OMAHA, Neb. — Big East Conference preseason player of the year Ryan Kalkbrenner scored a career-high 49 points, and 15th-ranked Creighton needed just about every one of them in a season-opening 99-86 win over UT-Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday night.
The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner, a fifth-year center, was 20-of-22 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers, and he made 7 of 8 free throws. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.
“We kind of went into the game with a plan to establish me in the post and we went with that,” he said. “I kept working and wasn’t really thinking about what happened the previous play. I was just trying to make the next one.”
The eye-opening stat line put him at or toward the top of a number of records, including:
It was the fifth-most points in a game in Big East history
It was the second-most points in Creighton history behind Bob Portman’s 51 against UW-Milwaukee in 1967
It was the second-most points by a player in a season opener in the past 25 years (Arkansas’ Rotnei Clarke had 51 in a win over Alcorn State in 2009)
The 20 made field goals tied the single-game Big East record (Providence’s MarShon Brooks against Notre Dame in 2011)
The 91% shooting from the field was the highest field goal percentage in a 45-point game by any Division I player in the past 25 seasons and the highest by a player to attempt 20 or more shots in a game over the past 25 years
“To go to work like he did in the offseason and then the first time you’re under the lights for real to do something superhuman, it’s pretty special,” Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. “And he deserves it. There’s not a person on the planet that deserves success more than Ryan Kalkbrenner because of the way he’s approached everything on a daily basis.”
The crowd began chanting encouragement late in the game, imploring Kalkbrenner to shoot so he could hit the 50-point mark. Kalkbrenner, not knowing he was one point away, decided to pass the ball to a guard and let the clock run down.
“Having a good first game is awesome,” Kalkbrenner said, “but we have thirty-something games left, and hopefully games that mean a lot more.”
As he walked off the court and through the tunnel after the buzzer, fans nearby chanted “MVP! MVP!”
Even with Kalkbrenner’s effort, Creighton, a Sweet 16 team three of the past four seasons, couldn’t shake off the Vaqueros of the Southland Conference until the final two minutes.
Hasan Abdul Hakim had 24 points and Cliff Davis and DK Thorn added 17 apiece for the Vaqueros (0-2), who were within 87-82 when Howie Fleming Jr. made a fifth-chance basket with 2:37 left.
Kalkbrenner, who averages 14 points per game for his career, considered leaving Creighton after last season to enter the NBA draft. He decided to return to the school for a fifth season so he could polish his game.
“This is my 15th year and five are with him,” McDermott said. “It’s been a blessing to coach him and watch him. He’s as hungry to learn as he was when he walked on campus as a freshman. He approaches film and his work the exact same way. He decided to come back because he thought he could make strides and prepare himself for the next level. Tonight’s a good first step in that direction.”
Information from ESPN Research and The Associated Press was used in this report.