Men's Basketball Stays On Road To Face MSU on Saturday
1/4/2008 12:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Updated Creighton Basketball Notes
Game #13
Creighton Bluejays (9-3, 0-2 MVC) at Missouri State Bears (8-6, 1-1 MVC)
Springfield, Mo. ? Hammons Student Center (8,846)
Saturday, January 5, 2008 -- 7:05 pm
Creighton Probable Starters
No. Name Ht. Pos. Yr. PPG RPG Hometown
12 Josh Dotzler 6-1 G Jr. 4.4 2.5
13 Chad Millard 6-8 F So. 6.2 4.4 Goffstown, N.H.
20 Pierce Hibma 6-4 G Sr. 4.3 1.5 Pella, Iowa
34 Nick Bahe 6-2 G Sr. 6.1 2.7 Lincoln,
50 Dane Watts 6-8 F Sr. 13.8 6.8 Warrensburg, Mo.
Next Game
Creighton (9-3, 0-2 MVC) looks to snap a two-game losing streak when it travels to Springfield, Mo., to take on Missouri State (8-6, 1-1 MVC). Hammons Student Center (8,846) will host the action, which tips off at 7:05 pm on Saturday night.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2007-08 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Kevin Sarver will call the action.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game is the sixth of nine games scheduled for broadcast by KMTV this season. Travis Justice (play-by-play) and Scott Schumacher (analyst) will announce. Coordinates are as follows:
Galaxy 26
Transponder 1-D
KU Digital
Downlink Freq. - 11721 Vertical
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics, Jump TV and Cox High Speed Internet will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of at least 14 games this season, including Saturday. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a season pass is $59.95. Single games are available for $6.95 each.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Big Sports 590 broadcast, begins a few minutes before tipoff.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
It is believed that
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 9-3 on the season, but 0-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time since 1993-94. Among Creighton's victories to date are wins over Nebraska, DePaul, Drexel, Saint Joseph's and Arkansas-Little Rock, while the Jays have lost to Xavier, Illinois State and Indiana State.
Senior forward Dane Watts, the only returning starter from last year's 22-11 NCAA Tournament qualifier, leads Creighton with 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Watts is currently the only player to rank in the MVC's top seven in both points and rebounds per game.
Junior Josh Dotzler runs the show at the point and leads the team with 53 assists and 27 steals.
Freshman guard P'Allen Stinnett averages 10.8 points per game to lead a bench that averages an astounding 42.8 points per contest.
The Bluejays are outscoring the opposition by a 13.8 point margin (77.4-63.6) and are outrebounding teams by 5.7 caroms per contest. Creighton also shoots 46.8 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from three-point range and converts 71.5 percent at the line.
Scouting Missouri State
Missouri State is 8-6 this season, including a 7-0 home mark at Hammons Student Center. The Bears own a 1-1 record in conference action, falling at Southern Illinois (79-71) before beating Bradley (91-80) on Wednesday night in Springfield.
Preseason all-Valley selection Deven Mitchell leads the Bears with 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.64 steals per game while also converting a team-high 59.8 percent of his field goal and 90.8 of his free-throw attempts.
Also in double-figures is 2007 MVC Sixth Man of the Year Dale Lamberth. Lamberth averages 11.5 points per game tops the squad with 26 three-point baskets. Lamberth is coming off a 16-point, 16-rebound game on Wednesday versus Bradley.
The Bears average 68.6 points per game and shoot 46.9 percent from the field, 37.0 percent from downtown and 68.4 percent at the line. MSU allows 65.5 points per game outrebounds teams by 1.2 caroms per contest.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 14th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 269-144 (.651) mark at CU and a career record of 352-211 (.625) in 19 years as a NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 22 previous years as a head coach. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 10 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Mike Maker. Nick Earnest is the team's film coordinator.
Missouri State is coached by Barry Hinson (Oklahoma State, 1983). He owns a 160-107 record in his ninth year with the Bears, moving his all-time mark 196-130 in 11 years as a head coach. Hinson is assisted by Ben Miller, Steve Woodberry and Kyan Brown.
Series History
Creighton owns a narrow 25-22 lead over Missouri State in 47 previous meetings thanks to a 3-0 season sweep of the Bears last season. The Bears own a 15-5 lead in games played in
Creighton has won 18 of the last 25 games with
Dana Altman is 19-14 against Missouri State and 13-7 against Barry Hinson.
