Men's Basketball To Host UNC on Saturday
12/11/2008 3:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (6-2) opens play in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic when it hosts Northern Colorado (2-4) on Saturday night.
Tip-off at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is set for 7:05 pm.
Northern Colorado at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha ? Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: None
Series History: Creighton leads, 7-2
Last Meeting: Creighton won 105-54 on Dec. 2, 1959 in Omaha, Neb.
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.
KMTV Sports Director Travis Justice will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show. Justice will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday'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, including Saturday. To sign up for the 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 streams the Qwest Center Omaha feed of the game.
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 (6-2)
Creighton is 6-2 after eight games, picking up impressive wins over Atlantic 10 powers Saint Joseph's (69-58) and Dayton (77-59) in its last two showings. The Bluejays also own home wins over New Mexico (82-75), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (82-50), Oral Roberts (87-65) and Mississippi Valley State (82-58), but have lost on the road by two points at both Arkansas-Little Rock (71-69) and Nebraska (54-52).
The Bluejays return 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's 22-11 team that made an 11th straight postseason appearance, reaching the second round of the NIT.
Booker Woodfox leads the team with 16.3 points per game and had a career-high 29 points in last Saturday night's win. He has made a team-best 24 three-point baskets this season, shooting 53.3 percent behind the arc. Woodfox has made 15-of-22 three-pointers (68.2 percent) over the past three games.
Also in double-figures is P'Allen Stinnett, who averages 12.7 points per game and is second on the team with 10 steals.
On the defensive side, Josh Dotzler owns an MVC-best 21 steals. Kenny Lawson Jr. ranks second in the MVC with 14 blocked shots and has also upped his averages to 8.8 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game.
Creighton has shot 43.7 percent from the floor, 40.7 percent from three-point territory and is also making 73.6 percent of its shots from the line.
Scouting Northern Colorado (2-4)
Northern Colorado is 2-4 on the early season, with all six games decided by 12 points or less. The Bears opened the year with narrow road losses at Oregon (66-64) and Colorado State (85-74) before winning at Denver (71-66 in OT). UNC then returned home to beat Texas State (105-93) before dropping close games to San Diego State (73-62) and Air Force (71-64).
Five players average 9.7 points per game or more, led by senior forward Jabril Banks (13.8). Banks is one of three players who average 5.0 rebounds per game or more.
Also in double-figures are John Pena (10.8), Will Figures (10.2) and Devon Beitzel (10.2), with Jefferson Mason (9.7 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) not far behind. Robert Palacios averages a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game.
The Bears average 73.3 points per game while allowing 75.7 points to opponents. UNC shoots 45.7 percent from the floor, 38.3 percent from three-point range and 71.3 percent from the charity stripe. UNC also outrebounds teams by 3.7 boards 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 288-154 (.652) mark at Creighton and a career record of 371-221 (.627) in his 20th year as a NCAA Division I head coach when you add four seasons at Kansas State and one at Marshall. Tack on four years at the junior college level and Altman's overall record as a college head coach is 494-245 (.668).
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.
Northern Colorado is coached by Tad Boyle (Kansas, 1985), who owns a 19-44 record in his third year as a head coach. Boyle was associate head coach at Wichita State under Mark Turgeon and also assisted Turgeon at Jacksonville State. Boyle played alongside Turgeon at Kansas, where they were coached by noted basketball mind Larry Brown. Boyle is assisted by B.J. Hill, Shawn Ellis and Brian Tafel.
The Series With Northern Colorado
Creighton is 7-2 all-time against Northern Colorado, including a 5-0 mark in Omaha. The teams first played in 1939, but Saturday will be the first meeting since 1959.
Creighton's 105-54 win in that 1959 meeting remains tied for the sixth-largest margin of victory in CU history.
Creighton head coach Dana Altman has never faced Northern Colorado, but is 2-0 against current members of the Big Sky Conference.
Altman hasn't faced Tad Boyle since Boyle became a head coach, but was 11-3 against Wichita State when Boyle was an assistant there.
Last Game Recap
Creighton knocked Dayton from the ranks of the unbeaten with a commanding 77-59 victory over the Flyers on Wednesday night. Creighton made 13-of-25 three-pointers, including five from Booker Woodfox and four from Kaleb Korver, while also outrebounding UD 42-31. Rob Lowery led Dayton with 15 points off the bench.
