Men's Basketball Hosts Delta Devils on Saturday
11/13/2007 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (1-0) hosts Mississippi Valley State (0-1 before a game at Pittsburgh on Thursday) on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is set for 7:05 p.m. For ticket info, call (402) 280-JAYS.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2007-08 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Jimmy Motz will call the action.
Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, starting at 90 minutes prior to tipoff that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will not be televised.
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics, Jump TV and Cox High Speed Internet will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of at least 14 games this season. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a season pass is $59.95. Single games are available for $6.95 each.
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 Big Sports 590 broadcast, begins 30 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 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 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 1-0 after a 74-62 win over DePaul last Friday. The Bluejays return six lettermen and one starter from last year's team that finished 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine seasons.
Senior forward Dane Watts, owner of 87 consecutive starts, is by far the most experienced player on the roster. Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year, easily tops among Bluejay returnees. He had 10 points and nine rebounds in his 2007-08 debut.
Other seniors with experience include guards Nick Bahe (3.0 ppg., 1.6 rpg. last year) and Pierce Hibma (1.8 ppg., 1.5 rpg.).
Junior Josh Dotzler mans the point guard spot after an injury-plagued 18 months. Dotzler averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 assists per game last year while playing 19.1 minutes per game.
Other lettermen that return to the fold are reserve guard Dustin Sitzmann and medical redshirt Kenny Lawson Jr. A freshman center, Lawson averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games before knee tendinitis cut his season short.
Three other players redshirted last season but had the opportunity to practice and learn the system, sophomore transfer Chad Millard as well as freshmen Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt.
A highly-regarded recruiting class will be given the opportunity to contribute as well. Junior college transfers Cavel Witter and Booker Woodfox join freshmen Kaleb Korver, P'Allen Stinnett and Kenton Walker on one of Creighton's youngest teams in memory.
Scouting Mississippi Valley State
Defending Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season champ Mississippi Valley State is 0-1 on the season after losing 97-63 at Mississippi last Saturday. The Delta Devils also are slated to play at #19 Pittsburgh on Thursday before arriving in Omaha for Saturday's game.
Senior forward Carl Lucas led MVSU with 14 points and four rebounds in the setback. Preseason all-SWAC guard Stanford Speech (12.3 ppg., 5.1 rpg in 2006-07) was held to eight points on 4-of-12 shooting in the loss.
The Delta Devils were 18-16 overall last year and won the SWAC with a 13-5 mark. The alma mater of football star Jerry Rice also lost in the first round of the NIT, 82-63, at Mississippi State in March.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 14th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 261-141 (.649) mark at CU and a career record of 344-208 (.623) in 19 years as an NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 22 previous 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. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 10 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Mike Maker. Nick Earnest is the team's film coordinator.
Mississippi Valley State is coached by James Green (Mississippi, 1983), who owns a 27-34 record in his third season with the Delta Devils. His career mark is 150-145 in 11 years of coaching overall. He was previously head coach at Southern Miss from 1996-04, where he led the Golden Eagles to two NIT's and the 2000 Conference USA regular-season title. He is assisted by Mike Smith, Richard Cannon and Adaiah Curry.
The Series With Mississippi Valley State
Creighton has won all five previous meetings with Mississippi Valley State, four of which were played in Omaha. The teams met four straight years from 1998-2001, as well as last year's season-opener. Creighton won that game, 78-42.
Dana Altman is 5-0 against MVSU and 14-0 all-time against teams from the SWAC.
Last Meeting With Mississippi Valley State
Creighton beat Mississippi Valley State, 78-42, on Nov. 13, 2006 in Omaha. It was the Bluejays seventh-straight season-opening win by 20 or more points. Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver each had 14 points to pace the victors.
Last Game Recap
Creighton overcame an early 23-6 deficit to rally and beat DePaul, 74-62, last Friday before 16,104 fans in Omaha.
P'Allen Stinnett had all 23 of his points in the second half in the top-scoring debut by a Bluejay since 1969, while Chad Millard had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes. DePaul was led by 13 points by Will Walker.
P'henomenal Debut
P'Allen Stinnett's 23 points on Nov. 9 against DePaul were the most by a Bluejay in their first game since Cyril Baptiste scored 24 points on Dec. 1, 1969 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Stinnett's 23 points were the most by any Creighton player in a season-opener since Rodney Buford tipped off his senior campaign with 24 points against Towson State on Nov. 14, 1998.
Below is a list of how Stinnett's debut compares with some other notable names in Bluejay history.
Name, Yr. Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min. Result
Stinnett, 2007 23 4 3 3 26 W 74-62
Tolliver, 2003 0 1 2 0 7 W 79-44
Funk, 2002 3 5 4 1 21 W 106-50
Korver, 1999 2 2 0 1 10 W 70-62
Buford, 1995 3 4 0 0 19 W 63-59
Harstad, 1987 4 5 1 1 21 L 49-70
Gallagher, 1987 10 3 0 0 37 L 49-70
Benjamin, 1982 14 4 1 0 22 W 98-54
McKenna, 1977 14 3 7 ? ? W 95-66
Harmon, 1971 21 7 ? ? ? W 74-62
C. Baptiste, 1969 24 17 ? ? ? W 84-62
Portman, 1966 9 ? ? ? ? W 78-76
Silas, 1961 22 29 ? ? ? W 85-51
Gibson, 1954 19 ? ? ? ? W 66-51
Not Half Bad
P'Allen Stinnett scored all 23 of his points last Friday in the second half of Creighton's 74-62 win over DePaul. The last Bluejay player to score 23 points or more in one half (without the aid of overtimes) was Kyle Korver, who had 26 of his 32 points in the second half of a game at #19 Xavier on Dec. 31, 2002.
