Men's Basketball Hosts Bradley on Wednesday
2/10/2009 10:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (19-6, 9-4 MVC) looks to ride the momentum of last week's road sweep when it hosts Bradley (13-11, 7-6 MVC) on Wednesday.
The game will tip at 7:35 pm at Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) in Omaha, Neb.
Bradley Braves at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) ? Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: FSN Midwest
Series History: Bradley leads 39-38
Last Meeting: Creighton leads 73-64 on Jan. 10, 2009 in Peoria, Ill.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2008-09 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Nick Bahe will call the action.
Wednesday's game will also air on Sirius satellite radio channel 130.
For all home games, Big Sports 590 afternoon host Matt Perrault will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show. Perrault will also take calls after home games, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday's game will be broadcast regionally as a Missouri Valley Conference “Game of the Week”.
The contest will be shown live at 7:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Kansas City and Metro Sports ? the league's production company which is based in Kansas City, Mo. The telecast will also clear Comcast SportsNet Chicago on tape-delay at 1 a.m. on February 12.
The telecast will be preceded by the Mercy Health Plans Pre-Game Show at 7 p.m. Central, with Mitch Holthus and Charlie Spoonhour serving as co-hosts. The pre-game show will air live on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Kansas City and Metro Sports.
Coordinates for both the pregame show and the game are below:
What: Bradley @ Creighton (MBB)
When: Wednesday, February 11 ? 7:30 p.m. Central
Where: Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) ? Omaha, Neb.
Pre-Game Show Clearances: Live at 7 p.m. Central on February 11 on Fox Sports Midwest (2.9 million homes); Fox Sports Indiana (1.2 million homes) cannot clear due to contractual obligations to the Indiana Pacers; Live at 7 p.m. Central on February 11 on Fox Sports Kansas City (1.6 million homes); Live at 7 p.m. Central on February 11 on Metro Sports in Kansas City, Mo. (500,000 homes); Live at 7 p.m. Central on February 11 on DirecTV Channel 671 and Dish Network Channel 418.
Telecast Clearances: Live at 7:30 p.m. Central on February 11 on Fox Sports Midwest (2.9 million homes); Fox Sports Indiana (1.2 million homes) cannot clear due to contractual obligations to the Indiana Pacers; Live at 7:30 p.m. Central on February 11 on Fox Sports Kansas City (1.6 million homes); Tape-delay at 1 a.m. Central on February 12 on Comcast SportsNet Chicago (4.759 million homes); Live at 7:30 p.m. Central on February 11 on Metro Sports in Kansas City, Mo. (500,000 homes); Live at 7:30 p.m. Central on February 11 on DirecTV Channel 671 and Dish Network Channel 418.
Test Time: 6:30 p.m. Central
Mercy Health Plans Pre-Game Show: 7 p.m. Central
On Air: 7:30 p.m. Central
Tipoff: 7:37 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: AMC 15K, Transponder 07 ? Digital Slot B9
Band: Digital KU
Bandwidth: 9 Megahertz
Parameters: FEC ≤
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
Downlink Frequency: 11835.500 (Vertical)
On-Air Talent: Mitch Holthus, Charlie Spoonhour
Video Webcast Information
Wednesday's game will not be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton home basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Creighton (19-6, 9-4 MVC)
The preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference have won four straight games and 16 of their past 20 games to improve to 19-6 overall, including a 9-4 league mark that places it second in the league standings.
Senior guard Booker Woodfox leads the team with 16.0 points per game. He ranks second nationally in three-point percentage at 48.2 percent among players with 2.5 makes per game or better. His MVC-leading 88.8 percent accuracy rate from the free throw line also ranks 12th nationally.
Also scoring in double-figures is sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett (12.8 ppg., 1.5 spg.). Stinnett is a preseason all-Valley pick after sweeping MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year honors last season.
Senior point guard Josh Dotzler owns an MVC-best 58 steals, while sophomore big man Kenny Lawson Jr. tops The Valley with 39 blocked shots.
Creighton shoots 44.1 percent from the floor, 38.9 percent from three-point territory and is also making 75.7 percent of its shots from the line.
The Bluejays return 10 lettermen and three starters from last year's 22-11 team that made an 11th straight postseason appearance, reaching the second round of the NIT.
Scouting Bradley (13-11, 7-6 MVC)
Bradley is 13-11 on the season, including a 7-6 Missouri Valley Conference mark that places them in a tie for fourth in the league. The Braves started league play 4-0 before a home loss to Creighton has started its current 3-6 slide.
Theron Wilson tops the team in scoring (13.2 ppg.), rebounding (7.1 rpg.) and steals (1.8). Wilson also owns 157 free-throw attempts, where he shoots 70.1 percent.
In addition to Wilson, also scoring in double-figures is guards Dodie Dunson (11.5 ppg.) and Sam Maniscalco (11.1 ppg.).
Bradley shoots 43.3 percent from the floor, 32.0 percent from three-point range and 69.3 percent at the line. The Braves are -0.1 per game on the glass this season.
The Braves are 4-7 on the road this season, including a 3-4 mark in Valley action.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 15th year as head coach of the Bluejays.
He owns a 301-158 (.656) mark at Creighton and a career record of 384-225 (.631) in his 20th year as a NCAA Division I head coach when you add four seasons at Kansas State and one at Marshall. Tack on four years at the junior college level and Altman's overall record as a college head coach is 507-249 (.671).
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his first 23 years as a head coach. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 11 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Nick Bahe is the team's graduate manager.
Jim Les (Bradley, 1986) owns a 118-101 record in his seventh year at his alma mater. Les was named 1986 MVC Player of the Year and played seven seasons in the NBA. He is assisted by Eric Buescher, Alvin Brooks III and Steve Merfeld.
The Series With Bradley
Bradley leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 39-38 margin, but the Jays have won 15 of the past 18 meetings.
The Bluejays lead 22-13 in Omaha all-time, including 10 straight victories.
In the last 26 meetings between the schools, Creighton is 14-1 when holding Bradley to 65 points or less but 4-7 when it allows more than 65 points. Creighton has also won the last 19 meetings when it scores 70 points or more against BU.
Creighton coach Dana Altman is 19-13 all-time against Bradley and 12-3 against Jim Les.
A complete series history against Bradley can be found on page 10 of this release.
Last Game Recap
Creighton held Northern Iowa to a season-low 29 percent shooting while earning a 77-71 road win, snapping the Panthers' school-record 11-game win streak. Justin Carter led CU with 17 points, while Kenny Lawson Jr. finished with 12 points. UNI was paced by 23 points and 12 rebounds from Adam Koch.
All The Small Things
Josh Dotzler scored just 10 points last week, but you'd have a tough time finding a Creighton player that did any better last week.
Dotzler had 10 assists without a turnover while also adding six steals in 53 minutes of work. He also drained a dagger three-pointer with CU up five and 2:52 to play in the win at Northern Iowa.
In the past four games (all CU wins), Dotzler has 16 assists, one turnover and 11 steals in 94 minutes.
Despite being CU's primary ballhandler, Dotzler owns just 13 turnovers in 13 MVC games this season, including 11 league games with zero or one miscue this winter. He's seventh nationally with a 2.93 assist/turnover ratio.
20 Overall Wins x 10 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 10 straight 20-win campaigns. No other school owns more than six straight. A win on Wednesday vs. Bradley would extend that streak to 11 straight seasons.
Creighton is one of seven teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last 10 seasons. That list consists of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State and Syracuse.
10 Conference Wins x 12
Last year Creighton extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 12th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only teams with at least 12 straight years of 10 or more league wins are Stanford (14), Kansas (14) and Creighton (12).
Creighton can extend this streak on Wednesday with a win over Bradley.
Offense vs. Defense
Wednesday's game will feature a Creighton offense that averages a league-best 71.5 points per MVC game against a Bradley team that allows a league-low 61.0 points per conference game this season.
Since March 1, 2008, Creighton has scored 70 or more points in each of its three meetings with Bradley (111, 74 and 73...averaging 86.0 ppg.). However, the Braves other 12 Valley opponents in that time have all been held to 69 points or fewer.
Creighton has won its last 19 meetings when it scores 70 points or more against Bradley.
Attendance Remains Strong
Creighton has attracted 208,565 fans heading into its Feb. 11th home game vs. Bradley, a figure that ranks fourth in the 102-year history of the MVC. The only marks that are higher are the previous three Bluejay seasons.
