Men's Basketball To Open Season With Exhibition on Wednesday
11/1/2009 7:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Missouri Western State Griffons at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: None
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: None
Next Game
Creighton opens the 2009-10 season with an exhibition game on Wednesday, Nov. 4 vs. Missouri Western State. Tip-off at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) is set for 7:05 p.m.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
For all home games, KMTV sports director Travis Justice will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show on KXSP. Justice will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday'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 15 games this season. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a monthly pass is $11.95 and a season pass is $69.95.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Big Sports 590 (or KMTV) broadcast, begins approximately 15-30 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 pre-game show.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 9.0 or above.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton returns eight lettermen and three starters from last year's team that went 27-8 and made a 12th straight postseason appearance.
Junior P'Allen Stinnett is the leading returning scorer (12.5 ppg. last year) and is a preseason all-MVC pick for the second straight year.
Other starters that are returning are senior forward Justin Carter (8.1 ppg., 5.5 rpg.) and junior center Kenny Lawson Jr. (8.5 ppg., 4.8 rpg., 1.7 bpg.).
Other key contributors from last season that return are Cavel Witter (7.7 ppg.), Antoine Young (4.9 ppg.), Kaleb Korver (3.7 ppg.), Casey Harriman (3.6 ppg.) and Chad Millard (3.0 ppg.).
Scouting Missouri Western State
Missouri Western State returns eight lettermen and three starters from last year's team that finished 14-16 overall and was eighth in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association with a 9-11 mark. Last year the Griffons nearly reached the NCAA Tournament, falling in overtime of the MIAA Tournament title game by two points.
Opinions on the Griffons vary for 2009-10, with the coaches voting MWSU fifth in the MIAA and the media selecting them eighth of 11 teams.
Some of Missouri Western State's top returners include senior forward James Bush (8.3 ppg., 4.8 rpg.), senior guard Marcus Rhodes (11.4 ppg., 4.6 rpg.) and junior forward Dominique Thuston (13.8 ppg., 5.4 rpg.).
Among the newcomers of note include junior forward Cortez Wallace and Justin Taylor, junior guard Mike DeWalt, and freshman guard Denzel Cook, an Omaha Central product.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) enters his 16th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 309-160 (.659) mark at CU and a career record of 392-227 (.633) entering his 21st year as a NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 24 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 12 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones is the team's graduate manager.
Missouri Western State is coached by Tom Smith (Valparaiso, 1967), who enters his 22nd season at MWSU and his 35th year overall as a head coach in 2009-10. Smith has coached the Griffons to 10 Division II NCAA Tournaments, five MIAA regular-season titles and four MIAA postseason tournament crowns. He owns a career record of 569-401 overall, and is 399-217 at Missouri Western. Smith is assisted by Mike Nicholson and Jack Dorn.
The Series With Missouri Western State
Creighton and Missouri Western State have never met.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 27-8 and won a share of the MVC regular-season title for the first time since 2001-02. The Jays were then selected to the NIT, where it defeated Bowling Green before falling to Kentucky.
Senior Booker Woodfox was named MVC Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points and ranking second nationally with 47.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range.
Fellow senior Josh Dotzler led CU in assists and led the MVC in steals while earning a spot on the Valley's All-Defensive Team.
Justin Carter returns after leading Creighton with 5.5 rebounds per contest, while P'Allen Stinnett is the team's top returning scorer after scoring at a 12.5 points per game clip.
Creighton averaged an MVC-record 15,930 fans per game last season, 12th-best nationally.
Recent Exhibition History
Creighton is 33-6 since 1987 in exhibition games, including a 24-3 record with Dana Altman as head coach, thanks to seven straight victories. The only team to beat Altman in an exhibition setting has been Global Sports, which merged six years ago and changed their name to EA Sports.
