Men's Baskeball Opens 91st Season Sunday vs. New Mexico
11/11/2008 12:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton opens the 2008-09 regular-season with a game on Sunday, Nov. 16 vs. New Mexico. Tip-off at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is set for 2:05 p.m.
New Mexico Lobos at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha ? Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: None
Series History: New Mexico leads 2-0
Last Meeting: New Mexico 82, Creighton 67 on Dec. 22, 1967 at UNM
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2008-09 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
For all home games, Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Sunday's game will not be televised.
Video Webcast Available
Creighton University Athletics and Jump TV will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of approximately 20 games this season. 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 approximately 15-30 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 pre-game show.
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
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's team that went 22-11 and made an 11th straight postseason appearance.
Creighton's senior class trio of Booker Woodfox (9.6 ppg.), Josh Dotzler (3.4 ppg., 3.6 apg.) and Dustin Sitzmann (0.6 ppg.) will be counted on to provide much of the leadership to a team filled with sophomores and juniors.
Sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett (12.6 ppg.) was an honorable-mention all-MVC selection after a standout freshman season, while junior guard Cavel Witter (9.1 ppg.) also proved to be a prolific scorer down the stretch.
Other returning letterwinners include junior Chad Millard and sophomores Casey Harriman, Kaleb Korver, Kenny Lawson Jr., and Kenton Walker.
Three scholarship newcomers join the fold this fall, junior Justin Carter and freshmen Antoine Young and Josh Jones.
Creighton beat Central Missouri 78-65 last Sunday in its only exhibition game.
Scouting New Mexico
Coming off a 24-9 season and NIT appearance, New Mexico returns four starters and six lettermen this season. The Lobos also get back Tony Danridge, an all-Mountain West Conference guard who missed last year with a broken left leg after scoring 12.5 points per game in 2006-07.
The only starter not returning is co-MWC Player of the Year J.R. Giddens (16.3 ppg., 8.8 rpg., 3.1 apg., 1.2 bpg.), who posted single-game highs in the MWC for scoring (36), rebounds (15) and steals (6) last winter while doing a little bit of everything.
In addition to the return of Danridge, Chad Toppert returns as the school's all-time leader in three-point percentage at 45.7 percent. He's been ranked in the top-10 nationally each of the last two years, including No. 2 last year when he shot 48 percent from the arc. Toppert started 13 games but played in all 33 contests a year ago.
Other returning starters include senior Daniel Faris (9.2 ppg., 4.5 rpg.), junior Roman Martinez (7.0 ppg., 3.9 rpg.) sophomore guards Dairese Gary (7.8 ppg., 3.2 apg.) and Jonathan Willis (3.4 ppg.).
As if that weren't enough, New Mexico boasts a vaunted recruiting class ranked as high as ninth nationally by ESPN.com. Three players were named the top signee in the MWC at their respective position by Rivals.com, including MWC Preseason Freshman of the Year Phillip McDonald.
New Mexico finished second nationally with 42.0 percent accuracy from three-point range last year and also had 10 or fewer turnovers in 16 different games.
After going 8-43 from 2003-07 in true road games, UNM tied a school record by winning eight of 14 road games last season alone.
Prior to playing Creighton on Sunday, the Lobos will open their season Friday night with a home game versus Southeast Missouri State.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) enters his 15th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 282-152 (.650) mark at CU and a career record of 365-219 (.625) entering his 20th year 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 first 23 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 11 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Nick Bahe is the team's graduate manager.
New Mexico coach Steve Alford (Indiana, 1987) enters his second season as head coach with the Lobos, where he owns a 24-9 record. He's previously been the head coach at Manchester, Missouri State and Iowa, owning a career record of 332-192 in 17 previous seasons. Alford had a standout career at Indiana, where he captained the Hoosiers to the national title in 1987. Alford is assisted by Craig Neal, Ryan Miller and Chris Walker.
The Series With New Mexico
New Mexico has won both previous meetings with Creighton. The Lobos won 79-68 in Omaha on Dec. 21, 1966, then claimed an 82-67 victory in Albuquerque on Dec. 22, 1967.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman has never faced New Mexico, but owns a 10-5 record all-time (7-5 at CU only) against the current teams in the Mountain West Conference.
Altman is also 6-7 in his career against UNM coach Steve Alford, while Alford is 7-6 against Creighton. Alford has won just one of five trips to Omaha in his career.
