Men's Basketball Hosts UALR on Sunday
11/19/2009 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (1-1) hosts UALR (1-2) on Sunday afternoon, the third straight year the non-conference schools have met. Sunday's game will take place at Qwest Center Omaha (17,882) in Omaha, Neb., and tip off at 2:05 pm.
Game #3 vs. UALR • Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 • 2:05 p.m.
UALR Trojans at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,882) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: None
Series History: Creighton leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: UALR won 71-69 in Little Rock, Ark., on Nov. 25, 2008
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
Sunday's game will not be televised.
Video Webcast Information
Creighton University Athletics and Jump TV will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of approximately 15 games this season, including Sunday's game. 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, typically 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 UALR
UALR is 1-2 on the season, with all three games decided by 14 points or more. The Trojans lost at Mississippi 92-64 to open the season before dropping a 59-45 decision at Tulsa on Tuesday. UALR claimed its first win of the year on Wednesday with a 100-56 triumph over NAIA school St. Gregory's.
USF transfer Solomon Bozeman leads the Trojans with a 15.0 points per game scoring average. He's made 9-of-18 shots from three-point range (50 percent), 3-of-14 from two-point range (21.4 percent) and 12-of-18 at the line (66.7 percent).
Alex Garcia-Mendoza ranks second on the team in scoring with 8.7 points per game and rebounding (5.3 rpg.). Derrick Bails tops the team with 6.0 rebounds per contest.
UALR averages 69.7 points per game and shoots 43.3 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from three-point range and 60 percent at the stripe. The Trojans also outrebound foes by 4.4 caroms per contest.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 1-1 this season, beating Florida A&M 78-53 on Tuesday after falling at No. 21 Dayton, 90-80, on Nov. 14.
The Bluejays return eight lettermen and three starters from last year's team that went 27-8 and made a 12th straight postseason appearance.
Despite the plethora of returning veterans, it has been CU's five newcomers that have opened some eyes in both games. The five newcomers have combined to score 87 of CU's 158 points (55.1 percent), led by junior college transfer Darryl Ashford (15.0 ppg.) and true freshman Ethan Wragge (13.5 ppg.).
Junior guard P'Allen Stinnett averages 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while senior guard Cavel Witter also averages 10.5 points per game.
Junior forward Wayne Runnels (8.0 ppg., 9.0 rpg.) leads CU on the glass, snaring nine rebounds in each game to date.
Creighton averages 79.0 points per game and shoots 45.9 percent from the floor. It holds opponents to 71.5 points per game and 41.6 percent shooting, though opponents own a +5.0 rebounding margin.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 16th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 310-161 (.658) mark at CU and a career record of 393-228 (.633) in 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 at all levels. 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.
UALR is coached by Steve Shields (Baylor, 1988), who owns an 106-75 record in his seventh season with the Trojans. That also doubles as his career record. He is assisted by Joe Kleine, Joe Golding and Charles Cunningham.
The Series With UALR
Creighton has won two of three meetings with UALR all-time, including both contests held in Omaha.
Creighton won the first encounter 91-66 on Dec. 20, 2003 behind 17 points from Nate Funk.
In 2007, Creighton won 80-61 behind 20 points and 10 rebounds from Dane Watts on Dec. 22.
Last November UALR handed Creighton its first loss, 71-69, in Little Rock. In that game the Trojans overcame a 16-point first half deficit and Mike Smith scored the decisive points on a putback with 7.1 seconds left.
Dana Altman is 2-1 against Steve Shields and 5-3 overall (3-2 at Creighton) against Sun Belt Conference teams.
Creighton-UALR Connections
UALR Athletic Director Chris Peterson is a former Associate Athletic Director at Creighton from 1997-2000.
Former Creighton basketball player Porter Moser coached at UALR from 2000-03 before a four-year run at Illinois State. Moser is currently an associate head coach for Rick Majerus at Saint Louis.
Additionally, both Creighton and UALR served as first- and second-round hosts for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008.
Doubling Up From The Start
Darryl Ashford and Ethan Wragge have both scored 11 or more points in each of their first two games at Creighton.
Prior to this season, Creighton hadn't had a player open their career with two or more games of 11 points or more since junior college transfer Edward St. Fleur had 16 points, then 17 points, to start the 1995-96 campaign.
