Men's Basketball Visits No. 21 Xavier Wednesday
12/4/2007 12:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (5-0) puts its unbeaten record on the line when it travels to Cincinnati, Ohio, to take on No. 21 Xavier (6-1) on Wednesday.
Tip-off at Cintas Center is set for 7 pm Central (8 pm Eastern).
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 Kevin Sarver will call the action. Sirius satellite radio will carry Xavier's feed on channel 152.
Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday's game is the third of eight games scheduled for broadcast by KMTV this season. Travis Justice (play-by-play) and Scott Schumacher (analyst) will announce. Coordinates are as follows:
Galaxy 26 1-D
Uplink Freq. - 14021.375 H
Downlink Freq. - 11721 V
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics, Jump TV and Cox High Speed Internet will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of at least 14 games this season, including Wednesday. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a season pass is $59.95. Single games are available for $6.95 each.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will be the KMTV broadcast, begins a few minutes before tipoff.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
Xavier will be doing live stats on Wednesday. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page. Fans can also visit www.goxavier.com for the link.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 5-0 after beating DePaul (74-62), Mississippi Valley State (76-46), Nebraska (74-62) and Savannah State (78-52) at home and Drexel (72-48) on the road so far.
The Bluejays return six lettermen and one starter from last year's team that finished 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine seasons.
Senior forward Dane Watts, owner of 91consecutive starts, is by far the most experienced player on the roster. Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year, and this year he leads the team with 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Also scoring in double-digits is newcomers P'Allen Stinnett (12.2 ppg.) and Cavel Witter (10.0 ppg.). Stinnett raised eyebrows with 23 points in his debut and ranks second on the team with 14 assists and 11 steals. Witter had 20 points at Drexel and is perfect in 22 free-throw attempts.
The Bluejays are outscoring the opposition by a 20.8 point average (74.8-54.0) and are outrebounding teams by 5.4 caroms per contest.
Scouting Xavier
The nation's 21st-ranked team, Xavier is 6-1 this year including an impressive 80-65 win over then-No. 8 Indiana. The Musketeers have won four straight since their only loss, a 59-57 setback on Nov. 13 at Miami (Ohio).
Six players average in double-figures for Xavier, paced by B.J. Raymond's 13.3 points per contest.
C.J. Anderson, who starred for two seasons at Manhattan, transferred in and averages 12.7 points per game. Former Oklahoma transfer Drew Lavender averages 10.4 points per game and also tops the team with 33 assists and 13 steals.
Senior Stanley Burrell, who led the team in scoring as a freshman and sophomore, still averages 11.7 points per game but reports indicate he has embraced the role as a defensive stopper on a Xavier team yielding just 59.1 points per game.
Xavier averages 83.7 points per game and is shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three-point range and 71.5 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 265-141 (.653) mark at CU and a career record of 348-208 (.626) in 19 years as an NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 22 previous years as a head coach. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 10 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Mike Maker. Nick Earnest is the team's film coordinator.
Xavier is coached by Sean Miller (Pittsburgh, 1993), who owns a 69-33 record in his fourth year with the Musketeers. Miller is assisted by Chris Mack, James Whitford and Emanuel Richardson.
The Series With Xavier
Xavier owns a 7-6 lead in the series with Creighton. The teams have split eight all-time meetings in Cincinnati, including two games at the eight-year old Cintas Center.
The last seven games have been decided by a total of 22 points. In fact, all six of CU's wins in this series have been by six points or less.
Dana Altman owns a 3-2 record all-time against Xavier, including a 3-0 mark in head-to-head matchups with Sean Miller.
Last Meeting With Xavier
Creighton never trailed in a 73-67 win over No. 24 Xavier on Dec. 9, 2006. The Bluejays led 34-26 at the half, then used a 9-2 run to open the second half and break the game wide open. Xavier got within four, but didn't get closer.
Anthony Tolliver had 17 points while Nate Funk had 15 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals to lead Creighton. Xavier was led by 13 points and five assists from Drew Lavender.
Last Game Recap
Creighton forced 29 turnovers and Cavel Witter scored a career-high 20 points on his 20th birthday as the Bluejays picked up a 72-48 road win at Drexel on Saturday. Creighton used an 11-0 run to go up 17-8 early and never trailed after that. Tramayne Hawthorne paced Drexel with 12 points.
Good To The Last Shot
Three of the last four Creighton-Xavier games have gone to the final seconds.
On Dec. 31, 2002, Xavier's David West hit a jumper in traffic with 4.1 seconds left, and a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer by CU's Tyler McKinney missed long, giving the Musketeers a 75-73 win.
In November of 2004, McKinney got his revenge with a short jumper with 21.5 seconds left to give CU a 73-72 lead. The Jays then got a defensive stop as Xavier's Dedrick Finn missed an off-balance trey at the final horn.
In December of 2005, Creighton hung on down the stretch in a 61-59 win. This one didn't come down to the buzzer, but the two-point win wasn't safe until CU inbounded the ball and avoided a foul or turnover with one second to play.
Last year Creighton never trailed while defeating the No. 24 Musketeers, 74-67, in Omaha. Xavier fell behind 19-8 in the opening 12 minutes and by 15 in the opening minutes of the second half. Xavier cut the deficit to six with 4:08 to play before CU seniors Nick Porter, Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver scored CU's final 12 points down the stretch for the win.
Jays Against Ranked Foes
Creighton is 18-109 all-time against teams that are ranked in the AP poll, including a 7-11 mark under Dana Altman. Wednesday's opponent, Xavier, is 21st in this week's AP poll.
The Jays were 2-2 last season against ranked teams, beating #11 Southern Illinois 67-61 on March 4, 2007 and #24 Xavier on Dec. 9, 2006 by a 73-67 margin in Omaha, but falling 72-68 at #21 Southern Illinois on Feb. 10 and 77-71 in overtime to #15 Nevada in the NCAA Tournament in New Orleans, La.
Much more information on Creighton's history vs. ranked teams can be found later in this packet, as well as page 146 of the Creighton media guide.
Rank Performance
Creighton is 2-60 all-time on the road against ranked teams, including 22 straight losses. CU's last road win over a ranked team came on Jan. 28, 1978, when it beat Larry Bird's #13 Indiana State club.
