Creighton Men Host Nebraska In NIT Tuesday Night
3/15/2004 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Creighton (20-8) plays its first NIT home game since 1984 when they welcome in-state rival Nebraska (16-12) to Omaha on Tuesday, March 16. Tip-off at Qwest Center OMAHA™ (15,500) is set for 7:05 p.m.
The game marks a rematch of Creighton’s 61-54 win on Dec. 10 in Omaha. That meeting established a new state record with a sellout crowd of 15,561 fans.
Radio Broadcast Information
KOMJ (“Magic” 590 AM) broadcasts all Creighton’s men’s basketball games. The games are also webcast live at www.magic590.com. T. Scott Marr and Dan Kolder will call the action.
Television Broadcast Information
KM3, Omaha’s CBS affiliate, will televise Tuesday’s game. Travis Justice (play-by-play) and Greg Sharpe (analyst) will announce. Digital coordinates are as follows: Telestar 6, 1J.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters the postseason with a 20-8 record after finishing tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 12-6 league mark. The Bluejays bid for a third straight MVC Tournament title was stopped on March 6th when they fell to SMS, 84-75.
Creighton’s 12-0 start this year was its best since 1942-43, but the team is 10-8 while playing without junior point guard Tyler McKinney, who underwent a cornea transplant on his right eye on March 5th.
Fifth-year senior center Brody Deren leads the team in rebounding (6.7) and is second on the team in scoring (10.6) and blocked shots (1.1) per game. Sophomore guard Nate Funk leads the team with 11.0 points per game and paces the squad with 75 assists this season.
Kellen Miliner has been consistent off the bench, scoring 9.9 points per game, while Mike Grimes leads the MVC by shooting 59.5 percent from the field and scores 9.5 points per game.
With McKinney sidelined by vision problems, sophomore guard Johnny Mathies has taken over the starting point guard position, averaging 7.5 points and a team-best 1.3 steals per contest.
Creighton scores 68.4 points per game and allows just 61.5 per contest. The Bluejays shoot 45.4 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent from three-point range and 70 percent at the charity stripe.
Scouting Nebraska
Nebraska is making its first postseason appearance since 1999, and 19th overall. They won the NIT in 1996 and are 20-11 in 12 all-time NIT berths, including nine straight first-round victories. They enter the NIT after posting a 16-12 record and tying for ninth in the Big 12 Conference with a 6-10 league record this year.
Nebraska opened the season with 10 wins in its first 11 games, losing only to Creighton in the non-conference portion of its schedule. The Cornhuskers own impressive home wins over nationally-ranked Kansas and Texas Tech, but have struggled away from home with a 2-8 road mark. The Cornhuskers have not played since losing to Oklahoma in the play-in round of the Big 12 Tournament, falling 63-59.
Nate Johnson earned USBWA all-District accolades and leads NU in scoring with 13.1 points per game. The only other Husker to average in double-figures was senior post man Andrew Drevo, who averages 10.7 points per game.
As a team, NU scores 69.7 points per game but surrenders just 61.6 points per contest. NU shoots 46.4 percent from the floor, 39.1 percent from three-point range and 72.1 percent at the stripe.
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 195-108 (.644) mark at CU and a career record of 278-175 (.614) in his 15th year as an NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton’s all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named conference, regional, district or national coach of the year in 10 of his 19 years as a head coach at all levels. 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 NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 10 of the past 13 years. He is assisted by Greg Grensing, Len Gordy and Darian DeVries.
Barry Collier (Butler, 1976) is in his fourth season at Nebraska, where he owns a 54-62 record. Collier owns a 250-194 record overall in 15 seasons as a college head coach, including a 196-132 mark in 11 years at his alma mater before moving to Lincoln. Collier owns a 2-3 record in three previous NIT appearances and 0-3 in three NCAA berths. Collier is assisted by Reggie Rankin, Doug Novsek and Scott Spinelli.
Series History vs. Nebraska
Though Creighton has won the last five meetings, it is Nebraska that owns the 21-15 series edge. However, Creighton is 11-8 in home games vs. the Cornhuskers, including four straight wins in Omaha. The series began in 1922-23 with a 46-24 Bluejay win.
Creighton won four of the first seven meetings in the history of the series before a 45-year break where the in-state rivals did not play each other. The series has been played at least once annually since 1977 and is CU’s longest running non-conference series by a landslide.
Dana Altman is 6-4 vs. the Huskers since coming to Creighton and 9-10 overall if you include his 3-6 mark while a Big Eight foe at Kansas State. Altman is 4-0 in head-to-head meetings vs. Nebraska coach Barry Collier.
Nebraska won the only previous postseason match-up between the teams, a 56-54 NIT contest in Omaha in 1984.
Creighton’s NIT History
Creighton is playing in its seventh National Invitation Tournament, owning a 2-6 all-time record in its previous six appearances.
The Bluejays last appeared in the NIT in 1998 when they fell at Marquette, 80-68, on March 11, 1998. The Bluejays have not hosted a home NIT game since a 56-54 loss to Nebraska on March 15, 1984.
Both of Creighton’s NIT wins came during the 1941-42 season. Creighton beat West Texas State 59-58 in the first round, lost to Western Kentucky 49-36 in the semifinals by a 49-36 score, and defeated Toledo 48-46 in the consolation game.
Last Game vs. Nebraska
Creighton won its fifth-straight game over in-state rival Nebraska with a 61-54 victory in front of 15,561 fans at Qwest Center OMAHA™. The crowd was a new Creighton record as well as the largest crowd to ever witness a basketball game in the state of Nebraska.
Creighton scored the final 10 points of the first half to take a 33-23 lead into intermission. In the second-half, Creighton held the Huskers without a field goal for an eight minute stretch and led by 10 with three minutes left. A late rally by Nebraska got them within three with 18 seconds left, but Nate Funk hit two free throws and Johnny Mathies steal and lay-up gave the Jays the 61-54 win.
Funk and Brody Deren each scored 13 points to lead the victors, while NU’s Andrew Drevo led all players with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Last NIT Game vs. Nebraska Recap
Nebraska rallied from a 31-28 halftime deficit to knock off the Bluejays, 56-54 in the first round of the NIT in Omaha. Dave Hoppen scored 25 points and tied the game with 12 seconds to play. He then put NU ahead when he made a free throw after a technical foul was called on CU star Benoit Benjamin. NU’s Curtis Moore then drained a free throw with three seconds left to ice the victory. Hoppen had 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Nebraska, while Benjamin tallied 23 points and 13 rebounds in the losing effort.
Creighton’s Last Game Recap
Southwest Missouri State used a 17-1 run early in the second half to overcome a 32-29 halftime deficit and eliminate Creighton, 84-75, in quarterfinal round action at the MVC Tournament on March 6th.
Nate Funk drained a three-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give the Bluejays a 32-29 halftime lead. CU led by as much as 38-33 early in the second half before the Bears unleashed their 17-1 spurt, which was keyed by a dunk from Merrill Andrews and later a three-point play from Andrews. Creighton would not get closer than five points the rest of the way.
Joe Dabbert and Funk each scored 17 points to lead Creighton, while Andrews and Anthony Shavies each scored 19 points.
Creighton’s Last NIT Appearance
Creighton has not appeared in the NIT since falling at Marquette, 80-68, on March 11, 1998. In that game, Creighton did not make a field goal in the final 7:59 of that game as Marquette finished the game on a 25-6 run. Milwaukee native Rodney Buford led Creighton with 24 points and four assists, while teammate Doug Swenson pumped in 20 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Marquette was led by 19 points and seven assists from guard Aaron Hutchins.
Common Opponents
Creighton and Nebraska played two common opponents this season. Both teams whipped MEAC foes Delaware State and Bethune-Cookman, as seen below:
Opponent CU W-L NU W-L
Delaware State W 77-48 W 68-39
Bethune-Cookman W 69-49 W 70-26
Postseason x 7
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA for the seventh consecutive season, which is tied for the second-longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The longest streak in MVC history was a 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville. The only other MVC school to make the postseason seven straight years was Southern Illinois, which did it from 1989-95.
