| 2020–21Creighton Bluejays men's basketball | |
|---|---|
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen | |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 14 |
| AP | No. 19 |
| Record | 22–9 (14–6 Big East) |
| Head coach |
|
| Assistant coaches |
|
| Home arena | CHI Health Center Omaha |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18Villanova | 11 | – | 4 | .733 | 18 | – | 7 | .720 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19Creighton | 14 | – | 6 | .700 | 22 | – | 9 | .710 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UConn | 11 | – | 6 | .647 | 15 | – | 8 | .652 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. John's | 10 | – | 9 | .526 | 16 | – | 11 | .593 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | 10 | – | 9 | .526 | 14 | – | 13 | .519 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Providence | 9 | – | 10 | .474 | 13 | – | 13 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | 6 | – | 7 | .462 | 13 | – | 8 | .619 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown † | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 13 | – | 13 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | 8 | – | 11 | .421 | 13 | – | 14 | .481 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | 8 | – | 12 | .400 | 10 | – | 15 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul | 2 | – | 13 | .133 | 5 | – | 14 | .263 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †2021 Big East tournament winner Rankings fromAP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The2020–21 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team representedCreighton University in the2020-21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bluejays were led by 11th-year head coachGreg McDermott and played their home games at theCHI Health Center Omaha inOmaha, Nebraska, as members of theBig East Conference. They finished the season 22–9, 14–6 to finish second inBig East play. They defeatedButler andUConn in theBig East tournament before losing toGeorgetown in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to theNCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the West region. They defeatedUC Santa Barbara[1] andOhio to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[2] This marked the first time Creighton had won consecutive games in the same tournament and the first time they had advanced to the Sweet Sixteen since1974 when the tournament had 25 teams.[3] There they lost to eventual National Runner-UpGonzaga.[4][5]
On March 4, 2021, head coach McDermott was suspended for using racially insensitive language to his team.[6] On March 8, the school reinstated McDermott after only missing one game and allowing him to coach in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.[7]
TheBluejays finished the2019–20 season 24–7, 13–5 inBig East play to finish tied for first place. As the No. 1 seed in theBig East tournament, they were slated to playSt. John's in the quarterfinals, but the tournament was cancelled at halftime of the game due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, along with the rest of theNCAA postseason.[8]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davion Mintz | 1 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Senior | Charlotte, NC | Graduate transferred toKentucky[9] |
| Ty-Shon Alexander | 5 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Junior | Charlotte, NC | Declared for the2020 NBA draft[10] |
| Jordan Scurry | 12 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Senior | Chestnut Hill, MA | Graduated |
| Jalen Windham | 21 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Freshman | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred toBall State[9] |
| Kelvin Jones | 43 | C | 6'11" | 230 | Senior | Chihuahua, Mexico | Graduated |
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rati Andronikashvili SG | Tbilisi, Georgia | 35 Sajaro Skoka | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 7, 2020 | |
| Recruit ratings:Scout: Rivals: | ||||||
| Ryan Kalkbrenner C | Saint Louis, MO | Trinity Catholic High School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 23, 2019 | |
