Men's Basketball Opens Homestand With Drake on Saturday
1/22/2009 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (15-5, 5-3 MVC) opens a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when it hosts Drake (13-7, 4-4 MVC).
The game will be played at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) in Omaha, Neb., and tip at 1:05 pm.
Drake Bulldogs at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) ? Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: KMTV
Series History: Creighton leads 86-55
Last Meeting: #20 Drake won 75-67 on March 8, 2008 in St. Louis, Mo.
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 Pierce Hibma will call the action.
For all home games Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game is the sixth of nine games scheduled for broadcast by KMTV this season. Travis Justice (play-by-play) and former Bluejay Nick Bahe (analyst) will announce. Coordinates for the KMTV feed are below:
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 16 K10 10F
Band: Digital KU
Downlink Freq.: 11910.38 Vertical
Data Rate: 5.5 Mbps
Symbol Rate: 3.978 Msps
FEC: 3/4
On-Air Talent: Travis Justice, Nick Bahe
Video Webcast Information
Creighton University Athletics and Jump TV will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of approximately 20 games this season, including Saturday's contest. 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 KMTV telecast 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 (15-5, 5-3 MVC)
The preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference have won 12 of their past 15 games and are 15-5 overall, including a 5-3 league mark that puts it in a three-way tie in the conference standings. Creighton enters Saturday after a 79-57 road win at Evansville in which it shot a season-high 56.6 percent.
Senior guard Booker Woodfox leads the team with 16.2 points per game and 90.4 percent marksmanship from the free throw line. He also ranked fourth nationally in three-point percentage (48.6 percent) through games of Jan. 18th and is currently at 48.1 percent from downtown.
Also scoring in double-figures are guards P'Allen Stinnett (12.8 ppg., 1.7 spg.) and Cavel Witter (10.0 ppg., 2.6 apg.). Stinnett is a preseason all-Valley pick after sweeping MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year honors last season. Witter earned a spot on the league's all-bench team last year and is part of a Bluejay bench that averages 27.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game.
Senior point guard Josh Dotzler owns an MVC-best 46 steals, while sophomore big man Kenny Lawson Jr. tops the Valley with 33 blocked shots.
Creighton shoots 44.3 percent from the floor, 39.9 percent from three-point territory and is also making 77.6 percent of its shots from the line.
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.
Scouting Drake (13-7, 4-4 MVC)
Drake has lost three consecutive games and enters this weekend with a 13-7 overall record. The Bulldogs are also tied for fifth in the MVC with a 4-4 league mark.
The defending regular-season champs are topped by preseason all-MVC picks Josh Young (16.2 ppg.) and Jonathan Cox (11.9 ppg., 8.3 rpg.). Young owns 42 three-pointers and ranks among the national leaders with his 88.5 percent accuracy at the line, while Cox tops the MVC in rebounds and has drained 37 treys.
Josh Parker has provided a nice lift off the bench, scoring 11.1 per contest, but moved into the starting line-up this past Wednesday along with Alex White. Parker has made 34 three-pointers and converted 45.9 percent of his shots from long-range.
The Bulldogs average 66.8 points per game while allowing 62.0 per contest. Drake shoots 43.0 percent from the floor, 36.8 percent from downtown and 76.4 percent at the line. The Bulldogs are also +0.6 on the boards.
Drake is 2-3 in true road games this year, with road victories at Iowa State and Southern Illinois.
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 297-157 (.654) mark at Creighton and a career record of 380-224 (.629) 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 503-248 (.670).
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.
Mark Phelps (Old Dominion, 1996) is 13-7 in his first year with Drake. Phelps, a longtime assistant to Herb Sendek at North Carolina State and Arizona State, replaced National Coach of the Year Keno Davis when Davis left for Providence in the off-season. Phelps is assisted by Justin Ohl, Kareem Richardson and Mike Gibson.
Series History vs. Drake
Creighton leads the all-time series with Drake by an 86-55 margin, including a 52-18 advantage in Omaha. CU's 86 wins and 141 meetings with Drake are easily its most against any opponent.
Creighton has won nine of the last 13, 12 of the last 17 and 19 of the past 26 meetings between the schools.
Current Creighton sophomore Kaleb Korver is the brother of former Drake standout Klayton Korver, who started on last season's 28-5 Bulldog team.
Dana Altman is 19-10 against Drake and has never faced Mark Phelps.
A complete series history against Drake can be found on page 10 of this release.
Last Game Recap
Creighton shot a season-best 56.6 percent from the field and scored on 14 straight possessions midway through the game to roll to a 79-57 road win at Evansville. Three Creighton players scored career-highs, including Kenny Lawson Jr. (16), Justin Carter (14) and Casey Harriman (11). UE's Shy Ely led all players with 26 points, but he was the only Purple Aces player to score more than seven points.