Last Game Recap
Indiana State handed Creighton a 62-54 loss in Terre Haute on Wednesday, dropping Creighton to 0-2 in the MVC for the first time since 1993-94. The Bluejays fell behind 18-7 early but used a 13-0 run to take their only lead of the night at 20-18. The Sycamores led 25-24 at the half and never trailed in the second stanza. Creighton was paced by a career-best 16 points from Booker Woodfox. Indiana State got 13 points, six rebounds and five assists from Gabriel Moore.
Career vs. Missouri State
Below are the stats for Creighton's current players in previous games against
Name G-S FG FG% 3FG 3FG% FT FT% REB RPG. A T B
Watts 8-8 22-48 .458 10-28 .357 12-21 .571 40 5.0 3 8 0 2 64 8.0 18
Dotzler 3-1 3-7 .429 1-3 .333 6-6 1.000 4 1.3 8 9 1 2 13 4.3 9
Bahe 3-0 2-6 .333 1-5 .200 1-1 1.000 6 2.0 7 2 0 1 6 2.0 6
Hibma 6-1 4-14 .286 0-8 .000 2-2 1.000 6 1.0 2 6 2 2 10 1.7 6
Millard* 1-0 0-0 --- 0-0 --- 0-0 --- 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0.0 --
Sitzmann 1-0 0-1 .000 0-1 .000 0-0 --- 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 --
TOTALS 22-10 31-76 .408 12-45 .267 21-30 .700 56 2.5 20 25 4 7 93 4.2 18
Book It!
Creighton junior guard Booker Woodfox had a career-high 16 points in Wednesday's game against Indiana State, easily eclipsing his previous best of 11 points at Xavier on Dec. 5. Woodfox drained 5-of-7 shots from behind the arc to score his 16 points in just 16 minutes of action.
Woodfox's night gives him a team-high 17 three-point baskets this season. He also leads the squad with 42.5 percent accuracy from long-range. Woodfox started the season just 4-of-19 from behind the arc (21.1 percent), but has drained 13-of-21 from downtown (61.9 percent) in the past five contests.
Hammons Success = NCAA's?
Creighton has won just five times in 20 tries at
Halftime Score A Good Indicator
Incredibly, just two of Creighton's first 12 games have had a lead change in the second half.
The most recent contest came in Creighton's Dec. 9 home victory over Saint Joseph's. In that contest, Creighton and St. Joe's combined for four ties and six lead changes after the break. In overtime, CU scored the first six points and went on to a 90-84 win.
The Nov. 9 season-opener against DePaul is the only other Bluejay contest with a lead change in the second half. Creighton trailed that game by six at the break but went on to win by 12, 74-62.
0-2 MVC Start Is New Territory Under Altman
This is the first time that Creighton has started 0-2 in MVC play in the 14-year tenure of Dana Altman.
Creighton's last 0-2 MVC start came in 1993-94, when the team opened 0-7 before beating Missouri State for its first Valley triumph.
It's worth pointing out that before 1993-94, Creighton's previous
The last team to start 0-2 and win the MVC was the 1992-93
Life In The D-League
Saturday marks the first time in the past five years that Creighton will face
Tolliver made the opening night roster for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers as an undrafted free agent but was cut a few days later when Anderson Varejao ended his holdout. The CoSIDA Academic All-American is now suiting up for the Iowa Energy in the NBA's Development League. Tolliver averages 9.6 ppg. and 5.2 rpg.
Tolliver, a two-time all-MVC center, prepped at nearby
2007 Seniors Are Gone
Last season Creighton won all three meetings against
Meanwhile,
Cheaper By The Dozen
Creighton played 12 men for 10 minutes or more on Wednesday against
By comparison, MSU will suit up only 11 on Saturday thanks to the Thursday departure of Lamont Austin from the team.
Century Club For Hibma
Saturday will mark the 100th game in the career of Bluejay senior Pierce Hibma. Hibma owns 23 career starts to date and also owns 283 points, 150 rebounds and 59 assists in his career.
Fellow CU senior Dane Watts is also expected to make his 99th consecutive start on Saturday.