The last CU player to start a career with three or more games of 11 or more points was junior college transfer Nate King in 1993-94. King did it in the first four games he played.
Ashford's 30 points so far rank as the third-best two-game start in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure. St. Fleur scored 33 points in his first two games of 1995-96, while P'Allen Stinnett had 32 points (23, then 9) in his first two contest to begin the 2007-08 year.
Most Points, First Two Games Under Dana Altman
Pts. Name, Class Year
33 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96
32 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
30 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10
29 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
27 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10
Tripling Up From The Start
Ethan Wragge has been filling up the hoop from long-range, making seven three-pointers in his first two games.
That's the best two-game start to a career since Dana Altman has been at Creighton, and ties the school record previously held by Matt Roggenburk.
Roggenburk and Wragge are also the only players to make at least three trifectas in their first two games.
Most 3FG's, First Two Games at Creighton
3FGs Name, Class Year
7 Matt Roggenburk, Fr. 1986-87
7 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10
6 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
6 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
Runnels Rebounds Into History
Junior transfer Wayne Runnels has become the first Creighton player in 40 seasons to grab nine or more rebounds in each of his first two games as a Bluejay.
Believe it or not, that 1969-70 season saw three different men open their careers with consecutive games of nine or more rebounds.
Cyril Baptiste had five straight such games, Denny Bresnahan had three such games and Nate Stephens had at least two such games to begin their Creighton career.
Rebounders Delight
UALR outrebounded its opponents by 2.2 boards per game last year and had a season-best +20 rebound advantage (46-26) in its two-point win over Creighton last November 25th.
The Trojans turned their 15 offensive rebounds into 24 second-chance points, including the game-winning putback by Mike Smith with 7.1 seconds left.
November Reign
Creighton is 38-6 in regular-season November games since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Dana Altman is 30-0 in November home games at Creighton. CU's last home loss in November came in 1989, when it fell to Coppin State on Nov. 27.
Home Opener A Success, Again
Including Tuesday's win over Florida A&M, Creighton is 81-11 (.880) in home openers all-time, including 15 straight wins. Between 1936 and 1980, the Jays went 41-2 in home openers, including 21 straight wins from 1946-66.
Creighton is 15-1 under Dana Altman in home openers, losing only his home debut, 77-70, against SMU in 1994. Altman's 15 wins in home openers is the most in Creighton history.
Newcomers Shine
Creighton had three newcomers score in double-figures during its season-opener against Dayton. Wayne Runnels had 16 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting, Darryl Ashford had 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and Ethan Wragge had 11 points on 3-of-4 marksmanship.
Combined, those three men accounted for half of Creighton's 80 points at Dayton and made 14-of-19 shots from the floor (73.7 percent).
Newcomers Ashford (17), Wragge (16), Josh Jones (8) and Andrew Bock (6) combined for 47 of CU's 78 points in the win over Florida A&M on Tuesday.
Balanced Attack
Creighton placed five men in double-figures at Dayton last Saturday as part of a balanced attack, a group consisting of P'Allen Stinnett (18), Wayne Runnels (16), Darryl Ashford (13), Cavel Witter (11) and Ethan Wragge (11).
The last previous time that Creighton placed five men in double-figures was Feb. 17, 2009, when it did so in a win over Evansville.
Walking Wounded
Creighton has played its games without three of its most experienced front line players so far. Justin Carter is expected to miss another 1-3 weeks with a slightly torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee, Casey Harriman remains out after being hospitalized with the flu and an enlarged spleen, and Chad Millard has not suited up due to a foot injury.
Hello, World
Creighton has two players who could make their Division I debut on Sunday, Matt Dorwart and Derek Sebastian.
Below is a look at how Creighton's current players have done in their regular-season debut in a Division I uniform.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Stinnett 23 4 3 3 26
Runnels 16 9 2 0 21
Ashford• 13 2 0 1 26
Wragge 11 2 0 0 13
Carter• 8 5 2 2 30
Witter 7 0 3 1 14
Harriman 5 3 0 1 14
Lawson Jr. 3 5 1 1 11
Korver 2 1 1 1 8
Millard (@UL) 2 0 0 0 5
Young 0 0 1 1 10
Jones 0 5 2 0 16
Bock 0 1 1 0 5
A Rare Game Under .500
Creighton had won 12 straight season-openers and started 3-0 or better in 10 of the previous 11 seasons. Needless to say, it is a program not used to having a losing record.
