Men's Basketball Hosts Shockers on ESPN2 In Regular-Season Finale
2/22/2007 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Next Game
Creighton (18-10, 12-5 MVC) closes regular-season play on Saturday with a nationally-televised game against Wichita State (17-12, 8-9 MVC).
The sold out game will start at 4:05 pm on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272).
Bluejay seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, as well as senior managers Tony Pesavento and Danny Schreiber, will be honored following the game.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP ("Big Sports 590" AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2006-07 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Travis Justice will call the action.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2, with Dave Barnett and Tim McCormick on the call.
What: Wichita State @ Creighton (MBB)
When: Saturday, February 24 -- 4:05 p.m. (Central)
Where: Qwest Center Omaha -- Omaha, Neb.
Clearances: ESPN2
On Air: 4:00 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: SBS 6 / 16K Upper Digital
Degrees: 74' West
Uplink Freq.: 14403.250 MHz Horizontal
Downlink Freq.: 12103.250 MHz Vertical
Bandwidth: 18.000 MHz
Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms
FEC Rate: 3/4
On-Air Talent: Dave Barnett (play-by-play), Tim McCormick (analyst)
Video Webcast Information
Saturday's game will not be available for video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab in the top middle of the page for the exact link.
White Out For Wichita Planned
Creighton Athletic officials are asking fans to wear a white shirt to Saturday's game vs. Wichita State, in order to create a "white-out" effect for the national television audience on ESPN2.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters its regular-season finale with an 18-10 record, and are alone in second with a 12-5 Missouri Valley Conference record. The Bluejays are 11-2 at home, where they average 15,817 fans per game, and 7-8 at road and neutral venues.
Leading the way for Creighton has been Preseason MVC Player of the Year Nate Funk. Funk is averaging a league-best 17.1 points per game and also tops the club with 84 assists and 34 steals.
Anthony Tolliver, also a preseason all-Valley pick, gives CU inside muscle with 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He also tops the team with 48 blocked shots.
Also averaging in double-figures for Creighton are junior forward Dane Watts (10.1 ppg., 6.5 rpg.) and senior guard Nick Porter (10.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg.).
The Bluejays average 67.0 points per game and shoot 44.7 percent from the floor, 33.9 percent from downtown and 75.1 percent at the stripe. CU holds the opposition to 61.5 points per game and 42.3 percent shooting from the floor.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State is 17-12 on the season, including an 8-9 league mark and a 5-6 road record. The Shockers started 9-0 and were ranked among the nation's top-10 teams, but enter Saturday's game in Omaha with three consecutive losses.
WSU is being led by senior forward Kyle Wilson, who averages 14.2 points per game and had 25 in the last meeting with Creighton.
Also in double-figures are PJ Couisnard (11.5 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) and Sean Ogirri (10.0 ppg.). Couisnard leads the team with 37 blocked shots, while Ogirri owns a team-high 64 three-point baskets and also shoots 91.5 percent at the charity stripe.
As a team, the Shockers average 69.3 points per game and shoot 46.2 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three-point range and 70.5 percent at the line. WSU allows 63.8 points per contest, as teams shoot 43.3 percent against them.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 13th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 256-140 (.646) mark at CU and a career record of 339-207 (.621) in his 18th year 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 previous 21 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. Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to six NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in nine straight seasons. He is helped by assistant coaches Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Kevin McKenna. Jake Muhleisen is the team's graduate manager.
Mark Turgeon (Kansas, 1987) owns a 128-88 record in his seventh season with the Shockers. That moves his career mark to 153-117 in nine years overall. Turgeon is assisted by Scott Spinelli, Alvin "Pooh" Williamson and Mike Rohn.
Series History Against Wichita State
Creighton leads the all-time series with Wichita State by a 46-39 margin. The Bluejays lead the series 25-14 all-time in Omaha, including 13 straight wins.
The Bluejays have swept the season series with the Shockers in eight of the last 13 seasons and have not been swept by WSU since the 1987-88 season. The Jays have won 22-of-27 and 29-of-37 vs. the Shockers in recent seasons.
Altman is 24-6 all-time vs. Wichita State, including a 21-5 mark since coming to Creighton. Altman's 24 wins over Wichita State are four more victories than any other school he's beaten (Indiana State and UNI, 20).
Altman is also 11-4 in head-to-head match-ups with Mark Turgeon.
Last Game Recap
Freshman Osiris Eldridge had 18 points and seven rebounds, all after half, to lead Illinois State to a 65-55 victory over Creighton on Tuesday in Normal. ISU trailed 35-22 late in the first half before outscoring the Jays 43-20 the rest of the way. Nate Funk led Creighton with 16 points.
So Long Seniors
Saturday will mark the final regular-season home game in the career for seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver. Over the past five years, Creighton is 110-45 with four 20-win seasons and four postseason appearances (two NCAA's, two NIT's).
Funk will play in his school-record 131st career game on Saturday. He enters the game with 1,649 points and 308 assists, both among the top-10 marks in school history. A preseason All-American, Funk is leading the MVC in points per game this year (17.1 ppg.).
Gakou is finishing up his second year with the Bluejay program. The Paris, France native has played in 40 games, and has 39 points and 32 rebounds to his credit.
The 2006 MVC Newcomer of the Year, Porter is averaging 10.0 points and 5.3 points per game this season. He has played in 58 games at CU, owning 569 points, 297 rebounds and 131 assists.
A preseason all-Valley selection, Tolliver is averaging 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this year. He owns 939 career points, 569 rebounds and is among the top-five in CU history with 129 blocked shots.
Funk, Tolliver and Gakou are all on pace to graduate in May, while Porter is expected to get his degree in August.
Senior Citizens
Below is a list of statistics by the Creighton players honored during Senior Day in the last few seasons.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Day-06 5 4 2 1 26
Mathies-06• 18 5 4 7 39
Motz-06 6 0 0 0 12
McKinney-05• 12 4 4 1 29
Miliner-05• 5 2 0 0 21
Dabbert-04 13 5 1 0 22
Deren-04• 6 10 2 0 19
Grimes-04• 16 8 2 0 29
Lindeman-04• 15 5 5 0 32
House-03• 28 6 1 0 22
Korver-03• 13 7 3 1 28
Bowden-03• 4 2 1 2 20
Walker-01• 13 2 2 1 22
Sears-01• 9 0 2 2 23
Pyfrom-01 12 8 3 1 23
Huss-01• 0 0 1 1 7
Haynes-01 6 1 1 2 18
Angner-01 4 0 0 3 9
• indicates game started
Senior Leaders
Creighton seniors Nick Porter, Nate Funk, Manny Gakou and Anthony Tolliver have scored at least half of the team's points in each of its last 19 games (since Dec. 22 vs. Houston), including every MVC contest this year.
On Wednesday night at Illinois State, Creighton's senior trio of Porter, Funk and Tolliver scored 29 straight points for Creighton, a streak that started late in the first half and lasted until the final minute of the game.
Home Season Finales
Creighton is 10-2 under Dana Altman in its final home game of the regular-season, and 4-0 against Wichita State in such contests.
CU's last loss on Senior Night came on a senior-less team in 2002 to Drake. The Jays have won 10 straight Senior Night's when they have at least one senior dating to a 1994-95 setback vs. Southern Illinois.
Creighton has won six straight Senior Day's against Wichita State.
Lucky #13
Creighton will be going for its 13th Missouri Valley Conference win on Saturday. That would be just the fourth time it has reached that milestone. In each of the previous three instances (2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03) the Jays had 13 or more MVC wins, it has reached the NCAA Tournament
Keep The Shockers Under 70
Since arriving at Creighton, Dana Altman owns an 21-5 mark against Wichita State. One common theme for the Bluejays in those contests has been tenacious defense.
Creighton has allowed the Shockers to score 70 or more points in just five of those 25 games, of which WSU won three times. However, in the 21 matchups the Shockers scored under 70, they are 2-19 vs. Altman and the Bluejays.
This trend also held true when Altman was at Kansas State, as the Shockers went 0-3 when scoring under 70 but 1-0 when they eclipsed the 70-point barrier.
Dana Altman vs. Wichita State
at KSU at CU Total
WSU scores 69 or less 3-0 19-2 22-2
WSU scores 70+ 0-1 2-3 2-4
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Creighton and Wichita State have played 20 games decided by 12 points or less during the 25 matchups since Dana Altman became Bluejay coach. CU has gone 17-3 in those games. Altman also went 1-0 while at Kansas State in games vs. WSU decided by 12 points or less.
Additionally, Altman is 10-2 in his career (9-2 at CU) in games vs. Wichita State decided by four points or less.
Dana Altman vs. Wichita State
at KSU at CU Total
Game decided by 4 or less 1-0 9-2 10-2
Game decided by 12 or less 1-0 17-3 18-3
Game decided by 13 or more 2-1 4-2 6-3
Buzzer Beaters Galore
Each of the last three Creighton/Wichita State games have been decided at the wire. On Jan. 28, 2006 in Omaha, Creighton's Anthony Tolliver hit a 15-foot baseline jumper to give the Bluejays a 57-55 win.
In the rematch on Feb. 14, 2006 in Wichita, Matt Braeuer drained a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in overtime to give the Shockers a 62-61 triumph.
Earlier this year on Jan. 15, 2007 in Wichita, Nate Funk's game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds was blocked by PJ Couisnard.
WSU's Last Win In Omaha Was A "Big Show"
With 13 straight losses to Creighton in Omaha, it's been a while since Wichita State has beaten the Bluejays away from home.
In fact, the last time the Shockers won in Omaha (Feb. 22, 1992), they got eight points and seven rebounds in a career-high 18 minutes off the bench from a center named Paul Wight.
Who is Paul Wight He's well-known among wrestling diehards as "The Big Show", where he is a former WWE and WCW heavyweight champion. He is listed by Wikipedia at 7'0" and 507 pounds.
Split City
Saturday will be the second meeting of the year between Creighton and Wichita State. The Shockers took the first meeting, 62-59, in Wichita.
In each of Creighton's last eight seasons, the Bluejays have split the regular-season series with the team they closed the MVC slate with.
Some Good Wins Already
Saturday will mark the 14th of Creighton's 29 games this year against teams that reached the postseason last year. The Bluejays are 6-3 so far in nine games against NCAA qualifiers and 3-1 against NIT participants from a year ago.
The clubs Creighton has beaten combined for eight NCAA wins and five victories in the NIT last season.
Creighton's strength of schedule stands at 27 and CU has played just three games against teams ranked 150 or lower.
A pre-NCAA Tournament selection conference RPI of sixth or better has translated into three or more NCAA tourney teams in 89 of 90 possible situations since 1992. Here's a look at how many NCAA teams the top seven conferences have earned in recent years (note: the MVC is currently sixth):
Conf.
RPI 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
1 6 6 7 5 6 6 5 7 6 6 6 6 6 5 6
2 5 6 4 4 4 5 5 3 6 7 4 6 6 4 8
3 5 5 5 3 5 6 5 4 6 6 6 4 6 6 4
4 3 4 1 4 4 5 5 6 5 5 6 5 4 6 6
5 4 3 6 5 4 4 4 5 4 5 6 4 6 5 4
6 3 3 4 6 5 5 5 4 4 6 5 3 3 5 4
7 4 4 3 5 4 5 5 5 3 2 3 5 3 2 4
Tolliver's a CLASS Candidate
Creighton center Anthony Tolliver is one of 10 finalists for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, the nation's premier tribute to college seniors. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I male senior basketball player who excels both on and off the court. Winners will be announced during the Final Four weekend.
Other finalists include Jared Dudley (Boston College), Nick Fazekas (Nevada), Aaron Gray (Pittsburgh), Adam Haluska (Iowa), Jarrius Jackson (Texas Tech), Acie Law IV (Texas A&M), J.R. Reynolds (Virginia), Curtis Sumpter (Villanova) and Alando Tucker (Wisconsin).
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 can bring.
Finalists were selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete. These areas of excellence are identified under the categories of classroom, character and community, as well as the candidates's performance and team loyalty on the court.
Tolliver is the only MVC men's athlete named, and the second Creighton candidate in the past six years. Kyle Korver was a finalist for the award in 2003 and named a Senior CLASS All-American.
Previous winners include Juan Dixon (2002), David West (2003), Jameer Nelson (2004), Wayne Simien (2005) and J.J. Redick (2006).
RPI Rants
Through games of Feb. 21, Creighton owned a 5-3 record against teams in the Top 50 of the www.collegerpi.com rankings.