Creighton also beat #6 Marquette on the road on Feb. 9, 1974.
Altman vs. Ranked Teams
Dana Altman is 7-11 against ranked teams since coming to Creighton. CU beat #18 Oklahoma State (Dec. 20, 1998), #23 Iowa (Nov. 27, 1999), #17 Western Kentucky (Nov. 27, 2001), #25 Northern Iowa (Jan. 31, 2006) and #24 Xavier (Dec. 9, 2006) at home and #15 Florida (March 15, 2002) and #11 Southern Illinois (March 4, 2007) at a neutral site.
Xavier is ranked 21st in this week's AP poll.
Altman's seven wins against ranked teams are a school record for a CU coach, two more than Eddie Sutton's win total (5-18).
When he was at Kansas State, Altman went 6-18 against ranked teams. Notably, on Jan. 17, 1994, Altman's unranked team beat then-No. 1 Kansas, 68-64 in Lawrence, Kan.
Tenacious D
Creighton is allowing just 54.0 points per game, best in the MVC this year and tied for seventh nationally through games played Monday. Ironically, last year Creighton also allowed just 54.0 points in its first five games, which ranked ninth at the time.
This marks the sixth straight season the Jays have allowed less than 65 points per game.
Each of CU's last 13 opponents have been held to 65 points or less in regulation, dating to last year.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 41-0 in his Division I coaching career when allowing 50 points or less.
Defense Meet Offense
Creighton's seventh-ranked scoring defense (54.0 ppg.) meets a Xavier team ranked 24th nationally in scoring offense with 83.7 points per game on Wednesday.
Both the Bluejays and Musketeers rank among the national leaders in scoring margin as well. Xavier is tied for fifth, winning games by an average of 24.6 points per game. Creighton is 15th, winning games by 20.8 points per game.
The statistical website run by Kem Pomeroy, www.kenpom.com, also ranks offensive and defensive efficiency based on points per 100 possessions (possessions are calculated using the formula FGA-OR+TO+0.475xFTA).
Creighton ranks third in defensive efficiency, yielding just 77 points per 100 possessions. Xavier ranks second in offensive efficiency, averaging 123.4 points per 100 possessions.
Turning Them Over
The www.kenpom.com web site also tracks the percentage of possessions in which a defense forces turnovers.
Through Monday, Creighton ranks second best nationally, forcing turnovers 31.4 percent of the time (fellow MVC rival Southern Illinois is first at 32.2 percent). Xavier ranks 17th nationally in taking care of the ball, turning it over just 16.9 percent of the time.
Creighton Moves To 5-0
Last week's 72-48 win at Drexel assured Creighton of its sixth 5-0 start in the past 10 seasons.
It will also mark the third straight trip to Xavier that Creighton has entered with an unbeaten record and five or more wins.
With a win at Xavier, Creighton would start 6-0 for the 18th time in 90 years of basketball, and first time since 2004-05. Below is a list of Creighton's most successful starts all-time, with seasons under Dana Altman in bold italic:
Start Year Final W-L
16-0 1942-43 16-1
13-0 1916-17 18-2
12-0 2003-04 20-9
11-0 1917-18 11-0
10-0 2002-03 29-5
10-0 1918-19 10-0
9-0 1999-00 23-10
9-0 1963-64 22-7
8-0 1928-29 13-4
8-0 1919-20 15-2
7-0 2004-05 23-11
7-0 1980-81 21-9
7-0 1931-32 17-4
6-0 1998-99 22-9
6-0 1946-47 17-8
6-0 1933-34 14-3
6-0 1923-24 13-2
The Drive For Five
Creighton currently owns a five-game winning streak. 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.
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.
20 Points On 20th Birthday
Creighton guard Cavel Witter celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday with 20 points in Creighton's road win at Drexel. That's the most points by a Bluejay on their birthday since at least the 1991-92 season, when media guides started listing birthdays.
Witter Earns MVC Newcomer Honor
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter has been named this week's State Farm MVC Newcomer of the Week. Witter averaged 12.0 points off the bench while helping Creighton to wins over Savannah State (78-52) and Drexel (72-48) last week.
Witter scored 20 points in just 16 minutes of his first career road game at Drexel, including 4-of-5 shooting from the floor and 10-for-10 accuracy at the line. Eighteen of his 20 points came in the second half.
Big Week For The Jesuits
Jesuit school Creighton will meet two of the nation's other 27 Jesuit colleges and universities this week, as it takes on Xavier (Wednesday) and Saint Joseph's (Sunday).
In addition to the three aforementioned schools, the nation's other members of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) include Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Loyola (Ill.), John Carroll, Detroit, Georgetown (D.C.), Loyola (Md.), Scranton, Wheeling Jesuit, Regis, Rockhurst, Saint Louis, Boston College, Holy Cross, Fairfield, Loyola (La.), Spring Hill, Canisius, Fordham, LeMoyne, St. Peter's, Gonzaga, Seattle and Marquette.
Two of the Atlantic 10's Best
In addition to being a pair of Jesuit schools, Xavier and Saint Joseph's are two of the best teams the Atlantic 10 Conference has to offer.
Xavier was picked to win the league in a preseason vote of coaches and media, garnering 42 of 59 first-place votes.
Saint Joseph's was picked third (also trailing Rhode Island) and earned seven first-place tallies.
The Missouri Valley Conference is 3-0 against the Atlantic 10 this year and 8-3 since 2005-06 in head-to-head match-ups.
Big Road Win
Creighton's 72-48 win at Drexel on Saturday ranks as its second-largest margin of victory (24 points) in a true road game since a 83-52 pasting at UC-Irvine on Feb. 19, 1974.
The Jays only bigger road win since then was a 74-46 victory at Indiana State on Jan. 29, 2003.
He's My Brother
Bluejay freshman Kaleb Korver will make his first trip to Cintas Center on Wednesday, but it'll be hard for him to top the performance of his older brother Kyle Korver from Dec. 31, 2002.
In that game, Kyle scored a career-high 32 points, including eight three-pointers, despite being hounded all night by Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year Romain Sato. Korver drained four three-pointers in the final four minutes to bring the Jays back from a 10-point deficit, only to watch as Xavier's David West hit the game-winner with 4.1 seconds left.
The heroic performance of Korver wasn't lost on the Xavier fans at Cintas Center fans either, as they gave the Bluejay senior a standing ovation as he left the court.