Exhibition Game Recap
Creighton beat Central Missouri, 78-65, in its lone exhibition of the season last Sunday. The Bluejays scored the game's first five points and never trailed while holding a lead between 8-17 points the entire second half.
Four players scored in double-figures, paced by 16 from Kenny Lawson Jr. and 15 from Booker Woodfox.
Last Season Recap
Creighton put together a second consecutive 22-11 season last fall, reaching the second round of the NIT with a team featuring nine newcomers.
P'Allen Stinnett (12.6 ppg.) swept MVC Newcomer and Freshman of the Year honors after leading Creighton in scoring, while senior Dane Watts (11.3 ppg.) led the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.
Booker Woodfox (9.6 ppg.) was named MVC Sixth Man of the Year as the leader for a bench that outscored CU's starters by 76 points for the season.
MVC Preseason Poll
For the second time in three years, Creighton has been picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in a preseason poll of coaches, beat writers, SID's and play-by-play men.
Creighton was picked first on 36 of the 39 ballots to earn 386 of a possible 390 points. Last year's favorite, Southern Illinois, earned two first-place votes and totaled 322 points for second place, just ahead of Illinois State, which garnered 309 points and the lone remaining first-place vote. Rounding out the rest of the poll was Drake (274), Bradley (219), UNI (186), Indiana State (137), Evansville (122), Wichita State (105) and Missouri State (85).
The preseason all-MVC team is headlined by preseason player of the year Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State). Joining Eldridge on the first team are P'Allen Stinnett (Creighton), Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois) and the Drake tandem of Jonathan Cox and Josh Young. Honorable-mention picks include the Bradley pair of Theron Wilson and Andrew Warren, as well as the Evansville duo of Shy Ely and Jason Holsinger.
Home Opener History
Including last year's win over DePaul, Creighton is 79-11 (.878) in home openers all-time. Between 1936 and 1980, the Jays went 41-2 in home openers, including 21 straight wins from 1946-66.
Creighton is 13-1 under Dana Altman in home openers, losing only his home debut, 77-70, against SMU in 1994. Altman's 13 wins in home openers is the most in Creighton history.
Season Opener History
Including last year's win over DePaul, Creighton owns a sparkling 76-14 record (.844) on opening day, including 11 straight wins. The Jays are 13-1 (.929) under Dana Altman in season-openers, with the only setback being an 85-77 decision at Wyoming to open the 1996-97 campaign.
Including 2007, Creighton has won seven of its last eight season-openers by 20 or more points. The Jays have outscored foes by an average of 83.3 to 49.2 in the last eight openers.
November Reign
Creighton is 34-3 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 26-0 in November home games at Creighton. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
Hello, World
Below is a look at how Creighton's current players have done in their regular-season debut in a Division I uniform.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Stinnett 23 4 3 3 26
Witter 7 0 3 1 14
Harriman 5 3 0 1 14
Lawson Jr. 3 5 1 1 11
Dotzler 3 2 2 1 22
Korver 2 1 1 1 8
Millard (@UL) 2 0 0 0 5
Woodfox 0 1 1 1 9
Walker 0 0 0 1 2
Sitzmann 0 0 0 0 2
P'henomenal Debut
P'Allen Stinnett's 23 points last year 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 any 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
More Debut News
Some more facts of interest about players making their Bluejay debut.
The last player to start their first game at Creighton was then-sophomore Chad Millard, who opened the 2007-08 season in the starting five after transferring in from Louisville.
The last freshman to start his first game at CU was Ryan Sears in 1997. Sears started all 124 games of his Bluejay career and remains the MVC's all-time leader with 283 steals.
CU's best opening-day effort in history would have to be the way Creighton Hall of Famer Bob Harstad began his senior season. Harstad went 13-for-13 from the floor and 12-for-13 at the line to score 38 points against Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 30, 1990.
The most rebounds on opening day in Creighton history is 30, which Paul Silas snared on Dec. 1, 1962 at La Salle. Silas also had 22 points and 29 rebounds in his varsity debut on Dec. 1, 1961.
