Men's Basketball Opens Season, Qwest Center OMAHA vs. San Diego
11/18/2003 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (0-0) men’s basketball plays the first regular-season game in Qwest Center OMAHA™ (15,500) history when they host San Diego (0-3) on Saturday, Nov. 22. Tip-off on ConAgra Foods Court is set for 7:05 p.m.
Broadcast Information
KOMJ (“Magic” 590 AM) will broadcast all of Creighton’s men’s basketball games during the 2003-04 season. The games are also webcast live at www.magic590.com. T. Scott Marr and Travis Justice will call the action.
Video Webcast Available on Saturday
Creighton University Athletics and Omaha-based New Media Networks will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of the Bluejays vs. San Diego men’s basketball regular season home opener Saturday night.
To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com/creighton. Cost is $7.95 with Visa and Mastercard accepted (credit cards are charged after the game so those who had technical difficulties and couldn't view the game won't be charged).
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Magic 590 AM broadcast (T. Scott Marr, play-by-play; Travis Justice, analyst), will begin at 6:30 p.m. featuring live video of Qwest Center OMAHA and the audio of the Magic 590 AM pre-game show.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 7.0 or above.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns three starters and nine lettermen from last season’s club that went 29-5 and qualified for a fifth-straight NCAA Tournament. The Jays went are 5-2 in exhibition games this year, including a 4-1 record in Canada. The Bluejays have been picked second in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll of writers, play-by-play men and sports information directors. The Bluejays beat Nebraska-Omaha 72-66 in overtime on Nov. 9 in its exhibition opener in the US before falling to Global Sports 66-65 on Nov. 16.
Fifth-year seniors Joe Dabbert, Brody Deren, Mike Grimes and Michael Lindeman will solidify a deep front line, while Nate Funk, Tyler McKinney and Kellen Miliner return to lead the guards. Tim Blackwell, Quincy Henderson, Johnny Mathies and Anthony Tolliver are expected to lead the newcomers.
Scouting San Diego
San Diego got an early start to the season at the BCA Classic at Xavier last weekend, but came away with an 0-3 record. The Toreros lost to Oakland 93-68 on Saturday, 65-60 to UC-Irvine on Sunday and 76-62 vs. Coppin State on Monday.
USD graduated four of five starters from last year’s 18-12 team that placed second in the West Coast Conference and dropped a 77-69 contest vs. Stanford in the NCAA Tournament.
The Toreros were expected to be led by junior forward Corey Belser, but he was injured in the exhibition season and will miss the season. At the BCA Classic, junior transfer Brice Vounang emerged as the leading scorer at 18.3 ppg, while sophomore center Nick Lewis averaged 13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton’s Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 10th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 175-100 (.636) mark at CU and a career record of 258-167 (.607) in his 15th year as an NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton’s all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named conference, regional or district coach of the year in nine of his 18 years as a head coach. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in nine of the past 12 years. He’s assisted by Greg Grensing, Len Gordy and Darian DeVries.
Ben Holland (UCLA, 1979) is in his 10th season as head coach at San Diego, owning a 144-114 record with the Toreros and 167-145 overall mark in 12 years as a head coach. The last player recruited by John Wooden, Holland was a part of four Pac-10 championship teams as a player and was drafted 14th in the first round of the 1979 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Steve Flint and Sam Scholl.
Series History vs. San Diego
Creighton has won both previous meetings with San Diego, both of which were held in Omaha. The Bluejays won the initial meeting 77-62 on Jan. 10, 1972 and also took the rematch four years later, 50-48 in overtime on Jan. 7, 1976.
Dana Altman is 1-0 all-time vs. teams from the West Coast Conference, as his Kansas State team beat Gonzaga 66-64 in the NIT on March 22, 1994.
Last Game Recap
Jason Blair’s putback with 22 seconds left lifted Global Sports to a 66-65 victory at Creighton last Sunday. CU owned three different leads of 10 points in the first half, including a 39-29 advantage at halftime. Joe Dabbert hit 5-of-6 shots to score 15 first-half points for Creighton. A three-point play from Michael Lindeman, put the Jays up 65-59 with 4:16 left before Global scored the final seven points of the game to sneak out with the win.
