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.

2021–22 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball
NCAA tournament, second round
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record23–12 (12–7 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Alan Huss (4th season)
  • Jalen Courtney-Williams (1st season)
  • Ryan Miller (1st season)
Home arenaCHI Health Center Omaha
2021–22 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 13 Providence14–3 .82427–6  .818
No. 6 Villanova †16–4 .80030–8  .789
No. 21 UConn13–6 .68423–10  .697
Creighton12–7 .63223–12  .657
Seton Hall11–8 .57921–11  .656
Marquette11–8 .57919–13  .594
Xavier8–11 .42123–13  .639
St. John's8–11 .42117–15  .531
Butler6–14 .30014–19  .424
DePaul6–14 .30015–16  .484
Georgetown0–19 .0006–25  .194
† 2022 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

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] and Ohio to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.[2] 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.[3] There they lost to eventual National Runner-Up Gonzaga.[4][5]

On March 4, 2021, head coach McDermott was suspended for using racially insensitive language to his team.[6] On March 8, the school reinstated McDermott after only missing one game and allowing him to coach in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments.[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] Zegarowski also earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from the Associated Press.[9]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Antwann Jones 0 G 6'6" 210 Sophomore Orlando, FL Transferred to Louisiana[10]
Jett Canfield 10 G 5'10" 165 Sophomore Topeka, KS Transferred to Drury[11]
Marcus Zegarowski 11 G 6'2" 180 Junior Hamilton, MA Declared for the 2021 NBA draft[12]
Christian Bishop 13 F 6'7" 205 Junior Charlotte, NC Transferred to Texas[13]
Nic Zeil 20 F 6'8" 210 Sophomore Kansas City, MO Transferred to Colorado Christian[14]
Damien Jefferson 23 F 6'5" 220 Redshirt Senior East Chicago, IN Graduated; Declared for the 2021 NBA draft[15]
Mitch Ballock 24 G 6'5" 205 Senior Eudora, KS Graduated; Declared for the 2021 NBA draft[16]
Denzel Mahoney 34 G/F 6'5" 220 Redshirt Senior Oviedo, FL Graduated; Declared for the 2021 NBA draft[17]
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: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Ryan Nembhard
PG		 Aurora, ON Montverde Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jun 6, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Mason Miller
PF		 Germantown, TN Houston 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 23, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
John Christofilis
SG		 Seattle, WA O'Dea 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 25, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
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: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
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
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
KeyShawn Feazell1F6'9"230Graduate StudentNew Hebron, MSTransferred from McNeese State[18]
Ryan Hawkins44F6'7"222Graduate StudentAtlantic, IATransferred from Northwest Missouri State[19]

Roster
2021–22 Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 1 KeyShawn Feazell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) GSMcNeese State New Hebron, MS
G 2 Ryan Nembhard Injured 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)167 lb (76 kg) FrMontverde Academy Aurora, ON
G 4 Shereef Mitchell 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)174 lb (79 kg) JrSunrise Christian Academy Omaha, NE
G 5 Alex O'Connell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)185 lb (84 kg) GSMilton HS
Duke		 Roswell, GA
F 10 Zander Yates (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)206 lb (93 kg) FrHouston Germantown, TN
C 11 Ryan Kalkbrenner 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)256 lb (116 kg) SoTrinity Catholic HS St. Louis, MO
F 13 Mason Miller 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)187 lb (85 kg) FrHouston Germantown, TN
G 14 Sami Osmani (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)196 lb (89 kg) SoOak Lawn Community HS Oak Lawn, IL
G 15 John Christofilis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)196 lb (89 kg) FrO'Dea Seattle, WA
G 21 Rati Andronikashvili 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)186 lb (84 kg) RS Fr35 Sajaro Skoka Tbilisi, Georgia
G 22 Devin Davis (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoGeorge Westinghouse College Prep Chicago, IL
G 23 Trey Alexander 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrHeritage Hall Oklahoma City, OK
F 24 Arthur Kaluma 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrDream City Christian Glendale, AZ
F 44 Ryan Hawkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)222 lb (101 kg) GSNorthwest Missouri State Atlantic, IA
F 55 Modestas Kancleris 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)208 lb (94 kg) RS FrVarpas Gimnazija Kaunas, Lithuania
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
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 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

All-Big East Awards

All-Big East Second Team

All-Big East Honorable Mention
  • Ryan Kalkbrenner

Big East All-Freshman Team

Sources[20][21][22]

References
  1. "UC Santa Barbara vs. Creighton - Game Recap - March 20, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  2. "Ohio vs. Creighton - Game Recap - March 22, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  3. Anderson, Rob. "How Sweet It Is! Men's Basketball To Sweet 16 After Win vs. Ohio". Creighton University. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  4. "Creighton vs. Gonzaga - Box Score - March 28, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  5. Press |, The Associated (March 28, 2021). "Unbeaten Gonzaga keep rolling with Sweet 16 rout of Creighton". The Denver Post. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  6. Reineking, Jim. "Creighton suspends men's basketball coach Greg McDermott over racially insensitive remarks". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  7. Rapp, Timothy. "Greg McDermott Reinstated by Creighton After Suspension for 'Plantation' Remark". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  8. "Seton Hall's Mamukelashvili, Villanova's Robinson-Earl Named Unanimously To All-BIG EAST First Team". Big East Conference. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  9. "The Associated Press Men's All-America Teams". The Associated Press. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  10. Buckley, Tim. "Former Creighton, Memphis basketball guard Antwann Jones commits to Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns". Daily Advertiser. www.theadvertiser.com. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  11. "Jett Canfield". May 30, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  12. "Creighton's Marcus Zegarowski declares for the NBA draft". WOWT. April 13, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  13. "Former Creighton forward Christian Bishop announces transfer to Texas". The Athletic. April 16, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  14. "Nic Zeil". April 28, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  15. "Creighton's Jefferson declares for NBA Draft". KMA (AM). April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  16. "Creighton Bluejays sharpshooter Mitch Ballock fifth starter to leave men's hoops team". ESPN. April 15, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  17. "Creighton's Denzel Mahoney won't return for extra season". Omaha World-Herald. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  18. Uglem, Ross. "Jays land McNeese State big KeyShawn Feazell". 247 Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  19. Vandevoort, Michael. "Ryan Hawkins headed to Creighton". 247 Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  20. "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.
  21. "Big East Announces Individual MBB Awards". Big East Conference. March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  22. 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.
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