Against Postseason Teams?
Xavier will mark the fourth team Creighton has faced this year that participated in the postseason last spring.
The Jays defeated DePaul on Nov. 9 by a 74-62 score, Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 17 by a 76-46 margin and Drexel by a 72-48 score on Dec. 1 in Philadelphia. All three teams participated in the NIT last year.
Wednesday's opponent, Xavier, won its first-round NCAA Tournament game last year over BYU before falling in overtime to top-seeded Ohio State in the second round.
Two Top Teams
Creighton and Xavier have proven to be two of of the nation's most successful programs over the past 11 years, though both frequently fly under the national radar.
Since the start of the 1997-98 season, see the following comparison, which includes this year:
Statistic Creighton Xavier
W-L 229-92 236-95
Winning Pct. .7134 .7130
20-Win Seasons 9 9
Postseasons 10 9
NCAA's 7 7
NIT's 3 2
The Valley's Only Unbeaten
Creighton (5-0) enters Wednesday as the only undefeated team in the Missouri Valley Conference, and is one of 18 schools nationwide without a loss.
The list of undefeated teams, through games of Monday, is as follows: Duke, North Carolina, Clemson, Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Kansas, Texas, Memphis, Butler, Creighton, Washington State, California, Vanderbilt, Mississippi, Texas-Arlington, Sam Houston State and St. Mary's (Calif.).
CU is the nation's only men's team to win every game it has played by 12 points or more.
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. 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. Wednesday will be the 318th 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 61 points in his first five games as a Bluejay. That ranks as the most by any CU player in their first five games since Ryan Sears scored 63 in his first handful of games during the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears would go on to be named MVC Freshman of the Year and finished his career holding CU records for games played, games started, assists and steals.
Heck Of A Bench
Creighton's bench has scored 54 more points than the starting five this year, outscoring them 214-160.
Creighton has scored 36 or more bench points every game this fall, compared to a high of 30 for last year's team. This year's team averages 43.2 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.
Both Creighton's starters and the opposing starters have scored 160 points to date. However, CU's bench has outscored the opposition's bench by a whopping 214-110 margin, which amounts to a 20.8 point per game differential.
Stat Starters Bench
Points 160 214
Minutes 502 498
FG% .454 .462
3FG% .360 .340
FT% .667 .694
Rebounds 88 90
Assists 42 35
Steals 30 33
Double-Digit Victors
Each of Creighton's first five wins have been by 12 points or more, including identical 74-62 wins over both DePaul and Nebraska.
Creighton last opened with five straight double-digit wins in 1956-57. CU has not had six straight double-digit wins to open the season since 1928-29.
Going For 70
Creighton has scored 72 points or more in all five games to date. That makes it the school's first team since 1998-99 to score 70 or more in each of the first five games. That 1998-99 club finished 22-9 overall and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Xavier has yet to allow more than 68 points in any game this year.
National Stats Report
The first national statistical report came out on Dec. 3rd, and the Bluejays are all over the lists. Creighton is tied for the national lead with a 1.000 winning percentage, rank second with 12.6 steals per game, rank eighth in scoring defense (54.0 ppg allowed) and are 15th in scoring margin (+20.8).
Individually, Cavel Witter is tied for first with his 1.000 free throw percentage, while Josh Dotzler ranks 20th nationally with 2.8 steals per game.
Cashing In At The Line
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter has made each of his first 22 free throw attempts, including a perfect 10-of-10 effort last Saturday.
Witter's 22 in a row is 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 is the best mark in school history to start a season, two better than Kyle Korver's 20 straight to open 2001-02.
Witter's 22 makes is the most in the country without a miss. Another newcomer on the Creighton women's team, freshman Kelsey Woodard, can claim the most makes nationally without a miss among women with her 19-for-19 performance heading into Wednesday night's game at Denver.
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, 2007-Present
Stealing A Share Of The Record
Creighton tied a school-record last Thursday night 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.
Josh Dotzler had four steals, three others had three steals, Pierce Hibma had two steals and three others had one steal apiece.
40-Point Halves = Wins
Creighton scored 41 points in the second half of its Dec. 1 win at Drexel.
Dating to Jan. 29, 2005, Creighton has won its last 30 games when it scores at least 40 points in a half.
Road Openers Under Altman
With last Saturday's win over Drexel, Creighton improved to 10-4 under Dana Altman in its' first game of the season away from home. Three of the road openers (all wins) came on a neutral floor in Kansas City. CU has won five of its last six openers away from home.
In Creighton's first true road game under Altman, the Jays improved to 9-5.
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.
The Jays have led by 10 or more points at half in 11-of-14 November games at Qwest Center Omaha all-time.
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
November Reign
Creighton is 34-3 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 26-0 in November home games at Creighton. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
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 79 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 48 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
Balancing Act
Creighton has 11 players averaging 11.6 minutes per game or more, with all of those men scoring at least 3.0 points per game as well.
Six of CU's top nine scorers are reserves, including double-figure scorers P'Allen Stinnett (12.2 ppg.) and Cavel Witter (10.0 ppg.).
Aaron Brandt is the only Bluejay that is scoreless to date.
Milestone Man
Dane Watts played in the 100th game of his Bluejay career on Nov. 24 against Nebraska. Then last Thursday against Savannah State, the senior forward reached the 500-carom milestone in his career.
Watts, who leads CU with 7.2 rebounds per game this year, has now grabbed two boards or more in 30 straight games. He has also led CU in rebounds each of the first five games.
Watts ranks seventh among active MVC players with 846 career points and fifth with 510 career rebounds.
MegaWatts
Dane Watts scored a 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.
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.
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
91 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 91 games, dating to his first start on Dec. 28, 2004.
That ranks as the MVC's longest active streak of consecutive starts, and is also seventh nationally according to STATS Inc. through Dec. 3.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 107 12/05
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 103 12/08
3. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 99 12/05
Leon Williams, Ohio 99 12/05
5. Bryant Dunston, Fordham 98 12/05
6. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 95 12/08
7. Dane Watts, Creighton 91 12/05
8. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 89 12/04
9. Mark Porter, Wagner 88 12/04
10. Jack Leasure, Coastal Carolina 83 12/07
Are You Experienced?