Creighton MBB Exhibition Scores Since 1987
Date Score
11/16/87 Creighton 82, DTV Charlottenburgh 77
11/13/88 Creighton 75, Turkey 66
11/10/89 Creighton 92, Athletes in Action 70
11/16/89 Brazil 93, Creighton 90
11/06/90 Creighton 89, Athletes in Action 82
11/15/90 Creighton 89, Russian Ukraine Nat. Team 71
11/05/91 Creighton 90, Ukraine National Team 89
11/19/91 Creighton 87, Ath. Fighting Substance Abuse 77
11/16/92 Creighton 82, Cuban National Team 73
11/24/92 Creighton 93, Lee Jeans 86
11/19/93 Central Army Sports Club 92, Creighton 91
11/23/93 Team Pella 115, Creighton 99
11/15/94 Creighton 80, Dutch National Team 80 (OT)*
11/21/94 Creighton 88, Fort Hood 78
11/14/95 Creighton 77, Poznan 68
11/20/95 Creighton 76, Athletes in Action 66
11/11/96 Creighton 75, Hungary Select 60
11/17/96 Creighton 90, Dream Builders 70
11/05/97 Creighton 93, Lucenec-Slovenia 56
11/09/97 Creighton 97, Pella Windows 86
11/04/98 Creighton 96, Bulgaria 61
11/08/98 Creighton 80, Team Pella 77
11/09/99 Global Sports 77, Creighton 73
11/17/99 Creighton 75, Pella Windows 68
11/05/00 Global Sports 82, Creighton 74
11/12/00 Creighton 74, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/06/01 Creighton 62, Nebraska-Omaha 53
11/13/01 Creighton 95, Global Sports 80
11/05/02 Creighton 75, Nebraska-Omaha 72
11/10/02 Creighton 83, Global Sports 61
11/09/03 Creighton 72, Nebraska-Omaha 66 (OT)
11/16/03 Global Sports 66, Creighton 65
11/11/04 Creighton 78, EA Sports 48
11/06/05 Creighton 74, EA Sports 67
11/13/05 Creighton 116, Nebraska-Kearney 82
11/02/06 Creighton 80, EA Sports 76 (OT)
11/08/06 Creighton 73, Nebraska-Omaha 56
11/01/07 Creighton 88, EA Sports 75
11/09/08 Creighton 78, Central Missouri 65
*Creighton wins by forfeit when Dutch refuses to begin second overtime.
An Auspicious Beginning
Few could have predicted the ending Dana Altman had at his first game on the CU sideline. Creighton won the Nov. 15, 1994 exhibition game on a forfeit after the Dutch National Team refused to begin the second overtime.
The crowd for that contest was 3,834, a miniscule figure when you consider Creighton averaged 15,930 fans per game last season.
Below is a short recap of that finish, as penned by then-SID Kevin Sarver:
“In a bizarre game of 67 fouls and 86 free throw attempts, the Dutch National Team refused to start the second overtime with the score tied 80-80 and, by walking off the floor and into the lockerroom, handed the Bluejays a forfeit victory. The Bluejays led 80-78 with 26 seconds remaining before Dutch forward Okke te Velde nailed a long jumper with seven seconds remaining. With no three-point signal from any of the three officials and without any stoppage of play, CU sophomore guard Troy Wharton took the inbounds pass and dribbled to the three-point arc but his shot bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded. The Dutch team then argued Velde's shot was a three-pointer and that the game should be over. After a nearly 10-minute delay with the Bluejays at the center circle waiting to start the second overtime, the Dutch walked off the court ending the game.”
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2009-10 season went on sale on October 26th at 10 am.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. 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). Tickets for the Dec. 6 Nebraska game will be $20 for adults and youth.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns three starters (Justin Carter, Kenny Lawson Jr., P'Allen Stinnett) from last year's team that finished 27-8.
Creighton's roster contains players who made 106 starts a year ago, a significant increase over the 83 starts that the team returned at this point last winter and the most since the 2006-07 team that was also the program's most recent to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2009-10 3 106 ???
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Freshmen Starts Almost Unheard Of
If Andrew Bock or Ethan Wragge get a starting nod in Wednesday's exhibition, they'll join some rare company. To find the last Creighton true freshman to start the team's exhibition opener, you'd have to go all the way back to Nov. 14, 1988. That's when Latrell Wrightsell had eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes of a 75-66 win over Turkey.