The Jays are also on pace to set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton is averaging 16,043 fans currently (10th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
208,565 Creighton 2008-09
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
16,043 so far Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
2008-09 Attendance Leaders (Thru 2/9/09)
Rk. School Average Next
1. Kentucky 22.655 2/10
2. North Carolina 20,922 2/18
3. Tennessee 20,783 2/11
4. Syracuse 19,650 2/14
5. Louisville 19,337 2/15
6. Memphis 17,562 2/11
7. Wisconsin 17,230 2/11
8. Maryland 16,790 2/14
9. Kansas 16,363 2/18
10. Creighton 16,043 2/11
11. Arkansas 15,593 2/14
12. Marquette 15,431 2/14
13. Illinois 15,305 2/18
14. Ohio State 14,803 2/22
15. Indiana 13,933 2/15
More Defense
Creighton held Northern Iowa to season-low 29.0 percent field goal shooting on Feb. 8th. It's the 10th time in the past 15 years that Creighton has held a team under 30 percent from the field.
Below is a list of all the teams to shoot less than 30 percent in a game since Dana Altman came to CU 15 years ago.
Poorest FG Pct., Opponents, Under Altman
Pct. Opponent FG-FGA Date CU Result
.233 Indiana State 10-43 03/02/07 W 59-38
.241 Ark.-Pine Bluff 14-58 11/29/06 W 74-39
.266 CS-Sacramento 17-64 12/14/96 W 59-42
.266 Tulsa 17-64 01/17/96 W 72-59
.273 Western Illinois 15-55 11/20/00 W 96-50
.274 Nebraska 17-62 12/11/05 W 70-44
.286 Indiana State 20-70 01/05/95 W 70-63
.289 Missouri State 13-45 01/05/08 W 50-49
.290 Northern Iowa 18-62 02/08/09 W 77-71
.291 George Mason 16-55 11/22/05 W 72-52
Get Carter
Justin Carter is the only player in the MVC to be averaging at least 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and shooting 50 percent or better from the field in league action this season.
Carter has averaged 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in the past six games. In that time, he's made 60 percent of his attempts from the field (27-45), including 50 percent from downtown (5-10).
Everybody Contributes
Creighton's entire roster contributed in a major way on Sunday in the win at UNI.
Creighton used 10 players in the game. All 10 men had at least 11 minutes, four points and a made free throw in the contest.
Braves Bring Out The Best In Witter
Cavel Witter made a huge impact down the stretch of each of the final two games against Bradley last season.
In the 111-110 double-overtime regular-season finale, Witter scored a career-high 42 points, including the team's final 10 points in the second overtime.
In the MVC Tournament quarterfinal rematch six days later, Witter helped CU rally from a one-point deficit by scoring team's final six points in a 74-70 Bluejays victory.
Despite not scoring in the meeting in Peoria, Witter averaged 19 points last season against Bradley, his most vs. any MVC team.
In the first meeting with Bradley this season, Witter scored a team-best 14 points in 24 minutes off the bench. He made 5-of-9 shots.
Witter enters Wednesday with just nine points in the past four games, his lowest four-game stretch of his 58-game career at CU.
Does 20 Wins = Postseason?
Creighton and Illinois State -- both with 19 wins -- enter this week with a chance of reaching 20 victories. Since the NCAA Tournament field was expanded to 64 teams (1985), 62 Valley teams have posted 20 wins prior to "Selection Sunday." All but one reached post-season play (Creighton in 1985 did not).
Record Chasers
A trio of Bluejay guards are moving up on the school's single-season record lists.
Josh Dotzler leads Creighton with 58 steals thus far. That places him 10th in school history. At his current pace of 2.32 steals per game, and at least seven games left, he would finish with 74 this year.
Most Steals, Season
Stl. Name (Class) Year
80 Ryan Sears (Jr.) 1999-00
73 Ryan Sears (Sr.) 2000-01
72 Latrell Wrightsell (Sr.) 1991-92
70 Duan Cole (Sr.) 1991-92
68 Ryan Sears (So.) 1998-99
63 James Farr (Jr.) 1987-88
62 Ryan Sears (Fr.) 1997-98
59 Rodney Buford (Sr.) 1998-99
Johnny Mathies (Jr.) 2004-05
58 Josh Dotzler (Sr.) 2008-09
57 Johnny Mathies (Sr.) 2005-06
Fellow senior Booker Woodfox has made 66 three-point baskets this season, which ranks 11th in single-season Creighton history. At his current pace of 2.75 treys per game, he would finish with 85 trifectas this season.
Most 3-Point Field Goals Made, Season
3FG Name (Class) Year
129 Kyle Korver (Sr.) 2002-03
100 Kyle Korver (So.) 2000-01
82 Tad Ackerman (Jr.) 1994-95
79 Kyle Korver (Jr.) 2001-02
76 Rod Mason (Sr.) 1987-88
69 Duan Cole (Sr.) 1991-92
68 Gary Swain (Sr.) 1986-87
67 Ryan Sears (Jr.) 1999-00
Terrell Taylor (Jr.) 2001-02
Nate Funk (Jr.) 2004-05
66 Booker Woodfox (Sr.) 2008-09
63 Duan Cole (Jr.) 1990-91
Ryan Sears (Fr.) 1997-98
Kyle Korver (Fr.) 1999-00
Both Woodfox and Cavel Witter are also making a dent on the school's free-throw percentage list. Woodfox is third at 88.8 percent, while Witter is tied for eighth at 85.5 percent.
Free Throw Percentage, (Minimum 70 Attempts)
Pct. Name (Class, Year) FTM-FTA
.908 Kyle Korver (Sr., 2002-03) 109-120
.890 Kyle Korver (Jr., 2001-02) 97-109
.888 Booker Woodfox (Sr., 2008-09) 79-89
.882 Doug Brookins (Sr., 1974-75) 98-111
.880 Mike Caruso (Sr., 1970-71) 95-108
.863 Nate Funk (Sr., 2006-07) 126-146
.867 Kyle Korver (So., 2000-01) 72-83
.855 Ryan Sears (So., 1989-99) 71-83
.855 Cavel Witter (Jr., 2008-09) 71-83
.848 Matt Petty (Sr., 1992-93) 95-112
.847 Gene Harmon (Sr., 1973-74) 61-72
.833 Mike Caruso (So., 1968-69) 65-78
Altman Picks Up 300th Win With Jays
With Creighton's 79-68 win last Wednesday at Drake, Dana Altman became just the second coach in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to win 300 games at one school. Altman, who owns a 301-158 mark with the Jays, joins Henry Iba (486 wins at Oklahoma A&M) in that elite group.
Below is a list of some of Altman's milestone wins at Creighton:
W-L Rec. Opponent Date Result
50-55 at Evansville 02/02/98 W 85-76
100-78 Western Illinois 11/20/00 W 96-50
150-95 vs. Notre Dame% 11/26/02 W 80-75
200-109 vs. Ohio State% 11/24/04 W 65-63 (OT)
250-136 Bradley 01/18/07 W 65-64
300-158 at Drake 02/04/09 W 79-68
%Guardians Classic (Kansas City, Mo.)
Wednesday Winners At Home
Creighton has won 29 straight home games played on Wednesday's, including a 16-0 mark at Qwest Center Omaha.
The last team to defeat Creighton in Omaha on a Wednesday was #19 Tulsa on Jan. 12, 2000.
Carter A Past Valley Newcomer of the Week
Junior Justin Carter was last week's (Feb. 2nd) State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week.
Carter helped Creighton to an undefeated week, leading the team with 29 points (14.5 ppg.), 15 rebounds (7.5 rpg.) and six steals (3.0 spg.) in double-digit wins over Indiana State and Missouri State. Carter made 10-of-15 shots from the field (66.7 percent), including 2-of-4 from three-point range (50 percent) while also draining 7-of-9 shots from the line (77.8 percent).
He opened his week with career-highs of 17 points, four steals and two blocked shots while tying his best with eight rebounds in a 73-62 win over Indiana State on Jan. 27. In the Feb. 1 comeback victory over Missouri State, Carter had 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals in a 24-point win after trailing by 10 points early.
Second Half P'layer?
Sophomore P'Allen Stinnett has scored a total of two first half points in the past four games, but has responded in the second half by scoring in double-figures three of those same four games.
Stinnett was 0-for-2 in the first half of the wins over Indiana State and Missouri State, but shot 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) while scoring a combined 25 points in those same games after intermission. He scored 13 points in the final nine minutes of the Jan. 27 win over Indiana State, then scored 12 points in as many minutes on Feb. 1 vs. Missouri State.
Last Wednesday at Drake, Stinnett had two points at half before scoring 15 points after intermission.
He was scoreless in the first half at UNI on Sunday before scoring all five of his points from the line in the final 90 seconds to seal the road win against the Panthers.
Perhaps as a result of Stinnett's improved scoring output, Creighton outscored those foes by three points in the first half but by 49 points in the second half of the past four games.
Stinnett tops the Bluejay team with 13 different halves of 10 points or more this year, but only two contests with 10 or more points in both halves of the same game.
Stinnett Stinnett Opp., Date 1st half pts. 2nd half pts.
Indiana State, 1/27 0 13
Missouri State, 2/1 0 12
Drake, 2/4 2 15
at Northern Iowa, 2/8 0 5
Check The Book's
Booker Woodfox has scored 20 or more points seven times this season, but his 23 points at Drake last Wednesday were the first time over the 20-point barrier in Valley action this season.
Creighton is 9-1 when Woodfox scores 20 or more points in his Bluejay career.
Woodfox also made five three-pointers at Drake, the fifth time this year and seventh time in his career he's done that. Creighton is 6-1 all-time when Woodfox makes at least five treys.
BracketBuster Opponent Named
Creighton will play George Mason on Saturday, Feb. 21st as part of the ESPNU BracketBusters event. The contest will start at 8:30 pm Central and air on ESPNU.
This is the third time in the seven-year history of the BracketBusters event that the Jays will play a late-night game at Qwest Center Omaha. Creighton hosted Fresno State in an 11 pm start in 2006 and Drexel in a 9 pm start in 2007 in previous late-night adventures at Qwest Center Omaha. Both games sold out and set then-records for largest crowds to ever see a basketball game in Nebraska history.
Creighton is 2-0 all-time against the Patriots, having beaten them in both 2005 and 2006.
As required by the event, Creighton will play a return game at George Mason next year.
Biggest Road Wins
Creighton has won three Valley road games by double-digits this season.
Creighton's 79-57 win at Evansville on Jan. 20th ranked as the school's fourth-largest victory margin ever out of 365 Valley road games played. In fact, since 1933, the Jays had only posted one Valley road win by 22 points or more, a 28-point win in 2003 at Indiana State.
The 22-point victory at Evansville matched the largest in the MVC this season by a road team in a conference game, as UNI defeated Drake 81-59 on Jan. 17th.
Below is a list of CU's all-time Valley road wins by 22 points or more:
Largest MVC Road Win Margins, CU History
Score Margin Opponent Date
46-16 +30 at Morningside 2/16/1925
74-46 +28 at Indiana State 1/29/2003
43-17 +26 at Drake 1/15/1932
79-57 +22 at Evansville 1/20/2009
Iowa Road Sweep
Last week Creighton picked up road wins at both Drake and Northern Iowa in the same year for the fourth time in five seasons, and seventh time in the past 12 years. Creighton also accomplished the feat in 1997-98, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
Sunday's win over UNI marked the first time Creighton has beaten the same opponent on the road in five straight seasons since topping Washington (Mo.) five years in a row from 1936-40.
Road Reversal
Creighton has played seven MVC road contests this year, but five of its results have been the opposite of how in did in those road trips last season.
In the six Valley venues Creighton lost in last season, it is 5-1, with a Feb. 14 game vs. Southern Illinois looming.
In the three Valley cities Creighton won in last year, it is 1-1 with a game remaining Feb. 24 at Missouri State.
Opponent 2007-08 2008-09
at Bradley BU 87-59 CU 73-64
at Drake DU 75-65 CU 79-68
at Evansville UE 60-56 CU 79-57
at Illinois State ILS 68-54 ILS 86-64
at Indiana State INS 62-54 CU 79-61
at Missouri State CU 50-49 Feb. 24th
at Northern Iowa CU 68-59 CU 77-71
at Southern Illinois SIU 48-44 Feb. 14th
at Wichita State CU 68-65 WSU 74-61
Paint It Blue
Creighton has outscored its opponents in the paint in each of the past four games, all Bluejay victories.
It marks an incredible turnaround from the previous 11 games in which it never once had a game where it scored more paint points.
Creighton post players Kenton Walker, Justin Carter, Casey Harriman and Kenny Lawson Jr. have combined for 134 points, 77 rebounds and 17 blocks the past four games.
Sunday Sunshine
Creighton has won 13 straight games played on Sunday's, including a 4-0 mark this season.
The streak started with a 70-60 win over Wichita State on March 6, 2005 in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament.
Historically After 12 MVC Games
The last time that Creighton was 8-4 after 12 MVC games was the 2000-01 season, when it closed out the year with six straight wins to claim the Valley title at 14-4.
This is the 14th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of the previous 13 campaigns the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Year W-L After 12 W-L Final 6
2008-09 8-4 1-0 so far
2007-08 7-5 3-3
2006-07 9-3 4-2
2005-06 9-3 3-3
2004-05 6-6 5-1
2003-04 9-3 3-3
2002-03 11-1 4-2
2001-02 10-2 4-2
2000-01 8-4 6-0
1999-00 7-5 4-2
1998-99 7-5 4-2
1997-98 8-4 4-2
1996-97 7-5 3-3
1995-96 6-6 3-3
1994-95 3-9 1-5
Total 115-65 (.639) 52-33 (.612)
Give Me Five (Or More) From 3
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in each of its 25 games this season, tied for the nation's seventh-longest active streak. Lower that threshold to four or more three-pointers and the Bluejay streak would stretch to 58 consecutive games, which ranks ninth nationally.
Consecutive Games, 5+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/9)
Rank No. Team Next Game
1. 48 Portland State 2/12
2. 45 Auburn 2/11
3. 33 VMI 2/14
4. 28 Eastern Kentucky 2/12
5. 27 Hartford 2/11
6. 26 Miami (Fla.) 2/15
7. 25 Creighton 2/11
Consecutive Games, 4+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/9)
Rank No. Team Next Game
1. 89 Lafayette 2/11
2. 87 Belmont 2/12
87 Davidson 2/12
4. 73 Eastern Kentucky 2/12
5. 67 Liberty 2/14
6. 63 Drake 2/11
63 Michigan 2/10
8. 62 Portland State 2/12
9. 58 Creighton 2/11
10. 56 Valparaiso 2/13
56 Utah Valley 2/12
Woodfox From Distance
Booker Woodfox has made a three-pointer in 21 straight games, a streak that began on Nov. 25, 2008 at UALR.
Kyle Korver is the last Creighton player with a streak of 21 or longer, as he had separate streaks of 28 (Feb. 7, 2001 to Feb. 6, 2002) and 27 (Feb. 13, 2002 to Jan. 20, 2003) consecutive games with a three-pointer. Korver finished his All-American career tied for sixth in NCAA history with 371 career three-pointers.
Woodfox's streak is the longest active streak in the MVC and 20th-longest nationally according to STATS Inc.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Individuals
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/9)
Rank No. Name, Team Next Game
1. 53 Roge'r Guignard, UT-Arlington 2/11
2. 40 Austin Kenon, VMI 2/14
3. 35 Josh Akognon, Cal St Fullerton 2/12
4. 33 Craig Moore, Northwestern 2/12
5. 28 Tyrone Lewis, Niagara 2/12
28 LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor 2/11
7. 27 Ryan Schneider, Marist 2/12
8. 26 Jack McClinton, Miami Fla. 2/15
26 Jimmy Baron, Rhode Island 2/11
10. 25 Ryan Wittman, Cornell 2/13
25 Matthew Dotson, Belmont 2/12
25 Chase Adams, Centenary 2/12
25 Jamarco Warren, Charleston So. 2/14
14. 24 Jodie Meeks, Kentucky 2/10
15. 23 Adam Teague, Navy 2/11
23 Sean Ogirri, Wyoming 2/14
23 Robert Vaden, UAB 2/14
23 David Holston, Chicago State 2/14
19. 22 Jared Stohl, Portland 2/12
20. 21 Booker Woodfox, Creighton 2/11
21 T.J. Campbell, Portland 2/12
22. 20 Grayson Flittner, Gardner-Webb 2/11
20 Nick Calathes, Florida 2/10
Streak Busters
Northern Iowa had won a school-record 11 straight games before Creighton beat the Panthers on Sunday in Cedar Falls. The last time Creighton had snapped a win streak of 11 games or longer was March 4, 2007, when it ended Southern Illinois 13-game streak in the MVC Tournament finals.
Walk(er) This Way
Sophomore center Kenton Walker put together the best offensive game of his career in the Feb. 1 victory over Missouri State.
After missing his first two attempts, Walker hit seven of his last eight shots from the field en route to scoring a career-high 15 points.
Walker added five rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot in 21 minutes of floor time against the Bears.
Walker is averaging 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game in 13.8 minutes per contest. He shoots 50.6 percent from the floor, second-best on the team.
Room To Board
The rebound differential between Creighton and its opponent has stood at 10 or larger in 15 of the 25 games to date.
The Jays have won the boards by 10 or more five times (going 4-1), but lost on the glass by double-digits on 10 occasions (going 6-4).
In the 10 games that the rebound discrepancy has been a single-digit, CU is 9-1.
Creighton is 11-1 when winning the rebound battle this year. Wednesday's opponent, Bradley, is 8-4 when winning the rebounding battle.
According to research from sports information intern Rob Beuerlein on February 9th, Creighton's -3.2 rebound margin ranked second-worst among teams nationally with 18 or more wins. VMI (-11.0) was the only other school with 18 wins or more and a rebounding margin worse than -2.1.
Road The Key To Success
College basketball is one of the ultimate home-court sports, as roughly two-thirds of all games are traditionally won by the host school. Creighton's postseason destination often seems to revolve around its success, or lack thereof, while playing on the road.
