Creighton Bluejays men's basketball
Updated: 12/20/2025, 2:54:21 PM Wikipedia source
The Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team represents Creighton University of the NCAA Division I college basketball. It competes in the Big East Conference, which it joined following the Big East conference realignment in 2013. The Bluejays play their home games at CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. Creighton finished sixth nationally in home attendance, averaging 17,048 fans per home game in 2014–15. Before joining the Big East, Creighton was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1976 through 2013. The Jays were also members of the MVC from 1928 to 1948 and participated as an independent from 1948 to 1977 before rejoining the MVC. The Bluejays have won a record 15 MVC regular season conference titles and a record 12 MVC tournament titles. The team has 23 appearances in the NCAA tournament. The Jays last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2025, and have won at least one NCAA tournament game each of the last four seasons. Creighton reached the second weekend of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament for the first time in 2021, before losing to eventual runner-up Gonzaga in the Sweet Sixteen. In 2023, they reached their second Elite Eight Regional Final in program history before losing to eventual runner-up San Diego State.
Infobox
Tables
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1941 | Elite EightRegional Third Place Game | Washington StateWyoming | L 39–48W 45–44 | |
| 1962 | First RoundSweet SixteenRegional Third Place Game | Memphis StateCincinnatiTexas Tech | W 87–83L 46–66W 63–61 | |
| 1964 | First RoundSweet SixteenRegional Third Place Game | Oklahoma CityWichitaTexas Western | W 89–78L 68–84L 52–63 | |
| 1974 | First RoundSweet SixteenRegional Third Place Game | TexasKansasLouisville | W 77–61L 54–55W 80–71 | |
| 1975 | First Round | Maryland | L 79–83 | |
| 1978 | First Round | DePaul | L 78–80 | |
| 1981 | | First Round | St. Joseph's | L 57–59 |
| 1989 | | First Round | Missouri | L 69–85 |
| 1991 | | First RoundSecond Round | New Mexico State#3 Seton Hall | W 64–56L 69–81 |
| 1999 | | First RoundSecond Round | Louisville#2 Maryland | W 62–58L 63–75 |
| 2000 | | First Round | Auburn | L 69–72 |
| 2001 | | First Round | Iowa | L 56–69 |
| 2002 | | First RoundSecond Round | Florida#4 Illinois | W 83–82L 60–72 |
| 2003 | | First Round | Central Michigan | L 73–79 |
| 2005 | | First Round | West Virginia | L 61–63 |
| 2007 | | First Round | Nevada | L 71–77 OT |
| 2012 | | Second RoundThird Round | Alabama#1 North Carolina | W 58–57L 73–87 |
| 2013 | | Second RoundThird Round | Cincinnati#2 Duke | W 67–63 L 50–66 |
| 2014 | | Second RoundThird Round | Louisiana–Lafayette#6 Baylor | W 76–66 L 55–85 |
| 2017 | | First Round | Rhode Island | L 72–84 |
| 2018 | | First Round | Kansas State | L 59–69 |
| 2021 | | First RoundSecond RoundSweet Sixteen | UC Santa Barbara#13 Ohio#1 Gonzaga | W 63–62W 72–58L 65–83 |
| 2022 | | First RoundSecond Round | San Diego State#1 Kansas | W 72–69 OT L 72–79 |
| 2023 | | First RoundSecond RoundSweet SixteenElite Eight | NC State#3 Baylor#15 Princeton#5 San Diego State | W 72–63 W 85–76 W 86–75 L 56–57 |
| 2024 | | First RoundSecond RoundSweet Sixteen | Akron#11 Oregon#2 Tennessee | W 77–60W 86–732OTL 75–82 |
| 2025 | | First RoundSecond Round | Louisville#1 Auburn | W 89–75L 70–82 |
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1942 | QuarterfinalsSemifinalsThird Place Game | West Texas StateWestern KentuckyToledo | W 59–58L 36–49W 48–46 |
| 1943 | Quarterfinals | Washington & Jefferson | L 42–43 |
| 1977 | First Round | Illinois State | L 58–65 |
| 1984 | First Round | Nebraska | L 54–56 |
| 1990 | First Round | DePaul | L 72–89 |
| 1998 | First Round | Marquette | L 68–80 |
| 2004 | Opening Round | Nebraska | L 70–71 |
| 2006 | First RoundSecond Round | AkronMiami (FL) | W 71–60L 52–53 |
| 2008 | First RoundSecond Round | Rhode IslandFlorida | W 74–73L 54–82 |
| 2009 | First RoundSecond Round | Bowling GreenKentucky | W 73–71L 63–65 |
| 2016 | First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinals | AlabamaWagnerBYU | W 72–54W 87–54L 82–88 |
| 2019 | First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinals | Loyola–ChicagoMemphisTCU | W 70–61 W 79–67L 58–71 |