How much experience does senior Dane Watts have compared to the rest of the Creighton team? The chart below shows his stats at CU compared to those of all his teammates...combined.
Stat Watts Rest of Team
Starts 91 61
Blocks 26 20
FG Made 295 289
FG Attempts 651 677
3FG Made 113 114
3FG Attempts 306 311
FT Made 143 159
FT Attempts 213 233
Points 846 853
Off. Rebounds 160 120
Def. Rebounds 350 277
Rebounds 510 397
Fouls 244 299
Fouled Out 2 2
Turnovers 119 260
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).
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 171-38 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 4-0 2-0 6-0
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 99-14 72-24 171-38
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 67 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 177 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 67 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 56-11 (.836) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 13-0 figure on Wednesday's. The 11 losses have been by a combined 49 points. CU has outscored its opponents 4,827-4,044 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 11.7 points per game.
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales will be up as Creighton fans try to figure out who all the newcomers on the roster are this winter.
Creighton has just one regular starter back from last year, Dane Watts. The last time Creighton listed just one returning starter was all the way back in 1985-86, when Gary Swain was the lone returning starter.
Additionally, Creighton's returners accounted for just 44 games started last year. That's the fewest games started that are returning since at least the start of the 1980-81 campaign, as seen below:
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2007-08 1 44 ?
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken five charges so far this season.
Over the previous five seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-06 ?06-07 ?07-08 Total
Kenton Walker n/a n/a 2 2
Josh Dotzler 4 0 1 5
Chad Millard n/a n/a 1 1
Casey Harriman n/a n/a 1 1
Dane Watts 15 11 0 26
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 5 235
10 Conference Wins x 11 Seasons
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for an 11th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only teams with at least 11 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Arizona (22), South Carolina State (14), Stanford (13), Kansas (13) and Creighton (11).
20 Overall Wins x 9 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 101-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post nine straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of nine teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last nine seasons. That list consists of Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky and Syracuse.
Postseason x 10
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 10 consecutive seasons, tied for the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It matches the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 10 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 16 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
Six Out Of Nine Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last nine years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Duke (7), Winthrop (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2006-07 campaign marked the ninth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as two teams were in the Big Dance.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last nine NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Jays Were Among Attendance Leaders
During the 2006-07 season, Creighton finished ranked 13th nationally in average attendance with 15,909 fans per game. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, according to figures compiled by the NCAA.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Avg.
1. Kentucky 23,421
2. Syracuse 21,516
3. North Carolina 20,693
4. Tennessee 19,661
5. Louisville 18,488
6. Ohio State 17,530
7. Wisconsin 17,190
8. Maryland 16,822
9. Arkansas 16,720
10. Illinois 16,618
11. Indiana 16,474
12. Kansas 16,300
13. Creighton 15,909
14. Marquette 15,345
15. Michigan State 14,759
MVC's Top Crowds Ever
Creighton has set MVC attendance records each of the past two seasons. In 2005-06 the program attracted a league-record 236,313 fans, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 the Bluejays set in 2003-04. Last season, Creighton set a mark with 15,909 fans per average home game.
Below are the top average home attendance totals in MVC history.
Ave. Att. School Year
16,074 Creighton 2007-08
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Eight of his last 10 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley, and the two that didn't both won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 10 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.)
Redshirt Nation
Creighton redshirted four members of the team in 2006-07 who were able to practice with a Bluejay team that finished 22-11.
Chad Millard sat out as a transfer after playing in 2005-06 at Louisville. He has three years of eligibility left.
Kenny Lawson Jr. played in two November games, but was bothered by knee tendinitis the rest of the year. The freshman, who averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two brief stints, retains four years of eligibility.
Two other freshmen did not play a single minute, Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt. Both men will have four years left to play at Creighton.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 70-38 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 27-15 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-20 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-11 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 21, and possibly as many as 23, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception. Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Pierce Hibma (Pella), junior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and freshmen Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella). Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 414 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 265 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. 265 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 438 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Creighton had its streak of 408 straight games with two or more treys snapped on Jan. 20, 2007 against Southern Illinois when it finished 1-of-8 from downtown.
Last Season Recap
Led by seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, Creighton went 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine years last winter.
Creighton was ranked a best-ever 19th in the preseason Associated Press poll last year, but lost several games early and was just 4-3 before a second-place finish in Honolulu at the Rainbow Classic.
The Bluejays would then open MVC play with a 5-1 record, eventually finishing second with a 13-5 league mark.
The second-seeded Bluejays then won the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis with victories over Indiana State, Missouri State and #11 Southern Illinois, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Funk, Tolliver and Porter were all named to the all-Tournament Team.
Shipped to New Orleans, La., to take on #15 Nevada, Creighton dropped a 77-71 overtime game to the Wolf Pack in the first round of the NCAA's.
Funk and Tolliver gave Creighton its first pair of first-team all-MVC teammates since 1991. Funk led the Jays in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.), while Tolliver topped the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.72 bpg.).
Creighton was 15th nationally with its school-record 75.4 percent accuracy at the free-throw line and ranked 23rd nationally, allowing just 60.9 points per game. The Jays also ranked 13th nationally with an MVC-record 15,909 fans per home game.
The 2006-07 campaign marked Creighton's 10th-straight postseason bid and ninth-straight 20-win season.
Canada Trip Recap
Creighton spent Labor Day weekend in Calgary, winning five games in three days. Creighton beat Saskatchewan twice (87-82 and 92-66), Calgary twice (85-77 and 97-78) and Lethbridge once (88-49).
Eleven different Creighton players started at least once, and all 14 Jays scored at least nine points over the course of the weekend.
Dane Watts led Creighton in scoring with 16.0 points per game while also adding 6.4 rebounds per contest. Kenny Lawson Jr. averaged 14.0 points and led the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game. Josh Dotzler paced the club with 19 assists and 14 steals.
The foreign trip, which is allowed once every four years, was Creighton's first since the 2003-04 trip to Vancouver. That Creighton team opened the season 12-0.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets went on sale on Nov. 7th. Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, the Omaha Civic Auditorium Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (402) 422-1212. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $11 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Creighton sold a record 12,888 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 (5-0) puts its unbeaten record on the line when it travels to Cincinnati, Ohio, to take on No. 21 Xavier (6-1) on Wednesday.