CU's .625 winning percentage against Top 50 competition ranks tied for eighth nationally among teams that have played five such games. Of the 12 schools with a .625 winning percentage or better, all but Creighton and Virginia Tech are ranked in this week's Top 25 polls.
Win Pct. vs. Top 50 RPI Opponents (min. 5 GP)
School W-L Win Pct. AP USA
North Carolina 10-2 .833 5 5
UCLA 8-2 .800 4 4
Butler 4-1 .800 15 15
Southern Illinois 7-2 .778 13 14
Virginia Tech 8-3 .727 - -
Ohio State 7-3 .700 2 1
Wisconsin 6-3 .667 1 2
Creighton 5-3 .625 - -
Florida 5-3 .625 3 3
Marquette 5-3 .625 16 16
Oregon 5-3 .625 23 24
Vanderbilt 5-3 .625 17 21
Birds of Prey
Creighton has lost a total of 14 home games in the last seven seasons. Following almost every setback, Creighton has taken out its frustration in its next regular-season home game.
Creighton has followed all but one of its previous 13 home losses with a win in its next home game by an average of 18.6 points, including eight double-digit triumphs.
Since February of 2000, Creighton has suffered consecutive home losses just once, as it fell Dec. 7 and Dec. 18, 2004 to Kent State and Wyoming, respectively.
The last time CU dropped consecutive MVC contests at home was Jan. 4 and Jan. 17, 1999, when they lost to Evansville and Indiana State.
Home Losses, Last Seven Years
Home Loss Next Home Game
L 58-64, Drexel Saturday vs. Wichita State
L 57-58, S. Illinois W 71-55, Indiana State
L 52-53, Miami Fla. W 78-42, Miss. Valley State
L 67-74, S. Illinois W 67-62, Fresno State
L 71-79, Missouri St. W 83-82, Northern Iowa
L 77-82, Illinois St. W 73-69, Wichita State
L 63-69, S. Illinois W 82-67, Drake
L 64-68, Wyoming W 71-62, Bradley
L 58-67, Kent State L 64-68, Wyoming
L 70-71, Nebraska W 74-40, Alcorn State
L 60-61, S. Illinois W 74-56, Bradley
L 73-75, Drake W 106-50, Texas-Arlington
L 77-79, S. Illinois W 83-56, Northern Iowa
L 65-72, Xavier W 90-65, Miss. Valley State
S*W*A*T* City
Anthony Tolliver has had at least one blocked shot in 29 of the last 34 games dating to last season, including three games with five each.
Benoit Benjamin owns the Creighton (and MVC) record with 411 career rejections, and Tolliver currently ranks fourth. Tolliver also ranks 17th in MVC history with 129 career rejections.
Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Rk. Blk. Name Years
1. 411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
2. 183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
3. 138 Brody Deren 2001-04
4. 129 Anthony Tolliver 2003-Pres.
5. 109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
Most Blocked Shots MVC History
Rk. Blk. Name Years
1. 411 Benoit Benjamin, CU 1982-85
2. 217 Grant Stout, UNI 2003-Pres.
3. 209 Antoine Carr, WSU 1979-83
4. 183 Chad Gallagher, CU 1987-91
4. 180 Donald Powell, BU 1984-88
5. 168 DeCarsta Webster, INS 1975-78
7. 167 Danny Moore, MSU 1996-99
8. 159 Greg Dilligard, ILS 2003-Pres.
9. 158 Ashraf Amaya, SIU 1989-93
10. 155 Bradley Strickland, UE 2003-Pres.
11. 154 Adebayo Akinkunle, BU 1994-98
12. 147 Patrick O'Bryant, BU 2004-06
14. 139 Randal Falker, SIU 2004-Pres.
13. 138 Brody Deren, CU 2001-04
15. 134 Mike VandeGarde, ILS 1990-94
16. 132 Robert Elmore, WSU 1973-77
17. 129 Anthony Tolliver, CU 2003-Pres.
18. 127 Aliou Keita, DU 2004-Pres.
Jays Will Be Second Seed at MVC Tourney
Creighton will be the second seed when the State Farm MVC Tournament is played, March 1-4, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Creighton will play the winner of Thursday night's No. 7 vs. No. 10 first-round game on Friday at 6 pm. With a win in the quarterfinals, CU's semifinal game would be at 4 pm against the winner of the sixth-seeded team (still TBA) versus third-seeded Missouri State.
Below is the complete tournament schedule:
Thursday, March 1st
Game 1: #8 seed vs. #9 seed 6:00 pm
Game 2: #7 seed vs. #10 seed 8:30 pm
Friday, March 2nd
Game 3: G1 winner vs. #1 SIU (FSN Midwest) 12:00 pm
Game 4: #4 seed vs. #5 seed (FSN Midwest) 2:30 pm
Game 5: G2 winner vs. #2 CU (FSN Midwest) 6:00 pm
Game 6: #3 MSU vs. #6 seed (FSN Midwest) 8:30 pm
Saturday, March 3rd
Game 7: G3 winner vs. G4 winner (FSN Midwest) 1:30 pm
Game 8: G5 winner vs. G6 winner (FSN Midwest) 4:00 pm
Sunday, March 4th
Game 9: G7 winner vs. G8 winner (CBS) 1:00 pm
Who Might They Play
Creighton will play the winner of the game between the seventh seed and the 10th seed.
All things being equal, here are the odds of the folowing match-ups occurring in the 7 vs. 10 game:
Evansville/Indiana State 42.2%
Illinois State/Indiana State 26.6%
Drake/Indiana State 12.5%
Evansville/Drake 12.5%
Evansville/Illinois State 6.2%
Illinois State/Drake 0.0%
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.
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 currently second this season, 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 9 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (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.)
The Best Never Rest
Nate Funk is averaging 34.3 minutes per game, easily the most on the team and fourth-highest in the MVC this season. That's the most by any Bluejay player since Ryan Sears clocked 35.0 minutes per game during his junior (1999-00) season.
Over the past 10 games, Funk has played the entire second half in seven games, 19:10 (of 20 minutes) at Illinois State, 18:37 against Indiana State and 17:54 at Southern Illinois.
Out Of His Funk
Creighton is 6-3 in its last nine games, and a major reason is because Nate Funk continues to light up the opposition early in games.
Funk has hit 50 percent or better of his first half shots in eight of CU's last nine games. In that time, he's made 28-of-47 shots (59.6 percent), including 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from downtown.
Funk's continued consistency is a huge reason the Bluejays are 18-10 and in the hunt for the NCAA Tournament. His streak of 19 straight games in double-figures is CU's longest since Bob Harstad in 1990-91.
Below is a list of the MVC's longest active streaks of double-figure scoring games, as well as Creighton's longest streaks since 1989-90:
Active Double-Figure Point Streaks, MVC
No. Name Team
19 Nate Funk Creighton
13 Ajay Calvin Drake
8 Matt Webster Evansville
CU's Top Double-Figure Point Streaks, Since 1989-90
No. Name Dates
32 Bob Harstad Feb. 24, 1990-Feb. 25, 1991
27 Bob Harstad Nov. 27, 1989-Feb. 17, 1990
25 Chad Gallagher Jan. 22, 1990-Jan. 5, 1991
21 Chad Gallagher Jan. 16-Dec. 4, 1989
19 Nate Funk Dec. 23, 2006-Present
18 Duan Cole Jan. 16-March 7, 1992
17 Rodney Buford Jan. 3-Feb. 21, 1996
16 Rodney Buford Feb. 23, 1998-Jan. 4, 1999
16 Rodney Buford Jan. 2-Feb. 17, 1997
16 Bob Harstad Dec. 10, 1988-Feb. 6, 1989
Gotta Have That Funk
Nate Funk has taken over the mantle as the leading scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference, no matter how you slice it. He is the league's career active scoring leader with 1,649 points, leads the MVC with 17.1 points per game in all games, and is also tops with an 18.5 scoring average in league-only contests.
Funk has scored 12 points or more in a league-best 19 straight games, a run which started Dec. 23 at Hawaii. He has also scored at least a dozen points in the last 21 regular-season MVC games he's played in as well, dating to late in his junior season.
After his 21 points at Drake, Funk now owns 22 career games of 20 or more points.
Combo Guard
Nate Funk sees much of his time as the Creighton point guard, bringing the ball up against pressure, before playing as a shooting guard within the half-court offense.
The numbers reflect this as well, as Funk is the only player in the MVC to lead his team in points per game and assists per game in league action.
Since 1970, the only four players to lead Creighton in scoring and assists in the same season are Funk (2003-04), Kyle Korver (2001-02), Matt Petty (1992-93) and Kevin McKenna (1979-80).
With sizable leads in both categories this year, it appears likely that Funk will become the first Bluejay player on record to lead the team in both points and assists twice in his career.
Game Tested
Fifth-year senior Nate Funk has played in 130 games as a Bluejay, two more than Bob Harstad and Kyle Korver for most in school history. Harstad (1990) and Korver (2002 and 2003) both won MVC Player of the Year accolades, something Funk is a strong candidate for this season. Below is a list of the all-time Creighton leaders in games played:
GP Name Years
130 Nate Funk 2002-07
128 Bob Harstad 1987-91
128 Kyle Korver 1999-03
Technically Speaking
The Creighton bench was assessed a technical foul last Saturday in the second half against Drexel, a rarity for the program.
In the 13-year tenure of Dana Altman, it was just the seventh technical foul charged to the bench, and first since Jan. 21, 2004 at Wichita State. The last technical foul on the Bluejay bench in a home game came on Jan. 12, 2000 against #19 Tulsa.
Only 23 technical fouls have been charged to a CU player of coach in the 396 games Altman's been on the sideline. Here's the list: Bench (7), Jeffrey Day (4), Terrell Taylor (3), Jason Bey (2), Dane Watts (1), Joe Dabbert (1), DeAnthony Bowden (1), Larry House (1), Joel Templeman (1), Kevin Mungin (1) and Donald Davenport (1).
CU also had a technical foul called in a 1998 game at Wichita State when it called a timeout it didn't have.
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 39 charges this season. Over the previous four seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-05 ?˜05-06 ?˜06-07 Total
Anthony Tolliver 6 17 19 42
Dane Watts 8 7 10 25
Nate Funk 5 2 3 10
Isacc Miles n/a n/a 3 3
Pierce Hibma 1 0 2 3
Nick Porter n/a 6 1 7
Manny Gakou n/a 0 1 1
Josh Dotzler n/a 4 0 4
Former Players 119 9 n/a 128
Total 139 45 39 223
More Charge Info
Anthony Tolliver took three charges last Saturday against Drexel, giving him a team-best 19 on the season. Since 2002-03, the following players have taken 10 or more charges in a season:
Most Charges Taken, Season (since 2002-03)
19 Anthony Tolliver 2006-07
17 Mike Grimes 2002-03
17 Anthony Tolliver 2005-06
13 Joe Dabbert 2002-03
11 Joe Dabbert 2003-04
11 Tyler McKinney 2004-05
10 Dane Watts 2006-07
High Voltage
Dane Watts has scored in double-figures seven of Creighton's last eight games. Watts has now scored in double-figures 32 times in his career. The Bluejays are 24-8 in those contests, including an 12-2 record when he pumps in 13 points or more.
It's also worth pointing out that after making just 45.5 percent of 55 free throw attempts last year, he is currently hitting 71.6 percent at the line in 74 attempts. He's hit 26 of his last 31 attempts (83.9 percent) over the past 12 games.
Watts has also made at least half his three-point attempts in each of CU's last seven games, and 12 of the team's last 15 games.
A steady performer who can shoot from the outside or bang away inside, Watts owns a team-best 81 consecutive starts.
Road Warriors
Creighton finished 5-4 on the road in MVC play this season. In the previous six seasons, the Jays have made the NCAA's each time they've been over .500 on the road in MVC play, but were sent to the NIT both times they were under .500 in league tilts on the road.
Since rejoining the MVC in 1977, each of Creighton's previous five teams that opened 4-2 on the road or better in league action went on to win the MVC Tournament (also 1988-89, 1990-91, 1998-99, 2001-02, 2002-03). Each of those last four teams also won its first NCAA Tournament game that season.
Additionally, two of Creighton's league away wins were by 10 or more points (at Bradley, at Evansville). The rest of the league has four combined double-digit road wins (one each for SIU, UNI, Illinois State and Bradley) in MVC play.
More Road Notes
Creighton is the MVC's only team to win road games at Bradley, Missouri State and Northern Iowa in the same season since Tulsa did it in 1995. Before doing it this January, the Bluejays had previously accomplished this in both 2002-03 and 2001-02.