Creighton was led by 15 points from Dabbert, 12 points from Brody Deren and 11 points from Kellen Miliner. CU shot 45.6 percent for the game but made 17 turnovers.
Global Sports was paced by 17 points and nine rebounds from San Diego alum Blair, while Oklahoma State alums Maurice Baker (15 points) and Adrian Peterson (12 points) also notched double-digits. Global out-rebounded Creighton 29-26 and shot 54.2 percent overall, including 57.1 percent after intermission.
Alumni Weekend Planned
The glorious past and the exciting present and future of Creighton University men’s basketball will come together on alumni weekend scheduled for Friday-Saturday, November 21-22.
A new era of Bluejay Basketball will officially start with the 2003-04 regular season home opener against the University of San Diego at Qwest Center OMAHA on Saturday, Nov. 22 but the festivities will begin one night earlier with the alumni weekend banquet on Friday, Nov. 21.
Tickets to the banquet are available to the general public for $50 per person or $500 for a table of 10. The banquet, to be held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center (69th & Grover Streets), starts with cocktails at 6 p.m., and dinner scheduled for 7 p.m. Director of Athletics Bruce Rasmussen will serve as master of ceremonies, former head coaches along with current head coach Dana Altman will be guest speakers and dozens of former players and the current 2003-04 Bluejays squad will be in attendance.
Part of the alumni banquet program will include a highlight video on the history of Creighton University men’s basketball and a video tribute to our late team physician Dr. Lee C. Bevilacqua. Banquet tickets will not be sold at the door so to make your reservations, contact Carol Ketcham at (402) 280-1794.
Alumni Game Saturday
Qwest Center OMAHA doors will open at 5 p.m. on Saturday so fans can watch the men’s basketball alumni game.
Former players scheduled to participate are: Brett Angner, Rick Apke, Alex Bien, DeAnthony Bowden, Corie Brandon, John Callaghan, Duan Cole, Randall Crutcher, Randy Eccker, Bob Harstad, Justin Haynes, Jason Hillyard, Alan Huss, Mark Jones, John Klein, Dan Kolder, Jim Maher, John McGowan, Reggie Morris, Steve Moss, Jason Ourada, Gene Pace, Bimbo Pietro, Edward St. Fleur, Gary Swain, Joel Templeman, Andre Tucker, Matt West, Troy Wharton and Latrell Wrightsell.
At halftime of the CU-San Diego game Saturday night, all men’s basketball alumni participating in the weekend festivities will be introduced. Former players who will be honored at halftime but have chosen not to participate in the alumni game are: Tad Ackerman, Pat Adley, John Berigan, Doug Brookins, Mike Caruso, Jack Chapman, Todd Eisner, Bob Gradoville, Paul Gradoville, Dick Harvey, Bill Heyden, Jim Honz, Jocko Ilcisin, Saint Jimenez, Jack Ketterer, Donald “Pinky” Knowles, Jim Knowles, Bob Komasinski, Mike Lynch, Rod Mason, John McGowan, Paul Michael, Dave Mohr, Ed Molitor, Jerry O’Connor, Dave Pedersen, Matt Petty, Darin Plautz, Chris Rodgers, Richie Smith and Dave Wragge.
Four Seniors....One Of A Kind
According to research by UAB sports information director Aaron Jordan, Creighton is the only men’s basketball team in the country to boast four fifth-year seniors. Both UAB and Arkansas have three fifth-year seniors. Creighton’s fifth-year seniors are Joe Dabbert, Brody Deren, Mike Grimes and Michael Lindeman.
Home Win Streak Among The Best
Creighton’s 17-game regular-season home winning streak is tied for the seventh-longest nationally heading into this season.
Longest Men’s Basketball Home Win Streaks
Team Streak Next Home Game
Western Kentucky 39 11/29, Mississippi St.