Korver Nets Career Highs
Sophomore Kaleb Korver set three career-highs in Wednesday's victory over Dayton. Korver had career-highs with 12 points, five rebounds and four three-point baskets.
Korver has made 7-of-9 treys in the past two games (77.8 percent). In his past four games off the bench, Korver is 12-of-18 from downtown, an impressive 66.7 percent.
Boards Turn Around
Outrebounded by 10 or more in three of the first four games of the season, Creighton has turned things around on the glass of late.
The Jays have won the battle of the boards in four straight contests, including a +11 figure on Wednesday against Dayton.
UD head coach Brian Gregory told the Dayton Daily News the following: “They outworked us, outhustled us and outscrapped us. They killed us on the glass and we didn't defend. If you don't do those things, you're not going to beat a quality team on the road.”
For the season, Creighton and its opponents both own exactly 277 rebounds.
The Jays are 178-55 over the past 15 seasons when winning the rebounding column, but 110-99 when the rebound battle is lost or tied.
About The Vegas Tournament
Saturday is the first of four games that Creighton will play in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic. The Jays host Northern Colorado on Saturday and Southern on Monday.
Regardless of the outcomes, CU will travel to Las Vegas, Nev., and play Fresno State on Dec. 22 at 9:30 pm (Central). CU will then meet either DePaul or Saint Louis on Dec. 23 in either the 6:30 pm consolation game or 9:00 pm championship contest.
Creighton is 15-7 in regular-season tournaments under Dana Altman. The Jays have reached the championship game in each of its past five tournament appearances, including titles in the Guardians Classic in both 2002 and 2004.
Casey Crashes The Glass
Casey Harriman had a career-high with seven rebounds against Dayton, including six on the offensive end.
He became the first Bluejay with six or more offensive rebounds since Dane Watts had seven on Nov. 9, 2007 vs. DePaul.
Harriman also became the first Bluejay reserve with six offensive rebounds in a game since Joe Dabbert opened his Creighton career with six offensive caroms against Western Illinois on Nov. 20, 2000.
Woodfox Scores 20, Again
Booker Woodfox has posted back-to-back 20-point performances, giving him three such games this season of at least 20 points.
Creighton's last player to post three straight games of 20 or more points was Kyle Korver, who had four straight from Dec. 21, 2002 to Jan. 5, 2003.
Woodfox, who has also posted back-to-back games with five or more three-pointers, is the first player to do that since Kyle Korver on Feb. 22 and Feb. 26, 2003. Korver had three such streaks during his All-America senior season, including four straight games to open the year.
Big Blue Wave
Eleven different players are averaging 11.3 minutes per game or more this season for Creighton. Booker Woodfox (25.1 mpg.) is the only player to average more than 25 minutes per game.
Creighton has had at least 10 players average 10.7 minutes per game or more in each of previous three seasons, as well.
Stinnett Reaches 500 Points
Sophomore P'Allen Stinnett has scored 505 career points in his first 40 games at Creighton.
In the past 15 years, he is the 12th player to score 500 or more points in their first two seasons at Creighton. However, the only one to do it in fewer than 40 games is CU's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, who needed just 35 games.
500+Points In First 2 Years Under Dana Altman
Name Games to 500 pts. Date
Rodney Buford 35 12/7/96 vs. UNI
P'Allen Stinnett 40 12/10/08 vs. Dayton
Doug Swenson 44 1/20/99 at Evansville
Kyle Korver 48 1/11/01 vs. Indiana St.
Tad Ackerman 48 2/8/96 at So. Illinois
Edward St. Fleur 49 1/30/97 at Missouri St.
Ryan Sears 51 2/14/99 at Illinois St.
Nick Porter 54 2/7/07 vs. Evansville
Johnny Mathies 55 2/16/05 at Wichita St.
Brody Deren 56 2/12/03 vs. Missouri St.
Terrell Taylor 59 2/17/01 vs. Wyoming
Larry House 59 2/22/03 vs. Fresno St.