Stinnett Named Newcomer Of the Week
P'Allen Stinnett picked up the league's first MVC Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 9 after his extraordinary debut against DePaul.
Stinnett had 23 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists in the 74-62 win over DePaul. His 23 points were the most in a Bluejay debut since Cyril Baptiste in 1969, while his 23 point second half was the most by a Creighton player in one half since Kyle Korver on Dec. 31, 2002 at #19 Xavier.
Newcomer Report
Creighton played seven players who had never played in a regular-season game for the Bluejays prior to last Friday night.
Those seven men combined for 52 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, nine steals and a blocked shot.
BCS Behemoth at Home
With the win over Big East foe DePaul, Creighton improved to 9-0 in regular-season home games against BCS conference schools in the last 12 seasons. Five of those wins were against Nebraska, the next BCS opponent to visit Omaha (Nov. 24).
Creighton vs. BCS Schools
Regular-Season Home Games, Last 12 Seasons
Opponent CU Result Date
DePaul W 74-62 11/09/07
Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
Nebraska W 61-54 12/10/03
Nebraska W 76-70 12/12/01
Nebraska W 89-72 12/09/99
#23 Iowa W 85-76 11/27/99
#18 Oklahoma State W 66-60 12/20/98
Baylor W 73-59 12/02/98
Nebraska W 84-73 12/10/97
True Blue Brewster's Crew
Creighton's top two scorers on Friday night, freshman P'Allen Stinnett and sophomore Chad Millard, both spent a year of prep school at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. Stinnett was there in 2006-07, while Millard was there in 2004-05.
Stinnett had 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Millard had 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in the Jays 74-62 win over DePaul.
Is Anyone Left?
Creighton returned just 24.7 percent of its scoring from last season's team. According to Allan Spear at STATS Inc., that ranks 10th-lowest nationally among Division I schools, as seen below.
Lowest Percentage of Points Returning
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. School Last Year Return %
1. Long Beach State 2,575 85 3.3
2. Pepperdine 2,389 223 9.3
3. Colorado State 2,178 309 14.2
4. Florida 3,193 472 14.8
5. Louisiana Tech 1,922 354 18.4
6. Citadel 1,758 363 20.6
7. Eastern Washington 2,443 535 21.9
8. Southeastern Louisiana 2,050 501 24.4
9. Loyola Marymount 2,030 497 24.5
10. Creighton 2,220 548 24.7
87 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 87 games, dating to his first start on Dec. 28, 2004.
That ranks as the MVC's longest active streak of consecutive starts, and is also seventh nationally according to STATS Inc.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 103 11/15
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 97 11/13
3. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 96 11/17
4. Leon Williams, Ohio 95 11/17
5. Bryant Dunston, Fordham 93 11/13
6. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 89 11/13
7. Dane Watts, Creighton 87 11/17
8. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 84 11/14
9. Mark Porter, Wagner 82 11/14
10. Jack Leasure, Coastal Carolina 78 11/13
Are You Experienced?
How much experience does senior Dane Watts have compared to the rest of the Creighton team? The chart below shows his stats at CU compared to those of all his teammates...combined.
Stat Watts Rest of Team
Starts 87 45
Steals 55 128
Blocks 25 11
FG Made 274 206
FG Attempts 619 492
3FG Made 110 92
3FG Attempts 299 241
FT Made 132 103
FT Attempts 197 152
Points 790 609
Off. Rebounds 150 82
Def. Rebounds 333 208
Rebounds 483 290
Fouls 236 232
Fouled Out 2 1
Turnovers 109 204
40-Point Halves = Wins
Creighton scored 42 points in the second half of its Nov. 9 win over DePaul.
Dating to Jan. 29, 2005, Creighton has won its last 26 games when it scores at least 40 points in a half.
Heck Of A Bench
Creighton's bench scored 40 of the team's 74 points in the win over DePaul, good for 54.1 percent of the team's offense.
In the exhibition win over EA Sports, Creighton's bench scored 50 of the squad's 88 points, good for 56.8 percent.
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken one charge so far this season. Over the previous five seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-06 ?06-07 ?07-08 Total
Chad Millard n/a n/a 1 1
Dane Watts 15 11 0 26
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Josh Dotzler 4 0 0 4
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 1 231
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including its Nov. 9 win over DePaul, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 23 times in the last eight seasons, including once this year.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 8 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 W 70-69
01/18/03 Southern Illinois 13 W 85-76
02/04/01 at Indiana State 13 W 77-71
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15 Florida 11 W 83-82 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
Double-Digit Comebacks
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 17 of its 64 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 11 of those 17 games, the Bluejays came back to win.
Creighton has not lost a game at home by 10 or more points since Jan. 3, 1996 (Bradley), a span of 174 straight home games. That ranks as the nation's oldest streak without a double-digit home setback.
Double Digit Deficits at Qwest Center Omaha
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
12/07/04 Kent State 16 L 58-67
12/18/04 Wyoming 13 L 64-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
02/05/05 Missouri State 15 L 71-79
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
02/11/06 Southern Illinois 14 L 67-74
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 12 L 52-53
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 12 L 57-58
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 167-38 in the last eight seasons. In fact, the men and women have both lost a home game in the same month just three times since March, 2000.
