Men's Basketball Visits Nebraska on Saturday
11/26/2008 6:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (3-1) travels southwest down I-80 about 50 miles for an intrastate match-up with Nebraska (4-0).
Tip-off at Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595) is set for 7:05 pm.
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 Nick Bahe will call the action.
For all home games, as well as Saturday's game in Lincoln, 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
Saturday's game will be broadcast statewide by Fox Sports Net Midwest. On DirecTV, the game will air on channel 672. Dish Network is not currently scheduled to carry the game due to a lack of channel capacity. Greg Sharpe (play-by-play) and Eric Piatkowski (analyst) will announce.
Coordinates are as follows:
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 17
Transponder: 13 Upper
C Band: KU xxx
Uplink Frequency: 14269 Mhz Vertical
Downlink Frequency: 11969 Mhz Horizontal
Data Rate: 18.0 Msps
Symbol Rate: 13.0212766
FEC: 3/4
Compression Ratio: 4:2:2
On-Air Talent: Greg Sharpe, Eric Piatkowski
Video Webcast Available
Saturday's game will not be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton basketball games are scheduled to 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 (3-1)
Creighton is 3-1, picking up home wins over New Mexico (82-75), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (82-50) and Oral Roberts (87-65) to start the season before falling 71-69 at Arkansas-Little Rock on a late tip-in on Tuesday.
The Bluejays return 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's 22-11 team that made an 11th straight postseason appearance.
Three players are averaging more than 13 points per game, and each one has a game of 25 points or more to their credit this month.
Booker Woodfox averages a team-best 15.0 points per game and is also shooting a team-best 90.9 percent at the line.
Cavel Witter scores 14.3 points per game and has drained 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) of his three-point attempts while P'Allen Stinnett averages 13.0 points per game and is second on the team with seven steals.
On the defensive side, Josh Dotzler owns a team-best 13 steals and Kenny Lawson Jr. a team-high six blocked shots.
Creighton has shot 44.6 percent from the floor, 37.5 percent from three-point territory and is also making 77.6 percent of its shots from the line.
Scouting Nebraska (4-0)
Nebraska is 4-0 on the season, picking up wins over San Jose State (63-46), TCU (62-50), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (67-53) and Saint Louis (71-57). All but the TCU win were contested in Lincoln.
The Cornhuskers yield just 51.5 points per game and have held teams to 38.2 percent shooting from the floor and 21.2 percent from three-point range.
Sek Henry leads Nebraska with 11.5 points and 2.3 steals per game while ranking second on the club with 3.0 assists per game. He has made 68 percent of his shots from the floor and 55.6 percent from three-point range, but just 50 percent at the line.
Also in double-figures is Steve Harley, who averages 10.8 points.
The Cornhuskers start four guards and have been outrebounded by 2.2 caroms per contest.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 15th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 285-153 (.651) mark at CU and a career record of 368-220 (.626) in 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.
Nebraska is coached by Doc Sadler, who owns a 41-27 record in his third year with the Cornhuskers. He owns a career record of 89-45 in four years. Sadler also spent two seasons at UTEP, where he was 48-18. Sadler is assisted by Walter Roese, Philip Mathews and David Anwar.
The Series With Nebraska
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 23-18 margin, but the Bluejays have won eight of the last nine regular-season meetings. The Jays have won three of the last four meetings played in Lincoln, where they are 5-14 all-time.
Creighton won four of the first seven meetings in the history of the series before a 45-year break where the in-state rivals did not play each other. The series has been played at least once annually since 1977 and is CU's longest running non-conference series by a landslide.
Dana Altman is 9-6 vs. the Huskers since coming to Creighton and 12-12 overall if you include his 3-6 mark while at then-Big Eight foe at Kansas State.
Altman is 1-1 against Doc Sadler, winning last year in Omaha 74-62 after losing in Lincoln in 2006 by a 73-61 count.
Last Meeting vs. Nebraska Recap
Creighton hit six straight three-pointers during a 24-3 run midway through the first half and never looked back in a 74-62 win over Nebraska on Nov. 24, 2007 in Omaha. The Jays led 47-20 at the half and led by nine or more the rest of the way. Cavel Witter and Dane Watts each had 14 points to lead Creighton, while Cookie Miller had a game-high 19 points for the Cornhuskers.