Biggest Road Wins
Creighton's 79-57 win at Evansville on Tuesday ranked as the school's fourth-largest victory margin ever out of 363 Valley road games played. In fact, since 1933, the Jays had only posted one Valley road win by 22 points or more, a 28-point win in 2003 at Indiana State.
The 22-point victory matched the largest in the MVC this season by a road team in a conference game, as UNI defeated Drake 81-59 on Jan. 17th.
Below is a list of CU's all-time Valley road wins by 22 points or more:
Largest MVC Road Win Margins, CU History
Score Margin Opponent Date
46-16 +30 at Morningside 2/16/1925
74-46 +28 at Indiana State 1/29/2003
43-17 +26 at Drake 1/15/1932
79-57 +22 at Evansville 1/20/2009
What's Your Twenty?
This is the 12th straight year that Creighton has won at least 13 of its first 20 games. Each of the previous 11 seasons it has done that, it reached the postseason. Here's a look at Creighton's record after 20 games in the 15 seasons under Dana Altman.
Creighton -- First 20 Games Under Dana Altman
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2008-09 15-5 ? ? ? ? ? ?
2007-08 14-6 22-11 NIT
2006-07 13-7 22-11 NCAA
2005-06 15-5 20-10 NIT
2004-05 13-7 23-11 NCAA
2003-04 17-3 20-9 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
1994-95 6-14 7-19 ---
Jays Look For 10 Home Wins, Again
With a win on Saturday against Drake, Creighton can win its 10th home game this season. Creighton has won 10 or more home games in 12 straight seasons, a streak they will push to 13 with its next home win.
That would set a school-record, as Creighton also previously won 10 or more home games in 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign.
Career Highs All Around
Three different Bluejays had career-high point totals in Tuesday's win at Evansville.
Sophomore Casey Harriman had career-high totals in points (11), assists (5) and blocked shots (2). Harriman's previous bests in those categories had been 10 points, three assists and one block.
Junior Justin Carter had a career-high point total (14). His previous best had been 13 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 20th.
Sophomore Kenny Lawson Jr. also had a career-high point total, finishing with 16 points. Lawson had scored 15 points on three previous occasions, most recently vs. Fresno State on Dec. 22nd.
The play of these three helped offset a night when CU's three double-figure scorers entering the night (Booker Woodfox, P'Allen Stinnett and Cavel Witter) combined to go 7-for-19 from the field and score a total of 20 points.
Team Highs Too
In its 79-57 win at Evansville, Creighton shot a season-best 56.6 percent from the field. It was the Jays best mark since 57.1 percent shooting on Jan. 19, 2008 in a win over Indiana State.
Creighton also shot 55 percent or better in both halves of the same game for the first time since that same win over Indiana State.
Productive Bench
Despite the absence of Chad Millard (ankle), Creighton's bench put together a staggering stat line on Tuesday at Evansville, contributing 34 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists in CU's 22-point road win.
It marked just the second time in the past 15 years that Creighton's bench had recorded 14 or more assists in a game. Last season Creighton's bench had 77 points, 29 rebounds and 15 assists in a 110-73 victory over Houston Baptist.
Sibling Rivalries
Bragging rights in three families will be up for grabs on Saturday when Creighton and Drake meet.
Creighton sophomore Kaleb Korver's brother, Klayton Korver, played at Drake the previous five seasons (2003-08). The oldest Korver brother, Kyle, starred at Creighton for four years (1999-2003) and is now in his sixth season in the NBA.
Creighton basketball strength and conditioning coach Andy Woodley is the brother of former Drake guard Matt Woodley. Currently an assistant coach at Washington State, Matt ended his career with a school-record 198 steals and was second with 188 three-pointers during his Bulldog career from 1997-2000.
Additionally, current Drake junior forward Adam Templeton is the older brother of incoming Creighton volleyball recruit Caitlin Templeton.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 297 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 163 triumphs in regular-season conference games are tied with Eddie Hickey for second in league history.
Hickey will be entering the MVC Hall of Fame this March in conjunction with Arch Madness. Both men above him, Henry Iba and Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
A win on Saturday would move Altman past Hickey for second on the all-time list for wins in MVC league play.
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. 297 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
163 Dana Altman Creighton
Over .500 Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 27 straight trips through the league, including the first half this year.
Here's how Dana Altman's clubs have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since his arrival:
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2008-09 5-3 so far --
2007-08 5-4 5-4
2006-07 6-3 7-2
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
1994-95 3-6 1-8
Total 84-50 (.627) 79-47 (.627)
Backboard Beatdown
Creighton beat Evansville by 12 on the glass on Tuesday, matching its largest positive rebound margin of the year.
