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2017–18 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

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2017–18 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record21–12 (10–8 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Darian DeVries (20th season)
  • Preston Murphy (3rd season)
  • Alan Huss (1st season)
Home arenaCenturyLink Center Omaha
Seasons
2017–18 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 Xavier 15 3   .833 29 6   .829
No. 2 Villanova 14 4   .778 36 4   .900
Seton Hall 10 8   .556 22 12   .647
Creighton 10 8   .556 21 12   .636
Providence 10 8   .556 21 14   .600
Butler 9 9   .500 21 14   .600
Marquette 9 9   .500 21 14   .600
Georgetown 5 13   .278 15 15   .500
St. John's 4 14   .222 16 17   .485
DePaul 4 14   .222 11 20   .355
2018 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team represented Creighton University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bluejays were led by eighth-year head coach Greg McDermott and played their home games at the CenturyLink Center Omaha, as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 21–12, 10–8 in Big East play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament to Providence. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the South Region. There the Bluejays lost in the first round to Kansas State.

Previous season

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The Bluejays finished the 2016–17 season 25–10, 10–8 in Big East play to finish in a four-way tie for third place. In the Big East tournament, they defeated Providence and Xavier before losing to Villanova in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest region. There they lost in the first round to No. 11-seeded Rhode Island.

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Maurice Watson 10 G 5'10" 175 Senior Philadelphia, PA Graduated
Cole Huff 13 F 6'8" 220 Senior Altadena, CA Graduated
Isaiah Zierden 21 G 6'3" 190 RS Senior St. Louis Park, MN Graduated
Justin Patton 23 C 7'0" 230 RS Freshman Omaha, NE Declared for the 2017 NBA draft; selected 16th overall by the Chicago Bulls.
Kobe Paras 24 G 6'6" 200 Freshman Quezon City, Philippines Transferred to Cal State Northridge
Sam Dunkum 31 F 6'10" 215 Sophomore North Little Rock, AR Walk-on; transferred to East Mississippi CC

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Damien Jefferson 23 G/F 6'5" 190 Sophomore East Chicago, IN Transferred from New Mexico. Under NCAA transfer rules, Jefferson will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.
Manny Suarez 44 C 6'10" 250 RS Senior Cliffside Park, NJ Transferred from Adelphi. Will be eligible to play immediately since Suarez graduated from Adelphi.

2017 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ty-Shon Alexander
SG
Charlotte, NC Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 31, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Jacob Epperson
C
Maribyrnong, Victoria, Australia La Lumiere School 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Mar 16, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Mitch Ballock
SG
Eudora, KS Eudora 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Feb 7, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017.

2018 Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Marcus Zegarowski
PG
Hamilton, MA Tilton School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 164 lb (74 kg) Sep 4, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Christian Bishop
SF
Lee's Summit, MO Lee's Summit West High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 22, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPNN/A
Sam Froling
PF
Canberra, SW Australian Institute of Sport 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jan 15, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

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In a poll of Big East coaches at the conference media day, Creighton was picked to finish in fifth place.[1] Junior guard Khyri Thomas was a preseason All-Big East Honorable Mention.[2]

