Men's Basketball Hosts Saint Joseph's Sunday
12/7/2007 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (5-1) opens a season-long five-game homestand with a Sunday afternoon game against Saint Joseph's (4-3).
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is scheduled for 2:05 pm Central.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2007-08 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Travis Justice will call the action. Sirius satellite radio will carry Creighton's feed on channel 158.
Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, starting at 90 minutes prior to tipoff that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Sunday's game against Saint Joseph's will air in 80 percent of the state (including Cox and Time Warner but not Qwest cable) on NET2 (Cox Channel 16 in Omaha). Kevin Kugler and Scott Schumacher will announce.
Broadcast outlets still needing coordinates will need to contact NET for authorization. Out-of-town sports bars and homes will not be granted permission and won't have the necessary hardware to receive the equipment.
Video Webcast Available
A free video webcast of Sunday's game will be available. Fans can go to http://netnebraska.org/television/stream/ to view the NET-2 broadcast on-line.
Live Stats Information
Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 5-1 and looking to rebound from its first loss after opening the year with five straight wins.
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 92 consecutive starts, is by far the most experienced player on the roster. Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year, and this year he leads the team with 12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Also scoring in double-digits is freshman P'Allen Stinnett (12.2 ppg.), who raised eyebrows with 23 points in his debut. Stinnett ranks second on the team with 16 assists and 14 steals.
The Bluejays are outscoring the opposition by a 15.1 point margin (73.3-58.2) and are outrebounding teams by 4.0 caroms per contest.
Scouting Saint Joseph's
Saint Joseph's enters Sunday's game with a 4-3 record, and has alternated wins and losses in its last four games.
The Hawks have wins over Fairleigh Dickinson, Boston, Ball State and Penn State, but have lost to Syracuse, Gonzaga and Holy Cross this year.
Pat Calathes enters as the top scorer with 17.9 points per game and also paces the team with 14 blocked shots.
Not far behind is Ahmad Nivins, who averages 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 63.3 percent from the field.
Also scoring in double-figures are Darrin Govens (13.6 ppg.), who tops the team with 22 three-point baskets, and Tasheed Carr, who leads the team with 46 assists.
The Hawks average 70.9 points per game and yield 65.3 points per contest. SJU is being outrebounded by 1.6 boards per game.
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 265-142 (.651) mark at CU and a career record of 348-209 (.625) 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.
Saint Joseph's is coached by Phil Martelli (Widener, 1976), who owns a 244-142 record in his 13th year with the Hawks. He is a four-time Atlantic-10 Conference Coach of the Year and in 2004 was named consensus National Coach of the Year after leading the Hawks to the nation's first undefeated regular-season since 1990-91. Martelli is assisted by Mark Bass, David Duda and Doug Overton.
The Series With Saint Joseph's
Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series with Creighton 4-1, but the teams have split two games in Omaha.
The teams have not met since a 73-72 Creighton win on Dec. 14, 1981 that helped avenge a 59-57 SJU victory in the 1981 NCAA Tournament.
All five previous meetings have been decided by 10 points or less.
Dana Altman has never faced Saint Joseph's or Phil Martelli. Altman is 8-6 in his career against the Atlantic-10.
Last Game Recap
Creighton fell from the ranks of unbeaten on Wednesday, falling 79-66 at No. 21 Xavier. The Musketeers used a 22-4 run late in the first half to break open a tie game, and CU never got within nine after that.
P'Allen Stinnett led CU with 12 points, all in the second half. Xavier was paced by 28 points and 10 assists by Drew Lavender.
Watts Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton senior Dane Watts is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.
Watts leads Creighton in scoring and rebounding this season, and has made 92 straight starts. In addition to being a solid student in the classroom, the business management major is actively involved in the community. Watts is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and in the summer of 2006 toured France with Athletes in Action.
From the list of 30 nominees for each gender, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient.
Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Redick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).
Remember This December Stat
Creighton has won its first December home game in each of the past 11 seasons. Each of those wins has been by six points or more.