Good Defense, A Good Sign
Creighton held Mississippi Valley State to just 42 points in its Nov. 13, 2006 season-opening triumph. Each of the last nine times that Creighton has held its season-opening opponent to 50 points or less, the Bluejays have advanced to the postseason. That list is seen below:
Date Opponent Score NCAA/NIT
11/30/73 Regis W 93-38 NCAA
11/27/76 St. Thomas (MN) W 79-39 NIT
11/30/90 UT San Antonio W 93-47 NCAA
11/14/98 Towson State W 93-48 NCAA
11/20/00 Western Illinois W 96-50 NCAA
11/17/02 Texas-Arlington W 106-50 NCAA
11/22/03 San Diego W 76-44 NIT
11/15/04 Alcorn State W 74-40 NCAA
11/13/06 Mississippi Valley St. W 78-42 NCAA
Quick Starts A Key To Postseason Play
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in nine of the past 10 seasons, including last year. The 2006-07 team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Thanks in large part to the quick starts to open the year, Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Sunday will be the 345th game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.
Who Are Those Guys, Part I
Creighton also has two walk-ons practicing with the team that might suit up on Sunday but are not listed in the media guide.
No. 24 is Matt Dorwart, a 6-7 freshman forward from Sidney, Neb. Dorwart played at Sindey High School and averaged 8.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range.
No. 40 Derek Sebastian is a 6-5 freshman guard/forward from Loveland, Colo. Sebastian played at Thompson Valley High School, where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last year.
Who Are These Guys, Part II
Creighton returns three starters (Josh Dotzler, Kenny Lawson Jr., P'Allen Stinnett) from last year's team that finished 22-11.
Creighton's roster contains players who made 83 starts a year ago, a significant increase over the 44 starts that the team returned at this point last winter.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2008-09 3 83 ???
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Newcomer Report
Three players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform last Sunday against Central Missouri. Antoine Young, Justin Carter and Josh Jones combined for 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 47 minutes of a 78-65 win.
Eight players made their debut in a Creighton uniform last year against EA Sports. Booker Woodfox, Cavel Witter, P'Allen Stinnett, Chad Millard, Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman, Kenton Walker and Aaron Brandt combined for 48 points, 14 boards and eight assists in 102 minutes of an 88-75 win.
Four players made their debut in a Creighton uniform in 2006 against EA Sports. Nick Bahe, Isacc Miles, Ty Morrison and Kenny Lawson Jr. combined for 16 points, 11 boards and three assists in 59 minutes of an 80-76 overtime win.
In the 2005 game against EA Sports, Nick Porter, Dominic Bishop, Josh Dotzler and Brice Nengsu combined for 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal in 55 minutes of play.
20 Overall Wins x 10 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 10 straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight.
Creighton is one of seven teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last 10 seasons. That list consists of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State and Syracuse.
Postseason x 11
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 11 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It is one more than the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 11 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 11 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
10 Conference Wins, Again
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 12th 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 12 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Stanford (14), Kansas (14) and Creighton (12).
Jays Among Attendance Leaders, Again
Creighton ranked 15th nationally in attendance, averaging 15,333 fans per game during the 2007-08 season.
During the 2006-07 season, Creighton ranked 13th nationally in average attendance with 15,909 fans per game.
Below is a list of the nation's attendance leaders in 2007-08, as compiled by the NCAA.
2007-08 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 22,554
2. North Carolina 20,497
3. Syracuse 20,345
4. Tennessee 20,267
5. Louisville 19,481
6. Maryland 17,950
7. Wisconsin 17,190
8. Arkansas 17,148
9. Indiana 16,876
10. Memphis 16,748
11. Illinois 16,618
12. Ohio State 16,587
13. Kansas 16,409
14. Marquette 16,239
15. Creighton 15,333
16. North Carolina State 15,043
17. Michigan State 14,759
18. New Mexico 14,361
MVC Attendance Record Falls
Creighton broke the MVC record for single-season home attendance with 276,000 fans in 2007-08, surpassing the 2005-06 team which drew 236,313 fans in 17 games to hold the old mark.
Creighton has set MVC attendance (either average or total home fans) records each of the past three seasons. The 2006-07 club raised the bar by attracting 15,909 fans per game. Last year's team was close to that, averaging 15,333 fans per home game.
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Ave. Att. School Year
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
12,016 Creighton 2003-04
Bench Press
Creighton's bench outscored its own starting five by a 1,218-1,142 margin last year. The 51.61 percent of scoring coming from CU's bench was the nation's best mark, according to the staff at STATS Inc.