Creighton's Last Game Recap
Arkansas-Little Rock's Mike Smith tipped in a missed shot with 7.1 seconds left the score tied as the host Trojans downed Creighton, 71-69, on Tuesday in Little Rock, Ark. Kenny Lawson Jr. tied a career-high with 15 points to lead Creighton, while Matt Mouzy led UALR with 15 points. Smith finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
In-State Pride On The Line
The state's only two Division I men's basketball teams will meet up on Saturday in Lincoln when Creighton and Nebraska tangle.
Creighton boasts four student-athletes from the state of Nebraska on its roster, senior guard Josh Dotzler (Omaha), freshman guard Josh Jones (Omaha), freshman guard Antoine Young (Bellevue) and freshman walk-on forward Matt Dorwart (Sidney).
In addition, head coach Dana Altman (Wilber) and graduate manager Nick Bahe (Lincoln) are also in-state products.
Nebraska has three players with ties to the state, senior guard Nick Krenk (Nebraska City), freshman guard Ross Ferrarini (Omaha) and junior guard Cole Salomon (Omaha). All three men are walk-ons.
Entering Nebraska Game After A Loss?
Each of the last three times that Creighton has lost a non-MVC Tournament game immediately prior to the Nebraska game, the Bluejays have picked up a win over NU.
The last time that Creighton entered the Nebraska game following a loss (Dec. 11, 2005), the Bluejays defeated the Cornhuskers 70-44. Creighton also won under that scenario in December of 2004 and December of 2001.
And When Nebraska is Undefeated?
This is the fifth time since 2001-02 that Nebraska has been unbeaten when entering its game against Creighton.
Creighton knocked the Huskers from the ranks of the unbeaten in 2001, 2003 and 2007.
Unbeaten Nebraska vs. Creighton, Since 2000
NU W-L CU W-L Result Date
6-0 3-2 Creighton 76-70 12/12/01
5-0 8-0 Creighton 61-54 12/10/03
1-0 1-0 Nebraska 73-61 11/18/06
3-0 2-0 Creighton 74-62 11/24/07
Witter Named MVC Player of the Week
Cavel Witter was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 25 for his work in wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and four-time defending Summit League champ Oral Roberts last week.
Witter averaged 20.0 points, 2.5 steals, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game off the bench while leading Creighton in scoring.
He shot 68.8 percent from the floor (11-16), including 66.7 percent from three-point range (6-9) while also hitting 80 percent (12-15) at the line.
It was Witter's first career honor as MVC Player of the Week, though he did earn MVC Newcomer of the Week honors twice last season.
Sitzmann Is Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Senior guard Dustin Sitzmann is this week's Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
A senior from LeMars, Iowa, Sitzmann scored in consecutive games for the first time in his Bluejay career, as CU defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff (82-50) on Nov. 20 and Oral Roberts (87-65) on Nov. 22.
Sitzmann, who has a 3.871 cumulative grade-point average in exercise science, made 2-of-3 shots from the field (66.7 percent). He played a combined seven minutes in the victories, as CU improved to 26-2 all-time in games in which he's appeared.
Witter Gets A Start
Cavel Witter made the first start of his career on Tuesday at UALR, moving into the line-up in place of P'Allen Stinnett.
Witter had 11 points and four assists against the Trojans in 29 minutes of play.
Witter had come off the bench for the first 36 games of his career, averaging 9.6 points per game while earning a spot on the 2007-08 MVC All-Bench Team in that time.
Lawson Ties Career-High
Kenny Lawson Jr. tied a career-high with 15 points against Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday. He hit made his first six shots and finished 7-of-9 from the field.
Lawson had also scored 15 points last season in a win over Houston Baptist.
Battle of the Backboards
Creighton was outrebounded 46-26 in its loss at Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday. The Bluejays had not been out-rebounded by 20 since Feb. 27, 2008, when Illinois State won the boards 45-24 in a 68-54 victory over CU.
Creighton has lost the rebound battle by 20 or more three times in the past 15 years, losing all three games. On the other hand, CU is 8-1 in the past 15 years when winning the rebound battle by 20 or more rebounds.
Large Lead Doesn't Hold Up
Creighton was unable to hang onto a 34-18 lead against Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday.
Prior to Tuesday, Creighton had not lost a game in which it led by 16 points or more since Feb. 2, 2002, when it lost to Southern Illinois, 79-77 after leading 43-27 late in the first half.
By comparison, Creighton had won seven games since then after trailing by 16 points or more, including five since 2006 alone.
Jays Were 3-0 Once Again
Saturday's win against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22nd gave Creighton a 3-0 start for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons. The 2006-07 team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's previous 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Saturday will be the 349th game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.