Dotzler Nears Top 10 On Assist List
Josh Dotzler enters this weekend with a career total of 291 career assists. With three more assists, he'll tie Kyle Korver for 10th on CU's all-time assist list.
Dotzler also ranks ninth in CU history with 147 career steals and is likely to pass Ben Walker (148), Vernon Moore (150), Latrell Wrightsell (154) and Johnny Mathies (157) in the coming weeks to move into the top-five.
Raining Three's
Creighton has made 13 three-pointers in both of its past two games, wins over Saint Joseph's and Dayton. It marks the first time in school history the Jays have had consecutive games with 13 three-pointers or more.
Wednesday was the 20th time in Creighton history that it has made 13 or more treys in a game, with all but one occurrence coming in the Dana Altman era.
Creighton's school-record is 20 three-pointers made in a game against Chattanooga (Feb. 19, 2005), which is also the MVC record. CU has also made 16 once, 15 twice and 14 twice. Wednesday was the 14th time the Jays have made 13 three-pointers in a game.
Creighton has made 10 or more three-pointers in three straight games four times previously under Altman, something they can attain once again on Saturday.
Microwave Man
Booker Woodfox has been red-hot from the field in the past three games. Woodfox has scored 64 points in 67 minutes in three games this month, all Bluejay wins. Woodfox is shooting 21-for-32 from the floor in that time (65.6 percent), including 15-of-22 (68.2 percent) from three-point land.
Heavy Lumber For Woodfox
Booker Woodfox had a career-high in several categories during CU's 69-58 win at Saint Joseph's last Saturday. Woodfox had career-highs with 29 points, nine field goals and seven three-pointers while also matching his previous best with seven rebounds.
The seven three-pointers by Woodfox were the most by a Creighton player since Nate Funk made seven trifectas at Nebraska on Nov. 18, 2006.
Additionally, he is the first player in Creighton history to make at least seven three-pointers while shooting 75 percent or better from behind the arc in the same game. Below is a list of Creighton players to make seven treys in a game.
Creighton's Most 3-Pointers Made, Single-Game
3FG-A Name, Opponent Date
9-14 Kyle Korver vs. Evansville 01/15/03
8-13 Tad Ackerman at Drake 01/23/95
8-15 Terrell Taylor vs. Florida 03/15/02
8-13 Kyle Korver at Xavier 12/31/02
7-12 Gary Swain vs. Nebraska-Omaha 12/11/86
7-10 Ryan Sears vs. Wyoming 12/06/97
7-11 Kyle Korver vs. Notre Dame 11/26/02
7-15 Kyle Korver vs. Fresno State 02/22/03
7-11 Nate Funk at Nebraska 11/18/06
7-9 Booker Woodfox at Saint Joseph's 12/06/08
Book It!
Helped by his 15-of-22 effort from downtown in the past three games (68.2 percent), Booker Woodfox is 24-of-45 (53.3 percent) from three-point range this season.
For his career, he is 80-of-177, which computes to 45.2 percent. The only player in CU history to shoot better than 44.2 percent from three-point range in their career was two-time MVC Player of the Year Kyle Korver, who made 45.3 percent from downtown while hitting 371-of-819 from long-range.
Creighton's 3-Point Percentage Leaders, Career
(Minimum 100 Attempts)
Pct. Name, Years 3FGM-FGA
.4530 Kyle Korver, 1999-03 371-819
.4520 Booker Woodfox, 2007-Present 80-177
.4415 Rod Mason, 1986-88 132-299
.4404 Nerijus Karlikanovas, 1998-00 48-109
.4306 Michael Lindeman, 2000-04 62-144
.4293 Duan Cole, 1987-92 176-410
.4065 Nate Funk, 2002-07 200-492
.4053 Matt West, 1996-00 92-227
.4051 Matt Petty, 1989-93 143-353
.4017 Darin Plautz, 1989-91 94-234
Woodfox Named MVC Player of the Week
Creighton University guard Booker Woodfox has been named this week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week. Woodfox, a senior guard from Lewisville, Texas, is the third different Bluejay to win the award in the first four weeks of the season (joining P'Allen Stinnett & Cavel Witter).