Duke 28 11/22, Detroit
Southern Illinois 27 11/26, Jacksonville St.
Pittsburgh 22 11/22, St. Francis (Pa.)
Weber State 18 11/21, Albertson
Butler 18 11/23, Quincy
Creighton 17 11/22, San Diego
Illinois 17 11/22, Western Illinois
Wake Forest 17 11/22, Elon
Syracuse 17 11/26, Charlotte
Season Opener History
Creighton owns a sparkling 72-13 record (.847) on opening day, including six straight wins. Creighton is 8-1 (.889) under Dana Altman in season-openers and have won six straight dating to an 85-77 setback at Wyoming to open the 1996-97 campaign.
Home Opener History
Creighton is 67-10 (.870) in home openers since 1924-25. Before that time game locations are incomplete. Between 1936 and 1980, the Jays went 41-2 in home openers, including 21 straight wins from 1946-66.
Creighton is 8-1 under Dana Altman in home openers, losing only his home debut 77-70 against SMU in 1994. The only CU coaches with more home-opening victories under their belt are coaching legends Red McManus (9), A.A. Schabinger (9) and Eddie Hickey (8).
3-0 The Way To Go
Creighton has started 3-0 (or better) each of the last five seasons. Each of those previous 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have culminated in an NCAA Tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Hello, World
As many as five players (Tim Blackwell, Johnny Mathies, Pierce Hibma, Anthony Tolliver and Quincy Henderson) could appear in their first contest at the Division I level vs. San Diego. Below is a look at how Creighton’s current players did in their regular-season debut in a Bluejay uniform.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Dabbert 13 9 2 1 17
Miliner 13 3 1 0 20
Deren 8 4 0 0 17
Grimes 5 5 0 0 11
Finklea 4 0 0 0 4
Motz 3 3 0 1 11
Funk 3 5 4 1 21
Lindeman 2 2 2 0 16
McKinney 2 2 3 1 16
More Debut News
Some more facts of interest about players making their Bluejay debut.
The last players to start their first game at Creighton were Larry House and DeAnthony Bowden, who did so in Nov. 18, 2001 as junior college transfers.
The last freshman to start his first game at Creighton was Ryan Sears in 1997. Sears started all 124 games of his stellar Bluejay career.
Did you know, no player in at least the last 21 years has scored more than 20 in their Bluejay debut Matt Roggenburk’s 19 points in 1986 came closest.
Creighton’s best opening-day effort in history would have to be the way Hall of Famer Bob Harstad began his senior season. Harstad went 13-for-13 from the floor and 12-for-13 at the line to score 38 points against Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 30, 1990.
The largest crowd in Creighton home opener history was the 9,374 fans that saw the Bluejays upset #23 Iowa on Nov. 27, 1999.
Fish & Altman Connection Runs Deep
Now the associate head coach at San Diego, Brian Fish has a long history with Creighton head coach Dana Altman. Fish was a graduate assistant coach at Marshall for Altman’s lone year in Huntington (1989-90). He also served as Altman’s video/film coordinator at Kansas State from 1992-94, and followed Altman to Creighton in 1994-96 as film coordinator. He also made a stop at TCU from 1996-2002 and is starting his second campaign at San Diego.
History of New Arena Openings
With Creighton opening play at Qwest Center OMAHA™ this weekend, it’s time to take a look back at how the Jays have done in their debuts at its previous four home venues.
Creighton won its first home game on record at the Old Gymnasium vs. Drake on March 2, 1917 by a 40-22 margin. Creighton was 262-84 all-time at the Old Gym.
The Jays beat Rio Grande (and scoring legend Bevo Francis) 93-75 on March 1, 1954 at Boys Town Fieldhouse. Creighton was 5-2 all-time at Boys Town Fieldhouse.
