Men's Basketball Hosts Huskers Saturday
11/21/2007 11:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (2-0) hosts in-state rival Nebraska (3-0) in a Saturday matinee in Omaha.
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is set for 1:05 p.m. The game is sold out.
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 is the second of eight games scheduled for broadcast by KMTV this season. Travis Justice (play-by-play) and Scott Schumacher (analyst) will announce. KMTV will “microwave” their feed back to station headquarters locally and the game will not be on satellite.
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, including Saturday. 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 2-0 after beating a pair of NIT teams from a year ago. Creighton overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat DePaul 74-62 in the season opener on Nov. 9 before beating Mississippi Valley State (76-46) last Saturday.
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 88 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, and this year he leads the team with 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Also scoring in double-digits are newcomers P'Allen Stinnett (16.0 ppg.) and Chad Millard (11.5 ppg.). Stinnett raised eyebrows with 23 points in his debut and owns a team-highs with nine assists and five steals. Millard has hit 5-of-7 three-pointers and the Louisville transfer is second on the team with 4.5 rebounds per game.
The Bluejays are outscoring the opposition by a 21-point average (75.0-54.0) and are outrebounding teams by 8.5 caroms per contest.
Scouting Nebraska
Nebraska is 3-0 on the season. The Cornhuskers have beaten Presbyterian (67-52), Alabama A&M (59-45) and Norfolk State (83-48) thus far, all at home.
Preseason All-American center Aleks Maric leads the Cornhuskers with 14.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game.
Newcomer Ade Dagunduro averages 9.3 points per game while Ryan Anderson averages 9.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
The Cornhuskers are outscoring foes 69.7-48.3 to date and are +2.7 on the glass as well. NU's 48.3 points per game allowed was tied for seventh-best nationally through games of Nov. 20.
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 262-141 (.650) mark at CU and a career record of 345-208 (.624) 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.
Nebraska is coached by Doc Sadler, who owns a 20-14 record in his second year with the Cornhuskers. He owns a career record of 68-32 in four years. Sadler also spent two seasons at UTEP, where he was 48-18. Sadler is assisted by Tony Benford, Philip Mathews and David Anwar.
The Series With Nebraska
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 23-17 margin, but the Bluejays have won seven of the last eight regular-season meetings. The Jays have won five of the last six meetings played in Omaha and are 12-9 all-time in the state's largest city against Nebraska.
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 8-6 vs. the Huskers since coming to Creighton and 11-12 overall if you include his 3-6 mark while at Big Eight foe at Kansas State.
Altman is 0-1 against Doc Sadler.
Last Meeting With Nebraska
Nebraska shot 67.6 percent from the field and beat Creighton, 73-61, in Lincoln, on Nov. 18, 2006. The Bluejays led 31-28 at the half, but struggled to get key stops down the stretch against their in-state rival. Creighton guard Nate Funk led all players with 28 points, including 7-of-11 from three-point range. Ryan Anderson led Nebraska with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
Last Game Recap
Dane Watts hit 10-of-12 shots and scored a career-high 26 points to lead Creighton to a 76-46 win over Mississippi Valley State last Saturday. The Jays led 36-22 at the break and led by nine or more throughout the second half. Watts also led all players with nine rebounds.
November Reign
Creighton is 32-3 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 24-0 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.
BCS Behemoth at Home
With the win over Big East foe DePaul on Nov.9, 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 (Saturday).
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
Will These Tends Continue?
Dana Altman is 18-0 all-time in his third home game of the season, including an 13-0 mark at Creighton, a 4-0 record at Kansas State and a 1-0 mark at Marshall. Nebraska has lost its first true road game in each of the last 11 years. With a Creighton win on Saturday, both of these streaks would continue:
CU 3rd Home Game NU 1st Road Game
2006-07 Ark.-Pine Bluff, W 74-39 Rutgers, L 73-75
2005-06 Nebraska, W 70-44 Creighton, L 44-70
2004-05 Ark.-Pine Bluff, W 83-58 UAB, L 66-80
2003-04 Bethune-Cookman, W 69-49 Creighton, L 54-61
2002-03 BYU, W 74-64 South Florida, L 60-65
2001-02 Grambling State, W 102-64 Creighton, L 70-76
2000-01 Georgia State, W 81-74 Oral Roberts, L 83-87
1999-00 Nebraska, W 89-72 Creighton, L 72-89
1998-99 Baylor, W 73-59 Colorado St., L 49-75
1997-98 Wyoming, W 81-70 Tulsa, L 68-85
1996-97 CS-Sacramento, W 59-42 Texas, L 81-83
1995-96 Oral Roberts, W 80-64 Creighton, W 88-67
1994-95 Bethune-Cookman, W 76-74 No. Iowa, W 95-88 ot
Battle of the Unbeatens
Saturday is a rare matchup between unbeaten Creighton and Nebraska teams. Only six of the previous 40 meetings have had both teams enter the game with unbeaten records.
CU W-L NU W-L Result Date
2-0 3-0 ? ? ? 11/24/07
1-0 1-0 NU 73-61 11/18/06
4-0 5-0 CU 61-54 12/10/03
2-0 5-0 NU 88-67 12/06/95
0-0 0-0 NU 86-77 11/26/88
2-0 3-0 NU 64-55 12/08/79
3-0 1-0 NU 65-58 12/09/77
Number Crunching
A return visit to the box score between Nebraska's last trip to Omaha (Dec. 11, 2005) reveals some incredible numbers. Let's take another look:
- Creighton limited Nebraska to just 11 first-half points, matching CU's best defensive effort in the last 20 years. The Jays also surrendered just 11 first-half points to Alcorn State in the 2004-05 season-opening 74-40 victory. The last time Creighton allowed less than 11 points in a half was on March 6, 1984, when it gave up 10 first half points to Bradley.