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2011 | First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals–Game 1Finals–Game 2Finals–Game 3 | San Jose StateDavidsonCentral FloridaOregonOregonOregon | W 77–70W 102–92W 82–64W 84–76L 58–71L 69–71 |
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2010 | First RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinals | South DakotaFairfieldMissouri State | W 89–78W 73–55L 61–67 |
| Creighton Bluejays retired numbers | ||||
| No. | Player | Pos. | Career | |
| 3 | Doug McDermott | SF / PF | 2010-2014 | |
| 25 | Kyle Korver | SG / SF | 1999–2003 | |
| 30 | Bob Harstad | PF | 1987–1991 | |
| 33 | Bob Portman | SF / SG | 1966–1969 | |
| 35 | Paul Silas | PF / SF | 1961–1964 | |
| 45 | Bob Gibson | F | 1954–1957 | |
| Year | Round | Pick | Overall | Name | Team | Current team |
| 2024 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Trey Alexander | N/A | Denver Nuggets |
| 2024 | 1 | 30 | 30 | Baylor Scheierman | Boston Celtics | Boston Celtics |
| 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Ty-Shon Alexander | N/A | |
| 2018 | 2 | 8 | 38 | Khyri Thomas | Philadelphia 76ers | |
| 2017 | 1 | 16 | 16 | Justin Patton | Chicago Bulls | |
| 2014 | 1 | 11 | 11 | Doug McDermott | Denver Nuggets | Sacramento Kings |
| 2007 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Anthony Tolliver | N/A | |
| 2003 | 2 | 22 | 51 | Kyle Korver | New Jersey Nets | |
| 1999 | 2 | 24 | 53 | Rodney Buford | Miami Heat | |
| 1991 | 2 | 5 | 32 | Chad Gallagher | Phoenix Suns | |
| 1985 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Benoit Benjamin | Los Angeles Clippers | |
| 1985 | 4 | 5 | 75 | Alex Stivrins | Seattle SuperSonics | |
| 1981 | 4 | 19 | 88 | Kevin McKenna | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 1969 | 1 | 7 | 7 | Bob Portman | San Francisco Warriors | |
| 1969 | 2 | 10 | 25 | Wally Anderzunas | Atlanta Hawks | |
| 1966 | 2 | 5 | 15 | Neil Johnson | Baltimore Bullets | |
| 1964 | 12 | 4 | 90 | Elton McGriff | St. Louis Hawks | |
| 1964 | 2 | 3 | 10 | Paul Silas | St. Louis Hawks | |
| 1948 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hoot Gibson | N/A | |
| Active players | ||||||
| Year | Player | Home Town | Country |
| 2022 | Ryan Hawkins | Atlantic, Iowa | Italy |
| 2021 | Marcus Zegarowski | Hamilton, Massachusetts | Israel |
| 2021 | Damien Jefferson | East Chicago, Indiana | Belgium and the Netherlands |
| 2018 | Marcus Foster | Wichita Falls, Texas | Lithuania |
| 2017 | Maurice Watson | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Turkey |
| 2016 | Geoffrey Groselle | Plano, Texas | Poland |
| 2015 | Devin Brooks | Harlem, New York | Lebanon |
| 2013 | Gregory Echenique | Guatire, Venezuela | Japan |
| 2010 | Justin Carter | Gaithersburg, Maryland | Retired |
| Name | Points |
| Doug McDermott | 3,150 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 2,443 |
| Rodney Buford | 2,116 |
| Bob Harstad | 2,110 |
| Chad Gallagher | 1,983 |
| Bob Portman | 1,876 |
| Kyle Korver | 1,801 |
| Nate Funk | 1,754 |
| Rick Apke | 1,682 |
| Paul Silas | 1,661 |
| Vernon Moore | 1,654 |
| Name | Rebounds |
| Paul Silas | 1,751 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 1,146 |
| Bob Harstad | 1,126 |
| Doug McDermott | 1,088 |
| Benoit Benjamin | 1,005 |
| Bob Portman | 979 |
| Chad Gallagher | 891 |
| Kenny Lawson Jr. | 762 |
| Rodney Buford | 716 |
| Rick Apke | 709 |
| Wally Anderzunas | 696 |
| Name | Assists |
| Ryan Sears | 570 |
| Ralph Bobik | 549 |
| Antoine Young | 505 |
| Grant Gibbs | 498 |
| Austin Chatman | 493 |
| Randy Eccker | 458 |
| Tyler McKinney | 430 |
| Vernon Moore | 418 |
| Josh Dotzler | 388 |
| Duan Cole | 382 |
| Name | Blocks |
| Benoit Benjamin | 411 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 399 |
| Chad Gallagher | 183 |
| Gregory Echenique | 171 |
| Kenny Lawson Jr. | 153 |
| Brody Deren | 138 |
| Anthony Tolliver | 136 |
| Doug Swenson | 109 |
| Joe Dabbert | 104 |
| Adam Reid | 79 |
| Livan Pyfrom | 76 |
| Name | Steals |
| Ryan Sears | 283 |
| Josh Dotzler | 196 |
| Rodney Buford | 195 |
| Duan Cole | 186 |
| Kyle Korver | 172 |
| Johnny Mathies | 157 |
| Latrell Wrightsell | 154 |
| Vernon Moore | 150 |
| Ben Walker | 148 |
| Reggie Morris | 129 |
| Name | Three-pointers |
| Kyle Korver | 371 |
| Ethan Wragge | 334 |
| Mitchell Ballock | 302 |
| Doug McDermott | 274 |