CU opened the Omaha Civic Auditorium on Dec. 28, 1955 with a 64-58 loss to East Texas State. Creighton was 432-155 all-time at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
CU’s first-ever game at Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum was an 86-80 victory over Drake on Feb. 26, 1980 as part of the MVC Tournament. Creighton was 2-1 all-time at the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum.
Midwestern Blues
Blame it on the winter weather or jet lag, but the last few decades have been rough on California teams making the trip to Omaha to play Creighton.
Creighton is 27-3 all-time at home vs. teams from California and have gone 25-1 in such games since 1939.
The only California team to beat Creighton in Omaha in the last 65 years was the 94-71 thumping that St. Mary’s handed the Bluejays on Dec. 20, 1962. The Bluejays are working on a 17-game home winning streak vs. California schools, as seen below:
Date Opponent Score
12/04/65 Long Beach State W 88-80
12/18/67 Long Beach State W 90-59
12/11/69 Cal. St-Fullerton W 83-78
12/23/70 San Diego State W 73-68
01/10/72 San Diego W 77-62
12/18/72 Santa Clara W 86-73
01/03/74 San Diego State W 79-61
12/06/74 Santa Clara W 65-62
02/09/75 UC-Santa Barbara W 72-61
12/13/75 St. Mary’s W 86-63
01/07/76 San Diego W 50-48 (OT)
02/03/77 UC-Irvine W 93-71
12/15/79 Cal. St.-Fullerton W 86-70
12/20/79 St. Mary’s W 79-73
12/05/88 San Jose State W 84-77
12/14/96 Cal. St.-Sacramento W 59-42
02/22/03 Fresno State W 67-66
Run of the Miliner
Making his first career start, Creighton junior Kellen Miliner came up big in the second half of CU’s Nov. 9 game vs. Nebraska-Omaha. With Creighton trailing by nine with just 5:15 remaining, Miliner drained three consecutive three-pointers to tie the game less than two minutes later. Miliner ended the night with a game-high 13 points in 19 minutes of action. Last year, Miliner had a career-best 13 points vs. Texas-Arlington in CU’s season-opening win.
Numerically Speaking...
Creighton’s crowd of 9,684 on Nov. 9 vs. Nebraska-Omaha was the fifth-largest home crowd in school history and well above the 5,191 fans that saw last year’s exhibition-opening victory over the Mavericks.
Overtime News
Creighton has not lost an overtime game at home since Feb. 17, 1996 ...The Jays are 37-38 all-time in regular-season overtime games and have won eight straight multiple-overtime games dating to a March 1, 1986 loss at Wichita State.
Tough Times Bring Out The Best In The Birds
Trailing Nebraska-Omaha by 14 with less than nine minutes to play, Creighton found itself in some rare territory. The Bluejays have not lost at home by double-digits since Jan. 3, 1996, a span of 110 regular-season games.
Since the start of last season, Creighton is now 5-2 when facing double-digit deficits. CU overcame a big deficits last year vs. Southern Illinois (13), TCU (16), SMS (17) and Wichita State (13).
CU’s most amazing comeback nearly took place in an NCAA Tournament loss to end last year. The Jays trailed Central Michigan by 26 with 16:24 left and closed the gap to two in the final minute, only to lose 79-73.
Medical Redshirts Return To Form
A pair of players who sat out last season with injury, Quincy Henderson and Jimmy Motz made their return to the court in last Sunday’s exhibition vs. UNO. Motz finished with three points and two rebounds in 13 minutes, while Henderson had three points and two boards in 10 minutes. Henderson and Motz combined to go 0-for-5 from the floor with two turnovers in 14 minutes during last Sunday’s exhibition loss to Global Sports.
Jays Ink Two Recruits
Creighton inked a pair of big men on Nov. 12th, as Steve Smith and Dane Watts signed National Letters-of-Intent to join the Bluejay program. Smith is a 6-11 center from Sioux Falls, S.D., while Watts is a 6-9 forward from Warrensburg, Mo.
Goodbye Civic, Hello Qwest Center OMAHA
Creighton’s Nov. 9 overtime win over Nebraska-Omaha served as the first college game in Qwest Center OMAHA, the city’s new $291 million facility they share with Nebraska-Omaha hockey.