Percentage of Points Scored by Bench
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Team Start% Bench%
1. Creighton 48.39 51.61
2. Texas State 48.78 51.22
3. Buffalo 52.28 47.72
4. Southeast Missouri State 53.62 46.38
5. Central Michigan 55.48 44.52
Creighton scored 31 or more bench points in 22 of 33 games in 2007-08, compared to a high of 30 for the 2006-07 team. The 2007-08 team averaged 36.9 points per game off the pine, the second-highest mark nationally.
Bench Scoring Per Game
Source: STATS -- Chicago
Rk. Team G Bench PPG
1. Texas State 29 42.79
2. Creighton 33 36.91
3. Southeast Missouri State 31 35.52
4. Buffalo 30 34.13
5. Cal State Northridge 30 33.97
Bench Points Add Up
Creighton owned 41 different double-figure scoring games last season off the bench, compared to a total of 30 during the previous three years combined. In fact, there were only four (of 33) contests in which it didn't have a double-figure scorer off the bench.
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 11 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the three that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 10 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08
Jays Move On Without Quartet
Creighton opens the season without four players who finished the season on last year's squad.
Four-year starter Dane Watts is now playing basketball professionally in Germany for EnBW Ludwigsburg in the BBL Bundesliga, the same league that former Jays Anthony Tolliver and Nate Funk played in last year. Watts finished his career 24th in Creighton history with 1,152 points and eighth in CU history with 686 career rebounds. He played in 130 games, including 119 straight starts to finish his career.
Pierce Hibma is currently attending medical school at Creighton. The guard/forward played in 120 games for the Jays, making 27 starts in his career. He accumulated 304 points, 179 rebounds and 64 assists during his five years in the program. Hibma will be serving as the radio color analyst for three games this winter.
Nick Bahe is currently serving as a graduate manager for the Creighton basketball team while pursuing his Master's degree in communications. He will also serve as an analyst for Creighton basketball telecasts on KMTV and radio broadcasts on Big Sports 590 this season. Bahe, who spent three years at Creighton after transferring in from Kansas, had 292 points, 153 rebounds and 78 assists while playing in 66 games (35 starts) at CU.
Aaron Brandt left the Creighton program after two years and is now part of the track & field program at Nebraska-Lincoln. Brandt played in nine games and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists at Creighton.
Turning Point?
One common theme when Creighton is successful is that they have had an advantage in “points off turnovers” in many of those contests.
Last season, Creighton was 17-4 when scoring more points off turnovers than its opponent last year. In the previous four years, Creighton is 61-10 when winning this category.
Last year New Mexico ranked 27th nationally in fewest turnovers per game with just 12.2. The Lobos also ranked 13th with a 1.33 assist/turnover ratio.
Last season New Mexico went 13-3 when making 10 turnovers or less, while Creighton forced at least 10 turnovers in all but two games.
Paint Points
Led by a combined 30 points and 15 rebounds from sophomore big men Kenny Lawson Jr. and Kenton Walker, Creighton scored 36 points in the paint on Sunday in an exhibition win over Central Missouri.
Since the school started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 52-9 in games when scoring 28 or more points in the paint.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 37 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 42 straight games when scoring 72 points or more dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 58 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more, dating to Feb. 19, 2000.
Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
The Charge Chart
Creighton took 62 charges last season, with Casey Harriman and Dane Watts sharing the team lead with 17 charges taken. Over the previous six seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 48.7 per year.
Below is a list of the people that have taken charges in that time:
Name 2002-07 ?07-08 ?08-09 Total
Casey Harriman n/a 17 0 17
Josh Dotzler 4 5 0 9
Chad Millard n/a 7 0 7
P'Allen Stinnett n/a 5 0 5
Kenton Walker n/a 3 0 3
Cavel Witter n/a 3 0 3
Kenny Lawson Jr. 0 2 0 2
Booker Woodfox n/a 2 0 2
Dustin Sitzmann 0 1 0 1
Former Players 226 17 n/a 243
Total 230 62 0 292
NBA Presence
Two former Creighton players are currently on NBA rosters. Kyle Korver (1999-2003) plays for Utah, while Anthony Tolliver (2003-07) plays for San Antonio.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 282 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 158 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. 282 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. 158 Dana Altman Creighton
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton's has played 81 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 68-13 (.840) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 14-0 figure on Wednesday's. The 13 losses have been by a combined 70 points.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 5,969-5,008 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.8 points per game.
