Men's Basketball Opens MVC Season Saturday With Redbirds
12/28/2007 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (9-1, 0-0 MVC) opens Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 29, when Illinois State (8-3, 0-0 MVC) comes to town.
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is scheduled for 7:07 pm.
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 Travis Justice will call the action.
Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, starting 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 in a stretch of 14 straight televised games for Creighton. The game is a Missouri Valley Conference “Game of the Week” and will be televised on Fox Sports Net Midwest, among other outlets. Jeff Friedman (play-by-play) and Mac McCausland (analyst) will announce. Coordinates are below:
What: Illinois State @ Creighton (MBB)
When: Saturday, Dec. 29 ? 7:00 p.m. Central
Where: Qwest Center Omaha (17,272 Capacity) ? Omaha, Nebraska
Clearances: Live at 7:00 p.m. Central on Dec. 29 on FSN Midwest (4.3 million homes); Will not be cleared in the state of Indiana due to contractual agreement with Indiana Pacers on FSN Indiana (1.2 million homes); Tape-delay at 1:00 a.m. Central on Dec. 30 on Comcast SportsNet (4.8 million homes); Live at 7:00 p.m. Central on Dec. 29 on Metro Sports in Kansas City, Mo. (500,000 homes).
Test Time: 6:30 p.m. Central
On Air: 7:00 p.m. Central
Tipoff: 7:07 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 28K, Transponder 17 ? Digital Slot B
Band: Digital KU
Bandwidth: 9 Megahertz
Parameters: FEC ≤
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
Downlink Frequency: 12044.5 Megahertz Vertical
On-Air Talent: Jeff Friedman, Mac McCausland
Video Webcast Available
Saturday's game will not be video webcast.
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 9-1 on the young season, including an 8-0 record in the friendly confines of Qwest Center Omaha. Among Creighton's victories to date are wins over Nebraska, DePaul, Drexel, Saint Joseph's and Arkansas-Little Rock.
Senior forward Dane Watts, the only returning starter from last year's 22-11 NCAA Tournament qualifier, leads Creighton with 14.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He is coming off his first double-double of the year, as he had 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. UALR.
Junior Josh Dotzler runs the show at the point and leads the team with 46 assists and 26 steals.
Freshman guard P'Allen Stinnett averages 10.3 points per game to lead a bench that averages an astounding 43.5 points per contest.
The Bluejays are outscoring the opposition by an 18.7 point margin (80.8-62.1) and are outrebounding teams by 6.8 caroms per contest. Creighton also shoots 47.8 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three-point range and converts 72.2 percent at the line.
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State enters Missouri Valley Conference play with an 8-3 record, which includes a 6-0 home record and 2-1 mark in true road games. Among ISU's wins are Cincinnati, Illinois-Chicago and Bowling Green. The only three teams to beat the ?Birds have been Indiana, Kent State and Eastern Michigan.
Three players average in double-figures, led by 2007 MVC Freshman of the Year Osiris Eldridge (15.9 ppg.) Eldridge, who scored 46 points in two games against Creighton last year, also leads the team with 23 steals.
Also in double-figures are big men Levi Dyer and Anthony Slack. Dyer is a 6'11” center that averages 10.6 points per game and shoots 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from three-point range. Slack leads the MVC with 25 blocked shots (2.3 bpg.) while also averaging 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Illinois State averages 70.7 points per game while allowing just 58.5 per game. The Redbirds shoot 45.5 percent from the field, 38.7 from three-point range and 67.3 percent at the line.
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 269-142 (.655) mark at CU and a career record of 352-209 (.627) in 19 years as a 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.
Illinois State is led by Tim Jankovich, who is 8-3 in his first year with the Redbirds. That moves his career mark to 61-60 in five years overall. Jankovich has also been an assistant coach at Kansas and Illinois and a head coach at North Texas. He is assisted by Rob Judson, Anthony Beane and Paris Parham.
The Series With Illinois State
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 34-23 margin, but the Bluejays have won 12 of the last 15 meetings.
Illinois State is 13-14 all-time in Omaha against the Jays, but 1-8 in its last nine trips to town.
Creighton coach Dana Altman is 16-12 all-time against Illinois State and has never faced a Tim Jankovich-led team.
Last Game Recap
Creighton beat Arkansas-Little Rock 80-61 last Saturday before 14,902 fans at Qwest Center Omaha. Dane Watts had 20 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season to pace the Bluejays. De'Andre Eggins had 19 points for UALR in a losing cause.
Conference Openers Go Well
With last year's 77-74 win over Missouri State, Creighton coach Dana Altman improved to 10-3 in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including an 8-1 record in the last nine years.
Altman is 11-2 in Creighton's first home game of the Missouri Valley Conference slate and his clubs have won its last nine games that opened conference play at home.
The last MVC team to win the regular-season crown without winning its regular-season MVC opener was the 1992-93 Illinois State team.
In the last five years, the eventual MVC regular-season champion has gone a combined 44-1 in league play at home.
Holiday Wish Granted
Saturday is Creighton's first game after the Dec. 25 Christmas holiday. Each of the last seven years, Creighton has won the first game it has played following the break. They've outscored foes by an average of 79.3-62.6, as seen below:
First Game After Christmas, Last 7 Years
Date Opponent Result
12/30/00 Evansville W 87-57
12/29/01 Mississippi Valley State W 90-65
12/29/02 Southeast Missouri State W 93-70
12/30/03 Missouri State W 59-54
12/28/04 Bradley W 71-62
12/28/05 Missouri State W 78-56
12/30/06 Missouri State W 77-74
Boo!
Illinois State playmaker Keith “Boo” Richardson has done a commendable job of taking care of the ball this year, leading the MVC in assist/turnover ratio with 45 assists and just nine turnovers.
That's a marked improvement over last year, when he had 153 assists but also a committed a league-high 105 turnovers.
Below is a comparison of Richardson's numbers the past two seasons when ISU wins and loses:
When FG-A FG% A-TO A/T Ratio
2006-07 ISU Wins 60-123 .488 91-51 1.78
2007-08 ISU Wins 18-36 .500 37-7 5.28
2006-07 ISU Losses 41-136 .301 62-54 1.14
2007-08 ISU Losses 4-14 .286 8-2 4.00
Crowds Increase For League Action
Compared to its non-conference crowds, Creighton's attendance has increased in MVC action each of the previous seven years:
Creighton's Yearly Home Attendance
Year Non-MVC Games MVC Games Change
2000-01 7,132 7,268 +2%
2001-02 6,333 6,800 +7%
2002-03 7,401 8,996 +22%
2003-04 11,467 12,443 +9%
2004-05 9,926 12,207 +23%
2005-06 13,404 14,343 +7%
2006-07 15,471 16,153 +4%
2007-08 15,369 ? ? ? ? ? ?