Last year, Creighton ended a long run at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. Creighton first played at the Civic in 1955 and moved there full-time for the 1961-62 season. The Jays owned an all-time record of 432-155 at the Civic, including an 100-28 mark under Dana Altman.
The Civic was home to five regular-season MVC champs and eight MVC Tournament champions in the last 26 years.
A Hot Ticket
Creighton ended last season’s magical 29-5 campaign with six straight home sellouts (9,377) at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. This year, the Jays have increased their season ticket base from approximately 5,200 to over 8,700, an increase of nearly 50 percent.
Automatic At The Stripe
Michael Lindeman made 28 consecutive free throws over the past 16 regular-season games dating back to a miss in the game at Evansville on Jan. 23. Lindeman’s 28 straight at the stripe matches his former roommate, Kyle Korver, for Creighton’s longest streak since 1980.
Consecutive Free Throws (Since 1980)
28 Mike Lindeman Jan. 23, 2003-Present
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
24 Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
24 Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
Bright Lights, Big Wins
Omaha’s CBS affiliate, KMTV, will televise eight Creighton basketball games this season. In addition, CU could make as many as three appearances on ESPN or ESPN2, and six contests on Fox Sports Net. Last year the Jays went 14-3 on television.
Creighton has played quite well on the ESPN family of networks in recent seasons, owning 10 straight wins on the cable sports network since a Feb. 14, 1999 setback at Illinois State. Below is a chart of CU’s last 10 appearances on ESPN or ESPN2:
Date Opponent Score Network
03/10/03 vs. Southern Illinois W 80-56 ESPN
02/22/03 Fresno State W 67-66 ESPN2
01/18/03 Southern Illinois W 85-76 ESPN2
03/04/02 vs. Southern Illinois W 84-76 ESPN2
02/23/02 at Bradley W 80-64 ESPN2
02/17/01 Wyoming W 84-72 ESPN
02/10/01 at Southern Illinois W 77-63 ESPN
03/06/00 vs. SMS W 57-45 ESPN
02/07/00 at Colorado State W 78-67 ESPN
03/01/99 vs. Evansville W 70-61 ESPN
Altman Approaching Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to approach some of the coaching greats in MVC history in a pair of categories. Altman’s 175 wins at Creighton are ninth in league history while his 100 triumphs in conference games have him sixth in league history. Here is those lists:
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 126 Phog Allen Kansas
4. 111 Rich Herrin Southern Illinois
5. 110 Jim Molinari Bradley
6. 100 Dana Altman Creighton
Coaches--Most Wins As MVC Member--All Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 486 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 337 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 225 Rich Herrin Southern Illinois
4. 220 Ralph Miller Wichita State
5. 211 Maury John Drake
6. 197 Joe Stowell Bradley
7. 194 Chuck Osborn Bradley
8. 185 Ken Hayes Tulsa & New Mex. St.
9. 175 Dana Altman Creighton
10. 169 Phog Allen Kansas
Attendance Record In Jeopardy
Even though the season is just getting started, it’d wouldn’t be a surprise to see CU’s all-time home attendance record shattered. Creighton, which has 15 home games on the schedule, has already sold more than 8,700 season tickets this year. CU would need to average 9,345 fans per game this year to break last year’s mark of 140,174 total home fans.
Home Attendance, Most Fans Since 1967-68
Year G Attendance Average
1. 2002-03 17 140,174 8,246
2. 1982-83 17 134,042 7,885
3. 1984-85 16 116,139 7,259
4. 1983-84 18 110,873 6,160
5. 1979-80 14 103,540 7,396
They’re Baaaaaack (Mostly)!
With three starters back, it’s no surprise that roughly 60 percent of CU’s production returns as well, as seen below:
Stat Returners (Pct.) Departures (Pct.)