Freshman Foul Out A Rarity
P'Allen Stinnett fouled out in just 15 minutes of game action on Wednesday at
Since the start of the 2001-02 season, the only other Creighton freshman to foul out of a game was Dane Watts, who fouled out in a game on Jan. 12, 2005 versus
High Scoring Newcomers
Creighton and
A true freshman, Stinnett leads all Valley newcomers with his 10.8 points per game average. A junior who transferred in from
Picking It Up After A Loss
Since the start of last year, Creighton has lost 14 games, including Wednesday. CU has followed that up with a win in the next game 11 of 13 chances.
Creighton will be looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak since Feb. 21-28, 2004 when it takes the floor on Saturday. Pierce Hibma is the only current Bluejay that was in the program during that streak, but he was redshirting that season. That remains CU's only three-game losing spell since January 1, 2000.
Million Fan March
Creighton is closing in on welcoming its one millionth basketball fan to Qwest Center Omaha.
The Bluejays have hosted 970,393 fans in 72 all-time regular-season and NIT home games. The works out to an average of 13,478 fans per home contest in the five-year span of the facility.
Based on CU's average home crowds of 15,529 this year, it appears likely that the millionth fan will be welcomed in a Jan. 19 game against Indiana State.
Lawson Named MVC Newcomer of the Week
Redshirt freshman Kenny Lawson Jr./B>. was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 26 for his performance from Dec. 17-24. Lawson averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game off the bench while hitting 70.6 percent of his shots from the floor in three CU wins.
The Oceanside, Calif., native led Creighton in scoring on Dec. 17 and 20, with 15 points against Houston Baptist and 13 points vs. North Carolina Central, respectively.
Lawson became the first Bluejay freshman to lead Creighton in scoring during consecutive games since Terrell Taylor on Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, 1999. Like Lawson, Taylor did it while coming off the bench in both games he paced the team in scoring.
Plenty of Newcomer Awards
On Dec. 26, Kenny Lawson Jr. became the fourth different Bluejay to earn a MVC Newcomer of the Week Award in the first seven weeks of the season. Previously, P'Allen Stinnett (Nov. 12), Cavel Witter (Dec. 3) and Chad Millard (Dec. 10) had been honored.
Prior to this season, CU had only had three different individuals earn the honor at any time (Nick Porter and Josh Dotzler in 2005-06 and Isacc Miles last season).
Creighton is the third school in the five-year history of the MVC Newcomer of the Week award to have four different players honored during the same season.
Last year's Illinois State team (Dom Johnson, Boo Richardson, Anthony Slack and Osiris Eldridge) and the 2004-05 Bradley team (Patrick O'Bryant, Daniel Ruffin, Tony Bennett and Lawrence Wright) can also make that claim.
If either Aaron Brandt, Booker Woodfox, Casey Harriman, Kenton Walker or Kaleb Korver also earns the honor this year, CU would become the first squad to have five different players honored in the same season with the weekly Newcomer award.
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Eight of his last 10 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley, and the two that didn't both won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 10 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
10 Conference Wins x 11 Seasons
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for an 11th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only teams with at least 11 straight years of 10 or more league wins are
A Strong Start
Creighton is 9-3 after 12 games, its best start since the 2004-05 team also began 9-3. The Jays have now opened 9-3 or better after 12 games seven times under Dana Altman. CU was 11-1 in 2003-04 and 2002-03, 10-2 in 2000-01 and 1998-99 and was previously 9-3 in 2004-05 and 1999-00 before this year.
One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.
Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report's academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.
Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.
Basketball Times Rankings
Rk. School Ave. Ranking
1. Duke 3.7
2. North Carolina 7.5
3. Florida 8.0
4. Stanford 8.8
5. Gonzaga 10.0
Michigan State 10.0
7. Creighton 10.2
8. Kansas 10.8
9. Xavier 11.5
10. Illinois 12.0
11. Arizona 13.5
12. Connecticut 13.7
13. Syracuse 14.5
14. Butler 14.8
15. College of Charleston 15.2
Southern Illinois 15.2
Texas 15.2
18. Kentucky 16.0
Pennsylvania 16.0
20. Maryland 17.3
21. Pittsburgh 17.5
22. Utah State 18.3
23. Kent State 18.8
24. Utah 20.2
25. Cincinnati 20.5
26. Murray State 20.7
Oklahoma 20.7
28. Oklahoma State 21.0
29. Memphis 23.0
All About The Bench-amins
Creighton's Dec. 20 win over North Carolina Central marked the third time this season that the Creighton bench had outscored the entire line-up of the other team.