Creighton's Home Records, Last Eight Years
Year Men Women Combined
2007-08 1-0 1-0 2-0
2006-07 12-2 7-7 19-14
2005-06 15-2 5-7 20-9
2004-05 11-5 12-3 23-8
2003-04 14-2 12-1 26-3
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 96-14 71-24 167-38
Friday Night Lights
Creighton's home game against DePaul was the school's first Friday night home game since Nov. 14, 1997 against UMKC. DePaul was also the first active Big East school to play at Creighton since Providence in 1982.
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales will be up as Creighton fans try to figure out who all the newcomers on the roster are this winter.
Creighton has just one regular starter back from last year, Dane Watts. The last time Creighton listed just one returning starter was all the way back in 1985-86, when Gary Swain was the lone returning starter.
Additionally, Creighton's returners accounted for just 44 games started last year. That's the fewest games started that are returning since at least the start of the 1980-81 campaign, as seen below:
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2007-08 1 44 ?
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
November Reign
Creighton is 31-3 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 23-0 in November home games at Creighton. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
Season Opener History
Including 2007's win over DePaul, Creighton owns a sparkling 76-14 record (.844) on opening day, including 11 straight wins. The Jays are 13-1 (.929) under Dana Altman in season-openers, with the only setback being an 85-77 decision at Wyoming to open the 1996-97 campaign.
Including 2007, Creighton has won seven of its last eight season-openers by 20 or more points. The Jays have outscored foes by an average of 83.3 to 49.2 in the last eight openers.
Home Opener History
Including last week's win over DePaul, Creighton is 72-10 (.878) 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 13-1 under Dana Altman in home openers, losing only his home debut, 77-70, against SMU in 1994. Altman's 13 wins in home openers is the most in Creighton history.
Altman is 9-4 in his first game away from home since coming to Creighton.
Hello, World
Five Creighton players saw action in their first regular-season contest at the Division I level last Friday vs. DePaul. Aaron Brandt is still awaiting his Division I debut.
Below is a look at how Creighton's current players did in their regular-season debut in a Division I uniform.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Stinnett 23 4 3 3 26
Witter 7 0 3 1 14
Harriman 5 3 0 1 14
Watts 4 1 2 1 11
Hibma 4 0 0 0 18
Lawson Jr. 3 5 1 1 11
Dotzler 3 2 2 1 22
Korver 2 1 1 1 8
Millard (@UL) 2 0 0 0 5
Woodfox 0 1 1 1 9
Walker 0 0 0 1 2
Sitzmann 0 0 0 0 2
Bahe (@KU) 0 0 0 0 1
Preseason Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll of coaches, beat writers, SID's and play-by-play men.
Southern Illinois was a unanimous selection with 39 first-place votes and a point total of 390. Bradley is second with 311 points while Missouri State is third with 283 points. Creighton comes in fourth with 266 points, just ahead of Illinois State's 235. Rounding out the bottom half is Wichita State (210), UNI (197), Indiana State (110), Drake (80) and Evansville (63).
The preseason all-MVC team does not include any Creighton players and is headed by preseason player of the year Randal Falker (Southern Illinois). Joining Falker on the first team are Eric Coleman (UNI), PJ Couisnard (Wichita State), Deven Mitchell (Missouri State) and Daniel Ruffin (Bradley). Honorable-mention picks include Jeremy Crouch (Bradley), Levi Dyer (Illinois State), Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State), Matt Shaw (Southern Illinois) and Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois).
Variety Show
Twelve of the 14 players on the Creighton roster led (or tied) for the team lead in either points, rebounding, assists, steals or blocked shots in one of the team's six exhibitions (including Canada).
In fact, through those six games Creighton has had six players with at least a share of the scoring lead. By comparison, Creighton only had five players lead the team in scoring during 33 regular-season games last season.
Dane Watts is the only player who led the team at least once in each category. Only Dustin Sitzmann and Kaleb Korver did not lead at least one category in any game.
Led or Tied Team Lead in...
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Blk.
Lawson 3 2 0 0 4
Watts 3 4 1 1 2
Brandt 1 0 0 0 1
Stinnett 1 0 1 2 0
Millard 1 0 0 0 2
Harriman 1 0 0 1 0
Witter 0 1 2 0 0
Dotzler 0 0 3 4 0
Woodfox 0 0 1 1 0
Bahe 0 0 1 0 0
Hibma 0 0 0 2 0
Walker 0 0 0 0 1
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton's has played 64 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 53-11 (.828) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 13-0 figure on Wednesday's. The 11 losses have been by a combined 49 points. CU has outscored its opponents 4,599-3,884 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 11.2 points per game.
10 Conference Wins, Again
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for an 11th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only teams with at least 11 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Arizona (22), South Carolina State (14), Stanford (13), Kansas (13) and Creighton (11).
20 Overall Wins x 9 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 101-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post nine straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of nine teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last nine seasons. That list consists of Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky and Syracuse.
Postseason x 10
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 10 consecutive seasons, tied for the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It matches the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 10 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 15 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
Six Out Of Nine Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last nine years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Duke (7), Winthrop (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2006-07 campaign marked the ninth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as two teams were in the Big Dance.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last nine NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Jays Among Attendance Leaders
During the 2006-07 season, Creighton finished ranked 13th nationally in average attendance with 15,909 fans per game. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, according to figures compiled by the NCAA.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Avg.