That's encouraging since Sunday's game against Saint Joseph's will mark CU's first home game this December.
4-0 At Home, Again
Creighton enters Sunday's game with a 4-0 home record. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as Creighton has done that in each of the past 12 seasons.
Eight of those wins have come against schools from BCS football schools, while four others have come against teams from the Atlantic-10 Conference.
In 14 years at Creighton, Dana Altman is a combined 54-2 in his first four home games of the regular-season.
Responding To Adversity
Since the start of 2002-03 season Creighton has lost just 12 games by 10 points or more, including this past Wednesday's 79-66 setback at Xavier.
The Jays have responded by winning their next game nine of next 11 times after suffering a double-digit loss. CU has won its last six games following a loss by 10 or more points.
Creighton has won its first home game after its first true road loss in each of the previous seven seasons.
Half and Half
Compare the first half and second half numbers for Creighton this season and several revelations come to the forefront.
-Teams are shooting 20-for-40 (50 percent) from three-point range in the first half against CU, but just 6-for-40 (15.0 percent) in the second half.
-Creighton has forced 84 turnovers and has nabbed 46 steals in the first half, but forced only 47 turnovers and grabbed 25 steals in the second half this year.
-Creighton has attempted 35 first-half free throws this year, but made 53 free throws after half (in 80 attempts).
-Dane Watts, who ranks fourth on the team with 9.3 minutes per first half, leads the team with 13.0 minutes per second half. Strangely though, Watts scores 1.9 more points in the first half of those games.
-P'Allen Stinnett, who leads the team with 8.3 points per second half, ranks just fifth on the team with 3.8 points per first half.
Tenacious D
Creighton is allowing just 58.2 points per game, second in the MVC this year to UNI.
This marks the sixth straight season the Jays have allowed less than 65 points per game.
Thirteen of CU's last 14 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.
Creighton Moved To 5-0 Before Loss
This year marked Creighton's sixth 5-0 start in the past 10 seasons. 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 had its five-game winning streak snapped at Xavier. 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.
Big Road Win
Creighton's 72-48 win at Drexel last Saturday ranked 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.
3-0 Start, Again
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in nine of the last 10 seasons, including this year's 5-0 open before losing. Last year's team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Thanks in large part to the quick starts to open the year, Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Sunday will be the 319th 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 73 points in his first six games as a Bluejay. That ranks as the most by any CU player in their first six games since Tad Ackerman scored 76 during the 1994-95 campaign. Ackerman went on to average 13.0 points per game in his first year at Creighton.
Putting it in perspective, former Bluejay Anthony Tolliver scored just 22 points all of his freshman season. Tolliver ended with 1,004 career points and was named second-team all-MVC (2005-06) and first-team all-MVC (2006-07) before graduating last May.
Heck Of A Bench
Creighton's bench has scored 50 more points than the starting five this year, outscoring them 245-195.
Creighton has scored 31 or more bench points every game this fall, compared to a high of 30 for last year's team. This year's team averages 40.8 points per game off the pine.
Last year's club had 356 bench points for the entire season, an average of 10.8 points per game.
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition's bench by a whopping 245-125 margin, which amounts to a 20.0 point per game differential.
Stat Starters Bench
Points 195 245
Minutes 607 593
FG% .463 .455
3FG% .371 .313
FT% .615 .697
Rebounds 105 90
Assists 49 43
Steals 34 37
Double-Digit Victors
Each of Creighton's first five wins were 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.
National Stats Report
The first national statistical report came out on Dec. 3rd, and the Bluejays were all over the lists. Creighton was tied for the national lead with a 1.000 winning percentage, ranked second with 12.6 steals per game, ranked eighth in scoring defense (54.0 ppg allowed) and were 15th in scoring margin (+20.8).
Individually, Cavel Witter was tied for first with his 1.000 free throw percentage, while Josh Dotzler ranked 20th nationally with 2.8 steals per game.
Cashing In At The Line
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter made each of his first 22 free throw attempts, including a perfect 10-of-10 effort last Saturday, before missing on Wednesday at Xavier.
