# 2023–24 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team represented Creighton University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bluejays, coached by 14th-year head coach Greg McDermott, played their home games at the CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska as members of the Big East Conference.
In the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Bluejays won their first round matchup against Akron before following with another victory over Oregon in the round of 32. Unfortunately, their season would end in the Sweet 16 to Tennessee, a team led by National Player of the Year Dalton Knecht.
The Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 17,269 in 16 games in 2023-24.

## Previous season

The Bluejays finished the 2022–23 season 24–13, 14–6 in Big East play to finish in third place. As the No. 3 seed in the Big East tournament, they defeated Villanova before losing to Xavier in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the South Region, where they defeated NC State, Baylor, and Princeton to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since 1941. There they lost to San Diego State.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Ben Shtolzberg | 1 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Sophomore | Northridge, CA | Transferred to UCSB |
| Ryan Nembhard | 2 | G | 6'0" | 170 | Junior | Aurora, ON | Transferred to Gonzaga |
| Shereef Mitchell | 4 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Senior | Omaha, NE | Transferred to Ohio |
| John Christofilis | 15 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Junior | Seattle, WA | Transferred to Seattle |
| Arthur Kaluma | 15 | F | 6'8" | 195 | Junior | Glendale, AZ | Transferred to Kansas State |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Steven Ashworth | 1 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Senior | Alpine, UT | Utah State |
| Jonathan Lawson | 2 | G | 6'6" | 188 | Sophomore | Memphis, TN | Memphis |
| Issac Traudt | 41 | F | 6'10" | 235 | RS Freshman | Grand Island, NE | Virginia |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Josiah Dotzler PG | Bellevue, NE | Bellevue West High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 1, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Brock Vice C | Memphis, TN | Houston | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | May 5, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 80 ||||||
| 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: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 15, 2022. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Bahamas Exhibition Tour |||||||||
| August 4, 2023* 5:00 pm, FloHoops | | vs. Bahamas Select | W 108–55 | − | 13 – Kalkbrenner | 13 – King | 7 – Ashworth | Imperial Ballroom (200) Nassau, Bahamas |
| August 6, 2023* 10:00 am, FloHoops | | vs. BC Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania) | W 76–62 | − | 29 – Alexander | 10 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – Alexander | Imperial Ballroom (200) Nassau, Bahamas |
| August 8, 2023* 10:00 am, FloHoops | | vs. Obras Basket (Argentina) | W 111–89 | − | 16 – Miller | 9 – Tied | 6 – Ashworth | Imperial Ballroom (200) Nassau, Bahamas |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 3, 2023* 7:00 p.m., FloHoops | No. 8 | Wayne State (NE) | W 95–48 | − | 22 – Alexander | 8 – Tied | 6 – Ashworth | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,132) Omaha, NE |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2023* 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 8 | Florida A&M | W 105–54 | 1–0 | 20 – Alexander | 9 – King | 5 – Alexander | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,117) Omaha, NE |
| November 11, 2023* 1:00 p.m., FS2 | No. 8 | North Dakota State | W 89–60 | 2–0 | 21 – Alexander | 7 – Alexander | 6 – Scheierman | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,911) Omaha, NE |
| November 14, 2023* 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 8 | Iowa Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 92–84 | 3–0 | 23 – Alexander | 11 – Alexander | 9 – Alexander | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,352) Omaha, NE |
| November 18, 2023* 7:30 p.m., FS2 | No. 8 | Texas Southern | W 82–50 | 4–0 | 23 – Scheierman | 10 – Kalkbrenner | 8 – Alexander | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,845) Omaha, NE |
| November 22, 2023* 3:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 8 | vs. Loyola Chicago Hall of Fame Classic semifinals | W 88–65 | 5–0 | 29 – Kalkbrenner | 12 – Scheierman | 5 – Farabello | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| November 23, 2023* 3:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 8 | vs. Colorado State Hall of Fame Classic championship | L 48–69 | 5–1 | 15 – Scheierman | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | T-Mobile Center Kansas City, MO |
| November 30, 2023* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 15 | at Oklahoma State Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 79–65 | 6–1 | 21 – Scheierman | 12 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – Ashworth | Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,309) Stillwater, OK |
| December 3, 2023* 3:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 15 | at Nebraska Rivalry | W 89–60 | 7–1 | 24 – Schiereman | 12 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – Alexander | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,838) Lincoln, NE |
| December 9, 2023* 1:00 p.m., FS2 | No. 10 | Central Michigan | W 109–64 | 8–1 | 18 – Traudt | 7 – Alexander | 9 – Schiereman | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,412) Omaha, NE |
| December 13, 2023* 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 8 | vs. UNLV Jack Jones Classic | L 64–79 | 8–2 | 22 – Kalkbrenner | 8 – Kalkbrenner | 7 – Scheierman | Dollar Loan Center (2,725) Henderson, NV |