1. Kentucky 23,421
2. Syracuse 21,516
3. North Carolina 20,693
4. Tennessee 19,661
5. Louisville 18,488
6. Ohio State 17,530
7. Wisconsin 17,190
8. Maryland 16,822
9. Arkansas 16,720
10. Illinois 16,618
11. Indiana 16,474
12. Kansas 16,300
13. Creighton 15,909
14. Marquette 15,345
15. Michigan State 14,759
MVC's Top Crowds Ever
Creighton has set MVC attendance records each of the past two seasons. In 2005-06 the program attracted a league-record 236,313 fans, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 the Bluejays set in 2003-04. Last season, Creighton set a mark with 15,909 fans per average home game.
Below are the top average home attendance totals in MVC history.
Ave. Att. School Year
16,104 Creighton 2007-08
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Eight of his last 10 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley, and the two that didn't both won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 10 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.)
Redshirt Nation
Creighton redshirted four members of the team in 2006-07 who were able to practice with a Bluejay team that finished 22-11.
Chad Millard sat out as a transfer after playing in 2005-06 at Louisville. He has three years of eligibility left.
Kenny Lawson Jr. played in two November games, but was bothered by knee tendinitis the rest of the year. The freshman, who averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two brief stints, retains four years of eligibility.
Two other freshmen did not play a single minute, Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt. Both men will have four years left to play at Creighton.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 68-38 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 26-15 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-20 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-11 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 21, and possibly as many as 23, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception. Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Pierce Hibma (Pella), junior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and freshmen Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella). Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 410 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 261 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 148 triumphs in regular-season conference games have allowed him to pass Phog Allen for third in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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. 261 Dana Altman Creighton
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. 148 Dana Altman Creighton
4. 126 Phog Allen Kansas
Five Figure Crowds
Creighton hosted 17,607 fans for its Feb. 17, 2007 home game versus Drexel. Not only was it the largest home crowd in Creighton history, but for any basketball game in state history as well.
Creighton has played 76 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 45 in a row at home before 10,000 fans or more.
By comparison, Creighton had a total of 39,093 home fans in Dana Altman's first year on the Hilltop, an average of 2,792 per game.
10 Largest Home Crowds, Creighton & State History
Att. Opp. Result Date
17,607 Drexel L 58-64 02/17/07
17,459 Southern Illinois L 57-58 01/20/07
17,283 Indiana State W 71-55 01/27/07
17,110 Wichita State W 71-54 02/24/07
16,339 Bradley W 65-54 01/18/07
16,315 Drake W 79-56 01/09/07
16,104 DePaul W 74-62 11/09/07
15,872 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
15,700 Fresno State W 67-62 02/18/06
15,684 Missouri State W 77-74 12/30/06
Long-Distance Streaks Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 434 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Creighton had its streak of 408 straight games with two or more treys snapped on Jan. 20, 2007 against Southern Illinois when it finished 1-of-8 from downtown.
Last Season Recap
Led by seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, Creighton went 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine years last winter.
Creighton was ranked a best-ever 19th in the preseason Associated Press poll last year, but lost several games early and was just 4-3 before a second-place finish in Honolulu at the Rainbow Classic.
The Bluejays would then open MVC play with a 5-1 record, eventually finishing second with a 13-5 league mark.
The second-seeded Bluejays then won the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis with victories over Indiana State, Missouri State and #11 Southern Illinois, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Funk, Tolliver and Porter were all named to the all-Tournament Team.
Shipped to New Orleans, La., to take on #15 Nevada, Creighton dropped a 77-71 overtime game to the Wolf Pack in the first round of the NCAA's.
Funk and Tolliver gave Creighton its first pair of first-team all-MVC teammates since 1991. Funk led the Jays in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.), while Tolliver topped the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.72 bpg.).
Creighton was 15th nationally with its school-record 75.4 percent accuracy at the free-throw line and ranked 23rd nationally, allowing just 60.9 points per game. The Jays also ranked 13th nationally with an MVC-record 15,909 fans per home game.
The 2006-07 campaign marked Creighton's 10th-straight postseason bid and ninth-straight 20-win season.
Canada Trip Recap
Creighton spent Labor Day weekend in Calgary, winning five games in three days. Creighton beat Saskatchewan twice (87-82 and 92-66), Calgary twice (85-77 and 97-78) and Lethbridge once (88-49).
Eleven different Creighton players started at least once, and all 14 Jays scored at least nine points over the course of the weekend.
Dane Watts led Creighton in scoring with 16.0 points per game while also adding 6.4 rebounds per contest. Kenny Lawson Jr. averaged 14.0 points and led the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game. Josh Dotzler paced the club with 19 assists and 14 steals.
The foreign trip, which is allowed once every four years, was Creighton's first since the 2003-04 trip to Vancouver. That Creighton team opened the season 12-0.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets went on sale on Nov. 7th. 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 $11 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Creighton sold a record 12,844 season tickets for this season. The previous mark was the 12,126 season-tickets bought for the 2006-07 season.
Shuttle Service To Qwest Center Omaha
Metro Area Transit and Creighton University have partnered again this year 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 $1.00 for Creighton students with identification; $1.00 for children under the age of 18; $1.00 for senior citizens and $2.00 for adults. The shuttle will start one-hour before tip-off and at least two buses will continue to operate the route during the game.
The 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 Morrison Stadium). 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.
Creighton (1-0) hosts Mississippi Valley State (0-1 before a game at Pittsburgh on Thursday) on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is set for 7:05 p.m. For ticket info, call (402) 280-JAYS.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2007-08 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Jimmy Motz will call the action.
Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, starting at 90 minutes prior to tipoff that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will not be televised.
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics, Jump TV and Cox High Speed Internet will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of at least 14 games this season. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a season pass is $59.95. Single games are available for $6.95 each.
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 Big Sports 590 broadcast, begins 30 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 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 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 1-0 after a 74-62 win over DePaul last Friday. The Bluejays return six lettermen and one starter from last year's team that finished 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine seasons.
Senior forward Dane Watts, owner of 87 consecutive starts, is by far the most experienced player on the roster. Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year, easily tops among Bluejay returnees. He had 10 points and nine rebounds in his 2007-08 debut.
Other seniors with experience include guards Nick Bahe (3.0 ppg., 1.6 rpg. last year) and Pierce Hibma (1.8 ppg., 1.5 rpg.).
Junior Josh Dotzler mans the point guard spot after an injury-plagued 18 months. Dotzler averaged 2.2 points and 2.0 assists per game last year while playing 19.1 minutes per game.
Other lettermen that return to the fold are reserve guard Dustin Sitzmann and medical redshirt Kenny Lawson Jr. A freshman center, Lawson averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two games before knee tendinitis cut his season short.
Three other players redshirted last season but had the opportunity to practice and learn the system, sophomore transfer Chad Millard as well as freshmen Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt.
A highly-regarded recruiting class will be given the opportunity to contribute as well. Junior college transfers Cavel Witter and Booker Woodfox join freshmen Kaleb Korver, P'Allen Stinnett and Kenton Walker on one of Creighton's youngest teams in memory.
Scouting Mississippi Valley State
Defending Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season champ Mississippi Valley State is 0-1 on the season after losing 97-63 at Mississippi last Saturday. The Delta Devils also are slated to play at #19 Pittsburgh on Thursday before arriving in Omaha for Saturday's game.
Senior forward Carl Lucas led MVSU with 14 points and four rebounds in the setback. Preseason all-SWAC guard Stanford Speech (12.3 ppg., 5.1 rpg in 2006-07) was held to eight points on 4-of-12 shooting in the loss.
The Delta Devils were 18-16 overall last year and won the SWAC with a 13-5 mark. The alma mater of football star Jerry Rice also lost in the first round of the NIT, 82-63, at Mississippi State in March.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 14th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 261-141 (.649) mark at CU and a career record of 344-208 (.623) in 19 years as an NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 22 previous 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. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 10 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Mike Maker. Nick Earnest is the team's film coordinator.
Mississippi Valley State is coached by James Green (Mississippi, 1983), who owns a 27-34 record in his third season with the Delta Devils. His career mark is 150-145 in 11 years of coaching overall. He was previously head coach at Southern Miss from 1996-04, where he led the Golden Eagles to two NIT's and the 2000 Conference USA regular-season title. He is assisted by Mike Smith, Richard Cannon and Adaiah Curry.
The Series With Mississippi Valley State
Creighton has won all five previous meetings with Mississippi Valley State, four of which were played in Omaha. The teams met four straight years from 1998-2001, as well as last year's season-opener. Creighton won that game, 78-42.
Dana Altman is 5-0 against MVSU and 14-0 all-time against teams from the SWAC.
Last Meeting With Mississippi Valley State
Creighton beat Mississippi Valley State, 78-42, on Nov. 13, 2006 in Omaha. It was the Bluejays seventh-straight season-opening win by 20 or more points. Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver each had 14 points to pace the victors.
Last Game Recap
Creighton overcame an early 23-6 deficit to rally and beat DePaul, 74-62, last Friday before 16,104 fans in Omaha.
P'Allen Stinnett had all 23 of his points in the second half in the top-scoring debut by a Bluejay since 1969, while Chad Millard had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes. DePaul was led by 13 points by Will Walker.
P'henomenal Debut
P'Allen Stinnett's 23 points on Nov. 9 against DePaul were the most by a Bluejay in their first game since Cyril Baptiste scored 24 points on Dec. 1, 1969 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Stinnett's 23 points were the most by any Creighton player in a season-opener since Rodney Buford tipped off his senior campaign with 24 points against Towson State on Nov. 14, 1998.
Below is a list of how Stinnett's debut compares with some other notable names in Bluejay history.
Name, Yr. Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min. Result
Stinnett, 2007 23 4 3 3 26 W 74-62
Tolliver, 2003 0 1 2 0 7 W 79-44
Funk, 2002 3 5 4 1 21 W 106-50
Korver, 1999 2 2 0 1 10 W 70-62
Buford, 1995 3 4 0 0 19 W 63-59
Harstad, 1987 4 5 1 1 21 L 49-70
Gallagher, 1987 10 3 0 0 37 L 49-70
Benjamin, 1982 14 4 1 0 22 W 98-54
McKenna, 1977 14 3 7 ? ? W 95-66
Harmon, 1971 21 7 ? ? ? W 74-62
C. Baptiste, 1969 24 17 ? ? ? W 84-62
Portman, 1966 9 ? ? ? ? W 78-76
Silas, 1961 22 29 ? ? ? W 85-51
Gibson, 1954 19 ? ? ? ? W 66-51
Not Half Bad
P'Allen Stinnett scored all 23 of his points last Friday in the second half of Creighton's 74-62 win over DePaul. The last Bluejay player to score 23 points or more in one half (without the aid of overtimes) was Kyle Korver, who had 26 of his 32 points in the second half of a game at #19 Xavier on Dec. 31, 2002.