In that game, Creighton's bench scored 61 points, while the North Carolina Central squad scored 54 total.
CU's bench has also outscored the entire teams from Savannah State (60-52) and Houston Baptist (77-73) this year.
Stinnett Shines Again
Freshman P'Allen Stinnett had 22 points against
That ranked as the most by a Bluejay in an MVC debut since Rod Mason scored 23 points on Jan. 10, 1987 at
Bench Press
Creighton's bench has outscored its own starting five by a 513-416 margin through 12 games.
Creighton has scored 31 or more bench points every game this fall but one, compared to a high of 30 for last year's team. This year's team averages 42.8 points per game off the pine.
Last year's club had 356 bench points for the entire season, an average of 10.8 points per game.
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition's bench by a whopping 513-262 margin, which amounts to a +21.0 point per game differential.
Stat CU Starters CU Bench
Points 416 513
Minutes 1247 1178
FG% .461 .474
3FG% .343 .386
FT% .738 .699
Rebounds 214 189
Assists 105 90
Steals 59 59
Reserve Corps
Creighton's 77 bench points on Dec. 17 against Houston Baptist were its most in at least 20 years.
The 77 points is incredible when you consider that Dana Altman's 1994-95 Bluejay team (his first at Creighton) had a single-game season-high point total of 76.
One Final Bench Mark
Three of Creighton's top four scorers come off the bench (P'Allen Stinnett, Cavel Witter and Kenny Lawson Jr./B>.), while fellow reserve Booker Woodfox's 6.2 ppg. ties him for fifth on the club in scoring with starter Chad Millard.
Incredibly, in CU's last five games six reserves are among the team's top seven scorers (Stinnett, Lawson, Woodfox, Casey Harriman, Witter and Kenton Walker).
Small Screen Superstars
Creighton's Dec. 22 game against UALR began a 14-game stretch in which each Bluejay game will be televised.
Five of those games will air on KMTV, two games each will air on FSN Midwest, ESPNU and ESPN2 and one game will be on Mediacom (Des Moines), Cox 2 (Omaha) and NET-1.
Creighton's Feb. 13 game at Evansville is the only contest on the remaining docket that will definitely not be televised.
ESPN will announce BracketBuster pairings and coverage for the Feb. 23 game in early February, while the MVC office will announce television coverage for CU's March 1 game with Bradley in early February as well.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton's recent wins over Houston Baptist , North Carolina Central and UALR continued five impressive streaks.
Creighton has won 30 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 34 straight games when scoring 72 points or more dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 55 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more, dating to Feb. 19, 2000.
Creighton has also won 43 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 14 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
To The Century Mark And Beyond
Creighton's 110 points on Dec. 17 against Houston Baptist were its most points in a game since 1985, and fourth-most in school history.
It marked Creighton's 41st all-time game of 100 or more points. CU is 39-2 in those games.
It marked Creighton's first 100 point game since a 100-68 win over Chattanooga on Feb. 19, 2005.
CU's 110 points were its most since scoring 115-80 over Indiana State on Jan. 19, 1985.
Below is a list of Creighton's top-five scoring games all-time. A complete list can be found on page 145 of the 2007-08 Creighton Men's Basketball Media Guide.
Score Opponent Date
124-94 Miami (Fla.) 02/10/1964
120-76 Nevada 12/21/1962
115-80 Indiana State 01/19/1985
110-73 Houston Baptist 12/17/2007
109-81 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 12/16/1967
40-Point Halves = Wins
Creighton scored 43 points in the first half of its Dec. 22 win over UALR.
Dating to Jan. 29, 2005, Creighton has won its last 33 games when it scores at least 40 points in a half.
Creighton's 61 points in the second half of its Dec. 20 win over Houston Baptist were its most in any half since scoring 63 in the second half of a 106-50 win over Texas-Arlington on Nov. 17, 2002.
Tenacious D
Creighton is allowing 63.6 points per game so far. This marks the sixth straight season the Jays have allowed less than 65 points per game.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman is 41-0 in his Division I coaching career when allowing 50 points or less.
Millard Named Newcomer of the Week
Sophomore Chad Millard was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week on Dec. 10. Millard averaged 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots in games against No. 21 Xavier and Saint Joseph's.
