2015–16 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team represented Creighton University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bluejays, led by sixth-year head coach Greg McDermott, played their home games at the CenturyLink Center Omaha, and were members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 20–15, 9–9 in Big East play to finish in sixth place. They lost to Seton Hall in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where, as a #4 seed, they defeated Alabama and Wagner to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to BYU.

2015–16 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball
NIT, Quarterfinals
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record20–15 (9–9 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCenturyLink Center Omaha
2015–16 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 6 Villanova162 .889355  .875
No. 9 Xavier144 .778285  .848
No. 20 Seton Hall126 .667259  .735
Providence108 .5562411  .686
Butler108 .5562211  .667
Creighton99 .5002015  .571
Marquette810 .4442013  .606
Georgetown711 .3891518  .455
DePaul315 .167922  .290
St. John's117 .056824  .250
2016 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Bluejays finished the 2014–15 season 14–19, 4–14 in Big East play to finish last in the conference. They defeated DePaul in the first round of the Big East tournament and lost to Georgetown in the quarterfinals. The Bluejays finished with a losing record for the first time in 18 years, dating back to the 1995–96 season.

Off season

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Will Artino31C6'11"230SeniorWaukee, IAGraduated
Devin Brooks5G6'2"175SeniorHarlem, NYGraduated
Austin Chatman1G6'0"175SeniorThe Colony, TXGraduated
Gabriel Connealy2F6'4"205JuniorMullen, NEGraduated
Avery Dingman22G6'6"215SeniorBranson, MOGraduated
Leon Gilmore III0F6'7"210FreshmanManvel, TXTransferred to Stephen F. Austin
Ricky Kreklow15G6'7"195RS SeniorColumbia, MOGraduated
Mogboluwaga Ogini50F6'8"225JuniorSt. Louis, MOGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Malik Albert12G6'2"165JuniorDetroit, MITransferred from Mott CC. Albert will be eligible to play immediately.
Marcus Foster22G6'3"210JuniorWichita Falls, TXTransferred from Kansas State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Foster will have to redshirt for the 2015–16 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

Incoming recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Justin Patton
C
Omaha, NE Omaha North High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jun 17, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Marlon Stewart
PG
Rock Island, IA North Scott High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 25, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Khyri Thomas
SG
Omaha, NE Fork Union Military Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Feb 15, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: POST
Martin Krampelj
PF
Grosuplje, Slovenia[1] Impact Basketball Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Nov 12, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: POST
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:

  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 18, 2015.

Roster

2015–16 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
C 0 Justin Patton Current redshirt 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrOmaha North HS Omaha, NE
G 1 Marlon Stewart 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrNorth Scott HS Eldridge, IA
G 2 Khyri Thomas 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrFork Union Omaha, NE
G 4 Ronnie Harrell Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)190 lb (86 kg) RS FrEast HS Denver, CO
G 5 Drew Cayce (W) Current redshirt 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)165 lb (75 kg) FrLa Lumiere Libertyville, IL
G 10 Maurice Watson 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)170 lb (77 kg) JrBoys' Latin
Boston University
Philadelphia, PA
G 11 Tyler Clement (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoSt. Thomas Aquinas Overland Park, KS
G 12 Malik Albert 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg) JrMartin Luther King HS
Mott CC
Detroit, MI
F 13 Cole Huff 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrCampbell Hall HS
Nevada
Altadena, CA
F 15 Martin Krampelj Injured 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrImpact Grosuplje, Slovenia
F 20 Alex O'Neill (W) Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)240 lb (109 kg) FrPeoria Christian Peoria, IL
G 21 Isaiah Zierden 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS JrBenilde-St. Margaret's St. Louis Park, MN
G 22 Marcus Foster Current redshirt 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrHirschi HS
Kansas St
Wichita Falls, TX
G 23 James Milliken 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS SrJordan–Matthews
Cowley County CC
Siler City, NC
F 32 Toby Hegner 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS SoBerlin Berlin, WI
F 40 Zach Hanson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)250 lb (113 kg) JrT. F. Riggs Pierre, SD
C 41 Geoffrey Groselle (W) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)240 lb (109 kg) SrPlano West Plano, TX
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Geoffrey Groselle Zach Hanson
PF Cole Huff Toby Hegner
SF Khyri Thomas Ronnie Harrell
SG James Milliken Isaiah Zierden
PG Maurice Watson Malik Albert Tyler Clement Marlon Stewart