That came just three days after the Bluejays were outrebounded 47-22 in its loss at Wichita State on Jan. 17, the worst beating on the glass in Dana Altman's 15-year tenure at Creighton.
Creighton has lost the rebound battle by 20 or more four times in the past 15 years, losing all four games. On the other hand, CU is 8-1 in the past 15 years when winning the rebound battle by 20 or more rebounds.
The last time CU had been outrebounded by 25 or more had been Jan. 25, 1992, when Tulsa outrebounded the Jays 49-22 in a 80-65 Golden Hurricane victory in Tulsa.
Creighton's 22 rebounds against Wichita State on Saturday were its fewest since grabbing only 19 on Feb. 2, 2008, also against Wichita State. On that night WSU outrebounded the Jays 36-19, but CU would score the game-winning points on a tip-in by Dane Watts.
Creighton's rebound leader on Saturday was Justin Carter, who grabbed four rebounds. The last time CU played a game in which no player grabbed as many as five caroms was Nov. 30, 2004 in a 73-72 win at Xavier. On that night, Jimmy Motz, Tyler McKinney and Dane Watts each nabbed three boards to lead the squad. The Jays lost the rebound battle 36-22 that night, but won the game on McKInney's game-winner with 21.5 seconds left.
Future Game Times?
Below is the timeline for the selection processes for the 2009 ESPNU BracketBusters event on Friday-Saturday, February 20-21 and the Wildcard Weekend of Saturday, Feb. 28 on Fox and ESPN2.
For BracketBusters, ESPN will announce the television pairings for the 13-telecast package ? six games on ESPN2, five games on ESPNU and two games on ESPN360 ? on Monday, February 2. The actual dates, times and networks for those match-ups, though, will not be announced until Monday, February 9.
In terms of the Wildcard Weekend, ESPN will make its men's basketball selection on Thursday, February 5 for the Saturday, February 28 telecast. That game is slated to tip at 1:05 p.m. Central on ESPN2.
Once ESPN selects its telecast for that date, the league ? working in conjunction with Fox Sports Midwest ? will make its men's basketball selection on February 5 for its February 28 telecast at 7:35 pm. Central on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City and Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
All five men's games on February 28 ? Drake @ Bradley; Evansville @ UNI; Illinois State @ Creighton; Missouri State @ Indiana State; Wichita State @ Southern Illinois ? are eligible for consideration by ESPN and Fox Sports Midwest.
Woodfox From Distance
Booker Woodfox has made a three-pointer in 16 straight games, a streak that began on Nov. 25, 2008 at UALR. The last CU player with a longer three-point streak was Jimmy Motz, who had a trey in 17 straight games from Feb. 19, 2005 - Jan. 15, 2006.
Big Shot Booker Strikes Again
Creighton's Booker Woodfox drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 21.4 seconds left in overtime against Southern Illinois on Jan. 14th. It was the second time in as many seasons that Woodfox hit a go-ahead three-pointer in the final 30 seconds of a one-point win, as he hit a game-winner to beat Oral Roberts with 26.5 seconds left last season.
Fellow teammate P'Allen Stinnett hit five different shots on Jan. 14th that gave CU the lead against Southern Illinois and now has 12 go-ahead baskets this year, trailing Kenny Lawson Jr.'s team-best 13.
Below is a list of Creighton's baskets that gave them a lead this season, as well as baskets that gave the team the lead for good.
Gave CU Lead Got Lead Last
Name Lead For Good 2 Minutes
Kenny Lawson Jr. 13 3 0
P'Allen Stinnett 12 4 1
Booker Woodfox 9 4 1
Justin Carter 4 2 0
Chad Millard 3 1 0
Kaleb Korver 2 1 0
Cavel Witter 2 0 0
Josh Dotzler 1 0 1
Antoine Young 1 0 0
Casey Harriman 1 0 0
Cardiac Kids
Creighton's win over Southern Illinois on Jan. 14th marked the seventh time in the past two seasons that Creighton won in which it trailed or had been tied at some point in the final minute, but first time this season.
Five of those seven wins came at home, and three of the games featured a go-ahead three-pointer in the final 30 seconds.
Margin Opponent Date
-5 Bradley 3/1/08
-4 Saint Joseph's 12/9/07
-4 Southern Illinois 1/14/09
-3 Rhode Island 3/18/08
-2 at Oral Roberts 2/23/08
-1 Wichita State 2/2/08
Tie at Missouri State 1/5/08
Blocking Bookends
Sophomore post men Kenny Lawson Jr. and Kenton Walker are both leading the MVC in blocked shots, albeit in two different categories.
Lawson's 33 blocked shots for the season are four more than his closest competition, Bradley's David Collins.