First and 10
At 9-1 to date, Creighton owns a winning record after 10 games for the 11th straight season. In fact, the only time in Dana Altman's 14-year tenure the Bluejays had a losing mark after 10 games was in his first season (1994-95), when the team started 4-6.
Creighton's First 10 Games, Under Dana Altman
Year First 10 W-L Final W-L
1994-95 4-6 7-19
1995-96 5-5 14-15
1996-97 5-5 15-15
1997-98 7-3 18-10
1998-99 8-2 22-9
1999-00 9-1 23-10
2000-01 8-2 24-8
2001-02 6-4 23-9
2002-03 10-0 29-5
2003-04 10-0 20-9
2004-05 8-2 23-11
2005-06 7-3 20-10
2006-07 6-4 22-11
2007-08 9-1 ? ? ?
Don't Let Them Get Going
Illinois State is 7-0 when scoring 64 points or more this season, but 1-3 when scoring 63 points or less.
The Bluejays have held seven teams to 63 points or less this season, and won each game. In its only loss Creighton surrendered 79 points at Xavier.
Crowd Control
Illinois State is 2-1 on the road this season, including wins against Bowling Green and Ball State away from home. ISU's only road loss came at Eastern Michigan before a gathering of just 385 people.
The Redbirds have not played before more than 6,529 fans in any game this season and have lost its last 22 games (regardless of site) that had 6,800 fans or more since a Feb. 5, 2005 win over Bradley.
Creighton, on the other hand, has hosted 52 straight crowds of 10,000 or more dating to Nov. 20, 2004 and welcomed 83 straight home crowds of 8,000 or more since Dec. 16, 2002.
Coach vs. Player x 2
Saturday will feature two coaches facing a former player of theirs now on the other sideline.
Creighton senior guard Nick Bahe played two seasons (2003-05) under the tutelage of Tim Jankovich when the two were at the University of Kansas. Jankovich was an assistant coach for the Jayhawks at the time.
Additionally, Illinois State assistant coach Anthony Beane played for current Creighton head coach Dana Altman when the pair were at Kansas State from 1991-94. Beane was named 1992 Big Eight Newcomer of the Year and was twice an all-conference selection at K-State.
December Game With March Implications
Need a reason why Saturday's game is pivotal? In 12 of the last 13 years, the winner of the Illinois State at Creighton game has earned a postseason bid. The loser has made just two NIT appearances and one NCAA trip. The list is below:
Illinois State at Creighton, Last 13 Years
Year Winner/Postseason Loser/Postseason
?06-07 CU (NCAA) ISU
?05-06 CU (NIT) ISU
?04-05 ISU CU (NCAA)
?03-04 CU (NIT) ISU
?02-03 CU (NCAA) ISU
?01-02 CU (NCAA) ISU
?00-01 CU (NCAA) ISU (NIT)
?99-00 CU (NCAA) ISU
?98-99 CU (NCAA) ISU
?97-98 ISU (NCAA) CU (NIT)
?96-97 ISU (NCAA) CU
?95-96 ISU (NIT) CU
?94-95 ISU (NIT) CU
Lawson Named MVC Newcomer of the Week
Redshirt freshman Kenny Lawson Jr. was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 26 for his performance from Dec. 17-24. Lawson averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game off the bench while hitting 70.6 percent of his shots from the floor in three CU wins.
The Oceanside, Calif., native led Creighton in scoring on Dec. 17 and 20, with 15 points against Houston Baptist and 13 points vs. North Carolina Central, respectively.
Lawson became the first Bluejay freshman to lead Creighton in scoring during consecutive games since Terrell Taylor on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, 1999. Like Lawson, Taylor did it while coming off the bench in both games he paced the team in scoring.
Plenty of Newcomer Awards
On Dec. 26, Kenny Lawson Jr. became the fourth different Bluejay to earn a MVC Newcomer of the Week Award in the first seven weeks of the season. Previously, P'Allen Stinnett (Nov. 12), Cavel Witter (Dec. 3) and Chad Millard (Dec. 10) had been honored.
Prior to this season, CU had only had three different individuals earn the honor at any time (Nick Porter and Josh Dotzler in 2005-06 and Isacc Miles last season).
Creighton is the third school in the five-year history of the MVC Newcomer of the Week award to have four different players honored during the same season.
Last year's Illinois State team (Dom Johnson, Boo Richardson, Anthony Slack and Osiris Eldridge) and the 2004-05 Bradley team (Patrick O'Bryant, Daniel Ruffin, Tony Bennett and Lawrence Wright) can also make that claim.
If either Aaron Brandt, Booker Woodfox, Casey Harriman, Kenton Walker or Kaleb Korver also earn the honor this year, CU would become the first squad to have five different players honored in the same season with the weekly Newcomer award.
80 Points x 5?
Creighton has scored 80 points or more in each of the past four games, upping its season average to 80.8 points per game.
With an 80-point output on Saturday, it would mark the first time since 1976-77 that the Bluejays have scored 80 or more points in five consecutive games. That 1976-77 club had 80 points in seven straight contests.
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.)
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).
One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.
Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report's academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.
Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.
Basketball Times Overall Rankings
Rk. School Ave. Ranking
1. Duke 3.7
2. North Carolina 7.5
3. Florida 8.0
4. Stanford 8.8
5. Gonzaga 10.0
Michigan State 10.0
7. Creighton 10.2
8. Kansas 10.8
9. Xavier 11.5
10. Illinois 12.0
11. Arizona 13.5
12. Connecticut 13.7
13. Syracuse 14.5
14. Butler 14.8
15. College of Charleston 15.2
Southern Illinois 15.2
Texas 15.2
18. Kentucky 16.0
Pennsylvania 16.0
20. Maryland 17.3
21. Pittsburgh 17.5
22. Utah State 18.3
23. Kent State 18.8
24. Utah 20.2
25. Cincinnati 20.5
26. Murray State 20.7
Oklahoma 20.7
28. Oklahoma State 21.0
29. Memphis 23.0
A Strong Start
Creighton is 9-1 after 10 games, its best start since the 2003-04 team began 12-0. Like this year's club, that team also played exhibition games in Canada prior to the start of the season.
The Jays have now been 10-0 or 9-1 after 10 games four times under Dana Altman. CU was 10-0 in both 2002-03 and the aforementioned 2003-04 campaign, and also opened 9-1 in 1999-00.
