2017–18 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

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

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

Departures

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

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

College recruiting information
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 
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 
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 
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

College recruiting information (2018)
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 
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 
Star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Sam Froling
PF 		Canberra, SW Australian Institute of Sport 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jan 15, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN: N/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

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

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

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

See also: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP——RV25RVRV2525RV25RVRVRVRVRVRVRVNot released
CoachesRVRV^RV23RV2524232422RVRVRVRV25RV24RV

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

References

  1. ^ "Big East Conference - Villanova Sits Atop Coaches' Preseason Poll Again". www.bigeast.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  2. ^ "Big East Conference - Villanova's Jalen Brunson Selected Preseason Player of the Year". www.bigeast.com. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  3. ^ "Men's Basketball vs USC Upstate on 12/20/2017 - Box Score".