# 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.

## 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

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: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| 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: Rivals: 247Sports: 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: Rivals: 247Sports: 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: "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 22, 2017. |||||||

## Preseason

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

## 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 | 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 | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | — | — | RV | 25 | RV | RV | 25 | 25 | RV | 25 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV^ | RV | 23 | RV | 25 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 22 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | 24 | | | RV |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll. *AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings