Men's Basketball Hosts Nebraska on Sunday
12/3/2009 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game #7 vs. Nebraska • Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 • 4:05 p.m.
Nebraska Cornhuskers at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,882) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: KMTV
Series History: Nebraska leads, 24-18
Last Meeting: Nebraska won 54-52 in Lincoln, Neb., on Nov. 29, 2008
Next Game
Creighton (2-4) returns home to host intrastate rival Nebraska (5-1) on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Tip-off at Qwest Center Omaha (17,882) in Omaha, Neb., is scheduled for 4:05 pm.
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 Jimmy Motz will call the action.
KMTV sports director Travis Justice will team with KMTV weekend sports anchor Matt Seigel to host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show on KXSP. Justice will then take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Sunday's game is the first of eight telecasts for KMTV this season. Travis Justice and Nick Bahe will be on the call. There are no satellite coordinates for the game.
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 Nebraska
Nebraska is 5-1 on the season, including a 1-1 record in road games. The Huskers have split road games with Saint Louis (L 69-55) and USC (W 51-48) and controlled home games over USC Upstate (W 76-49), TCU (W 90-77), UMKC (W 70-48) and Texas-Pan American (W 81-53).
Senior swingman Ryan Anderson (12.3 ppg.) is the only player averaging in double-figures, but eight other teammates score between 5.8 and 9.7 points per game. Anderson also owns a club-best 17 steals.
That group includes newcomers Jorge Brian Diaz (9.7), Eshaunte Jones (7.8), Lance Jeter (7.7), Brandon Ubel (6.3) and Ray Gallegos (5.8).
Senior guard Sek Henry leads the team with 4.8 rebounds per game.
As a team, Nebraska averages 70.5 points per game while allowing just 57.3 per contest. The Cornhuskers shoot 48.6 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from three-point range, and make 64.6 percent from the line. NU also forces 16.5 turnovers per game while making just 11.5 per game itself.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 2-4 after going 0-3 at the Old Spice Classic last weekend in Orlando, Fla. Creighton has home wins over both Florida A&M and UALR, but lost on the road at No. 21 Dayton and in Orlando to No. 15 Michigan, Xavier and Iona.
The Bluejays returned eight lettermen and three starters from last year's team that went 27-8 and made a 12th straight postseason appearance.
Creighton has four men averaging in double-figures, a group that consists of Kenny Lawson Jr. (11.3 ppg.), Darryl Ashford (11.0), Justin Carter (10.7) and Ethan Wragge (10.5).
Lawson also tops the team with 6.2 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocks per contest.
Creighton averages 72.7 points per game and shoots 44.8 percent from the floor. It holds opponents to 72.3 points per game and 43.9 percent shooting, though opponents own a +0.3 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 311-164 (.655) mark at CU and a career record of 394-231 (.630) 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.
Nebraska is coached by Doc Sadler, who owns a 60-41 record in his fourth year with the Cornhuskers. He owns a career record of 108-59 in six years. Sadler also spent two seasons at UTEP, where he was 48-18. Sadler is assisted by Walter Roese, Philip Mathews and David Anwar.
The Series With Nebraska
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 24-18 margin, but the Bluejays have won eight of the last 10 regular-season meetings. The Jays have won the last six regular-season meetings in Omaha against the Cornhuskers.
Creighton won four of the first seven meetings in the history of the series before a 45-year break where the in-state rivals did not play each other. The series has been played at least once annually since 1977 and is CU's longest running non-conference series by a landslide.
Dana Altman is 9-7 vs. the Huskers since coming to Creighton and 12-13 overall if you include his 3-6 mark while at then-Big Eight foe Kansas State.
Altman is 1-2 against Nebraska coach Doc Sadler.
Last Week Recap
Creighton went 0-3 at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla., losing to No. 15 Michigan (83-75 in OT), Xavier (80-67) and Iona (63-55). Kenny Lawson Jr. led the Jays by averaging 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in Orlando.
The Better The Record, The Harder They Fall
Creighton is 22-1 in the seven-year history of Qwest Center Omaha against opponents that enter a game with one loss or less. Nebraska is 5-1.