Witter's 22 in a row wwas 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.
Consecutive Free Throws Made (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 1, 2007
Stealing A Share Of The Record
Creighton tied a school-record on Nov. 29 against Savannah State, recording 18 steals in its 26-point victory.
The 18 steals matches the amount recorded on Dec. 18, 1991 at Cleveland State, and later matched on Dec. 12, 1999 against Illinois State.
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.
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 11.8 minutes per game or more, with all of those men scoring at least 3.0 points per game as well. Four of CU's top seven scorers are reserves.
Aaron Brandt is the only Bluejay with fewer than six points 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 6.3 rebounds per game this year, has now grabbed two boards or more in 31 straight games. He also led CU in rebounds each of its first five games.
Watts ranks seventh among active MVC players with 855 career points and fifth with 512 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
92 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 92 games, dating to his first start on Dec. 28, 2004.
That ranks as the MVC's longest active streak of consecutive starts, and is also sixth nationally according to STATS Inc. through Dec. 7.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 108 12/09
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 103 12/08
3. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 100 12/12
Leon Williams, Ohio 100 12/08
5. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 95 12/08
6. Dane Watts, Creighton 92 12/09
7. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 90 12/08
8. Mark Porter, Wagner 89 12/08
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 92 65
Blocks 26 24
FG Made 299 313
FG Attempts 660 729
3FG Made 114 120
3FG Attempts 309 331
FT Made 143 162
FT Attempts 216 237
Points 855 910
Off. Rebounds 161 125
Def. Rebounds 351 296
Rebounds 512 421
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 nine charges so far this season.
Over the previous five seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-06 ?06-07 ?07-08 Total
Chad Millard n/a n/a 3 3
Casey Harriman n/a n/a 3 3
Kenton Walker n/a n/a 2 2
Josh Dotzler 4 0 1 5
Dane Watts 15 11 0 26
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 9 239
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 71-38 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 27-16 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-20 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-11 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 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 415 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 439 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 (5-1) opens a season-long five-game homestand with a Sunday afternoon game against Saint Joseph's (4-3).
Tip-off on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is scheduled for 2:05 pm Central.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2007-08 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Travis Justice will call the action. Sirius satellite radio will carry Creighton's feed on channel 158.
Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, starting at 90 minutes prior to tipoff that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Sunday's game against Saint Joseph's will air in 80 percent of the state (including Cox and Time Warner but not Qwest cable) on NET2 (Cox Channel 16 in Omaha). Kevin Kugler and Scott Schumacher will announce.
Broadcast outlets still needing coordinates will need to contact NET for authorization. Out-of-town sports bars and homes will not be granted permission and won't have the necessary hardware to receive the equipment.
Video Webcast Available
A free video webcast of Sunday's game will be available. Fans can go to http://netnebraska.org/television/stream/ to view the NET-2 broadcast on-line.
Live Stats Information
Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 5-1 and looking to rebound from its first loss after opening the year with five straight wins.
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 92 consecutive starts, is by far the most experienced player on the roster. Watts averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year, and this year he leads the team with 12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Also scoring in double-digits is freshman P'Allen Stinnett (12.2 ppg.), who raised eyebrows with 23 points in his debut. Stinnett ranks second on the team with 16 assists and 14 steals.
The Bluejays are outscoring the opposition by a 15.1 point margin (73.3-58.2) and are outrebounding teams by 4.0 caroms per contest.
Scouting Saint Joseph's
Saint Joseph's enters Sunday's game with a 4-3 record, and has alternated wins and losses in its last four games.
The Hawks have wins over Fairleigh Dickinson, Boston, Ball State and Penn State, but have lost to Syracuse, Gonzaga and Holy Cross this year.
Pat Calathes enters as the top scorer with 17.9 points per game and also paces the team with 14 blocked shots.
Not far behind is Ahmad Nivins, who averages 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while shooting 63.3 percent from the field.
Also scoring in double-figures are Darrin Govens (13.6 ppg.), who tops the team with 22 three-point baskets, and Tasheed Carr, who leads the team with 46 assists.