Tip-off at Cintas Center is set for 7 pm Central (8 pm Eastern).
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 Kevin Sarver will call the action. Sirius satellite radio will carry Xavier's feed on channel 152.
Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday's game is the third of eight games scheduled for broadcast by KMTV this season. Travis Justice (play-by-play) and Scott Schumacher (analyst) will announce. Coordinates are as follows:
Galaxy 26 1-D
Uplink Freq. - 14021.375 H
Downlink Freq. - 11721 V
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics, Jump TV and Cox High Speed Internet will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of at least 14 games this season, including Wednesday. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a season pass is $59.95. Single games are available for $6.95 each.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will be the KMTV broadcast, begins a few minutes before tipoff.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
Xavier will be doing live stats on Wednesday. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page. Fans can also visit www.goxavier.com for the link.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 5-0 after beating DePaul (74-62), Mississippi Valley State (76-46), Nebraska (74-62) and Savannah State (78-52) at home and Drexel (72-48) on the road so far.
The Bluejays return six lettermen and one starter from last year's team that finished 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine seasons.
Senior forward Dane Watts, owner of 91consecutive starts, is by far the most experienced player on the roster. Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year, and this year he leads the team with 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Also scoring in double-digits is newcomers P'Allen Stinnett (12.2 ppg.) and Cavel Witter (10.0 ppg.). Stinnett raised eyebrows with 23 points in his debut and ranks second on the team with 14 assists and 11 steals. Witter had 20 points at Drexel and is perfect in 22 free-throw attempts.
The Bluejays are outscoring the opposition by a 20.8 point average (74.8-54.0) and are outrebounding teams by 5.4 caroms per contest.
Scouting Xavier
The nation's 21st-ranked team, Xavier is 6-1 this year including an impressive 80-65 win over then-No. 8 Indiana. The Musketeers have won four straight since their only loss, a 59-57 setback on Nov. 13 at Miami (Ohio).
Six players average in double-figures for Xavier, paced by B.J. Raymond's 13.3 points per contest.
C.J. Anderson, who starred for two seasons at Manhattan, transferred in and averages 12.7 points per game. Former Oklahoma transfer Drew Lavender averages 10.4 points per game and also tops the team with 33 assists and 13 steals.
Senior Stanley Burrell, who led the team in scoring as a freshman and sophomore, still averages 11.7 points per game but reports indicate he has embraced the role as a defensive stopper on a Xavier team yielding just 59.1 points per game.
Xavier averages 83.7 points per game and is shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three-point range and 71.5 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 265-141 (.653) mark at CU and a career record of 348-208 (.626) in 19 years as an NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 22 previous years as a head coach. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 10 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Mike Maker. Nick Earnest is the team's film coordinator.
Xavier is coached by Sean Miller (Pittsburgh, 1993), who owns a 69-33 record in his fourth year with the Musketeers. Miller is assisted by Chris Mack, James Whitford and Emanuel Richardson.
The Series With Xavier
Xavier owns a 7-6 lead in the series with Creighton. The teams have split eight all-time meetings in Cincinnati, including two games at the eight-year old Cintas Center.
The last seven games have been decided by a total of 22 points. In fact, all six of CU's wins in this series have been by six points or less.
Dana Altman owns a 3-2 record all-time against Xavier, including a 3-0 mark in head-to-head matchups with Sean Miller.
Last Meeting With Xavier
Creighton never trailed in a 73-67 win over No. 24 Xavier on Dec. 9, 2006. The Bluejays led 34-26 at the half, then used a 9-2 run to open the second half and break the game wide open. Xavier got within four, but didn't get closer.
Anthony Tolliver had 17 points while Nate Funk had 15 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals to lead Creighton. Xavier was led by 13 points and five assists from Drew Lavender.
Last Game Recap
Creighton forced 29 turnovers and Cavel Witter scored a career-high 20 points on his 20th birthday as the Bluejays picked up a 72-48 road win at Drexel on Saturday. Creighton used an 11-0 run to go up 17-8 early and never trailed after that. Tramayne Hawthorne paced Drexel with 12 points.
Good To The Last Shot
Three of the last four Creighton-Xavier games have gone to the final seconds.
On Dec. 31, 2002, Xavier's David West hit a jumper in traffic with 4.1 seconds left, and a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer by CU's Tyler McKinney missed long, giving the Musketeers a 75-73 win.
In November of 2004, McKinney got his revenge with a short jumper with 21.5 seconds left to give CU a 73-72 lead. The Jays then got a defensive stop as Xavier's Dedrick Finn missed an off-balance trey at the final horn.
In December of 2005, Creighton hung on down the stretch in a 61-59 win. This one didn't come down to the buzzer, but the two-point win wasn't safe until CU inbounded the ball and avoided a foul or turnover with one second to play.
Last year Creighton never trailed while defeating the No. 24 Musketeers, 74-67, in Omaha. Xavier fell behind 19-8 in the opening 12 minutes and by 15 in the opening minutes of the second half. Xavier cut the deficit to six with 4:08 to play before CU seniors Nick Porter, Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver scored CU's final 12 points down the stretch for the win.
Jays Against Ranked Foes
Creighton is 18-109 all-time against teams that are ranked in the AP poll, including a 7-11 mark under Dana Altman. Wednesday's opponent, Xavier, is 21st in this week's AP poll.
The Jays were 2-2 last season against ranked teams, beating #11 Southern Illinois 67-61 on March 4, 2007 and #24 Xavier on Dec. 9, 2006 by a 73-67 margin in Omaha, but falling 72-68 at #21 Southern Illinois on Feb. 10 and 77-71 in overtime to #15 Nevada in the NCAA Tournament in New Orleans, La.
Much more information on Creighton's history vs. ranked teams can be found later in this packet, as well as page 146 of the Creighton media guide.
Rank Performance
Creighton is 2-60 all-time on the road against ranked teams, including 22 straight losses. CU's last road win over a ranked team came on Jan. 28, 1978, when it beat Larry Bird's #13 Indiana State club.
Creighton also beat #6 Marquette on the road on Feb. 9, 1974.