| Recruit ratings:Scout: Rivals: | ||||||
| Modestas Kancleris PF | Kaunas, Lithuania | Varpas Gimnazija | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | May 11, 2020 | |
| Recruit ratings:Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
| College recruiting information (2021) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
| Arthur Kaluma PF | Boston, MA | Dream City Christian | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | May 16, 2021 | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Ryan Nembhard PG | Aurora, ON | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Jun 6, 2020 | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Mason Miller PF | Germantown, TN | Houston | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 23, 2020 | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| John Christofilis SG | Seattle, WA | O'Dea | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Sep 25, 2020 | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Trey Alexander SG | Oklahoma City, OK | Heritage Hall | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 2, 2021 | |
| Recruit ratings:Rivals: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: 12 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex O'Connell | 5 | G | 6'6" | 186 | Junior | Roswell, GA | Transferred fromDuke. Under NCAA transfer rules, O'Connell will play this season and will gain an additional extra eligibility. |
| 2020–21 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date time, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 29, 2020* 3:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 11 | North Dakota State | W 69–58 | 1–0 | 16 – Bishop | 7 – Ballock | 6 – Zegarowski | CHI Health Center Omaha (252) Omaha, NE | |||
| December 1, 2020* 4:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 9 | Omaha | W 94–67 | 2–0 | 18 – Bishop | 8 – Bishop | 11 – Zegarowski | CHI Health Center Omaha (251) Omaha, NE | |||
| December 4, 2020* 4:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 9 | Kennesaw State | W 93–58 | 3–0 | 14 – Tied | 7 – Jones | 4 – Zegarowski | CHI Health Center Omaha (201) Omaha, NE | |||
| December 8, 2020* 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 8 | at No. 5 Kansas Big East/Big 12 Battle | L 72–73 | 3–1 | 19 – Mahoney | 9 – Bishop | 5 – Ballock | Allen Fieldhouse (2,500) Lawrence, KS | |||
| December 11, 2020* 6:00 p.m., BTN | No. 8 | Nebraska Rivalry | W 98–74 | 4–1 | 22 – Zegarowski | 8 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (254) Omaha, NE | |||
| December 14, 2020 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 9 | Marquette | L 84–89 | 4–2 (0–1) | 26 – Ballock | 6 – Tied | 5 – Zegarowski | CHI Health Center Omaha (255) Omaha, NE | |||
| December 17, 2020 4:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 9 | at St. John's | W 94–76 | 5–2 (1–1) | 20 – Zegarowski | 10 – Tied | 8 – Jefferson | Carnesecca Arena Queens, NY | |||
| December 20, 2020 11:00 a.m., FS1 | No. 9 | at UConn | W 76–74 OT | 6–2 (2–1) | 19 – Bishop | 13 – Mahoney | 4 – Jefferson | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT | |||
| December 23, 2020 7:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 13 | No. 22 Xavier | W 66–61 | 7–2 (3–1) | 13 – Tied | 7 – Bishop | 2 – 4Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (1,673) Omaha, NE | |||
| January 2, 2021 11:00 a.m., FOX | No. 11 | at Providence | W 67–65 | 8–2 (4–1) | 20 – Zegarowski | 8 – Jefferson | 4 – Zegarowski | Alumni Hall Providence, RI | |||
| January 6, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 7 | Seton Hall | W 89–53 | 9–2 (5–1) | 19 – Jefferson | 7 – Kalkbrenner | 4 – Zegarowski | CHI Health Center Omaha (1,689) Omaha, NE | |||
| January 9, 2021 12:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 7 | St. John's | W 97–79 | 10–2 (6–1) | 24 – Mahoney | 6 – Tied | 5 – Jefferson | CHI Health Center Omaha (1,777) Omaha, NE | |||
| January 16, 2021 1:00 p.m., FOX | No. 8 | at Butler | L 66–70 OT | 10–3 (6–2) | 29 – Mahoney | 7 – Tied | 4 – Mitchell | Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,693) Indianapolis, IN | |||
