MEN’S BASKETBALL: Creighton Pre-Season Ranked No. 9 In AP Top 25 Poll

OMAHA–(CU Athletics Oct. 17)–The Creighton men’s basketball team is ranked ninth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll, its highest preseason AP ranking ever.

Monday’s announcement marks just the fifth time in program history the writers have voted CU to the top-25 in the preseason, joining 2006-07 (No. 19), 2012-13 (No. 16) and 2016-17 (No. 22) and 2020-21 (No. 11). All four of those teams would end up in the NCAA Tournament.

It’s also just the 19th time in program history that Creighton has been in the top-10 at any point, with all but one of those weeks happening under head coach Greg McDermott. Creighton’s best ranking in program history is seventh, done four times (Jan. 16, 2017, March 10, 2020, March 18, 2020 and Jan. 7, 2021).

Including today’s ranking, Creighton has now been ranked 114 times in program history, with 86 of those under the direction of McDermott. Creighton is 142-55 all-time as a ranked team, including a 108-43 mark under McDermott. Creighton has been ranked at least one week in nine of McDermott’s 13 seasons on The Hilltop after doing it just five different seasons in program history before his 2010 arrival.

Creighton is one of two BIG EAST Conference schools in the poll, joining No. 16 Villanova. North Carolina is atop the poll, just ahead of Gonzaga, Houston and Kentucky.

The Bluejays are scheduled to open the 2022-23 season on Oct. 30 with an exhibition game vs. Drury before tipping off the regular-season on Nov. 7 vs. St. Thomas. Among the opponents on Creighton’s schedule who made the preseason top-25 are No.  12 Texas, No. 16 Villanova and No. 25 Texas Tech, as well as potential Maui Jim Maui Invitational foes Arkansas (No. 10), Arizona (No. 17) and San Diego State (No. 19).

Associated Press Top 25
Oct. 18, 2022 (Preseason Poll)
Rk    School    W-L     PTS
1.    North Carolina (47)    0-0    1532
2.    Gonzaga (12)    0-0    1479
3.    Houston (1)    0-0    1404
4.    Kentucky (2)    0-0    1364
T5.    Baylor    0-0    1200
T5.    Kansas    0-0    1200
7.    Duke    0-0    1168
8.    UCLA    0-0    1093
9.    Creighton    0-0    1060
10.    Arkansas    0-0    1026
11.    Tennessee    0-0    880
12.    Texas    0-0    844
13.    Indiana    0-0    745
14.    TCU    0-0    735
15.    Auburn    0-0    623
16.    Villanova    0-0    578
17.    Arizona    0-0    543
18.    Virginia    0-0    462
19.    San Diego State    0-0    394
20.    Alabama    0-0    281
21.    Oregon    0-0    260
22.    Michigan    0-0    229
23.    Illinois    0-0    215
24.    Dayton    0-0    170
25.    Texas Tech    0-0    122
Others receiving votes: Texas A&M 112, UConn 101, Miami 66, Purdue 56, Saint Louis 36, Michigan State 35, Florida State 32, Xavier 29, Wyoming 25, Ohio State 23, Iowa 13, Rutgers 4, Florida 3, USC 3, Toledo 1, Virginia Tech 1, Memphis 1, Notre Dame 1, UAB 1