Eldridge Set A Record
Illinois State guard Osiris Eldridge set a Qwest Center Omaha single-game record in the only game he's ever played in the facility last January. Eldridge made eight three-pointers in the game.
The Better The Record, The Harder They Fall
Last Saturday's win over UALR improved Creighton to 18-0 in the five-year history of Qwest Center Omaha against opponents that enter a game with one loss or less.
Opponent's
Record
Entering Opponent CU Result Date
9-1 Arkansas-Little Rock W 80-61 12/22/07
3-0 Nebraska W 74-62 11/24/07
0-0 DePaul W 74-62 11/09/07
7-1 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
2-1 George Mason W 58-56 11/25/06
0-1 Miss. Valley State W 78-42 11/13/06
7-1 Missouri State W 78-56 12/28/05
5-1 Xavier W 61-59 12/18/05
6-1 Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
2-1 Dayton W 91-90 11/26/05
0-0 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 87-55 11/19/05
7-1 Bradley W 71-62 12/28/04
0-0 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 83-58 11/20/04
1-0 Iona W 68-62 11/16/04
0-0 Alcorn State W 74-40 11/15/04
5-0 Nebraska W 61-54 12/10/03
0-1 Bethune-Cookman W 69-49 12/03/03
2-0 St. Bonaventure W 83-63 11/29/03
A Bunch Of Homers
Creighton has started the 2007-08 season with an 8-0 home record. It marks the sixth time in the past 10 years that the Jays have won their first eight home games. Below is a list of the top home starts under Dana Altman.
Best Home Starts Under Dana Altman
Start First Home Loss Date/Season
17-0 None 2002-03
14-0 None 2000-01
12-0 Southern Illinois 02/11/06
11-0 Southern Illinois 02/07/04
8-0 Southern Illinois 01/20/07
8-0 None yet 2007-08
All About The Bench-amins
Creighton's Dec. 20 win over North Carolina Central marked the third time this season that the Creighton bench had outscored the entire line-up of the other team.
In that game, Creighton's bench scored 61 points, while the North Carolina Central squad scored 54 total.
CU's bench has also outscored the entire teams from Savannah State (60-52) and Houston Baptist (77-73) this year.
Reserve Corps
Creighton's 77 bench points on Dec. 17 against Houston Baptist were its most in at least 20 years.
The 77 points is incredible when you consider that Dana Altman's 1994-95 Bluejay team (his first at Creighton) had a single-game season-high point total of 76.
Bench Press
Creighton's bench has outscored its own starting five by a 435-373 margin through 10 games.
Creighton has scored 31 or more bench points every game this fall but one, compared to a high of 30 for last year's team. This year's team averages 43.5 points per game off the pine.
Last year's club had 356 bench points for the entire season, an average of 10.8 points per game.
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition's bench by a whopping 435-207 margin, which amounts to a +22.8 point per game differential.
Stat CU Starters CU Bench
Points 373 435
Minutes 1019 1006
FG% .477 .479
3FG% .371 .373
FT% .725 .721
Rebounds 182 159
Assists 89 78
Steals 52 54
Small Screen Superstars
Last Saturday's game against UALR began a 14-game stretch in which each Bluejay game will be televised.
Five of those games will air on KMTV, two games each will air on FSN Midwest, ESPNU and ESPN2 and one game will be on Mediacom (Des Moines), Cox 2 (Omaha) and NET-1.
Creighton's Feb. 13 game at Evansville is the only contest on the remaining docket that will definitely not be televised.
ESPN will announce BracketBuster pairings and coverage for the Feb. 23 game in early February, while the MVC office will announce television coverage for CU's March 1 game with Bradley in early February as well.
To The Century Mark And Beyond
Creighton's 110 points on Dec. 17 against Houston Baptist were its most points in a game since 1985, and fourth-most in school history.
It marked Creighton's 41st all-time game of 100 or more points. CU is 39-2 in those games.
It marked Creighton's first 100 point game since a 100-68 win over Chattanooga on Feb. 19, 2005.
CU's 110 points were its most since scoring 115-80 over Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985.
Below is a list of Creighton's top-five scoring games all-time. A complete list can be found on page 145 of the 2007-08 Creighton Men's Basketball Media Guide.
Score Opponent Date
124-94 Miami (Fla.) 02/10/1964
120-76 Nevada 12/21/1962
115-80 Indiana State 01/19/1985
110-73 Houston Baptist 12/17/2007
109-81 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 12/16/1967
KMTV Picks Up Feb. 27 Game
KMTV will be televising Creighton's Feb. 27 game at Illinois State. The game was added since the station's Dec. 5 telecast at Xavier did not air due to the shootings at Westroads Mall.
60 In A Half?
Creighton's 61 points in the second half of its Dec. 20 win over Houston Baptist were its most in any half since scoring 63 in the second half of a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton's recent wins over Houston Baptist , North Carolina Central and UALR continued five impressive streaks.
Creighton has won 30 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 34 straight games when scoring 72 points or more dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 55 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more, dating to Feb. 19, 2000.
Creighton has also won 43 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 14 straight games when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
40-Point Halves = Wins
Creighton scored 43 points in the first half of its Dec. 22 win over UALR.
Dating to Jan. 29, 2005, Creighton has won its last 33 games when it scores at least 40 points in a half.
Tenacious D
Creighton is allowing just 62.1 points per game so far. This marks the sixth straight season the Jays have allowed less than 65 points per game.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 41-0 in his Division I coaching career when allowing 50 points or less.
Millard Named Newcomer of the Week
Sophomore Chad Millard was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 10. Millard averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots in games against No. 21 Xavier and Saint Joseph's.
Millard helped key Creighton's win over Saint Joseph's with 13 points, seven rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots.
Millard is the third different Bluejay to earn Newcomer of the Week laurels in the first five weeks of the season, joining P'Allen Stinnett (Nov. 12) and Cavel Witter (Dec. 3).
Versatility A Bonus
Through games of Dec. 28th, Creighton's Chad Millard and Drake's Jonathan Cox were the only MVC players with at least 10 blocks and 10 three-pointers made this season.
Millard has 15 three-pointers and 10 blocked shots this year. Cox has 11 three-pointers and 10 blocked shots to date.
Seniors Score In Bunches
Creighton's seniors Nick Bahe, Pierce Hibma and Dane Watts were averaging 21.5 points per game combined heading into a Dec. 9 game with Saint Joseph's.
In the overtime win, they scored 60 of CU's 90 points. Hibma (17) and Watts (29) both exceeded their previous career-highs by three points each, while Bahe (14) was one shy of his career-best.
