Creighton men's basketball boasts 25 NCAA Tournament appearances spread across eight decades, 20 conference championships, five runs to the Sweet 16 — two of which have come in the past three seasons — and a bevy of standout players who left lasting impressions on the game during their time as Bluejays. 

Coming off the deepest postseason run in the modern era of the program, falling just seconds short of a 2023 Final Four appearance, Creighton takes the first steps toward a 2023-2024 season with historic potential. 

The Bluejays take the court in a competitive setting for the first time in a campaign with national-championship potential when they tour the Bahamas in August. The three-game trip introduces some promising newcomers and begins to shape the roster for a season that officially tips off Nov. 7 against Florida A&M. 

In anticipation of Creighton's foreign tour, here are five fascinating facts about the Bluejays. 

Creighton Has Ranked In The Top 50 For Interior Scoring Every Year Since 2016 

Most conversations about offense in this day and age are dominated by 3-point shooting, and Creighton has successfully adopted the long ball as part of its strategy. 

Last season, the Bluejays ranked 97th nationally in the total percentage of points scored from beyond the arc (33.8) and 68th in distribution of 3-point attempts to total field goals attempt (41.7), both figures courtesy of KenPom.com. 

Greg McDermott's teams have, in general, been among the upper tier of 3-point shooting squads in college basketball for the last few years, consistently ranking in the top 40 of both categories. 

But Creighton serves as an example that 2-point offense isn't dead; it's about leveraging those shot attempts to make them truly high-percentage. 

The 2022-2023 season was Creighton's eighth straight ranking in the top 50 nationally in field-goal percentage on 2-point attempts and the fifth top-20 finish. 

Last season's outstanding 2-point field-goal shooting can be attributed in part to Ryan Kalkbrenner, who according to KenPom.com metrics, led all Division I players in true shooting percentage at 72.5.  

Ryan Kalkbrenner Can Join Patrick Ewing And Alonzo Mourning As The Only Three-Time BIG EAST Defensive Players Of The Year 

With his 2.1 blocked shots per game, 7-foot-1 Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner was an easy choice for the BIG EAST Conference's 2022-2023 Defensive Player of the year. 

One year removed from swatting away 2.6 shots a game, Kalkbrenner's reception of the award last year made him the league's first two-time recipient since fellow Bluejays product Khyri Thomas in 2017 and 2018. 

With Kalkbrenner announcing his return for another season this past May, the Bluejays big man became the immediate favorite to win the award a third time, which would put him in elite company. Naismith Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning are the only three-time BIG EAST Defensive Players of the Year. Ewing is the only four-time recipient. 

Kalkbrenner also can stand apart as the lone three-time winner not from Georgetown. Ewing and Mourning patrolled the paint for the Hoyas, both averaging more than three blocked shots per game for their careers — though it's worth noting Mourning did so in the BIG EAST's ill-fated six-foul era. 

Transfer Guard Steven Ashworth Was Nor Rated Coming Out Of High School

Athletes invoking the concept of being overlooked as motivation is somewhat cliché, particularly when everyone from blue-chip recruits to Super Bowl winners use it.

In the case of Creighton's new combo guard Steven Ashworth, however, it's very much legitimate.

Coming out of Lone Peak High School in American Fork, Utah, Ashworth was a zero-star recruit per 247Sports.com. He had no rating from ESPN, either. 

He made an immediate impact at Utah State, however, coming off the bench to average 6.1 points and 2.6 assists per game as freshman. 

His production increased across the board every season, to the point he was posting 16.2 points and 4.5 assists a contest as the star of the Aggies' NCAA Tournament team a season ago. 

Continuing on the same trajectory, this former zero-star prospect could be an All-American when he finishes with the Bluejays this season. 

Trey Alexander Is One Of Three Bluejays With Multiple 7+ Made 3-Point Games In One Season

Trey Alexander returns poised to be one of the best 3-point shooters in college basketball next season, coming off a 2022-2023 campaign in which he shot 41% on 161 attempts. Along with Baylor Scheierman and the incoming Ashworth, Alexander is part of one of the most dangerous trios of long-range shooters anywhere in the country. 

Alexander also established himself among Creighton's all-time program greats when shooting from deep, twice knocking down seven 3-pointers against BIG EAST competition: He went 7-of-12 on Christmas Day against DePaul, then 7-of-10 against Georgetown in March. 

He became the first Bluejay with multiple games hitting at least seven 3-pointers since Mitch Ballock hit seven against Nebraska and 11 against DePaul in the 2018-2019 season. Alexander also is in exclusive company with Creighton legend Kyle Korver. 

Korver hit seven or more 3-pointers in four games during the 2002-2003 season. Perhaps his record gets challenged this year. 

Creighton Has Played A Top-25 Strength Of Schedule In Three Of The Last Four Seasons

Multiple factors contribute to Creighton breaking through the Round of 32 glass ceiling against which the program banged its head for years prior to 2021. 

One that cannot be overlooked is that in three of the last four seasons, including 2022-2023, the Bluejays played one of the nation's 25 toughest schedules. 

Credit the top-to-bottom prowess of the BIG EAST in part, which last season featured national champion UConn and breakout Marquette and Xavier teams. But Creighton also has consistently played outstanding non-conference schedules ahead of the BIG EAST gauntlet. 

The 2023-2024 campaign is no exception. 

The Bluejays' recently released docket includes a matchup with Iowa as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games, a visit to what should be an improved Oklahoma State and a virtual road game at UNLV just a few days prior to Creighton hosting Alabama. 

If this is to be the year Creighton reaches its first Final Four, the Bluejays will be plenty tested on the road to Glendale, Arizona.