Games Started 101 (59.4) 69 (40.6)
Minutes 4,299 (63.0) 2,526 (37.0)
Points 1,436 (53.4) 1,252 (46.6)
Rebounds 658 (61.1) 419 (38.9)
Assists 350 (60.9) 225 (39.1)
Blocked Shots 126 (82.4) 27 (17.6)
Deren & Dabbert Denying Opponents
Creighton’s center tandem of Brody Deren and Joe Dabbert continue to swat shots at an alarming rate. Deren ranks fourth in Bluejay history with 106 career blocked shots, Dabbert has 72 and is seventh. Below is the all-time list:
Creighton Blocked Shots Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
102 Brody Deren 2001-Present
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
72 Joe Dabbert 2000-Present
59 Rodney Buford 1995-99
58 Kyle Korver 1999-2003
Bluejays Still Have Five Iowans
Kyle Korver may have graduated, but Creighton still has five Iowans on this season’s team, including four possible starters. This year’s Creighton’s team includes five players that hail from the state of Iowa, Brody Deren, Tyler McKinney, Michael Lindeman, Nate Funk and Pierce Hibma. Hibma, CU’s new Iowa native hails from Korver’s hometown of Pella.
Largest Home Crowds
The 9,684 fans that came to see Creighton beat Nebraska-Omaha on November 9, 2003 was the fifth largest home crowd in Creighton history.
The largest crowd in state history is believed to be 15,038 when Oklahoma State played at Nebraska on Feb. 7, 1981.
Below are the top-five home crowds in Creighton history.
Att. Opp. Result Date
11,214 #5 New Mexico St. W 72-68 01/29/70
10,893 #2 Marquette L 61-66 03/01/71
10,216 #14 South Carolina L 69-78 03/04/74
10,184 Southern Illinois W 85-76 01/18/03
9,684 Neb.-Omaha (Ex.) W 72-66 (OT) 11/09/03
Dana’s Arc
Creighton has made two or more three-pointers in 297 consecutive games, including every game under the direction of Dana Altman. The last time they had just one trey was a 74-70 win over Florida A&M on Dec. 22, 1993.
Overall, Creighton has made at least one trifecta in 307 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
A March Tradition
Creighton is one of 17 teams nationally to have played in the NCAA Tournament each of the last five years. The select company, listed alphabetically, also includes Arizona, Cincinnati, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin.
Creighton is also one of just seven schools to win 22 or more games and reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five years, joining Arizona, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky.
Five Straight Trips Rare
Creighton’s current run of five straight NCAA Tournaments has been matched just one time previously by a MVC school. Cincinnati played in six straight NCAA Tournaments between 1958-63, including national titles in 1961 and 1962. Oscar Robertson played at Cincinnati from 1958-60.
22 Wins x 5 Years = Unprecedented Success
The 2002-03 season was Creighton’s fifth straight year of 20 or more wins, the best stretch in school history. According to STATS Inc., Creighton is one of nine teams to have won 22 or more games in each of the last five seasons:
98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03
Arizona 22 27 28 24 29
Butler 22 23 24 26 27
Creighton 22 23 24 23 29
Duke 37 29 35 31 26
Florida 22 29 24 22 25
Gonzaga 28 26 26 29 24
Kansas 23 24 26 33 31
Kentucky 28 23 24 22 33
Tulsa 23 32 26 27 23
Recapping Last Season
Creighton finished last season with a 29-5 record, a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and won its fourth MVC Tournament in the last five seasons.
Some of last season’s highlights included CU’s first national-ranking in 25 years, a 10-0 start, a win over Notre Dame en route to the Guardians Classic title and a school-record 29 wins.
Kyle Korver was named second-team All-American and a finalist for several National Player of the Year awards, while Dana Altman was named District Coach of the Year and a finalist for National Coach of the Year.
Ranking Information
Creighton was ranked 10th in the Jan. 20, 2003 Associated Press poll, the best ranking in program history. Before that, the team’s previous best was the 13th spot in the Feb. 25th and March 4, 1975 polls, as well as the week of Jan. 13, 2003.