Third Home Game Winner, Again
Dana Altman is 20-0 all-time in his third home game of the season, including a 15-0 mark at Creighton, a 4-0 record at Kansas State and a 1-0 mark at Marshall.
Creighton's third home game this year was a win over Oral Roberts last Saturday.
3 Players, 20 Points, 3 Games
Creighton has had three different players score 20 or more points during its first three contests this winter. P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) did it against New Mexico, while Cavel Witter (25) did it against Oral Roberts.
This is the first time it's happened in Dana Altman's 15-year tenure at Creighton, as well as the first time its happened at Creighton in at least 30 years.
Harriman Nets Career Highs
Casey Harriman had a pair of career-highs in last Saturday's win over Oral Roberts. The sophomore forward had 10 points and six rebounds in his 14 minutes, career-bests for points and rebounds.
Earlier in the week, Harriman tied a career-best with three steals against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Double-Double Eludes Lawson
Sophomore Kenny Lawson Jr. hasn't notched a double-double in his young career, but he's been steadily getting closer.
Lawson, who had eight rebounds and eight points against Oral Roberts, owns five career games of at least eight points and eight boards in his career. CU has won all five such games by an average margin of 85.8-66.0.
Creighton is 12-3 when Lawson has five rebounds or more, but 15-9 in games he's appeared in and snared less than five caroms.
25 Points Off The Bench, Again
Cavel Witter scored 25 points off the bench in last Saturday's win over Oral Roberts.
It marks the second time in his career he's done that, as the junior guard torched Bradley for a Qwest Center Omaha record 42 points on March 1, 2008, in a double-overtime win over Bradley.
Before Witter, Creighton had not had a player score 25 points or more off the bench since March of 2002.
80+ Points To Start The Season
Creighton scored 82 points or more in three consecutive games to open the season. The last previous time the Bluejays scored 82 points or more in each of its first three games was the 2002-03 season, when CU scored 106 against Texas-Arlington, 82 against Furman and 99 against IUPUI during the Guardians Classic.
The 2002-03 season saw the Bluejays finish with a 29-5 overall record, and starred Kyle Korver, the brother of current CU sophomore Kaleb Korver.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 85-49 in televised games in the last seven seasons, including a 31-20 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. So far this year CU is 1-1 on KMTV.
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 19 are slated for television this season.
November Reign
Creighton is 37-4 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Coming off a loss on Tuesday, the Jays will look to avoid consecutive November losses for the first time since 1997.
Dana Altman is 29-0 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.
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.
Dynamic Duo, Part II?
From 1987-91, Creighton big men Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher were known as the “Dynamic Duo”. Both men were named MVC Player of the Year (Harstad in 1990, Gallagher in 1991) and finished their careers first and second in school history for points scored.
It's still quite early, but the Jays had quite the dynamic duo in the season-opening win over New Mexico when P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) both lit up the Lobos.
The current duo became the first Bluejay pair to score 25 points or more in the same game in the Dana Altman era.
CU hadn't had that happen since, you guessed it, Gallagher (29) and Harstad (26) did it against Bradley on Jan. 21, 1991.
Up, Up and Away
Creighton never trailed in its Nov. 20 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In 84 all-time games at Qwest Center Omaha, the Jays have led wire-to-wire 18 different times.
The Better The Record, The Harder They Fall
Creighton is 20-1 in the six-year history of Qwest Center Omaha against opponents that enter a game with one loss or less, including last Saturday's win over Oral Roberts.
Opponent's
Record
Entering Opponent CU Result Date
1-1 Oral Roberts W 87-65 11/22/08
1-0 New Mexico W 82-75 11/16/08
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
Thirty-Point Bluejays
With 30 points on Nov. 16 against New Mexico, P'Allen Stinnett became one of six Creighton players in the Dana Altman era to score 30 points or more in a game. The other five players that did it were Cavel Witter, Nate Funk, Johnny Mathies, Kyle Korver and Rodney Buford.
Below is the list of Creighton's 30-point games since Altman became head coach:
Pts. Name Opp. Date Result
42 Cavel Witter Bradley 03/01/08 W 111-110
40 Rodney Buford Bradley 12/30/98 W 65-44
38 Nate Funk Dayton 11/26/05 W 91-90
36 Rodney Buford Illinois St. 02/05/96 L 72-74
35 Nate Funk @Wichita State 02/16/05 W 82-68
33 Nate Funk vs. Missouri St. 03/03/07 W 75-58
32 Kyle Korver @Xavier 12/31/02 L 73-75
32 Johnny Mathies Drake 01/08/06 W 82-69
31 Kyle Korver Evansville 01/15/03 W 93-56
30 Rodney Buford Southern Illinois 02/05/98 W 91-73
30 Rodney Buford @Northern Iowa 12/30/97 W 83-75
30 Rodney Buford Missouri State 02/15/97 L 82-88
30 P'Allen Stinnett New Mexico 11/16/08 W 82-75
What A Start!