It Counts In Horseshoes
Creighton's five MVC losses have been by a combined 21 points. The Bluejays lost by three points at both Indiana State and Wichita State, to Southern Illinois by both one and four points, and by 10 at Illinois State.
In four of those five losses, Creighton had the ball with a chance to tie or win in the final 10 seconds.
Ten of Creighton's 17 MVC games this year have been decided by eight points or less.
Big Man Deluxe
Anthony Tolliver is the only player to rank in the top 10 in the MVC in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.
Tolliver ranks second in blocked shots (1.79 bpg.), 10th in scoring (13.5 ppg.) and fifth in rebounds per game (6.6 rpg.).
It's worth noting that last year Wichita State's Paul Miller was named MVC Player of the Year after averaging 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game and helping WSU to a 14-4 league mark.
Charity Tosses
Creighton has made 75.1 percent of its free throw attempts this season, tops in the MVC and 15th nationally through games of Feb. 21.
The 75.1 percent accuracy rate is a fraction away from the school-record of 75.3 percent by the 1992-93 team.
Each of Creighton's last five teams to shoot 70 percent or better at the free-throw line have made the NCAA Tournament.
One of Those Nights
Rare is the night when everybody on a team struggles with their shooting, but such was the case for Creighton on Feb. 20 against Drexel.
None of the nine Creighton players to see action made 50 percent or better of their shots from the field. That kind of team-wide off-night where no one was at 50 percent or better from the field hadn't been done since Feb. 5, 1994.
Korver Comes Back
Former Creighton All-American Kyle Korver (1999-2003), who now plays in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers, skipped the NBA All-Star Game Three-Point Shootout to attend last Saturday night's game against Drexel.
Korver was in town to promote and raise funds for the Kyle Korver Foundation. Bobblehead likenesses of Korver in a Bluejay uniform are available for a $20 donation to his charity, with information on-line at http://www.kylekorver.com.
Korver's brother, Kaleb, is a senior at Pella (Iowa) High School and has signed a letter-of-intent to play at Creighton next fall.
Home Court Advantage
In 2004-05, the Missouri Valley Conference had a 55-8 home record in non-conference games. Last year, it was nearly as good at 53-8. This year, the MVC is a sparkling 55-5 in non-conference home games.
20 Overall Wins x 8 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 100-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post eight straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of 11 teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons. It is joined by Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Syracuse.
Postseason x 9
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in nine consecutive seasons, which is the second-longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. The longest streak in MVC history was 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 17 schools to make the postseason in each of the last nine years are Arizona, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple and Wake Forest.
Jays Among Attendance Leaders
Creighton finished the 2005-06 season ranked 20th nationally in average attendance with 13,901 fans per game.
The Bluejays have averaged 15,817 fans per game through 13 home dates thus far. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, through games of Feb. 21, according to figures compiled by the Creighton Sports Information Office.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders (through 2/21)
Rk. School Avg. Next Home Game
1. Kentucky 23,343 2/28
2. Syracuse 21,236 2/26
3. North Carolina 20,627 3/4
4. Tennessee 19,368 2/27
5. Louisville 18,424 3/4
6. Ohio State 17,441 2/25
7. Wisconsin 17,190 3/3
8. Maryland 16,689 2/25
9. Arkansas 16,624 2/24
10. Illinois 16,618 Done
11. Indiana 16,351 2/22
12. Kansas 16,300 2/24
13. Creighton 15,817 2/24
14. Marquette 15,151 3/3
15. Memphis 14,793 2/22
16. Michigan State 14,759 2/24
17. Arizona 14,202 Done
18. North Carolina St. 14,070 2/28
19. Virginia 13,358 2/24
20. Oklahoma State 13,313 2/27
Five Figure Crowds
Creighton hosted 17,607 fans for its Feb. 17 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, which ranked 20th nationally in attendance last season, is currently averaging 15,817 fans per game. Before this year, Creighton's largest crowd ever had been 15,700.
Creighton has played 74 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 43 in a row 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
16,339 Bradley W 65-54 01/18/07
16,315 Drake W 79-56 01/09/07
15,872 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
15,700 Fresno State W 67-62 02/18/06
15,684 Missouri State W 77-74 12/30/06
15,678 Wichita State W 57-55 01/28/06
15,621 Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
10 Largest Crowds To See CU Play Since 1967, Any Site
Att. Schools Result Date
22,013 #24 Auburn vs. CU% L 69-72 03/16/00
21,525 #13 Illinois vs. CU$ L 60-72 03/17/02
20,850 #15 Florida vs. CU$ W 83-82 (2ot) 03/15/02
18,686 CU @ #15 BYU L 68-96 12/11/71
18,250 CU vs. Toledo& W 48-46 03/25/42
17,935 CU vs. W. Kentucky& L 36-49 03/23/42
17,607 Drexel @ CU L 58-64 02/17/07
17,459 So. Illinois @ CU L 57-58 01/20/07
17,283 Indiana St. @ CU W 71-55 01/27/07
16,585 CU vs. Texas Tech& W 59-58 03/16/42
%NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn.
$NCAA Tournament in Chicago, Ill.
&National Invitation Tournament in New York, N.Y.
MVC's Top Average Crowd Ever
Creighton broke the school and Missouri Valley Conference records for total home attendance in a season as well. The Jays drew 236,313 spectators in 2005-06, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 set in 2003-04. With 205,618 fans to date, Creighton has once again surpassed the 200,000 fan mark.
Creighton set a new Missouri Valley Conference record for average home attendance last season. CU's average was 227 fans higher than the highest previous figure in the history of the MVC. They are doing much better this year, as seen below:
Ave. Att. School Year
15,817 so far Creighton 2006-07
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
11,839 Louisville 1966-67
Crowds Increase For League Action
Creighton's crowds have increased in MVC action each of the previous six years:
Creighton's Yearly Home Attendance
Year Non-MVC Games MVC Games Change
2000-01 7,132 7,268 +2%
2001-02 6,333 6,800 +7%
2002-03 7,401 8,996 +22%
2003-04 11,467 12,443 +9%
2004-05 9,926 12,207 +23%
2005-06 13,404 14,343 +7%
2006-07 15,470 16,033 so far +4%
Home Cooking
Though Southern Illinois might be 4-0 at Qwest Center Omaha, the Salukis are one of just three MVC visitors to ever win a game in the building. Below is a look at Creighton's current home winning streaks over current league foes:
Opponent Streak Last Opp. Win in Omaha
Bradley Won 9 1/17/98
Drake Won 5 2/25/02
Evansville Won 8 1/04/99
Illinois State Won 2 1/22/05
Indiana State Won 7 1/04/99
Missouri State Won 2 2/05/05
Northern Iowa Won 11 2/17/96
Southern Illinois Lost 4 1/20/07
Wichita State Won 13 2/22/92
Normally Nifty at 50 (Percent)
Since coming to Creighton, head coach Dana Altman's teams are 98-4 when his teams make at least half of their shots from the field.
Creighton's 53.8 percent marksmanship (21-39) against Southern Illinois on Feb. 10 was its best shooting percentage in a loss under Altman.
Creighton's last previous loss when shooting 53.5 percent or better had come on Jan. 28, 1993, when it shot 56.1 percent in a 60-58 loss at Northern Iowa.
Assisting Others Too
Nate Funk's 308 assists ranks ninth in CU history, just ahead of Kyle Korver. With 1,649 points, Funk has joined Vernon Moore (1,654 points, 418 assists) and Rick Apke (1,682, 319) as the only players in school history with at least 1,600 points and 300 assists.
Creighton Career Assist Leaders (Since 1970-71)
Rk Ast. Name Years
1. 570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
2. 549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
3. 458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
4. 430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
5. 418 Vernon Moore 1981-85
6. 382 Duan Cole 1987-92
7. 332 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
8. 317 Latrell Wrightsell 1988-92
9. 308 Nate Funk 2002-Pr.
10. 294 Kyle Korver 1999-03
Porter Picking It Up
After scoring 10 points or more in just one of 11 non-conference games, senior guard Nick Porter has scored in double-figures in 14 of Creighton's 17 MVC games.
Since moving into the starting line-up on Dec. 30 after Josh Dotzler was sidelined, Porter has averaged 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in league play. He has made 61-of-122 shots from the floor (50 percent), 73-of-88 at the line (83.0 percent) and 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) of his three-point attempts.
Porter had a career-high 19 points against Evansville on Feb. 7, 16 of which came after halftime. He then erased that mark with a career-best 21 points in the win over UNI, 17 of which came after intermission.
For the year, Porter is shooting 37.5 percent and averaging 4.0 points in the first half of games, but makes 53.0 percent and scores 6.0 points in the second half of contests.
Defensive Gem
Last year as a freshman, Josh Dotzler had two or more steals in 16 of 23 games. However, his season ended on Feb. 11 when he tore his posterior cruciate ligament in his knee, for which he underwent surgery for in May.
Playing one day shy of the one-year anniversary of that knee injury, Dotzler shined on the defensive end at Southern Illinois on Feb. 10. Dotzler tied his career-high with five steals and also added his first blocked shot of the season. He played 25 minutes, his most extensive action since breaking two fingers in a Dec. 21 game vs. Valparaiso.
Dotzler had three steals in the final 10 minutes versus UNI on Wednesday, sparking the game-changing 19-5 run that led the Bluejays to victory.
11 MVC Wins, You're In
In the past 10 years (since 1996-97), 36 MVC teams have had 11 league wins and a winning non-conference record. All 36 played in either the NCAA (21 times) or NIT (15).
Seven others had 11 or more league wins in that span and failed to reach post-season play. None of those seven had 18 overall wins or a winning non-league record in those years. [All 10 MVC teams have winning non-conference marks this year].
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2005-06 campaign marked the eighth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as four teams went dancing.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last eight NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Conference-USA, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Another Reason He's The A-Train
Senior center Anthony Tolliver has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team for the second straight season. Tolliver owns a 3.53 GPA in Finance. He is one of four MVC players named Academic All-District, joining SIU's Jamaal Tatum, UNI's Brooks McKowen and Indiana State's Trent Wurtz.
Bright Lights, Big Wins
Creighton is 16-7 in its last 23 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. This Saturday's game against Wichita State will be CU's 14th national TV appearance since February of 2004.
In fact, three of CU's final five regular-season games will be on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Below is CU's recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Date Opponent Score Network
02/17/07 Drexel L 58-64 ESPN2
02/13/07 Northern Iowa W 66-55 ESPNU
02/10/07 at Southern Illinois L 68-72 ESPN2
12/30/06 Missouri State W 77-74 ESPN2
12/06/06 at Dayton L 54-60 ESPNU
02/18/06 Fresno State W 67-62 ESPN
02/14/06 at Wichita State L 61-62 ot ESPNU
01/31/06 Northern Iowa W 63-55 ESPNU
03/07/05 vs. Missouri State W 75-57 ESPN
02/12/05 at Southern Illinois L 67-71 ESPN2
02/09/05 Northern Iowa W 83-82 ESPN2
02/21/04 at Kent State L 55-70 ESPN2
02/07/04 Southern Illinois L 60-61 ESPN2
03/10/03 vs. Southern Illinois W 80-56 ESPN
02/22/03 Fresno State W 67-66 ESPN2
01/18/03 Southern Illinois W 85-76 ESPN2
03/04/02 vs. Southern Illinois W 84-76 ESPN2
02/23/02 at Bradley W 80-64 ESPN2
02/17/01 Wyoming W 84-72 ESPN
02/10/01 at Southern Illinois W 77-63 ESPN
03/06/00 vs. Missouri State W 57-45 ESPN
02/07/00 at Colorado State W 78-67 ESPN
03/01/99 vs. Evansville W 70-61 ESPN
10 Conference Wins x 11
Creighton's win at Drake on Feb. 3 was its 10th league win of the season. That extended the Bluejays' Missouri Valley Conference record with an 11th consecutive season of 10 or more league wins.
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 that entered 2006-07 with at least 10 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Arizona (21), South Carolina State (13), Stanford (12), Kansas (12), Creighton (10) and Duke (10).
League Current Next
School League W-L Streak Game
Arizona Pac-10 8-7 21 2/25
S. Carolina St. MEAC 9-7 13 2/24
Kansas Big 12 11-2 13 2/24
Stanford Pac-10 9-5 12 2/22
Creighton MVC 12-5 11 2/24
Duke ACC 7-6 10 2/22
Funk Moves Into Top 50 On MVC Scoring List
Senior Nate Funk has 1,649 career points, good for ninth in Bluejay history and 44th in MVC history.
