Bluejay Men Look For Undisputed Title Monday
2/24/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2002
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Next Game
The Creighton men's basketball team closes the regular-season with a home tilt against Drake on Monday at 7:05 p.m. With a win Creighton can clinch sole possession of its second-straight MVC regular-season title.
Scouting the Bluejays
Creighton has given fans their money's worth recently, with five of their last seven games having a lead change in the final 30 seconds, a span where CU is 5-2. Despite December knee surgery that caused him to miss three games, Kyle Korver leads Creighton in scoring (15.3), rebounding (5.3), assists (3.2) and steals (1.61). Sixth man Terrell Taylor has been a force off the bench in the last six games and averages 11.4 points per game, including a career-high 28 points at Drake on Feb. 13. In addition, center Brody Deren scores 10.3 points and averages 5.3 rebounds per contest.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Drake has won three straight MVC games to improve to 13-14 on the year. They enter Monday night in a three-way tie for fifth place in the MVC and need a win to stay out of the quarterfinals in the MVC Tournament Friday. They are tied with the Northern Iowa and Wichita State, who square off in Wichita on Monday. However, Drake loses any tiebreaker to UNI since the Panthers swept them. Sophomore guard Luke McDonald has nailed a three-pointer in all 55 career games he's played in. He paces the Valley in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Helping to support McDonald has been Andry Sola (13.3 ppg., 5.2 rpg.) and Greg Danielson (9.9 ppg., 7.3 rpg.).
The Coaches
Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his eighth year as head coach of the Bluejays, owning a 142-93 (.604) mark at CU and a career ledger of 225-160 (.584) in his 13th year as an NCAA Division I head coach. Altman was named 2001 MVC Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to a 24-8 mark and their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance last year. Creighton has improved its win total in every season under Altman and his teams have played in the postseason in seven of the past 10 years. He's assisted by Greg Grensing, Len Gordy and Darian DeVries. Kurt Kanaskie (LaSalle, 1980) owns a 51-115 record in his sixth season at Drake. His team has increased its win total in each of the last five years. Prior to his arrival at Drake, Kanaskie was a head coach at Lock Haven and Indiana (Pa.) and he now owns a career mark of 258-222 in 17 years as a head coach. He is assisted by Marty Bell, Chris Davis and Kevin Reynolds.
The Drake Series
Creighton leads the all-time series 77-50 in the most-played rivalry in CU history by a longshot. The series dates all the way back to the 1916-17 campaign. The Jays have won 10 of the last 12 meetings in the series, including six in a row in Omaha. Dana Altman is 10-5 vs. Drake and 9-2 head-to-head vs. Kurt Kanaskie.
Last Meeting With Drake
(AP) - Terrell Taylor scored 28 points including six in overtime to lead Creighton past Drake 95-91 Wednesday, pushing the Bluejays into sole possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Conference. Brody Deren had 15 points and Larry House 14 for Creighton. Luke McDonald, who has made a three-pointer in 52 straight games, led Drake with 21 points. Andry Sola had 19 points, Lonnie Randolph 15 and Greg Danielson 14 and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs had battled back from a 62-52 deficit in the second half paced by the play of Randolph who scored 12 in the last 11:23 of regulation. A three-point basket by Randolph with 49 seconds left in the second half gave Drake an 82-77 advantage. But Kyle Korver hit a 3-pointer to pull Creighton within 82-80. Danielson made one of two free throws with 33 seconds left to push the Drake lead to 83-80. Taylor responded with a three-point basket from the left wing to send the game into overtime. Tyler McKinney opened the overtime with a layup to give Creighton an 85-83 lead it never relinquished. Taylor added a layup and three-point basket to pushing the Creighton advantage to 91-85 with 2:30 left in overtime.
Creighton's Last Game
(AP) - Terrell Taylor came off the bench to score 19 points as Creighton clinched at least a share of the Missouri Valley title Saturday with an 80-64 win at Bradley. Kyle Korver added 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Bluejays (19-7, 14-3 MVC). Phillip Gilbert of the Braves (8-18, 5-12) led all scorers with a season-high 23 points. Freshman Danny Granger added 15 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Gilbert's jumper made it 21-21. Then Larry House's jumper triggered a 14-2 run for Creighton, which took a 35-23 lead into the dressing room at halftime. The Bluejays broke it open in the second half, using a 19-6 spurt to go in front 67-40, the biggest margin of the game. Creighton's 56 percent field-goal shooting was the highest by a Bradley opponent all season. The Bluejays also made 12-of-19 from 3-point range. The win was the first for Bluejay coach Dana Altman in Peoria in eight years.