Stinnett Named Newcomer Of the Week
P'Allen Stinnett picked up the league's first MVC Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 9 after his extraordinary debut against DePaul.
Stinnett had 23 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists in the 74-62 win over DePaul. His 23 points were the most in a Bluejay debut since Cyril Baptiste in 1969, while his 23 point second half was the most by a Creighton player in one half since Kyle Korver on Dec. 31, 2002 at #19 Xavier.
Newcomer Report
Creighton played seven players who had never played in a regular-season game for the Bluejays prior to last Friday night.
Those seven men combined for 52 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, nine steals and a blocked shot.
BCS Behemoth at Home
With the win over Big East foe DePaul, Creighton improved to 9-0 in regular-season home games against BCS conference schools in the last 12 seasons. Five of those wins were against Nebraska, the next BCS opponent to visit Omaha (Nov. 24).
Creighton vs. BCS Schools
Regular-Season Home Games, Last 12 Seasons
Opponent CU Result Date
DePaul W 74-62 11/09/07
Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
Nebraska W 61-54 12/10/03
Nebraska W 76-70 12/12/01
Nebraska W 89-72 12/09/99
#23 Iowa W 85-76 11/27/99
#18 Oklahoma State W 66-60 12/20/98
Baylor W 73-59 12/02/98
Nebraska W 84-73 12/10/97
True Blue Brewster's Crew
Creighton's top two scorers on Friday night, freshman P'Allen Stinnett and sophomore Chad Millard, both spent a year of prep school at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. Stinnett was there in 2006-07, while Millard was there in 2004-05.
Stinnett had 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Millard had 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in the Jays 74-62 win over DePaul.
Is Anyone Left?
Creighton returned just 24.7 percent of its scoring from last season's team. According to Allan Spear at STATS Inc., that ranks 10th-lowest nationally among Division I schools, as seen below.
Lowest Percentage of Points Returning
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. School Last Year Return %
1. Long Beach State 2,575 85 3.3
2. Pepperdine 2,389 223 9.3
3. Colorado State 2,178 309 14.2
4. Florida 3,193 472 14.8
5. Louisiana Tech 1,922 354 18.4
6. Citadel 1,758 363 20.6
7. Eastern Washington 2,443 535 21.9
8. Southeastern Louisiana 2,050 501 24.4
9. Loyola Marymount 2,030 497 24.5
10. Creighton 2,220 548 24.7
87 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 87 games, dating to his first start on Dec. 28, 2004.
That ranks as the MVC's longest active streak of consecutive starts, and is also seventh nationally according to STATS Inc.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 103 11/15
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 97 11/13
3. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 96 11/17
4. Leon Williams, Ohio 95 11/17
5. Bryant Dunston, Fordham 93 11/13
6. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 89 11/13
7. Dane Watts, Creighton 87 11/17
8. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 84 11/14
9. Mark Porter, Wagner 82 11/14
10. Jack Leasure, Coastal Carolina 78 11/13
Are You Experienced?
How much experience does senior Dane Watts have compared to the rest of the Creighton team? The chart below shows his stats at CU compared to those of all his teammates...combined.
Stat Watts Rest of Team
Starts 87 45
Steals 55 128
Blocks 25 11
FG Made 274 206
FG Attempts 619 492
3FG Made 110 92
3FG Attempts 299 241
FT Made 132 103
FT Attempts 197 152
Points 790 609
Off. Rebounds 150 82
Def. Rebounds 333 208
Rebounds 483 290
Fouls 236 232
Fouled Out 2 1
Turnovers 109 204
40-Point Halves = Wins
Creighton scored 42 points in the second half of its Nov. 9 win over DePaul.
Dating to Jan. 29, 2005, Creighton has won its last 26 games when it scores at least 40 points in a half.
Heck Of A Bench
Creighton's bench scored 40 of the team's 74 points in the win over DePaul, good for 54.1 percent of the team's offense.
In the exhibition win over EA Sports, Creighton's bench scored 50 of the squad's 88 points, good for 56.8 percent.
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken one charge so far this season. Over the previous five seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-06 ?06-07 ?07-08 Total
Chad Millard n/a n/a 1 1
Dane Watts 15 11 0 26
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Josh Dotzler 4 0 0 4
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 1 231
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including its Nov. 9 win over DePaul, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 23 times in the last eight seasons, including once this year.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 8 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 W 70-69
01/18/03 Southern Illinois 13 W 85-76
02/04/01 at Indiana State 13 W 77-71
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15 Florida 11 W 83-82 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
Double-Digit Comebacks
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 17 of its 64 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 11 of those 17 games, the Bluejays came back to win.
Creighton has not lost a game at home by 10 or more points since Jan. 3, 1996 (Bradley), a span of 174 straight home games. That ranks as the nation's oldest streak without a double-digit home setback.
Double Digit Deficits at Qwest Center Omaha
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
12/07/04 Kent State 16 L 58-67
12/18/04 Wyoming 13 L 64-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
02/05/05 Missouri State 15 L 71-79
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
02/11/06 Southern Illinois 14 L 67-74
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 12 L 52-53
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 12 L 57-58
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 167-38 in the last eight seasons. In fact, the men and women have both lost a home game in the same month just three times since March, 2000.