| December 16, 2023* 7:00 p.m., FOX | No. 8 | Alabama | W 85–82 | 9–2 | 22 – Alexander | 8 – Kalkbrenner | 9 – Schiereman | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,401) Omaha, NE |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| December 20, 2023 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 12 | Villanova | L 66–68 $^{OT}$ | 9–3 (0–1) | 16 – Tied | 15 – Alexander | 3 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,333) Omaha, NE |
| December 30, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBS | No. 22 | at No. 10 Marquette | L 67–72 | 9–4 (0–2) | 23 – Scheierman | 8 – Scheierman | 6 – Alexander | Fiserv Forum (18,086) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 2, 2024 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Georgetown | W 77–60 | 10–4 (1–2) | 25 – Alexander | 12 – Scheierman | 7 – Ashworth | Capital One Arena (4,980) Washington, D.C. |
| January 6, 2024 1:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 23 Providence | W 69–60 | 11–4 (2–2) | 22 – Kalkbrenner | 12 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – Alexander | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,253) Omaha, NE |
| January 9, 2024 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | at DePaul | W 84–58 | 12–4 (3–2) | 20 – Tied | 9 – Kalkbrenner | 7 – Ashworth | Wintrust Arena (3,061) Chicago, IL |
| January 13, 2024 12:00 p.m., FOX | No. 22 | St. John's | W 66–65 | 13–4 (4–2) | 18 – Kalkbrenner | 12 – Scheierman | 5 – Alexander | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,164) Omaha, NE |
| January 17, 2024 6:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 18 | at No. 1 UConn | L 48–62 | 13–5 (4–3) | 14 – Ashworth | 8 – Kalkbrenner | 3 – Alexander | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,299) Storrs, CT |
| January 20, 2024 11:00 a.m., FS1 | No. 18 | at Seton Hall | W 97–94 $^{3OT}$ | 14–5 (5–3) | 28 – Kalkbrenner | 10 – Scheierman | 8 – Ashworth | Prudential Center (10,481) Newark, NJ |
| January 23, 2024 7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 17 | Xavier | W 85–78 | 15–5 (6–3) | 27 – Alexander | 9 – Tied | 7 – Ashworth | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,195) Omaha, NE |
| January 27, 2024 6:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 17 | DePaul | W 85–62 | 16–5 (7–3) | 23 – Alexander | 10 – Tied | 7 – Alexander | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,571) Omaha, NE |
| February 2, 2024 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 13 | Butler | L 98–99 | 16–6 (7–4) | 26 – Tied | 11 – Scheierman | 4 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,874) Omaha, NE |
| February 7, 2024 7:30 p.m., FS2 | No. 19 | at Providence | L 87–91 $^{OT}$ | 16–7 (7–5) | 27 – Scheierman | 12 – Scheierman | 7 – Kalkbrenner | Amica Mutual Pavilion (12,078) Providence, RI |
| February 10, 2024 11:30 a.m., FOX | No. 19 | at Xavier | W 78–71 | 17–7 (8–5) | 28 – Kalkbrenner | 12 – Schiereman | 9 – Ashworth | Cintas Center (10,555) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 13, 2024 7:40 p.m., FS1 | No. 17 | Georgetown | W 94–72 | 18–7 (9–5) | 26 – Alexander | 11 – Scheierman | 11 – Scheierman | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,768) Omaha, NE |
| February 17, 2024 11:30 a.m., FOX | No. 17 | at Butler | W 79–57 | 19–7 (10–5) | 27 – Scheierman | 10 – Scheierman | 8 – Ashworth | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,176) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 20, 2024 7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 15 | No. 1 UConn | W 85–66 | 20–7 (11–5) | 20 – Ashworth | 7 – Tied | 6 – Scheierman | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,071) Omaha, NE |
| February 25, 2024 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 15 | at St. John's | L 66–80 | 20–8 (11–6) | 31 – Alexander | 10 – Kalkbrenner | 4 – Kalkbrenner | Madison Square Garden (12,061) New York, NY |
| February 28, 2024 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 12 | Seton Hall | W 85–64 | 21–8 (12–6) | 23 – Kalkbrenner | 11 – Scheierman | 10 – Alexander | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,022) Omaha, NE |
| March 2, 2024 1:30 p.m., FOX | No. 12 | No. 5 Marquette | W 89–75 | 22–8 (13–6) | 26 – Scheierman | 16 – Scheierman | 10 – Alexander | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,011) Omaha, NE |
| March 9, 2024 2:30 p.m., FOX | No. 10 | at Villanova | W 69–67 | 23–8 (14–6) | 18 – Scheierman | 8 – Scheierman | 8 – Ashworth | Wells Fargo Center (13,422) Philadelphia, PA |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2024 6:00 p.m., FS1 | (2) No. 8 | vs. (7) Providence Quarterfinals | L 73–78 | 23–9 | 19 – Tied | 13 – Scheierman | 6 – Ashworth | Madison Square Garden (−) New York, NY |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2024* 12:30 p.m., TNT | (3 MW) No. 11 | vs. (14 MW) Akron First Round | W 77–60 | 24–9 | 23 – Kalkbrenner | 13 – Scheierman | 5 – Ashworth | PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, PA |
| March 23, 2024* 8:40 p.m., TBS/truTV | (3 MW) No. 11 | vs. (11 MW) Oregon Second Round | W 86–73 $^{2OT}$ | 25–9 | 21 – Ashworth | 14 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – Tied | PPG Paints Arena (18,595) Pittsburgh, PA |
| March 29, 2024* 9:10 p.m., TBS/TruTV | (3 MW) No. 11 | vs. (2 MW) No. 6 Tennessee Sweet Sixteen | L 75–82 | 25–10 | 25 – Scheierman | 7 – Tied | 6 – Alexander | Little Caesars Arena (18,574) Detroit, MI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest region. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes :
| | Week | 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 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 8 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 22 | RV | 22 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 13 |
| Coaches | 8 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 20 | RV | 20 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 11 |