Roster

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2017–18 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Marcus Foster 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Sr Hirschi HS
Kansas State
Wichita Falls, TX
G 1 Davion Mintz 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So North Mecklenburg HS Charlotte, NC
G 2 Khyri Thomas 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Fork Union Omaha, NE
G/F 4 Ronnie Harrell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Jr East HS Denver, CO
G 5 Ty-Shon Alexander 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Oak Hill Academy (VA) Charlotte, NC
G 11 Tyler Clement (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr St. Thomas Aquinas HS Overland Park, KS
G 12 Jordan Scurry (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So St. Mark's Chestnut Hill, MA
G 14 Kaleb Joseph 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr Cushing Academy
Syracuse
Nashua, NH
F 15 Martin Krampelj 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS So Impact Academy Grosuplje, Slovenia
G/F 23 Damien Jefferson Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Central HS
New Mexico
East Chicago, IN
G 24 Mitch Ballock 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Eudora HS Eudora, KS
F 32 Toby Hegner 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Berlin HS Berlin, WI
C 41 Jacob Epperson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr La Lumiere (IN) Melbourne, Australia
C 44 Manny Suarez 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Sr Marist HS
Adelphi
Cliffside Park, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 26, 2017*
7:00 pm
Omaha
ARC hurricane relief charity game
W 96–67 
 22  Foster   13  Harrell   3  3 tied  CenturyLink Center (8,280)
Omaha, NE
Nov 3, 2017*
7:00 pm
UNC Pembroke W 93–70 
 23  Thomas   13  Suarez   3  Tied  CenturyLink Center (15,535)
Omaha, NE
Regular season
Nov 10, 2017*
8:00 pm, FSN
Yale
CBE Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game
W 92–76  1–0
 23  Foster   9  Krampelj   5  Tied  CenturyLink Center (16,611)
Omaha, NE
Nov 12, 2017*
6:00 pm, FS1
Alcorn State
CBE Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game
W 109–72  2–0
 23  Foster   12  Krampelj   3  Tied  CenturyLink Center (14,730)
Omaha, NE
Nov 15, 2017*
8:00 pm, BTN
at No. 20 Northwestern
Gavitt Tipoff Games
W 92–88  3–0
 24  Thomas   11  Thomas   5  Thomas  Allstate Arena (6,384)
Rosemont, IL
Nov 20, 2017*
6:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. No. 23 UCLA
CBE Hall of Fame Classic semifinals
W 100–89  4–0
 23  Foster   15  Harrell, Jr.   3  3 tied  Sprint Center (10,234)
Kansas City, MO
Nov 21, 2017*
9:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. No. 22 Baylor
CBE Hall of Fame Classic championship
L 59–65  4–1
 15  Thomas   6  Krampelj   4  Foster  Sprint Center (10,160)
Kansas City, MO
Nov 25, 2017*
3:30 pm, FS2
SIU Edwardsville W 103–66  5–1
 20  Krampelj   8  Harrell, Jr.   6  Ballock  CenturyLink Center (15,607)
Omaha, NE
Dec 1, 2017*
9:15 pm, ESPN2
No. 25 at No. 15 Gonzaga L 74–91  5–2
 21  Foster   8  Harrell Jr.   6  Mintz  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Dec 5, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS2
North Dakota W 111–68  6–2
 23  Foster   14  Krampelj   6  Ballock  CenturyLink Center (15,069)
Omaha, NE
Dec 9, 2017*
1:30 pm, FS1
Nebraska
Rivlary
W 75–65  7–2
 19  Foster   11  Tied   4  Ballock  CenturyLink Center (17,901)
Omaha, NE
Dec 15, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS1
Maryland Eastern Shore W 87–36  8–2
 15  Foster   10  Harrell Jr.   4  Tied  CenturyLink Center (16,520)
Omaha, NE
Dec 18, 2017*