Last season Creighton entered the AP poll for the first time since the 1975 season with a No. 23 ranking on Dec. 9. It’s worth noting that Creighton was 15th in the United Press International coaches poll during the week of Feb. 22, 1977.
Creighton was tabbed 15th in the final regular season editions of both the AP and USA Today/ESPN coaches polls.
Road Warriors
Creighton is in the middle of an impressive run in MVC play. The Jays are 38-7 in league action since the midway point of the 2000-01 season. Even more impressive, CU is 17-5 in road MVC contests in that span and 21-2 in home Valley contests in the same span.
Three's Still Falling
Creighton is one of eight schools to have made 200 or more three-pointers in each of the last six seasons. Below is a list of other schools that have done this according to STATS Inc.:
97-98 98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03
Creighton 203 236 289 249 230 270
Duke 273 293 284 407 301 235
Florida 285 289 266 256 232 287
Gonzaga 274 273 260 245 237 239
Lafayette 207 238 249 225 222 209
Princeton 265 229 245 218 219 220
Temple 216 217 274 281 298 270
Tulsa 211 223 264 288 259 217
Perfect 10
With a Jan. 20 home win over Illinois State last season, Creighton assured itself of a seventh consecutive season of 10 or more home wins. The Jays finished 17-0 at home last season and are 70-8 (.897) at home since Jan. 20, 1998.
NBA Players x 2
Creighton boasts a pair of players in the NBA this season, as both Kyle Korver (‘03) and Rodney Buford (‘99) are in the Association. Korver was drafted 51st overall by the New Jersey Nets and sold minutes later to the Philadelphia 76ers. Buford was taken 53rd overall in the 1999 draft by the Miami Heat and currently plays for the Sacramento Kings.
Recent Exhibition History
Below is a look at how Creighton has fared in exhibition games during the last five seasons:
11/09/99 Global Sports 77, Creighton 73
11/17/99 Creighton 75, Pella Windows 68
11/05/00 Global Sports 82, Creighton 74
11/12/00 Creighton 74, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/06/01 Creighton 62, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/13/01 Creighton 95, Global Sports 80
11/05/02 Creighton 75, Nebraska-Omaha 72
11/10/02 Creighton 83, Global Sports 61
11/09/03 Creighton 72, Nebraska-Omaha 66 (OT)
11/16/03 Global Sports 66, Creighton 65
Canada Trip Recap
Creighton used its foreign-trip exemption to play five exhibition games in western Canada from Oct. 18-24. In addition to the extra games, CU also was allowed 10 practices prior to leaving, a key factor in the development of CU’s inexperienced players.
Creighton went 4-1 on the trip, defeating British Columbia (83-62), Trinity Western (82-79), Vancouver EA Sports All-Stars (102-76) and Simon Fraser (90-53) but falling to Victoria (80-72). Sophomore guard Nate Funk led Creighton with 16.4 points and 5.0 assists per game on the voyage, while senior post players Brody Deren (13.0 ppg.), Mike Grimes (11.8 ppg.) and Joe Dabbert (11.2 ppg.) also averaged double-digits points.
Ticket Information
Single-game and season tickets are now available. Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center OMAHA Box Office, the Omaha Civic Auditorium Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker’s, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (402) 422-1212. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $10 for adults and $6 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free).
Shuttle Service To Qwest Center OMAHA™
Metro Area Transit and Creighton University have partnered to provide shuttle bus service from the CU campus to Qwest Center OMAHA for all men’s basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students. Round-trip cost is 50 cents for Creighton students with identification; $1.00 for adults and 50 cents for children under the age of 12.
The shuttle will start one-hour before tip-off and at least two buses will continue to operate the route during the game. The four designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th and Cuming (farside/southbound); 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and 18th & Cass (nearside/eastbound by the CU Soccer Field).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center OMAHA Arena entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes. Following the game’s conclusion, the shuttle will start at the Qwest Center OMAHA Arena entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of four stops at 24th & Cuming Streets.