With 13 points on Saturday, Funk could move past both Vernon Moore and Paul Silas to reach seventh in Bluejay scoring annals. Silas currently works at ESPN as an NBA studio analyst.
Below is a list of the top scorers all-time in Creighton and MVC history:
Top Scorers, Creighton History
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-99
2. 2,110 Bob Harstad 1987-91
3. 1,983 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
4. 1,876 Bob Portman 1966-69
5. 1,801 Kyle Korver 1999-03
6. 1,682 Rick Apke 1974-78
7. 1,661 Paul Silas 1961-64
8. 1,654 Vernon Moore 1981-85
9. 1,649 Nate Funk 2002-Pr.
10. 1,575 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
Top Scorers, MVC History
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 3,008 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1984-88
37. 1,686 Wes Unseld, Louisville 1965-68
38. 1,683 Anthony Parker, Bradley 1993-97
39. 1,669 Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M 1942-46
40. 1,666 Ron Bonham, Cincinnati 1961-64
41. 1,657 Red Murrell, Drake 1955-58
42. 1,654 Vernon Moore, Creighton 1981-85
43. 1,651 Melvin Mathis, Drake 1982-86
44. 1,649 Nate Funk, Creighton 2002-Pr.
45. 1,626 Willie McCarter, Drake 1966-69
Leading Scorer, Again
Nate Funk had owned at least a share of Creighton's team-lead in scoring each of the last 10 games, before Nick Porter paced the squad on Feb. 13 vs. UNI. That was the longest run by any player in the 13-year tenure of Dana Altman, two more than the previous bests done twice by Rodney Buford.
It was also the longest run since 10 in a row by Rod Mason, who did it from Jan. 28 to Feb. 20, 1988.
Drive For Five
Creighton's recent five-game winning streak (snapped Feb. 10 at SIU) was a season-long streak. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in each of the last 10 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 12 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
Milestone Home Win
Creighton's Feb. 7th 79-74 home win over Evansville wasn't just your ordinary home win.
It was Creighton's 50th home win in the four-year history of Qwest Center Omaha (in 60 games).
It was Dana Altman's 150th home win at Creighton (in 188 games).
Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 11 straight seasons, a streak they extended on Feb. 7. It was the third straight season that CU's 10th home win came against the Purple Aces
Though impressive, that is not a school record. Creighton won 10 or more home games in 12 straight seasons, spanning the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign.
Hibma-tized
Returning close to his native Pella, Iowa always seems to bring the best out of junior guard Pierce Hibma. Hibma entered the Feb. 3 game at Drake just 3-of-18 from three-point range. On that day, he drained four trifectas in a span of 4:19 during a game-changing 17-2 run. In the process, he doubled his season-high point total and finished with 12.
Last year the Bluejays trailed by 15 points in Des Moines, but thanks to 11 second-half points from Hibma, they pulled out an overtime victory.
Hibma, a theology/pre-med major with a 3.638 GPA, was also named the Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week for his efforts.
Miles Named MVC Newcomer of the Week
Freshman guard Isacc Miles was named State Farm MVC Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 5. Miles averaged 9.0 points and 1.5 assists as Creighton won on the road against Bradley and Drake. He made 6-of-10 shots from the floor (60 percent), including 3-of-7 from three-point range, and also hit 3-of-4 free throws.
His play last week was key in Creighton's 11 point win at Bradley. The freshman had 11 points in the first 11 minutes of the game as CU took an insurmountable 27-10 lead.
He finished the game with 15 points in 23 minutes on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
The league's only freshman to start each league game, Miles has just 30 turnovers in 27 games this season.
Magic Number
The magic number for Saturday's contest against Wichita State is 62. Creighton is 17-1 this year when scoring 62 points or more, but just 1-9 when being held to fewer than 62 markers.
Nine of Wichita State's 12 losses have come in games it has allowed 62 points or more. The Shockers allow just 63.8 points per game this season.
Magic Numbers, Part II
Another category to keep an eye on is Creighton's field goal percentage. The Bluejays are 18-3 this season when shooting 37.8 percent or better from the field, but 0-7 when falling short of 37.8 percent.
Six Teams in Top 100
The Missouri Valley Conference has six of its 10 members in the Top 100 of the RPI. Since 1992, 49 of 57 Valley teams with regular-season RPIs (pre-Selection Sunday) in the Top 100 have been in the postseason. A top-75 finish in the regular-season RPI has secured all 38-such Valley teams a post-season berth:
RPI Rank Total NCAA NIT None
Top 100: 57 30 19 8
Top 75: 38 27 11 --
Top 50: 28 23 5 --
Over .500 Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 24 straight trips through the league, including both halves this year.
Here's how Dana Altman's clubs have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since his arrival:
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2006-07 6-3 6-2 so far
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
1994-95 3-6 1-8
Total 74-43 (.632) 73-43 (.629)
Watts = Board King
Dane Watts had 10 rebounds against Missouri State and tied his career-high with 12 on Jan. 27 vs. Indiana State. He's had double-figure rebound totals eight times this year. Watts is the first Bluejay player with eight different games of 10 or more rebounds in the same year since Nate King had 10 in 1993-94.
Brave New World
Anthony Tolliver hauled down a career-best 14 rebounds on Jan. 31 against Bradley. Throw in his 13 points, and it gave him a fifth double-double of the year and 10 double-dimes in his career.
Tolliver has now had a double-double in each of his last three meetings with Bradley. He had 10 points and 13 rebounds against Bradley earlier this year, and had 16 points and 12 rebounds in last year's MVC Tournament meeting.
Bradley Was MVC Win #400
Creighton owns a 403-291 all-time record in Missouri Valley Conference regular-season games. CU's Jan. 31 win at Bradley was its 400th all-time in league action, and came in its 48th season in the MVC.
Creighton's Landmark MVC Victories
No. Date Opponent Score
1 01-15-29 Grinnell W 38-25
50 01-25-36 Oklahoma State W 48-29
100 02-23-42 at Oklahoma State W 31-29
150 01-17-80 Indiana State W 67-60
200 01-31-87 Indiana State W 71-60
250 01-18-93 Missouri State W 72-58
300 02-17-99 Missouri State W 79-76
350 02-01-03 at Drake W 88-68
400 01-31-07 at Bradley W 82-71
Starters Balance Scoring Effort
Creighton had five starters score 13 or more points against Bradley on Jan. 31, scoring 79 of CU's 82 points in the win. The Bluejays had not had all five starters score 10 points or more in the same game since Jan. 30, 1999 at UNI.
National Leaders
Through games of Feb. 18, Creighton had three players ranked among the top 100 national statistical leaders.
Nick Porter is 85th in free throw percentage at 82.7 percent. Nate Funk was 19th in free throw percentage at 88.1 percent and 81st in scoring average at 17.2 points per game. In addition, Anthony Tolliver is 63rd in blocked shots per game at 1.8 per contest.
As a team, CU is 14th in free throw percentage (75.2 percent), 37th in scoring defense (61.4 points allowed per game), 34th in fewest personal fouls per game (16.6) and 57th in fewest turnovers per game (13.0 per game).
Hammons Success = NCAA
Creighton won for just the fifth time in 20 tries at Missouri State on Jan. 24. Each of the previous four Bluejay teams that won at the Hammons Student Center eventually advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
What's Your Twenty
With Creighton's win at Missouri State on Jan. 24, it improved its record after 20 games to 13-7. CU has now won at least 13 of its first 20 games in each of the last 10 seasons. Here's a look at Creighton's record after 20 games in the 13 seasons under Dana Altman.
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2006-07 13-7
2005-06 15-5 20-10 NIT
2004-05 13-7 23-11 NCAA
2003-04 17-3 20-9 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
1994-95 6-14 7-19 ---
MVC Leaders at the Turn
According to Mike Kern at the league office, each Missouri Valley Conference team in first place (or tied for first) since 1992 has advanced to postseason play. This year, UNI, Southern Illinois and Creighton were all tied for first at the turn.
Creighton was also in a four-way tie for first place last year at the halfway mark before tying for second. The Bluejays also were tied for first in 1999 and 2003 and all alone in first in 2002.
Altman Wins 250th at Creighton
Already the winningest coach in Creighton basketball history, the Jan. 18 victory over Bradley was Dana Altman's 250th on the Bluejay sideline. Below is a look at some of his milestone wins at Creighton.
Win # Game # Opp. Date
1 1 at Oral Roberts 11/26/94
50 105 at Evansville 02/02/98
100 178 Western Illinois 11/20/00
150 245 vs. Notre Dame 11/26/02
200 309 vs. Ohio State 11/24/04
250 386 Bradley 01/18/07
Tolliver Named MVC Player of the Week
Anthony Tolliver was named MVC Player of the Week on Jan. 15.
Tolliver, a senior center from Springfield, Mo., averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 blocked shots as Creighton beat Drake and UNI.
It was his second Valley Player of the Week honor in his career, as he previously won the award on Dec. 19, 2005.
Broken Records
Creighton has played nine of its last 14 games in front of a sold out arena and/or record crowd. Six of those games were sellouts, while five of them were record crowds for the facility the game was played in.
Date Opponent Site Crowd
Jan. 9 Drake Omaha 16,315%
Jan. 12 at Northern Iowa Cedar Falls 6,877*%
Jan. 15 at Wichita State Wichita 10,478*
Jan. 18 Bradley Omaha 16,339%
Jan. 20 So. Illinois Omaha 17,459*%
Jan. 27 Indiana State Omaha 17,283*
Feb. 3 at Drake Des Moines 7,178*
Feb. 10 at So. Illinois Carbondale 9,628*
Feb. 17 Drexel Omaha 17,607*%
*indicates sellout; %indicates record crowd
Lights Out, Again
Two of Creighton's last eight home games have featured some of the best shooting performances in school history.
First, CU made a 64.3 percent of its shots from the field on Jan. 1 vs. Illinois State. At the time, that was tied for the second-best mark in school history, according to available records.
On Jan. 9, CU set an all-time mark with 65.9 percent shooting in a win over Drake, hitting 29-of-44 attempts.
Below is the top five shooting efforts in school history, according to available records.
Best FG Percentage, CU Team History
Pct. Opponent FG-FGA Date
.659 Drake 29-44 01/09/07
.654 Evansville 34-52 02/28/00
.643 vs. DePaul (NCAA Tourney) 36-56 03/12/78
.643 at Notre Dame 36-56 02/18/91
.643 Illinois State 27-42 01/01/07
More Shooting Notes
Creighton's 65.9 percent shooting on Jan. 9 is the top performance among league schools this season.
Creighton's win improved it to 13-0 under Dana Altman when shooting 60 percent or better.
CU 60% or Better FG Shooting, Under Altman
Pct. Opponent FG-FGA Result Date
.659 Drake 29-44 W 79-56 01/09/07
.654 Evansville 34-52 W 102-69 02/28/00
.643 Illinois State 27-42 W 79-71 01/01/07
.636 Evansville 28-44 W 75-62 02/02/98
.622 Drake 23-37 W 70-66 01/15/00
.620 at Illinois State 31-50 W 76-62 01/02/02
.620 vs. Notre Dame 31-50 W 80-75 11/26/02
.619 at Wichita State 26-42 W 82-68 02/16/05
.614 at Evansville 35-57 W 90-80 01/20/99
.610 at Drake 36-59 W 88-68 02/01/03
.608 at Drake 31-51 W 82-76 02/17/98
.605 Illinois State 26-43 W 71-52 01/05/06
.600 at Illinois State 30-50 W 76-57 01/11/03
Funk Makes Them Pay
Nate Funk's streak of 27 straight free throws came to an end with a miss in the final minute of a Jan. 15 loss at Wichita State. His streak had started Dec. 30 against Missouri State.
Funk's 27 straight at the line were a career high, and five shy of the school record held by Michael Lindeman. Funk also had a streak of 18 straight earlier this year snapped at Hawaii on Dec. 23 and 22 consecutive at the end of his junior season.
Consecutive Free Throws (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
27 Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006 - Jan. 12, 2007
Downtown Funk
Senior guard Nate Funk continues to shoot his way towards the top of numerous Creighton records. Funk owns 194 career three-pointers, fourth in Bluejay history. Additionally, Funk's 40.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range ranks sixth in Bluejay history.
More info available in the PDF link at the top of this page.
Next Game
Creighton (18-10, 12-5 MVC) closes regular-season play on Saturday with a nationally-televised game against Wichita State (17-12, 8-9 MVC).
The sold out game will start at 4:05 pm on First National Bank Court at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272).
Bluejay seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, as well as senior managers Tony Pesavento and Danny Schreiber, will be honored following the game.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP ("Big Sports 590" AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2006-07 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Travis Justice will call the action.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2, with Dave Barnett and Tim McCormick on the call.