Title Run
With a one-game lead over Southern Illinois heading into Monday's finale, Creighton has already clinched at least a share of the regular-season MVC title. They can claim the outright crown with either a win vs. Drake or a loss by Southern Illinois at home to Bradley on Monday. Prior to this season, the Jays had not won consecutive regular-season titles since going back-to-back-to-back during the 1940-41 to 1942-43 campaigns. Creighton has won seven outright MVC titles all-time and shared the league crown on five other occasions entering this season.
Thrill Of Victory, Agony of Defeat
Five of Creighton's seven games in February have had a tie score or lead change in the final 30 seconds of regulation. Consider these five games that went down to the wire: *Feb. 3: Creighton's Mike Grimes hits two free throws with 4.5 seconds left to tie it, only to have SIU's Kent Williams drain 2-of-3 free throws with 0.3 seconds left for the 79-77 SIU road win. *Feb. 6: Indiana State's Matt Broerman hits a three-pointer with 14 seconds left to give ISU a 63-62 lead, only to have Creighton's Tyler McKinney nails two free throws with 6.8 seconds left to give CU the 64-63 road win. *Feb. 13: Creighton erases an 82-77 deficit in the final 45 seconds behind three-pointers from Kyle Korver and Terrell Taylor. Drake missed a shot at the buzzer that could have won it in regulation. CU wins 95-91 in OT. *Feb. 17: Creighton sees its 67-64 lead erased when Wichita State guard Randy Burns drains his fourth three-pointers in as many minutes to knot the score with eight seconds left. Creighton guard Tyler McKinney drives the length of the court for the game-winning lay-up with 0.4 seconds left. *Feb. 20: Trailing by a deuce, Southern Illinois forward Kent Williams drains a three-pointer with 16 seconds left to give SIU a 63-62 lead. Tyler McKinney's game-winning attempt is blocked by Jermaine Dearman with 2.2 seconds remaining, and SIU nails two free throws to secure the win.
Points Sharp
The three-headed monster that is the Creighton point guard position came through with a perfect shooting day at Bradley. Tyler McKinney, DeAnthony Bowden and Ismael Caro combined to go 7-for-7 from the field, including a perfect 6-for-6 from long-range. They also had 10 assists and just two turnovers on the day.
Home Finales Leave Warm Memories
Traditionally, the last home game of Creighton's season is dubbed Senior Night. However, this year Creighton has no seniors. Creighton has won six straight home finales.
On The Double (Digits)
Creighton has shown it can play with just about anyone this season, often racing to big first-half leads. The Jays have owned a double-digit lead in each of their last 11 games.
Lights, Camera, Action
Creighton is 7-3 on television this season. The Jays have won six straight games on ESPN or ESPN2, including MVC Tournament titles in 1999 and 2000. Creighton is also 2-1 on MVC TV this season after going 4-1 on MVC TV each of the last two years.
Grimes, Lindeman Honored
Creighton had a pair of players honored by the Valley in a recent poll of MVC writers. Sophomore Mike Grimes was named to the league's all-Bench team, while classmate Mike Lindeman was a pick on the MVC's Most Improved Team.
White Man Can Jump
With Creighton playing as many close games as they have of late, it helps to get every possession possible. That being said, Creighton is glad to have Brody Deren on their side. Creighton has won the opening tip in all but one of Deren's 20 starts this season, including each of the last 12 games. The only opening tip he's lost was to SMS.
Altman Looks For Repeat
Not only is Dana Altman looking to clinch a second-straight regular-season title for Creighton, but he is also a leading candidate to repeat his Rawlings/MVC Coach of the Year plaudits. The only coach in the last 30 years to earn MVC Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back campaigns was when current Kentucky coach Tubby Smith did it at Tulsa in 1993-94 and 1994-95.
Korver Makes It Look Easy
Creighton junior forward Kyle Korver has made 18 of his last 20 free throw attempts and has improved to 87.2 percent on the campaign. Here's a look at how Korver ranks on the single-season and career lists for free-throw percentage.