According to STATS Inc., the only 20 schools to make the postseason in each of the last seven years are Arizona, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple, Utah, Wake Forest and Xavier.
Bargen Was At Last NIT Game Too
Creighton’s current graduate manager, Mike Bargen, was a starter on the Marquette team that knocked Creighton out of the 1998 NIT. Bargen had 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in 31 minutes of play for the Golden Eagles. Marquette lost at Minnesota in the quarterfinals of that year’s NIT.
Altman In The NIT
Creighton coach Dana Altman is making his fourth appearance in the NIT, and second with the Bluejays. Altman owns a 4-4 record in the NIT and 0-1 mark at Creighton. Below is a list of the games his teams have played in:
Date Result
03/11/98 at Marquette 80, Creighton 68
03/30/94 Siena 92, Kansas State 79 (in New York)
03/28/94 Vanderbilt 82, Kansas State 76 (in New York)
03/24/94 at Kansas State 115, Fresno State 77
03/22/94 at Kansas State 66, Gonzaga 64
03/17/94 at Kansas State 78, Mississippi State 67
03/23/92 at Notre Dame 64, Kansas State 47
03/18/92 at Kansas State 85, Western Kentucky 74
Altman Takes Manhattan...To Manhattan
Dana Altman’s 1994 Kansas State team won three straight home games in Manhattan, Kansas to advance to the NIT Final Four, which is played in Manhattan, New York at the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Bluejay assistant coach Greg Grensing was also an assistant coach on that team.
Helping key Kansas State’s 1994 run to the NIT Final Four was a masterful quarterfinal round performance by Askia Jones. Jones scored 62 points while draining 14-of-18 three-pointers in a 38-point win over Fresno State. Jones made 11 treys in the second half, including nine straight at one point. Jones’ 62 points remain the 12th-most points in a game in NCAA history and rank second in postseason tournament history.
Deren’s NIT Experience
It wasn’t the postseason National Invitation Tournament, but senior center Brody Deren does have some experience with the NIT organization. Deren played for the NIT All-Stars in the August of 2001, averaging 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game as his team went 4-1. Deren was one of nine members on the team that went to Europe, which included Matt Carroll and Jobey Thomas, among others.
MVC Matches Postseason High
With two NCAA Tournament teams (Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa) and a pair of NIT squads (Creighton and Wichita State), this marks the seventh time in MVC history that four men’s teams have qualified for the postseason in the same season. The league has previously had four postseason qualifiers in the same year in 2001, 2000, 1995, 1991, 1990, 1984 and 1981. All but those 1995 quartets involved a Creighton team.
Valley Sending Top Two Dancing, Again
For the sixth straight season, the Missouri Valley Conference has sent at least two teams to the NCAA Tournament. The league has now sent multiple squads to the “Big Dance” in nine of the last 11 seasons. With the at-large selection of league champ Southern Illinois this season, 11 straight MVC regular-season champions have reached the NCAA Tournament.
Early MVC Tourney Exit, Then NIT
This year marked the 10th time (in 22 trips) that Creighton went 0-1 at the MVC Tournament. Only once before did the team make the postseason that same season. That came in 1998, when Creighton lost to Bradley 76-68 at the MVC Tournament, then fell 80-68 at Marquette in the NIT.
Recent NIT History for the MVC
The MVC has not won a game in the NIT since 2000, when both Southern Illinois and SMS advanced to the second round. Wichita State fell in 2003 and both Bradley and Illinois State lost in 2001. No MVC schools competed in the 2002 NIT.
The last MVC school to win the NIT championship was the 1982 Bradley team that beat American, Syracuse, Tulane, Oklahoma and Purdue en route to the title.
The MVC has had a pair of women’s teams reach the Final Four of the WNIT (held at campus sites) in recent seasons. Last year’s Creighton’s women’s team lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Auburn, while the 1999 Drake club lost to eventual champion Arkansas.
Against Postseason Teams
Creighton owns a 3-5 record against teams that qualified for the postseason this season, including a 1-3 mark vs. NCAA clubs and a 2-2 record vs. NIT foes. Below is a breakdown on those results:
Date Opponent CU Result Tourney
12/10/03 Nebraska W 61-54 NIT
01/14/04 at Northern Iowa L 73-82 NCAA
01/21/04 at Wichita State L 62-77 NIT
02/04/04 Northern Iowa W 58-47 NCAA
02/07/04 Southern Illinois L 60-61 NCAA
02/21/04 at Kent State L 55-70 NIT
02/24/04 at #16 Southern Illinois L 60-68 NCAA
03/01/04 Wichita State W 75-61 NIT
Lincoln Connections
The Creighton program features three people with ties to Lincoln or the Nebraska program.
Junior point guard Tyler McKinney grew up in Lincoln before moving to Iowa. Last year, McKinney had 10 points, 12 assists and no turnovers against the Cornhuskers for his only career double-double. His dad, Jim McKinney, played baseball at the University of Nebraska.
Sophomore forward Jimmy Motz grew up in Lincoln and attended Lincoln Northeast High. Motz’s uncle, Jan Wall, played baseball at the University of Nebraska and played in the New York Mets organization.
Creighton graduate manager Mike Bargen grew up in Lincoln and is the son of Nebraska Director of Compliance Gary Bargen.
Largest Home Crowds
Creighton’s overflow crowd of 15,561 vs. Nebraska on Dec. 10 was the largest crowd to ever see a basketball game in the state of Nebraska. In fact, that crowd of 15,561 would have made Qwest Center OMAHA the 12th-largest city in the state of Nebraska that night.
The top eight home crowds in school history have all come this season. In fact, the team’s home attendance average of 11,918 fans per game exceeds the previous single-game school record of 11,214 fans on Jan. 29, 1970 vs. New Mexico State. CU has played 11 straight home games in front of crowds of 10,800 fans or more.
Largest Home Crowds, Creighton History
Att. Opp. Result Date
15,561 Nebraska W 61-54 12/10/03
14,372 Southern Illinois L 60-61 02/07/04
14,313 Illinois State W 72-63 01/24/04
14,183 SMS W 59-54 12/30/03
13,353 Drake W 78-67 01/11/04
12,255 San Diego W 79-44 11/22/03
11,624 Indiana State W 69-65 02/18/04
11,360 Evansville W 72-53 01/17/04
11,214 #5 New Mexico St. W 72-68 01/29/70
Largest Crowds, State of Nebraska History
Att. Schools Site Date
15,561 Creighton-Nebraska Omaha 12/10/03
15,038 Nebraska-Oklahoma St. Lincoln 2/7/81
15,003 Nebraska-Oklahoma Lincoln 2/28/81
14,999 Nebraska-Colorado Lincoln 2/3/79
14,912 Nebraska-Kansas St. Lincoln 2/8/78
Largest Crowds in MVC History
The Dec. 10 crowd of 15,561 also ranks as the third-largest ever at a current MVC school. Northern Iowa owns the top two crowds, both wins over Iowa more than 12 years ago. Creighton’s crowd of 14,372 vs. Southern Illinois on Feb. 7 was the largest crowd to ever see a regular-season MVC contest among current league members.
It’s worth noting that Louisville owns the all-time MVC record for a conference game with 17,661 vs. Louisville on Feb. 22, 1969.
Largest Crowds, MVC Teams, Home Game History*
Att. Home Team Road Team Date
22,797 Northern Iowa Iowa 1/3/90
19,042 Northern Iowa Iowa 12/10/91
15,561 Creighton Nebraska 12/10/03
14,372 Creighton Southern Illinois 2/7/04
14,313 Creighton Illinois State 1/24/04
14,183 Creighton SMS 12/30/03
13,913 Evansville Kentucky Wesleyan 3/13/60
*current league members only
Largest Crowds To See Creighton Play Ever
The 15,561 fans to see Creighton beat Nebraska ranks as the eighth largest crowd to see Creighton play at any location since 1967, according to available records. It was also the third-largest audience to see a CU win all-time.