Walker's 12 blocked shots in league action is one more than Collins and Lawson for the lead league in conference games.
Creighton's last player to lead the league in blocked shots for an entire season is Brody Deren, who had 56 swats during the 2002-03 season when he was also a sophomore.
Lawson's Blocked Shot Streak Lives On
Sophomore center Kenny Lawson Jr. owns a league-high 33 blocked shots. Lawson has a blocked shot in 19 of CU's 20 contests this season including one in each of the last 13 games.
The last Creighton player with a blocked shot in 13 consecutive games was Brody Deren, who had a stretch of 17 in a row from Feb. 4 - Dec. 6, 2003.
Lawson owns 61 career blocked shots, moving him into 10th on CU's all-time list.
Most Blocked Shots, CU History, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
75 Jeffrey Day 2004-06
61 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
59 Rodney Buford 1995-99
Team of the Decade?
Below is the records for each MVC school since the start of the 2000-01 season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC with 198 overall wins in the decade.
MVC Standings (2000-01 to 1/23/09)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 106 46 .697 198 79 .715
Southern Illinois 114 38 .750 198 85 .700
Missouri State 84 68 .553 155 116 .572
Wichita State 77 75 .507 147 121 .549
Northern Iowa 77 75 .507 146 120 .549
Illinois State 69 83 .454 138 124 .527
Bradley 73 79 .480 144 130 .526
Drake 66 86 .434 131 129 .504
Indiana State 45 107 .296 100 162 .382
Evansville 49 103 .322 96 155 .382
Let's Start With Dotzler
Josh Dotzler has started each of Creighton's last 54 games, winning 37 of those starts. The streak dates back to the final contest of the 2006-07 campaign and is the longest active string in the Missouri Valley Conference.
For his career, Dotzler has made 81 starts, with CU winning 55 of them (67.9 percent).
Step Right Up Young Man
Antoine Young scored 27 points in his first 16 games with Creighton, but has since exploded to score 39 points over the past four games.
That includes 13 points at Bradley and 12 points at Wichita State, making him the only Bluejay player in double-figures in both those contests.
Young delivered the best game of his fledgling career on Jan. 10th at Bradley. Young had a career-best 13 points while adding two assists and a team-high two steals in 21 minutes.
Young, who had entered the contest 0-for-11 from three-point range, also went 2-for-2 from downtown in the victory.
Young continued to provide a boost off the bench with six points, three assists and a rebound in 19 minutes off the bench against SIU, including 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
He had 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers, in the game at Wichita State on Saturday.
Toe The Line
Creighton has also shot the ball well from the free-throw line, moving up to ninth nationally with its 77.6 percent rate from the charity stripe. That's even more impressive when you consider CU's 354 free throw makes are also seventh nationally.
Creighton, in fact, is the only team in the country to rank in the top-10 in both free-throw makes and free-throw percentage.
Saturday's opponent, Drake, ranks 12th nationally with 76.4 percent accuracy from the line.
Most Free Throw Makes, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. Niagara 19 382 521 73.3
2. Wyoming 18 380 517 73.5
3. North Carolina 19 376 505 74.5
4. Marquette 18 358 495 72.3
5. Xavier 18 355 531 66.9
5. UTEP 18 355 489 72.6
7. Creighton 20 354 456 77.6
8. North Texas 18 353 508 69.5
9. Oklahoma 19 352 525 67.0
10. Connecticut 18 350 504 69.4
Best Free Throw Percentage, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. UC Davis 18 294 361 81.4
2. Wis.-Green Bay 19 306 384 79.7
3. Southern Utah 18 287 361 79.5
4. Utah 18 303 382 79.3
5. Kentucky 19 349 440 79.3
6. Utah Valley State 16 250 316 79.1
7. Maryland 18 261 331 78.9
8. Loyola (Md.) 20 322 412 78.2
9. Creighton 20 354 456 77.6
10. Michigan 19 239 310 77.1
11. Washington State 17 188 246 76.4
12. Drake 20 317 415 76.4
More Free Throw Notes
Creighton has made 177-of-217 free throws in the past nine games, good for 81.6 percent.
The Bluejays have made at least 75 percent of its free throw attempts in 11 of the past 12 games, while incredibly, its opponents have not reached 75 percent in any game during that time.
CU is shooting a remarkable 79.3 percent at the line away from home this winter.
Creighton has had a better free throw percentage than its opponent 15 of the past 16 games, and 18-of-20 games overall this year. The only teams to out-pinpoint the Jays at the line have been UALR and Evansville.
Below is some recent free throw trends:
Cashing In At The Line
Booker Woodfox 44-46 last 13 games
Cavel Witter 28-32 last 11 games
Kenton Walker 16-17 last 8 games
P'Allen Stinnett 23-27 last 6 games
Antoine Young 14-16 last 4 games
One of Two
Creighton ranks 11th nationally with 170 three-pointers made and is 12th with its 39.9 percent marksmanship from three-point territory.
