After 47 years, Creighton men’s basketball is returning to the Sweet 16.

Following a first round 63-62 win over UCSB, the fifth-seeded Bluejays controlled the second round against Ohio, taking the contest 72-58.

In the first-round, junior forward Christian Bishop sealed the win with a pair of free throws in the final 16 seconds, a moment he says is something all athletes picture.

“You envision 3-2-1 you go and take the last shot so it’s fun seeing it come true,” he said. “I just took a step and smelled the roses, honestly, when I was up there.”

Shooting just 28% from 3-point range, the Jays shot 45% overall against the Gauchos.

That meant the key was shutting down UCSB’s Jaquori McLaughlin, who’d been averaging 16 points on the season.

“Offense was hard to come by so we were going to have to defend if we expected to win this game,” coach Greg McDermott said.

The Gauchos’ top scorers–McLaughlin and Miles Norris–were held to 13 apiece. Junior guard Marcus Zegarowski led the Bluejays with 17 points and eight assists while Bishop added 15, including four in the final three minutes.

Bishop showed that performance again on Monday against Ohio with his second consecutive double-double including a few dunks and 15 rebounds.

“He’s attacking the glass, his ball screen coverage is elite and his ability to roll to the rim and put pressure on the rim and do what he does and run in transition is incredible,” McDermott said of his forward.

Each Bluejay starter scored in double digits.

The game high came from Zegarowski with 20 points.

“We play unselfish, that’s who we are, that’s who we’ll always be,” Zegarowski said. “To be successful for our group it’s to share the ball, it’s to play for each other and everybody eats.”

Monday night, the Bluejays shot 42%, and were driven by a 20-4 run to finish the first half.

“I just think we found our rhythm offensively and then we started getting stops and once we get stops and get on a run in transition we’re tough to guard,” Zegarowski said.

Reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time in nearly five decades is an accomplishment many assumed the Bluejays would complete last season before the abrupt end.

Before the game, McDermott told his players it’s where they were supposed to be.

And it’s something his players acknowledge as well.

“It’s a phenomenal feeling, this is a two year kind of thing for us, we got it taken away from us last year,” Zegarowski said. “Everything we’ve been through this year is for moments like this and I’m happy we capitalized and came through.”

With the win, the Bluejays now face undefeated and top-ranked Gonzaga on Sunday afternoon.

“We’re not done yet, this is just a start,” Zegarowski said.