10 Largest Crowds To See Creighton Play Since 1967
Att. Schools Result Date
22,013 #24 Auburn vs. CU% L 69-72 03/16/00
21,525 #13 Illinois vs. CU$ L 60-72 03/17/02
20,850 #15 Florida vs. CU$ W 83-82 (2ot) 03/15/02
18,686 CU @ #15 BYU L 68-96 12/11/71
16,437 CU @ #3 DePaul L 57-83 02/09/81
15,957 CU @ #15 UNLV L 59-90 12/23/87
15,703 Wichita St. vs. CU# W 70-69 03/09/03
15,561 Nebraska @ CU W 61-54 12/10/03
15,500 CU @ Iowa L 77-83 12/01/90
15,274 CU @ Saint Louis L 56-83 12/10/94
%NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn.
$NCAA Tournament in Chicago, Ill.
#MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
50/50 Split
Creighton coach Dana Altman is 31-0 in his career when holding opponents score 50 points or less, while Nebraska mentor Barry Collier is 40-0 in his career when holding opponents to 50 or less.
Deren, Funk Earn All-MVC Accolades
Creighton had a pair of players honored by the Missouri Valley Conference. Senior center Brody Deren was named a first-team all-MVC pick, while sophomore guard Nate Funk was an honorable-mention choice. Creighton has now had a first-team all-MVC pick in four straight seasons, the longest active streak in the league.
Deren Named All-District Pick By USBWA
Senior center Brody Deren has been named an All-District 6 pick by the United States Basketball Writers Association. Deren is joined on the team by Wayne Simien and Keith Langford of Kansas, Tony Allen and John Lucas of Oklahoma State, Nate Johnson of Nebraska, David Gruber of Northern Iowa, Curtis Stinson of Iowa State and Ricky Paulding and Arthur Johnson of Missouri.
This isn’t the first time the national writers have honored Creighton. Last season, Kyle Korver was named the USBWA District 6 Player of the Year while head coach Dana Altman was named USBWA District 6 Coach of the Year. Korver was also an all-district pick as a junior.
Funk Doing It All
Currently leading Creighton in scoring (309 points) and assists (75 assists), sophomore guard Nate Funk could join some elite company if he can hang on to the lead in those categories.
Since 1970, the only players to lead the team in scoring and assists for an entire year are Kyle Korver (2001-02), Matt Petty (1992-93) and Kevin McKenna (1979-80). Both Korver and McKenna played in the NBA after their days at Creighton.
Mathies Counting By Fours
Sophomore guard Johnny Mathies has converted the rare four-point play twice in recent weeks, both coming against SMS. Mathies first did it on Feb. 28th in Springfield, Mo., then repeated the feat at the MVC Tournament on March 6th vs. the Bears. Since the start of last season the only other Creighton players to finish a four-point play were Kyle Korver and Kellen Miliner, who have each done it once.
A Ton Of Points
With 1,914 points this season, Creighton is 86 points shy of reaching the 2,000-point barrier for the eighth straight season. This year’s 68.4 points per game average is the squad’s lowest in the run of seven straight postseason appearances. The Bluejays have not averaged less than 70 points per game since 1996-97.
Year W-L Points PPG
2003-04 20-8 1,914 68.4
2002-03 29-5 2,688 79.1
2001-02 23-9 2,421 75.7
2000-01 24-8 2,325 72.7
1999-00 23-10 2,410 73.0
1998-99 22-9 2,357 76.0
1997-98 18-10 2,100 75.0
1996-97 15-15 2,024 67.5
1995-96 14-15 1,931 66.6
1994-95 7-19 1,588 61.1
Totals 195-108 21,758 71.8
Cornea Transplant For McKinney
Junior point guard Tyler McKinney will miss the rest of this season and expected to miss all of next year after undergoing a cornea transplant on March 5th at University Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa.
McKinney’s transplant was necessitated after a rare case of acanthamoeba caused the vision in his right eye to slip to 20/300.
The disease first started to bother him in mid-November and evolved to the point that he missed CU’s Dec. 30th game against SMS. After playing in games on Jan. 5th and Jan. 7th, McKinney returned to the sidelines and has not practiced or played since.
Marching Forward at Home
Creighton has not lost a home game in March since 1992, when they fell 81-71 to Tulsa. Creighton’s three home games in March since then have all been victories over Wichita State.
Deren Jumps To Success
Senior center Brody Deren has won 10 straight jump balls dating back to his loss on the opening tip of the Feb. 1 game at Evansville. Deren’s streak of 10 straight wins is second only to his stretch of 17 straight jump ball wins during his sophomore season.
Creighton has controlled 67-of-88 of jump balls since Deren broke into the starting line-up early in his sophomore campaign. The Bluejays have won 68 of those games.
Seniors Leading The Way
Creighton’s senior class has scored 49 percent of the teams’ points this season while also hauling 62 percent of the rebounds. Below is a breakdown by class of some key categories:
Category Sr. Jr. So. Fr.
Points 934 (49%) 320 (17%) 602 (31%) 68 (4%)
Rebounds 545 (62%) 90 (10%) 176 (20%) 68 (8%)
Assists 143 (37%) 81 (21%) 142 (37%) 17 (4%)
Steals 74 (40%) 36 (19%) 66 (35%) 10 (5%)
Blocks 85 (79%) 4 (4%) 8 (7%) 11 (10%)
Minutes 2592 (46%) 981 (17%) 1719 (30%) 383 (7%)
Long Tall Distance Shooters
Senior center Joe Dabbert owns the unique distinction of being the tallest Creighton player to ever convert a three-point basket. The 6-11 center has made five career three-pointers. Dabbert is one inch taller than previous record-holder Doug Swenson, who played at CU from 1997-99.
Nebraska’s Brian Conklin, who stands 6-11 tall, ranks at the top of the national leaders with his 56.6 accuracy rate from three-point territory.
Lindy A Semi-Finalist For Excellence Award
Creighton forward Michael Lindeman is one of 10 semi-finalists nationwide for the 2nd Annual Creamland Dairies Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence. The award is presented by the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and honors college seniors for their athletic and academic achievement, as well as their community involvement.
The 10 semi-finalists for the award are as follows: Timmy Bowers (Mississippi State), Moris Finley (UAB), James Gillingham (Bradley), Tommy Gunn (Middle Tennessee State), Adam Hess (William & Mary), Michael Lindeman (Creighton), Adam Mark (Belmont), Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s), Jason Parker (Tulsa) and Jake Sullivan (Iowa State).
This year’s award will be handed out at an awards dinner on April 13 in Albuquerque, N.M.
Four Out Of Six Isn’t Bad Either
Even though Creighton was disappointed with its quarterfinal round exit at the MVC Tournament, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a force to be reckoned with at Arch Madness.
Creighton owns four league tournament titles in the last six years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Duke (5), Gonzaga (5), Kentucky (4), Creighton (4) and Winthrop (4).
Jays Tie MVC Record With Sixth 20-Win Year
With its win over Wichita State on March 1st, Creighton reached the 20-win plateau for the sixth consecutive season. In the 97-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference, only three teams had done this previously in six straight years. Those schools were Cincinnati (1957-58 to 1962-63), Bradley (1956-57 to 1961-62) and Oklahoma A&M (1943-44 to 1948-49).
According to STATS Inc., the only 14 schools to win 20 games in each of the last six seasons are Arizona, Charleston, Connecticut, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Syracuse and Xavier.
First Or Second Streak Alive
Creighton defeated Wichita State on the final night of the regular-season to ensure a three-way tie for second place in the MVC. This marks the fourth consecutive season that CU has finished either first or second in its league and made the postseason.
The only eight teams to finish first or second in their league and make the postseason each of the last four years are Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Kent State, Creighton, Stanford, Kentucky and Gonzaga.
Senior Night Swan Song
Creighton’s nation-best quartet of fifth-year seniors combined for one of their most dominating performances in their 75-61 Senior Night victory over Wichita State on March 1st.