Free Throw Percentage Leaders (Season)(Minimum 70 Attempts) Pct. Name (Class, Year) FTM-FTA .882 Doug Brookins (Sr., 1974-75) 98-111 .880 Mike Caruso (Sr., 1970-71) 95-108 .872 Kyle Korver (Jr., 2001-02) 75-86 .867 Kyle Korver (So., 2000-01) 72-83 .855 Ryan Sears (So., 1989-99) 71-83Swats And Shots CombinedFree Throw Percentage Leaders (Career)(Minimum 200 Attempts) Pct. Name, Years FTM-FTA .874 Kyle Korver, 1999-Present 181-207 .844 Mike Caruso, 1968-71 276-327 .807 Ryan Sears, 1997-01 330-409 .800 Rick Apke, 1975-78 336-420
NCAA Active Free Throw Percentage Leaders (Career)(Minimum 200 Attempts) * Through Feb. 20, 2002 Pct. Name, Years FTM-FTA .930 Gary Buchanan, Villanova 252-271 .907 Brent Jolly, Tennessee Tech 206-227 .879 James Gillingham, Bradley 196-223 .879 Troy Bell, Boston College 543-618 .877 Kyle Korver, Creighton 178-203 .876 Brian Burke, Lafayette 276-315 .875 Roger Mason Jr., Virginia 295-337 .873 Tony Brown, Utah State 255-292 .868 Chris Spatola, Army 382-440 .865 Andy Toole, Pennsylvania 180-208 .863 Dan Dickau, Gonzaga 284-329 .861 Steve Logan, Cincinnati 409-475
Creighton had a statistical oddity vs. Wichita State on Feb. 17, compiling 10 blocks as well as 10 three-pointers, both of which matched a season-best. It marked the first time in school history that a CU team had 10 blocks and 10 three-pointers in the same game.
Jays Swept For First Time Since '98
When a pair of comeback victories over Creighton this season, Southern Illinois became the first league school to complete a regular-season sweep of the Jays since both Bradley and Illinois State did that in Creighton's 1997-98 NIT campaign.
20 x 4
With 19 wins and a minimum of two games remaining, Creighton is looking win 20 games for an unprecedented fourth straight season. The Jays have gone 24-8, 23-10 and 22-9 in the last three campaigns. Creighton owns 14 seasons of 20 or more wins in school history, including a school-record total of 24 wins in 1990-91 and again last season.
MVC Honors Two CU Scholars
Creighton landed a pair of players on the MVC Scholar-Athlete team, announced Feb. 14. Brody Deren, a sophomore with a 3.62 GPA, was named to the first team, while Michael Lindeman, a sophomore with a 3.98 GPA was a second-team selection. Nominees for the team must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA. They must have also reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution.
Lindeman Earns More Honors
Creighton sophomore forward Michael Lindeman has been named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District VII men's basketball team. Lindeman is joined by Iowa's Luke Recker, Nebraska's Cary Cochran, Denver's Brett Starkey and Iowa State's Jake Sullivan. This marks the fifth consecutive season that Creighton has had a player honored, as Lindeman joins Ryan Sears (1999, 2000 and 2001) and Joel Templeman in 1998. The Verizon Academic All-District VII men's basketball team is selected by the district's members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
11th Heaven
With a win over Wichita State, Creighton improved to 13-2 in MVC play. In 48 seasons of conference play, the Jays had never before been 11 games over .500 in league play. CU's 14 conference wins entering Monday ties a school record, done last season.
Taylor Made Career Night
Terrell Taylor's 28 points against Drake were a new career high and marked the sixth time in his career he's surpassed 20 points on the scoreboard. Taylor's 28 points tied Kyle Korver's 28 points (vs. Grambling State) for the most by a Creighton player this season.
When Taylor's Hot...Look Out
Terrell Taylor has made 50 percent or more of his shots in seven games this season, with CU going 6-1 in that time. Last year they were 12-1 when he made half his shots after going 15-4 under those circumstances his freshman year. In his career, CU is 33-6 when Taylor makes 50 percent of his attempts or better, while the are just 33-19 when he is below that mark.
T-Time
For Terrell Taylor, a recent visit from his mother Audrey was just the right medicine to help turn around an up-and-down season. Coming off a stretch of seven straight games with nine or less points, Taylor has exploded in the last few games on both ends of the floor. Taylor didn't have his best offensive game of the season vs. Indiana State, but a late steal and key offensive rebound were crucial in the Jays one-point win over the Sycamores. Against Northern Iowa, Taylor made 4-of-8 shots and finished the game with 12 points. Taylor had a career-night at Drake, finishing with a career-best 28 points. Taylor hit 10-of-14 shots, including 5-of-8 three-pointers and his trifecta with 26 seconds left tied the game and sent it to overtime. Taylor also added three steals and three rebounds without a turnover in 32 minutes of play. Taylor made 4-of-5 three-pointers vs. Wichita State and had 16 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Taylor made 4-of-5 three-pointers and also knocked down all four free throw attempts. Taylor struggled vs. Southern Illinois, going 3-for-12 and scoring just seven points in 23 minutes of play. Taylor regained his form vs. Bradley, leading CU with 19 points including five three-pointers. More impressively, he had a season-best seven rebounds.