Millard helped key Creighton's win over Saint Joseph's with 13 points, seven rebounds and a career-high three blocked shots.
Versatility A Bonus
Through games of Jan. 3rd, Creighton's Chad Millard and Drake's Jonathan Cox were the only MVC players with at least 10 blocks and 10 three-pointers made this season.
Millard has 16 three-pointers and 10 blocked shots this year. Cox has 14 three-pointers and 11 blocked shots to date.
Seniors Score In Bunches
Creighton's seniors Nick Bahe, Pierce Hibma and Dane Watts were averaging 21.5 points per game combined heading into a Dec. 9 game with Saint Joseph's.
In the overtime win, they scored 60 of CU's 90 points. Hibma (17) and Watts (29) both exceeded their previous career-highs by three points each, while Bahe (14) was one shy of his career-best.
CU's seniors scored its final eight points of regulation and added 12 of the team's 20 points in overtime.
Helping Hand
Junior point guard Josh Dotzler tied a career-high with 10 assists in the win over Saint Joseph's on Dec. 9.
Dotzler's performance matched his 10 assists in a Feb. 4, 2006 overtime win at Drake.
Dotzler's 10 dimes were also the most in Qwest Center Omaha history by a Creighton player.
For the season, Dotzler leads Creighton with 53 assists, 27 more than any other Bluejay.
Watts Up For Senior CLASS Award
Creighton senior Dane Watts is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.
Watts leads Creighton in scoring and rebounding this season, and has made 93 straight starts. In addition to being a solid student in the classroom, the business management major is actively involved in the community. Watts is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and in the summer of 2006 toured France with Athletes in Action.
From the list of 30 nominees for each gender, a national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in January 2008. Those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote during the NCAA Tournament in March. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches and media to determine the recipient.
Now in its seventh year for basketball, the award has developed into the nation's premier tribute for college seniors. Previous winners of the men's award include Juan Dixon of Maryland (2002), David West of Xavier (2003), Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph's (2004), Wayne Simien of Kansas (2005), J.J. Redick of Duke (2006) and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin (2007).
The Drive For Five
Creighton had its five-game winning streak snapped at Xavier on Dec. 5. The Bluejays have now had at least one five-game win streak in each of the last 11 seasons, and 17 such streaks overall in the 14-year tenure of Dana Altman.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 13 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
3-0 Start, Again
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in nine of the last 10 seasons, including this year's 5-0 open before losing. Last year's team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's 3-0 starts under Dana Altman has been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Thanks in large part to the quick starts to open the year, Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Saturday will be the 325th game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.
Stinnett Off To A Good Start
P'Allen Stinnett has scored 130 points in his first 12 games as a Bluejay. That ranks as the most by any CU player in their first 12 games since Brody Deren scored 134 during the 2001-02 campaign.
Putting it in perspective, former Bluejay Anthony Tolliver scored just 22 points all of his freshman season. Tolliver ended with 1,004 career points and was named second-team all-MVC (2005-06) and first-team all-MVC (2006-07) before graduating last May.
Balancing Act
Creighton has 11 players averaging 11.8 minutes per game or more, with all of those men scoring at least 3.7 points per game as well. Three of CU's top four scorers are reserves.
All 14 Bluejays on the roster have scored at least six points or more.
Cashing In At The Line
Sophomore guard Cavel Witter made each of his first 22 free throw attempts, including a perfect 10-of-10 effort at Drexel, before missing on Dec. 5 at Xavier.
Witter's 22 in a row was tied for the ninth-longest streak in Bluejay records, 10 makes shy of the school record set by Michael Lindeman. Lindeman made 32 in a row from Jan. 23 - Nov. 29, 2003.
Witter's 22 in a row was the best mark in school history to start a season, two better than Kyle Korver's 20 straight to open 2001-02.
Consecutive Free Throws Made (Since 1980)
FT Name Dates of Streak
32 Michael Lindeman Jan. 23-Nov. 29, 2003
28 Kyle Korver Jan. 27-March 15, 2001
27 Matt West Nov. 27, 1999-Jan. 15, 2000
Kyle Korver Jan. 29-Nov. 20, 2000
Nate Funk Dec. 30, 2006-Jan. 12, 2007
24 Rick Apke Jan. 22-Feb. 5, 1977
Rod Mason Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 1988
Kyle Korver Mar. 15-Dec. 4, 2001
22 Matt Petty Jan. 4-Feb. 4, 1993
Ryan Sears Feb. 22-Nov. 22, 1999
Nate Funk Feb. 26-Mar. 17, 2005
Cavel Witter Nov. 9-Dec. 1, 2007
Jays Ink Pair of Recruits
Creighton signed a pair of left-handed guards on Nov. 14, the first day of the fall signing period.