When the Jays took the floor on Tuesday vs. Florida A&M, it had a losing record for the first time since Dec. 3, 1997, when it faced Grambling. Saturday's game at Dayton had been the 380th game in a row that the Jays had played with a record of .500 or better.
The Four-Point Play
Few plays in basketball are as rare as the four-point play, which happen only when a player is fouled while making a three-point shot and then hits the ensuing free throw.
On Nov. 4th against Missouri Western State, P'Allen Stinnett pulled off that rare feat with 13:17 left in the second half.
Stinnett then did it again at Dayton in the season-opener on Nov. 14.
Before Stinnett's magic, Creighton had not had a player convert a four-point play in a regular-season game since Johnny Mathies vs. Evansville on Jan. 22, 2006.
Looking To Fill Dotzler's Shoes
Just like he did four years ago at Bellevue (Neb.) West High School, Antoine Young is looking to fill the shoes of four-year starting point guard Josh Dotzler.
In two exhibition games this fall, Young tied for the team lead with three steals, and had 13 assists without a turnover. Young then had four assists and just a single turnover in the loss at Dayton and two assists and one turnover in the win over FAMU.
Last year Dotzler led the MVC in steals (70) and steals per game (2.0 spg.) while ranking fourth in the nation with a 3.46/1 assist/turnover ratio.
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including four times last season, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 30 times in the last 10 seasons.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 10 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
03/18/09 Bowling Green 14 W 73-71
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
02/24/09 at Missouri State 13 W 65-59
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
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
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.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman entered this year ranked 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.
Records below are entering 2009-10.
Rk. W-L Name, School Years
1. 799-288 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 34
2. 760-215 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 30
3. 557-205 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 24
4. 418-229 Gary Williams, Maryland 21
5. 371-321 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 24
6. 367-233 Bob McKillop, Davidson 21
7. 364-263 Bob Thomason, Pacific 22
8. 336-137 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 15
9. 314-261 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 20
T10. 309-160 Dana Altman, Creighton 16
T10. 309-126 Billy Donovan, Florida 14
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
Tenure? He's Got 16 Years
Dana Altman is the dean of MVC coaches, as he is in 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
34 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
32 Dave Bike, Sacred Heart
30 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
28 Don Maestri, Troy
26 Greg Kampe, Oakland
24 Rick Byrd, Belmont; Jim Calhoun, Connecticut; Ron “Fang” Mitchell, Coppin State; Vann Pettaway, Alabama A&M
22 Bob Thomason, Pacific
21 Bob McKillop, Davidson; Gary Williams, Maryland
20 Dave Loos, Austin Peay
17 Kirk Speraw, Central Florida
16 Dana Altman, Creighton; Ron Hunter, IUPUI; Rick Scruggs, Gardner-Webb
15 Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's, Scott Nagy, South Dakota State; Fran O'Hanlon, Lafayette
Record Breaking Attendance
Creighton attracted 302,676 home fans last season, a figure that was the most in the 103-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 479 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 503 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 310 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. 310 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
Creighton has played 101 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 85-16 (.842) 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 7,484-6,294 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.8 points per game. The 16 losses have been by a combined 87 points (5.4 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 20 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, as can be seen by the numbers entering this season below:
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 54 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
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.
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
Coat, Food Drives A Success
The generosity of some Creighton Basketball fans has paid big dividends for the Siena Francis House in the preseason. More than 675 pounds of food and around 250 coats were collected in separate events connected with Bluejay basketball.
The food drives took place on both Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 as part of the open practices hosted at D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center. Fans were invited to bring canned goods or other perishable items prior to both events. More than 675 pounds of food were collected.
On Nov. 8th as part of the team's exhibition game against Nebraska-Omaha, fans could exchange new or slightly used coats for two tickets to Creighton's regular-season home opener on Nov. 17 against Florida A&M. Around 250 coats were gathered. Nu-Trend Cleaners then donated to the cause by cleaning of all coats before they were delivered to the Siena Francis House on Nov. 9th.
The Siena Francis House is Nebraska's largest shelter, serving homeless men, women and children for over 30 years.
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.
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.
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.