Among The School's Best
Junior sixth man Terrell Taylor has heated up from long-range of late, making 15-of-27 three-point shots in his last five games after a 1-for-16 slump prior to that. Taylor now has 125 career three-pointers, which ranks him ninth in school history. Here's that list, which includes teammate Kyle Korver.
Creighton's Career Three-Point Leaders 3FG Name Years 245 Ryan Sears 1997-01 224 Kyle Korver 1999-Present 212 Rodney Buford 1995-99 185 Matt Roggenburk 1986-90 177 Duan Cole 1987-92 143 Matt Petty 1989-93 132 Rod Mason 1986-88 131 Tad Ackerman 1994-96 125 Terrell Taylor 1999-Present 111 Porter Moser 1986-90Korver Named All-District
Creighton University men's basketball junior forward Kyle Korver has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)/Pontiac Division I All-District Team, announced Feb. 12. Korver was a second-team member of the all-District 12 squad. Korver is just the third different Bluejay player to be honored by the NABC in the last 10 years. Rodney Buford was honored in both 1998 (second-team) and 1999 (first-team), while Ryan Sears was a second-team pick in 2000. Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, these student-athletes represent the finest basketball players across the country. The 150 student-athletes, from 15 districts, are now eligible for the NABC/Pontiac Division I All-American Team to be announced at the conclusion of the 2001-02 season.
Extra Session Excellency
With the win over Drake, Creighton improved to 6-6 in overtime games under Dana Altman, including a 2-1 mark this season. The last time CU had three overtime games in the same year was in 1999-00, when they beat Baylor and Northern Iowa in overtime but lost at Drake in overtime.
90 or Bust
When Creighton cracked the 90-point barrier vs. Drake, it was a refreshing sign for the large turnout of Bluejay fans that made the trek to Des Moines. Not only is Creighton 15-0 under Dana Altman when scoring 90 or more points, but they have now won 31 straight games when they score 90 or more dating to a 102-98 loss to Southern Illinois on Jan. 11, 1988.
De-Day
Creighton guard DeAnthony Bowden entered CU's Feb. 9 game vs. Northern Iowa with the reputation of being a defensive stopper and having made just nine three-pointers all season. That game was a different story, as the junior connected on his initial four three-point attempts in the a span of 5:30 in the first half. Bowden helped cement CU's momentum going into the half with his fifth trifecta just before the intermission buzzer as well. In the second half, Bowden's only shot attempt was a spectacular breakaway dunk after a lead outlet pass from Terrell Taylor. Bowden finished the game with a career-high 17 points and matched his season-best with five rebounds.
Patience, Patience, Patience
Perhaps the most telling number on the Feb. 9 Northern Iowa box score was that Kyle Korver did not attempt a field goal in 24 minutes of play while being hounded by UNI's diamond-and-one defense. Though Korver's offense wasn't at his best, he didn't let that affect the rest of his all-around game. Korver had nine rebounds (all defensive), three assists and three steals. Korver's only two points came on free throws following a technical foul on the UNI bench. *It marked Korver's first game without a field goal attempt since Jan. 6, 2000 vs. Indiana State. *It marked Korver's lowest scoring output since being shutout in three-straight games, Jan. 2-8, 2000 as a freshman, a time when he played just 15 minutes over those three game. *It marked the first time this season that a Creighton player did not attempt a field goal in a game they started. *Prior to Feb. 9, the most minutes played by a CU player that did not shoot that game was nine minutes by DeAnthony Bowden (1/16) and Ismael Caro (12/12). For comparison, last year's high was 14 minutes without a shot by John Klein vs. Southern Illinois on Feb. 10, 2001. *Prior to Feb. 9, the only time in the last seven years that Creighton had a player log 20 or more minutes without a shot from the field was when Adam Reid played 24 minutes vs. Evansville on Feb. 2, 1997. In that game, a 75-62 CU win, Reid made two free throws and had two rebounds and two assists.
Omaha Swat Team
Creighton has blocked 10 shots in each of its last two home games. That figure ranks as the most in the MVC by any team this season. That marked the most by a CU team since a 11-block effort vs. UMKC Nov. 18, 1998.
Road Kill
Keeping in mind that Dana Altman inherited a 30-game road losing streak, it is nothing short of remarkable how the tables have turned on the road in recent years for Creighton. With a 7-5 overall road record, the Jays will finish with a winning road mark for the third straight season, something they had not done in three straight years since a five-year span from 1973-74 to 1977-78. Creighton's owned a impressive 7-2 road record in MVC play this season, two games better than the next best league foe (SIU). To find the last previous time that Creighton won six conference road games in the same season, you'd have to get in a time machine and go all the way back to 1923-24. This season also marks the only time in school history that Creighton has won at both Illinois State and Bradley in the same campaign.