The 2007-08 MVC Sixth Man of the Year, Booker Woodfox scored 26 points in his first career start against New Mexico on Nov. 16.
Woodfox's 26 points are the most by a Bluejay in their first career start since at least 1980.
Stinnett Named MVC Player of the Week
Creighton sophomore P'Allen Stinnett claimed MVC Player of the Week honors Nov. 17. Stinnett scored 21 of his career-high 30 points in the second half of a 82-75 come-from-behind victory over New Mexico while also adding four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
This is his second career MVC Player of the Week accolade, as he also won the award last season on Feb. 11, 2008. Stinnett also picked up three MVC Newcomer of the Week honors last year en route to sweeping Valley Newcomer and Freshman of the Year laurels.
P'henomenal Debut x 2
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 30 points in this year's opener were the most by a Creighton player in the season lid-lifter since Bob Harstad scored 38 points against Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 30, 1990.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 40 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 45 straight games when scoring 72 points or more dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 61 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.
Who Are Those Guys, Part I
Creighton also has two walk-ons practicing with the team that might suit up on but are not listed in the media guide.
No. 24 is Matt Dorwart, a 6-7 freshman forward from Sidney, Neb. Dorwart played at Sidney 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.
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 last five years, Creighton is 64-11 when winning this category, including a 3-1 mark this winter.
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.
So far this season, Creighton has taken three charges, one each by Booker Woodfox, Kaleb Korver and Justin Carter.
Below is a list of the Creighton players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season:
Name 2002-07 ?07-08 ?08-09 Total
Booker Woodfox n/a 2 1 3
Kaleb Korver n/a 0 1 1
Justin Carter n/a n/a 1 1
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
Dustin Sitzmann 0 1 0 1
Former Players 226 17 n/a 243
Total 230 62 3 295
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 470 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Recruits Inked
A pair of prep standouts signed letters-of-intent in November to join the Creighton men's basketball team next year.
Andrew Bock is a 6'1” guard from Eisenhower High School in Rialto, Calif. Bock averaged 18 points and eight assists per game while helping the Eagles to a 27-4 record. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Citrus Belt League last season.
Ethan Wragge (RAH-gy) is a 6'8” forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., where he attends Eden Prairie High School. He averaged 16 points and nine rebounds per game and owns the school record for three-point baskets made. He made 91 percent of his free-throw attempts last year. His team finished 19-9 last winter.
Both men will be freshmen and have four years of eligibility.
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 17 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
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 11 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
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 285 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. 285 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
Paint Points
Creighton outscored each of its first three opponents in the paint this year before being dominated 44-12 in the lane by UALR.
Since the school started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 55-9 in games when scoring 28 or more points in the paint.
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 84 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 71-13 (.845) 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 6,220-5,196 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.2 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 195-43 in the last nine 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 Nine Years
Year Men Women Combined
2008-09 3-0 0-2 3-2
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 114-16 81-27 195-43
3-Point Weapons
Creighton had nine different players that made 10 or more three-pointers last 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 32-of-34 and 42 of its last 46 games.
Double-Digit Comebacks at Home
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 22 of its 84 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 15 of those 22 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
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including its season-opening win over New Mexico, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 27 times in the last nine seasons.
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
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
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
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
Creighton ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference in graduation success rate (94.7 percent) among all sports.
Also, 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.
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
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 446 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
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.
Last year's team scored 18 or more bench points in every game but one, with a low of 13.
This year, the Bluejay bench has scored 121 of the team's 320 points (37.8 percent). Take out the season-opening win over New Mexico and that number rises to 112-of-238 points (47.1 percent).
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.
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.
Mid-Week Maestro's
Creighton has never lost a game at Qwest Center Omaha on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, going a combined 21-0 on those dates.
Creighton is 14-0 on Wednesday's, 6-0 on Thursday's and 1-0 on Friday's at the six-year old facility.
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 14th Creighton had already sold 13,743 season tickets for this season. The previous MVC record was the 12,888 season-tickets Creighton fans bought for the 2007-08 season.
Creighton (3-1) travels southwest down I-80 about 50 miles for an intrastate match-up with Nebraska (4-0).