Opponent's
Record
Entering Opponent CU Result Date
5-1 Nebraska ? 12/06/09
0-1 Florida A&M CU 78-53 11/17/09
8-0 Dayton CU 77-59 12/10/08
1-1 Oral Roberts CU 87-65 11/22/08
1-0 New Mexico W 82-75 11/16/08
16-1 #22 Drake L 60-68 ot 01/22/08
9-1 Arkansas-Little Rock W 80-61 12/22/07
3-0 Nebraska W 74-62 11/24/07
0-0 DePaul W 74-62 11/09/07
7-1 #24 Xavier W 73-67 12/09/06
2-1 George Mason W 58-56 11/25/06
0-1 Miss. Valley State W 78-42 11/13/06
7-1 Missouri State W 78-56 12/28/05
5-1 Xavier W 61-59 12/18/05
6-1 Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
2-1 Dayton W 91-90 11/26/05
0-0 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 87-55 11/19/05
7-1 Bradley W 71-62 12/28/04
0-0 Ark.-Pine Bluff W 83-58 11/20/04
1-0 Iona W 68-62 11/16/04
0-0 Alcorn State W 74-40 11/15/04
5-0 Nebraska W 61-54 12/10/03
0-1 Bethune-Cookman W 69-49 12/03/03
2-0 St. Bonaventure W 83-63 11/29/03
Lose Two, Then At Home?
Creighton can extend an amazing trend on Sunday with a win over Nebraska.
In the last 13 seasons, Creighton has played 22 home games in which it brought in a losing streak of two games or more. In each case, Creighton won the home game.
Creighton won 16 of those 22 home games by 10 points or more, including nine by 20 points or more. The average margin in those wins has been 17.5 points, as CU has outscored foes 75.5-58.0 in those scenarios.
Below is a chart showing CU's games since 1997-98 in which it took to its home court with a losing streak of two games or more.
L Streak Home Game Opp. Score Date
3 UMKC W 81-59 11/14/97
2 Grambling State W 67-51 12/03/97
2 Indiana State W 80-67 01/15/98
4 Towson State W 93-48 11/14/98
2 #18 Oklahoma State W 66-60 12/20/98
2 Northern Iowa W 77-60 02/10/99
2 Colorado State W 74-51 12/06/00
2 Indiana State W 81-72 01/11/01
2 N. Carolina A&T W 72-51 11/18/01
2 Nebraska W 76-70 12/12/01
2 Miss. Valley State W 90-65 12/29/01
3 Wichita State W 75-61 03/01/04
2 Alcorn State W 74-40 11/15/04
2 Bradley W 71-62 12/28/04
2 Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
2 Illinois State W 71-52 01/05/06
2 Fresno State W 67-62 02/18/06
2 Akron W 71-60 03/16/06
2 Wichita State W 71-54 02/24/07
2 Wichita State W 65-63 02/02/08
2 Missouri State W 88-67 02/19/08
2 Miss. Valley State W 82-58 12/02/08
Third Time's A Charm
Dana Altman is 15-0 in Creighton's third home game of the season, winning those games by an average of 18.1 points per game.
Add in his four victories in the third home game of the season when he was at Kansas State, and those numbers rise to 19-0 and an average victory margin of 19.3 points.
Sunday will be Creighton's third home game of the season.
BCS Busters at Home
Creighton hosts Nebraska at Qwest Center Omaha on Sunday, where the Bluejays have won 10 straight regular-season home games against teams from BCS leagues since the start of the 1996-97 season.
Those 10 wins have been by an average of 12.0 points, with six coming by double-digits, and none decided by fewer than six points.
BCS Schools at Creighton, Last 12 Years*
Date Score
11/24/07 Creighton 74, Nebraska 62
11/09/07 Creighton 74, DePaul 62
12/11/05 Creighton 70, Nebraska 44
12/10/03 Creighton 61, Nebraska 54
12/12/01 Creighton 76, Nebraska 70
12/09/99 Creighton 89, Nebraska 72
11/27/99 Creighton 85, #23 Iowa 76
12/20/98 Creighton 66, #18 Oklahoma State 60
12/02/98 Creighton 73, Baylor 59
12/10/97 Creighton 84, Nebraska 73
*regular-season games only
Welcome Back, Carter
Senior Justin Carter missed Creighton's first three regular-season games with a partially torn MCL in his left knee, but didn't waste any time making a difference in his return.
Carter played 24 minutes off the bench against No. 15 Michigan last Thursday. He led CU with a career-high 21 points, making 10-of-15 shots from the floor, and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Law & Order
Kenny Lawson Jr. had 10 points and nine rebounds against No. 15 Michigan on Nov. 26th, narrowly missing his first career double-double.
Lawson owns 11 different games in his career with at least eight points and eight rebounds in the same game, but has yet to record a double-double.
I Am The Law
Junior center Kenny Lawson Jr. had a career-high 18 points as well as six rebounds in Sunday's game against Iona. He has now scored in double-figures in five straight games (tying a career-long streak) and blocked a shot in all six games this season.