Consider the following evidence:
-Currently 5-2 on the MVC road, Creighton has now won three or more Valley road contests in 14 straight seasons.
-Since 2000-01, Creighton has gone to the NCAA Tournament all five times it has won five or more league road games, but visited the NIT each occasion it has earned four or fewer Valley road victories.
-Since 1977-78 (when Creighton rejoined the MVC) it has had five or more road wins nine times. Eight of those nine teams reached the NCAA's while the other reached the NIT. Of the 22 teams with four or less Valley road wins, three reached the NCAA's, four reached the NIT and 15 did not make the postseason.
-Additionally, Creighton currently has eight wins away from home (six road, two neutral). Each of the past eight times it has had seven or more wins away from home (road + neutral), the Jays have made the NCAA Tournament.
Jays Reach 10 Home Wins, Again
The Feb. 27 win over Indiana State was Creighton's 10th home win this season. Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 13 straight seasons, setting a school-record.
Creighton previously won 10 or more home games in 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign.
Carter Carries Jays
Junior Justin Carter had one of his best all-around games on Jan. 27th in Creighton's victory over Indiana State.
Carter had career-highs with 17 points, four steals and two blocked shots. He also tied his previous best with eight rebounds.
Carter has taken over the team lead with 127 rebounds and ranks third with 45 assists while playing the power forward position.
Carter has started each of his first 25 games at Creighton. The last player that could say that was Ryan Sears, who started all 28 games as a freshman in 1997-98. Sears would go on to start all 124 games of his Bluejay career.
Consec. Starts To Open CU Career, Last 15 Years
Starts Name Years
124 Ryan Sears 1997-2001
59 Edward St. Fleur 1995-1997
42 Tad Ackerman 1994-1996
25 Justin Carter 2008-Present
Ball Control
Creighton point guards Josh Dotzler, Antoine Young and Cavel Witter have done an admirable job of taking care of the ball in the past five games, combining for just six turnovers in that span.
Most recently in the win at UNI, Young had the only turnover of the trio in a combined 53 minutes.
Against Drake last Wednesday, Young and Witter each had one turnover while Dotzler had none in a combined 50 minutes.
Against Missouri State on Feb. 1st, Dotzler and Young both had one turnover, giving the CU backcourt trio a combined two turnovers in 55 minutes.
The trio combined for seven assists in 60 minutes of action without a turnover in the win over Indiana State on Jan. 27th. One game earlier against Drake on Jan. 24th, Dotzler had the trio's lone turnover in 55 combined minutes.
7-Up
Creighton went 7-for-7 from the field in the final seven minutes of its Jan. 27 win over Indiana State, getting four baskets from P'Allen Stinnett and one each from Booker Woodfox, Antoine Young and Kenton Walker.
Creighton has shot 82-for-152 in the final seven minutes of regulation in its 19 wins this season, good for 53.9 percent. That figure includes Stinnett shooting 19-of-21 from two-point range (90.5 percent), and the team shooting 27-of-65 (41.5 percent) from three-point range in that time range.
On the other hand in the final seven minutes of its six losses, Creighton is 16-of-54 from the field (29.6 percent) and 5-of-26 from three-point range (19.2 percent). Stinnett is 0-for-9 from the field in the last seven minutes of CU's six losses this season.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 301 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 167 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 will be entering the MVC Hall of Fame this March in conjunction with Arch Madness.
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 167 Dana Altman Creighton
3. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
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. 301 Dana Altman Creighton
Over .500 Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 27 straight trips through the league, including the first half this year.
Creighton's 27 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, far ahead of Illinois State (3), Drake (3), Northern Iowa (2) and Bradley (2).
Here's how Dana Altman's clubs have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since his arrival:
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2008-09 5-4 4-0 so far
2007-08 5-4 5-4
2006-07 6-3 7-2
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
1994-95 3-6 1-8
Total 84-51 (.622) 83-47 (.638)
Second Half Turnaround?
Creighton fans are hoping this season turns around like the 2000-01 campaign did. That season, like this one, saw the preseason favorite Bluejays drop to 5-4 at the midway point after a loss on Jan. 24th.
The 2000-01 team would post a win on Jan. 27th to start an 11-game win streak that helped carry the team to the MVC regular-season title and eventual at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton has currently won four straight games, entering Wednesday's contest vs. Bradley.
Home Cooking
Creighton is 41-10 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.804), compared to a 26-26 (.500) road record in the MVC during that stretch.
Only five MVC visiting schools (DU, ILS, MSU, UNI, SIU) have ever won a game in the six-year old Qwest Center Omaha. In fact, four Valley schools have not won a game in Omaha since the decade started.
Below is a look at Creighton's current home winning streaks over current league foes:
Opponent CU Streak Last Opp. Win in Omaha
Bradley Won 10 1/17/98
Drake Lost 2 1/24/09
Evansville Won 9 1/04/99
Illinois State Lost 1 12/29/07
Indiana State Won 10 1/04/99
Missouri State Won 4 2/05/05
Northern Iowa Lost 1 1/6/09
So. Illinois Won 2 1/20/07
Wichita State Won 16 2/22/92
Lawson's Blocks Way Towards The Top
Sophomore center Kenny Lawson Jr. owns a league-high 39 blocked shots. Lawson has a blocked shot in 22 of CU's 25 contests this season. Lawson owns 67 career blocked shots, moving him into 10th on CU's all-time list.
Most Blocked Shots, CU History, Since 1979-80
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
79 Adam Reid 1994-97
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
75 Jeffrey Day 2004-06
67 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
59 Rodney Buford 1995-99
Blocking Bookends
Sophomore post men Kenny Lawson Jr. and Kenton Walker are both among the MVC leaders in blocked shots, albeit in two different categories.
Lawson's 39 blocked shots for the season are four more than his closest competition, Bradley's David Collins.
Walker owns the Valley lead in conference play with 19 blocks, two more than Collins and Lawson.
Creighton's last player to lead the league in blocked shots for an entire season is Brody Deren, who had 56 swats during the 2002-03 season when he was also a sophomore.
Big Shot Booker Strikes Again
Creighton's Booker Woodfox drained a go-ahead three-pointer with 21.4 seconds left in overtime against Southern Illinois on Jan. 14th. It was the second time in as many seasons that Woodfox hit a go-ahead three-pointer in the final 30 seconds of a one-point win, as he hit a game-winner to beat Oral Roberts with 26.5 seconds left last season.
Fellow teammate P'Allen Stinnett hit five different shots on Jan. 14th that gave CU the lead against Southern Illinois and now has 14 go-ahead baskets this year, five behind Kenny Lawson Jr.'s team-best 19.
Below is a list of Creighton's baskets that gave them a lead this season, as well as baskets that gave the team the lead for good.
Gave CU Lead Got Lead Last
Name Lead For Good 2 Minutes
Kenny Lawson Jr. 19 4 0
Booker Woodfox 16 6 1
P'Allen Stinnett 14 5 1
Justin Carter 7 2 0
Antoine Young 6 0 0
Kaleb Korver 5 1 0
Chad Millard 3 1 0
Cavel Witter 3 0 0
Kenton Walker 3 0 0
Casey Harriman 2 0 0
Josh Dotzler 1 0 1
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 202 wins in the decade.
MVC Standings (2000-01 to 2/6/09)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 110 47 .701 202 80 .716
Southern Illinois 116 41 .739 200 88 .694
Missouri State 85 72 .541 156 120 .565
Northern Iowa 81 76 .516 150 121 .554
Wichita State 80 77 .510 150 123 .549
Illinois State 72 85 .459 141 126 .528
Bradley 75 82 .478 146 133 .523
Drake 68 89 .433 133 132 .502
Evansville 52 105 .331 99 157 .387
Indiana State 46 111 .293 101 166 .378
Let's Start With Dotzler
Josh Dotzler has started each of Creighton's last 59 games, winning 41 of those starts. The streak dates back to the final contest of the 2006-07 campaign and is the longest active string in the Missouri Valley Conference.
For his career, Dotzler has made 86 starts, with CU winning 59 of them (68.6 percent).
Toe The Line
Creighton has shot the ball well from the free-throw line, moving up to 10th nationally with its 75.7 percent rate from the charity stripe. That's even more impressive when you consider CU's 424 free throw makes are also 17th nationally.
Creighton, Loyola (Md.) and Kentucky are the only teams in the country to rank in the top-17 in both free-throw makes and free-throw percentage.