Antoine Young is an all-state guard from Bellevue West HS in the south Omaha suburb of Bellevue. A 6'0” guard, Young averaged 20.6 points per game last year for the state-runner up. He is coached by Doug Woodard.
Josh Jones is an all-state guard from Omaha Central HS. A 6'2” shooting guard, Jones has helped lead Central to back-to-back state titles. He averaged 18.0 points per game as a junior and is coached by Eric Behrens.
Jones and Young have previously been summer AAU teammates with the Omaha Crusaders.
P'henomenal Debut
P'Allen Stinnett's 23 points on Nov. 9 against DePaul were the most by a Bluejay in their first game since Cyril Baptiste scored 24 points on Dec. 1, 1969 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Stinnett's 23 points were the most by any Creighton player in a season-opener since Rodney Buford tipped off his senior campaign with 24 points against Towson State on Nov. 14, 1998.
Below is a list of how Stinnett's debut compares with some other notable names in Bluejay history.
Name, Yr. Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min. Result
Stinnett, 2007 23 4 3 3 26 W 74-62
Tolliver, 2003 0 1 2 0 7 W 79-44
Funk, 2002 3 5 4 1 21 W 106-50
Kyle Korver, 1999 2 2 0 1 10 W 70-62
Buford, 1995 3 4 0 0 19 W 63-59
Harstad, 1987 4 5 1 1 21 L 49-70
Gallagher, 1987 10 3 0 0 37 L 49-70
Benjamin, 1982 14 4 1 0 22 W 98-54
McKenna, 1977 14 3 7 ? ? W 95-66
Harmon, 1971 21 7 ? ? ? W 74-62
C. Baptiste, 1969 24 17 ? ? ? W 84-62
Portman, 1966 9 ? ? ? ? W 78-76
Silas, 1961 22 29 ? ? ? W 85-51
Gibson, 1954 19 ? ? ? ? W 66-51
Not Half Bad
P'Allen Stinnett scored all 23 of his points in the second half of Creighton's 74-62 win over DePaul on Nov. 9. The last Bluejay player to score 23 points or more in one half (without the aid of overtimes) was Kyle Korver, who had 26 of his 32 points in the second half of a game at #19 Xavier on Dec. 31, 2002.
Stinnett Named Newcomer Of the Week
P'Allen Stinnett picked up the league's first MVC Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 9 after his extraordinary debut against DePaul.
Stinnett had 23 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists in the 74-62 win over DePaul. His 23 points were the most in a Bluejay debut since Cyril Baptiste in 1969, while his 23 point second half was the most by a Creighton player in one half since Kyle Korver on Dec. 31, 2002 at #19 Xavier.
True Blue Brewster's Crew
Creighton's top two scorers on Nov. 9 against DePaul, freshman P'Allen Stinnett and sophomore Chad Millard, both spent a year of prep school at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. Stinnett was there in 2006-07, while Millard was there in 2004-05.
Stinnett had 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Millard had 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in the Jays 74-62 win over DePaul.
Preseason Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll of coaches, beat writers, SID's and play-by-play men.
Southern Illinois was a unanimous selection with 39 first-place votes and a point total of 390. Bradley is second with 311 points while Missouri State is third with 283 points. Creighton comes in fourth with 266 points, just ahead of Illinois State's 235. Rounding out the bottom half is Wichita State (210), UNI (197), Indiana State (110), Drake (80) and Evansville (63).
The preseason all-MVC team does not include any Creighton players and is headed by preseason player of the year Randal Falker (Southern Illinois). Joining Falker on the first team are Eric Coleman (UNI), PJ Couisnard (Wichita State), Deven Mitchell (Missouri State) and Daniel Ruffin (Bradley). Honorable-mention picks include Jeremy Crouch (Bradley), Levi Dyer (Illinois State), Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State), Matt Shaw (Southern Illinois) and Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois).
Is Anyone Left?
