2017–18 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

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.

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
2017–18 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 3 Xavier153 .833296  .829
No. 2 Villanova144 .778364  .900
Seton Hall108 .5562212  .647
Creighton108 .5562112  .636
Providence108 .5562114  .600
Butler99 .5002114  .600
Marquette99 .5002114  .600
Georgetown513 .2781515  .500
St. John's414 .2221617  .485
DePaul414 .2221120  .355
2018 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

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

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Maurice Watson10G5'10"175SeniorPhiladelphia, PAGraduated
Cole Huff13F6'8"220SeniorAltadena, CAGraduated
Isaiah Zierden21G6'3"190RS SeniorSt. Louis Park, MNGraduated
Justin Patton23C7'0"230RS FreshmanOmaha, NEDeclared for the 2017 NBA draft; selected 16th overall by the Chicago Bulls.
Kobe Paras24G6'6"200FreshmanQuezon City, PhilippinesTransferred to Cal State Northridge
Sam Dunkum31F6'10"215SophomoreNorth Little Rock, ARWalk-on; transferred to East Mississippi CC

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Damien Jefferson23G/F6'5"190SophomoreEast Chicago, INTransferred 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 Suarez44C6'10"250RS SeniorCliffside Park, NJTransferred from Adelphi. Will be eligible to play immediately since Suarez graduated from Adelphi.

2017 recruiting class

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

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    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 
Recruiting 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
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Marcus Foster 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS SrHirschi HS
Kansas State
Wichita Falls, TX
G 1 Davion Mintz 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoNorth Mecklenburg HS Charlotte, NC
G 2 Khyri Thomas 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrFork Union Omaha, NE
G/F 4 Ronnie Harrell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg) RS JrEast HS Denver, CO
G 5 Ty-Shon Alexander 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrOak Hill Academy (VA) Charlotte, NC
G 11 Tyler Clement (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrSt. Thomas Aquinas HS Overland Park, KS
G 12 Jordan Scurry (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoSt. Mark's Chestnut Hill, MA
G 14 Kaleb Joseph 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS JrCushing Academy
Syracuse
Nashua, NH
F 15 Martin Krampelj 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS SoImpact Academy Grosuplje, Slovenia
G/F 23 Damien Jefferson Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) SoCentral HS
New Mexico
East Chicago, IN
G 24 Mitch Ballock 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) FrEudora HS Eudora, KS
F 32 Toby Hegner 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS SrBerlin HS Berlin, WI
C 41 Jacob Epperson 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrLa Lumiere (IN) Melbourne, Australia
C 44 Manny Suarez 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)250 lb (113 kg) RS SrMarist 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

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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