The Hawks average 70.9 points per game and yield 65.3 points per contest. SJU is being outrebounded by 1.6 boards per game.
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 265-142 (.651) mark at CU and a career record of 348-209 (.625) 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.
Saint Joseph's is coached by Phil Martelli (Widener, 1976), who owns a 244-142 record in his 13th year with the Hawks. He is a four-time Atlantic-10 Conference Coach of the Year and in 2004 was named consensus National Coach of the Year after leading the Hawks to the nation's first undefeated regular-season since 1990-91. Martelli is assisted by Mark Bass, David Duda and Doug Overton.
The Series With Saint Joseph's
Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series with Creighton 4-1, but the teams have split two games in Omaha.
The teams have not met since a 73-72 Creighton win on Dec. 14, 1981 that helped avenge a 59-57 SJU victory in the 1981 NCAA Tournament.
All five previous meetings have been decided by 10 points or less.
Dana Altman has never faced Saint Joseph's or Phil Martelli. Altman is 8-6 in his career against the Atlantic-10.
Last Game Recap
Creighton fell from the ranks of unbeaten on Wednesday, falling 79-66 at No. 21 Xavier. The Musketeers used a 22-4 run late in the first half to break open a tie game, and CU never got within nine after that.
P'Allen Stinnett led CU with 12 points, all in the second half. Xavier was paced by 28 points and 10 assists by Drew Lavender.
Watts Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton senior Dane Watts is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.
Watts leads Creighton in scoring and rebounding this season, and has made 92 straight starts. In addition to being a solid student in the classroom, the business management major is actively involved in the community. Watts is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and in the summer of 2006 toured France with Athletes in Action.
From the list of 30 nominees for each gender, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient.
Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Redick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).
Remember This December Stat
Creighton has won its first December home game in each of the past 11 seasons. Each of those wins has been by six points or more.
That's encouraging since Sunday's game against Saint Joseph's will mark CU's first home game this December.
4-0 At Home, Again
Creighton enters Sunday's game with a 4-0 home record. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as Creighton has done that in each of the past 12 seasons.
Eight of those wins have come against schools from BCS football schools, while four others have come against teams from the Atlantic-10 Conference.
In 14 years at Creighton, Dana Altman is a combined 54-2 in his first four home games of the regular-season.
Responding To Adversity
Since the start of 2002-03 season Creighton has lost just 12 games by 10 points or more, including this past Wednesday's 79-66 setback at Xavier.
The Jays have responded by winning their next game nine of next 11 times after suffering a double-digit loss. CU has won its last six games following a loss by 10 or more points.
Creighton has won its first home game after its first true road loss in each of the previous seven seasons.
Half and Half
Compare the first half and second half numbers for Creighton this season and several revelations come to the forefront.
-Teams are shooting 20-for-40 (50 percent) from three-point range in the first half against CU, but just 6-for-40 (15.0 percent) in the second half.
-Creighton has forced 84 turnovers and has nabbed 46 steals in the first half, but forced only 47 turnovers and grabbed 25 steals in the second half this year.
-Creighton has attempted 35 first-half free throws this year, but made 53 free throws after half (in 80 attempts).
-Dane Watts, who ranks fourth on the team with 9.3 minutes per first half, leads the team with 13.0 minutes per second half. Strangely though, Watts scores 1.9 more points in the first half of those games.
-P'Allen Stinnett, who leads the team with 8.3 points per second half, ranks just fifth on the team with 3.8 points per first half.
Tenacious D
Creighton is allowing just 58.2 points per game, second in the MVC this year to UNI.
This marks the sixth straight season the Jays have allowed less than 65 points per game.
Thirteen of CU's last 14 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.
Creighton Moved To 5-0 Before Loss
This year marked Creighton's sixth 5-0 start in the past 10 seasons. 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 had its five-game winning streak snapped at Xavier. 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.
Big Road Win
Creighton's 72-48 win at Drexel last Saturday ranked 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.