Creighton returned just 24.7 percent of its scoring from last season's team. According to STATS Inc., that ranks 10th-lowest nationally among Division I schools, as seen below.
Lowest Percentage of Points Returning
Source: STATS --
Rk. School Last Year Return %
1. Long Beach State 2,575 85 3.3
2. Pepperdine 2,389 223 9.3
3. Colorado State 2,178 309 14.2
4. Florida 3,193 472 14.8
5. Louisiana Tech 1,922 354 18.4
6. Citadel 1,758 363 20.6
7. Eastern Washington 2,443 535 21.9
8. Southeastern Louisiana 2,050 501 24.4
9. Loyola Marymount 2,030 497 24.5
10. Creighton 2,220 548 24.7
98 and Counting...
Dane Watts has started Creighton's last 98 games, dating to his first start on Dec. 28, 2004.
That ranks as the MVC's longest active streak of consecutive starts, and is also fifth nationally according to STATS Inc. through Jan. 4.
Longest Active String of Consecutive Starts
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Name, School Streak Next
1. Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown 113 01/05
2. Dominique Kirk, Texas A&M 109 01/05
3. Leon Williams, Ohio 107 01/05
4. William Byrd, Ark.-Pine Bluff 100 01/05
5. Dane Watts, Creighton 98 01/05
6. Gabe Moore, Indiana State 95 01/05
7. Mark Porter, Wagner 94 01/05
Are You Experienced?
How much experience does senior Dane Watts have compared to the rest of the his CU teammates? The chart below shows his stats at CU compared to all of his teammates...combined.
Stat Watts Rest of Team
Starts 98 89
Blocks 35 33
FG Made 329 446
FG Attempts 713 1,017
3FG Made 116 175
3FG Attempts 320 469
FT Made 171 240
FT Attempts 252 342
Points 945 1,309
Off. Rebounds 178 190
Def. Rebounds 377 396
Rebounds 555 586
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including its Nov. 9 win over DePaul, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 23 times in the last eight seasons, including once this year.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 8 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 W 70-69
01/18/03 Southern Illinois 13 W 85-76
02/04/01 at
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 26 charges so far this season, including five on both Dec. 17 and Dec. 20.
Over the previous five seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 46.0 per year. Below is a list of the charges that have been taken in that time:
Name 2002-06 ?06-07 ?07-08 Total
Dane Watts 15 11 6 32
Casey Harriman n/a n/a 6 6
Kenton Walker n/a n/a 3 3
Josh Dotzler 4 0 2 6
Kenny Lawson Jr. n/a 0 1 1
Cavel Witter n/a n/a 1 1
P'Allen Stinnett n/a n/a 1 1
Dustin Sitzmann 0 0 1 1
Pierce Hibma 1 2 0 3
Former Players 164 33 0 197
Total 184 46 26 256
20 Overall Wins x 9 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 101-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post nine straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of nine teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last nine seasons. That list consists of Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky and Syracuse.
Postseason x 10
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 10 consecutive seasons, tied for the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It matches the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 10 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 16 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 10 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
Nothing Mid-Major About The Valley
The 2006-07 campaign marked the ninth consecutive season that the Missouri Valley Conference has had multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, as two teams were in the Big Dance.
The only leagues to send at least two teams to the last nine NCAA Tourney's (since 1998-99) are the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, MVC, SEC and Pac-10.
Jays Were Among Attendance Leaders
During the 2006-07 season, Creighton finished ranked 13th nationally in average attendance with 15,909 fans per game. Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders, according to figures compiled by the NCAA.
2006-07 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Avg.
1.
2. Syracuse 21,516
3. North Carolina 20,693
4. Tennessee 19,661
Rk. School Avg.
5.
6. Ohio State 17,530
7. Wisconsin 17,190
8. Maryland 16,822
9. Arkansas 16,720
Rk. School Avg.
10.
11. Indiana 16,474
12. Kansas 16,300
13. Creighton 15,909
14. Marquette 15,345
15. Michigan State 14,759
MVC's Top Crowds Ever
Creighton has set MVC attendance records each of the past two seasons. In 2005-06 the program attracted a league-record 236,313 fans, smashing the previous league mark of 192,258 the Bluejays set in 2003-04. Last season, Creighton set a mark with 15,909 fans per average home game.
Below are the top average home attendance totals in MVC history.