Most Free Throw Makes, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. Wyoming 23 479 650 .737
2. Vermont 25 473 657 .720
3. Niagara 25 454 623 .729
4. UTEP 22 450 626 .719
North Carolina 23 450 601 .749
6. Florida Gulf Coast 27 446 636 .701
7. North Texas 23 445 626 .711
8. Marquette 23 443 626 .708
Chattanooga 25 443 680 .651
10. Oklahoma 24 442 652 .678
Washington 23 442 640 .691
12. Connecticut 23 436 625 .698
13. VMI 24 428 575 .744
14. Xavier 23 427 633 .675
15. Kentucky 23 426 538 .792
16. Loyola (Md.) 26 425 563 .755
17. Creighton 25 424 560 .757
Best Free Throw Percentage, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. Southern Utah 23 386 483 .799
2. UC Davis 23 374 470 .796
3. Kentucky 23 426 538 .792
4. Green Bay 25 413 522 .791
5. Utah 23 372 477 .780
6. Washington State 23 231 298 .775
7. Maryland 23 315 410 .768
8. Michigan 24 299 390 .767
9. Utah Valley 20 322 423 .761
10. Creighton 25 424 560 .757
11. Drake 25 391 517 .756
12. Loyola (Md.) 25 418 553 .756
13. James Madison 25 389 516 .754
14. Northern Iowa 24 367 488 .752
15. Lafayette 23 330 439 .752
16. Virginia 19 293 391 .749
Iowa 24 293 391 .749
One of Four
Creighton ranks 11th nationally with 208 three-pointers made and is 20th with its 38.9 percent marksmanship from three-point territory.
On a national basis, the only other schools to be in the top-20 of both categories is Oklahoma State, Eastern Kentucky and Green Bay.
Most 3-Point Field Goal Makes, Nationally
Rank Team GP 3FG 3FGA 3Pct.
1. VMI 23 315 842 .374
2. Eastern Kentucky 24 248 633 .392
3. Davidson 24 233 627 .372
4. Liberty 25 229 649 .353
Portland State 24 229 615 .372
6. Troy 25 221 602 .367
7. Belmont 22 219 612 .358
8. Oklahoma State 22 218 552 .395
9. UNC-Wilmington 25 217 629 .345
10. Boston 23 209 567 .369
11. Creighton 25 208 535 .389
12. Michigan 24 207 637 .325
Illinois State 24 207 546 .379
14. St. Francis (NY) 23 204 565 .361
Butler 23 204 548 .372
16. Drake 25 203 571 .356
17. Iowa 24 202 529 .382
18. Green Bay 25 201 497 .404
19. Chattanooga 24 200 583 .343
Baylor 23 200 523 .382
Best 3-Point Field Goal Percentage, Nationally
Rank Team GP 3FG 3FGA 3Pct.
1. California 24 152 333 .456
2. North Dakota State 23 172 408 .422
3. IPFW 24 157 385 .408
4. Portland 23 185 455 .407
5. Green Bay 25 201 497 .404
6. New Mexico State 24 160 397 .403
7. Xavier 23 154 384 .401
8. Robert Morris 25 168 420 .400
9. Cornell 22 171 429 .399
10. Western Illinois 24 132 332 .398
11. Notre Dame 22 197 496 .397
12. UCLA 23 172 435 .395
13. Oklahoma State 22 218 552 .395
14. Northern Colorado 25 174 442 .394
15. Eastern Kentucky 24 248 633 .392
16. Northwestern 21 175 447 .391
17. South Carolina 22 153 391 .391
18. Rhode Island 24 152 389 .391
19. Austin Peay 24 178 456 .390
20. Creighton 25 208 535 .389
Cardiac Kids
Creighton's win over Southern Illinois on Jan. 14th marked the seventh time in the past two seasons that Creighton won in which it trailed or had been tied at some point in the final minute, but first time this season.
Five of those seven wins came at home, and three of the games featured a go-ahead three-pointer in the final 30 seconds.
Margin Opponent Date
-5 Bradley 3/1/08
-4 Saint Joseph's 12/9/07
-4 Southern Illinois 1/14/09
-3 Rhode Island 3/18/08
-2 at Oral Roberts 2/23/08
-1 Wichita State 2/2/08
Tie at Missouri State 1/5/08
Step Right Up Young Man
Antoine Young scored 27 points in his first 16 games with Creighton, but has since exploded to score 73 points over the past nine games.
That includes 13 points at Bradley and 12 points against both Indiana State and Wichita State.
Young delivered the best game of his fledgling career on Jan. 10th at Bradley. Young had a career-best 13 points while adding two assists and a team-high two steals in 21 minutes.
Young, who had entered the contest 0-for-11 from three-point range, also went 2-for-2 from downtown in the victory.
Fish Gets Call From Hall
Creighton University assistant coach Brian Fish has been named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team. He and 16 other former Indiana high school basketball standouts will be honored at a dinner on March 25 in Indianapolis.
Fish will be the just the seventh graduate in Seymour High School history to be honored. To qualify for the honor, a player must have graduated high school 25 years ago.
Fish still holds Seymour career records for charges taken (42), free throws made (390) and free throws attempted, ranks second with 1,400 points and is fourth with 128 steals, 505 field goals made and 1,112 field goals attempted.
Altman Records 500th Win
Creighton head coach Dana Altman picked up his 500th win as a college head coach at all levels on New Year's Eve against Indiana State.
Altman owns a career record of 507-249 in 24 years as a head coach at the Division I and junior college levels. Altman owns 29 wins at Southeast Junior College (1982-83), 94 wins at Moberly Junior College (1983-86), 15 wins at Marshall (1989-90), 68 wins at Kansas State (1990-94) and 301 victories at Creighton (1994-Present).
Comparison To Past Years After 25 Games
Below is a comparison after 25 games of this year's team to that of last year's team, as well as the memorable 2002-03 squad that finished 29-5, and the 2000-01 team that also started 19-6 but would win the MVC regular-season title, with season-bests in bold:
Statistic 2008-09 2007-08 2002-03 2000-01
W-L Record 19-6 17-8 22-3 19-6
MVC W-L 9-4 8-7 12-2 11-4
FG% .442 .453 .514 .442
3FG% .389 .378 .407 .359
3FG/Game 8.3 8.3 8.7 7.7
FT% .757 .717 .686 .696
Reb. Margin -3.2 +2.8 +1.4 +1.3
Assists 349 371 440 385
Turnovers 318 372 343 341
Blocks 98 83 110 90
Steals 204 201 227 238
PPG Scored 74.1 70.9 82.1 73.2
PPG Allowed 64.8 62.7 65.4 63.5
Woodfox Automatic At The Line Too
Not only has Booker Woodfox been lights-out from the field, but it's carried over to the free-throw line. Despite one of the nation's most unique pre-shot rituals, Woodfox drained a Creighton-record 36 straight free throws from Dec. 6-Jan. 3rd.
The 36 straight makes is four more than the previous Creighton record set by Michael Lindeman. The streak was seventh-longest in MVC history, and the longest in five years by a league player not named Blake Ahearn (Ahearn holds six of the 12 best streaks in MVC history).
For the season, Woodfox leads the MVC with 88.8 percent marksmanship from the line (79-89), which is 12th-best nationally.
Most Consecutive Free Throws Made, MVC History
60 Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/20/03 - 2/14/04)
60 Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/19/04 - 2/28/05)
57 Vince Greene, ILS (1/18/04 - 11/30/04)
51 Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/15/05 - 1/29/06)
48 Marcus Wilson, Evansville (12/1/96 - 2/2/97)
44 James Gillingham, BU (2/8/03 - 2/25/03)
36 Booker Woodfox, CU (12/6/08 - 1/6/09)
35 Aaron Zobrist, Bradley (12/27/96 - 1/27/97)
34 Blake Ahearn, MSU (12/22/06 - 1/24/07)
32 Michael Lindeman, CU (1/23/03 - 12/3/03)
32 Blake Ahearn, MSU (11/17/03 - 12/20/03)
32 Josh Young, DU (11/19/08 - 12/12/08)
P For 3
Sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett drained a three-pointer on the first possession of both halves, as well as a double-clutch banked trey at the first-half buzzer, en route to shooting 6-of-8 from three-point range at Indiana State on Dec. 31. The six three-pointers was a career-high for Stinnett, who opened his career with five three-pointers in the second half of a 2007 win over DePaul.
Stinnett is one of seven players on the current roster who have made three or more three-pointers in a game during their Bluejay career.
Nine-Game Win Streak Ended
Creighton had its longest win streak in nearly five years end when its nine-game win streak was snapped on Jan. 3rd at Illinois State.
The Bluejays have had at least one five-game win streak in 12 straight seasons, and 19 such streaks overall in the 15-year tenure of Dana Altman. Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 14 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest win streaks under Dana Altman.
Creighton's Longest Win Streaks Under Dana Altman
W's Dates Postseason?
12 Nov. 22, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004 NIT
11 Jan. 27-March 3, 2001 NCAA
10 Nov. 17-Dec. 29, 2002 NCAA
9 Jan. 21-Feb. 16, 1998 NIT
9 Nov. 22-Dec. 21, 1999 NCAA
9 Dec. 2-31, 2008 ? ? ?
A Perfect December
Creighton went 9-0 in December, closing out a perfect month with a Dec. 31 win at Indiana State. This marks Creighton's first-ever unbeaten month when playing nine games or more. Creighton's last previous undefeated December came in 2003-04, when the team went 7-0.
