photo by: AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Creighton guard Mitch Ballock (24) looks to pass against Seton during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, in Newark, N.J.

When college basketball fans look back on the 2020 postseason, former Eudora High standout Mitch Ballock’s Creighton Bluejays will be a good team to know for trivia contests.

That’s because Creighton was in the last game that was played in 2020’s Division I postseason, before COVID-19 forced nationwide cancellations of conference tourneys and the NCAA Tournament.

That game on March 12 –Round 1 of the Big East tournament at New York’s Madison Square Garden — was called off at halftime. The score at the time: St. John’s 38, Creighton 35.

In a phone interview from his family’s home in Eudora, Ballock said he had no idea the season was about to end when the Blue Jays tipped off against St. John’s. Both the Big 12 and SEC tournaments were still scheduled to play at tip time.

But midway through the first half, those tournaments were called off. And later, while Ballock scrambled to get back to Kansas, the NCAA Tournament was canceled.

“Obviously we didn’t know what was going to happen,” Ballock said. “But it’s pretty crazy to look back and think we were the last game. Finishing in Madison Square Garden, though — there’s really no better place.”

Despite his career record of two losses and one cancellation in three games at Madison Square Garden, Ballock still has fond memories of the venue dubbed “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

“When you ride the elevator up, they talk about all the performers who rode in that elevator and everybody who’s been a part of that building and made it so special,” Ballock said. “It’s cool. But once you get on the court, it’s just another basketball game at that point.”

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Some might argue that Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the scheduled site of the 2020 Final Four in Atlanta, might have been a better spot to end the 2019-20 college basketball season. And Ballock’s Bluejays were hoping to make a run to get there.

Creighton was projected as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, and the program had its sights set on getting to the Sweet 16 for the first time.

“When you look at it like that, yeah, it sucks,” Ballock said. “But life’s bigger than basketball.”

The 6-foot-5 shooting guard, who in high school considered committing to Kansas, led Creighton in both 3-point makes (95) and 3-point percentage (45.3%). He averaged 11.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 31 starts this season.

Ballock said his general philosophy on basketball is to treat every game like it’s his last, and that mindset has helped him accept the fate of the 2019-2020 season — and the uncertainty surrounding 2020-2021.

“I don’t really worry about it,” Ballock said. “If the season gets delayed, it gets delayed. You can’t control it. You just have to continue to put your best foot forward and stay positive.”

Although he has spent the past several weeks between Creighton’s campus in Omaha, Neb., and Eudora, Ballock’s routine has largely been the same. It includes strength and conditioning workouts, as well as plenty of basketball-specific drills.

“My last three years have probably been the best three years of my life,” he said. “And I’m just trying to focus on getting ready for one more run and to avoid that rust. That way, when the lights do come on, I’ll be ready to go.”