# 2021–22 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team represented Creighton University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bluejays were coached by 12th-year head coach Greg McDermott and played their home games at the CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska, as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 23–12, 12–7 in Big East play to finish in fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Big East tournament, they defeated Marquette and Providence, before losing to Villanova in the Championship. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region, where they defeated San Diego State in the first round before losing to Kansas in the second round.

## Previous season

The Bluejays finished the 2020–21 season 22–9, 14–6 to finish second in Big East play. They defeated Butler and UConn in the Big East tournament before losing to Georgetown in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the West region. They defeated UC Santa Barbara and Ohio to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. 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 since 1974 when the tournament had 25 teams. There they lost to eventual National Runner-Up Gonzaga.
On March 4, 2021, head coach McDermott was suspended for using racially insensitive language to his team. On March 8, the school reinstated McDermott after only missing one game and allowing him to coach in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.
Marcus Zegarowski and Damien Jefferson were named to the All Big East Conference first and second teams, respectively. Denzel Mahoney was named as an All-Big East Honorable Mention. Zegarowski also earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from the Associated Press.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Antwann Jones | 0 | G | 6'6" | 210 | Sophomore | Orlando, FL | Transferred to Louisiana |
| Jett Canfield | 10 | G | 5'10" | 165 | Sophomore | Topeka, KS | Transferred to Drury |
| Marcus Zegarowski | 11 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Junior | Hamilton, MA | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Christian Bishop | 13 | F | 6'7" | 205 | Junior | Charlotte, NC | Transferred to Texas |
| Nic Zeil | 20 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Sophomore | Kansas City, MO | Transferred to Colorado Christian |
| Damien Jefferson | 23 | F | 6'5" | 220 | Redshirt Senior | East Chicago, IN | Graduated; Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Mitch Ballock | 24 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Senior | Eudora, KS | Graduated; Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Denzel Mahoney | 34 | G/F | 6'5" | 220 | Redshirt Senior | Oviedo, FL | Graduated; Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Jacob Epperson | 41 | C | 6'11" | 235 | Junior | Melbourne, Australia | Graduated early; chose not to return to program |

### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | 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 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Ryan Nembhard PG | Aurora, ON | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Jun 6, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Mason Miller PF | Germantown, TN | Houston | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 23, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| John Christofilis SG | Seattle, WA | O'Dea | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Sep 25, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Trey Alexander SG | Oklahoma City, OK | Heritage Hall | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 2, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 12 ||||||
| 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: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 3, 2021. ||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| KeyShawn Feazell | 1 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Graduate Student | New Hebron, MS | Transferred from McNeese State |
| Ryan Hawkins | 44 | F | 6'7" | 222 | Graduate Student | Atlantic, IA | Transferred from Northwest Missouri State |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FloSports | | Upper Iowa | W 76–61 | | 15 – Hawkins | 9 – Tied | 8 – Nembhard | CHI Health Center Omaha (14,844) Omaha, NE |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 90–77 | 1–0 | 20 – O'Connell | 11 – Hawkins | 10 – Nembhard | CHI Health Center Omaha (15,072) Omaha, NE |
| November 11, 2021* 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | Kennesaw State | W 51–44 | 2–0 | 13 – O'Connell | 10 – Hawkins | 2 – 3 tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,092) Omaha, NE |
| November 16, 2021* 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Nebraska Rivalry/Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 77–69 | 3–0 | 22 – Nembhard | 10 – Hawkins | 5 – 2 Tied' | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,939) Lincoln, NE |
| November 19, 2021* 2:15 p.m., ESPN3 | | vs. Brown U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Quarterfinal | W 78–57 | 4–0 | 19 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – 3 Tied | 4 – 2 Tied | Sports and Fitness Center (322) St. Thomas, USVI |
| November 21, 2021* 4:45 p.m., ESPN3 | | vs. Colorado State U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Semifinal | L 81–95 | 4–1 | 16 – Kaluma | 7 – Feazell | 5 – Nembhard | Sports and Fitness Center St. Thomas, USVI |
| November 22, 2021* 6:45 p.m., ESPN3 | | vs. Southern Illinois U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam 3rd place game | W 66–64 | 5–1 | 14 – Kalkbrenner | 6 – Hawkins | 5 – Nembhard | Sports and Fitness Center St. Thomas, USVI |
| November 27, 2021* 5:00 p.m., FS2 | | SIU Edwardsville | W 70–65 | 6–1 | 14 – Hawkins | 7 – Hawkins | 5 – Nembhard | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,417) Omaha, NE |
| November 30, 2021* 8:00 p.m., FS2 | | North Dakota State | W 80–55 | 7–1 | 17 – Kalkbrenner | 8 – Feazell | 6 – Nembhard | CHI Health Center Omaha (15,428) Omaha, NE |
| December 4, 2021* 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 19 Iowa State Big East–Big 12 Battle | L 58–64 | 7–2 | 25 – Hawkins | 10 – Kalkbrenner | 2 – 2 Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,294) Omaha, NE |
| December 11, 2021* 11:00 a.m., FS1 | | vs. No. 24 BYU | W 83–71 | 8–2 | 25 – Hawkins | 9 – Kalkbrenner | 3 – Andronikashvili | Sanford Pentagon (2,835) Sioux Falls, SD |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Arizona State | L 57–58 | 8–3 | 16 – Kalkbrenner | 10 – Hawkins | 8 – Nembhard | CHI Health Center Omaha (15,011) Omaha, NE |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| December 17, 2021 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 9 Villanova | W 79–59 | 9–3 (1–0) | 19 – Hawkins | 11 – Hawkins | 4 – Nembhard | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,208) Omaha, NE |
| January 1, 2022 11:00 a.m., FS1 | | at Marquette | W 75–69 $^{2OT}$ | 10–3 (2–0) | 20 – Kalkbrenner | 12 – Tied | 6 – Andronikashvili | Fiserv Forum (13,689) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 5, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 19 Villanova | L 41–75 | 10–4 (2–1) | 13 – O'Connell | 6 – Feazell | 3 – Hawkins | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA |
| January 11, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 23 Providence | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | CHI Health Center Omaha Omaha, NE |
| January 15, 2022 11:00 a.m., FOX | | at No. 17 Xavier | L 73–80 | 10–5 (2–2) | 22 – O'Connell | 13 – Hawkins | 6 – Nembhard | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 19, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | St. John's | W 87–64 | 11–5 (3–2) | 28 – O'Connell | 11 – Kalkbrenner | 4 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,840) Omaha, NE |
| January 22, 2022 4:30 p.m., CBSSN | | DePaul | W 60–47 | 12–5 (4–2) | 18 – Kalkbrenner | 10 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – Nembhard | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,854) Omaha, NE |
| January 26, 2022 6:30 p.m., FS2 | | at Butler | L 55–72 | 12–6 (4–3) | 18 – Kaluma | 7 – O'Connell | 3 – Nembhard | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,920) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 29, 2022 1:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 21 Xavier | L 64–74 | 12–7 (4–4) | 23 – Nembhard | 8 – Kalkbrenner | 2 – 3 Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,850) Omaha, NE |
| February 1, 2022 5:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 17 UConn | W 59–55 | 13–7 (5–4) | 23 – Hawkins | 11 – Hawkins | 3 – Alexander | XL Center (10,443) Hartford, CT |
| February 4, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Seton Hall | L 55–74 | 13–8 (5–5) | 12 – O'Connell | 8 – Kaluma | 5 – Nembhard | Prudential Center (9,062) Newark, NJ |
| February 8, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Butler | W 54–52 | 14–8 (6–5) | 16 – Kaluma | 10 – O'Connell | 2 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (15,375) Omaha, NE |
| February 12, 2022 11:00 a.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown | W 80–66 | 15–8 (7–5) | 30 – Hawkins | 15 – Kalkbrenner | 7 – Nembhard | Capital One Arena (5,813) Washington, DC |
| February 14, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Georgetown Rescheduled from December 28 | W 88–77 | 16–8 (8–5) | 27 – O'Connell | 12 – Hawkins | 6 – Nembhard | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,178) Omaha, NE |
| February 17, 2022 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | | DePaul Rescheduled from December 20 | W 71–59 | 17–8 (9–5) | 25 – Hawkins | 13 – Kalkbrenner | 6 – Nembhard | Wintrust Arena (2,561) Chicago, IL |
| February 20, 2022 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | Marquette | W 83–82 | 18–8 (10–5) | 21 – Kalkbrenner | 9 – Hawkins | 5 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (18,192) Omaha, NE |
| February 23, 2022 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at St. Johns | W 81–78 | 19–8 (11–5) | 25 – Hawkins | 12 – Hawkins | 7 – Nembhard | Carnesecca Arena (4,542) Queens, NY |
| February 26, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 11 Providence | L 51–72 | 19–9 (11–6) | 13 – Kalkbrenner | 10 – Hawkins | 2 – Alexander | Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,400) Providence, RI |
| March 2, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | No. 18 UConn | W 64–62 | 20–9 (12–6) | 22 – Kalkbrenner | 10 – Kalkbrenner | 4 – O'Connell | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,126) Omaha, NE |
| March 5, 2022 1:30 p.m., FOX | | Seton Hall | L 60–65 | 20–10 (12–7) | 17 – Kalkbrenner | 8 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – O'Connell | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,221) Omaha, NE |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 1:30 p.m., FS1 | (4) | vs. (5) Marquette Quarterfinals | W 74–63 | 21–10 | 18 – Hawkins | 9 – Kalkbrenner | 8 – Alexander | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| March 11, 2022 5:30 p.m., FS1 | (4) | vs. (1) No. 11 Providence Semifinals | W 85–58 | 22–10 | 21 – Samuels | 12 – Samuels | 10 – Gillespie | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| March 12, 2022 6:30 p.m., FOX | (4) | vs. (2) No. 8 Villanova Championship | L 48–54 | 22–11 | 19 – Kalkbrenner | 12 – Kaluma | 3 – Kaluma | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022 7:27 p.m., TruTV | (9 MW) | vs. (8 MW) San Diego State First Round | W 72–69 $^{OT}$ | 23–11 | 18 – Alexander | 10 – Kalkbrenner | 5 – Alexander | Dickies Arena (10,560) Fort Worth, TX |
| March 19, 2022 1:40 pm, CBS | (9 MW) | vs. (1 MW) No. 3 Kansas Second Round | L 72–79 | 23–12 | 24 – Kaluma | 12 – Kaluma | 9 – Alexander | Dickies Arena (12,976) Fort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Awards and honors
### Big East Conference honors
#### All-Big East Awards

* Freshman of the Year: Ryan Nembhard
* Defensive Player of the Year: Ryan Kalkbrenner

#### All-Big East Second Team

* Ryan Hawkins

#### All-Big East Honorable Mention

* Ryan Kalkbrenner

#### Big East All-Freshman Team

* Trey Alexander
* Arthur Kaluma
* Ryan Nembhard
Sources