The Bluejay senior class combined for 50 points, 28 rebounds, 10 assists and five blocked shots. The point, rebound and assist totals were all season highs for a single game this season.
The production was a tremendous upgrade from CU’s Feb. 28 loss two days earlier at SMS, where the seniors combined for just 10 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot in a 70-46 setback. The seniors’ 10 points in that game were a season-low.
Below is a comparison of the performances of the Creighton seniors this year:
Creighton Seniors, Combined Stats
Opponent, Date Pts. Reb. Ast. Blks.
SMS, 3/6 34 22 4 1
Wichita State, 3/1 50 28 10 5
SMS, 2/28 10 14 3 1
So. Illinois, 2/24 31 24 4 2
Kent State, 2/21 26 16 5 2
Indiana State, 2/18 42 18 9 4
Drake, 2/14 32 25 5 4
Bradley, 2/11 36 20 6 3
So. Illinois, 2/7 36 22 3 0
Northern Iowa, 2/4 37 20 5 3
Evansville, 2/1 17 11 2 4
Indiana State, 1/28 27 22 9 2
Illinois State, 1/24 36 17 7 4
Wichita State, 1/21 24 18 4 3
Evansville, 1/17 36 14 6 5
Northern Iowa, 1/14 35 14 3 2
Drake, 1/11 31 27 8 7
Illinois State, 1/7 28 15 6 3
Bradley, 1/5 40 27 5 4
SMS, 12/30 28 22 3 4
Wyoming, 12/22 43 19 1 4
Ark.-L.R., 12/20 42 24 7 1
Fresno State, 12/13 49 19 2 3
Nebraska, 12/10 31 11 6 1
Delaware State, 12/6 26 10 6 3
Bethune-Cook., 12/3 30 22 2 2
St. Bona., 11/29 46 24 8 6
San Diego, 11/22 31 20 4 1
Average this year 33.4 19.5 5.1 3.0
Accomplished Class
In the last four years, CU is 96-30 and has won two MVC regular-season titles and a pair of MVC Tournament crowns. They have also appeared in three NCAA Tournaments and the NIT, while also stretching the school’s record run of consecutive postseeason appearances to seven. They’ve also been part of the most successful team in school history (29-5 in 2002-03) and were nationally ranked in each of the past two seasons. The quartet have helped Creighton go 57-4 at home in the last four seasons.
Lindeman A Barometer
Senior forward Michael Lindeman has been a good indicator of Creighton’s success (or lack thereof) in recent games.
Creighton is 22-1 in the last 23 games that Lindeman has scored 10 points or more, including a 6-0 mark this season.
In Creighton’s last three wins, Lindeman has scored 35 points, an average of 11.7 ppg. In Creighton’s last five losses, he has averaged just 1.2 ppg., including scoreless outings in the team’s last three losses.
Below is a comparison of Lindeman’s numbers this season:
Result FG’s 3FG’s FT’s PPG
In 20 Wins 51-104 16-32 27-37 7.3
In 9 Losses 9-36 5-16 3-4 3.3
More Double-Digit Info
Creighton’s current team owns a perfect 7-0 record when an individual scores 20 points or more. The Bluejays are also a collective 144-34 (.810) when a player scores in double-figures.
When They Score 10+ Points, CU’s Record Is...
Name W L Win. Pct.
Jimmy Motz 2 0 1.000
Michael Lindeman 22 2 .917
Tyler McKinney 8 1 .889
Brody Deren 37 6 .860
Kellen Miliner 11 2 .846
Joe Dabbert 17 5 .773
Mike Grimes 26 9 .743
Nate Funk 16 6 .727
Johnny Mathies 5 3 .625
TOTAL 144 34 .810
When They Score 20+ Points, CU’s Record Is...
Name W L Win. Pct.
Michael Lindeman 2 0 1.000
Kellen Miliner 2 0 1.000
Brody Deren 1 0 1.000
Nate Funk 1 0 1.000
Johnny Mathies 1 0 1.000
TOTAL 7 0 1.000
Making The Extra Pass
All 10 Creighton players to see time in Creighton’s March 1st win over Wichita State recorded at least one of CU’s 19 assists. How rare is that You’d have to go to Dec. 3, 1992 (a 69-58 loss to Iowa State) to find the last time every Bluejay player in the line-up recorded at least one helper.
Slow Starters
One reason that Creighton has gone 3-6 in its last nine games is that they continue to start slow out of the gate. CU has trailed at the first media timeout in seven of its last nine contests.
In last year’s 29-5 campaign, CU outscored its opponents 318-216 in the opening five minutes of games and trailed just five times in 34 games at the 15:00 mark of the first half.
This season, the Jays own a 213-182 edge in the first five minutes of the game.
Attendance Record Broken
With 14,372 fans vs. Southern Illinois on Feb. 7, Creighton shattered the school record for home attendance in a season. The Bluejays have attracted 178,775 fans, breaking last year’s mark of 140,174 total home fans.
The Jays average 11,918 fans per home game, a figure more than CU’s previous largest single-game home crowd in history.
Among current schools, the league record for average home attendance had been 10,738 by Indiana State during Larry Bird’s senior campaign of 1978-79. Louisville averaged 13,674 fans in 1974-75 to set the MVC mark.
CU Home Attendance, Most Fans Since 1967-68
Year G Attendance Average
1. 2003-04 15 178,775 11,918
2. 2002-03 17 140,174 8,246
3. 1982-83 17 134,042 7,885
Leading The Charge!
Led by 10 from Joe Dabbert, Creighton has taken 37 charges this season. While respectable, that is 22 fewer than the 59 charges they took in last year’s 29-5 campaign.
Name 2002-03 2003-04 Change
Johnny Mathies n/a 6 +6
Jimmy Motz redshirted 5 +5
Brody Deren 5 7 +2
Kellen Miliner 0 1 +1
Michael Lindeman 2 1 -1
Nate Funk 3 1 -2
Joe Dabbert 13 10 -3
Tyler McKinney 9 1 -8
Graduated Players 10 n/a -10
Mike Grimes 17 5 -12
Total 59 37 -18
Miliner Named To MVC’s All-Bench Team
Junior guard Kellen Miliner has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-Bench team. Creighton has now had at least one representative on the all-Bench team in six of the last seven seasons. Miliner is averaging 9.9 points per game and paces the team in three-pointers made (48).
Miliner was joined on the all-Bench team by Illinois State’s Trey Guidry (captain), Wichita State’s Aaron Hogg and the Southern Illinois tandem of LaMar Owen and Jamaal Tatum.
Deren's Grand Chase
Senior center Brody Deren enters the NIT needing 35 points to reach the 1,000 point mark in his college career. Deren scored 85 points as a freshman at Northwestern and has scored 880 points the last three seasons at Creighton.
Tolliver Stands Tall
True freshman Anthony Tolliver had his most productive game of the season on Feb. 28 at SMS. The Springfield, Mo. native logged a career-best 19 minutes and turned in a season-high five rebounds and added four points to go with a blocked shot.
Lindeman, Deren Are Scholar-Athletes Again
Creighton seniors Michael Lindeman and Brody Deren have each been named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team, as voted on by the league’s sports information directors.
Deren owns a 3.665 GPA in Exercise Science and was voted on the first-team for the third straight campaign.
Lindeman owned a 3.947 GPA in Finance as an undergraduate and is current pursuing his MBA. This is the second straight season he was a unanimous selection. At the MVC Tournament banquet, Lindeman was also honored as the Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Rule of 70
Creighton is 138-32 all-time under Dana Altman and 40-2 in the last two seasons when holding opponents under 70 points. Both setbacks in that 42-game stretch came against Southern Illinois this season.
Losing Streaks Rare
Creighton’s back-to-back-to-back losses at Kent State, at Southern Illinois and at SMS marked the first time CU had suffered three consecutive setbacks since falling in four straight games from Dec. 23, 1999 to Jan. 6, 2000. Creighton finished fourth in the MVC with an 11-7 record that season but got things together in March to win the MVC Tournament that year.
Perhaps more impressively, Creighton owns just 13 losses since March 18, 2002, a span of more than 23 months.