| Ryan Sears | 245 |
| Rodney Buford | 212 |
| Jahenns Manigat | 206 |
| Nate Funk | 200 |
| Matt Roggenburk | 185 |
| Duan Cole | 177 |
| Name | Free throws |
| Doug McDermott | 594 |
| Bob Harstad | 588 |
| Elton Tuttle | 525 |
| Bob Gibson | 418 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | 391 |
| Bob Portman | 382 |
| Paul Silas | 375 |
| Antoine Young | 362 |
| Vernon Moore | 356 |
| Benoit Benjamin | 355 |
| Dick Harvey | 350 |
References
- For the 2022-23 season the number was issued to incoming freshman Fredrick King, who requested permission to wear it. Po
- Creighton University Athletics Bluejay Logo Usage Guidelineshttps://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/creighton.sidearmsports.com/documents/2022/6/9/Creighton_Guide_Logos_Website_1_.pdf#page=6
- NCAA.orghttp://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/Reports/attend/2015.pdf
- "MVC Sports"https://web.archive.org/web/20130304113954/http://www.mvc-sports.com/mbasketball/
- 100 Greatest Moments in St Louis Sportshttps://books.google.com/books?id=0rsSKRVGTZMC&q=eddie+hickey+creighton&pg=PA86
- The Bluejayhttps://archive.org/stream/bluejay32crei/bluejay32crei_djvu.txt
- The Bluejayhttps://archive.org/details/bluejay30crei
- The Bluejayhttps://archive.org/stream/bluejay34crei#page/266/mode/2up
- The Bluejayhttps://archive.org/stream/bluejay39crei#page/298/mode/2up
- "What's In A Number"http://whiteandbluereview.com/?p=8496
- Sports Illustratedhttps://web.archive.org/web/20140324065132/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1088289/index.htm
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- Sports Illustratedhttps://archive.today/20130410171418/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119174/2/index.htm
- Los Angeles Timeshttps://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-02-sp-20370-story.html
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- Chicago Tribunehttps://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/04/10/creighton-looks-to-replace-barone/
- "Number 32: Rodney Buford"http://whiteandbluereview.com/?p=8220
- "Number 5: Ryan Sears"http://whiteandbluereview.com/?p=7696
- "Number 25: Chad Gallagher and Kyle Korver"http://whiteandbluereview.com/?p=8142
- "Number 10: Nate Funk"http://whiteandbluereview.com/?p=7579
- ESPN.comhttps://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/news/story?id=2824653
- The New York Timeshttps://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/sports/ncaabasketball/day-at-arkansas-changed-everything-for-oregon-coach-dana-altman.html
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- whiteandbluereview.comhttp://whiteandbluereview.com/creightons-season-ends-with-88-82-loss-to-byu-in-nit-quarterfinals/
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- Omaha World Heraldhttps://www.omaha.com/creighton/mens-basketball/this-is-the-place-for-me-greg-mcdermott-follows-heart/article_96232d5c-4c64-11e7-9edd-03992b0c0eed.html
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- "Creighton ends Princeton's March Madness run with 86-75 win"https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/401522198
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- "Creighton Basketball: Dancin' Granny"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO7mzS4x-RM
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- "BIG EAST Announces Men's Basketball Player, Rookie, Coach of the Year"https://web.archive.org/web/20140313092521/http://www.bigeast.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031214aab.html
- 2022–23 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball media guide, page 100https://gocreighton.com/documents/2022/10/21/2223mbbmg80-112.pdf
- Bob Portman’s number 33 will make a return to Creighton men’s basketball By Joe Nugent at wowt.com, 9 Jun 2022https://www.wowt.com/2022/06/10/bob-portmans-number-33-will-make-return-creighton-mens-basketball/
- Basketball Referencehttps://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/
- White and Blue Reviewhttps://whiteandbluereview.com/creightons-big-east-rival-is/
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- 2014–15 Creighton Men's Basketball Media Guidehttps://web.archive.org/web/20141207140129/http://www.gocreighton.com/fls/1000/mediaguide/mensbb/1415mbb92-122.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=1000