Winter To Remember
Despite true freshmen point guards, both the Creighton men's and women's basketball teams are in first place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, the only time that's happened this late in the year since the women joined the Valley in 1992-93. Connie Yori's CU women's basketball team is 14-2 on the year entering this week, one game better than Drake. Since the MVC began sponsoring women's sports, no school has won the men's and women's basketball regular-season titles in the same season. Creighton is currently one of two teams nationally that have both a men's and women's basketball team in sole possession of first place. The only other team that can claim that is Valparaiso.
Friendly Confines
Creighton's 12-2 record at home makes it the sixth straight season with 10 or more home wins. In fact, CU has had 10 or more home wins in 23 of the last 33 seasons going back to 1969-70.
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Creighton's 64-63 win over Indiana State was their first one-point win since Dec. 4, 1999 when they upended Baylor 77-76. Dana Altman is now 3-6 at CU in games decided by a single point.Same Start, Same ResultFor the fifth consecutive season, Creighton was 14-6 after 20 games. Each of the 14-6 starts in the last four years resulted in a postseason bid. Here's a look at Creighton's record after 20 games under Dana Altman.
Year First 20 Final Postseason2001-02 14-6 2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---1994-95 6-14 7-19 ---40 Percent The Tipping Point
Southern Illinois ruined an impressive streak of Creighton's when they shot just 37.3 percent from the floor but still downed the Bluejays on Feb. 20. Creighton had been 48-1 when holding the opposition under 40 percent since Dec. 1, 1997. The lone prior exception in that streak is when Iowa defeated CU behind 39.1 percent shooting in last year's NCAA Tournament. The last previous time a Creighton squad lost when a foe shot worse than 39 percent was Feb. 16, 1996 when a Northern Iowa club that included Darian DeVries beat Creighton 58-57 in overtime. Offensively, Creighton has won its last 30 games when it has shot 45 percent or better, dating to a 78-74 loss at Wyoming on Dec. 1, 2000.
Korver Was MVC Player of the Week
The Feb. 4 State Farm/Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week was Creighton's Kyle Korver. A junior from Pella, Iowa, Korver shot 66.7 percent (14-for-21) from the field -- including 57.1 percent (8-for-14) from three-point range -- and averaged 23.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a home win over Southwest Missouri State (80-74) and a home loss to Southern Illinois (79-77). Versus SMS on Jan. 30, Korver had 20 points and became the 28th player in Creighton history reach 1,000 career points. Korver also earned the honor Dec. 12, 2000 after shooting 75 percent from the field, 57.1 percent from the floor and 91.7 percent from the stripe while averaging 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in wins over Colorado State and Georgia State last season.
Korver By The Numbers
Kyle Korver has made three or more three-pointers in 46 of his 88 career games at Creighton. Creighton is 36-10 in such contests, including a 8-3 record this year. With his shooting display (5-of-12) vs. Wichita State on Feb. 17, Korver has now made five three-pointers or more in a game on 14 occasions in his career (CU is 11-3 in such games), including five times this year. Korver's streak of making a three-pointer in each of the last 28 games he'd appeared in was snapped on Feb. 9 when he did not attempt a field goal in 24 minutes of action. Korver is already the only player in CU history to make 60 or more three-pointers in three different seasons.
3-Pt. FG Made by GameYear 0 1 2 3 4 5 6Fr. 9 6 6 7 2 2 1So. 3 2 4 9 8 5 1Jr. 1 7 4 3 3 5 0Totals 13 15 14 19 13 12 2Second Half Team
Creighton has finished the first half of the MVC record with a mighty impressive 8-1 mark, the 12th straight time that CU has been .500 or better in either the first or second-half of the league season. Here's how Dana Altman's club's have fared in the second half of the MVC season since his arrival:
Year First Half Second Half2001-02 8-1 6-22000-01 5-4 9-01999-00 5-4 6-31998-99 6-3 5-41997-98 5-4 7-21996-97 5-4 5-41995-96 4-5 5-41994-95 3-6 1-8Total 41-31 (.569) 44-27 (.620)Korver Looks For History
Junior forward Kyle Korver leads Creighton and ranks among the league leaders in points (4th), three-pointers (3rd), rebounding (12th), assists (7th) and steals (1st). If Korver can maintain his team-lead in points, steals and assists, he'd become the first player in school history to do that since they began recording steals in 1980-81. Korver had two or more assists in the first 21 games he played in this season.