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 6*
7:05 pm
Upper Iowa W 113–77 
CenturyLink Center (15,015)
Omaha, NE
Non-Conference Regular Season
Nov 14*
8:30 pm, FS2
Texas Southern
Men Who Speak Up Main Event
W 93–70  1–0
CenturyLink Center (16,538)
Omaha, NE
Nov 17*
7:00 pm, FS2
UTSA
Men Who Speak Up Main Event
W 103–78  2–0
CenturyLink Center (16,580)
Omaha, NE
Nov 19*
6:00 pm, BTN
at No. 14 Indiana
Gavitt Tipoff Games
L 65–86  2–1
Assembly Hall (17,472)
Bloomington, IN
Nov 23*
11:00 pm, YouTube
vs. Rutgers
Men Who Speak Up Main Event
Heavyweight semifinals
W 85–75  3–1
MGM Grand Garden Arena (1,000)
Paradise, NV
Nov 25*
8:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. UMass
Men Who Speak Up Main Event
Heavyweight Championship
W 97–76  4–1
MGM Grand Garden Arena (1,623)
Paradise, NV
Nov 28*
7:00 pm, FS2
Western Illinois W 97–67  5–1
CenturyLink Center (16,118)
Omaha, NE
Dec 2*
8:00 pm, CBSSN
Arizona State L 77–79  5–2
CenturyLink Center (16,282)
Omaha, NE
Dec 5*
1:00 pm, ESPN3
at Loyola–Chicago L 65–68  5–3
Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,963)
Chicago, IL
Dec 9*
7:00 pm, CBSSN
Nebraska W 83–67  6–3
CenturyLink Center (17,776)
Omaha, NE
Dec 12*
4:00 pm, FS1
IUPUI W 90–65  7–3
CenturyLink Center (16,785)
Omaha, NE
Dec 19*
1:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 3 Oklahoma L 74–87  7–4
Lloyd Noble Center (9,528)
Norman, OK
Dec 21*
8:00 pm, FS1
North Texas W 105–82  8–4
CenturyLink Center (17,518)
Omaha, NE
Dec 28*
8:00 pm, FS1
Coppin State W 102–77  9–4
CenturyLink Center (17,137)
Omaha, NE
Big East Conference Play
Dec 31
1:00 pm, FS1
at St. John's W 80–70  10–4
(1–0)
Carnesecca Arena (4,633)
Queens, NY
Jan 2
9:00 pm, FS1
No. 16 Villanova
Big East New Year's Marathon
L 71–85  10–5
(1–1)
CenturyLink Center (17,375)
Omaha, NE
Jan 5
8:15 pm, FS1
Georgetown W 79–66  11–5
(2–1)
CenturyLink Center (16,425)
Omaha, NE
Jan 9
1:00 pm, FS1
at Seton Hall W 82–67  12–5
(3–1)
Prudential Center (8,010)
Newark, NJ
Jan 12
7:30 pm, FS1
No. 12 Providence L 48–50  12–6
(3–2)
CenturyLink Center (17,073)
Omaha, NE
Jan 17
12:00 pm, FS1
at DePaul W 91–80  13–6
(4–2)
Allstate Arena (5,534)
Rosemont, IL
Jan 23
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 18 Butler W 72–64  14–6
(5–2)
CenturyLink Center (17,677)
Omaha, NE
Jan 26
5:30 pm, FS1
at Georgetown L 73–74  14–7
(5–3)
Verizon Center (6,897)
Washington, D.C.
Jan 30
7:00 pm, FSN
Seton Hall L 65–75  14–8
(5–4)
CenturyLink Center (17,924)
Omaha, NE
Feb 3
7:00 pm, CBSSN
at No. 3 Villanova L 58–83  14–9
(5–5)
The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
Feb 6
1:00 pm, FSN
DePaul W 88–66  15–9
(6–5)
CenturyLink Center (17,139)
Omaha, NE
Feb 9
7:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 5 Xavier W 70–56  16–9
(7–5)
CenturyLink Center (17,011)
Omaha, NE
Feb 13
8:00 pm, FSN
Marquette W 65–62  17–9
(8–5)
BMO Harris Bradley Center (15,844)
Milwaukee, WI
Feb 16
6:00 pm, FS1
at Butler L 75–88  17–10
(8–6)
Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,330)
Indianapolis, IN
Feb 24
7:00 pm, FS1
Marquette L 61–66  17–11
(8–7)
CenturyLink Center (17,412)
Omaha, NE
Feb 28
1:30 pm, FS1
St. John's W 100–59  18–11
(9–7)
CenturyLink Center (17,351)
Omaha, NE
Mar 2
8:00 pm, CBSSN
at Providence L 66–70  18–12
(9–8)
Dunkin' Donuts Center (9,252)
Providence, RI
Mar 5
1:30 pm, FOX
at No. 5 Xavier L 93–98  18–13
(9–9)
Cintas Center (10,633)
Cincinnati, OH
Big East tournament
Mar 10
8:30 pm, FS1
(6) vs. (3) Seton Hall
Quarterfinals
L 73–81  18–14
Madison Square Garden (13,813)
New York City, NY
National Invitation tournament
Mar 15*
8:00 pm, ESPN
(4) (5) Alabama
First Round – St. Bonaventure Bracket
W 72–54  19–14
CenturyLink Center (6,305)
Omaha, NE
Mar 19*
11:01 am, ESPN
(4) (8) Wagner
Second Round – St. Bonaventure Bracket
W 87–54  20–14
CenturyLink Center (6,471)
Omaha, NE
Mar 22*
8:00 pm, ESPN
(4) at (2) BYU
Quarterfinals – St. Bonaventure Bracket
L 82–88  20–15
Marriott Center (15,525)
Provo, UT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References

  1. Pivovar, Steven. "Jays receive added bonus on signing day". Bluejays Today. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.