Tip-off at Bob Devaney Sports Center (13,595) is set for 7:05 pm.
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 Nick Bahe will call the action.
For all home games, as well as Saturday's game in Lincoln, 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
Saturday's game will be broadcast statewide by Fox Sports Net Midwest. On DirecTV, the game will air on channel 672. Dish Network is not currently scheduled to carry the game due to a lack of channel capacity. Greg Sharpe (play-by-play) and Eric Piatkowski (analyst) will announce.
Coordinates are as follows:
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 17
Transponder: 13 Upper
C Band: KU xxx
Uplink Frequency: 14269 Mhz Vertical
Downlink Frequency: 11969 Mhz Horizontal
Data Rate: 18.0 Msps
Symbol Rate: 13.0212766
FEC: 3/4
Compression Ratio: 4:2:2
On-Air Talent: Greg Sharpe, Eric Piatkowski
Video Webcast Available
Saturday's game will not be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton basketball games are scheduled to 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 (3-1)
Creighton is 3-1, picking up home wins over New Mexico (82-75), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (82-50) and Oral Roberts (87-65) to start the season before falling 71-69 at Arkansas-Little Rock on a late tip-in on Tuesday.
The Bluejays return 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's 22-11 team that made an 11th straight postseason appearance.
Three players are averaging more than 13 points per game, and each one has a game of 25 points or more to their credit this month.
Booker Woodfox averages a team-best 15.0 points per game and is also shooting a team-best 90.9 percent at the line.
Cavel Witter scores 14.3 points per game and has drained 8-of-15 (53.3 percent) of his three-point attempts while P'Allen Stinnett averages 13.0 points per game and is second on the team with seven steals.
On the defensive side, Josh Dotzler owns a team-best 13 steals and Kenny Lawson Jr. a team-high six blocked shots.
Creighton has shot 44.6 percent from the floor, 37.5 percent from three-point territory and is also making 77.6 percent of its shots from the line.
Scouting Nebraska (4-0)
Nebraska is 4-0 on the season, picking up wins over San Jose State (63-46), TCU (62-50), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (67-53) and Saint Louis (71-57). All but the TCU win were contested in Lincoln.
The Cornhuskers yield just 51.5 points per game and have held teams to 38.2 percent shooting from the floor and 21.2 percent from three-point range.
Sek Henry leads Nebraska with 11.5 points and 2.3 steals per game while ranking second on the club with 3.0 assists per game. He has made 68 percent of his shots from the floor and 55.6 percent from three-point range, but just 50 percent at the line.
Also in double-figures is Steve Harley, who averages 10.8 points.
The Cornhuskers start four guards and have been outrebounded by 2.2 caroms per contest.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 15th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 285-153 (.651) mark at CU and a career record of 368-220 (.626) in 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.
Nebraska is coached by Doc Sadler, who owns a 41-27 record in his third year with the Cornhuskers. He owns a career record of 89-45 in four years. Sadler also spent two seasons at UTEP, where he was 48-18. Sadler is assisted by Walter Roese, Philip Mathews and David Anwar.
The Series With Nebraska
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 23-18 margin, but the Bluejays have won eight of the last nine regular-season meetings. The Jays have won three of the last four meetings played in Lincoln, where they are 5-14 all-time.
Creighton won four of the first seven meetings in the history of the series before a 45-year break where the in-state rivals did not play each other. The series has been played at least once annually since 1977 and is CU's longest running non-conference series by a landslide.
Dana Altman is 9-6 vs. the Huskers since coming to Creighton and 12-12 overall if you include his 3-6 mark while at then-Big Eight foe at Kansas State.
Altman is 1-1 against Doc Sadler, winning last year in Omaha 74-62 after losing in Lincoln in 2006 by a 73-61 count.
Last Meeting vs. Nebraska Recap
Creighton hit six straight three-pointers during a 24-3 run midway through the first half and never looked back in a 74-62 win over Nebraska on Nov. 24, 2007 in Omaha. The Jays led 47-20 at the half and led by nine or more the rest of the way. Cavel Witter and Dane Watts each had 14 points to lead Creighton, while Cookie Miller had a game-high 19 points for the Cornhuskers.
Creighton's Last Game Recap
Arkansas-Little Rock's Mike Smith tipped in a missed shot with 7.1 seconds left the score tied as the host Trojans downed Creighton, 71-69, on Tuesday in Little Rock, Ark. Kenny Lawson Jr. tied a career-high with 15 points to lead Creighton, while Matt Mouzy led UALR with 15 points. Smith finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
In-State Pride On The Line
The state's only two Division I men's basketball teams will meet up on Saturday in Lincoln when Creighton and Nebraska tangle.