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 192-41 in the last eight seasons. In fact, the men and women have both lost a home game in the same month just four times since March, 2000.
Creighton's Home Records, Last Eight Years
Year Men Women Combined
2007-08 16-2 11-1 27-3
2006-07 12-2 7-7 19-9
2005-06 15-2 5-7 20-9
2004-05 11-5 12-3 23-8
2003-04 14-2 12-1 26-3
2002-03 17-0 13-1 30-1
2001-02 12-3 11-1 23-4
2000-01 14-0 10-4 24-4
TOTALS 111-16 81-25 192-41
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one trifecta in a league-best 466 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
3-Point Weapons
Creighton had nine different players that made 10 or more three-pointers this season. Five of those men made 39.3 percent or more of their attempts from long-range.
According to STATS Inc., Creighton, Duke, Marquette, New Mexico and Portland State were the nation's only teams with seven different players to own 20 or more treys. Of that group, CU was the only team with all seven players to make 24 or more three-pointers.
When shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range, Creighton has won 15 straight, 31-of-32 and 41 of its last 44 games.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 84-48 in televised games in the previous six seasons, including a 30-19 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, 6-2 in 2006-07 and 5-4 last year in KMTV-produced games.
The Jays are also 39-25 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 21-14 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 27-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 16 are slated for television this season, though that number could grow in the coming weeks.
Double-Digit Comebacks at Home
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 21 of its 81 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 14 of those 21 games, the Bluejays came back to win.
Creighton's incredible streak of 181 straight games without a double-digit home loss (dating to Jan. 3, 1996) was snapped on Dec. 29, 2007 by Illinois State. That had ranked as the nation's oldest streak in that obscure category.
Double Digit Deficits at Qwest Center Omaha
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
12/07/04 Kent State 16 L 58-67
12/18/04 Wyoming 13 L 64-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
02/05/05 Missouri State 15 L 71-79
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
02/11/06 Southern Illinois 14 L 67-74
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 12 L 52-53
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 12 L 57-58
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
12/29/07 Illinois State 19 L 67-80
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including its March 18, 2008 win over Rhode Island, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 26 times in the last eight seasons, including three times last year (also DePaul and Wichita State).
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 8 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 W 70-69
01/18/03 Southern Illinois 13 W 85-76
02/04/01 at Indiana State 13 W 77-71
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15 Florida 11 W 83-82 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.
Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report's academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.
Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.
Basketball Times Overall Rankings
Rk. School Avg. 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
Six Out Of 10 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last 10 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Winthrop (8), Duke (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has three 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 Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and sophomores Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver and Pierce Hibma (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 442 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is now 33-6 since 1987 in exhibition games, including a 24-3 record with Dana Altman as head coach. The only team to beat Altman in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged five years ago and changed their name to EA Sports.
Date Score
11/16/87 Creighton 82, DTV Charlottenburgh 77
11/13/88 Creighton 75, Turkey 66
11/10/89 Creighton 92, Athletes in Action 70
11/16/89 Brazil 93, Creighton 90
11/06/90 Creighton 89, Athletes in Action 82
11/15/90 Creighton 89, Russian Ukraine Nat. Team 71
11/05/91 Creighton 90, Ukraine National Team 89
11/19/91 Creighton 87, Ath. Fighting Substance Abuse 77
11/16/92 Creighton 82, Cuban National Team 73
11/24/92 Creighton 93, Lee Jeans 86
11/19/93 Central Army Sports Club 92, Creighton 91
11/23/93 Team Pella 115, Creighton 99
11/15/94 Creighton 80, Dutch National Team 80 (OT)*
11/21/94 Creighton 88, Fort Hood 78
11/14/95 Creighton 77, Poznan 68
11/20/95 Creighton 76, Athletes in Action 66
11/11/96 Creighton 75, Hungary Select 60
11/17/96 Creighton 90, Dream Builders 70
11/05/97 Creighton 93, Lucenec-Slovenia 56
11/09/97 Creighton 97, Pella Windows 86
11/04/98 Creighton 96, Bulgaria 61
11/08/98 Creighton 80, Team Pella 77
11/09/99 Global Sports 77, Creighton 73
11/17/99 Creighton 75, Pella Windows 68
11/05/00 Global Sports 82, Creighton 74
11/12/00 Creighton 74, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/06/01 Creighton 62, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/13/01 Creighton 95, Global Sports 80
11/05/02 Creighton 75, Nebraska-Omaha 72
11/10/02 Creighton 83, Global Sports 61
11/09/03 Creighton 72, Nebraska-Omaha 66 (OT)
11/16/03 Global Sports 66, Creighton 65
11/11/04 Creighton 78, EA Sports 48
11/06/05 Creighton 74, EA Sports 67
11/13/05 Creighton 116, Nebraska-Kearney 82
11/02/06 Creighton 80, EA Sports 76 (OT)
11/08/06 Creighton 73, Nebraska-Omaha 56
11/01/07 Creighton 88, EA Sports 75
11/09/08 Creighton 78, Central Missouri 65
*Creighton wins by forfeit when Dutch refuses to begin second overtime.