Lawson's 60 points over the past five games are his best five-game stretch of his career.
He currently is leading Creighton with 11.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
BCS Bracket Buster
Some of Creighton's most thrilling victories in recent seasons have been against teams from the six major college football BCS Conferences. Head coach Dana Altman is 23-24 at CU against those schools, including a 21-14 mark in the past 12 seasons.
Among CU's victims in that time have been Nebraska (nine times), DePaul (twice), Florida (twice), Iowa (twice), Baylor (twice), Oklahoma State (once), Notre Dame (once), Providence (once), Missouri (once) and Ohio State (once).
Playing With The Lead
Creighton has not trailed in either of its two games played at Qwest Center Omaha this year, leading from wire-to-wire against both Florida A&M and Arkansas-Little Rock.
Creighton has played 102 games at Qwest Center Omaha all-time, never trailing in 21 of those triumphs.
Number Crunching
Creighton has dominated each of the past two home games against Nebraska, especially in the first half. In that time CU has outscored NU 78-31 and led at half by margins of 31-11 (in 2005) and 47-20 (in 2007).
In the Dec. 11, 2005 meeting, Creighton matched its best defensive effort in 20 years by limiting Nebraska to 11 first-half points and forced a Husker-record 31 turnovers while holding NU to 27.4 percent shooting from the floor for the game.
In the Nov. 24, 2007 meeting, Creighton built a 40-13 lead in the opening 15 minutes and led 47-20 at halftime. Creighton made nine three-pointers in the first half while forcing 17 first-half turnovers by the Huskers.
Creighton is 21-0 under Dana Altman when it builds a halftime lead of 20 or more points.
Nebraska Natives
Creighton owns three players from the state of Nebraska; Antoine Young (Bellevue), Josh Jones (Omaha) and Matt Dorwart (Sidney) are in-state products.
Bluejay head coach Dana Altman is also a Nebraska native, having grown up in Wilber, Neb.
Of the 14 players that Nebraska will likely suit up, only walk-on Mike Fox (Beatrice) hails from Nebraska.
Under .500 After Six Games
Creighton's current 2-4 record is its worst six-game start to a season since the 1993-94 club opened 1-5.
Creighton's 1988-89 team started 2-4 but would end up winning the MVC regular-season and MVC Tournament titles, reaching the NCAA Tournament and finishing 20-11.
20 Point Scorers Off The Bench
Creighton has had two individuals score more than 20 points this season, and both did it in a reserve role.
Justin Carter scored a career-high 21 points off the bench in the overtime setback to Michigan on Nov. 26th.
A day later, Ethan Wragge had a career-best 21 points off the bench against Xavier.
Before those two games, Creighton hadn't had a player score 20 points off the bench since Cavel Witter had 25 points against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22, 2008.
Freshman Shooting It Well
True freshman Ethan Wragge has made 17-of-32 shots from three-point range this year, connecting at a 53.1 percent clip from downtown.
The last Creighton player to make 17 or more three-pointers in the first six games of any season was Kyle Korver. Korver started his senior year (2002-03) draining 29-of-52 shots from downtown (55.8 percent) through six games, and would go on to make a school-record 129 treys en route to second-team All-America honors.
Below is the list of the most three-pointers in the first six games of a season since Dana Altman's arrival:
Most 3FG's, First Six Games Of a Year Under Altman
3FG's-3FGA Name, Class Year
29-52 Kyle Korver, Sr. 2002-03
19-41 Kyle Korver, So. 2000-01
18-44 Terrell Taylor, Jr. 2001-02
18-47 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
17-32 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10
16-36 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
15-41 Rodney Buford, Jr. 1997-98
15-49 Kyle Korver, Jr. 2001-02
Keeping It Fresh
The 21 points scored by Ethan Wragge against Xavier were the most by a Bluejay freshman since P'Allen Stinnett had 22 points against Rhode Island on March 18, 2008. Stinnett had four games of 20 or more points as a freshman en route to sweeping MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year honors.
Wragge's 21 points came in just 17 minutes. That made him the first CU player to score more than 20 points in less than 20 minutes since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.
Wragge's five three-pointers against Xavier were the most by a CU freshman since Stinnett had five three-pointers in a season-opening win over DePaul on Nov. 9, 2007.
Game Could Turn Over This Stat
Creighton has been outscored in points off turnovers in all four losses this year, but owned the edge in the same category in both victories.