Saturday's opponent, Drake, ranks 10th with 172 made three-pointers.
On a national basis, the only other school to be in the top-12 of both categories is Oklahoma State.
Most 3-Point Field Goal Makes, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. VMI 18 242 643 37.6
2. Eastern Kentucky 19 205 526 39.0
3. Oklahoma State 17 180 429 42.0
4. Davidson 18 179 471 38.0
4. Liberty 20 179 506 35.4
6. Troy 19 177 502 35.3
7. Belmont 17 176 487 36.1
7. Portland State 19 176 475 37.1
7. Illinois State 19 176 451 39.0
10. Drake 20 172 467 36.8
11. Creighton 20 170 426 39.9
12. UNC-Wilmington 20 167 496 33.7
Best 3-Point Field Goal Percentage, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. California 18 116 245 .473
2. Oklahoma State 17 180 429 .420
3. Cornell 17 138 332 .416
4. North Dakota State 18 134 323 .415
5. Notre Dame 17 160 387 .413
6. Southern Illinois 19 128 313 .409
7. IPFW 18 120 297 .404
8. Marist 20 156 387 .403
9. UC Irvine 18 116 290 .400
10. Austin Peay 17 127 318 .399
11. New Mexico State 18 123 308 .399
12. Creighton 20 170 426 .399
Home Cooking
Only five MVC visiting schools (DU, ILS, MSU, UNI, SIU) have ever won a game in the six-year old Qwest Center Omaha. In fact, four Valley schools have not won a game in Omaha since the decade started.
Below is a look at Creighton's current home winning streaks over current league foes:
Opponent CU Streak Last Opp. Win in Omaha
Bradley Won 10 1/17/98
Drake Lost 1 1/22/08
Evansville Won 9 1/04/99
Illinois State Lost 1 12/29/07
Indiana State Won 9 1/04/99
Missouri State Won 3 2/05/05
Northern Iowa Lost 1 1/6/09
So. Illinois Won 2 1/20/07
Wichita State Won 16 2/22/92
Take Me Home, Country Road
Creighton is 39-9 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.813), compared to a 24-26 (.480) road record in the MVC during that stretch.
Fish Gets Call From Hall
Creighton University assistant coach Brian Fish has been named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team. He and 16 other former Indiana high school basketball standouts will be honored at a dinner on March 25 in Indianapolis.
Fish will be the just the seventh graduate in Seymour High School history to be honored. To qualify for the honor, a player must have graduated high school 25 years ago.
Fish still holds Seymour career records for charges taken (42), free throws made (390) and free throws attempted, ranks second with 1,400 points and is fourth with 128 steals, 505 field goals made and 1,112 field goals attempted.
Altman Records 500th Win
Creighton head coach Dana Altman picked up his 500th win as a college head coach at all levels on New Year's Eve against Indiana State.
Altman owns a career record of 503-248 in 24 years as a head coach at the Division I and junior college levels. Altman owns 29 wins at Southeast Junior College (1982-83), 94 wins at Moberly Junior College (1983-86), 15 wins at Marshall (1989-90), 68 wins at Kansas State (1990-94) and 297 victories at Creighton (1994-Present).
Comparison To Past Years After 20 Games
Below is a comparison after 20 games of this year's team to that of the past two teams, as well as the memorable 2002-03 squad that finished 29-5, with season-bests in bold:
Statistic 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2002-03
W-L Record 15-5 14-6 13-7 18-2
MVC W-L 5-3 5-5 7-3 8-1
FG% .443 .453 .444 .511
3FG% .399 .373 .325 .405
3FG/Game 8.5 8.6 6.2 8.9
FT% .776 .722 .756 .684
Reb. Margin -3.0 +4.3 +2.7 +1.5
Assists 275 305 269 362
Turnovers 263 309 250 272
Blocks 76 66 50 80
Steals 165 168 119 188
PPG Scored 74.3 72.3 66.6 82.4
PPG Allowed 64.8 62.8 60.2 64.0
Woodfox Automatic At The Line Too
Not only has Booker Woodfox been lights-out from the field, but it's carried over to the free-throw line. Despite one of the nation's most unique pre-shot rituals, Woodfox drained a Creighton-record 36 straight free throws from Dec. 6-Jan. 3rd.
The 36 straight makes is four more than the previous Creighton record set by Michael Lindeman. The streak was seventh-longest in MVC history, and the longest in five years by a league player not named Blake Ahearn (Ahearn holds six of the 12 best streaks in MVC history).
For the season, Woodfox leads the MVC with 90.4 percent marksmanship from the line (66-73).