Altman vs. Ranked Teams
Dana Altman is 7-11 against ranked teams since coming to Creighton. CU beat #18 Oklahoma State (Dec. 20, 1998), #23 Iowa (Nov. 27, 1999), #17 Western Kentucky (Nov. 27, 2001), #25 Northern Iowa (Jan. 31, 2006) and #24 Xavier (Dec. 9, 2006) at home and #15 Florida (March 15, 2002) and #11 Southern Illinois (March 4, 2007) at a neutral site.
Xavier is ranked 21st in this week's AP poll.
Altman's seven wins against ranked teams are a school record for a CU coach, two more than Eddie Sutton's win total (5-18).
When he was at Kansas State, Altman went 6-18 against ranked teams. Notably, on Jan. 17, 1994, Altman's unranked team beat then-No. 1 Kansas, 68-64 in Lawrence, Kan.
Tenacious D
Creighton is allowing just 54.0 points per game, best in the MVC this year and tied for seventh nationally through games played Monday. Ironically, last year Creighton also allowed just 54.0 points in its first five games, which ranked ninth at the time.
This marks the sixth straight season the Jays have allowed less than 65 points per game.
Each of CU's last 13 opponents have been held to 65 points or less in regulation, dating to last year.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 41-0 in his Division I coaching career when allowing 50 points or less.
Defense Meet Offense
Creighton's seventh-ranked scoring defense (54.0 ppg.) meets a Xavier team ranked 24th nationally in scoring offense with 83.7 points per game on Wednesday.
Both the Bluejays and Musketeers rank among the national leaders in scoring margin as well. Xavier is tied for fifth, winning games by an average of 24.6 points per game. Creighton is 15th, winning games by 20.8 points per game.
The statistical website run by Kem Pomeroy, www.kenpom.com, also ranks offensive and defensive efficiency based on points per 100 possessions (possessions are calculated using the formula FGA-OR+TO+0.475xFTA).
Creighton ranks third in defensive efficiency, yielding just 77 points per 100 possessions. Xavier ranks second in offensive efficiency, averaging 123.4 points per 100 possessions.
Turning Them Over
The www.kenpom.com web site also tracks the percentage of possessions in which a defense forces turnovers.
Through Monday, Creighton ranks second best nationally, forcing turnovers 31.4 percent of the time (fellow MVC rival Southern Illinois is first at 32.2 percent). Xavier ranks 17th nationally in taking care of the ball, turning it over just 16.9 percent of the time.
Creighton Moves To 5-0
Last week's 72-48 win at Drexel assured Creighton of its sixth 5-0 start in the past 10 seasons.
It will also mark the third straight trip to Xavier that Creighton has entered with an unbeaten record and five or more wins.
With a win at Xavier, Creighton would start 6-0 for the 18th time in 90 years of basketball, and first time since 2004-05. Below is a list of Creighton's most successful starts all-time, with seasons under Dana Altman in bold italic:
Start Year Final W-L
16-0 1942-43 16-1
13-0 1916-17 18-2
12-0 2003-04 20-9
11-0 1917-18 11-0
10-0 2002-03 29-5
10-0 1918-19 10-0
9-0 1999-00 23-10
9-0 1963-64 22-7
8-0 1928-29 13-4
8-0 1919-20 15-2
7-0 2004-05 23-11
7-0 1980-81 21-9
7-0 1931-32 17-4
6-0 1998-99 22-9
6-0 1946-47 17-8
6-0 1933-34 14-3
6-0 1923-24 13-2
The Drive For Five
Creighton currently owns a five-game winning streak. 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.
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.
20 Points On 20th Birthday
Creighton guard Cavel Witter celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday with 20 points in Creighton's road win at Drexel. That's the most points by a Bluejay on their birthday since at least the 1991-92 season, when media guides started listing birthdays.
Witter Earns MVC Newcomer Honor
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter has been named this week's State Farm MVC Newcomer of the Week. Witter averaged 12.0 points off the bench while helping Creighton to wins over Savannah State (78-52) and Drexel (72-48) last week.
Witter scored 20 points in just 16 minutes of his first career road game at Drexel, including 4-of-5 shooting from the floor and 10-for-10 accuracy at the line. Eighteen of his 20 points came in the second half.
Big Week For The Jesuits
Jesuit school Creighton will meet two of the nation's other 27 Jesuit colleges and universities this week, as it takes on Xavier (Wednesday) and Saint Joseph's (Sunday).
In addition to the three aforementioned schools, the nation's other members of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) include Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Loyola (Ill.), John Carroll, Detroit, Georgetown (D.C.), Loyola (Md.), Scranton, Wheeling Jesuit, Regis, Rockhurst, Saint Louis, Boston College, Holy Cross, Fairfield, Loyola (La.), Spring Hill, Canisius, Fordham, LeMoyne, St. Peter's, Gonzaga, Seattle and Marquette.
Two of the Atlantic 10's Best
In addition to being a pair of Jesuit schools, Xavier and Saint Joseph's are two of the best teams the Atlantic 10 Conference has to offer.
Xavier was picked to win the league in a preseason vote of coaches and media, garnering 42 of 59 first-place votes.
Saint Joseph's was picked third (also trailing Rhode Island) and earned seven first-place tallies.
The Missouri Valley Conference is 3-0 against the Atlantic 10 this year and 8-3 since 2005-06 in head-to-head match-ups.
Big Road Win
Creighton's 72-48 win at Drexel on Saturday ranks as its second-largest margin of victory (24 points) in a true road game since a 83-52 pasting at UC-Irvine on Feb. 19, 1974.
The Jays only bigger road win since then was a 74-46 victory at Indiana State on Jan. 29, 2003.
He's My Brother
Bluejay freshman Kaleb Korver will make his first trip to Cintas Center on Wednesday, but it'll be hard for him to top the performance of his older brother Kyle Korver from Dec. 31, 2002.
In that game, Kyle scored a career-high 32 points, including eight three-pointers, despite being hounded all night by Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year Romain Sato. Korver drained four three-pointers in the final four minutes to bring the Jays back from a 10-point deficit, only to watch as Xavier's David West hit the game-winner with 4.1 seconds left.
The heroic performance of Korver wasn't lost on the Xavier fans at Cintas Center fans either, as they gave the Bluejay senior a standing ovation as he left the court.
Against Postseason Teams?
Xavier will mark the fourth team Creighton has faced this year that participated in the postseason last spring.