8:00 pm, FS1
No. 25 Texas–Arlington W 90–81  9–2
 32  Foster   11  Krampelj   5  Thomas  CenturyLink Center (15,564)
Omaha, NE
Dec 20, 2017*
8:00 pm, FS1
No. 25 USC Upstate W 116–62[3]  10–2
 16  Foster   9  Sauarez   8  Joseph  CenturyLink Center (15,366)
Omaha, NE
Dec 28, 2017
5:30 pm, FS1
No. 25 at No. 23 Seton Hall L 84–90  10–3
(0–1)
 23  Krampelj   10  Tied   6  Thomas  Prudential Center 
Newark, NJ
Dec 31, 2017
1:30 pm, FS1
No. 25 Providence W 83–64  11–3
(1–1)
 18  Foster   8  Krampelj   4  Tied  CenturyLink Center (17,768)
Omaha, NE
Jan 3, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1
St. John's W 78–71  12–3
(2–1)
 25  Foster   11  Krampelj   5  Tied  CenturyLink Center (16,167)
Omaha, NE
Jan 6, 2018
11:00 am, FSN/MASN2
at Georgetown W 90–66  13–3
(3–1)
 19  Hegner   11  Krampelj   6  Mintz  Capital One Arena (7,538)
Washington, D.C.
Jan 9, 2018
7:30 pm, FS1
No. 25 Butler W 85–74  14–3
(4–1)
 23  Foster   14  Krampelj   8  Foster  CenturyLink Center (17,229)
Omaha, NE
Jan 13, 2018
1:00 pm, FOX
No. 25 at No. 10 Xavier L 70–92  14–4
(4–2)
 16  Tied   6  Harrell Jr.   3  Thomas  Cintas Center (10,655)
Cincinnati, OH
Jan 17, 2018
7:45 pm, FS1
No. 19 Seton Hall W 80–63  15–4
(5–2)
 25  Foster   6  Mintz   7  Mintz  CenturyLink Center (17,705)
Omaha, NE
Jan 20, 2018
2:00 pm, CBSSN
at Providence L 71–85  15–5
(5–3)
 22  Foster   8  Harrell Jr.   8  Harrell Jr.  Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,927)
Providence, RI
Jan 23, 208
7:30 pm, FS1
at St. John's W 68–63  16–5
(6–3)
 24  Foster   8  Foster   3  Thomas  Carnesecca Arena (4,771)
Queens, NY
Jan 27, 2018
7:10 pm, CBSSN
Georgetown W 85–77  17–5
(7–3)
 28  Foster   6  Foster   3  Tied  CenturyLink Center (18,518)
Omaha, NE
Feb 1, 2018
5:30 pm, FS1
at No. 1 Villanova L 78–98  17–6
(7–4)
 20  Foster   4  Tied   7  Mintz  Wells Fargo Center (10,225)
Philadelphia, PA
Feb 7, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1
at DePaul W 76–75  18–6
(8–4)
 29  Foster   8  Harrell Jr.   5  Harrell Jr.  Wintrust Arena (5,010)
Chicago, IL
Feb 10, 2018
1:30 pm, FOX
No. 5 Xavier L 71–72  18–7
(8–5)
 29  Foster   8  Foster   4  Thomas  CenturyLink Center (18,257)
Omaha, NE
Feb 13, 2018*
7:00 pm, FS2
Bemidji State W 94–46  19–7
 15  Epperson   8  Tied   5  Tied  CenturyLink Center (17,981)
Omaha, NE
Feb 17, 2018
9:00 pm, FSN
Marquette L 86–90  19–8
(8–6)
 26  Thomas   6  Harrell Jr.   6  Harrell Jr.  CenturyLink Center (18,495)
Omaha, NE
Feb 20, 2018
6:00 pm, FS1
at Butler L 70–93  19–9
(8–7)
 15  Ballock   7  Harrell Jr.   3  Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,630)
Indianapolis, IN
Feb 24, 2018
1:20 pm, FOX
No. 3 Villanova W 89–83  20–9
(9–7)
 28  Foster   9  Mintz   8  Ballock  CenturyLink Center (18,321)
Omaha, NE
Feb 27, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1
DePaul W 82–51  21–9
(10–7)
 20  Foster   8  Thomas   8  Thomas  CenturyLink Center (18,191)
Omaha, NE
Mar 3, 2018
1:30 pm, FS1
at Marquette L 81–85  21–10
(10–8)
 29  Foster   9  Thomas   6  Mintz  BMO Harris Bradley Center (18,221)
Milwaukee, WI
Big East tournament
Mar 8, 2018
1:30 pm, FS1
(4) vs. (5) Providence
Quarterfinals
L 68–72 OT 21–11
 19  Foster   7  Tied   6  Mintz  Madison Square Garden (17,647)
New York, NY
NCAA tournament
Mar 16, 2018
5:50 pm, TNT
(8 S) vs. (9 S) Kansas State
First Round
L 59–69  21–12
 16  Ballock   8  Ballock   4  Thomas  Spectrum Center (17,943)
Charlotte, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRV25RVRV2525RV25RVRVRVRVRVRVRVNot released
CoachesRVRV^RV23RV2524232422RVRVRVRV25RV24RV

^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

References

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