Creighton boasts four student-athletes from the state of Nebraska on its roster, senior guard Josh Dotzler (Omaha), freshman guard Josh Jones (Omaha), freshman guard Antoine Young (Bellevue) and freshman walk-on forward Matt Dorwart (Sidney).
In addition, head coach Dana Altman (Wilber) and graduate manager Nick Bahe (Lincoln) are also in-state products.
Nebraska has three players with ties to the state, senior guard Nick Krenk (Nebraska City), freshman guard Ross Ferrarini (Omaha) and junior guard Cole Salomon (Omaha). All three men are walk-ons.
Entering Nebraska Game After A Loss?
Each of the last three times that Creighton has lost a non-MVC Tournament game immediately prior to the Nebraska game, the Bluejays have picked up a win over NU.
The last time that Creighton entered the Nebraska game following a loss (Dec. 11, 2005), the Bluejays defeated the Cornhuskers 70-44. Creighton also won under that scenario in December of 2004 and December of 2001.
And When Nebraska is Undefeated?
This is the fifth time since 2001-02 that Nebraska has been unbeaten when entering its game against Creighton.
Creighton knocked the Huskers from the ranks of the unbeaten in 2001, 2003 and 2007.
Unbeaten Nebraska vs. Creighton, Since 2000
NU W-L CU W-L Result Date
6-0 3-2 Creighton 76-70 12/12/01
5-0 8-0 Creighton 61-54 12/10/03
1-0 1-0 Nebraska 73-61 11/18/06
3-0 2-0 Creighton 74-62 11/24/07
Witter Named MVC Player of the Week
Cavel Witter was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 25 for his work in wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and four-time defending Summit League champ Oral Roberts last week.
Witter averaged 20.0 points, 2.5 steals, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game off the bench while leading Creighton in scoring.
He shot 68.8 percent from the floor (11-16), including 66.7 percent from three-point range (6-9) while also hitting 80 percent (12-15) at the line.
It was Witter's first career honor as MVC Player of the Week, though he did earn MVC Newcomer of the Week honors twice last season.
Sitzmann Is Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Senior guard Dustin Sitzmann is this week's Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week.
A senior from LeMars, Iowa, Sitzmann scored in consecutive games for the first time in his Bluejay career, as CU defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff (82-50) on Nov. 20 and Oral Roberts (87-65) on Nov. 22.
Sitzmann, who has a 3.871 cumulative grade-point average in exercise science, made 2-of-3 shots from the field (66.7 percent). He played a combined seven minutes in the victories, as CU improved to 26-2 all-time in games in which he's appeared.
Witter Gets A Start
Cavel Witter made the first start of his career on Tuesday at UALR, moving into the line-up in place of P'Allen Stinnett.
Witter had 11 points and four assists against the Trojans in 29 minutes of play.
Witter had come off the bench for the first 36 games of his career, averaging 9.6 points per game while earning a spot on the 2007-08 MVC All-Bench Team in that time.
Lawson Ties Career-High
Kenny Lawson Jr. tied a career-high with 15 points against Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday. He hit made his first six shots and finished 7-of-9 from the field.
Lawson had also scored 15 points last season in a win over Houston Baptist.
Battle of the Backboards
Creighton was outrebounded 46-26 in its loss at Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday. The Bluejays had not been out-rebounded by 20 since Feb. 27, 2008, when Illinois State won the boards 45-24 in a 68-54 victory over CU.
Creighton has lost the rebound battle by 20 or more three times in the past 15 years, losing all three games. On the other hand, CU is 8-1 in the past 15 years when winning the rebound battle by 20 or more rebounds.
Large Lead Doesn't Hold Up
Creighton was unable to hang onto a 34-18 lead against Arkansas-Little Rock on Tuesday.
Prior to Tuesday, Creighton had not lost a game in which it led by 16 points or more since Feb. 2, 2002, when it lost to Southern Illinois, 79-77 after leading 43-27 late in the first half.
By comparison, Creighton had won seven games since then after trailing by 16 points or more, including five since 2006 alone.
Jays Were 3-0 Once Again
Saturday's win against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22nd gave Creighton a 3-0 start for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons. The 2006-07 team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's previous 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Saturday will be the 349th game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.
Third Home Game Winner, Again
Dana Altman is 20-0 all-time in his third home game of the season, including a 15-0 mark at Creighton, a 4-0 record at Kansas State and a 1-0 mark at Marshall.