A Busy Building
Qwest Center Omaha has been a busy place since Creighton last took the floor for a game that counted.
In March, Qwest Center Omaha hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, hosting eventual champion Kansas, as well as Wisconsin, Kansas State UNLV and USC, among others.
In July, Qwest Center Omaha hosted the US Olympic Trials for Swimming, which required two temporary swimming pools to be built inside the facility.
From Nov. 6-16 alone, the building will host concerts by Metallica, The Eagles, New Kids On The Block and Bill Gaither & Friends, two Creighton basketball games and two Nebraska-Omaha hockey games.
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
Creighton ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference in graduation success rate (94.7 percent) and has won the MVC's All-Academic Award for the fourth time in five years.
For the fourth time in the six-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2007-08 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average over the 2007-08 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05 and 2006-07.
Creighton had seven men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year, which helped the team to a 3.01 GPA overall.
MWC-MVC Challenge To Come
Creighton and New Mexico are also scheduled to meet next season in Albuquerque, an event that is likely to be part of the new Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge.
The MWC/MVC Challenge will feature head-to-head competition between nine schools from each league annually. Plans for the event were unveiled on Oct. 28 at MVC Media Day.
Teams from the two leagues have squared off 32 times since the inception of the Mountain West in 1999, with MWC teams holding a narrow 17-15 edge in those contests.
This will be just the fourth conference challenge, joining the ACC-Big 10, SEC-Big East, and the Pacific 10-Big 12.
The Better The Record, The Harder They Fall
Creighton is 18-1 in the six-year history of Qwest Center Omaha against opponents that enter a game with one loss or less.
New Mexico, which opens its season on Friday against Southeast Missouri State, will enter Sunday's game with either a 1-0 or 0-1 record.
Opponent's
Record
Entering Opponent CU Result Date
16-1 #22 Drake L 60-68 ot 01/22/08
9-1 Arkansas-Little Rock W 80-61 12/22/07
3-0 Nebraska W 74-62 11/24/07
0-0 DePaul W 74-62 11/09/07
7-1 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
2-1 George Mason W 58-56 11/25/06
0-1 Miss. Valley State W 78-42 11/13/06
7-1 Missouri State W 78-56 12/28/05
5-1 Xavier W 61-59 12/18/05
6-1 Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
2-1 Dayton W 91-90 11/26/05
0-0 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 87-55 11/19/05
7-1 Bradley W 71-62 12/28/04
0-0 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 83-58 11/20/04
1-0 Iona W 68-62 11/16/04
0-0 Alcorn State W 74-40 11/15/04
5-0 Nebraska W 61-54 12/10/03
0-1 Bethune-Cookman W 69-49 12/03/03
2-0 St. Bonaventure W 83-63 11/29/03
Shuttle Service To Qwest Center Omaha
The State Farm Shuttle presented by the Creighton Birdcage and State Farm Insurance will provide complimentary transportation service from the CU campus to Qwest Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game.
The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blue's Alumni Grill (outside the new Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center Omaha arena entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the Qwest Center Omaha arena entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
Ticket Information
Single game tickets for regular-season home games went on sale on Nov. 11 at 10 am.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, the Omaha Civic Auditorium Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (402) 422-1212. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
As of November 3rd, Creighton had already sold an estimated 13,700 season tickets for this season. The previous MVC record was the 12,888 season-tickets Creighton fans bought for the 2007-08 season.
