2021–22 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team American college basketball season
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 [ 1] Ohio to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[ 2] 1974 when the tournament had 25 teams.[ 3] Gonzaga .[ 4] [ 5]
On March 4, 2021, head coach McDermott was suspended for using racially insensitive language to his team.[ 6] [ 7]
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.[ 8] Associated Press .[ 9]
Offseason
Departures
2021 recruiting class
College recruiting information
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
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
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
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
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
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:
Incoming transfers
Roster
2021–22 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
F 1
KeyShawn Feazell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg)
GS McNeese State
New Hebron, MS
G 2
Ryan Nembhard 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 167 lb (76 kg)
Fr Montverde Academy
Aurora, ON
G 4
Shereef Mitchell 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 174 lb (79 kg)
Jr Sunrise Christian Academy
Omaha, NE
G 5
Alex O'Connell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
GS Milton HS Duke
Roswell, GA
F 10
Zander Yates (W)
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 206 lb (93 kg)
Fr Houston
Germantown, TN
C 11
Ryan Kalkbrenner 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 256 lb (116 kg)
So Trinity Catholic HS
St. Louis, MO
F 13
Mason Miller 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 187 lb (85 kg)
Fr Houston
Germantown, TN
G 14
Sami Osmani (W)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 196 lb (89 kg)
So Oak Lawn Community HS
Oak Lawn, IL
G 15
John Christofilis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 196 lb (89 kg)
Fr O'Dea
Seattle, WA
G 21
Rati Andronikashvili 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 186 lb (84 kg)
RS Fr 35 Sajaro Skoka
Tbilisi, Georgia
G 22
Devin Davis (W)
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg)
So George Westinghouse College Prep
Chicago, IL
G 23
Trey Alexander 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
Fr Heritage Hall
Oklahoma City, OK
F 24
Arthur Kaluma 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
Fr Dream City Christian
Glendale, AZ
F 44
Ryan Hawkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 222 lb (101 kg)
GS Northwest Missouri State
Atlantic, IA
F 55
Modestas Kancleris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 208 lb (94 kg)
RS Fr Varpas Gimnazija
Kaunas, Lithuania
Head coach Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) Ineligible(W) Walk-on Roster
Schedule and results
Date
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance)
Exhibition
October 30, 2021 *7:00 p.m., FloSports
Upper Iowa W 76–61 15 – Hawkins
9 – Tied
8 – Nembhard
CHI Health Center Omaha 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 Lincoln, NE
November 19, 2021 *2:15 p.m., ESPN3
vs. Brown U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam QuarterfinalW 78–57 4–0
19 – Kalkbrenner
5 – 3 Tied
4 – 2 Tied
Sports and Fitness Center 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 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
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
20 – Kalkbrenner
12 – Tied
6 – Andronikashvili
Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI
January 5, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS1
at No. 19 Villanova
L 41–75 10–4
13 – O'Connell
6 – Feazell
3 – Hawkins
Finneran Pavilion Villanova, PA
January 11, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 23 Providence
Canceled
CHI Health Center Omaha Omaha, NE
January 15, 2022 11:00 a.m., FOX
at No. 17 Xavier
L 73–80 10–5
22 – O'Connell
13 – Hawkins
6 – Nembhard
Cintas Center Cincinnati, OH
January 19, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1
St. John's W 87–64 11–5
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
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
18 – Kaluma
7 – O'Connell
3 – Nembhard
Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN
January 29, 2022 1:00 p.m., FS1
No. 21 Xavier
L 64–74 12–7
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
23 – Hawkins
11 – Hawkins
3 – Alexander
XL Center Hartford, CT
February 4, 2022 6:00 p.m., FS1
at Seton Hall
L 55–74 13–8
12 – O'Connell
8 – Kaluma
5 – Nembhard
Prudential Center Newark, NJ
February 8, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN
Butler W 54–52 14–8
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
30 – Hawkins
15 – Kalkbrenner
7 – Nembhard
Capital One Arena Washington, DC
February 14, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1
Georgetown Rescheduled from December 28 W 88–77 16–8
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
25 – Hawkins
13 – Kalkbrenner
6 – Nembhard
Wintrust Arena Chicago, IL
February 20, 2022 2:00 p.m., FS1
Marquette W 83–82 18–8
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
25 – Hawkins
12 – Hawkins
7 – Nembhard
Carnesecca Arena Queens, NY
February 26, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS1
at No. 11 Providence
L 51–72 19–9
13 – Kalkbrenner
10 – Hawkins
2 – Alexander
Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence, RI
March 2, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS1
No. 18 UConn
W 64–62 20–9
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
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 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 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
All-Big East Second Team
All-Big East Honorable Mention
Big East All-Freshman Team
Sources [ 20] [ 21] [ 22]
References
^ "UC Santa Barbara vs. Creighton - Game Recap - March 20, 2021 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved July 19, 2021 .^ "Ohio vs. Creighton - Game Recap - March 22, 2021 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved July 19, 2021 .^ Anderson, Rob. "How Sweet It Is! Men's Basketball To Sweet 16 After Win vs. Ohio" . Creighton University. Retrieved June 2, 2021 . ^ "Creighton vs. Gonzaga - Box Score - March 28, 2021 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved July 19, 2021 .^ Press |, The Associated (March 28, 2021). "Unbeaten Gonzaga keep rolling with Sweet 16 rout of Creighton" . The Denver Post . Retrieved July 19, 2021 . ^ Reineking, Jim. "Creighton suspends men's basketball coach Greg McDermott over racially insensitive remarks" . USA TODAY . Retrieved July 19, 2021 . ^ Rapp, Timothy. "Greg McDermott Reinstated by Creighton After Suspension for 'Plantation' Remark" . Bleacher Report . Retrieved July 19, 2021 . ^ "Seton Hall's Mamukelashvili, Villanova's Robinson-Earl Named Unanimously To All-BIG EAST First Team" . Big East Conference . Retrieved June 2, 2021 .^ "The Associated Press Men's All-America Teams" . The Associated Press . Retrieved June 2, 2021 .^ Buckley, Tim. "Former Creighton, Memphis basketball guard Antwann Jones commits to Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns" . Daily Advertiser . www.theadvertiser.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021 . ^ "Jett Canfield" . May 30, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021 .^ "Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski declares for the NBA draft" . WOWT . Retrieved May 22, 2021 .^ "Former Creighton forward Christian Bishop announces transfer to Texas" . The Athletic . Retrieved May 18, 2021 .^ "Nic Zeil" . April 28, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021 .^ "Creighton's Jefferson declares for NBA Draft" . KMA (AM) . Retrieved May 22, 2021 .^ "Creighton Bluejays sharpshooter Mitch Ballock fifth starter to leave men's hoops team" . ESPN . Retrieved May 22, 2021 .^ "Creighton's Denzel Mahoney won't return for extra season" . Omaha World-Herald . April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021 .^ Uglem, Ross. "Jays land McNeese State big KeyShawn Feazell" . 247 Sports . Retrieved June 1, 2021 . ^ Vandevoort, Michael. "Ryan Hawkins headed to Creighton" . 247 Sports . Retrieved June 1, 2021 . ^ "Champagnie, Gillespie Repeat on All-Big East First Team" . Big East Conference . March 6, 2022. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 .^ "Big East Announces Individual MBB Awards" . Big East Conference . March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 .^ Fitzpatrick, Mike (March 9, 2022). "Gillespie Big East POY again, Cooley 1st Friars coach to win" . Associated Press . Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 .