CU's seniors scored its final eight points of regulation and added 12 of the team's 20 points in overtime.
Helping Hand
Junior point guard Josh Dotzler tied a career-high with 10 assists in the win over Saint Joseph's on Dec. 9.
Dotzler's performance matched his 10 assists in a Feb. 4, 2006 overtime win at Drake.
Dotzler's 10 dimes were also the most in Qwest Center Omaha history by a Creighton player.
For the season, Dotzler leads Creighton with 46 assists, 22 more than any other Bluejay.
Watts Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton senior Dane Watts is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.
Watts leads Creighton in scoring and rebounding this season, and has made 93 straight starts. In addition to being a solid student in the classroom, the business management major is actively involved in the community. Watts is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and in the summer of 2006 toured France with Athletes in Action.
From the list of 30 nominees for each gender, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient.
Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Redick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).
The Drive For Five
Creighton had its five-game winning streak snapped at Xavier on Dec. 5. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in each of the last 11 seasons, and 17 such streaks overall in the 14-year tenure of Dana Altman.
The Jays enter Saturday's game with Illinois State riding a four-game win streak.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 13 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
3-0 Start, Again
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in nine of the last 10 seasons, including this year's 5-0 open before losing. Last year's team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Thanks in large part to the quick starts to open the year, Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Saturday will be the 323rd game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.
Stinnett Off To A Good Start
P'Allen Stinnett has scored 103 points in his first 10 games as a Bluejay. That ranks as the most by any CU player in their first 10 games since Rodney Buford scored 104 during the 1995-96 campaign. Buford would go on to become the MVC Newcomer of the Year and the leading scorer in Creighton history with 2,116 points.
Putting it in perspective, former Bluejay Anthony Tolliver scored just 22 points all of his freshman season. Tolliver ended with 1,004 career points and was named second-team all-MVC (2005-06) and first-team all-MVC (2006-07) before graduating last May.
Cashing In At The Line
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter made each of his first 22 free throw attempts, including a perfect 10-of-10 effort at Drexel, before missing on Dec. 5 at Xavier.
Witter's 22 in a row was tied for the ninth-longest streak in Bluejay records, 10 makes shy of the school record set by Michael Lindeman. Lindeman made 32 in a row from Jan. 23 - Nov. 29, 2003.
Witter's 22 in a row was the best mark in school history to start a season, two better than Kyle Korver's 20 straight to open 2001-02.
Consecutive Free Throws Made (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 1, 2007
National Stats Report
The third national statistical report came out on Dec. 17th, and the Bluejays were ranked in the top 50 in three team categories. Creighton was 39th with a .857 winning percentage, ranked sixth with 11.3 steals per game and were 44th with a +13.9 scoring margin.
Individually, Cavel Witter was 10th with his 92.9 free throw percentage, Josh Dotzler ranked 28th nationally with 2.6 steals per game and Dane Watts was 36th with his 59.7 percent shooting from the field.
Stealing A Share Of The Record
Creighton tied a school-record on Nov. 29 against Savannah State, recording 18 steals in its 26-point victory.
The 18 steals matches the amount recorded on Dec. 18, 1991 at Cleveland State, and later matched on Dec. 12, 1999 against Illinois State.
Balancing Act
Creighton has 11 players averaging 12.1 minutes per game or more, with all of those men scoring at least 3.9 points per game as well. Three of CU's top four scorers are reserves.
All 14 Bluejays on the roster have scored at least six points or more.
MegaWatts
Dane Watts scored a then-career-high 26 points against Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 17. 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.
Halftime Advantage
Creighton's 47-20 halftime lead over Nebraska on November 24 was the second-largest intermission margin in the five-year history of Qwest Center Omaha. Creighton led Alcorn State 39-11 on Nov. 15, 2004 for the largest halftime margin.
Below is a list of Creighton's top halftime leads and deficits at Qwest Center Omaha:
CU's Largest Halftime Leads at Qwest Center
Margin Score Opponent Date
28 39-11 Alcorn State 11/15/04
27 47-20 Nebraska 11/24/07
23 41-18 St. Bonaventure 11/29/03
21 42-21 Bethune Cookman 12/03/03
20 31-11 Nebraska 12/11/05
20 37-17 San Diego 11/22/03
CU's Largest Halftime Deficits at Qwest Center
Margin Score Opponent Date
-14 34-48 Evansville 02/07/07
-11 27-38 Indiana State 02/22/06
-10 19-29 Miami (Fla.) 03/20/06
-10 28-38 Bradley 01/18/06
-9 34-43 Missouri State 02/05/05
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 83 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 52 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
17,049 Nebraska W 74-62 11/24/07
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
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.
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.
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.
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).
Is Anyone Left?
Creighton returned just 24.7 percent of its scoring from last season's team. According to 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
96 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 96 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 sixth nationally according to STATS Inc. through Dec. 27.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 111 12/29
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 107 12/29
3. Leon Williams, Ohio 106 01/02
4. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 103 12/28
5. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 99 12/29
6. Dane Watts, Creighton 96 12/29
7. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 93 12/29
8. Mark Porter, Wagner 92 12/29
Are You Experienced?
How much experience does senior Dane Watts have compared to the rest of the his CU teammates? The chart below shows his stats at CU compared to all of his teammates...combined.
Stat Watts Rest of Team
Starts 96 81
Blocks 31 31
FG Made 322 410
FG Attempts 695 931
3FG Made 116 159
3FG Attempts 315 426
FT Made 167 225
FT Attempts 246 319
Points 927 1,206
Off. Rebounds 173 174
Def. Rebounds 369 363
Rebounds 542 537
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 176-38 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 8-0 3-0 11-0
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 103-14 73-24 176-38
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 71 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 181 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
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton's has played 71 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 60-11 (.845) 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 5,195-4,316 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 12.4 points per game.
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 23 charges so far this season, including five on both Dec. 17 and Dec. 20. 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
Dane Watts 15 11 6 32
Chad Millard n/a n/a 5 5
Casey Harriman n/a n/a 4 4
Kenton Walker n/a n/a 3 3
Josh Dotzler 4 0 2 6
Kenny Lawson Jr. n/a 0 1 1
Cavel Witter n/a n/a 1 1
Dustin Sitzmann 0 0 1 1
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 23 253
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 16 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
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
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,369 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 73-38 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 28-16 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 22, and possibly as many as 24, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
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).
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales are 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.