The Jays defeated DePaul on Nov. 9 by a 74-62 score, Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 17 by a 76-46 margin and Drexel by a 72-48 score on Dec. 1 in Philadelphia. All three teams participated in the NIT last year.
Wednesday's opponent, Xavier, won its first-round NCAA Tournament game last year over BYU before falling in overtime to top-seeded Ohio State in the second round.
Two Top Teams
Creighton and Xavier have proven to be two of of the nation's most successful programs over the past 11 years, though both frequently fly under the national radar.
Since the start of the 1997-98 season, see the following comparison, which includes this year:
Statistic Creighton Xavier
W-L 229-92 236-95
Winning Pct. .7134 .7130
20-Win Seasons 9 9
Postseasons 10 9
NCAA's 7 7
NIT's 3 2
The Valley's Only Unbeaten
Creighton (5-0) enters Wednesday as the only undefeated team in the Missouri Valley Conference, and is one of 18 schools nationwide without a loss.
The list of undefeated teams, through games of Monday, is as follows: Duke, North Carolina, Clemson, Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Kansas, Texas, Memphis, Butler, Creighton, Washington State, California, Vanderbilt, Mississippi, Texas-Arlington, Sam Houston State and St. Mary's (Calif.).
CU is the nation's only men's team to win every game it has played by 12 points or more.
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. 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. Wednesday will be the 318th 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 61 points in his first five games as a Bluejay. That ranks as the most by any CU player in their first five games since Ryan Sears scored 63 in his first handful of games during the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears would go on to be named MVC Freshman of the Year and finished his career holding CU records for games played, games started, assists and steals.
Heck Of A Bench
Creighton's bench has scored 54 more points than the starting five this year, outscoring them 214-160.
Creighton has scored 36 or more bench points every game this fall, compared to a high of 30 for last year's team. This year's team averages 43.2 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.
Both Creighton's starters and the opposing starters have scored 160 points to date. However, CU's bench has outscored the opposition's bench by a whopping 214-110 margin, which amounts to a 20.8 point per game differential.
Stat Starters Bench
Points 160 214
Minutes 502 498
FG% .454 .462
3FG% .360 .340
FT% .667 .694
Rebounds 88 90
Assists 42 35
Steals 30 33
Double-Digit Victors
Each of Creighton's first five wins have been by 12 points or more, including identical 74-62 wins over both DePaul and Nebraska.
Creighton last opened with five straight double-digit wins in 1956-57. CU has not had six straight double-digit wins to open the season since 1928-29.
Going For 70
Creighton has scored 72 points or more in all five games to date. That makes it the school's first team since 1998-99 to score 70 or more in each of the first five games. That 1998-99 club finished 22-9 overall and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Xavier has yet to allow more than 68 points in any game this year.
National Stats Report
The first national statistical report came out on Dec. 3rd, and the Bluejays are all over the lists. Creighton is tied for the national lead with a 1.000 winning percentage, rank second with 12.6 steals per game, rank eighth in scoring defense (54.0 ppg allowed) and are 15th in scoring margin (+20.8).
Individually, Cavel Witter is tied for first with his 1.000 free throw percentage, while Josh Dotzler ranks 20th nationally with 2.8 steals per game.
Cashing In At The Line
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter has made each of his first 22 free throw attempts, including a perfect 10-of-10 effort last Saturday.
Witter's 22 in a row is 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 is the best mark in school history to start a season, two better than Kyle Korver's 20 straight to open 2001-02.
Witter's 22 makes is the most in the country without a miss. Another newcomer on the Creighton women's team, freshman Kelsey Woodard, can claim the most makes nationally without a miss among women with her 19-for-19 performance heading into Wednesday night's game at Denver.
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, 2007-Present
Stealing A Share Of The Record
Creighton tied a school-record last Thursday night 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.
Josh Dotzler had four steals, three others had three steals, Pierce Hibma had two steals and three others had one steal apiece.
40-Point Halves = Wins
Creighton scored 41 points in the second half of its Dec. 1 win at Drexel.
Dating to Jan. 29, 2005, Creighton has won its last 30 games when it scores at least 40 points in a half.
Road Openers Under Altman
With last Saturday's win over Drexel, Creighton improved to 10-4 under Dana Altman in its' first game of the season away from home. Three of the road openers (all wins) came on a neutral floor in Kansas City. CU has won five of its last six openers away from home.
In Creighton's first true road game under Altman, the Jays improved to 9-5.
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.
The Jays have led by 10 or more points at half in 11-of-14 November games at Qwest Center Omaha all-time.
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
November Reign
Creighton is 34-3 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 26-0 in November home games at Creighton. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
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 79 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 48 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
Balancing Act
Creighton has 11 players averaging 11.6 minutes per game or more, with all of those men scoring at least 3.0 points per game as well.
Six of CU's top nine scorers are reserves, including double-figure scorers P'Allen Stinnett (12.2 ppg.) and Cavel Witter (10.0 ppg.).
Aaron Brandt is the only Bluejay that is scoreless to date.
Milestone Man
Dane Watts played in the 100th game of his Bluejay career on Nov. 24 against Nebraska. Then last Thursday against Savannah State, the senior forward reached the 500-carom milestone in his career.
Watts, who leads CU with 7.2 rebounds per game this year, has now grabbed two boards or more in 30 straight games. He has also led CU in rebounds each of the first five games.
Watts ranks seventh among active MVC players with 846 career points and fifth with 510 career rebounds.
MegaWatts
Dane Watts scored a 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.
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.
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
91 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 91 games, dating to his first start on Dec. 28, 2004.
That ranks as the MVC's longest active streak of consecutive starts, and is also seventh nationally according to STATS Inc. through Dec. 3.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 107 12/05
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 103 12/08
3. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 99 12/05
Leon Williams, Ohio 99 12/05
5. Bryant Dunston, Fordham 98 12/05
6. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 95 12/08
7. Dane Watts, Creighton 91 12/05
8. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 89 12/04
9. Mark Porter, Wagner 88 12/04
10. Jack Leasure, Coastal Carolina 83 12/07
Are You Experienced?
How much experience does senior Dane Watts have compared to the rest of the Creighton team? The chart below shows his stats at CU compared to those of all his teammates...combined.