Creighton finished February with a 4-5 record, its first losing record for an entire month since going 3-4 in December of 2001.
Team Scoring Funk
Creighton is currently being led in scoring by sophomore guard Nate Funk’s 11.0 points per game. The last time Creighton failed to produce a player averaging at least 12.0 points per game was 1957-58, when Jim Berry’s 11.3 average paced the squad. Berry would later become an assistant coach at Creighton and head coach at MVC rival Northern Iowa.
Starting Lineups Seem Set
Creighton has used just four different starting line-up combinations in the last 78 games. One of those line-up changes was a one-game switch to accommodate CU’s Senior Night last year.
Creighton’s current starting five of Johnny Mathies, Nate Funk, Michael Lindeman, Mike Grimes and Brody Deren has been together to start each of the last 20 games.
49 games (42-7) Jan. 9, 2002- March 20, 2003 McKinney, House, Lindeman, Korver, Deren
1 games (1-0) March 3, 2003
McKinney, House, Bowden, Korver, Deren
8 games (8-0) Nov. 22-Dec. 22, 2003
McKinney, Funk, Lindeman, Grimes, Deren
20 games (12-8) Dec. 30, 2003-Present
Mathies, Funk, Lindeman, Grimes, Deren
The 40 Percent Rule
Drake shot 38.1 percent vs. Creighton on Feb. 14, but managed a double-overtime win, snapping a CU streak of 19 straight wins when holding the opposition below 40 percent from the field. Since coming to Creighton, Dana Altman’s is 85-10 when holding opponents under 40 percent, including a 72-5 record in the last eight seasons and 59-3 mark in the last six seasons.
Altman & Opponent Field Goal Percentages
Year Under 40 % Season Mark W-L
2003-04 8-1 .426 20-8
2002-03 10-0 .435 29-5
2001-02 9-1 .435 23-9
2000-01 10-1 .428 24-8
1999-00 11-0 .433 23-10
1998-99 11-0 .450 22-9
1997-98 8-1 .428 18-10
1996-97 5-1 .438 15-15
1995-96 8-4 .410 14-15
1994-95 5-1 .455 7-19
Totals 85-10 -- 195-108
Bench Carries The Load
Last year the Creighton bench outscored its opponents 1,009-500, and this year’s team is following the same path. Creighton has outscored the bench of its opponents by a hefty 695-572 margin this season.
The Bluejay reserves outscored San Diego’s entire team by a 47-44 count in CU’s season-opener on Nov. 22.
Creighton’s bench has scored in double-figures in 117 consecutive games dating to a nine-point performance on Dec. 19, 2000 at Tulsa.
McKinney Loss Makes A Difference
After going a perfect 10-0 with Tyler McKinney in the line-up, CU has gone 10-8 in the games the junior point guard has missed. Without McKinney, CU’s scoring margin drops by 15.3 points per game, the team forces 5.8 fewer turnovers and Nate Funk takes over the team lead in scoring at 11.4 ppg. Below is a quick summary of those numbers:
With Tyler Without Tyler
W-L 10-0 10-8
Scoring Offense 71.8 66.4
Scoring Defense 55.1 65.0
Scoring Margin +16.7 +1.4
Reb. Margin +4.0 +2.2
FG% .470 .446
3FG% .391 .373
FT% .702 .698
Assists/Game 14.5 13.2
Turnovers/Game 13.7 13.8
TO’s Forced/Game 17.9 12.1
Steals/Game 8.1 5.8
Most Points Deren 11.9 Funk 11.4
Most Rebounds Deren 7.2 Deren 6.4
Most Assists McKinney 3.9 Funk 3.2
Most Blocked Shots Dabbert 1.2 Dabbert 1.1
Most Steals Mathies 1.8 Mathies 1.1
Selling Out For Creighton
Last season Creighton played nine of its last 10 regular-season games in front of virtual (93% capacity or more) sellout crowds. This season. CU has had one home sellout (Nebraska) and played before four virtual sellouts on the road (at Wichita State, Drake, Kent State and Southern Illinois).
Most Wins, Last Two Years
Creighton owns 49 wins in the last two seasons to rank among the nation’s most successful programs. Since the start of last season, only eight schools have more wins than Creighton.
‘02-03 ‘03-04 Next Total
Wins Wins Game Wins
Pittsburgh 28 29 Mar. 19 57
Kentucky 32 26 Mar. 19 58
Duke 26 27 Mar. 18 53
Stanford 24 29 Mar. 18 53
Gonzaga 24 27 Mar. 18 51
Syracuse 30 21 Mar. 18 51
Kansas 30 21 Mar. 19 51
St. Joseph’s 23 27 Mar. 18 50
Creighton 29 20 Mar. 16 49
Southern Illinois 24 25 Mar. 18 49
Texas 26 23 Mar. 18 49
Utah 25 24 Mar. 19 49
Arizona 28 20 Mar. 18 48
Dayton 24 24 Mar. 18 48
A March Tradition
Creighton entered this season as 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 had also been 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 run of five straight NCAA Tournaments from 1999-2003 had 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 10 teams to have won 22 or more games in each of the previous five seasons. Here’s a look at those schools, as well as a listing of how many wins they have this season.
98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04
Arizona 22 27 28 24 29 20
Butler 22 23 24 26 27 16
Creighton 22 23 24 23 29 20
Duke 37 29 35 31 26 27
Florida 22 29 24 22 25 20
Gonzaga 28 26 26 29 24 27
Kansas 23 24 26 33 31 21
Kentucky 28 23 24 22 33 26
Kent State 23 23 24 30 22 22
Tulsa 23 32 26 27 23 9
Creighton’s 121 wins over the previous five seasons ranks as the third-most over a five-year stretch of any MVC program. Cincinnati had 136 wins from 1958-59 to 1962-63 while Oklahoma A&M had 136 triumphs from 1943-44 to 1947-48.
CoSIDA Academic All-District Picks
Fifth-year seniors Michael Lindeman and Brody Deren were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American Third Team. With their accolades, they became the first Creighton teammates to ever be named Academic All-Americans.
Lindeman, who earned second-team honors last season, joins former baseball player Dan Lawler (1999, 2000, 2001) as the only Creighton student-athletes to repeat Academic All-America honors.
The only other Academic All-Americans in Creighton men’s basketball history are Paul Silas (1964) and Rick Apke (1978).
Both men were also named to CoSIDA’s Academic All-District VII First Team on Feb. 19th. It was Lindeman’s third consecutive year being honored, while Deren is also a repeat selection from 2003.
Creighton has now had a player named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team in six straight years, including Joel Templeman (1998), Ryan Sears (1999, 2000, 2001), Lindeman (2002, 2003, 2004) and Deren (2003, 2004).
Double-Digit League Wins
Creighton picked up its 10th league win of the season on Feb. 11 vs. Bradley. It marks the eighth consecutive season that the Bluejays have won 10 or more MVC games. In the 97-year history of The Valley, the only other league school to previous win 10 league games or more in eight straight seasons was Missouri, which did it from 1915-16 to 1922-23.
In those eight seasons, Creighton owns a 99-45 league record, which is easily the best in the MVC.
Last 8 Years, MVC Records
School MVC W-L All Games W-L
Creighton 99-45 174-74
Southern Illinois 93-51 155-91
SMS 87-57 150-104
Illinois State 75-69 131-110
Bradley 74-70 118-121
Evansville 68-76 113-126
Wichita State 67-77 118-118
Indiana State 61-83 109-126
Northern Iowa 58-86 97-122
Drake 38-106 74-152
It’s Miliner Time!
Kellen Miliner’s 22-point game against Bradley was a career-high for the junior guard. In fact, it was the most points scored in any Division I college game by any current member on the team.
Miliner’s previous best was a 20-point performance at Evansville on Feb. 1st. Miliner added to his strong play of late with 17 points at Drake on Feb. 14. Miliner finished second on the team lead in league play with 10.9 points per game.