Altman Second on CU Victory List
With his win over Northern Iowa on Feb. 9, Dana Altman has surpassed Red McManus for second on Creighton's all-time wins list. Below is a list of Creighton's victory leaders:
Rk. W-L Coach1. 163-66 Arthur A. Schabinger2. 142-93 Dana Altman3. 138-118 John J. "Red" McManus
A Grand Honor
A free throw with 19:09 remaining vs. SMS made junior Kyle Korver the 28th member of Creighton's 1,000-point club. Korver finished that game with 20 points and now has 1,111 career points to his credit, which ranks him 24th in CU history. Last season Creighton had two players surpass 1,000-- Ryan Sears (1,309) and Ben Walker (1,238). Sears surpassed 1,000 points in his 97th game while it took Walker 105 games. Korver's reached that milestone in the 81st game of his career. By comparison, all-time leading scorer Rodney Buford (2,116) scored his first 1,000 points in 59 games and his next 1,000 points in 52 games.
Creighton All-Time Scoring List 1. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-9921. 1,172 Dick Harvey 1957-6022. 1,172 Doug Brookins 1973-75 1,172 Daryl Stovall 1979-8224. 1,111 Kyle Korver 1999-Present25. 1,106 Kenny Evans 1983-87
Win Streaks Become Common
Southern Illinois snapped Creighton's season-long seven-game win streak, their sixth streak of seven games or more in the last five years. Here's a list of the longest streaks in the 25 years since Creighton rejoined the MVC in 1977-78.
Longest Win Streaks Since 1977-78 Streak Dates Coach Postseason 11 Jan. 27-March 3, 2001 D. Altman NCAA 9 Nov. 22-Dec. 21, 1999 D. Altman NCAA 9 Jan. 21-Feb. 16, 1998 D. Altman NIT 8 Feb. 18-Mar. 14, 1991 T. Barone NCAA 8 Jan. 21-Feb. 14, 1991 T. Barone NCAA 7 Jan. 9-Jan. 30, 2002 D. Altman 7 Dec. 6, 2000-Jan. 2, 2001 D. Altman NCAA 7 Feb. 17-Mar. 11, 1999 D. Altman NCAA 7 Jan. 18-Feb. 4, 1998 T. Barone - - - 7 Nov. 28-Dec. 22, 1980 T. Apke NCAA 7 Dec. 19, 1979-Jan. 7, 1980 T. Apke - - -
Triple Trifecta Streak Snapped
One of Creighton's most impressive streaks came to an end at Evansville on Jan. 26. The Jays had made three or more three-pointers in 175 consecutive games dating to a 58-57 overtime loss to Northern Iowa on Feb. 16, 1996. In that game, CU was 2-for-16 from long-range. The streak was snapped when CU was 2-for-13 from downtown vs. the Purple Aces. One streak still intact is CU's 238 consecutive games with a three-pointer, including every game under the direction of Dana Altman. Creighton's last game without a three-pointer was a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Deren Earned Scholar-Athlete Honors
Center Brody Deren was named the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week for Jan. 14-20. Deren, a sophomore from Harlan, Iowa, averaged 12.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game, as the Bluejays defeated Illinois State (63-56) on Jan. 16 and topped Bradley (76-63) on Jan. 19. After collecting 16 points and five blocked shots against Illinois State, Deren, who has a 3.617 cumulative grade-point average in exercise science, collected eight points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of action vs. Bradley.
Healthy Knee, Healthy Numbers
After missing three games following arthroscopic surgery on his meniscus, junior Kyle Korver returned to the floor an amazing nine days after his Dec. 20 procedure. Korver's shooting numbers have been getting healthier too, as seen below:
Stat FG's FG% 3FG's 3FG% PPG RPGBefore Injury 27-68 .397 15-49 .306 15.7 6.0After Injury 81-160 .506 46-100 .460 15.2 5.2
Not Half Bad
Dana Altman's Creighton teams are 53-2 when shooting 50 percent or better, including a 6-0 mark this season. They have won 21 straight when making more than half their attempts dating back to an 88-83 loss at Evansville on Jan. 23, 2000.
Korver Carves Up Defenses
Just a junior, Kyle Korver has become the 12th player in MVC history (and third from Creighton) to make 200 three-pointers in his career. Korver's teammate the previous two seasons, Ryan Sears, owns the school record with 245 career trifectas, while former Southern Illinois standout Shane Hawkins holds the Valley mark with 314 in his career. With five three-pointers vs. Wichita State, Korver moved into ninth place in MVC history and also surpassed Illinois State's Tarise Bryson as the league's active leader.