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 419 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 269 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. 269 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 Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 443 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State 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 12,888 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 (9-1, 0-0 MVC) opens Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 29, when Illinois State (8-3, 0-0 MVC) comes to town.
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is scheduled for 7:07 pm.
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 Travis Justice will call the action.
Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, starting 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 in a stretch of 14 straight televised games for Creighton. The game is a Missouri Valley Conference “Game of the Week” and will be televised on Fox Sports Net Midwest, among other outlets. Jeff Friedman (play-by-play) and Mac McCausland (analyst) will announce. Coordinates are below:
What: Illinois State @ Creighton (MBB)
When: Saturday, Dec. 29 ? 7:00 p.m. Central
Where: Qwest Center Omaha (17,272 Capacity) ? Omaha, Nebraska
Clearances: Live at 7:00 p.m. Central on Dec. 29 on FSN Midwest (4.3 million homes); Will not be cleared in the state of Indiana due to contractual agreement with Indiana Pacers on FSN Indiana (1.2 million homes); Tape-delay at 1:00 a.m. Central on Dec. 30 on Comcast SportsNet (4.8 million homes); Live at 7:00 p.m. Central on Dec. 29 on Metro Sports in Kansas City, Mo. (500,000 homes).
Test Time: 6:30 p.m. Central
On Air: 7:00 p.m. Central
Tipoff: 7:07 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 28K, Transponder 17 ? Digital Slot B
Band: Digital KU
Bandwidth: 9 Megahertz
Parameters: FEC ≤
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
Downlink Frequency: 12044.5 Megahertz Vertical
On-Air Talent: Jeff Friedman, Mac McCausland
Video Webcast Available
Saturday's game will not be video webcast.
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 9-1 on the young season, including an 8-0 record in the friendly confines of Qwest Center Omaha. Among Creighton's victories to date are wins over Nebraska, DePaul, Drexel, Saint Joseph's and Arkansas-Little Rock.
Senior forward Dane Watts, the only returning starter from last year's 22-11 NCAA Tournament qualifier, leads Creighton with 14.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He is coming off his first double-double of the year, as he had 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. UALR.
Junior Josh Dotzler runs the show at the point and leads the team with 46 assists and 26 steals.
Freshman guard P'Allen Stinnett averages 10.3 points per game to lead a bench that averages an astounding 43.5 points per contest.
The Bluejays are outscoring the opposition by an 18.7 point margin (80.8-62.1) and are outrebounding teams by 6.8 caroms per contest. Creighton also shoots 47.8 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three-point range and converts 72.2 percent at the line.
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State enters Missouri Valley Conference play with an 8-3 record, which includes a 6-0 home record and 2-1 mark in true road games. Among ISU's wins are Cincinnati, Illinois-Chicago and Bowling Green. The only three teams to beat the ?Birds have been Indiana, Kent State and Eastern Michigan.
Three players average in double-figures, led by 2007 MVC Freshman of the Year Osiris Eldridge (15.9 ppg.) Eldridge, who scored 46 points in two games against Creighton last year, also leads the team with 23 steals.
Also in double-figures are big men Levi Dyer and Anthony Slack. Dyer is a 6'11” center that averages 10.6 points per game and shoots 46.8 percent (29-of-62) from three-point range. Slack leads the MVC with 25 blocked shots (2.3 bpg.) while also averaging 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Illinois State averages 70.7 points per game while allowing just 58.5 per game. The Redbirds shoot 45.5 percent from the field, 38.7 from three-point range and 67.3 percent at the line.
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 269-142 (.655) mark at CU and a career record of 352-209 (.627) in 19 years as a 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.
Illinois State is led by Tim Jankovich, who is 8-3 in his first year with the Redbirds. That moves his career mark to 61-60 in five years overall. Jankovich has also been an assistant coach at Kansas and Illinois and a head coach at North Texas. He is assisted by Rob Judson, Anthony Beane and Paris Parham.
The Series With Illinois State
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 34-23 margin, but the Bluejays have won 12 of the last 15 meetings.
Illinois State is 13-14 all-time in Omaha against the Jays, but 1-8 in its last nine trips to town.
Creighton coach Dana Altman is 16-12 all-time against Illinois State and has never faced a Tim Jankovich-led team.
Last Game Recap
Creighton beat Arkansas-Little Rock 80-61 last Saturday before 14,902 fans at Qwest Center Omaha. Dane Watts had 20 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season to pace the Bluejays. De'Andre Eggins had 19 points for UALR in a losing cause.
Conference Openers Go Well
With last year's 77-74 win over Missouri State, Creighton coach Dana Altman improved to 10-3 in Missouri Valley Conference openers, including an 8-1 record in the last nine years.
Altman is 11-2 in Creighton's first home game of the Missouri Valley Conference slate and his clubs have won its last nine games that opened conference play at home.
The last MVC team to win the regular-season crown without winning its regular-season MVC opener was the 1992-93 Illinois State team.
In the last five years, the eventual MVC regular-season champion has gone a combined 44-1 in league play at home.
Holiday Wish Granted
Saturday is Creighton's first game after the Dec. 25 Christmas holiday. Each of the last seven years, Creighton has won the first game it has played following the break. They've outscored foes by an average of 79.3-62.6, as seen below:
First Game After Christmas, Last 7 Years
Date Opponent Result
12/30/00 Evansville W 87-57
12/29/01 Mississippi Valley State W 90-65
12/29/02 Southeast Missouri State W 93-70
12/30/03 Missouri State W 59-54
12/28/04 Bradley W 71-62
12/28/05 Missouri State W 78-56
12/30/06 Missouri State W 77-74
Boo!
Illinois State playmaker Keith “Boo” Richardson has done a commendable job of taking care of the ball this year, leading the MVC in assist/turnover ratio with 45 assists and just nine turnovers.
That's a marked improvement over last year, when he had 153 assists but also a committed a league-high 105 turnovers.
Below is a comparison of Richardson's numbers the past two seasons when ISU wins and loses:
When FG-A FG% A-TO A/T Ratio
2006-07 ISU Wins 60-123 .488 91-51 1.78
2007-08 ISU Wins 18-36 .500 37-7 5.28
2006-07 ISU Losses 41-136 .301 62-54 1.14
2007-08 ISU Losses 4-14 .286 8-2 4.00
Crowds Increase For League Action
Compared to its non-conference crowds, Creighton's attendance has increased in MVC action each of the previous seven years:
Creighton's Yearly Home Attendance
Year Non-MVC Games MVC Games Change
2000-01 7,132 7,268 +2%
2001-02 6,333 6,800 +7%
2002-03 7,401 8,996 +22%
2003-04 11,467 12,443 +9%
2004-05 9,926 12,207 +23%
2005-06 13,404 14,343 +7%
2006-07 15,471 16,153 +4%
2007-08 15,369 ? ? ? ? ? ?