They Hit How Many?
Creighton drained 15-of-24 three-point attempts in its road win at Indiana State on Dec. 31st. The 15 three-pointers were tied for third-most ever, and the most by the Jays since they set a school and MVC record with a 20-of-30 display from downtown in a Feb. 19, 2005 win over Chattanooga.
Among games that Creighton has made 10 or more three-pointers all-time, Creighton's 62.5 percent shooting behind the arc was fourth-best in history, and its best since the 20-for-30 (66.7 percent) against Chattanooga.
Creighton is 20-0 all-time under Dana Altman when making 10 or more three-pointers and 54 percent or better of those attempts from downtown.
Creighton has made 10 three-pointers or more eight times this season, making at least 40 percent of its tries in seven of those contests.
Heating Up December
Booker Woodfox was red-hot from the field in the nine games played in December. Woodfox scored 180 points in 219 minutes in nine December games, all Bluejay wins. Woodfox shot 58-for-99 from the floor in that time (58.6 percent), including 35-of-60 (58.3 percent) from three-point land. Woodfox also hit 29-of-31 free throws (93.5 percent) in December.
Leading Scorer, Again
Booker Woodfox led Creighton in scoring during seven straight games from Dec. 6-28, averaging 21.3 points per game in that time. In Dana Altman's 15-year tenure, Creighton's only longer streak was by Rodney Buford, who twice had eight straight games.
Consec. Games as Leading Scorer, Under Altman
Games Name Dates
8 Rodney Buford Jan. 27-Feb. 17, 1997
8 Rodney Buford Feb. 23-Dec. 2, 1998
7 Rodney Buford Jan. 2-20, 1997
7 Booker Woodfox Dec. 6-28, 2008
What A Year!
Booker Woodfox showed his shooting proficiency during the entire calendar year of 2008. His accuracy from the field, three-point line and free-throw line all jumped by 12 percent or more, while his scoring average has jumped 8.7 points per game when compared to his 2007 figures.
Below is a comparison of his first 11 games from last year (the year 2007), compared to his games since the calendar turned to 2008 and now 2009.
Statistic 2007 2008 2009
Games 11 36 10
FG-FGA 19-56 167-338 43-106
FG% .339 .494 .406
3FG-3FGA 12-33 88-182 22-54
3FG% .364 .484 .407
FT-FTA 8-12 83-99 29-34
FT% .667 .838 .853
Rebounds 17 103 13
Rebounds Per Game 1.5 2.9 1.3
Assists 12 50 10
Turnovers 11 34 10
Points 58 505 137
Points Per Game 5.3 14.0 13.7
Book It!
Booker Woodfox is 66-of-137 (48.2 percent) from three-point range this season, second-best nationally.
For his career, he is 122-of-269, which computes to 45.4 percent, just ahead of the school-record figure achieved by noted marksman Kyle Korver. The only previous player in CU history to shoot better than 44.2 percent from three-point range in their career was two-time MVC Player of the Year Korver, who made 45.3 percent from downtown while hitting 371-of-819 from long-range.
Woodfox's 65 three-point baskets this season are tied for 34th-most nationally.
Creighton's 3-Point Percentage Leaders, Career
(Minimum 100 Attempts)
Pct. Name, Years 3FGM-FGA
.4535 Booker Woodfox, 2007-Present 122-269
.4530 Kyle Korver, 1999-03 371-819
.4415 Rod Mason, 1986-88 132-299
.4404 Nerijus Karlikanovas, 1998-00 48-109
.4306 Michael Lindeman, 2000-04 62-144
.4293 Duan Cole, 1987-92 176-410
.4065 Nate Funk, 2002-07 200-492
.4053 Matt West, 1996-00 92-227
.4051 Matt Petty, 1989-93 143-353
.4019 Casey Harriman, 2007-Present 43-107
.4017 Darin Plautz, 1989-91 94-234
Heavy Lumber For Woodfox
Booker Woodfox had a career-high in several categories during CU's 69-58 win at Saint Joseph's on Dec. 6. Woodfox had career-highs with 29 points, nine field goals and seven three-pointers while also matching his previous best with seven rebounds.
The seven three-pointers by Woodfox were the most by a Creighton player since Nate Funk made seven trifectas at Nebraska on Nov. 18, 2006.
Additionally, he was the first player in Creighton history to make at least seven three-pointers while shooting 75 percent or better from behind the arc in the same game. Below is a list of Creighton players to make seven treys in a game.
Creighton's Most 3-Pointers Made, Single-Game
3FG-A Name, Opponent Date
9-14 Kyle Korver vs. Evansville 01/15/03
8-13 Tad Ackerman at Drake 01/23/95
8-15 Terrell Taylor vs. Florida 03/15/02
8-13 Kyle Korver at Xavier 12/31/02
7-12 Gary Swain vs. Nebraska-Omaha 12/11/86
7-10 Ryan Sears vs. Wyoming 12/06/97
7-11 Kyle Korver vs. Notre Dame 11/26/02
7-15 Kyle Korver vs. Fresno State 02/22/03
7-11 Nate Funk at Nebraska 11/18/06
7-9 Booker Woodfox at Saint Joseph's 12/06/08
Postseason x 11
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 11 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It is one more than the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 11 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Creighton, which also boasts a men's soccer team with 17 straight NCAA appearances, is the nation's only school with 11 straight postseason appearances in both men's basketball and men's soccer.
MVC Preseason Poll
For the second time in three years, Creighton has been picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in a preseason poll of coaches, beat writers, SID's and play-by-play men.
Creighton was picked first on 36 of the 39 ballots to earn 386 of a possible 390 points. Last year's favorite, Southern Illinois, earned two first-place votes and totaled 322 points for second place, just ahead of Illinois State, which garnered 309 points and the lone remaining first-place vote. Rounding out the rest of the poll was Drake (274), Bradley (219), UNI (186), Indiana State (137), Evansville (122), Wichita State (105) and Missouri State (85).
The preseason all-MVC team is headlined by preseason player of the year Osiris Eldridge (Illinois State). Joining Eldridge on the first team are P'Allen Stinnett (Creighton), Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois) and the Drake tandem of Jonathan Cox and Josh Young. Honorable-mention picks include the Bradley pair of Theron Wilson and Andrew Warren, as well as the Evansville duo of Shy Ely and Jason Holsinger.
Steal Leader
KenPom.com, a college basketball website dedicated to statistics, ranks Creighton guard Josh Dotzler among its best defenders. The site calculates that Dotzler earns a steal on 6.3 percent of all defensive possessions that he's in the game for, the nation's second-best rate.
The same website ranks Booker Woodfox 23rd in offensive rating, a calculation of a player's offensive efficiency from two-point range, three-point range and the free-throw line, as well as scarcity of turnovers per minute played.
Crowds Increase For League Action
Compared to its non-conference crowds, Creighton's attendance has increased in MVC action each of the previous eight years:
Creighton's Yearly Home Attendance
Year Non-MVC Games MVC Games Change
2000-01 7,132 7,268 +2%
2001-02 6,333 6,800 +7%
2002-03 7,401 8,996 +22%
2003-04 11,467 12,443 +9%
2004-05 9,926 12,207 +23%
2005-06 13,404 14,343 +7%
2006-07 15,471 16,153 +4%
2007-08 14,544 16,122 +10%
2008-09 15,844 so far 16,277 so far +2.7%
Statistical Leaders, Nationally
Through games of Feb. 8th, Booker Woodfox ranked second in three-point field goal percentage (48.2%), 12th in free-throw percentage (88.8%) and 54th in three-pointers per game (2.8). Josh Dotzler ranks seventh with a 2.93 assist/turnover ratio and 26th with 2.3 steals per game. Cavel Witter's 85.5 percent free-throw percentage ranked 38th.
As a team, Creighton is ranked ninth in free-throw percentage (75.7), 17th in turnover margin (+3.9), 19th in three-point field-goal percentage (38.9) and 24th in three-point field goals per game (8.3).
Dotzler Top 10 in Assists & Steals
After seven previous games with exactly five steals in his career, Josh Dotzler had a career-best six steals on Dec. 13 against Northern Colorado. Creighton turned all six of those steals into points, scoring 13 points on its ensuing possessions.
Dotzler's 184 career steals ranks him for fourth in CU history. Dotzler's 346 career assists places him seventh in Creighton history, just ahead of current Indiana State coach Kevin McKenna from his playing days at CU.
Dotzler is one of four players in CU history with more than 150 steals and 300 career assists, joining Ryan Sears, Duan Cole and Latrell Wrightsell.