What: Wichita State @ Creighton (MBB)
When: Saturday, February 24 -- 4:05 p.m. (Central)
Where: Qwest Center Omaha -- Omaha, Neb.
Clearances: ESPN2
On Air: 4:00 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: SBS 6 / 16K Upper Digital
Degrees: 74' West
Uplink Freq.: 14403.250 MHz Horizontal
Downlink Freq.: 12103.250 MHz Vertical
Bandwidth: 18.000 MHz
Symbol Rate: 13.235 Ms
FEC Rate: 3/4
On-Air Talent: Dave Barnett (play-by-play), Tim McCormick (analyst)
Video Webcast Information
Saturday's game will not be available for video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab in the top middle of the page for the exact link.
White Out For Wichita Planned
Creighton Athletic officials are asking fans to wear a white shirt to Saturday's game vs. Wichita State, in order to create a "white-out" effect for the national television audience on ESPN2.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters its regular-season finale with an 18-10 record, and are alone in second with a 12-5 Missouri Valley Conference record. The Bluejays are 11-2 at home, where they average 15,817 fans per game, and 7-8 at road and neutral venues.
Leading the way for Creighton has been Preseason MVC Player of the Year Nate Funk. Funk is averaging a league-best 17.1 points per game and also tops the club with 84 assists and 34 steals.
Anthony Tolliver, also a preseason all-Valley pick, gives CU inside muscle with 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. He also tops the team with 48 blocked shots.
Also averaging in double-figures for Creighton are junior forward Dane Watts (10.1 ppg., 6.5 rpg.) and senior guard Nick Porter (10.0 ppg., 5.3 rpg.).
The Bluejays average 67.0 points per game and shoot 44.7 percent from the floor, 33.9 percent from downtown and 75.1 percent at the stripe. CU holds the opposition to 61.5 points per game and 42.3 percent shooting from the floor.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State is 17-12 on the season, including an 8-9 league mark and a 5-6 road record. The Shockers started 9-0 and were ranked among the nation's top-10 teams, but enter Saturday's game in Omaha with three consecutive losses.
WSU is being led by senior forward Kyle Wilson, who averages 14.2 points per game and had 25 in the last meeting with Creighton.
Also in double-figures are PJ Couisnard (11.5 ppg., 5.6 rpg.) and Sean Ogirri (10.0 ppg.). Couisnard leads the team with 37 blocked shots, while Ogirri owns a team-high 64 three-point baskets and also shoots 91.5 percent at the charity stripe.
As a team, the Shockers average 69.3 points per game and shoot 46.2 percent from the field, 36.6 percent from three-point range and 70.5 percent at the line. WSU allows 63.8 points per contest, as teams shoot 43.3 percent against them.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 13th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 256-140 (.646) mark at CU and a career record of 339-207 (.621) in his 18th year 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 previous 21 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. Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to six NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in nine straight seasons. He is helped by assistant coaches Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Kevin McKenna. Jake Muhleisen is the team's graduate manager.
Mark Turgeon (Kansas, 1987) owns a 128-88 record in his seventh season with the Shockers. That moves his career mark to 153-117 in nine years overall. Turgeon is assisted by Scott Spinelli, Alvin "Pooh" Williamson and Mike Rohn.
Series History Against Wichita State
Creighton leads the all-time series with Wichita State by a 46-39 margin. The Bluejays lead the series 25-14 all-time in Omaha, including 13 straight wins.
The Bluejays have swept the season series with the Shockers in eight of the last 13 seasons and have not been swept by WSU since the 1987-88 season. The Jays have won 22-of-27 and 29-of-37 vs. the Shockers in recent seasons.
Altman is 24-6 all-time vs. Wichita State, including a 21-5 mark since coming to Creighton. Altman's 24 wins over Wichita State are four more victories than any other school he's beaten (Indiana State and UNI, 20).
Altman is also 11-4 in head-to-head match-ups with Mark Turgeon.
Last Game Recap
Freshman Osiris Eldridge had 18 points and seven rebounds, all after half, to lead Illinois State to a 65-55 victory over Creighton on Tuesday in Normal. ISU trailed 35-22 late in the first half before outscoring the Jays 43-20 the rest of the way. Nate Funk led Creighton with 16 points.
So Long Seniors
Saturday will mark the final regular-season home game in the career for seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver. Over the past five years, Creighton is 110-45 with four 20-win seasons and four postseason appearances (two NCAA's, two NIT's).
Funk will play in his school-record 131st career game on Saturday. He enters the game with 1,649 points and 308 assists, both among the top-10 marks in school history. A preseason All-American, Funk is leading the MVC in points per game this year (17.1 ppg.).
Gakou is finishing up his second year with the Bluejay program. The Paris, France native has played in 40 games, and has 39 points and 32 rebounds to his credit.
The 2006 MVC Newcomer of the Year, Porter is averaging 10.0 points and 5.3 points per game this season. He has played in 58 games at CU, owning 569 points, 297 rebounds and 131 assists.
A preseason all-Valley selection, Tolliver is averaging 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this year. He owns 939 career points, 569 rebounds and is among the top-five in CU history with 129 blocked shots.
Funk, Tolliver and Gakou are all on pace to graduate in May, while Porter is expected to get his degree in August.
Senior Citizens
Below is a list of statistics by the Creighton players honored during Senior Day in the last few seasons.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Day-06 5 4 2 1 26
Mathies-06• 18 5 4 7 39
Motz-06 6 0 0 0 12
McKinney-05• 12 4 4 1 29
Miliner-05• 5 2 0 0 21
Dabbert-04 13 5 1 0 22
Deren-04• 6 10 2 0 19
Grimes-04• 16 8 2 0 29
Lindeman-04• 15 5 5 0 32
House-03• 28 6 1 0 22
Korver-03• 13 7 3 1 28
Bowden-03• 4 2 1 2 20
Walker-01• 13 2 2 1 22
Sears-01• 9 0 2 2 23
Pyfrom-01 12 8 3 1 23
Huss-01• 0 0 1 1 7
Haynes-01 6 1 1 2 18
Angner-01 4 0 0 3 9
• indicates game started
Senior Leaders
Creighton seniors Nick Porter, Nate Funk, Manny Gakou and Anthony Tolliver have scored at least half of the team's points in each of its last 19 games (since Dec. 22 vs. Houston), including every MVC contest this year.
On Wednesday night at Illinois State, Creighton's senior trio of Porter, Funk and Tolliver scored 29 straight points for Creighton, a streak that started late in the first half and lasted until the final minute of the game.
Home Season Finales
Creighton is 10-2 under Dana Altman in its final home game of the regular-season, and 4-0 against Wichita State in such contests.
CU's last loss on Senior Night came on a senior-less team in 2002 to Drake. The Jays have won 10 straight Senior Night's when they have at least one senior dating to a 1994-95 setback vs. Southern Illinois.
Creighton has won six straight Senior Day's against Wichita State.
Lucky #13
Creighton will be going for its 13th Missouri Valley Conference win on Saturday. That would be just the fourth time it has reached that milestone. In each of the previous three instances (2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03) the Jays had 13 or more MVC wins, it has reached the NCAA Tournament
Keep The Shockers Under 70
Since arriving at Creighton, Dana Altman owns an 21-5 mark against Wichita State. One common theme for the Bluejays in those contests has been tenacious defense.
Creighton has allowed the Shockers to score 70 or more points in just five of those 25 games, of which WSU won three times. However, in the 21 matchups the Shockers scored under 70, they are 2-19 vs. Altman and the Bluejays.
This trend also held true when Altman was at Kansas State, as the Shockers went 0-3 when scoring under 70 but 1-0 when they eclipsed the 70-point barrier.
Dana Altman vs. Wichita State
at KSU at CU Total
WSU scores 69 or less 3-0 19-2 22-2
WSU scores 70+ 0-1 2-3 2-4
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Creighton and Wichita State have played 20 games decided by 12 points or less during the 25 matchups since Dana Altman became Bluejay coach. CU has gone 17-3 in those games. Altman also went 1-0 while at Kansas State in games vs. WSU decided by 12 points or less.
Additionally, Altman is 10-2 in his career (9-2 at CU) in games vs. Wichita State decided by four points or less.
Dana Altman vs. Wichita State
at KSU at CU Total
Game decided by 4 or less 1-0 9-2 10-2
Game decided by 12 or less 1-0 17-3 18-3
Game decided by 13 or more 2-1 4-2 6-3
Buzzer Beaters Galore
Each of the last three Creighton/Wichita State games have been decided at the wire. On Jan. 28, 2006 in Omaha, Creighton's Anthony Tolliver hit a 15-foot baseline jumper to give the Bluejays a 57-55 win.
In the rematch on Feb. 14, 2006 in Wichita, Matt Braeuer drained a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in overtime to give the Shockers a 62-61 triumph.
Earlier this year on Jan. 15, 2007 in Wichita, Nate Funk's game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds was blocked by PJ Couisnard.
WSU's Last Win In Omaha Was A "Big Show"
With 13 straight losses to Creighton in Omaha, it's been a while since Wichita State has beaten the Bluejays away from home.
In fact, the last time the Shockers won in Omaha (Feb. 22, 1992), they got eight points and seven rebounds in a career-high 18 minutes off the bench from a center named Paul Wight.
Who is Paul Wight He's well-known among wrestling diehards as "The Big Show", where he is a former WWE and WCW heavyweight champion. He is listed by Wikipedia at 7'0" and 507 pounds.
Split City
Saturday will be the second meeting of the year between Creighton and Wichita State. The Shockers took the first meeting, 62-59, in Wichita.
In each of Creighton's last eight seasons, the Bluejays have split the regular-season series with the team they closed the MVC slate with.
Some Good Wins Already
Saturday will mark the 14th of Creighton's 29 games this year against teams that reached the postseason last year. The Bluejays are 6-3 so far in nine games against NCAA qualifiers and 3-1 against NIT participants from a year ago.
The clubs Creighton has beaten combined for eight NCAA wins and five victories in the NIT last season.
Creighton's strength of schedule stands at 27 and CU has played just three games against teams ranked 150 or lower.
A pre-NCAA Tournament selection conference RPI of sixth or better has translated into three or more NCAA tourney teams in 89 of 90 possible situations since 1992. Here's a look at how many NCAA teams the top seven conferences have earned in recent years (note: the MVC is currently sixth):
Conf.
RPI 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
1 6 6 7 5 6 6 5 7 6 6 6 6 6 5 6
2 5 6 4 4 4 5 5 3 6 7 4 6 6 4 8
3 5 5 5 3 5 6 5 4 6 6 6 4 6 6 4
4 3 4 1 4 4 5 5 6 5 5 6 5 4 6 6
5 4 3 6 5 4 4 4 5 4 5 6 4 6 5 4
6 3 3 4 6 5 5 5 4 4 6 5 3 3 5 4
7 4 4 3 5 4 5 5 5 3 2 3 5 3 2 4
Tolliver's a CLASS Candidate
Creighton center Anthony Tolliver is one of 10 finalists for the 2007 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, the nation's premier tribute to college seniors. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I male senior basketball player who excels both on and off the court. Winners will be announced during the Final Four weekend.
Other finalists include Jared Dudley (Boston College), Nick Fazekas (Nevada), Aaron Gray (Pittsburgh), Adam Haluska (Iowa), Jarrius Jackson (Texas Tech), Acie Law IV (Texas A&M), J.R. Reynolds (Virginia), Curtis Sumpter (Villanova) and Alando Tucker (Wisconsin).
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 can bring.
Finalists were selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student athlete. These areas of excellence are identified under the categories of classroom, character and community, as well as the candidates's performance and team loyalty on the court.
Tolliver is the only MVC men's athlete named, and the second Creighton candidate in the past six years. Kyle Korver was a finalist for the award in 2003 and named a Senior CLASS All-American.
Previous winners include Juan Dixon (2002), David West (2003), Jameer Nelson (2004), Wayne Simien (2005) and J.J. Redick (2006).
RPI Rants
Through games of Feb. 21, Creighton owned a 5-3 record against teams in the Top 50 of the www.collegerpi.com rankings.
CU's .625 winning percentage against Top 50 competition ranks tied for eighth nationally among teams that have played five such games. Of the 12 schools with a .625 winning percentage or better, all but Creighton and Virginia Tech are ranked in this week's Top 25 polls.