The only other Creighton players to average double digits under Dana Altman without the benefit of a starting nod that same campaign were Terrell Taylor’s 12.6 points per game in 2001-02 and Doug Swenson’s 11.3 ppg. in 1997-98. Miliner is averaging 9.9 ppg so far.
Double Overtime Defeat
The most played rivalry in MVC history had never gone to such lengths, as Feb. 14 marked the first double-overtime game in the 132 game history between Creighton and Drake.
In fact, prior to the Feb. 14 78-73 double-overtime loss at Drake, Creighton had won eight consecutive double-overtime games, as seen below:
Creighton’s Last 10 Double-Overtime Games
Date Winner Loser Score
02/04/04 at Drake Creighton L 78-73
03/15/02 Creighton #15 Florida! W 83-82
11/27/01 at Creighton #17 W. Kentucky W 94-91
01/04/93 at Creighton Montana W 84-78
02/10/91 at Creighton SMS W 91-87
02/17/90 at Creighton Wichita State W 103-95
01/16/90 Creighton at Iowa State W 99-94
12/08/89 Creighton Western Michigan# W 98-87
02/04/88 at Creighton Tulsa W 94-92
03/01/86 at Wichita St. Creighton L 64-69
! NCAA Tournament in Chicago, Ill.
# Mazzio’s Pizza Classic in Springfield, Mo.
‘W’inning Edge
Creighton’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 100-11 in the last four seasons. In fact, prior to February, 2004, the men and women hadn’t both lost a home game in the same month since February, 2000. Creighton has not been swept by a MVC team in both men’s and women’s play during the same season since SMS did it in 1996-97.
Creighton’s Home Records, Last Four Years
Year Men Women Combined
2003-04 14-1 9-1 23-2
2002-03 17-0 13-1 30-1
2001-02 12-3 11-1 23-4
2000-01 14-0 10-4 24-4
TOTALS 57-4 43-7 100-11
Unlucky Number 73
If there’s an unlucky number for Creighton, it would have to be the number 73. Creighton has scored exactly 73 points in three of its last nine losses and five of its last 15 setbacks.
Including Feb. 14th, Creighton has lost five straight games when scoring exactly 73 points. The Jays’ last win when scoring exactly 73 points was a 73-56 win over Bradley on Feb. 13, 2000.
Lucky Number 7
Creighton has won exactly seven road games in each of the previous three seasons while averaging 25.3 wins in those years. This year, the Bluejays closed the regular-season 6-6 on the road and won’t play a true road game again unless they win on Tuesday and the NIT sends Creighton out of Omaha.
Korver Third At NBA Three-Point Contest
Philadelphia 76ers rookie Kyle Korver took third at the Three-Point Contest held in conjunction with the NBA All-Star Game. Korver, who finished his Creighton career (1999-2003) tied for sixth in NCAA history with 371 career three-pointers, leads the NBA with 4.79 three-pointers per 48 minutes.
Korver took third place behind champion Voshon Lenard (Denver) and Peja Stojakovic (Sacramento). Last year Korver finished second to Butler’s Darnell Archey at the Three-Point Shootout at the Final Four in New Orleans.
Five-Figure Crowds
The MVC Tournament quarterfinal round crowd of 14,171 vs. SMS on March 6th marked the 16th time this season that Creighton has played before 10,000 fans or more this season, extending a new school-record. Creighton is 24-9 in its last 33 regular-season games played before 10,000 fans or more. Additionally, CU is won 19-2 in its last 20 regular-season games played before crowds of 11,000 fans or more.
ESPN2=Close Games
Creighton’s two ESPN2 games this season have combined to have 14 ties and 30 lead changes. That continues a trend of back-and-forth contests when the Jays appear on national TV. In Creighton’s last five regular-season appearances on ESPN or ESPN2, there have been 31 ties and 53 lead changes.
What’s Your Twenty
Creighton has started 14-6 or better after 20 games for the seventh consecutive season. Here’s a look at Creighton’s record after 20 games in the 10 seasons under Dana Altman.
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2003-04 17-3 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
1994-95 6-14 7-19 ---
Comparing Seasons
Kyle Korver, DeAnthony Bowden and Larry House have departed from last year's team, but Creighton is off to another good start. Last year’s team started 25-3 while CU is 20-8 this season.
Below is a comparison of the two seasons after 28 games:
2002-03 2003-04
W-L 25-3 20-8
Scoring Offense 80.7 68.4
Scoring Defense 64.7 61.5
Scoring Margin +16.0 +6.9
Reb. Margin +1.6 +2.8
FG% .506 .454
3FG% .396 .379
FT% .689 .700
Assists/Game 17.2 13.7
Turnovers/Game 13.3 13.8
Turnover Margin +4.1 +0.4
Steals/Game 8.7 6.6
Most Points Korver 514 Funk 309
Most Rebounds Korver 165 Deren 188
Most Assists McKinney 113 Funk 75
Most Blocked Shots Deren 44 Dabbert 32
Most Steals Korver 44 Mathies 37
Gender Equity Equals Excellence
If the Creighton women can beat Colorado State in the WNIT on Friday, the Bluejays will become one of five schools with men’s and women’s basketball teams that have won 20 or more games in each of the last three seasons. Joining the Bluejays in this elite group are Connecticut, Duke, Stanford and Texas.
Snapped Streaks
A number of extended streaks were snapped in Creighton’s 61-60 home loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 7. CU had won 40 straight games when holding opponents under 70 points, 28 straight at home, 28 straight when outrebounding opponents, 10 straight on ESPN or ESPN2 and six straight games decided by a single point.
In the Creighton-Southern Illinois rematch on Feb. 24th, SIU again bucked the odds. Once again, SIU was outrebounded and scored less than 70, but once again they emerged victorious.
Birds of Prey
Including the Feb. 7 setback to Southern Illinois, Creighton has lost just four home games in the last four seasons. Just like past seasons, Creighton took out its frustration in its next home game.
Creighton has followed each of its last five home losses with wins in their next home game by an average of 31.8 points, including victories by 56, 33, 27, 25 and 18 points.
Home Loss Next Home Game
L 60-61, S. Illinois W 74-56, Bradley
L 75-73, Drake W 106-50, Texas-Arlington
L 79-77, S. Illinois W 83-56, Northern Iowa
L 72-65, Xavier W 90-65, Miss. Valley State
L 92-83, S. Illinois W 102-69, Evansville
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.
Senior Citizens
Creighton’s fifth-year seniors stepped up in the team’s 58-47 win over UNI on Feb. 4th. The quartet scored 37 of the team’s points (63.8 percent) and grabbed 20 of the club’s 35 rebounds (57.1 percent). For the season, CU’s fifth-year seniors average a combined 33.4 points and 19.5 rebounds per game.
Halftime Leads Can Be Dangerous
Including Feb. 7, each of the last three meetings in Omaha between Creighton and Southern Illinois have seen the team with the halftime lead ultimately lose the game. SIU overcame a 14-point halftime deficit on Feb. 3, 2002 to win 79-77 on a pair of last-second free throws. Last year, Creighton trailed by 13 in the first half and 45-37 at the intermission before rallying to win 85-76.
This season, CU lost 61-60 after leading 29-28 at the break. The Jays had won 16 straight games when leading at the break before Feb. 7. CU is 71-9 in the last four years when leading at the half, including a 46-4 home record in such contests. Two of those home losses (and three overall) were vs. the Salukis after wasting halftime leads.
Last Three Years, SIU at Creighton
Date Half Score Final Score
2/3/02 CU 48-34 SIU 79-77
1/18/03 SIU 45-37 CU 85-76
2/7/04 CU 29-28 SIU 61-60
Long-Distance Streaks Alive...Barely
Creighton’s two three-point baskets vs. Northern Iowa on Feb. 4 were a season-low, but were enough to keep alive a pair of impressive streaks. The Jays have made at least two three-point baskets in 325 consecutive games, including every game under the direction of coach Dana Altman. The last time they had just one three-pointer was a 74-70 win over Florida A&M on Dec. 22, 1993.