Even Ryan Sears, who started all 124 regular-season games of his illustrious career from 1997-2001, came off the bench for his exhibition debut before replacing Matt West in the second exhibition game of the 1997-98 campaign.
Sears remains the last CU freshman to start a Creighton regular-season opener, which he did in 1997's win over UMKC.
Newcomer Report
Three players made their exhibition debut in a Creighton uniform last year against Central Missouri as Justin Carter (7 pts., 7 reb., in 24 minutes), Josh Jones (2 points in 7 minutes) and Antoine Young (6 pts., 1 reb., in 16 minutes) combined for 15 points and eight rebounds in a combined 47 minutes of action in the Jays 78-65 triumph.
Below is a look at the last five years and how Creighton's newcomers have produced in their exhibition debuts:
2008
Carter/Jones/Young
15 pts., 8 reb., 3 ast., (W 78-65)
2007
Woodfox/Witter/Stinnett/Millard/Korver/
Harriman/Walker/Brandt
48 pts, 14 reb., 8 ast, 102 min. (W 88-75)
2006
Bahe/Miles/Morrison/Lawson Jr.
16 pts., 11 reb., 3 ast., 59 min. (W 80-76)
2005
Porter/Bishop/Dotzler/Nengsu
11 pts., 4 reb., 5 ast., 55 min. (W 74-67)
2004
Day/Howard/Hibma/Watts
25 pts., 10 reb., 6 ast., 64 min. (W 78-48)
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked second in the preseason poll of MVC coaches, SID's and media. Northern Iowa was a near-unanimous pick to win the league, garnering 38-of-39 first-place votes and 389 points overall.
Creighton was second with 336 points and the remaining first-place vote.
Illinois State (299), Southern Illinois (272) and Wichita State (216) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Bradley (208), where it was followed by Indiana State (173), Drake (105), Missouri State (92) and Evansville (55).
Creighton junior guard P'Allen Stinnett is one of six men on the preseason all-MVC team. It's Stinnett's second straight year earning such an accolade. He's joined on the team by UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe and Adam Koch, SIU's Tony Freeman, Drake's Josh Young and preseason MVC Player of the Year Osiris Eldridge from Illinois State.
10 Conference Wins x 13
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 13th 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 other current school with at least 13 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (15).
20 Overall Wins x 11 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 103-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11 straight 20-win campaigns, a figure it reached last season on Feb. 11 with a win over Bradley. No other Valley school has ever put together more than six straight 20-win seasons.
Creighton is one of six teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last 11 seasons. That list consists of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Postseason x 12
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 12 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It is two more than the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 12 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 12 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman ranks tied for 10th nationally in Division I wins at his current school with 309. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Rk. W-L Name, School Years
1. 799-288 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 33
2. 760-215 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 29
3. 557-205 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 23
4. 418-229 Gary Williams, Maryland 20
5. 371-321 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 23
6. 367-233 Bob McKillop, Davidson 20
7. 364-263 Bob Thomason, Pacific 21
8. 336-137 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 14
9. 314-261 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 19
T10. 309-160 Dana Altman, Creighton 15
T10. 309-126 Billy Donovan, Florida 13
Tenure? He's Got 16 Years
Dana Altman is the dean of MVC coaches, as he enters his 16th season as head coach at Creighton. His 16 years at CU ranks 15th-longest nationally among active head coaches at one school. Below is that list:
Yrs. Name, School
33 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
31 Dave Bike, Sacred Heart
29 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
27 Don Maestri, Troy
25 Greg Kampe, Oakland
23 Rick Byrd, Belmont; Jim Calhoun, Connecticut; Ron “Fang” Mitchell, Coppin State; Vann Pettaway, Alabama A&M
21 Bob Thomason, Pacific
20 Bob McKillop, Davidson; Gary Williams, Maryland
19 Dave Loos, Austin Peay
16 Kirk Speraw, Central Florida
15 Dana Altman, Creighton; Ron Hunter, IUPUI; Rick Scruggs, Gardner-Webb
14 Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's, Scott Nagy, South Dakota State; Fran O'Hanlon, Lafayette
27 Wins in 2008-09
Creighton tied for 15th nationally with 27 wins in 2008-09, and were one of 24 schools with 27 or more wins last season.