First and 10
At 9-1 to date, Creighton owns a winning record after 10 games for the 11th straight season. In fact, the only time in Dana Altman's 14-year tenure the Bluejays had a losing mark after 10 games was in his first season (1994-95), when the team started 4-6.
Creighton's First 10 Games, Under Dana Altman
Year First 10 W-L Final W-L
1994-95 4-6 7-19
1995-96 5-5 14-15
1996-97 5-5 15-15
1997-98 7-3 18-10
1998-99 8-2 22-9
1999-00 9-1 23-10
2000-01 8-2 24-8
2001-02 6-4 23-9
2002-03 10-0 29-5
2003-04 10-0 20-9
2004-05 8-2 23-11
2005-06 7-3 20-10
2006-07 6-4 22-11
2007-08 9-1 ? ? ?
Don't Let Them Get Going
Illinois State is 7-0 when scoring 64 points or more this season, but 1-3 when scoring 63 points or less.
The Bluejays have held seven teams to 63 points or less this season, and won each game. In its only loss Creighton surrendered 79 points at Xavier.
Crowd Control
Illinois State is 2-1 on the road this season, including wins against Bowling Green and Ball State away from home. ISU's only road loss came at Eastern Michigan before a gathering of just 385 people.
The Redbirds have not played before more than 6,529 fans in any game this season and have lost its last 22 games (regardless of site) that had 6,800 fans or more since a Feb. 5, 2005 win over Bradley.
Creighton, on the other hand, has hosted 52 straight crowds of 10,000 or more dating to Nov. 20, 2004 and welcomed 83 straight home crowds of 8,000 or more since Dec. 16, 2002.
Coach vs. Player x 2
Saturday will feature two coaches facing a former player of theirs now on the other sideline.
Creighton senior guard Nick Bahe played two seasons (2003-05) under the tutelage of Tim Jankovich when the two were at the University of Kansas. Jankovich was an assistant coach for the Jayhawks at the time.
Additionally, Illinois State assistant coach Anthony Beane played for current Creighton head coach Dana Altman when the pair were at Kansas State from 1991-94. Beane was named 1992 Big Eight Newcomer of the Year and was twice an all-conference selection at K-State.
December Game With March Implications
Need a reason why Saturday's game is pivotal? In 12 of the last 13 years, the winner of the Illinois State at Creighton game has earned a postseason bid. The loser has made just two NIT appearances and one NCAA trip. The list is below:
Illinois State at Creighton, Last 13 Years
Year Winner/Postseason Loser/Postseason
?06-07 CU (NCAA) ISU
?05-06 CU (NIT) ISU
?04-05 ISU CU (NCAA)
?03-04 CU (NIT) ISU
?02-03 CU (NCAA) ISU
?01-02 CU (NCAA) ISU
?00-01 CU (NCAA) ISU (NIT)
?99-00 CU (NCAA) ISU
?98-99 CU (NCAA) ISU
?97-98 ISU (NCAA) CU (NIT)
?96-97 ISU (NCAA) CU
?95-96 ISU (NIT) CU
?94-95 ISU (NIT) CU
Lawson Named MVC Newcomer of the Week
Redshirt freshman Kenny Lawson Jr. was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 26 for his performance from Dec. 17-24. Lawson averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game off the bench while hitting 70.6 percent of his shots from the floor in three CU wins.
The Oceanside, Calif., native led Creighton in scoring on Dec. 17 and 20, with 15 points against Houston Baptist and 13 points vs. North Carolina Central, respectively.
Lawson became the first Bluejay freshman to lead Creighton in scoring during consecutive games since Terrell Taylor on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, 1999. Like Lawson, Taylor did it while coming off the bench in both games he paced the team in scoring.
Plenty of Newcomer Awards
On Dec. 26, Kenny Lawson Jr. became the fourth different Bluejay to earn a MVC Newcomer of the Week Award in the first seven weeks of the season. Previously, P'Allen Stinnett (Nov. 12), Cavel Witter (Dec. 3) and Chad Millard (Dec. 10) had been honored.
Prior to this season, CU had only had three different individuals earn the honor at any time (Nick Porter and Josh Dotzler in 2005-06 and Isacc Miles last season).
Creighton is the third school in the five-year history of the MVC Newcomer of the Week award to have four different players honored during the same season.
Last year's Illinois State team (Dom Johnson, Boo Richardson, Anthony Slack and Osiris Eldridge) and the 2004-05 Bradley team (Patrick O'Bryant, Daniel Ruffin, Tony Bennett and Lawrence Wright) can also make that claim.
If either Aaron Brandt, Booker Woodfox, Casey Harriman, Kenton Walker or Kaleb Korver also earn the honor this year, CU would become the first squad to have five different players honored in the same season with the weekly Newcomer award.
80 Points x 5?
Creighton has scored 80 points or more in each of the past four games, upping its season average to 80.8 points per game.
With an 80-point output on Saturday, it would mark the first time since 1976-77 that the Bluejays have scored 80 or more points in five consecutive games. That 1976-77 club had 80 points in seven straight contests.
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.)
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).
One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.
Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report's academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.
Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.
Basketball Times Overall Rankings
Rk. School Ave. Ranking
1. Duke 3.7
2. North Carolina 7.5
3. Florida 8.0
4. Stanford 8.8
5. Gonzaga 10.0
Michigan State 10.0
7. Creighton 10.2
8. Kansas 10.8
9. Xavier 11.5
10. Illinois 12.0
11. Arizona 13.5
12. Connecticut 13.7
13. Syracuse 14.5
14. Butler 14.8
15. College of Charleston 15.2
Southern Illinois 15.2
Texas 15.2
18. Kentucky 16.0
Pennsylvania 16.0
20. Maryland 17.3
21. Pittsburgh 17.5
22. Utah State 18.3
23. Kent State 18.8
24. Utah 20.2
25. Cincinnati 20.5
26. Murray State 20.7
Oklahoma 20.7
28. Oklahoma State 21.0
29. Memphis 23.0
A Strong Start
Creighton is 9-1 after 10 games, its best start since the 2003-04 team began 12-0. Like this year's club, that team also played exhibition games in Canada prior to the start of the season.
The Jays have now been 10-0 or 9-1 after 10 games four times under Dana Altman. CU was 10-0 in both 2002-03 and the aforementioned 2003-04 campaign, and also opened 9-1 in 1999-00.