Woodfox scored 43 points in 44 minutes while averaging 21.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last week as Creighton posted a pair of double-digit victories against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. He made 14-of-20 shots from the field (70 percent), including 10-of-14 from three-point range (71.4 percent) while also making 71.4 percent (5-7) of his shots at the line.
Woodfox had a career-high with 29 points in CU's win on Saturday against Saint Joseph's while also tying his personal-best with seven rebounds. He drained 9-of-13 shots overall, including 7-of-9 tries from three-point territory. Woodfox became the only player in CU history to make at least seven three-pointers while converting 75 percent or more of his attempts from long-range in the same game.
Woodfox began his week with 14 points in 17 minutes of a 24-point win over Mississippi Valley State, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor and 3-of-5 from downtown.
This is the first time Woodfox has been named MVC Player of the Week, though he did earn three MVC Newcomer of the Week accolades last season.
Home Win Streak Reaches 11
Creighton has won 11 straight home games dating to last year. This marks the fifth different time Creighton has won 11 straight home games in Dana Altman's 15-year tenure. Before Altman's arrival CU hadn't had a home win streak of 10 or more since 1979-80.
Below is a list of the longest home win streaks under Altman:
Streak Dates Snapped By
28* 11/17/02 to 2/4/04 So. Illinois, 61-60
20 2/28/00 to 12/16/01 Xavier, 72-65
16 2/9/05 to 1/31/06 So. Illinois, 74-67
12 1/21/98 to 12/30/98 Evansville, 84-79
11 2/2/08 to Present ? ? ?
9 1/23/99 to 12/12/99 Missouri State, 59-58
9 2/24/07 to 12/22/07 Illinois State, 80-67
*ties school record (also Jan. 12, 1917 to Feb. 11, 1920)
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 450 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Magic Number = 82
Creighton owns six wins this year and has scored exactly 82 points in half of those victories.
The Bluejays have won 10 straight games when scoring exactly 82 points, dating back to Feb. 15, 1997.
Walker Nabs Double-Double
Sophomore center Kenton Walker became the only current member of the Creighton team to record a double-double, when he recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench against Mississippi Valley State on December 2nd.
Walker's 10 points tied for the second-highest scoring output of his young career, while his 10 rebounds were one more of his previous career-best.
Road Heartbreak
Both of Creighton's losses this year have come by two points on the road, losing to UALR (71-69) and Nebraska (54-52).
Against Arkansas-Little Rock, Mike Smith's putback with 7.1 seconds left proved to be the winning points, while against Nebraska, it was Ade Dagunduro's basket with 2.7 seconds left that proved decisive.
Students from both schools rushed the floor after beating the MVC's preseason favorite.
Creighton had not lost consecutive games by three points or less since Dec. 29, 1999 and Jan. 2, 2000.
Creighton had not lost consecutive games by three points or less in which the score was tied (or the lead changed) in the final 15 seconds since March 10 and 15, 1984.
On March 10, 1984, Tulsa's Ricky Ross hit a jumper with two seconds left to give the Hurricane a 70-68 overtime win in the MVC Tournament finals in Tulsa.
Five days later in Omaha, Creighton lost a 56-54 game to Nebraska in the NIT. In that game, with the score tied and 10 seconds left, CU's Benoit Benjamin was issued a technical foul. Nebraska's Dave Hoppen and Curtis Moore would each drain a free throw in the closing seconds to preserve NU's win.
Halftime Leads Usually Safe
Another uncharacteristic trait from Creighton's losses were its inability to hold halftime leads against UALR (39-32) and Nebraska (31-18).
Before the UALR and Nebraska setbacks, Creighton had been 135-9 under Dana Altman when leading by seven points or more at halftime, including 17 straight wins.
Additionally, Altman had been 75-1 when leading by 13 or more points at the intermission, including 42 straight wins.
Creighton had not lost consecutive games in which it led at halftime since Jan. 22 and 26, 2008.
This season has been anything but normal though, as Creighton is 4-2 when leading at halftime but 2-0 when trailing at the break.
Large Lead Didn't Hold Up
Creighton was unable to hang onto a 34-18 lead against Arkansas-Little Rock on Nov. 25.
Prior to Nov. 25, 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.