Win Pct. vs. Top 50 RPI Opponents (min. 5 GP)
School W-L Win Pct. AP USA
North Carolina 10-2 .833 5 5
UCLA 8-2 .800 4 4
Butler 4-1 .800 15 15
Southern Illinois 7-2 .778 13 14
Virginia Tech 8-3 .727 - -
Ohio State 7-3 .700 2 1
Wisconsin 6-3 .667 1 2
Creighton 5-3 .625 - -
Florida 5-3 .625 3 3
Marquette 5-3 .625 16 16
Oregon 5-3 .625 23 24
Vanderbilt 5-3 .625 17 21
Birds of Prey
Creighton has lost a total of 14 home games in the last seven seasons. Following almost every setback, Creighton has taken out its frustration in its next regular-season home game.
Creighton has followed all but one of its previous 13 home losses with a win in its next home game by an average of 18.6 points, including eight double-digit triumphs.
Since February of 2000, Creighton has suffered consecutive home losses just once, as it fell Dec. 7 and Dec. 18, 2004 to Kent State and Wyoming, respectively.
The last time CU dropped consecutive MVC contests at home was Jan. 4 and Jan. 17, 1999, when they lost to Evansville and Indiana State.
Home Losses, Last Seven Years
Home Loss Next Home Game
L 58-64, Drexel Saturday vs. Wichita State
L 57-58, S. Illinois W 71-55, Indiana State
L 52-53, Miami Fla. W 78-42, Miss. Valley State
L 67-74, S. Illinois W 67-62, Fresno State
L 71-79, Missouri St. W 83-82, Northern Iowa
L 77-82, Illinois St. W 73-69, Wichita State
L 63-69, S. Illinois W 82-67, Drake
L 64-68, Wyoming W 71-62, Bradley
L 58-67, Kent State L 64-68, Wyoming
L 70-71, Nebraska W 74-40, Alcorn State
L 60-61, S. Illinois W 74-56, Bradley
L 73-75, Drake W 106-50, Texas-Arlington
L 77-79, S. Illinois W 83-56, Northern Iowa
L 65-72, Xavier W 90-65, Miss. Valley State
S*W*A*T* City
Anthony Tolliver has had at least one blocked shot in 29 of the last 34 games dating to last season, including three games with five each.
Benoit Benjamin owns the Creighton (and MVC) record with 411 career rejections, and Tolliver currently ranks fourth. Tolliver also ranks 17th in MVC history with 129 career rejections.
Creighton Blocked Shots, Since 1979-80
Rk. Blk. Name Years
1. 411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
2. 183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
3. 138 Brody Deren 2001-04
4. 129 Anthony Tolliver 2003-Pres.
5. 109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
Most Blocked Shots MVC History
Rk. Blk. Name Years
1. 411 Benoit Benjamin, CU 1982-85
2. 217 Grant Stout, UNI 2003-Pres.
3. 209 Antoine Carr, WSU 1979-83
4. 183 Chad Gallagher, CU 1987-91
4. 180 Donald Powell, BU 1984-88
5. 168 DeCarsta Webster, INS 1975-78
7. 167 Danny Moore, MSU 1996-99
8. 159 Greg Dilligard, ILS 2003-Pres.
9. 158 Ashraf Amaya, SIU 1989-93
10. 155 Bradley Strickland, UE 2003-Pres.
11. 154 Adebayo Akinkunle, BU 1994-98
12. 147 Patrick O'Bryant, BU 2004-06
14. 139 Randal Falker, SIU 2004-Pres.
13. 138 Brody Deren, CU 2001-04
15. 134 Mike VandeGarde, ILS 1990-94
16. 132 Robert Elmore, WSU 1973-77
17. 129 Anthony Tolliver, CU 2003-Pres.
18. 127 Aliou Keita, DU 2004-Pres.
Jays Will Be Second Seed at MVC Tourney
Creighton will be the second seed when the State Farm MVC Tournament is played, March 1-4, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Creighton will play the winner of Thursday night's No. 7 vs. No. 10 first-round game on Friday at 6 pm. With a win in the quarterfinals, CU's semifinal game would be at 4 pm against the winner of the sixth-seeded team (still TBA) versus third-seeded Missouri State.
Below is the complete tournament schedule:
Thursday, March 1st
Game 1: #8 seed vs. #9 seed 6:00 pm
Game 2: #7 seed vs. #10 seed 8:30 pm
Friday, March 2nd
Game 3: G1 winner vs. #1 SIU (FSN Midwest) 12:00 pm
Game 4: #4 seed vs. #5 seed (FSN Midwest) 2:30 pm
Game 5: G2 winner vs. #2 CU (FSN Midwest) 6:00 pm
Game 6: #3 MSU vs. #6 seed (FSN Midwest) 8:30 pm
Saturday, March 3rd
Game 7: G3 winner vs. G4 winner (FSN Midwest) 1:30 pm
Game 8: G5 winner vs. G6 winner (FSN Midwest) 4:00 pm
Sunday, March 4th
Game 9: G7 winner vs. G8 winner (CBS) 1:00 pm
Who Might They Play
Creighton will play the winner of the game between the seventh seed and the 10th seed.
All things being equal, here are the odds of the folowing match-ups occurring in the 7 vs. 10 game:
Evansville/Indiana State 42.2%
Illinois State/Indiana State 26.6%
Drake/Indiana State 12.5%
Evansville/Drake 12.5%
Evansville/Illinois State 6.2%
Illinois State/Drake 0.0%
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.
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 currently second this season, 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 9 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (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.)
The Best Never Rest
Nate Funk is averaging 34.3 minutes per game, easily the most on the team and fourth-highest in the MVC this season. That's the most by any Bluejay player since Ryan Sears clocked 35.0 minutes per game during his junior (1999-00) season.
Over the past 10 games, Funk has played the entire second half in seven games, 19:10 (of 20 minutes) at Illinois State, 18:37 against Indiana State and 17:54 at Southern Illinois.
Out Of His Funk
Creighton is 6-3 in its last nine games, and a major reason is because Nate Funk continues to light up the opposition early in games.
Funk has hit 50 percent or better of his first half shots in eight of CU's last nine games. In that time, he's made 28-of-47 shots (59.6 percent), including 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from downtown.
Funk's continued consistency is a huge reason the Bluejays are 18-10 and in the hunt for the NCAA Tournament. His streak of 19 straight games in double-figures is CU's longest since Bob Harstad in 1990-91.
Below is a list of the MVC's longest active streaks of double-figure scoring games, as well as Creighton's longest streaks since 1989-90:
Active Double-Figure Point Streaks, MVC
No. Name Team
19 Nate Funk Creighton
13 Ajay Calvin Drake
8 Matt Webster Evansville
CU's Top Double-Figure Point Streaks, Since 1989-90
No. Name Dates
32 Bob Harstad Feb. 24, 1990-Feb. 25, 1991
27 Bob Harstad Nov. 27, 1989-Feb. 17, 1990
25 Chad Gallagher Jan. 22, 1990-Jan. 5, 1991
21 Chad Gallagher Jan. 16-Dec. 4, 1989
19 Nate Funk Dec. 23, 2006-Present
18 Duan Cole Jan. 16-March 7, 1992
17 Rodney Buford Jan. 3-Feb. 21, 1996
16 Rodney Buford Feb. 23, 1998-Jan. 4, 1999
16 Rodney Buford Jan. 2-Feb. 17, 1997
16 Bob Harstad Dec. 10, 1988-Feb. 6, 1989
Gotta Have That Funk
Nate Funk has taken over the mantle as the leading scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference, no matter how you slice it. He is the league's career active scoring leader with 1,649 points, leads the MVC with 17.1 points per game in all games, and is also tops with an 18.5 scoring average in league-only contests.
Funk has scored 12 points or more in a league-best 19 straight games, a run which started Dec. 23 at Hawaii. He has also scored at least a dozen points in the last 21 regular-season MVC games he's played in as well, dating to late in his junior season.
After his 21 points at Drake, Funk now owns 22 career games of 20 or more points.
Combo Guard
Nate Funk sees much of his time as the Creighton point guard, bringing the ball up against pressure, before playing as a shooting guard within the half-court offense.
The numbers reflect this as well, as Funk is the only player in the MVC to lead his team in points per game and assists per game in league action.
Since 1970, the only four players to lead Creighton in scoring and assists in the same season are Funk (2003-04), Kyle Korver (2001-02), Matt Petty (1992-93) and Kevin McKenna (1979-80).
With sizable leads in both categories this year, it appears likely that Funk will become the first Bluejay player on record to lead the team in both points and assists twice in his career.
Game Tested
Fifth-year senior Nate Funk has played in 130 games as a Bluejay, two more than Bob Harstad and Kyle Korver for most in school history. Harstad (1990) and Korver (2002 and 2003) both won MVC Player of the Year accolades, something Funk is a strong candidate for this season. Below is a list of the all-time Creighton leaders in games played:
GP Name Years
130 Nate Funk 2002-07
128 Bob Harstad 1987-91
128 Kyle Korver 1999-03
Technically Speaking
The Creighton bench was assessed a technical foul last Saturday in the second half against Drexel, a rarity for the program.
In the 13-year tenure of Dana Altman, it was just the seventh technical foul charged to the bench, and first since Jan. 21, 2004 at Wichita State. The last technical foul on the Bluejay bench in a home game came on Jan. 12, 2000 against #19 Tulsa.
Only 23 technical fouls have been charged to a CU player of coach in the 396 games Altman's been on the sideline. Here's the list: Bench (7), Jeffrey Day (4), Terrell Taylor (3), Jason Bey (2), Dane Watts (1), Joe Dabbert (1), DeAnthony Bowden (1), Larry House (1), Joel Templeman (1), Kevin Mungin (1) and Donald Davenport (1).
CU also had a technical foul called in a 1998 game at Wichita State when it called a timeout it didn't have.
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 39 charges this season. Over the previous four seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-05 ?˜05-06 ?˜06-07 Total
Anthony Tolliver 6 17 19 42
Dane Watts 8 7 10 25
Nate Funk 5 2 3 10
Isacc Miles n/a n/a 3 3
Pierce Hibma 1 0 2 3
Nick Porter n/a 6 1 7
Manny Gakou n/a 0 1 1
Josh Dotzler n/a 4 0 4
Former Players 119 9 n/a 128
Total 139 45 39 223
More Charge Info
Anthony Tolliver took three charges last Saturday against Drexel, giving him a team-best 19 on the season. Since 2002-03, the following players have taken 10 or more charges in a season:
Most Charges Taken, Season (since 2002-03)
19 Anthony Tolliver 2006-07
17 Mike Grimes 2002-03
17 Anthony Tolliver 2005-06
13 Joe Dabbert 2002-03
11 Joe Dabbert 2003-04
11 Tyler McKinney 2004-05
10 Dane Watts 2006-07
High Voltage
Dane Watts has scored in double-figures seven of Creighton's last eight games. Watts has now scored in double-figures 32 times in his career. The Bluejays are 24-8 in those contests, including an 12-2 record when he pumps in 13 points or more.
It's also worth pointing out that after making just 45.5 percent of 55 free throw attempts last year, he is currently hitting 71.6 percent at the line in 74 attempts. He's hit 26 of his last 31 attempts (83.9 percent) over the past 12 games.
Watts has also made at least half his three-point attempts in each of CU's last seven games, and 12 of the team's last 15 games.
A steady performer who can shoot from the outside or bang away inside, Watts owns a team-best 81 consecutive starts.
Road Warriors
Creighton finished 5-4 on the road in MVC play this season. In the previous six seasons, the Jays have made the NCAA's each time they've been over .500 on the road in MVC play, but were sent to the NIT both times they were under .500 in league tilts on the road.
Since rejoining the MVC in 1977, each of Creighton's previous five teams that opened 4-2 on the road or better in league action went on to win the MVC Tournament (also 1988-89, 1990-91, 1998-99, 2001-02, 2002-03). Each of those last four teams also won its first NCAA Tournament game that season.
Additionally, two of Creighton's league away wins were by 10 or more points (at Bradley, at Evansville). The rest of the league has four combined double-digit road wins (one each for SIU, UNI, Illinois State and Bradley) in MVC play.
More Road Notes
Creighton is the MVC's only team to win road games at Bradley, Missouri State and Northern Iowa in the same season since Tulsa did it in 1995. Before doing it this January, the Bluejays had previously accomplished this in both 2002-03 and 2001-02.
It Counts In Horseshoes
Creighton's five MVC losses have been by a combined 21 points. The Bluejays lost by three points at both Indiana State and Wichita State, to Southern Illinois by both one and four points, and by 10 at Illinois State.
In four of those five losses, Creighton had the ball with a chance to tie or win in the final 10 seconds.
