It’s nearly rinse, wash and repeat for the Creighton Blue Jays when it comes to reaching the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Greg McDermott is preparing for his 16th season leading the program, and in that span has missed the tournament just four times, with another coming during the COVID-19 cancellation year when Creighton shared the Big East regular season title.
Strong Resume for McDermott
The Blue Jays have reached the Big Dance in each of the past five seasons and have won at least one game in every appearance. During that stretch, McDermott has guided Creighton to three Sweet 16 trips and one Elite Eight run, firmly establishing the program as a consistent national contender.
Since arriving for the 2010-11 season, McDermott has compiled a 350-171 overall record. In Big East play alone, his teams are 174-104. Before joining the Big East, he spent three seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference, posting a 37-17 record and capturing the league title in his final year there.
McDermott’s coaching journey began in 1994 at Wayne State, a Division II program where his teams won 20 or more games in each of his final six seasons and made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. He then spent a year at North Dakota State, going 15-11, before landing at Northern Iowa.
At UNI, McDermott steadily built a winner. After two rebuilding seasons, the Panthers reached the NCAA Tournament in each of his final three years, winning at least 21 games each season and finishing with a 90-63 record overall.
In 2006, McDermott made the jump to Iowa State, though his four-year stay in Ames proved challenging. The Cyclones finished under .500 each season, and McDermott resigned in April 2010. Within days, he accepted a ten-year deal to take over at Creighton.
Transformation has Been Real
Since then, he’s transformed the Blue Jays into one of the Big East’s most consistent powers. In November 2024, McDermott became the winningest coach in Creighton history, surpassing Dana Altman with his 328th victory. His current contract runs through the 2027-28 season, and the program has already lined up his eventual successor in associate head coach Alan Huss.
Creighton will open the 2025-26 season at home on November 5 against South Dakota at the CHI Health Center in Omaha. Their first major test follows on November 11, when the Blue Jays travel to Spokane to take on Gonzaga in one of the early marquee matchups of the season.
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