Most Consecutive Free Throws Made, MVC History
60 Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/20/03 - 2/14/04)
60 Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/19/04 - 2/28/05)
57 Vince Greene, ILS (1/18/04 - 11/30/04)
51 Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/15/05 - 1/29/06)
48 Marcus Wilson, Evansville (12/1/96 - 2/2/97)
44 James Gillingham, BU (2/8/03 - 2/25/03)
36 Booker Woodfox, CU (12/6/08 - 1/6/09)
35 Aaron Zobrist, Bradley (12/27/96 - 1/27/97)
34 Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/22/06 - 1/24/07)
32 Michael Lindeman, CU (1/23/03 - 12/3/03)
32 Blake Ahearn, MSU (11/17/03 - 12/20/03)
32 Josh Young, DU (11/19/08 - 12/12/08)
P For 3
Sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett drained a three-pointer on the first possession of both halves, as well as a double-clutch banked trey at the first-half buzzer, en route to shooting 6-of-8 from three-point range at Indiana State on Dec. 31. The six three-pointers was a career-high for Stinnett, who opened his career with five three-pointers in the second half of a 2007 win over DePaul.
Stinnett is one of seven players on the current roster who have made three or more three-pointers in a game during their Bluejay career.
A Perfect December
Creighton went 9-0 in December, closing out a perfect month with a Dec. 31 win at Indiana State. This marks Creighton's first-ever unbeaten month when playing nine games or more. Creighton's last previous undefeated December came in 2003-04, when the team went 7-0.
Nine-Game Win Streak Ended
Creighton had its longest win streak in nearly five years end when its nine-game win streak was snapped on Jan. 3rd at Illinois State.
The Bluejays have had at least one five-game win streak in 12 straight seasons, and 19 such streaks overall in the 15-year tenure of Dana Altman. Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 14 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest win streaks under Dana Altman.
Creighton's Longest Win Streaks Under Dana Altman
W's Dates Postseason?
12 Nov. 22, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004 NIT
11 Jan. 27-March 3, 2001 NCAA
10 Nov. 17-Dec. 29, 2002 NCAA
9 Jan. 21-Feb. 16, 1998 NIT
9 Nov. 22-Dec. 21, 1999 NCAA
9 Dec. 2-31, 2008 ? ? ?
They Hit How Many?
Creighton drained 15-of-24 three-point attempts in its road win at Indiana State on Dec. 31st. The 15 three-pointers were tied for third-most ever, and the most by the Jays since they set a school and MVC record with a 20-of-30 display from downtown in a Feb. 19, 2005 win over Chattanooga.
Among games that Creighton has made 10 or more three-pointers all-time, Creighton's 62.5 percent shooting behind the arc was fourth-best in history, and its best since the 20-for-30 (66.7 percent) against Chattanooga.
Creighton is 20-0 under Dana Altman when making 10 or more three-pointers and 54 percent or better of those attempts from downtown.
Creighton has made 10 three-pointers or more six times this season. In each of those contests, CU made at least 40 percent of its tries.
Heating Up December
Booker Woodfox was red-hot from the field in the nine games played in December. Woodfox scored 180 points in 219 minutes in nine December games, all Bluejay wins. Woodfox shot 58-for-99 from the floor in that time (58.6 percent), including 35-of-60 (58.3 percent) from three-point land. Woodfox also hit 29-of-31 free throws (93.5 percent) in December.
Leading Scorer, Again
Booker Woodfox led Creighton in scoring during seven straight games from Dec. 6-28, averaging 21.3 points per game in that time. In Dana Altman's 15-year tenure, Creighton's only longer streak was by Rodney Buford, who twice had eight straight games.
Consec. Games as Leading Scorer, Under Altman
Games Name Dates
8 Rodney Buford Jan. 27-Feb. 17, 1997
8 Rodney Buford Feb. 23-Dec. 2, 1998
7 Rodney Buford Jan. 2-20, 1997
7 Booker Woodfox Dec. 6-28, 2008
What A Year!
Booker Woodfox showed his shooting proficiency during the entire calendar year of 2008. His accuracy from the field, three-point line and free-throw line all jumped by 12 percent or more, while his scoring average has jumped 8.7 points per game when compared to his 2007 figures.
Below is a comparison of his first 11 games from last year (the year 2007), compared to his games since the calendar turned to 2008.
Statistic 2007 2008 2009
Games 11 36 5
FG-FGA 19-56 167-338 19-49
FG% .339 .494 .388
3FG-3FGA 12-33 88-182 8-25
3FG% .364 .484 .320
FT-FTA 8-12 83-99 16-18
FT% .667 .838 .889
Rebounds 17 103 7
Rebounds Per Game 1.5 2.9 1.4
Assists 12 50 0
Turnovers 11 34 3
Points 58 505 62
Points Per Game 5.3 14.0 12.4
Book It!