Steals (Since 1979-80)
Stl. Name Years
283 Ryan Sears 1997-01
195 Rodney Buford 1995-99
186 Duan Cole 1987-92
184 Josh Dotzler 2005-Pres.
172 Kyle Korver 1999-03
Assists (Since 1970-71)
Ast. Name Years
570 Ryan Sears 1997-01
549 Ralph Bobik 1971-74
458 Randy Eccker 1974-78
430 Tyler McKinney 2001-05
418 Vernon Moore 1981-85
382 Duan Cole 1987-92
346 Josh Dotzler 2005-Pres.
332 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has three players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include senior Dustin Sitzmann (LeMars) and sophomores Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver and Pierce Hibma (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 467 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Big Blue Wave
Eleven different players are averaging 11.6 minutes per game or more this season for Creighton, with no player seeing more than 25.8 minutes per game.
Creighton has had at least 10 players average 10.7 minutes per game or more in each of previous three seasons, as well.
Creighton has not used anyone for more than 32 minutes in any regulation-length game this year. By comparison, eight individuals throughout the MVC average 32 minutes per game or more.
Trio Reaches 500 Points in Year Two
Sophomore P'Allen Stinnett became the 12th player to score 500 or more points in their first two seasons at Creighton under Dana Altman.
However, the only one to do it in fewer than the 40 games Stinnett needed is CU's all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, who needed just 35 games.
Senior guard Booker Woodfox reached 500 career points in his 44th game on Dec. 22 against Fresno State, tied for third-quickest in the Altman era.
Junior guard Cavel Witter scored his 500th career point on Jan. 20th at Evansville, which was his 53rd career game.
500+Points In First 2 Years Under Dana Altman
Name Games to 500 pts. Date
Rodney Buford 35 12/7/96 vs. UNI
P'Allen Stinnett 40 12/10/08 vs. Dayton
Doug Swenson 44 1/20/99 at Evansville
Booker Woodfox 44 12/22/08 vs. Fresno St.
Kyle Korver 48 1/11/01 vs. Indiana St.
Tad Ackerman 48 2/8/96 at So. Illinois
Edward St. Fleur 49 1/30/97 at Missouri St.
Ryan Sears 51 2/14/99 at Illinois St.
Cavel Witter 53 1/20/09 at Evansville
Nick Porter 54 2/7/07 vs. Evansville
Johnny Mathies 55 2/16/05 at Wichita St.
Brody Deren 56 2/12/03 vs. Missouri St.
Terrell Taylor 59 2/17/01 vs. Wyoming
Larry House 59 2/22/03 vs. Fresno St.
Korver Adds Spark Off The Bench
Sophomore Kaleb Korver has made 27-of-51 three-point shots in his past 19 games off the bench, an impressive 52.9 percent.
Korver has not made a two-point basket since Jan. 2, 2008, and each of his last 41 field goals have been worth three points.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 491 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993 when Rick Johnson was coach.
The Charge Chart
Creighton took 62 charges last season, with Casey Harriman and Dane Watts sharing the team lead with 17 charges taken. Over the previous six seasons, the Bluejays have averaged 48.7 per year.
So far this season, Creighton has taken 37 charges in 25 games.
Below is a list of the Creighton players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season:
Name 2002-07 ?07-08 ?08-09 Total
Casey Harriman n/a 17 7 24
Josh Dotzler 4 5 6 15
Justin Carter n/a n/a 6 6
Chad Millard n/a 7 4 11
P'Allen Stinnett n/a 5 3 8
Kenny Lawson Jr. 0 2 3 5
Kaleb Korver n/a 0 3 3
Kenton Walker n/a 3 2 5
Antoine Young n/a n/a 2 2
Booker Woodfox n/a 2 1 3
Cavel Witter n/a 3 0 3
Dustin Sitzmann 0 1 0 1
Former Players 226 17 n/a 243
Total 230 62 37 329
What's Your Twenty?
This was the 12th straight year that Creighton has won at least 13 of its first 20 games. Each of the previous 11 seasons it has done that, it reached the postseason. Here's a look at Creighton's record after 20 games in the 15 seasons under Dana Altman.
Creighton -- First 20 Games Under Dana Altman
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2008-09 15-5 ? ? ? ? ? ?
2007-08 14-6 22-11 NIT
2006-07 13-7 22-11 NCAA
2005-06 15-5 20-10 NIT
2004-05 13-7 23-11 NCAA
2003-04 17-3 20-9 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
1994-95 6-14 7-19 ---
Walker Nabs Double-Double
Sophomore center Kenton Walker became the only current member of the Creighton team to record a double-double, when he recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench against Mississippi Valley State on December 2nd.
Walker's 10 points tied for the second-highest scoring output of his young career, while his 10 rebounds were one more of his previous career-best.
Woodfox Was MVC Player of the Week #2
Senior guard Booker Woodfox was named State Farm MVC Player of the Week on Dec. 29 after averaging 22 points in three wins. He was 21-34 from the floor (61.8 percent), 11-19 from three-point range (57.9 percent) and perfect in 13 free throw attempts.
Woodfox opened the week by averaging 25 points to earn MVP honors in two wins at the Las Vegas Classic, including 26 points against DePaul. The Lewisville, Texas, native closed out his week with a team-best 16 points in a 12-point win over Wichita State.
It was the second time in December that Woodfox was honored (also Dec. 8th).
Woodfox Named MVC Player of the Week
Creighton University guard Booker Woodfox was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Dec. 8th. Woodfox, a senior guard from Lewisville, Texas, was the third different Bluejay to win the award in the first four weeks of the season (joining P'Allen Stinnett & Cavel Witter).
Woodfox scored 43 points in 44 minutes while averaging 21.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game as Creighton posted a pair of double-digit victories against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. He made 14-of-20 shots from the field (70 percent), including 10-of-14 from three-point range (71.4 percent) while also making 71.4 percent (5-7) of his shots at the line.
Woodfox had a career-high with 29 points in CU's win against Saint Joseph's while also tying his personal-best with seven rebounds. He drained 9-of-13 shots overall, including 7-of-9 tries from three-point territory. Woodfox became the only player in CU history to make at least seven three-pointers while converting 75 percent or more of his attempts from long-range in the same game.
Woodfox began his week with 14 points in 17 minutes of a 24-point win over Mississippi Valley State, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor and 3-of-5 from downtown.
This was the first time Woodfox has been named MVC Player of the Week, though he did earn three MVC Newcomer of the Week accolades last season.
Witter Named MVC Player of the Week
Cavel Witter was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Nov. 25 for his work in wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and four-time defending Summit League champ Oral Roberts.
Witter averaged 20.0 points, 2.5 steals, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game off the bench while leading Creighton in scoring.
He shot 68.8 percent from the floor (11-16), including 66.7 percent from three-point range (6-9) while also hitting 80 percent (12-15) at the line.
It was Witter's first career honor as MVC Player of the Week, though he did earn MVC Newcomer of the Week honors twice last season.
Sitzmann Was Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Senior guard Dustin Sitzmann was named Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Nov. 26.
A senior from LeMars, Iowa, Sitzmann scored in consecutive games for the first time in his Bluejay career, as CU defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff (82-50) on Nov. 20 and Oral Roberts (87-65) on Nov. 22.
Sitzmann, who has a 3.871 cumulative grade-point average in exercise science, made 2-of-3 shots from the field (66.7 percent). He played a combined seven minutes in the victories.
Jays Were 3-0 Once Again
Creighton's win against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22nd gave it a 3-0 start for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons. The 2006-07 team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's previous 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Wednesday will be the 370th game in a row the Jays have played with a record of .500 or better.
3 Players, 20 Points, First 3 Games
Creighton had three different players score 20 or more points during its first three contests this winter. P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) did it against New Mexico, while Cavel Witter (25) did it against Oral Roberts.
This is the first time it's happened in Dana Altman's 15-year tenure at Creighton, as well as the first time its happened at Creighton in at least 30 years.
Double-Double Eludes Lawson
Sophomore Kenny Lawson Jr. hasn't notched a double-double in his young career, but he's been steadily getting closer.
Lawson, who had 10 points and eight rebounds at Bradley on Jan. 10, owns eight career games of at least eight points and eight boards in his career. CU has won seven of those games, outscoring foes by an average of 77.9-63.2.
Creighton is 21-4 in Lawson's career when he has five rebounds or more, but 22-13 in games he's appeared in and snared less than five caroms.
25 Points Off The Bench, Again
Cavel Witter scored 25 points off the bench in CU's Nov. 22 win over Oral Roberts.
It marked the second time in his career he's done that, as the junior guard torched Bradley for a Qwest Center Omaha record 42 points on March 1, 2008, in a double-overtime win over Bradley.
Before Witter, Creighton had not had a player score 25 points or more off the bench since March of 2002.
Television Records
Creighton is a combined 94-54 in televised games in the last seven seasons, including a 35-22 mark on KMTV-produced games (which does not include CU's record in NCAA Tournament games on KMTV). Creighton went 4-2 in games aired on KMTV in 2002-03, 6-3 in 2003-04, 4-5 in 2004-05, 5-3 in 2005-06, 6-2 in 2006-07 and 5-4 last year in KMTV-produced games. So far this year CU is 5-3 on KMTV.