Stat Watts Rest of Team
Starts 91 61
Blocks 26 20
FG Made 295 289
FG Attempts 651 677
3FG Made 113 114
3FG Attempts 306 311
FT Made 143 159
FT Attempts 213 233
Points 846 853
Off. Rebounds 160 120
Def. Rebounds 350 277
Rebounds 510 397
Fouls 244 299
Fouled Out 2 2
Turnovers 119 260
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).
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 171-38 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 4-0 2-0 6-0
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 99-14 72-24 171-38
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 67 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 177 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 67 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 56-11 (.836) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 13-0 figure on Wednesday's. The 11 losses have been by a combined 49 points. CU has outscored its opponents 4,827-4,044 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average victory margin of 11.7 points per game.
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales will be up as Creighton fans try to figure out who all the newcomers on the roster are this winter.
Creighton has just one regular starter back from last year, Dane Watts. The last time Creighton listed just one returning starter was all the way back in 1985-86, when Gary Swain was the lone returning starter.
Additionally, Creighton's returners accounted for just 44 games started last year. That's the fewest games started that are returning since at least the start of the 1980-81 campaign, as seen below:
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2007-08 1 44 ?
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken five charges so far this season.
Over the previous five seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-06 ?06-07 ?07-08 Total
Kenton Walker n/a n/a 2 2
Josh Dotzler 4 0 1 5
Chad Millard n/a n/a 1 1
Casey Harriman n/a n/a 1 1
Dane Watts 15 11 0 26
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 5 235
10 Conference Wins x 11 Seasons
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for an 11th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only teams with at least 11 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Arizona (22), South Carolina State (14), Stanford (13), Kansas (13) and Creighton (11).
20 Overall Wins x 9 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 101-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post nine straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of nine teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last nine seasons. That list consists of Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky and Syracuse.
Postseason x 10
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 10 consecutive seasons, tied for the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It matches the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 10 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 16 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
Six Out Of Nine Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last nine years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Duke (7), Winthrop (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2006-07 campaign marked the ninth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as two teams were in the Big Dance.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last nine NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Jays Were Among Attendance Leaders
During the 2006-07 season, Creighton finished ranked 13th nationally in average attendance with 15,909 fans per game. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, according to figures compiled by the NCAA.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Avg.
1. Kentucky 23,421
2. Syracuse 21,516
3. North Carolina 20,693
4. Tennessee 19,661
5. Louisville 18,488
6. Ohio State 17,530
7. Wisconsin 17,190
8. Maryland 16,822
9. Arkansas 16,720
10. Illinois 16,618
11. Indiana 16,474
12. Kansas 16,300
13. Creighton 15,909
14. Marquette 15,345
15. Michigan State 14,759
MVC's Top Crowds Ever
Creighton has set MVC attendance records each of the past two seasons. In 2005-06 the program attracted a league-record 236,313 fans, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 the Bluejays set in 2003-04. Last season, Creighton set a mark with 15,909 fans per average home game.
Below are the top average home attendance totals in MVC history.
Ave. Att. School Year
16,074 Creighton 2007-08
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Eight of his last 10 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley, and the two that didn't both won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 10 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.)
Redshirt Nation
Creighton redshirted four members of the team in 2006-07 who were able to practice with a Bluejay team that finished 22-11.
Chad Millard sat out as a transfer after playing in 2005-06 at Louisville. He has three years of eligibility left.
Kenny Lawson Jr. played in two November games, but was bothered by knee tendinitis the rest of the year. The freshman, who averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in two brief stints, retains four years of eligibility.
Two other freshmen did not play a single minute, Casey Harriman and Aaron Brandt. Both men will have four years left to play at Creighton.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 70-38 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 27-15 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-20 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-11 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 21, and possibly as many as 23, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception. Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Pierce Hibma (Pella), junior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and freshmen Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella). Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 414 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 265 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. 265 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 438 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois St. on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Creighton had its streak of 408 straight games with two or more treys snapped on Jan. 20, 2007 against Southern Illinois when it finished 1-of-8 from downtown.
Last Season Recap
Led by seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, Creighton went 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine years last winter.
Creighton was ranked a best-ever 19th in the preseason Associated Press poll last year, but lost several games early and was just 4-3 before a second-place finish in Honolulu at the Rainbow Classic.
The Bluejays would then open MVC play with a 5-1 record, eventually finishing second with a 13-5 league mark.
The second-seeded Bluejays then won the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis with victories over Indiana State, Missouri State and #11 Southern Illinois, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Funk, Tolliver and Porter were all named to the all-Tournament Team.
Shipped to New Orleans, La., to take on #15 Nevada, Creighton dropped a 77-71 overtime game to the Wolf Pack in the first round of the NCAA's.
Funk and Tolliver gave Creighton its first pair of first-team all-MVC teammates since 1991. Funk led the Jays in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.), while Tolliver topped the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.72 bpg.).
Creighton was 15th nationally with its school-record 75.4 percent accuracy at the free-throw line and ranked 23rd nationally, allowing just 60.9 points per game. The Jays also ranked 13th nationally with an MVC-record 15,909 fans per home game.
The 2006-07 campaign marked Creighton's 10th-straight postseason bid and ninth-straight 20-win season.
Canada Trip Recap
Creighton spent Labor Day weekend in Calgary, winning five games in three days. Creighton beat Saskatchewan twice (87-82 and 92-66), Calgary twice (85-77 and 97-78) and Lethbridge once (88-49).
Eleven different Creighton players started at least once, and all 14 Jays scored at least nine points over the course of the weekend.
Dane Watts led Creighton in scoring with 16.0 points per game while also adding 6.4 rebounds per contest. Kenny Lawson Jr. averaged 14.0 points and led the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game. Josh Dotzler paced the club with 19 assists and 14 steals.
The foreign trip, which is allowed once every four years, was Creighton's first since the 2003-04 trip to Vancouver. That Creighton team opened the season 12-0.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets went on sale on Nov. 7th. Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, the Omaha Civic Auditorium Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (402) 422-1212. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $11 for adults and $7 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Creighton sold a record 12,888 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 BasketballMBB: Creighton vs. Iowa State Exhibition
Friday, October 17
Creighton Men's Basketball vs. Iowa State. Press Conference - 10/17/25
Tuesday, October 14
Creighton Men's Basketball Availability - 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
Meet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