MVC's Career Three-Point Leaders 3FG Name Years 314 Shane Hawkins, SIU 1994-98 283 Michael Menser, INST 1997-01 266 Johnny Murdock, SMS 1991-95 254 Kevin Ault, SMS 1996-00 250 Marcus Wilson, UE 1995-99 245 Ryan Sears, CU 1997-01 233 Aaron Zobrist, BU 1993-97 227 Troy Hudson, SIU 1995-97 224 Kyle Korver, CU 1999-Present 214 Shea Seals, Tulsa 1993-96 214 Tarise Bryson, ILST 1998-Present
Starting Lineup Survivor
Mike Lindeman is the only Creighton player to start all 26 games for the Jays this season. What's surprising is Lindeman did not start any games last year as a freshman. He is one of nine different players to start for CU this season.
Big Man With Touch
Sophomore center Joe Dabbert continues to rank among the best free throw shooters in the country among his peers. Stats Inc. has compiled the national free throw percentage leaders of players 6-10 or taller. Here's the top-10 of that list.
FT % Leaders, Division I Players 6-10 or tallerThrough 02/10/02 * Minimum 39 FTA Name, Team HT FTM FTA % 1. Lee Nosse, Middle Tennesse 6-10 66 76 .868 2. Matt Bonner, Florida 6-10 60 72 .833 Brian Cook, Illinois 6-10 60 72 .833 4. Earl Barron, Memphis 7- 0 64 79 .810 5. Channing Frye, Arizona 6-10 57 71 .803 6. Joe Dabbert, Creighton 6-10 31 39 .795 7. Jason Jennings, Arkansas State 7- 0 83 105 .790 8. Phillip Ramelli, Samford 6-10 37 47 .787 9. Chris Braun, Saint Louis 6-10 36 46 .78310. Darius Rice, Miami (FL) 6-10 57 73 .781Best League Start In 60 Years
Creighton's 9-1 start in MVC action was their best open to league play since 1942-43 team finished 10-0 in the Valley. That team went 16-0 before losing the season finale in the NIT.
Bench Getting It Done
With 11 players averaging 11.4 minutes per game or more, Dana Altman's club continues to get tremendous production off the bench. The Jays bench has had a player score in double-digits in all but five games this year and have accounted for 32 double-figures scoring outings this season. Creighton is 1-3 in the four occasions that their bench has been outscored this season. As a whole, Creighton's bench has accounted for 42 percent of the team's points, 44 percent of the team's rebounds and 42 percent of the team's assists while playing 41 percent of the minutes, as seen below:
Stat Starters (Pct.) Reserves (Pct.)Points 1134 (58.0) 821 (42.0)Rebounds 477 (56.0) 375 (44.0)Assists 229 (58.3) 164 (41.7)Minutes 3103 (58.6) 2197 (41.4)Bench Marks
Last season, the Creighton bench scored 682 points in 32 games, an average of 21.3 per game. This year, they've already scored 821 points, an average of 31.6 points per game. Creighton has now won the last 14 games its bench has scored 35 or more points. In CU's Feb. 9 win over Northern Iowa, the Creighton bench scored 52 of the team's 83 points, good for 62.7 percent of the team's points. Those 52 points off the bench were the most since a 52-point bench effort vs. Evansville on Feb. 28, 2000 in a 102-69 romp. In that game, four CU players (Kyle Korver, Terrell Taylor, Livan Pyfrom and Justin Haynes) scored 11 or more off the pine.
From Pine To Shine
Terrell Taylor's 28 points off the bench vs. Drake were the most by a Creighton player off the pine in at least 25 years in a check of box scores dating back to the 1977-78 campaign.
20/20/20 Vision
Junior Kyle Korver had 20 points vs. SMS, 27 vs. Southern Illinois and 20 points vs. Indiana State in a recent three-game stretch before his two-point effort vs. Northern Iowa. He was the first CU player to score 20 or more in three straight games since current Memphis Grizzlies player Rodney Buford did it, Jan. 17-23, 1999.
Halftime Lead Streak Ended
In a span of 17 days, Southern Illinois accomplished something twice that no team had in the last 14 years--overcome a double-digit halftime deficit to beat Creighton. First, the Salukis overturned a 48-34 halftime score on Feb. 3 to beat Creighton, 79-77 in Omaha. Then, SIU beat Creighton 65-62 in Carbondale after trailing 33-22 at the break. The last previous time Creighton blew a double-digit halftime lead and lost was a 66-62 loss to Wichita State on Feb. 13, 1989. In that game, CU wasted a 32-20 intermission advantage. In box scores dating back to 1979-80, Creighton had never lost a game it led by 14 or more at half before. Despite those two setbacks to SIU, Creighton is 39-3 when up at the intermission since Feb. 2, 2000.