Last season Creighton became the only school from a top-10 league to ever win 26 or more games by Selection Sunday and not receive an NCAA Tournament bid.
Wins Schools
34 North Carolina
33 Memphis
31 Missouri, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut,
Michigan State
30 Duke, Villanova, Oklahoma, Utah State
28 Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Syracuse
27 Creighton, Davidson, LSU, Charleston, Siena Dayton, Purdue, Penn State, Kansas, Xavier
Record Breaking Attendance
Creighton attracted 302,676 home fans last season, a figure that was the most in the 102-year history of the MVC.
The Jays also set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton averaged 15,930 fans (12th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.
2008-09 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 23,012
2. Syracuse 21,044
3. North Carolina 21,035
4. Tennessee 20,483
5. Louisville 19,397
6. Wisconsin 17,230
7. Maryland 17,048
8. Memphis 16,933
9. Kansas 16,350
10. Marquette 16,200
11. Arkansas 16,043
12. Creighton 15,930
13. Illinois 15,498
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
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
Avg. Att. School Year
15,930 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. Nine of his last 12 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the four that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. 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 12 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
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
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton had two 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 juniors 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 477 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 501 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 309 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 172 triumphs in regular-season conference games are second-most in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hickey entered the MVC Hall of Fame last March in conjunction with Arch Madness.
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. 309 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 172 Dana Altman Creighton
3. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
Qwest To Be The Best
Entering the 2009-10 season, Creighton has played 100 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in six seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 84-16 (.840) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 18-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 7,406-6,241 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.7 points per game. The 16 losses have been by a combined 87 points (5.4 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 19 different times.
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 overall with 210 wins in the decade, as well as nine postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (2000-01 to end of 2008-09)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 115 47 .710 210 82 .719
Southern Illinois 118 44 .728 202 93 .685
Northern Iowa 84 78 .519 156 125 .555
Missouri State 85 77 .525 157 126 .555
Wichita State 83 79 .512 156 127 .551
Illinois State 75 87 .463 146 131 .527
Bradley 78 84 .481 154 137 .529
Drake 69 93 .426 135 138 .495
Indiana State 50 112 .309 107 168 .389
Evansville 53 109 .327 101 163 .383
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 5 4 0 0 9
Southern Illinois 6 1 0 0 7
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Wichita State 1 3 1 0 5
Northern Iowa 4 0 0 0 4
Missouri State 0 3 0 0 3
Illinois State 0 3 0 0 3
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 0 1 1
Indiana State 1 0 0 0 1
Dance Regulars
Creighton is one of 20 schools to have appeared in multiple NCAA Tournaments during each of the past five decades.
Multiple NCAA Appearances, Last 5 Decades
Team 60's 70's 80's 90's 00's
Arizona State 4 2 2 2 2
BYU 2 3 5 5 7
Creighton 2 3 2 2 6
DePaul 2 3 9 2 2
Duke 4 2 7 9 10
Kansas 3 4 6 10 10
Kentucky 6 7 9 8 9
Louisville 4 6 8 7 7
Marquette 3 9 3 4 6
North Carolina 3 6 10 10 8
Princeton 7 2 4 6 2
Providence 3 5 2 3 2
Temple 2 3 5 10 4
Texas Tech 2 2 2 2 4
UCLA 7 10 5 10 8
Utah 3 3 3 7 6
UTEP 4 2 6 2 2
Villanova 3 4 8 6 5
Weber State 2 6 2 2 2
Western Kentucky 4 4 4 3 5
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 53 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 64 straight games when scoring 72 points or more at all sites dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 67 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.
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 fifth time in the seven-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2008-09 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.32 cumulative grade-point average over the 2008-09 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Creighton had three men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University 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 Blues Alumni Grill (outside the 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 convention center 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 convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.