Booker Woodfox is 52-of-108 (48.1 percent) from three-point range this season.
For his career, he is 108-of-240, which computes to 45.0 percent, just behind the school-record figure achieved by noted marksman Kyle Korver. The only previous 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 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
.4500 Booker Woodfox, 2007-Present 108-240
.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's 52 three-point baskets are tied for 48th-most nationally. Woodfox is one of 54 players nationally who made 51 or more three-pointers through games of Jan. 21st, but one of just three men from that group to hit 48.1 percent or more of those attempts.
Heavy Lumber For Woodfox
Booker Woodfox had a career-high in several categories during CU's 69-58 win at Saint Joseph's on Dec. 6. 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 was 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
Woodfox Was MVC Player of the Week #2
Senior guard Booker Woodfox was named State Farm MVC Player of the Week on Dec. 29 after averaging 22 points in three wins. He was 21-34 from the floor (61.8 percent), 11-19 from three-point range (57.9 percent) and perfect in 13 free throw attempts.
Woodfox opened the week by averaging 25 points to earn MVP honors in two wins at the Las Vegas Classic, including 26 points against DePaul. The Lewisville, Texas, native closed out his week with a team-best 16 points in a 12-point win over Wichita State.
It was the second time in December that Woodfox was honored (also Dec. 8th).
Woodfox Named MVC Player of the Week
Creighton University guard Booker Woodfox was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 8th. Woodfox, a senior guard from Lewisville, Texas, was 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 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 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 was 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.
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.
Steal Leader
KenPom.com, a college basketball website dedicated to statistics, ranks Creighton guard Josh Dotzler among its best defenders. The site calculates that Dotzler earns a steal on 6.3 percent of all defensive possessions that he's in the game for, the nation's second-best rate.
The same website ranks Booker Woodfox eighth in offensive rating, a calculation of a player's offensive efficiency from two-point range, three-point range and the free-throw line, as well as scarcity of turnovers per minute played.
Crowds Increase For League Action
Compared to its non-conference crowds, Creighton's attendance has increased in MVC action each of the previous eight years:
Creighton's Yearly Home Attendance
Year Non-MVC Games MVC Games Change
2000-01 7,132 7,268 +2%
2001-02 6,333 6,800 +7%
2002-03 7,401 8,996 +22%
2003-04 11,467 12,443 +9%
2004-05 9,926 12,207 +23%
2005-06 13,404 14,343 +7%
2006-07 15,471 16,153 +4%
2007-08 14,544 16,122 +10%
2008-09 15,844 so far 16,374 so far +3.3%
Statistical Leaders, Nationally
Through games of Jan. 18th, Booker Woodfox ranked fourth in three-point field goal percentage (48.6%), 10th in free-throw percentage (90.4%) and 48th in three-pointers per game (2.8). Josh Dotzler ranked 24th with a 2.50 assist/turnover ratio and 31st with 2.3 steals per game. Kenny Lawson Jr. was 85nd with 1.7 blocked shots per game, Cavel Witter's 85.7 percent free-throw percentage ranked 40th.
As a team, Creighton is ranked sixth in free-throw percentage (78.8), 15th in turnover margin (+4.6), 21st in three-point field-goal percentage (39.2) and 23rd in three-point field goals per game (8.4).
Dotzler Top 10 in Assists & Steals
After seven previous games with exactly five steals in his career, Josh Dotzler had a career-best six steals on Dec. 13 against Northern Colorado. Creighton turned all six of those steals into points, scoring 13 points on its ensuing possessions.
Dotzler's 172 career steals ranks ties him for fourth in CU history with Kyle Korver. Dotzler's 328 career assists places him eighth in Creighton history, just ahead of Nate Funk's 323.
Dotzler is one of four players in CU history with more than 150 steals and 300 career assists, joining Ryan Sears, Duan Cole and Latrell Wrightsell.
Steals (Since 1979-80)
Stl. Name Years
283 Ryan Sears 1997-01
195 Rodney Buford 1995-99
186 Duan Cole 1987-92
172 Kyle Korver 1999-03
172 Josh Dotzler 2005-Pres.
157 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
Assists (Since 1970-71)
Ast. Name Years
570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
418 Vernon Moore 1981-85
382 Duan Cole 1987-92
332 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
328 Josh Dotzler 2005-Pres.
323 Nate Funk 2002-07
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 462 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Big Blue Wave
Eleven different players are averaging 11.6 minutes per game or more this season for Creighton, with no player seeing more than 25.5 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.
Creighton has not used anyone for more than 32 minutes in any regulation-length game this year. By comparison, nine individuals throughout the MVC average 31.7 minutes per game or more, including Drake's Josh Young (33.2) and Jonathan Cox (31.7).