Rare Losing Streak
Since 2000-01, Creighton has lost consecutive games on just 21 occasions (including the current skid), but this is only the third time that the streak stretched to three or longer.
Creighton's last losing streak of four straight games was Dec. 23, 1999 - Jan. 6, 2000. That Creighton team finished 23-10 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Bock Knocks 'Em Down
True freshman Andrew Bock has made 16-of-17 free throws this season. His 94.1 percent marksmanship from the line ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference.
One of Bock's teammates, Cavel Witter, opened his career with 22 straight makes at the line to establish a school mark (according to available records).
Give Me Four (Or More) From 3
Creighton has made four or more three-pointers in 74 consecutive games, which ranks fifth-longest nationally.
Consecutive Games, 4+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through Dec. 2, 2009)
Rank No. Team Next Game
1. 104 Belmont 12/3
2. 103 Lafayette 12/3
3. 86 Eastern Kentucky 12/3
4. 77 Drake 12/4
5. 74 Creighton 12/6
6. 69 Valparaiso 12/5
Stinnett Nearing 900 Points
Junior guard P'Allen Stinnett is nearing the 900 point milestone, having scored 897 points through the first 73 games of his career.
Among Creighton players in the Dana Altman era, only Rodney Buford (1,278 points) has scored more points through 73 games than Stinnett. The rest of the top five is Kyle Korver (889), Booker Woodfox (853 through his 67 career games) and Johnny Mathies (750).
Below is the list for most points in all games played under Altman.
Most Points, Dana Altman Era (1994-Pres.)
No. Pts. Name, Games Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford (118 games) 1995-99
2. 1,801 Kyle Korver (128 games) 1999-03
3. 1,754 Nate Funk (135 games) 2002-07
4. 1,311 Ryan Sears (124 games) 1997-01
5. 1,238 Ben Walker (124 games) 1997-01
6. 1,152 Dane Watts (130 games) 2004-08
7. 1,031 Johnny Mathies (93 games) 2003-06
8. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver (124 games) 2003-07
9. 979 Terrell Taylor (97 games) 1999-02
10. 897 P'Allen Stinnett (73 games) 2007-10
11. 883 Brody Deren (95 games) 2001-04
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.
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).
Doubling Up From The Start
Darryl Ashford and Ethan Wragge 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.
Ashford's 66 points rank as the fifth-best six-game start in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure, while Wragge's 63 points are the seventh-most. Wragge's total is second-most by a freshman under Altman, trailing only the 73 put up by current Bluejay P'Allen Stinnett in 2007-08.
In case you are wondering, the most points under Altman in a newcomer's first seven games is 81 by Ryan Sears in 1997-98.
Most Points, First Six Games Under Dana Altman
Pts. Name, Class Year
76 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
73 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
71 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96
69 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
66 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10
63 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10
62 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
61 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96
Runnels Rebounds Into History
Junior transfer Wayne Runnels became 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.
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 Nov. 17th.
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, two assists and one turnover in the win over FAMU and two assists and a turnover vs. UALR.
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.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman ranks 11th nationally in Division I wins at his current school with 311. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 4,954 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of Dec. 2nd.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 806-288 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 12/5
2. 766-216 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 12/5
3. 562-206 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 12/6
4. 423-231 Gary Williams, Maryland 12/6
5. 375-323 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 12/5
6. 369-264 Bob Thomason, Pacific 12/5
7. 368-238 Bob McKillop, Davidson 12/3
8. 341-139 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 12/4
9. 317-265 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 12/3
10. 316-126 Billy Donovan, Florida 12/4
11. 311-164 Dana Altman, Creighton 12/6
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.
This year's Creighton team is averaging 15,752 fans per game so far.
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
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,752 Creighton 2009-10
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
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
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 311 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. 311 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 102 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 86-16 (.843) 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 7,564-6,359 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 21 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 212 wins in the decade, as well as nine postseason appearances, as can be seen by the numbers below through games of Dec. 2, 2009:
MVC Standings (2000-01 to Dec. 2, 2009)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 115 47 .710 212 86 .711
Southern Illinois 118 44 .728 205 94 .686
Missouri State 85 77 .525 164 126 .566
Northern Iowa 84 78 .519 161 126 .561
Wichita State 83 79 .512 161 128 .557
Bradley 78 84 .481 160 139 .535
Illinois State 75 87 .463 152 131 .537
Drake 69 93 .426 137 143 .487
Indiana State 50 112 .309 112 170 .394
Evansville 53 109 .327 104 165 .387
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
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 483 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 507 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
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 55 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.
