Creighton Men’s Basketball Team Finishes Ranked In AP/Coaches Polls While Preparing For NCAA Tourney
OMAHA–(CU Athletics Mar. 15)–The Creighton men’s basketball team is ranked 19th in the year-end poll for the 2020-21 season, earning a spot in the poll every week for an entire season for the first time.
It’s the sixth time Creighton has been ranked in a year-end poll, joining 2002-03 (15th), 2011-12 (19th), 2012-13 (22nd), 2013-14 (16th) and 2019-20 (7th).
This week’s ranking is down two spots from last weeks’ No. 17 slotting. Creighton also fell two spots from 17th to 19th in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll, which came out on Sunday. Another edition of that poll is due out following the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton’s (20-8) 24 straight weeks in the AP rankings extends the program record. The Bluejays remain one of six schools that have been ranked each of the past 24 AP polls (since Feb. 3, 2020), joining Gonzaga (95), Villanova (40), Baylor (37), Houston (26) and Iowa (26).
This is the 113th week in program history that the Bluejays have been ranked, with 85 of those under the direction of Greg McDermott. Creighton is 140-54 all-time as a ranked team, including a 105-42 mark under McDermott. Creighton has been ranked at least one week in eight of McDermott’s 11 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.
Creighton’s best rank in program history is No. 7, done four times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 9, 2020, March 16, 2020 and Jan. 4, 2021).
CU is one of two BIG EAST teams that are nationally ranked by the AP this week, joining No. 18 Villanova. Fellow BIG EAST foes UConn and Georgetown are also among those getting votes.
Creighton is in Indianapolis and prepping for the NCAA Tournament, where the Bluejays face off with Big West champion UC Santa Barbara on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Central. The game will air on truTV. UCSB is among the schools getting votes in both polls.
Associated Press Top 25
March 15, 2021
Rk School W-L PTS
1 Gonzaga (60) 26-0 1500
2 Illinois 23-6 1415
3 Baylor 22-2 1397
4 Michigan 20-4 1280
5 Alabama 24-6 1242
6 Houston 24-3 1145
7 Ohio State 21-9 1138
8 Iowa 21-8 1132
9 Texas 19-7 993
10 Arkansas 22-6 895
11 Oklahoma State 20-8 891
12 Kansas 20-8 803
13 West Virginia 18-9 745
14 Florida State 16-6 651
15 Virginia 18-6 584
16 San Diego State 23-4 521
17 Loyola Chicago 24-4 513
18 Villanova 16-6 490
19 Creighton 20-8 411
20 Purdue 18-9 382
21 Texas Tech 17-10 271
22 Colorado 22-8 243
23 BYU 20-6 125
USC 22-7 125
25 Virginia Tech 15-6 118
Others receiving votes: Georgia Tech 103, Tennessee 72, St. Bonaventure 71, Connecticut 62, LSU 54, Oregon 40, Oklahoma 40, Wisconsin 26, Winthrop 10, Clemson 5, UC Santa Barbara 2, Missouri 2, Cleveland State 2, Georgetown 1.
Ferris Mowers Top 25 Coaches Poll
March 14, 2021
Rk School W-L PTS
1 Gonzaga (32) 26-0 800
2 Illinois 22-6 745
3 Baylor 22-2 737
4 Michigan 20-4 676
5 Alabama 24-6 668
6 Houston 23-3 587
7 Ohio State 21-8 586
8 Iowa 21-8 549
9 Texas 19-7 488
10 Arkansas 22-6 472
11 Kansas 20-8 433
12 Oklahoma State 20-8 402
13 West Virginia 18-9 395
14 Florida State 16-6 391
15 Virginia 18-6 347
16 Loyola Chicago 24-4 312
17 Villanova 16-6 289
18 San Diego State 23-4 273
19 Creighton 20-8 245
20 Purdue 18-9 206
21 Texas Tech 17-10 132
22 Colorado 22-8 127
23 USC 22-7 104
24 Virginia Tech 15-6 101
25 Oregon 20-6 73
Others receiving votes: Brigham Young 55; St. Bonaventure 42; Oklahoma 42; Connecticut 33; Georgia Tech 18; Wichita State 14; Louisiana State 13; Drake 10; Tennessee 9; Winthrop 8; Missouri 8; North Texas 3; Clemson 3; Georgetown 2; UCLA 1; UC Santa Barbara 1.