Run Of Postseason Opponents Continues
Six of Creighton's first eight opponents this year reached the postseason, including Wednesday's foe, Dayton. Creighton went 5-1 against those teams.
Creighton is 3-0 against NCAA Tournament qualifiers this year, having beaten Oral Roberts, Mississippi Valley State and Saint Joseph's already.
Three other non-conference opponents, New Mexico, Nebraska and Dayton, reached the NIT. CU beat both New Mexico and Dayton.
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.
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).
Mid-Week Masters
After the win over Dayton, Creighton has still never lost a game at Qwest Center Omaha played on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, going a combined 22-0 on those dates.
Creighton is 15-0 on Wednesday's, 6-0 on Thursday's and 1-0 on Friday's at the six-year old facility.
The Better The Record, The Harder They Fall
Creighton is now 21-1 in the six-year history of Qwest Center Omaha against opponents that enter a game with one loss or less. Wednesday's opponent, Dayton, had been 8-0.
Opponent's
Record
Entering Opponent CU Result Date
8-0 Dayton W 77-59 12/10/08
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
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 10 charges in eight games.
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
Justin Carter n/a n/a 2 2
Josh Dotzler 4 5 2 11
Casey Harriman n/a 17 1 18
Chad Millard n/a 7 1 8
Kenton Walker n/a 3 1 4
Booker Woodfox n/a 2 1 3
Kenny Lawson Jr. 0 2 1 3
Kaleb Korver n/a 0 1 1
P'Allen Stinnett n/a 5 0 5
Cavel Witter n/a 3 0 3
Dustin Sitzmann 0 1 0 1
Former Players 226 17 n/a 243
Total 230 62 10 302
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.
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 Was Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Senior guard Dustin Sitzmann was last 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.
Jays Were 3-0 Once Again
Creighton's win against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22nd gave it 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 353rd game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.
3 Players, 20 Points, First 3 Games
Creighton 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.
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 10 rebounds and nine points against Saint Joseph's last Saturday, owns seven career games of at least eight points and eight boards in his career. CU has won six of those games, outscoring foes by an average of 78.6-63.1.
Creighton is 14-4 when Lawson has five rebounds or more, but 16-9 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 CU's Nov. 22 win over Oral Roberts.
It marked 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.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 86-50 in televised games in the last seven seasons, including a 32-20 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 39-26 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.
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.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 474 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
Up, Up and Away
Creighton never trailed in its Nov. 20 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In 86 all-time games at Qwest Center Omaha, the Jays have led wire-to-wire 18 different times.
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 42 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 47 straight games when scoring 72 points or more dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 62 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?
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 67-11 when winning this category, including a 6-1 mark this winter.
Paint Points
Since Creighton started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 55-9 in games when scoring 28 or more points in the paint.
NBA Presence
Two former Creighton players started the season on NBA rosters. Kyle Korver (1999-2003) plays for Utah, while Anthony Tolliver (2003-07) plays for San Antonio.
Tolliver was sent down to the Austin Toros in the NBA Development League on December 2nd after averaging 3.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 11 minutes per game with San Antonio.
Korver is averaging 8.0 points in 20.7 minutes per game off the bench for Utah. He is shooting 44.7 percent from three-point range for the Jazz.
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.
Jays Among Attendance Leaders, Again
This year's Creighton team is averaging 15,991 fans per game.
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
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
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 288 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. 288 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 has played 86 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 73-13 (.849) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 15-0 figure on Wednesday's. The 13 losses have been by a combined 70 points.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 6,379-5,313 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.4 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 197-43 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 5-0 1-2 6-2
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 116-16 82-27 198-43
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 34-of-36 and 44 of its last 48 games.
Double-Digit Comebacks at Home
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 22 of its 86 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
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.
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
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 247 of the team's 600 points (41.2 percent). Take out the season-opening win over New Mexico and that number rises to 238-of-518 points (45.9 percent).
Creighton's bench has scored 51 points in two different games this season and 41 or more three times.
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.
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, 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.
Morrison Stadium also sells tickets (in-person only) from 9:00 am-4:30 pm weekdays.
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.
Creighton sold an MVC-record 13,601 season tickets for this year. The previous MVC record had been the 12,888 season-tickets Creighton fans bought for the 2007-08 season.