Trio Reaches 500 Points in Year Two
Sophomore P'Allen Stinnett became the 12th player to score 500 or more points in their first two seasons at Creighton under Dana Altman.
However, the only one to do it in fewer than the 40 games Stinnett needed is CU's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, who needed just 35 games.
Senior guard Booker Woodfox reached 500 career points in his 44th game on Dec. 22 against Fresno State, tied for third-quickest in the Altman era.
Junior guard Cavel Witter scored his 500th career point on Jan. 20th at Evansville, which was his 53rd career game.
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
Booker Woodfox 44 12/22/08 vs. Fresno St.
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.
Cavel Witter 53 1/20/09 at Evansville
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.
Korver Adds Spark Off The Bench
Sophomore Kaleb Korver has made 24-of-43 three-point shots in his past 15 games off the bench, an impressive 55.8 percent.
Korver has not made a two-point basket since Jan. 2, 2008, and each of his last 38 field goals have been worth three points.
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 x 12
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).
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 486 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
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 30 charges in 20 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
Casey Harriman n/a 17 6 23
Josh Dotzler 4 5 4 13
Chad Millard n/a 7 4 11
P'Allen Stinnett n/a 5 3 8
Kenny Lawson Jr. 0 2 3 5
Justin Carter n/a n/a 3 3
Kaleb Korver n/a 0 3 3
Antoine Young n/a n/a 2 2
Kenton Walker n/a 3 1 4
Booker Woodfox n/a 2 1 3
Cavel Witter n/a 3 0 3
Dustin Sitzmann 0 1 0 1
Former Players 226 17 n/a 243
Total 230 62 30 322
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.
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 named Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Nov. 26.
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 at the time.
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 365th 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 points and eight rebounds at Bradley on Jan. 10, owns eight career games of at least eight points and eight boards in his career. CU has won seven of those games, outscoring foes by an average of 77.9-63.2.
Creighton is 18-4 in Lawson's career when he has five rebounds or more, but 21-12 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 90-53 in televised games in the last seven seasons, including a 33-21 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 3-2 on KMTV.
The Jays are also 41-28 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 22-16 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 27-of-33 games on television last season. A minimum of 20 are slated for television this season, including all but two MVC games.
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.
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 was 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 46 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 54 straight games when scoring 72 points or more at all sites dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 65 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.
Creighton was 17-4 when scoring more points off turnovers than its opponent last year. In the last five years, Creighton is 75-12 when winning this category, including an 14-2 mark this winter.
Paint Points
Since Creighton started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 58-9 in games when scoring 28 or more points in the paint.
NBA Presence
Two former Creighton players have spent time on NBA rosters this season. Kyle Korver (1999-2003) plays for Utah, while Anthony Tolliver (2003-07) was with San Antonio and is currently on a 10-day contract with New Orleans.
Tolliver averaged 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.9 minutes during 19 games with San Antonio. He was cut by the Spurs on January 7th but resurfaced in the NBA on Jan. 21st when he signed a 10-day contract with the Hornets.
Korver is averaging 8.2 points in 22.0 minutes per game off the bench for Utah. He is shooting 37.3 percent from three-point range for the Jazz.
Largest...Crowd...Ever...
Creighton drew its largest crowd, a record crowd for the state of Nebraska, and a record for a league game in its win against Wichita State on Dec. 28, 2008 as 17,954 attended the game at Qwest Center Omaha.
It upped CU's season average attendance to 16,003 and bettered the previous Creighton single-game mark (17,607 vs. Drexel - 2/17/07).
Louisville formerly held the league's single-game attendance record for a regular-season conference game (17,661 vs. Cincinnati, Feb. 22, 1969).
Jays Among Attendance Leaders, Again
This year's Creighton team is averaging 16,003 fans per game, which puts them on pace for a league record for home attendance.
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
16,003 so far Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
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
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 91 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 77-14 (.846) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 16-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's. The 14 losses have been by a combined 73 points.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 6,742-5,636 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.2 points per game.
The Jays have led wire-to-wire 19 different times.
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 206-45 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 9-1 5-3 14-4
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 120-17 86-28 206-45
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 39-of-41 and 49 of its last 53 games.
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.
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
Double-Digit Comebacks at Home
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 22 of its 91 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.
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 552 of the team's 1,486 points (37.1 percent).
Creighton's bench has scored 51 points in two different games this season and 41 or more three times.
This year's Creighton team has produced 18 double-digit scoring games off the bench, including nine such efforts from Cavel Witter.
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 13,615 season tickets for this year. The previous MVC record had been the 12,888 season-tickets Creighton fans bought for the 2007-08 season.