Creighton's Home Records, Last Eight Years
Year Men Women Combined
2007-08 1-0 1-0 2-0
2006-07 12-2 7-7 19-14
2005-06 15-2 5-7 20-9
2004-05 11-5 12-3 23-8
2003-04 14-2 12-1 26-3
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 96-14 71-24 167-38
Friday Night Lights
Creighton's home game against DePaul was the school's first Friday night home game since Nov. 14, 1997 against UMKC. DePaul was also the first active Big East school to play at Creighton since Providence in 1982.
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales will be up as Creighton fans try to figure out who all the newcomers on the roster are this winter.
Creighton has just one regular starter back from last year, Dane Watts. The last time Creighton listed just one returning starter was all the way back in 1985-86, when Gary Swain was the lone returning starter.
Additionally, Creighton's returners accounted for just 44 games started last year. That's the fewest games started that are returning since at least the start of the 1980-81 campaign, as seen below:
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2007-08 1 44 ?
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
November Reign
Creighton is 31-3 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 23-0 in November home games at Creighton. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
Season Opener History
Including 2007's win over DePaul, Creighton owns a sparkling 76-14 record (.844) on opening day, including 11 straight wins. The Jays are 13-1 (.929) under Dana Altman in season-openers, with the only setback being an 85-77 decision at Wyoming to open the 1996-97 campaign.
Including 2007, Creighton has won seven of its last eight season-openers by 20 or more points. The Jays have outscored foes by an average of 83.3 to 49.2 in the last eight openers.
Home Opener History
Including last week's win over DePaul, Creighton is 72-10 (.878) 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 13-1 under Dana Altman in home openers, losing only his home debut, 77-70, against SMU in 1994. Altman's 13 wins in home openers is the most in Creighton history.
Altman is 9-4 in his first game away from home since coming to Creighton.
Hello, World
Five Creighton players saw action in their first regular-season contest at the Division I level last Friday vs. DePaul. Aaron Brandt is still awaiting his Division I debut.
Below is a look at how Creighton's current players did in their regular-season debut in a Division I uniform.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Stinnett 23 4 3 3 26
Witter 7 0 3 1 14
Harriman 5 3 0 1 14
Watts 4 1 2 1 11
Hibma 4 0 0 0 18
Lawson Jr. 3 5 1 1 11
Dotzler 3 2 2 1 22
Korver 2 1 1 1 8
Millard (@UL) 2 0 0 0 5
Woodfox 0 1 1 1 9
Walker 0 0 0 1 2
Sitzmann 0 0 0 0 2
Bahe (@KU) 0 0 0 0 1
Preseason Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll of coaches, beat writers, SID's and play-by-play men.
Southern Illinois was a unanimous selection with 39 first-place votes and a point total of 390. Bradley is second with 311 points while Missouri State is third with 283 points. Creighton comes in fourth with 266 points, just ahead of Illinois State's 235. Rounding out the bottom half is Wichita State (210), UNI (197), Indiana State (110), Drake (80) and Evansville (63).
The preseason all-MVC team does not include any Creighton players and is headed by preseason player of the year Randal Falker (Southern Illinois). Joining Falker on the first team are Eric Coleman (UNI), PJ Couisnard (Wichita State), Deven Mitchell (Missouri State) and Daniel Ruffin (Bradley). Honorable-mention picks include Jeremy Crouch (Bradley), Levi Dyer (Illinois State), Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State), Matt Shaw (Southern Illinois) and Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois).
Variety Show
Twelve of the 14 players on the Creighton roster led (or tied) for the team lead in either points, rebounding, assists, steals or blocked shots in one of the team's six exhibitions (including Canada).
In fact, through those six games Creighton has had six players with at least a share of the scoring lead. By comparison, Creighton only had five players lead the team in scoring during 33 regular-season games last season.
Dane Watts is the only player who led the team at least once in each category. Only Dustin Sitzmann and Kaleb Korver did not lead at least one category in any game.
Led or Tied Team Lead in...
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Blk.
Lawson 3 2 0 0 4
Watts 3 4 1 1 2
Brandt 1 0 0 0 1
Stinnett 1 0 1 2 0
Millard 1 0 0 0 2
Harriman 1 0 0 1 0
Witter 0 1 2 0 0
Dotzler 0 0 3 4 0
Woodfox 0 0 1 1 0
Bahe 0 0 1 0 0
Hibma 0 0 0 2 0
Walker 0 0 0 0 1
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton's has played 64 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 53-11 (.828) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 13-0 figure on Wednesday's. The 11 losses have been by a combined 49 points. CU has outscored its opponents 4,599-3,884 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 11.2 points per game.
10 Conference Wins, Again
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for an 11th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only teams with at least 11 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Arizona (22), South Carolina State (14), Stanford (13), Kansas (13) and Creighton (11).
20 Overall Wins x 9 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 101-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post nine straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of nine teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last nine seasons. That list consists of Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky and Syracuse.
Postseason x 10
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 10 consecutive seasons, tied for the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It matches the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 10 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 15 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
Six Out Of Nine Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last nine years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Duke (7), Winthrop (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2006-07 campaign marked the ninth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as two teams were in the Big Dance.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last nine NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Jays Among Attendance Leaders
During the 2006-07 season, Creighton finished ranked 13th nationally in average attendance with 15,909 fans per game. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, according to figures compiled by the NCAA.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Avg.