Overall, Creighton has made at least one trifecta in 335 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
He Shoots, He Scores
Mike Grimes ranks as Creighton’s all-time leader in field goal percentage at 61.3 percent and leads the Valley this season at 59.5 percent.
Earlier this year had a 14-for-15 stretch over four games from Nov. 29-Dec. 10. Grimes also had a streak of 11 straight field goals that was snapped with an 0-for-2 showing vs. Northern Iowa on Feb. 4.
20/20 Backcourt
In Creighton's first 17 games of the season, Johnny Mathies had the team's top individual scoring effort with 20 points vs. Drake on Jan. 11. On Feb. 1 at Evansville, Nate Funk had a career-high 21 points while Kellen Miliner chipped in with a career-best 20 points off the pine. The Jays hadn't had multiple 20-point scorers since Jan. 13, 2002 when Kyle Korver and Terrell Taylor each scored 20 points in a 76-72 win at SMS.
In Case You Were Wondering
With an 84-9 home record since Jan. 20, 1998 and streaks of 28 and 20 straight home victories, home losses have been few and far between. In fact, Creighton has not lost consecutive home games since falling 59-58 to SMS on Dec. 29, 1999 and 75-67 to #19 Tulsa on Jan. 12, 2000.
Home Win Streak Reached 28
Before a Feb. 7 loss to Southern Illinois, Creighton had won 28 consecutive home games, passing the school record of 20 set two seasons ago. Creighton’s last home loss had come vs. Feb. 25, 2002 in the regular-season finale vs. Drake. Below is a list of Creighton’s five longest home winning streaks all-time.
Longest Creighton Home Win Streaks
# Dates Snapped By
28 Nov. 17, 2002-Feb. 4, 2004 Southern Illinois
20 Feb. 28, 2000-Dec. 16, 2001 Xavier
18 Feb. 14, 1961-Dec. 17, 1962 St. Mary’s (CA)
16 Feb. 5, 1959-Dec. 2, 1960 Saint Louis
15 Feb. 3, 1979-Jan. 19, 1980 #1 DePaul
We Must Protect This House
Despite a Feb. 7 home loss to Southern Illinois, Creighton is still 58-4 (.935) in its last 62 home games and 84-9 (.903) at home since Jan. 20, 1998.
Creighton has won 15 straight home games against non-conference opponents. In fact, since the start of the 2000-01 season, Creighton is 24-1 in non-conference home games, falling only to Xavier on Dec. 22, 2001.
A Bunch of Homers
A total of 271,017 Creighton fans were in the house during CU’s 28-game home winning streak. In those contests, the Bluejays won by an average of 18.9 points per game. Fifteen of the games were decided by 20 points or more, while just seven were decided by single digits. Below is some interesting numbers about the long home winning streak:
Category Games
Wins 28
MVC wins 14
Games Decided by 20 or More 15
Games Decided By 9 or Less 7
Games Decided By 5 or Less 2
Overtime Games 1
Largest Lead 56 (11/17/02 vs. UT-Arlington)
Largest Deficit 17 (2/12/03 vs. SMS)
Points Scored 2,241 (80.0 ppg)
Points Allowed 1,712 (61.1 ppg)
Fans Filing In
Through games of March 14th, Creighton ranked 30th nationally with an average home attendance of 11,918 per game. Kentucky leads the way with 22,710 fans per home contest.
Home Attendance, Nationally (as of March 14th)
Team G Attendance Average
1. Kentucky 13 295,227 22,710
2. Syracuse 17 371,018 21,825
3. North Carolina 14 291,223 20,802
4. Louisville 15 291,643 19,443
5. Maryland 16 287,200 17,950
6. Wisconsin 15 257,130 17,142
7. Indiana 13 214,331 16,487
8. Kansas 14 228,200 16,300
9. Illinois 13 208,935 16,072
10. Marquette 15 240,713 16,048
11. Memphis 15 231,481 15,432
12. BYU 13 198,906 15,300
13. Arkansas 16 236,676 14,792
14. Michigan State 14 206,626 14,759
15. New Mexico 18 264,227 14,679
16. N.C. State 16 233,223 14,576
17. Arizona 15 218,418 14,561
18. Ohio State 15 217,817 14,521
19. Fresno State 17 232,663 13,686
20. Connecticut 18 243,876 13,549
21. Tennessee 17 228,248 13,426
22. Wake Forest 15 197,950 13,197
23. Iowa 14 181,680 12,977
24. Dayton 18 226,738 12,597
25. Cincinnati 15 185,258 12,351
26. Missouri 14 171,928 12,281
27. Minnesota 17 207,878 12,228
28. Oklahoma 16 195,224 12,202
29. South Carolina 17 204,760 12,045
30. Creighton 15 178,775 11,918
Perfect 10
With the Jan. 24 home win over Illinois State, Creighton assured itself of an eighth consecutive season of 10 or more home wins. The school record for consecutive 10-plus home win seasons is an incredible 12 straight from 1969-70 to 1980-81.
Hot Half Saves The Day
Creighton shot an incredible 16-of-20 (80 percent) in the second half of its Jan. 24 win over Illinois State. According to STATS Inc., CU’s 80 percent accuracy that half was tied for the best performance in the country this year for a team with at least 20 attempts (St. Peters, Jan. 3, 20-25 in 1st half). The best half in NCAA history was North Carolina’s 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) shooting vs. Virginia on Jan. 7, 1978.
Creighton’s hot half also is tied for the fourth-best half in MVC history, and the best ever in a league game. It’s worth noting the Bluejays shot 13-of-16 in the second half of a 83-74 win over Iowa State on Dec. 10, 1983, as seen below:
Best FG Percentage In A Half, MVC History
Pct. Team (Half) Opp. Date
.822 Bradley (1st) Chicago State 11/26/91
.814 Drake (2nd) Arkansas State 2/15/74
.813 Creighton (2nd) Iowa State 12/10/83
.800 Creighton (2nd) Illinois State 1/24/04
.800 Drake (2nd) Hawaii Pacific 11/30/86
.789 Drake (2nd) Wichita State 2/20/69
Second Half Team
Creighton’s March 1 win over Wichita State ensured a winning record in the second half of the league slate. Creighton owned a 7-2 record at the midway point of the league slate, and were 5-4 after the break. It marks the 17th straight time that it 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 by halves of the MVC season since his arrival:
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
1994-95 3-6 1-8
Total 56-34 (.622) 56-34 (.622)
Time On Their Side
With its Jan. 28 win in Terre Haute, Creighton accomplished the rare feat of winning in all four time zones in the continental US this season. CU also owns wins in the Central time zone (10-0 at home), the Mountain time zone (at Wyoming) and the Pacific time zone (at Fresno State). CU hadn’t won in the four different time zones within the continental US during the same season since 1971-72 when Eddie Sutton’s club won games in San Jose, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Omaha, NE and Cleveland, OH.
The Season For Charity
For the year, CU has made 70.0 percent of its shots at the free throw line, while opponents are shooting just 64.5 percent at the stripe and an even worse 61.0 percent in MVC action.
In recent weeks, Creighton’s free throw “defense” has been at its best. Five MVC opponents have shot less than 50 percent at the stripe vs. the Jays.
Ranking Information
Earlier this year, CU became the first MVC team to crack the AP poll in consecutive seasons since Tulsa did it in 1983-84 and 1984-85. CU was ranked 24th the week of Jan. 12 by the Associated Press.
The Jays were also tabbed 23rd the week of Jan. 5, 20th the week of Jan. 12th and 24th the week of Jan. 19 by the coaches poll.
Last season Creighton entered the AP poll for the first time since the 1975 season with a No. 23 ranking on Dec. 9. Creighton was ranked as high as 10th in the Jan. 20, 2003 Associated Press poll, the best ranking in program history.
Creighton finished 15th in the final regular season editions of both the AP and USA Today/ESPN coaches polls and was ranked the final 15 weeks of the regular-season in both polls.