Guards Turnover
Think Creighton doesn't miss Ryan Sears at all Last year the four-year starter had a solid 137 assists compared to just 63 turnovers. This year, CU's point guards--Ismael Caro, Tyler McKinney and DeAnthony Bowden (during the first 12 games before being moved to shooting guard)--have combined for 134 assists and 94 turnovers. One encouraging sign is that McKinney has had just 13 turnovers total over the last 14 games. As a team, last year's team had 64 more assists than turnovers, while this year's team has 32 more assists than turnovers. However, during this current 14-3 stretch they have 49 more assists than turnovers.
Straight Shooters
Trailing by one with 6.8 seconds to play, true freshman Tyler McKinney calmly stepped to the line and swished two free throws to help CU beat Indiana State on Feb. 6. One reason Creighton's been able to win close games is because of clutch free throw shooting. This season the Jays have made 112-of-150 (74.7 percent) at the stripe in the final five minutes of games this year and 71.0 percent during all attempts this year.
Milestones Galore
With the win over Indiana State on Feb. 6, Creighton reached a couple of milestones worth noting. This year marks the sixth straight season that the Jays have won 15 games or more. That last happened in six years between 1971-72 and 1977-78. Creighton has also clinched a winning record for the fifth straight year. Creighton's most recent such string was a span of 12 consecutive years from 1969-70 and ending in 1980-81. Additionally, Creighton has now won 10 or more league games in six straight years. Before Dana Altman arrived at CU, Creighton had only six seasons all-time where they had 10 or more league wins.
Iowan Army
All four Iowa natives on the Creighton roster have been in Creighton's starting lineup since Jan. 9. Those four include Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Kyle Korver (Pella), Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls) and Brody Deren (Harlan).
Double-Digit Three's
Creighton made 12-of-19 three-point attempts at Bradley, their third outing this season with 10 or more treys. Last year CU had 10 or more three-pointers in eight different games. The Jays have won 16 straight games when they've hit 50 percent or better of their three-pointers dating to a 77-75 loss to Northern Iowa on Jan. 2, 2000 when they were 8-for-15.
Home Sweet Civic
Creighton is 27-2 at home since the last home game of the 1999-00 season, losing only to Xavier and Southern Illinois in that time. Xavier snapped a CU-record 20-game home winning streak on Dec. 20 that had ranked as the seventh longest active streak in Division I. It was Creighton's second non-conference loss at home in the last five seasons, the other being a 75-67 loss to #19 Tulsa on Jan. 12, 2000. With their Feb. 3 win, Southern Illinois snapped Creighton's win streak of 14 straight conference games at home.
Double-Digit Half Dozen
Creighton had six players with 11 points or more in its 90-65 romp over Mississippi Valley State. The last time CU had six players in double-figures was a 102-69 win over Evansville on Feb. 28, 2000. This season, Creighton has had 12 different players score 10 or more points in a game. In fact, the only player who hasn't reached double-digits this year is redshirt freshman walk-on Dan Bresnahan.
Top Scoring Sixth Men List Includes Taylor
STATS Inc. has compiled a list of the top-scoring sixth-men in college basketball. Creighton junior Terrell Taylor ranks 13th with a 11.3 scoring average and is second among all players who have not started a game this season. Here's that list:
Top Scoring Sixth Men - NCAA Division I - Through 02/17/02To qualify, player must have played in 75% of his team's game,but started 35% or fewer of his own games Name, Team G GS PTS PPG 1. Sonny Johnson, Ohio 21 0 347 16.5 2. Travis Robinson, Jacksonville 21 4 312 14.9 3. Reggie Borges, Oral Roberts 27 7 358 13.3 4. Chris Lynch, Northwestern St. 26 4 342 13.2 5. Antoine Lewis, IUPUI 25 5 310 12.4 6. Ben Gordon, Connecticut 23 2 281 12.2 7. Joel Jones, Sacramento St. 23 6 276 12.0 8. Leonard Hopkins, North Texas 24 3 284 11.8 9. Blair Wilson, Colorado 23 2 270 11.7 10. Tiras Wade, E. Tennessee State 25 8 284 11.4 11. Paul Marigney, St. Mary's (CA) 23 6 260 11.3 12. Stalin Ortiz, Valparaiso 27 1 305 11.3 13. Terrell Taylor, Creighton 24 0 271 11.3 14. Jason Forte, Brown 23 6 259 11.3 15. Andrius Sakalys, UT-Pan Am 29 1 324 11.2
A March Tradition
Did you know that Creighton is one of 25 teams nationally to have played in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three years The select company, listed alphabetically, includes Arizona, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, Winthrop and Wisconsin.