Ten of Creighton's 17 MVC games this year have been decided by eight points or less.
Big Man Deluxe
Anthony Tolliver is the only player to rank in the top 10 in the MVC in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.
Tolliver ranks second in blocked shots (1.79 bpg.), 10th in scoring (13.5 ppg.) and fifth in rebounds per game (6.6 rpg.).
It's worth noting that last year Wichita State's Paul Miller was named MVC Player of the Year after averaging 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game and helping WSU to a 14-4 league mark.
Charity Tosses
Creighton has made 75.1 percent of its free throw attempts this season, tops in the MVC and 15th nationally through games of Feb. 21.
The 75.1 percent accuracy rate is a fraction away from the school-record of 75.3 percent by the 1992-93 team.
Each of Creighton's last five teams to shoot 70 percent or better at the free-throw line have made the NCAA Tournament.
One of Those Nights
Rare is the night when everybody on a team struggles with their shooting, but such was the case for Creighton on Feb. 20 against Drexel.
None of the nine Creighton players to see action made 50 percent or better of their shots from the field. That kind of team-wide off-night where no one was at 50 percent or better from the field hadn't been done since Feb. 5, 1994.
Korver Comes Back
Former Creighton All-American Kyle Korver (1999-2003), who now plays in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers, skipped the NBA All-Star Game Three-Point Shootout to attend last Saturday night's game against Drexel.
Korver was in town to promote and raise funds for the Kyle Korver Foundation. Bobblehead likenesses of Korver in a Bluejay uniform are available for a $20 donation to his charity, with information on-line at http://www.kylekorver.com.
Korver's brother, Kaleb, is a senior at Pella (Iowa) High School and has signed a letter-of-intent to play at Creighton next fall.
Home Court Advantage
In 2004-05, the Missouri Valley Conference had a 55-8 home record in non-conference games. Last year, it was nearly as good at 53-8. This year, the MVC is a sparkling 55-5 in non-conference home games.
20 Overall Wins x 8 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 100-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post eight straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of 11 teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of the last eight seasons. It is joined by Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Syracuse.
Postseason x 9
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in nine consecutive seasons, which is the second-longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. The longest streak in MVC history was 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 17 schools to make the postseason in each of the last nine years are Arizona, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple and Wake Forest.
Jays Among Attendance Leaders
Creighton finished the 2005-06 season ranked 20th nationally in average attendance with 13,901 fans per game.
The Bluejays have averaged 15,817 fans per game through 13 home dates thus far. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, through games of Feb. 21, according to figures compiled by the Creighton Sports Information Office.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders (through 2/21)
Rk. School Avg. Next Home Game
1. Kentucky 23,343 2/28
2. Syracuse 21,236 2/26
3. North Carolina 20,627 3/4
4. Tennessee 19,368 2/27
5. Louisville 18,424 3/4
6. Ohio State 17,441 2/25
7. Wisconsin 17,190 3/3
8. Maryland 16,689 2/25
9. Arkansas 16,624 2/24
10. Illinois 16,618 Done
11. Indiana 16,351 2/22
12. Kansas 16,300 2/24
13. Creighton 15,817 2/24
14. Marquette 15,151 3/3
15. Memphis 14,793 2/22
16. Michigan State 14,759 2/24
17. Arizona 14,202 Done
18. North Carolina St. 14,070 2/28
19. Virginia 13,358 2/24
20. Oklahoma State 13,313 2/27
Five Figure Crowds
Creighton hosted 17,607 fans for its Feb. 17 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, which ranked 20th nationally in attendance last season, is currently averaging 15,817 fans per game. Before this year, Creighton's largest crowd ever had been 15,700.
Creighton has played 74 straight home games in front of crowds of 8,000 fans or more and 43 in a row 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
16,339 Bradley W 65-54 01/18/07
16,315 Drake W 79-56 01/09/07
15,872 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
15,700 Fresno State W 67-62 02/18/06
15,684 Missouri State W 77-74 12/30/06
15,678 Wichita State W 57-55 01/28/06
15,621 Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
10 Largest Crowds To See CU Play Since 1967, Any Site
Att. Schools Result Date
22,013 #24 Auburn vs. CU% L 69-72 03/16/00
21,525 #13 Illinois vs. CU$ L 60-72 03/17/02
20,850 #15 Florida vs. CU$ W 83-82 (2ot) 03/15/02
18,686 CU @ #15 BYU L 68-96 12/11/71
18,250 CU vs. Toledo& W 48-46 03/25/42
17,935 CU vs. W. Kentucky& L 36-49 03/23/42
17,607 Drexel @ CU L 58-64 02/17/07
17,459 So. Illinois @ CU L 57-58 01/20/07
17,283 Indiana St. @ CU W 71-55 01/27/07
16,585 CU vs. Texas Tech& W 59-58 03/16/42
%NCAA Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn.
$NCAA Tournament in Chicago, Ill.
&National Invitation Tournament in New York, N.Y.
MVC's Top Average Crowd Ever
Creighton broke the school and Missouri Valley Conference records for total home attendance in a season as well. The Jays drew 236,313 spectators in 2005-06, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 set in 2003-04. With 205,618 fans to date, Creighton has once again surpassed the 200,000 fan mark.
Creighton set a new Missouri Valley Conference record for average home attendance last season. CU's average was 227 fans higher than the highest previous figure in the history of the MVC. They are doing much better this year, as seen below:
Ave. Att. School Year
15,817 so far Creighton 2006-07
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
11,839 Louisville 1966-67
Crowds Increase For League Action
Creighton's crowds have increased in MVC action each of the previous six years:
Creighton's Yearly Home Attendance
Year Non-MVC Games MVC Games Change
2000-01 7,132 7,268 +2%
2001-02 6,333 6,800 +7%
2002-03 7,401 8,996 +22%
2003-04 11,467 12,443 +9%
2004-05 9,926 12,207 +23%
2005-06 13,404 14,343 +7%
2006-07 15,470 16,033 so far +4%
Home Cooking
Though Southern Illinois might be 4-0 at Qwest Center Omaha, the Salukis are one of just three MVC visitors to ever win a game in the building. Below is a look at Creighton's current home winning streaks over current league foes:
Opponent Streak Last Opp. Win in Omaha
Bradley Won 9 1/17/98
Drake Won 5 2/25/02
Evansville Won 8 1/04/99
Illinois State Won 2 1/22/05
Indiana State Won 7 1/04/99
Missouri State Won 2 2/05/05
Northern Iowa Won 11 2/17/96
Southern Illinois Lost 4 1/20/07
Wichita State Won 13 2/22/92
Normally Nifty at 50 (Percent)
Since coming to Creighton, head coach Dana Altman's teams are 98-4 when his teams make at least half of their shots from the field.
Creighton's 53.8 percent marksmanship (21-39) against Southern Illinois on Feb. 10 was its best shooting percentage in a loss under Altman.
Creighton's last previous loss when shooting 53.5 percent or better had come on Jan. 28, 1993, when it shot 56.1 percent in a 60-58 loss at Northern Iowa.
Assisting Others Too
Nate Funk's 308 assists ranks ninth in CU history, just ahead of Kyle Korver. With 1,649 points, Funk has joined Vernon Moore (1,654 points, 418 assists) and Rick Apke (1,682, 319) as the only players in school history with at least 1,600 points and 300 assists.
Creighton Career Assist Leaders (Since 1970-71)
Rk Ast. Name Years
1. 570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
2. 549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
3. 458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
4. 430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
5. 418 Vernon Moore 1981-85
6. 382 Duan Cole 1987-92
7. 332 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
8. 317 Latrell Wrightsell 1988-92
9. 308 Nate Funk 2002-Pr.
10. 294 Kyle Korver 1999-03
Porter Picking It Up
After scoring 10 points or more in just one of 11 non-conference games, senior guard Nick Porter has scored in double-figures in 14 of Creighton's 17 MVC games.
Since moving into the starting line-up on Dec. 30 after Josh Dotzler was sidelined, Porter has averaged 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in league play. He has made 61-of-122 shots from the floor (50 percent), 73-of-88 at the line (83.0 percent) and 9-of-28 (32.1 percent) of his three-point attempts.
Porter had a career-high 19 points against Evansville on Feb. 7, 16 of which came after halftime. He then erased that mark with a career-best 21 points in the win over UNI, 17 of which came after intermission.
For the year, Porter is shooting 37.5 percent and averaging 4.0 points in the first half of games, but makes 53.0 percent and scores 6.0 points in the second half of contests.
Defensive Gem
Last year as a freshman, Josh Dotzler had two or more steals in 16 of 23 games. However, his season ended on Feb. 11 when he tore his posterior cruciate ligament in his knee, for which he underwent surgery for in May.
Playing one day shy of the one-year anniversary of that knee injury, Dotzler shined on the defensive end at Southern Illinois on Feb. 10. Dotzler tied his career-high with five steals and also added his first blocked shot of the season. He played 25 minutes, his most extensive action since breaking two fingers in a Dec. 21 game vs. Valparaiso.
Dotzler had three steals in the final 10 minutes versus UNI on Wednesday, sparking the game-changing 19-5 run that led the Bluejays to victory.
11 MVC Wins, You're In
In the past 10 years (since 1996-97), 36 MVC teams have had 11 league wins and a winning non-conference record. All 36 played in either the NCAA (21 times) or NIT (15).
Seven others had 11 or more league wins in that span and failed to reach post-season play. None of those seven had 18 overall wins or a winning non-league record in those years. [All 10 MVC teams have winning non-conference marks this year].
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2005-06 campaign marked the eighth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as four teams went dancing.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last eight NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Conference-USA, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Another Reason He's The A-Train
Senior center Anthony Tolliver has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VII First Team for the second straight season. Tolliver owns a 3.53 GPA in Finance. He is one of four MVC players named Academic All-District, joining SIU's Jamaal Tatum, UNI's Brooks McKowen and Indiana State's Trent Wurtz.
Bright Lights, Big Wins
Creighton is 16-7 in its last 23 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. This Saturday's game against Wichita State will be CU's 14th national TV appearance since February of 2004.
In fact, three of CU's final five regular-season games will be on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Below is CU's recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Date Opponent Score Network
02/17/07 Drexel L 58-64 ESPN2
02/13/07 Northern Iowa W 66-55 ESPNU
02/10/07 at Southern Illinois L 68-72 ESPN2
12/30/06 Missouri State W 77-74 ESPN2
12/06/06 at Dayton L 54-60 ESPNU
02/18/06 Fresno State W 67-62 ESPN
02/14/06 at Wichita State L 61-62 ot ESPNU
01/31/06 Northern Iowa W 63-55 ESPNU
03/07/05 vs. Missouri State W 75-57 ESPN
02/12/05 at Southern Illinois L 67-71 ESPN2
02/09/05 Northern Iowa W 83-82 ESPN2
02/21/04 at Kent State L 55-70 ESPN2
02/07/04 Southern Illinois L 60-61 ESPN2
03/10/03 vs. Southern Illinois W 80-56 ESPN
02/22/03 Fresno State W 67-66 ESPN2
01/18/03 Southern Illinois W 85-76 ESPN2
03/04/02 vs. Southern Illinois W 84-76 ESPN2
02/23/02 at Bradley W 80-64 ESPN2
02/17/01 Wyoming W 84-72 ESPN
02/10/01 at Southern Illinois W 77-63 ESPN
03/06/00 vs. Missouri State W 57-45 ESPN
02/07/00 at Colorado State W 78-67 ESPN
03/01/99 vs. Evansville W 70-61 ESPN
10 Conference Wins x 11
Creighton's win at Drake on Feb. 3 was its 10th league win of the season. That extended the Bluejays' Missouri Valley Conference record with an 11th consecutive season of 10 or more league wins.
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 that entered 2006-07 with at least 10 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Arizona (21), South Carolina State (13), Stanford (12), Kansas (12), Creighton (10) and Duke (10).
League Current Next
School League W-L Streak Game
Arizona Pac-10 8-7 21 2/25
S. Carolina St. MEAC 9-7 13 2/24
Kansas Big 12 11-2 13 2/24
Stanford Pac-10 9-5 12 2/22
Creighton MVC 12-5 11 2/24
Duke ACC 7-6 10 2/22
Funk Moves Into Top 50 On MVC Scoring List
Senior Nate Funk has 1,649 career points, good for ninth in Bluejay history and 44th in MVC history.
With 13 points on Saturday, Funk could move past both Vernon Moore and Paul Silas to reach seventh in Bluejay scoring annals. Silas currently works at ESPN as an NBA studio analyst.
