentage. PPG RPG FG% FT% • Led Creighton last year with 38 dunks and 35 blocked shots. 14.5 6.3 .813 .813 • Mentioned by Greg McDermott as one of team’s most improved. Damien Jefferson • F • Flirted with the NBA Draft before withdrawing. 23 6-5 • 220 • Sr. • East Chicago, Ind. • Led Creighton with 5.5 rebounds per game last season. • Made a pair of SportsCenter Top-10 plays last season against PPG RPG 3FG% FT% Seton Hall. 10.8 4.3 .444 .625 • Began college career at New Mexico, where his dad also played. Mitch Ballock • G • Surpassed 1,000 career points in season-opener vs. North Dakota 24 6-5 • 205 • Sr. • Eudora, Kan. State (Nov. 29) and now ranks 38th with 1,028 career points. • Ranks fifth in Creighton history with 239 career three-pointers. PPG RPG 3FG% FT% • Led BIG EAST in assist/turnover ratio and minutes/game last year. 8.0 3.5 .280 .500 • Only player in CU history with 2 straight seasons of 90+ 3FG’s. Denzel Mahoney • G/F • Led Creighton with 19 points at #5 Kansas (12/8). 34 6-5 • 220 • Sr. • Oviedo, Fla. • Team’s active leading scorer with 1,382 career points if you include his first two seasons at Southeast Missouri State. PPG RPG 3FG% FT% • Won BIG EAST Sixth Man Award last season. 13.3 3.3 .400 1.000 • Has 10+ points in 16-of-24 games played as a Bluejay. 2020-21 BIG EAST Standings (through 12/9) 5.1 assists per game last season. He had a double- The Series vs. Nebraska BIG EAST only All Games double vs. Omaha on Dec. 1 in which he had 11 Creighton has won 17 of the past 21 regular- Team W L W L points and a career-high 11 assists. season match-ups, and leads the all-time series Xavier 0 0 7 0 Junior forward Christian Bishop (15.0 ppg., 5.3 27-26. Creighton has won seven of the last eight Connecticut 0 0 3 0 rpg.) led Creighton in scoring during each of the meetings, with each of those wins coming by Butler 0 0 1 0 first two games. He is shooting 81.5 percent from double-digits. St. John’s 0 0 5 1 the floor and 81.3 percent at the line. Creighton won four of the first seven meetings #9 Villanova 0 0 4 1 Also averaging in double-figures are reigning in the history of the series before a 45-year break Marquette 0 0 4 1 BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year Denzel Mahoney where the in-state rivals did not play each other. #8 Creighton 0 0 3 1 (13.3 ppg.) and senior forward Damien Jefferson The series has been played at least once each Providence 0 0 4 2 (10.8 ppg.). Three others -- Antwann Jones (9.0 season since 1977 and is CU’s longest running non- Seton Hall 0 0 3 3 ppg.), Ryan Kalkbrenner (8.3 ppg.) and Mitch conference series by a landslide. Georgetown 0 0 2 2 DePaul 0 0 0 0 Ballock (8.0 ppg.) have also scored 10 or more in Creighton has won 12 straight regular-season two games this season. home games over Nebraska since a Dec. 6, 1995 2020-21 Honors & Awards Creighton is shooting 51.0 percent from the field loss in Omaha, and is 19-9 all-time at home against Mitch Ballock through three games, scoring 82.0 points per game the Cornhuskers. Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Watch List (20) and holding foes to 64.0 points per contest. Greg McDermott is 14-4 all-time vs. Nebraska Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST (8-2 as Creighton head coach) and 1-1 against Fred Scouting Nebraska Hoiberg. Marcus Zegarowski Nebraska is 3-2 after starting the season with five Associated Press Honorable Mention Preseason All-American straight home games. The Cornhuskers own wins The Creighton Coaches Basketball Times Preseason First Team All-American vs. McNeese State (102-55), North Dakota State (79- Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) owns a Blue Ribbon CBB Yearbook Preseason First Team All-American Blue Ribbon CBB Yearbook Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST 57) and South Dakota (76-69) but also own losses 234-117 record in his 11th season with the Bluejays. Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List (20) to Nevada (69-66) and Georgia Tech (75-64). He owns a career mark of 514-312 in 27 seasons, CBS Sports Preseason Second Team All-American Boys Town product Teddy Allen leads NU with and is 383-248 in his 20th Division I campaign. Jerey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List (5) 17.2 points and 3.0 steals per game. McDermott led Creighton to its first BIG EAST John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List (50) Versatile Western Kentucky transfer Dalano regular-season title last season, taking a Bluejay NABC Preseason Player of the Year Watch List (20) Banton averages 14.2 points per game and leads team that was picked seventh in the league’s pre- Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year the Cornhuskers with 7.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists season poll and ending the year ranked seventh Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST per game.