Creighton's third home game this year was a win over Oral Roberts last Saturday.
3 Players, 20 Points, 3 Games
Creighton has had three different players score 20 or more points during its first three contests this winter. P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) did it against New Mexico, while Cavel Witter (25) did it against Oral Roberts.
This is the first time it's happened in Dana Altman's 15-year tenure at Creighton, as well as the first time its happened at Creighton in at least 30 years.
Harriman Nets Career Highs
Casey Harriman had a pair of career-highs in last Saturday's win over Oral Roberts. The sophomore forward had 10 points and six rebounds in his 14 minutes, career-bests for points and rebounds.
Earlier in the week, Harriman tied a career-best with three steals against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Double-Double Eludes Lawson
Sophomore Kenny Lawson Jr. hasn't notched a double-double in his young career, but he's been steadily getting closer.
Lawson, who had eight rebounds and eight points against Oral Roberts, owns five career games of at least eight points and eight boards in his career. CU has won all five such games by an average margin of 85.8-66.0.
Creighton is 12-3 when Lawson has five rebounds or more, but 15-9 in games he's appeared in and snared less than five caroms.
25 Points Off The Bench, Again
Cavel Witter scored 25 points off the bench in last Saturday's win over Oral Roberts.
It marks the second time in his career he's done that, as the junior guard torched Bradley for a Qwest Center Omaha record 42 points on March 1, 2008, in a double-overtime win over Bradley.
Before Witter, Creighton had not had a player score 25 points or more off the bench since March of 2002.
80+ Points To Start The Season
Creighton scored 82 points or more in three consecutive games to open the season. The last previous time the Bluejays scored 82 points or more in each of its first three games was the 2002-03 season, when CU scored 106 against Texas-Arlington, 82 against Furman and 99 against IUPUI during the Guardians Classic.
The 2002-03 season saw the Bluejays finish with a 29-5 overall record, and starred Kyle Korver, the brother of current CU sophomore Kaleb Korver.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 85-49 in televised games in the last seven seasons, including a 31-20 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. So far this year CU is 1-1 on KMTV.
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 19 are slated for television this season.
November Reign
Creighton is 37-4 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Coming off a loss on Tuesday, the Jays will look to avoid consecutive November losses for the first time since 1997.
Dana Altman is 29-0 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.
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.
Dynamic Duo, Part II?
From 1987-91, Creighton big men Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher were known as the “Dynamic Duo”. Both men were named MVC Player of the Year (Harstad in 1990, Gallagher in 1991) and finished their careers first and second in school history for points scored.
It's still quite early, but the Jays had quite the dynamic duo in the season-opening win over New Mexico when P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) both lit up the Lobos.
The current duo became the first Bluejay pair to score 25 points or more in the same game in the Dana Altman era.
CU hadn't had that happen since, you guessed it, Gallagher (29) and Harstad (26) did it against Bradley on Jan. 21, 1991.
Up, Up and Away
Creighton never trailed in its Nov. 20 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In 84 all-time games at Qwest Center Omaha, the Jays have led wire-to-wire 18 different times.
The Better The Record, The Harder They Fall
Creighton is 20-1 in the six-year history of Qwest Center Omaha against opponents that enter a game with one loss or less, including last Saturday's win over Oral Roberts.
Opponent's
Record
Entering Opponent CU Result Date
1-1 Oral Roberts W 87-65 11/22/08
1-0 New Mexico W 82-75 11/16/08
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
Thirty-Point Bluejays
With 30 points on Nov. 16 against New Mexico, P'Allen Stinnett became one of six Creighton players in the Dana Altman era to score 30 points or more in a game. The other five players that did it were Cavel Witter, Nate Funk, Johnny Mathies, Kyle Korver and Rodney Buford.
Below is the list of Creighton's 30-point games since Altman became head coach:
Pts. Name Opp. Date Result
42 Cavel Witter Bradley 03/01/08 W 111-110
40 Rodney Buford Bradley 12/30/98 W 65-44
38 Nate Funk Dayton 11/26/05 W 91-90
36 Rodney Buford Illinois St. 02/05/96 L 72-74
35 Nate Funk @Wichita State 02/16/05 W 82-68
33 Nate Funk vs. Missouri St. 03/03/07 W 75-58
32 Kyle Korver @Xavier 12/31/02 L 73-75
32 Johnny Mathies Drake 01/08/06 W 82-69
31 Kyle Korver Evansville 01/15/03 W 93-56
30 Rodney Buford Southern Illinois 02/05/98 W 91-73
30 Rodney Buford @Northern Iowa 12/30/97 W 83-75
30 Rodney Buford Missouri State 02/15/97 L 82-88
30 P'Allen Stinnett New Mexico 11/16/08 W 82-75
What A Start!