1. Kentucky 23,421
2. Syracuse 21,516
3. North Carolina 20,693
4. Tennessee 19,661
5. Louisville 18,488
6. Ohio State 17,530
7. Wisconsin 17,190
8. Maryland 16,822
9. Arkansas 16,720
10. Illinois 16,618
11. Indiana 16,474
12. Kansas 16,300
13. Creighton 15,909
14. Marquette 15,345
15. Michigan State 14,759
MVC's Top Crowds Ever
Creighton has set MVC attendance records each of the past two seasons. In 2005-06 the program attracted a league-record 236,313 fans, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 the Bluejays set in 2003-04. Last season, Creighton set a mark with 15,909 fans per average home game.
Below are the top average home attendance totals in MVC history.
Ave. Att. School Year
16,104 Creighton 2007-08
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Eight of his last 10 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley, and the two that didn't both won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 10 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.)
Redshirt Nation
Creighton redshirted four members of the team in 2006-07 who were able to practice with a Bluejay team that finished 22-11.
Chad Millard sat out as a transfer after playing in 2005-06 at Louisville. He has three years of eligibility left.
Kenny Lawson Jr. played in two November games, but was bothered by knee tendinitis the rest of the year. The freshman, who averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two brief stints, retains four years of eligibility.
Two other freshmen did not play a single minute, Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt. Both men will have four years left to play at Creighton.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 68-38 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 26-15 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-20 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-11 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 21, and possibly as many as 23, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception. Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Pierce Hibma (Pella), junior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and freshmen Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella). Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 410 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 261 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 148 triumphs in regular-season conference games have allowed him to pass Phog Allen for third in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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. 261 Dana Altman Creighton
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. 148 Dana Altman Creighton
4. 126 Phog Allen Kansas
Five Figure Crowds
Creighton hosted 17,607 fans for its Feb. 17, 2007 home game versus Drexel. Not only was it the largest home crowd in Creighton history, but for any basketball game in state history as well.
Creighton has played 76 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 45 in a row at home before 10,000 fans or more.
By comparison, Creighton had a total of 39,093 home fans in Dana Altman's first year on the Hilltop, an average of 2,792 per game.
10 Largest Home Crowds, Creighton & State History
Att. Opp. Result Date
17,607 Drexel L 58-64 02/17/07
17,459 Southern Illinois L 57-58 01/20/07
17,283 Indiana State W 71-55 01/27/07
17,110 Wichita State W 71-54 02/24/07
16,339 Bradley W 65-54 01/18/07
16,315 Drake W 79-56 01/09/07
16,104 DePaul W 74-62 11/09/07
15,872 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
15,700 Fresno State W 67-62 02/18/06
15,684 Missouri State W 77-74 12/30/06
Long-Distance Streaks Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 434 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Creighton had its streak of 408 straight games with two or more treys snapped on Jan. 20, 2007 against Southern Illinois when it finished 1-of-8 from downtown.
Last Season Recap
Led by seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, Creighton went 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine years last winter.
Creighton was ranked a best-ever 19th in the preseason Associated Press poll last year, but lost several games early and was just 4-3 before a second-place finish in Honolulu at the Rainbow Classic.
The Bluejays would then open MVC play with a 5-1 record, eventually finishing second with a 13-5 league mark.
The second-seeded Bluejays then won the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis with victories over Indiana State, Missouri State and #11 Southern Illinois, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Funk, Tolliver and Porter were all named to the all-Tournament Team.
Shipped to New Orleans, La., to take on #15 Nevada, Creighton dropped a 77-71 overtime game to the Wolf Pack in the first round of the NCAA's.
Funk and Tolliver gave Creighton its first pair of first-team all-MVC teammates since 1991. Funk led the Jays in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.), while Tolliver topped the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.72 bpg.).
Creighton was 15th nationally with its school-record 75.4 percent accuracy at the free-throw line and ranked 23rd nationally, allowing just 60.9 points per game. The Jays also ranked 13th nationally with an MVC-record 15,909 fans per home game.
The 2006-07 campaign marked Creighton's 10th-straight postseason bid and ninth-straight 20-win season.
Canada Trip Recap
Creighton spent Labor Day weekend in Calgary, winning five games in three days. Creighton beat Saskatchewan twice (87-82 and 92-66), Calgary twice (85-77 and 97-78) and Lethbridge once (88-49).
Eleven different Creighton players started at least once, and all 14 Jays scored at least nine points over the course of the weekend.
Dane Watts led Creighton in scoring with 16.0 points per game while also adding 6.4 rebounds per contest. Kenny Lawson Jr. averaged 14.0 points and led the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game. Josh Dotzler paced the club with 19 assists and 14 steals.
The foreign trip, which is allowed once every four years, was Creighton's first since the 2003-04 trip to Vancouver. That Creighton team opened the season 12-0.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets went on sale on Nov. 7th. 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 $11 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Creighton sold a record 12,844 season tickets for this season. The previous mark was the 12,126 season-tickets bought for the 2006-07 season.
Shuttle Service To Qwest Center Omaha
Metro Area Transit and Creighton University have partnered again this year 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 $1.00 for Creighton students with identification; $1.00 for children under the age of 18; $1.00 for senior citizens and $2.00 for adults. The shuttle will start one-hour before tip-off and at least two buses will continue to operate the route during the game.
The 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 Morrison Stadium). 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.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballMBB: Creighton vs. Colorado State Exhibition
Saturday, October 25
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Colorado State Press Conference - 10/25/25
Saturday, October 25
MBB: Creighton vs. Iowa State Exhibition
Friday, October 17
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Iowa State. Press Conference - 10/17/25
Tuesday, October 14