Eldridge Set A Record
Illinois State guard Osiris Eldridge set a Qwest Center Omaha single-game record in the only game he's ever played in the facility last January. Eldridge made eight three-pointers in the game.
The Better The Record, The Harder They Fall
Last Saturday's win over UALR improved Creighton to 18-0 in the five-year history of Qwest Center Omaha against opponents that enter a game with one loss or less.
Opponent's
Record
Entering Opponent CU Result Date
9-1 Arkansas-Little Rock W 80-61 12/22/07
3-0 Nebraska W 74-62 11/24/07
0-0 DePaul W 74-62 11/09/07
7-1 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
2-1 George Mason W 58-56 11/25/06
0-1 Miss. Valley State W 78-42 11/13/06
7-1 Missouri State W 78-56 12/28/05
5-1 Xavier W 61-59 12/18/05
6-1 Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
2-1 Dayton W 91-90 11/26/05
0-0 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 87-55 11/19/05
7-1 Bradley W 71-62 12/28/04
0-0 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 83-58 11/20/04
1-0 Iona W 68-62 11/16/04
0-0 Alcorn State W 74-40 11/15/04
5-0 Nebraska W 61-54 12/10/03
0-1 Bethune-Cookman W 69-49 12/03/03
2-0 St. Bonaventure W 83-63 11/29/03
A Bunch Of Homers
Creighton has started the 2007-08 season with an 8-0 home record. It marks the sixth time in the past 10 years that the Jays have won their first eight home games. Below is a list of the top home starts under Dana Altman.
Best Home Starts Under Dana Altman
Start First Home Loss Date/Season
17-0 None 2002-03
14-0 None 2000-01
12-0 Southern Illinois 02/11/06
11-0 Southern Illinois 02/07/04
8-0 Southern Illinois 01/20/07
8-0 None yet 2007-08
All About The Bench-amins
Creighton's Dec. 20 win over North Carolina Central marked the third time this season that the Creighton bench had outscored the entire line-up of the other team.
In that game, Creighton's bench scored 61 points, while the North Carolina Central squad scored 54 total.
CU's bench has also outscored the entire teams from Savannah State (60-52) and Houston Baptist (77-73) this year.
Reserve Corps
Creighton's 77 bench points on Dec. 17 against Houston Baptist were its most in at least 20 years.
The 77 points is incredible when you consider that Dana Altman's 1994-95 Bluejay team (his first at Creighton) had a single-game season-high point total of 76.
Bench Press
Creighton's bench has outscored its own starting five by a 435-373 margin through 10 games.
Creighton has scored 31 or more bench points every game this fall but one, compared to a high of 30 for last year's team. This year's team averages 43.5 points per game off the pine.
Last year's club had 356 bench points for the entire season, an average of 10.8 points per game.
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition's bench by a whopping 435-207 margin, which amounts to a +22.8 point per game differential.
Stat CU Starters CU Bench
Points 373 435
Minutes 1019 1006
FG% .477 .479
3FG% .371 .373
FT% .725 .721
Rebounds 182 159
Assists 89 78
Steals 52 54
Small Screen Superstars
Last Saturday's game against UALR began a 14-game stretch in which each Bluejay game will be televised.
Five of those games will air on KMTV, two games each will air on FSN Midwest, ESPNU and ESPN2 and one game will be on Mediacom (Des Moines), Cox 2 (Omaha) and NET-1.
Creighton's Feb. 13 game at Evansville is the only contest on the remaining docket that will definitely not be televised.
ESPN will announce BracketBuster pairings and coverage for the Feb. 23 game in early February, while the MVC office will announce television coverage for CU's March 1 game with Bradley in early February as well.
To The Century Mark And Beyond
Creighton's 110 points on Dec. 17 against Houston Baptist were its most points in a game since 1985, and fourth-most in school history.
It marked Creighton's 41st all-time game of 100 or more points. CU is 39-2 in those games.
It marked Creighton's first 100 point game since a 100-68 win over Chattanooga on Feb. 19, 2005.
CU's 110 points were its most since scoring 115-80 over Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985.
Below is a list of Creighton's top-five scoring games all-time. A complete list can be found on page 145 of the 2007-08 Creighton Men's Basketball Media Guide.
Score Opponent Date
124-94 Miami (Fla.) 02/10/1964
120-76 Nevada 12/21/1962
115-80 Indiana State 01/19/1985
110-73 Houston Baptist 12/17/2007
109-81 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 12/16/1967
KMTV Picks Up Feb. 27 Game
KMTV will be televising Creighton's Feb. 27 game at Illinois State. The game was added since the station's Dec. 5 telecast at Xavier did not air due to the shootings at Westroads Mall.
60 In A Half?
Creighton's 61 points in the second half of its Dec. 20 win over Houston Baptist were its most in any half since scoring 63 in the second half of a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton's recent wins over Houston Baptist , North Carolina Central and UALR continued five impressive streaks.
Creighton has won 30 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 34 straight games when scoring 72 points or more dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 55 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more, dating to Feb. 19, 2000.
Creighton has also won 43 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 14 straight games when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
40-Point Halves = Wins
Creighton scored 43 points in the first half of its Dec. 22 win over UALR.
Dating to Jan. 29, 2005, Creighton has won its last 33 games when it scores at least 40 points in a half.
Tenacious D
Creighton is allowing just 62.1 points per game so far. This marks the sixth straight season the Jays have allowed less than 65 points per game.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 41-0 in his Division I coaching career when allowing 50 points or less.
Millard Named Newcomer of the Week
Sophomore Chad Millard was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 10. Millard averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots in games against No. 21 Xavier and Saint Joseph's.
Millard helped key Creighton's win over Saint Joseph's with 13 points, seven rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots.
Millard is the third different Bluejay to earn Newcomer of the Week laurels in the first five weeks of the season, joining P'Allen Stinnett (Nov. 12) and Cavel Witter (Dec. 3).
Versatility A Bonus
Through games of Dec. 28th, Creighton's Chad Millard and Drake's Jonathan Cox were the only MVC players with at least 10 blocks and 10 three-pointers made this season.
Millard has 15 three-pointers and 10 blocked shots this year. Cox has 11 three-pointers and 10 blocked shots to date.
Seniors Score In Bunches
Creighton's seniors Nick Bahe, Pierce Hibma and Dane Watts were averaging 21.5 points per game combined heading into a Dec. 9 game with Saint Joseph's.
In the overtime win, they scored 60 of CU's 90 points. Hibma (17) and Watts (29) both exceeded their previous career-highs by three points each, while Bahe (14) was one shy of his career-best.