Balanced Attack
One undeniable strength to this season’s 20-8 record has been the tremendous depth and balance on the Creighton squad. Seven players average between 6.1 and 11.0 points per game and eight players average between 17.8 and 27.4 minutes per contest. The Bluejays have been led in scoring by seven different players, and both assists and rebounding by six different men each.
They Know How To Win
Creighton has been able to win close games down the stretch thanks to an extremely experienced group of players who have known nothing but success.
Creighton is 96-30 (.762) in the last four seasons and the current players own a combined 617-186 record (.768) in games they’ve appeared in at Creighton. Below is a chart of CU’s active players, accompanied by the team’s record in games that player has appeared in:
Name W L Win. Pct.
David Finklea 17 0 1.000
Tyler McKinney 62 14 .816
Nate Funk 49 13 .790
Kellen Miliner 48 13 .787
Mike Grimes 93 28 .769
Brody Deren 72 22 .766
Joe Dabbert 96 30 .762
Jimmy Motz 37 12 .755
Michael Lindeman 92 30 .754
Johnny Mathies 20 8 .714
Anthony Tolliver 18 8 .692
Quincy Henderson 13 8 .619
Total 617 186 .768
Altman Earns National Coaching Honor
Creighton head coach Dana Altman has won the Jim Phelan Mid-Season Coach Award, an award given annually by collegeinsider.com to the league’s top coach at the midseason point. Despite the graduation of seniors Kyle Korver, Larry House and DeAnthony Bowden from last year’s team that finished 29-5, the Bluejays owned a 9-0 record on Dec. 31 when the award was announced.
Altman has now been named conference, regional, district or national coach of the year in 10 of his 19 years as a head coach at all levels. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003.
Winning On The Road Too
Creighton owns a 6-6 record this year away from home while playing at some of the nation’s toughest venues. All six schools Creighton has beaten owned an all-time home winning percentage of 65 percent or better in that facility entering this year, as seen below:
School Venue All-Time W-L Pct.
Fresno St. Save Mart Center* 406-128 .760
Wyoming Arena-Auditorium 231-70 .767
Bradley Carver Arena 221-74 .749
Illinois State Redbird Arena 146-55 .726
UNI UNI-Dome 240-118 .670
Wichita St. Levitt/Koch Arena 513-186 .734
Indiana St. Hulman Center 277-144 .658
Evansville Roberts Stadium 532-183 .744
Drake Knapp Center 78-70 .527
Kent State Memorial Athletic Ctr. 406-236 .632
Southern Illinois SIU Arena 386-131 .747
SMS Hammons Center 327-87 .790
*Fresno State now plays at the brand new Save Mart Center after going 406-128 in 36 years at Selland Arena
Another Double-Digit Winning Streak
Creighton’s 12-0 start was its 13th stretch of 10 straight wins or more all-time. It was also Creighton’s longest winning streak since Tom Apke’s 1974-75 club won 14 straight. The school-record streak is 32 straight wins, set over the course of CU’s first four seasons of organized basketball.
Creighton’s Longest Win Streaks, All-Time
W’s Dates Coach NCAA/NIT
32 1917-1920 (dates unknown) Mills & Kearney Didn’t exist
17 Mar. 25, 1942 -Mar. 4, 1943 E. Hickey NIT
16 Jan. 31, 1928-Jan. 23, 1929 A. Schabinger Didn’t exist
14 Jan. 2-Feb. 22, 1975 T. Apke NCAA
13 1924-25 (dates unknown) A. Schabinger Didn’t exist
13 1916-17 (dates unknown) T. Mills Didn’t exist
12 Nov. 22, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004 D. Altman NIT
12 1921-22 (dates unknown) A. Schabinger Didn’t exist
Winning The Close Games
Creighton’s 61-60 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 7 snapped the team’s trend of winning the close games. CU had won 10 straight games that went to overtime or were decided by five points or less, including a 5-0 mark this season.
Even more impressively, the Bluejays had won six straight games decided by a single point, all but one of which was away from home:
Creighton’s Last Seven Games Decided by One Point
Winner Loser Score Date
S. Illinois at Creighton L 60-61 2/7/04
Creighton at Illinois State W 56-55 1/07/04
Creighton vs. Wichita State W 70-69 3/09/03
Creighton vs. Indiana State W 57-56 3/08/03
at Creighton Fresno State W 67-66 2/22/03
Creighton vs. #15 Florida W 83-82 (2ot) 3/15/02
Creighton at Indiana State W 64-63 2/06/02
Defense Rules
Prior to surrendering 82 points at Northern Iowa on Jan. 14, Creighton had held its first 12 opponents this season to 67 points or less. The Bluejays had not held 12 straight foes to 67 or less since a 19-game stretch from Jan. 31-Dec. 20, 1949 when Duce Belford was the coach.
The Bluejays have won 28 straight games when holding opponents to 50 points or less since Jan. 7, 1993. The Jays haven’t lost a game when holding a foe under 45 points since Jan. 13, 1986. CU had also won 19 straight games when holding its opponents under 40 percent from the field before that streak was snapped on Feb. 14 at Drake.
Days of Thunder
Creighton has lost each of its last five Saturday games after a streak of eight straight Saturday wins was snapped on Feb. 8th by Southern Illinois. CU has also won 10 straight games on Sunday and nine straight on Monday’s.
Day of Week Streak Last Loss
Sunday Won 10 2/3/02 vs. Southern Illinois
Monday Won 9 2/25/02 vs. Drake
Wednesday Won 4 1/21/04 at Wichita State
Friday Won 1 3/15/01 vs. Iowa
Tuesday Lost 1 2/24/04 at #16 Southern Illinois
Thursday Lost 2 1/23/03 at Evansville
Saturday Lost 5 2/28/04 at SMS
McKinney McInjured
Creighton point guard Tyler McKinney’s streaks of 74 straight games and 62 straight starts came to an end when he missed the Bluejays’ Dec. 30 victory over SMS. McKinney has been bothered with vision problems and came off the bench at both Bradley and Illinois State. McKinney has not played since Jan. 7 and was released from an Iowa City, Iowa hospital on Jan. 16. He is out for the rest of the season.
Point, Counterpoint
With Tyler McKinney sidelined, Johnny Mathies has averaged 7.4 points and has made just 31 turnovers in a starting role. Below is a chart comparing the first 20 starts at point guard for Mathies and recent predecessors McKinney and Ryan Sears.
First 20 Games as Starting Point Guard
Name Pts. Ast. TO W-L
Mathies 151 36 33 12-8
McKinney 132 53 19 16-4
Sears 212 94 43 14-6
Rocky Mountain High
Creighton’s tallest player, 6-11 Joe Dabbert, kept his tradition of playing well in high altitude games when he poured in a career-high 19 points vs. Wyoming (elevation 7720). Dabbert, who hails from Bailey, Colo. (elevation 9500) had 10 points at Wyoming as a freshman and 10 points in last year’s NCAA Tournament game vs. Central Michigan that was played in Salt Lake City, Utah (elevation 6900). He also scored six points as a sophomore in a game at BYU.
Television Stars
Sixteen of Creighton’s 28 games have been on television this season, with Creighton’s MVC Tournament run also appearing on television. Creighton owned an 14-3 record on television last year and is 8-8 on TV this season. However, they are 27-2 since the start of last year in games not on television, including a 12-0 record this year.
Seven Straight Years Of Seven Game Streaks
Creighton’s 12-0 start gave the Bluejays at least a seven-game win streak for the seventh straight season and eighth time overall under Dana Altman. Each of the previous streaking teams advanced to the postseason.
Creighton’s Longest Win Streaks Under Dana Altman
W’s Dates Postseason That Year
12 Nov. 22, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004 NIT
11 Jan. 27-March 3, 2001 NCAA
10 Nov. 17-Dec. 29, 2002 NCAA
9 Jan. 21-Feb. 16, 1998 NIT
9 Nov. 22-Dec. 21, 1999 NCAA
7 Feb. 17-Mar. 11, 1999 NCAA
7 Dec. 6, 2000-Jan. 2, 2001 NCAA
7 Jan. 9-Jan. 30, 2002 NCAA