Below is a list of the top scorers all-time in Creighton and MVC history:
Top Scorers, Creighton History
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-99
2. 2,110 Bob Harstad 1987-91
3. 1,983 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
4. 1,876 Bob Portman 1966-69
5. 1,801 Kyle Korver 1999-03
6. 1,682 Rick Apke 1974-78
7. 1,661 Paul Silas 1961-64
8. 1,654 Vernon Moore 1981-85
9. 1,649 Nate Funk 2002-Pr.
10. 1,575 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
Top Scorers, MVC History
Rank Pts. Name Years
1. 3,008 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1984-88
37. 1,686 Wes Unseld, Louisville 1965-68
38. 1,683 Anthony Parker, Bradley 1993-97
39. 1,669 Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M 1942-46
40. 1,666 Ron Bonham, Cincinnati 1961-64
41. 1,657 Red Murrell, Drake 1955-58
42. 1,654 Vernon Moore, Creighton 1981-85
43. 1,651 Melvin Mathis, Drake 1982-86
44. 1,649 Nate Funk, Creighton 2002-Pr.
45. 1,626 Willie McCarter, Drake 1966-69
Leading Scorer, Again
Nate Funk had owned at least a share of Creighton's team-lead in scoring each of the last 10 games, before Nick Porter paced the squad on Feb. 13 vs. UNI. That was the longest run by any player in the 13-year tenure of Dana Altman, two more than the previous bests done twice by Rodney Buford.
It was also the longest run since 10 in a row by Rod Mason, who did it from Jan. 28 to Feb. 20, 1988.
Drive For Five
Creighton's recent five-game winning streak (snapped Feb. 10 at SIU) was a season-long streak. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in each of the last 10 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 12 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
Milestone Home Win
Creighton's Feb. 7th 79-74 home win over Evansville wasn't just your ordinary home win.
It was Creighton's 50th home win in the four-year history of Qwest Center Omaha (in 60 games).
It was Dana Altman's 150th home win at Creighton (in 188 games).
Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 11 straight seasons, a streak they extended on Feb. 7. It was the third straight season that CU's 10th home win came against the Purple Aces
Though impressive, that is not a school record. Creighton won 10 or more home games in 12 straight seasons, spanning the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign.
Hibma-tized
Returning close to his native Pella, Iowa always seems to bring the best out of junior guard Pierce Hibma. Hibma entered the Feb. 3 game at Drake just 3-of-18 from three-point range. On that day, he drained four trifectas in a span of 4:19 during a game-changing 17-2 run. In the process, he doubled his season-high point total and finished with 12.
Last year the Bluejays trailed by 15 points in Des Moines, but thanks to 11 second-half points from Hibma, they pulled out an overtime victory.
Hibma, a theology/pre-med major with a 3.638 GPA, was also named the Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week for his efforts.
Miles Named MVC Newcomer of the Week
Freshman guard Isacc Miles was named State Farm MVC Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 5. Miles averaged 9.0 points and 1.5 assists as Creighton won on the road against Bradley and Drake. He made 6-of-10 shots from the floor (60 percent), including 3-of-7 from three-point range, and also hit 3-of-4 free throws.
His play last week was key in Creighton's 11 point win at Bradley. The freshman had 11 points in the first 11 minutes of the game as CU took an insurmountable 27-10 lead.
He finished the game with 15 points in 23 minutes on 5-of-6 shooting from the field.
The league's only freshman to start each league game, Miles has just 30 turnovers in 27 games this season.
Magic Number
The magic number for Saturday's contest against Wichita State is 62. Creighton is 17-1 this year when scoring 62 points or more, but just 1-9 when being held to fewer than 62 markers.
Nine of Wichita State's 12 losses have come in games it has allowed 62 points or more. The Shockers allow just 63.8 points per game this season.
Magic Numbers, Part II
Another category to keep an eye on is Creighton's field goal percentage. The Bluejays are 18-3 this season when shooting 37.8 percent or better from the field, but 0-7 when falling short of 37.8 percent.
Six Teams in Top 100
The Missouri Valley Conference has six of its 10 members in the Top 100 of the RPI. Since 1992, 49 of 57 Valley teams with regular-season RPIs (pre-Selection Sunday) in the Top 100 have been in the postseason. A top-75 finish in the regular-season RPI has secured all 38-such Valley teams a post-season berth:
RPI Rank Total NCAA NIT None
Top 100: 57 30 19 8
Top 75: 38 27 11 --
Top 50: 28 23 5 --
Over .500 Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 24 straight trips through the league, including both halves this year.
Here's how Dana Altman's clubs have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since his arrival:
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2006-07 6-3 6-2 so far
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
1994-95 3-6 1-8
Total 74-43 (.632) 73-43 (.629)
Watts = Board King
Dane Watts had 10 rebounds against Missouri State and tied his career-high with 12 on Jan. 27 vs. Indiana State. He's had double-figure rebound totals eight times this year. Watts is the first Bluejay player with eight different games of 10 or more rebounds in the same year since Nate King had 10 in 1993-94.
Brave New World
Anthony Tolliver hauled down a career-best 14 rebounds on Jan. 31 against Bradley. Throw in his 13 points, and it gave him a fifth double-double of the year and 10 double-dimes in his career.
Tolliver has now had a double-double in each of his last three meetings with Bradley. He had 10 points and 13 rebounds against Bradley earlier this year, and had 16 points and 12 rebounds in last year's MVC Tournament meeting.
Bradley Was MVC Win #400
Creighton owns a 403-291 all-time record in Missouri Valley Conference regular-season games. CU's Jan. 31 win at Bradley was its 400th all-time in league action, and came in its 48th season in the MVC.
Creighton's Landmark MVC Victories
No. Date Opponent Score
1 01-15-29 Grinnell W 38-25
50 01-25-36 Oklahoma State W 48-29
100 02-23-42 at Oklahoma State W 31-29
150 01-17-80 Indiana State W 67-60
200 01-31-87 Indiana State W 71-60
250 01-18-93 Missouri State W 72-58
300 02-17-99 Missouri State W 79-76
350 02-01-03 at Drake W 88-68
400 01-31-07 at Bradley W 82-71
Starters Balance Scoring Effort
Creighton had five starters score 13 or more points against Bradley on Jan. 31, scoring 79 of CU's 82 points in the win. The Bluejays had not had all five starters score 10 points or more in the same game since Jan. 30, 1999 at UNI.
National Leaders
Through games of Feb. 18, Creighton had three players ranked among the top 100 national statistical leaders.
Nick Porter is 85th in free throw percentage at 82.7 percent. Nate Funk was 19th in free throw percentage at 88.1 percent and 81st in scoring average at 17.2 points per game. In addition, Anthony Tolliver is 63rd in blocked shots per game at 1.8 per contest.
As a team, CU is 14th in free throw percentage (75.2 percent), 37th in scoring defense (61.4 points allowed per game), 34th in fewest personal fouls per game (16.6) and 57th in fewest turnovers per game (13.0 per game).
Hammons Success = NCAA
Creighton won for just the fifth time in 20 tries at Missouri State on Jan. 24. Each of the previous four Bluejay teams that won at the Hammons Student Center eventually advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
What's Your Twenty
With Creighton's win at Missouri State on Jan. 24, it improved its record after 20 games to 13-7. CU has now won at least 13 of its first 20 games in each of the last 10 seasons. Here's a look at Creighton's record after 20 games in the 13 seasons under Dana Altman.
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2006-07 13-7
2005-06 15-5 20-10 NIT
2004-05 13-7 23-11 NCAA
2003-04 17-3 20-9 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
1994-95 6-14 7-19 ---
MVC Leaders at the Turn
According to Mike Kern at the league office, each Missouri Valley Conference team in first place (or tied for first) since 1992 has advanced to postseason play. This year, UNI, Southern Illinois and Creighton were all tied for first at the turn.
Creighton was also in a four-way tie for first place last year at the halfway mark before tying for second. The Bluejays also were tied for first in 1999 and 2003 and all alone in first in 2002.
Altman Wins 250th at Creighton
Already the winningest coach in Creighton basketball history, the Jan. 18 victory over Bradley was Dana Altman's 250th on the Bluejay sideline. Below is a look at some of his milestone wins at Creighton.
Win # Game # Opp. Date
1 1 at Oral Roberts 11/26/94
50 105 at Evansville 02/02/98
100 178 Western Illinois 11/20/00
150 245 vs. Notre Dame 11/26/02
200 309 vs. Ohio State 11/24/04
250 386 Bradley 01/18/07
Tolliver Named MVC Player of the Week
Anthony Tolliver was named MVC Player of the Week on Jan. 15.
Tolliver, a senior center from Springfield, Mo., averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.0 blocked shots as Creighton beat Drake and UNI.
It was his second Valley Player of the Week honor in his career, as he previously won the award on Dec. 19, 2005.
Broken Records
Creighton has played nine of its last 14 games in front of a sold out arena and/or record crowd. Six of those games were sellouts, while five of them were record crowds for the facility the game was played in.
Date Opponent Site Crowd
Jan. 9 Drake Omaha 16,315%
Jan. 12 at Northern Iowa Cedar Falls 6,877*%
Jan. 15 at Wichita State Wichita 10,478*
Jan. 18 Bradley Omaha 16,339%
Jan. 20 So. Illinois Omaha 17,459*%
Jan. 27 Indiana State Omaha 17,283*
Feb. 3 at Drake Des Moines 7,178*
Feb. 10 at So. Illinois Carbondale 9,628*
Feb. 17 Drexel Omaha 17,607*%
*indicates sellout; %indicates record crowd
Lights Out, Again
Two of Creighton's last eight home games have featured some of the best shooting performances in school history.
First, CU made a 64.3 percent of its shots from the field on Jan. 1 vs. Illinois State. At the time, that was tied for the second-best mark in school history, according to available records.
On Jan. 9, CU set an all-time mark with 65.9 percent shooting in a win over Drake, hitting 29-of-44 attempts.
Below is the top five shooting efforts in school history, according to available records.
Best FG Percentage, CU Team History
Pct. Opponent FG-FGA Date
.659 Drake 29-44 01/09/07
.654 Evansville 34-52 02/28/00
.643 vs. DePaul (NCAA Tourney) 36-56 03/12/78
.643 at Notre Dame 36-56 02/18/91
.643 Illinois State 27-42 01/01/07
More Shooting Notes
Creighton's 65.9 percent shooting on Jan. 9 is the top performance among league schools this season.
Creighton's win improved it to 13-0 under Dana Altman when shooting 60 percent or better.
CU 60% or Better FG Shooting, Under Altman
Pct. Opponent FG-FGA Result Date
.659 Drake 29-44 W 79-56 01/09/07
.654 Evansville 34-52 W 102-69 02/28/00
.643 Illinois State 27-42 W 79-71 01/01/07
.636 Evansville 28-44 W 75-62 02/02/98
.622 Drake 23-37 W 70-66 01/15/00
.620 at Illinois State 31-50 W 76-62 01/02/02
.620 vs. Notre Dame 31-50 W 80-75 11/26/02
.619 at Wichita State 26-42 W 82-68 02/16/05
.614 at Evansville 35-57 W 90-80 01/20/99
.610 at Drake 36-59 W 88-68 02/01/03
.608 at Drake 31-51 W 82-76 02/17/98
.605 Illinois State 26-43 W 71-52 01/05/06
.600 at Illinois State 30-50 W 76-57 01/11/03
Funk Makes Them Pay
Nate Funk's streak of 27 straight free throws came to an end with a miss in the final minute of a Jan. 15 loss at Wichita State. His streak had started Dec. 30 against Missouri State.
Funk's 27 straight at the line were a career high, and five shy of the school record held by Michael Lindeman. Funk also had a streak of 18 straight earlier this year snapped at Hawaii on Dec. 23 and 22 consecutive at the end of his junior season.
Consecutive Free Throws (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
27 Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006 - Jan. 12, 2007
Downtown Funk
Senior guard Nate Funk continues to shoot his way towards the top of numerous Creighton records. Funk owns 194 career three-pointers, fourth in Bluejay history. Additionally, Funk's 40.9 percent marksmanship from three-point range ranks sixth in Bluejay history.
More info available in the PDF link at the top of this page.
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/ Men's BasketballGreg McDermott Wins American Cancer Society's St. George National Award
Wednesday, April 22
Creighton Men's Basketball Press Conference vs. West Virginia - 4/4/26
Saturday, April 04
Creighton Men's Basketball Press Conference vs. Rutgers - 4/2/26
Friday, April 03
Creighton Press Conference After Rutgers - 4/2/26
Friday, April 03