The 2007-08 MVC Sixth Man of the Year, Booker Woodfox scored 26 points in his first career start against New Mexico on Nov. 16.
Woodfox's 26 points are the most by a Bluejay in their first career start since at least 1980.
Stinnett Named MVC Player of the Week
Creighton sophomore P'Allen Stinnett claimed MVC Player of the Week honors Nov. 17. Stinnett scored 21 of his career-high 30 points in the second half of a 82-75 come-from-behind victory over New Mexico while also adding four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
This is his second career MVC Player of the Week accolade, as he also won the award last season on Feb. 11, 2008. Stinnett also picked up three MVC Newcomer of the Week honors last year en route to sweeping Valley Newcomer and Freshman of the Year laurels.
P'henomenal Debut x 2
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 30 points in this year's opener were the most by a Creighton player in the season lid-lifter since Bob Harstad scored 38 points against Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 30, 1990.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 40 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 45 straight games when scoring 72 points or more dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 61 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.
Who Are Those Guys, Part I
Creighton also has two walk-ons practicing with the team that might suit up on but are not listed in the media guide.
No. 24 is Matt Dorwart, a 6-7 freshman forward from Sidney, Neb. Dorwart played at Sidney 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.
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 last five years, Creighton is 64-11 when winning this category, including a 3-1 mark this winter.
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.
So far this season, Creighton has taken three charges, one each by Booker Woodfox, Kaleb Korver and Justin Carter.
Below is a list of the Creighton players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season:
Name 2002-07 ?07-08 ?08-09 Total
Booker Woodfox n/a 2 1 3
Kaleb Korver n/a 0 1 1
Justin Carter n/a n/a 1 1
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
Dustin Sitzmann 0 1 0 1
Former Players 226 17 n/a 243
Total 230 62 3 295
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 470 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Recruits Inked
A pair of prep standouts signed letters-of-intent in November to join the Creighton men's basketball team next year.
Andrew Bock is a 6'1” guard from Eisenhower High School in Rialto, Calif. Bock averaged 18 points and eight assists per game while helping the Eagles to a 27-4 record. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Citrus Belt League last season.
Ethan Wragge (RAH-gy) is a 6'8” forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., where he attends Eden Prairie High School. He averaged 16 points and nine rebounds per game and owns the school record for three-point baskets made. He made 91 percent of his free-throw attempts last year. His team finished 19-9 last winter.
Both men will be freshmen and have four years of eligibility.
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 17 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
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 11 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
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 285 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. 285 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
Paint Points
Creighton outscored each of its first three opponents in the paint this year before being dominated 44-12 in the lane by UALR.
Since the school started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 55-9 in games when scoring 28 or more points in the paint.
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 84 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 71-13 (.845) 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 6,220-5,196 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.2 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 195-43 in the last nine 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 Nine Years
Year Men Women Combined
2008-09 3-0 0-2 3-2
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 114-16 81-27 195-43
3-Point Weapons
Creighton had nine different players that made 10 or more three-pointers last 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 32-of-34 and 42 of its last 46 games.
Double-Digit Comebacks at Home
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 22 of its 84 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 15 of those 22 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
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including its season-opening win over New Mexico, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 27 times in the last nine seasons.
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
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
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
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
Creighton ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference in graduation success rate (94.7 percent) among all sports.
Also, 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.
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
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 446 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
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.
Last year's team scored 18 or more bench points in every game but one, with a low of 13.
This year, the Bluejay bench has scored 121 of the team's 320 points (37.8 percent). Take out the season-opening win over New Mexico and that number rises to 112-of-238 points (47.1 percent).
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.
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.
Mid-Week Maestro's
Creighton has never lost a game at Qwest Center Omaha on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, going a combined 21-0 on those dates.
Creighton is 14-0 on Wednesday's, 6-0 on Thursday's and 1-0 on Friday's at the six-year old facility.
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 14th Creighton had already sold 13,743 season tickets for this season. The previous MVC record was the 12,888 season-tickets Creighton fans bought for the 2007-08 season.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballCreighton Men's Basketball Availability - 9/24/25
Wednesday, September 24
Meet the Jays - MBB Blake Harper
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Austin Swartz
Friday, August 15
Meet the Jays - MBB Jasen Green
Friday, August 15