3-0 Start, Again
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in nine of the last 10 seasons, including this year's 5-0 open before losing. Last year's team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Thanks in large part to the quick starts to open the year, Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Sunday will be the 319th 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 73 points in his first six games as a Bluejay. That ranks as the most by any CU player in their first six games since Tad Ackerman scored 76 during the 1994-95 campaign. Ackerman went on to average 13.0 points per game in his first year at Creighton.
Putting it in perspective, former Bluejay Anthony Tolliver scored just 22 points all of his freshman season. Tolliver ended with 1,004 career points and was named second-team all-MVC (2005-06) and first-team all-MVC (2006-07) before graduating last May.
Heck Of A Bench
Creighton's bench has scored 50 more points than the starting five this year, outscoring them 245-195.
Creighton has scored 31 or more bench points every game this fall, compared to a high of 30 for last year's team. This year's team averages 40.8 points per game off the pine.
Last year's club had 356 bench points for the entire season, an average of 10.8 points per game.
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition's bench by a whopping 245-125 margin, which amounts to a 20.0 point per game differential.
Stat Starters Bench
Points 195 245
Minutes 607 593
FG% .463 .455
3FG% .371 .313
FT% .615 .697
Rebounds 105 90
Assists 49 43
Steals 34 37
Double-Digit Victors
Each of Creighton's first five wins were 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.
National Stats Report
The first national statistical report came out on Dec. 3rd, and the Bluejays were all over the lists. Creighton was tied for the national lead with a 1.000 winning percentage, ranked second with 12.6 steals per game, ranked eighth in scoring defense (54.0 ppg allowed) and were 15th in scoring margin (+20.8).
Individually, Cavel Witter was tied for first with his 1.000 free throw percentage, while Josh Dotzler ranked 20th nationally with 2.8 steals per game.
Cashing In At The Line
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter made each of his first 22 free throw attempts, including a perfect 10-of-10 effort last Saturday, before missing on Wednesday at Xavier.
Witter's 22 in a row wwas 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.
Consecutive Free Throws Made (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 1, 2007
Stealing A Share Of The Record
Creighton tied a school-record on Nov. 29 against Savannah State, recording 18 steals in its 26-point victory.
The 18 steals matches the amount recorded on Dec. 18, 1991 at Cleveland State, and later matched on Dec. 12, 1999 against Illinois State.
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.
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 11.8 minutes per game or more, with all of those men scoring at least 3.0 points per game as well. Four of CU's top seven scorers are reserves.
Aaron Brandt is the only Bluejay with fewer than six points 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 6.3 rebounds per game this year, has now grabbed two boards or more in 31 straight games. He also led CU in rebounds each of its first five games.
Watts ranks seventh among active MVC players with 855 career points and fifth with 512 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
92 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 92 games, dating to his first start on Dec. 28, 2004.
That ranks as the MVC's longest active streak of consecutive starts, and is also sixth nationally according to STATS Inc. through Dec. 7.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 108 12/09
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 103 12/08
3. Antoine Agudio, Hofstra 100 12/12
Leon Williams, Ohio 100 12/08
5. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 95 12/08
6. Dane Watts, Creighton 92 12/09
7. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 90 12/08
8. Mark Porter, Wagner 89 12/08
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 92 65
Blocks 26 24
FG Made 299 313
FG Attempts 660 729
3FG Made 114 120
3FG Attempts 309 331
FT Made 143 162
FT Attempts 216 237
Points 855 910
Off. Rebounds 161 125
Def. Rebounds 351 296
Rebounds 512 421
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 nine charges so far this season.
Over the previous five seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-06 ?06-07 ?07-08 Total
Chad Millard n/a n/a 3 3
Casey Harriman n/a n/a 3 3
Kenton Walker n/a n/a 2 2
Josh Dotzler 4 0 1 5
Dane Watts 15 11 0 26
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 9 239
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 71-38 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 27-16 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-20 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-11 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 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 415 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 439 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 BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball Availability - 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
Meet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