Ave. Att. School Year
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,529 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
12,009 Louisville 1967-68
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 73-40 in televised games in the last six seasons, including a 28-17 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06 and 6-2 in 2006-07 in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 31-21 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 19-12 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 28-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 22, and possibly as many as 24, regular-season games are slated for television this season.
Six Out Of Nine Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last nine years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Duke (7), Winthrop (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Who Are These Guys?
Program sales are up as Creighton fans try to figure out who all the newcomers on the roster are this winter.
Creighton has just one regular starter back from last year, Dane Watts. The last time Creighton listed just one returning starter was all the way back in 1985-86, when Gary Swain was the lone returning starter.
Additionally, Creighton's returners accounted for just 44 games started last year. That's the fewest games started that are returning since at least the start of the 1980-81 campaign.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception. Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Pierce Hibma (Pella), junior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and freshmen Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella). Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 421 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
National Stats Report
The third national statistical report came out on Dec. 17th, and the Bluejays were ranked in the top 50 in three team categories. Creighton was 39th with a .857 winning percentage, ranked sixth with 11.3 steals per game and were 44th with a +13.9 scoring margin.
Individually, Cavel Witter was 10th with his 92.9 free throw percentage, Josh Dotzler ranked 28th nationally with 2.6 steals per game and Dane Watts was 36th with his 59.7 percent shooting from the field.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 269 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 148 triumphs in regular-season conference games have allowed him to pass Phog Allen for third in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Coaches--Most Wins As MVC Member--All Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 486 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 337 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 269 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 148 Dana Altman Creighton
4. 126 Phog Allen Kansas
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 445 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Creighton had its streak of 408 straight games with two or more treys snapped on Jan. 20, 2007 against Southern Illinois when it finished 1-of-8 from downtown.
Last Season Recap
Led by seniors Nate Funk, Manny Gakou, Nick Porter and Anthony Tolliver, Creighton went 22-11 and advanced to its seventh NCAA Tournament in the past nine years last winter.
Creighton was ranked a best-ever 19th in the preseason Associated Press poll last year, but lost several games early and was just 4-3 before a second-place finish in Honolulu at the Rainbow Classic.
The Bluejays would then open MVC play with a 5-1 record, eventually finishing second with a 13-5 league mark.
The second-seeded Bluejays then won the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis with victories over Indiana State, Missouri State and #11 Southern Illinois, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Funk, Tolliver and Porter were all named to the all-Tournament Team.
Shipped to New Orleans, La., to take on #15 Nevada, Creighton dropped a 77-71 overtime game to the Wolf Pack in the first round of the NCAA's.
Funk and Tolliver gave Creighton its first pair of first-team all-MVC teammates since 1991. Funk led the Jays in scoring (17.7 ppg.) and assists (3.0 apg.), while Tolliver topped the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.72 bpg.).
Creighton was 15th nationally with its school-record 75.4 percent accuracy at the free-throw line and ranked 23rd nationally, allowing just 60.9 points per game. The Jays also ranked 13th nationally with an MVC-record 15,909 fans per home game.
The 2006-07 campaign marked Creighton's 10th-straight postseason bid and ninth-straight 20-win season.
Canada Trip Recap
Creighton spent Labor Day weekend in Calgary, winning five games in three days. Creighton beat Saskatchewan twice (87-82 and 92-66), Calgary twice (85-77 and 97-78) and Lethbridge once (88-49).
Eleven different Creighton players started at least once, and all 14 Jays scored at least nine points over the course of the weekend.
Dane Watts led Creighton in scoring with 16.0 points per game while also adding 6.4 rebounds per contest. Kenny Lawson Jr./B>. averaged 14.0 points and led the team with 6.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game. Josh Dotzler paced the club with 19 assists and 14 steals.
The foreign trip, which is allowed once every four years, was Creighton's first since the 2003-04 trip to
Ticket Information
Creighton sold a record 12,888 season tickets for this season. The previous mark was the 12,126 season-tickets bought for the 2006-07 season.
Updated Numbers
Below is an an update to a few of the charts normally found in Creighton's basketball release:
Stat Creighton Opponent +/-
Bench Scoring 513 249 +264
Points In The Paint 382 292 +90
Points Off Turnovers 285 175 +110
2nd-Chance Points 166 114 +52
Substitutions 683 415 +268