CU's seniors scored its final eight points of regulation and added 12 of the team's 20 points in overtime.
Helping Hand
Junior point guard Josh Dotzler tied a career-high with 10 assists in the win over Saint Joseph's on Dec. 9.
Dotzler's performance matched his 10 assists in a Feb. 4, 2006 overtime win at Drake.
Dotzler's 10 dimes were also the most in Qwest Center Omaha history by a Creighton player.
For the season, Dotzler leads Creighton with 46 assists, 22 more than any other Bluejay.
Watts Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton senior Dane Watts is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.
Watts leads Creighton in scoring and rebounding this season, and has made 93 straight starts. In addition to being a solid student in the classroom, the business management major is actively involved in the community. Watts is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and in the summer of 2006 toured France with Athletes in Action.
From the list of 30 nominees for each gender, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient.
Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Redick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).
The Drive For Five
Creighton had its five-game winning streak snapped at Xavier on Dec. 5. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in each of the last 11 seasons, and 17 such streaks overall in the 14-year tenure of Dana Altman.
The Jays enter Saturday's game with Illinois State riding a four-game win streak.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 13 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
3-0 Start, Again
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in nine of the last 10 seasons, including this year's 5-0 open before losing. Last year's team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Thanks in large part to the quick starts to open the year, Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Saturday will be the 323rd game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.
Stinnett Off To A Good Start
P'Allen Stinnett has scored 103 points in his first 10 games as a Bluejay. That ranks as the most by any CU player in their first 10 games since Rodney Buford scored 104 during the 1995-96 campaign. Buford would go on to become the MVC Newcomer of the Year and the leading scorer in Creighton history with 2,116 points.
Putting it in perspective, former Bluejay Anthony Tolliver scored just 22 points all of his freshman season. Tolliver ended with 1,004 career points and was named second-team all-MVC (2005-06) and first-team all-MVC (2006-07) before graduating last May.
Cashing In At The Line
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter made each of his first 22 free throw attempts, including a perfect 10-of-10 effort at Drexel, before missing on Dec. 5 at Xavier.
Witter's 22 in a row was tied for the ninth-longest streak in Bluejay records, 10 makes shy of the school record set by Michael Lindeman. Lindeman made 32 in a row from Jan. 23 - Nov. 29, 2003.
Witter's 22 in a row was the best mark in school history to start a season, two better than Kyle Korver's 20 straight to open 2001-02.
Consecutive Free Throws Made (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 1, 2007
National Stats Report
The third national statistical report came out on Dec. 17th, and the Bluejays were ranked in the top 50 in three team categories. Creighton was 39th with a .857 winning percentage, ranked sixth with 11.3 steals per game and were 44th with a +13.9 scoring margin.
Individually, Cavel Witter was 10th with his 92.9 free throw percentage, Josh Dotzler ranked 28th nationally with 2.6 steals per game and Dane Watts was 36th with his 59.7 percent shooting from the field.
Stealing A Share Of The Record
Creighton tied a school-record on Nov. 29 against Savannah State, recording 18 steals in its 26-point victory.
The 18 steals matches the amount recorded on Dec. 18, 1991 at Cleveland State, and later matched on Dec. 12, 1999 against Illinois State.
Balancing Act
Creighton has 11 players averaging 12.1 minutes per game or more, with all of those men scoring at least 3.9 points per game as well. Three of CU's top four scorers are reserves.
All 14 Bluejays on the roster have scored at least six points or more.
MegaWatts
Dane Watts scored a then-career-high 26 points against Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 17. 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.
Halftime Advantage
Creighton's 47-20 halftime lead over Nebraska on November 24 was the second-largest intermission margin in the five-year history of Qwest Center Omaha. Creighton led Alcorn State 39-11 on Nov. 15, 2004 for the largest halftime margin.
Below is a list of Creighton's top halftime leads and deficits at Qwest Center Omaha:
CU's Largest Halftime Leads at Qwest Center
Margin Score Opponent Date
28 39-11 Alcorn State 11/15/04
27 47-20 Nebraska 11/24/07
23 41-18 St. Bonaventure 11/29/03
21 42-21 Bethune Cookman 12/03/03
20 31-11 Nebraska 12/11/05
20 37-17 San Diego 11/22/03
CU's Largest Halftime Deficits at Qwest Center
Margin Score Opponent Date
-14 34-48 Evansville 02/07/07
-11 27-38 Indiana State 02/22/06
-10 19-29 Miami (Fla.) 03/20/06
-10 28-38 Bradley 01/18/06
-9 34-43 Missouri State 02/05/05
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 83 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 52 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
17,049 Nebraska W 74-62 11/24/07
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
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.
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.
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.
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).
Is Anyone Left?
Creighton returned just 24.7 percent of its scoring from last season's team. According to 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
96 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 96 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 sixth nationally according to STATS Inc. through Dec. 27.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 111 12/29
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 107 12/29
3. Leon Williams, Ohio 106 01/02
4. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 103 12/28
5. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 99 12/29
6. Dane Watts, Creighton 96 12/29
7. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 93 12/29
8. Mark Porter, Wagner 92 12/29
Are You Experienced?
How much experience does senior Dane Watts have compared to the rest of the his CU teammates? The chart below shows his stats at CU compared to all of his teammates...combined.
Stat Watts Rest of Team
Starts 96 81
Blocks 31 31
FG Made 322 410
FG Attempts 695 931
3FG Made 116 159
3FG Attempts 315 426
FT Made 167 225
FT Attempts 246 319
Points 927 1,206
Off. Rebounds 173 174
Def. Rebounds 369 363
Rebounds 542 537
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 176-38 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 8-0 3-0 11-0
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 103-14 73-24 176-38
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 71 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 181 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
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton's has played 71 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 60-11 (.845) 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 5,195-4,316 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 12.4 points per game.
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 23 charges so far this season, including five on both Dec. 17 and Dec. 20. 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
Dane Watts 15 11 6 32
Chad Millard n/a n/a 5 5
Casey Harriman n/a n/a 4 4
Kenton Walker n/a n/a 3 3
Josh Dotzler 4 0 2 6
Kenny Lawson Jr. n/a 0 1 1
Cavel Witter n/a n/a 1 1
Dustin Sitzmann 0 0 1 1
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 23 253
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 16 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
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
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,369 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 73-38 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 28-16 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 22, and possibly as many as 24, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
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).
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales are 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.
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 419 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 269 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. 269 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 Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 443 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State 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 12,888 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.
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/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball Availability - 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
Meet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