| January 20, 2021 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 11 | Providence | L 70–74 | 10–4 (6–3) | 26 – Jefferson | 5 – Kalkbrenner | 3 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (1,731) Omaha, NE | |||
| January 23, 2021 1:30 p.m., FOX | No. 11 | No. 23 UConn | W 74–66 | 11–4 (7–3) | 20 – Mahoney | 5 – Jefferson | 3 – Ballock | CHI Health Center Omaha (1,839) Omaha, NE | |||
| January 27, 2021 6:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 17 | at Seton Hall | W 85–81 | 12–4 (8–3) | 29 – Ballock | 7 – Mahoney | 4 – Ballock | Prudential Center Newark, NJ | |||
| January 30, 2021 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 17 | at DePaul | W 69–62 | 13–4 (9–3) | 19 – Zegarowski | 6 – Tied | 5 – Zegarowski | Wintrust Arena Chicago, IL | |||
| February 3, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 15 | Georgetown | L 79–86 | 13–5 (9–4) | 22 – Mahoney | 10 – Bishop | 6 – Zegarowski | CHI Health Center Omaha (1,845) Omaha, NE | |||
| February 6, 2021 5:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 15 | at Marquette | W 71–68 | 14–5 (10–4) | 14 – Bishop | 8 – Tied | 6 – Jefferson | Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI | |||
| February 9, 2021 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 19 | at Georgetown | W 63–48 | 15–5 (11–4) | 17 – Bishop | 9 – Bishop | 4 – Tied | McDonough Gymnasium Washington, DC | |||
| February 13, 2021 5:00 p.m., FOX | No. 19 | No. 5 Villanova | W 86–70 | 16–5 (12–4) | 25 – Zegarowski | 10 – Tied | 5 – Zegarowski | CHI Health Center Omaha (2,544) Omaha, NE | |||
| February 24, 2021 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 13 | DePaul | W 77–53 | 17–5 (13–4) | 13 – 3Tied | 7 – Kalkbrenner | 4 – Zegarowski | CHI Health Center Omaha (1,936) Omaha, NE | |||
| February 27, 2021 4:00 p.m., FOX | No. 13 | at Xavier | L 69–77 | 17–6 (13–5) | 19 – Jefferson | 9 – Jefferson | 10 – Zegarowski | Cintas Center Cincinnati, OH | |||
| March 3, 2021 7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 14 | at No. 10 Villanova | L 60–72 | 17–7 (13–6) | 14 – Ballock | 8 – Jefferson | 4 – Tied | Finneran Pavilion Villanova, PA | |||
| March 6, 2021 4:00 p.m., FOX | No. 14 | Butler | W 93–73 | 18–7 (14–6) | 32 – Zegarowski | 10 – Bishop | 6 – Ballock | CHI Health Center Omaha (2,419) Omaha, NE | |||
| Big East tournament | |||||||||||
| March 11, 2021 5:00 p.m., FS1 | (2)No. 17 | vs. (10) Butler Quarterfinals | W 87–56 | 19–7 | 18 – Zegarowski | 4 – 3Tied | 5 – Zegarowski | Madison Square Garden Manhattan, NY | |||
| March 12, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1 | (2)No. 17 | vs. (3) UConn Semifinals | W 59–56 | 20–7 | 14 – Jefferson | 12 – Jefferson | 3 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (824) Manhattan, NY | |||
| March 13, 2021 6:30 p.m., FOX | (2)No. 17 | vs. (8) Georgetown Championship | L 48–73 | 20–8 | 17 – Zegarowski | 5 – Ballock | 4 – Zegarowski | Madison Square Garden (824) Manhattan, NY | |||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| March 20, 2021 2:30 p.m., truTV | (5 W)No. 19 | vs. (12 W) UC Santa Barbara First Round | W 63–62 | 21–8 | 17 – Zegarowski | 11 – Bishop | 7 – Zegarowski | Lucas Oil Stadium (6,512) Indianapolis, IN | |||
| March 22, 2021 5:10 p.m., TNT | (5 W)No. 19 | vs. (13 W) Ohio Second Round | W 72–58 | 22–8 | 20 – Zegarowski | 15 – Bishop | 5 – Ballock | Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,058) Indianapolis, IN | |||
| March 28, 2021 1:10 p.m., CBS | (5 W)No. 19 | vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga Sweet Sixteen | L 65–83 | 22–9 | 19 – Zegarowski | 5 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,060) Indianapolis, IN | |||
*Non-conference game.#Rankings fromAP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are inCentral Time. | |||||||||||
| Week | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | 11 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 19 | Not released |
| Coaches | 11 | 11^ | 7 | 9 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 19 | 14 |
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.