- The Huskers missed their first 11 two-point attempts and finished the first half just 1-of-18 (5.6 percent) from two-point range in the opening 20 minutes.
- Nebraska's 31 turnovers were its most in school history.
- Creighton won despite shooting just 29.7 percent. It was CU's first win while shooting under 30 percent from the field since Dec. 22, 1988 vs. Montana State.
- Nebraska shot even worse from the floor at 27.4 percent. At the time that was the fourth-lowest by a Bluejay opponent under Dana Altman.
- It ranked as the first game under Dana Altman in which both teams shot less than 30 percent.
- Nebraska center Aleks Maric did not score in 14 minutes of play. Maric was 0-for-5 from the field.
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 77 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 46 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
16,730 Miss. Valley St. W 76-46 11/17/07
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
MegaWatts
Dane Watts scored a career-high 26 points against Mississippi Valley State last Saturday. Watts scored 15 of the Jays first 21 points, then added 11 more points after intermission.
Watts made 10-of-12 shots from the field and 6-of-8 shots from the free-throw line to score his 26 points. He did not attempt a three-point shot for the first time since Feb. 18, 2006, snapping a streak of 39 straight games with at least one hoist from behind the arc.
Watts' only other previous game with at least 20 points came on Dec. 22, 2006, when he scored 21 points in Creighton's 80-72 win over Houston.
That's The Ticket
Not only were Dane Watts' 26 points a career-high, but also a unique record of sorts. It ranks as the most points in Qwest Center Omaha history by a player featured on the game ticket that day. The previous high had been 24 points by Johnny Mathies on Nov. 26, 2005 in a double-overtime win over Dayton.
Nick Bahe is featured on Saturday's ticket.
Nebraska Natives
Creighton owns three players from the state of Nebraska, Josh Dotzler (Omaha), Nick Bahe (Lincoln) and Aaron Brandt (Wahoo). Recently signed recruits Antoine Young (Bellevue) and Josh Jones (Omaha) are also in-state products.
Bluejay head coach Dana Altman is also a Nebraska native, having grown up in Wilber, Neb.
Jays Ink Pair of Recruits
Creighton signed a pair of left-handed guards on Nov. 14, the first day of the fall signing period.
Antoine Young is an all-state guard from Bellevue West HS in the south Omaha suburb of Bellevue. A 6'0” guard, Young averaged 20.6 points per game last year for the state-runner up. He is coached by Doug Woodard.
Josh Jones is an all-state guard from Omaha Central HS. A 6'2” shooting guard, Jones has helped lead Central to back-to-back state titles. He averaged 18.0 points per game as a junior and is coached by Eric Behrens.
Jones and Young have previously been summer AAU teammates with the Omaha Crusaders.
Defense, Defense
Though both teams are full of newcomers who like to push the ball, both Nebraska and Creighton both rank among the nation's top-20 scoring defenses, through games of Nov. 20.
Nebraska was tied for seventh, yielding just 48.3 points per game. Creighton was tied for 17th, allowing just 54.0 points per game.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 40-0 in his Division I coaching career when allowing 50 points or less.
Boarding School
Freshman big man Kenton Walker was a one-man glass cleaner on Saturday in the win over Mississippi Valley State.
Walker was credited with seven rebounds (three offensive) in just five minutes of play. Walker also took the only charge of the game and had Creighton's only blocked shot.
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
Kyle 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 in the second half of Creighton's 74-62 win over DePaul on Nov. 9. 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.
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
88 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 88 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. through Nov. 20.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 104 11/21
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 99 11/21
3. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 97 11/21
4. Leon Williams, Ohio 96 11/26
5. Bryant Dunston, Fordham 95 11/24
6. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 92 11/26
7. Dane Watts, Creighton 88 11/24
8. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 87 11/24
9. Mark Porter, Wagner 85 11/24
10. Jack Leasure, Coastal Carolina 81 11/21
Newcomer Report
Creighton played seven players who had never played in a regular-season game for the Bluejays prior to playing DePaul. Those seven men combined for 52 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, nine steals and a blocked shot.
Against Mississippi Valley State, the seven players combined for 35 points, 21 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals and one block.
True Blue Brewster's Crew
Creighton's top two scorers on Nov. 9 against DePaul, 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.
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 88 49
Steals 58 132
Blocks 25 12
FG Made 284 226
FG Attempts 631 537
3FG Made 110 97
3FG Attempts 299 258
FT Made 138 108
FT Attempts 205 163
Points 816 659
Off. Rebounds 152 93
Def. Rebounds 340 226
Rebounds 492 319
Fouls 237 244
Fouled Out 2 1
Turnovers 112 214
40-Point Halves = Wins
Creighton scored 40 points in the second half of its Nov. 17 win over Mississippi Valley State.
Dating to Jan. 29, 2005, Creighton has won its last 27 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. Last Saturday, the bench scored 37-of-76 points, good for 48.7 percent of the points.
In the exhibition win over EA Sports, Creighton's bench scored 50 of the squad's 88 points, good for 56.8 percent.
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 65 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 175 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 169-38 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 2-0 2-0 4-0
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 97-14 72-24 169-38
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
Hello, World
Five Creighton players saw action in their first regular-season contest at the Division I level Nov. 9 vs. DePaul, while Aaron Brandt made his debut on Nov. 17 vs. MVSU.
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
Brandt 0 0 0 0 4
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).
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken two charges 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
Kenton Walker 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 2 232
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 65 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 54-11 (.831) 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 4,675-3,930 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 11.5 points per game.
10 Conference Wins x 11 Seasons
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 Were 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
16,417 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 411 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 262 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. 262 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
Long-Distance Streaks Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 435 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.