The Jays are also 41-28 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 22-16 mark on MVC TV.
Creighton had 27-of-33 games on television last season.Twenty-two games are slated for television this season, including all but one MVC game.
What A Start!
The 2007-08 MVC Sixth Man of the Year, Booker Woodfox scored 26 points in his first career start against New Mexico on Nov. 16.
Woodfox's 26 points are the most by a Bluejay in their first career start since at least 1980.
Dynamic Duo, Part II?
From 1987-91, Creighton big men Bob Harstad and Chad Gallagher were known as the “Dynamic Duo”. Both men were named MVC Player of the Year (Harstad in 1990, Gallagher in 1991) and finished their careers first and second in school history for points scored.
It's still quite early, but the Jays had quite the dynamic duo in the season-opening win over New Mexico when P'Allen Stinnett (30) and Booker Woodfox (26) both lit up the Lobos.
The current duo became the first Bluejay pair to score 25 points or more in the same game in the Dana Altman era.
CU hadn't had that happen since, you guessed it, Gallagher (29) and Harstad (26) did it against Bradley on Jan. 21, 1991.
Thirty-Point Bluejays
With 30 points on Nov. 16 against New Mexico, P'Allen Stinnett became one of six Creighton players in the Dana Altman era to score 30 points or more in a game. The other five players that did it were Cavel Witter, Nate Funk, Johnny Mathies, Kyle Korver and Rodney Buford.
Below is the list of Creighton's 30-point games since Altman became head coach:
Pts. Name Opp. Date Result
42 Cavel Witter Bradley 03/01/08 W 111-110
40 Rodney Buford Bradley 12/30/98 W 65-44
38 Nate Funk Dayton 11/26/05 W 91-90
36 Rodney Buford Illinois St. 02/05/96 L 72-74
35 Nate Funk @Wichita State 02/16/05 W 82-68
33 Nate Funk vs. Missouri St. 03/03/07 W 75-58
32 Kyle Korver @Xavier 12/31/02 L 73-75
32 Johnny Mathies Drake 01/08/06 W 82-69
31 Kyle Korver Evansville 01/15/03 W 93-56
30 Rodney Buford Southern Illinois 02/05/98 W 91-73
30 Rodney Buford @Northern Iowa 12/30/97 W 83-75
30 Rodney Buford Missouri State 02/15/97 L 82-88
30 P'Allen Stinnett New Mexico 11/16/08 W 82-75
Stinnett Named MVC Player of the Week
Creighton sophomore P'Allen Stinnett claimed MVC Player of the Week honors Nov. 17. Stinnett scored 21 of his career-high 30 points in the second half of a 82-75 come-from-behind victory over New Mexico while also adding four rebounds, an assist and a steal.
This was his second career MVC Player of the Week accolade, as he also won the award last season on Feb. 11, 2008. Stinnett also picked up three MVC Newcomer of the Week honors last year en route to sweeping Valley Newcomer and Freshman of the Year laurels.
P'henomenal Debut x 2
P'Allen Stinnett's 23 points last year against DePaul were the most by a Bluejay in their first game since Cyril Baptiste scored 24 points on Dec. 1, 1969 against Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Stinnett's 30 points in this year's opener were the most by a Creighton player in the season lid-lifter since Bob Harstad scored 38 points against Texas-San Antonio on Nov. 30, 1990.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 48 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 58 straight games when scoring 72 points or more at all sites dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 65 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more, dating to Feb. 19, 2000.
Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Who Are Those Guys?
Creighton also has two walk-ons practicing with the team that might suit up on but are not listed in the media guide.
No. 24 is Matt Dorwart, a 6-7 freshman forward from Sidney, Neb. Dorwart played at Sidney High School and averaged 8.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting 38.5 percent from three-point range.
No. 40 Derek Sebastian is a 6-5 freshman guard/forward from Loveland, Colo. Sebastian played at Thompson Valley High School, where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last year.
Turning Point?
One common theme when Creighton is successful is that they have had an advantage in “points off turnovers” in many of those contests.
Creighton was 17-4 when scoring more points off turnovers than its opponent last year. In the last five years, Creighton is 79-13 when winning this category, including an 18-3 mark this winter.
Paint Points
Since Creighton started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 60-9 in games when scoring 28 or more points in the paint.
Largest...Crowd...Ever...
Creighton drew its largest crowd, a record crowd for the state of Nebraska, and a record for a league game in its win against Wichita State on Dec. 28, 2008 as 17,954 attended the game at Qwest Center Omaha. That bettered the previous Creighton single-game mark (17,607 vs. Drexel - 2/17/07).
Louisville formerly held the league's single-game attendance record for a regular-season conference game (17,661 vs. Cincinnati, Feb. 22, 1969).
NBA Presence
Two former Creighton players have spent time on NBA rosters this season. Kyle Korver (1999-2003) plays for Utah, while Anthony Tolliver (2003-07) has spent time this season with both San Antonio and New Orleans.
Tolliver averaged 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.9 minutes during 19 games with San Antonio. He was cut by the Spurs on January 7th but resurfaced in the NBA on Jan. 21st when he signed a 10-day contract with the Hornets. He did not appear with the Hornets and has returned to playing for the Des Moines Energy in the NBA D-League.
Korver is averaging 8.5 points in 23.0 minutes per game off the bench for Utah. He is shooting 36.3 percent from three-point range for the Jazz.
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Eight of his last 11 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the three that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 11 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.)
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 94 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 79-15 (.840) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 16-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's. The 15 losses have been by a combined 85 points.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 6,952-5,823 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 12.0 points per game.
The Jays have led wire-to-wire 19 different times.
?W'inning Edge
Creighton's men's and women's basketball teams have been nearly unbeatable at home in recent seasons, going a combined 210-46 in the last nine seasons. In fact, the men and women have both lost a home game in the same month just four times since March, 2000.
Creighton's Home Records, Last Nine Years
Year Men Women Combined
2008-09 11-2 7-3 18-5
2007-08 16-2 11-1 27-3
2006-07 12-2 7-7 19-9
2005-06 15-2 5-7 20-9
2004-05 11-5 12-3 23-8
2003-04 14-2 12-1 26-3
2002-03 17-0 13-1 30-1
2001-02 12-3 11-1 23-4
2000-01 14-0 10-4 24-4
TOTALS 122-18 88-28 210-46
One of the Best Programs Around
Every five years since 1997, Basketball Times has evaluated the best of the best NCAA programs -- those that have won two-thirds of their games over the previous 10 season span. The 2007 edition of the report had 29 teams that met that qualification, including Creighton.
Those 29 schools were then ranked from 1-29 on categories like 10-year winning percentage, number of active NBA players, freshman graduation rate and US News & World Report's academic peer assessment score, as well as a subjective vote of 10 panelists who judged teams based on “program cleanliness” and “head coach ranking”.
Creighton finished an impressive seventh, trailing only Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Stanford, Gonzaga and Michigan State.
Basketball Times Overall Rankings
Rk. School Avg. Ranking
1. Duke 3.7
2. North Carolina 7.5
3. Florida 8.0
4. Stanford 8.8
5. Gonzaga 10.0
Michigan State 10.0
7. Creighton 10.2
8. Kansas 10.8
9. Xavier 11.5
10. Illinois 12.0
11. Arizona 13.5
12. Connecticut 13.7
13. Syracuse 14.5
14. Butler 14.8
15. College of Charleston 15.2
Southern Illinois 15.2
Texas 15.2
18. Kentucky 16.0
Pennsylvania 16.0
20. Maryland 17.3
21. Pittsburgh 17.5
22. Utah State 18.3
23. Kent State 18.8
24. Utah 20.2
25. Cincinnati 20.5
26. Murray State 20.7
Oklahoma 20.7
28. Oklahoma State 21.0
29. Memphis 23.0
Double-Digit Comebacks at Home
Creighton has fallen behind by double-digits in 24 of its 94 all-time home games all-time at Qwest Center Omaha. In 16 of those 24 games, the Bluejays came back to win.
Creighton's incredible streak of 181 straight games without a double-digit home loss (dating to Jan. 3, 1996) was snapped on Dec. 29, 2007 by Illinois State. That had ranked as the nation's oldest streak in that obscure category.
Double Digit Deficits at Qwest Center Omaha
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
12/07/04 Kent State 16 L 58-67
12/18/04 Wyoming 13 L 64-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
02/05/05 Missouri State 15 L 71-79
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
02/11/06 Southern Illinois 14 L 67-74
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 12 L 52-53
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
01/20/07 Southern Illinois 12 L 57-58
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
12/29/07 Illinois State 19 L 67-80
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
01/24/09 Drake 14 L 62-74
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including twice this season, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 28 times in the last nine seasons.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 9 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 W 70-69
01/18/03 Southern Illinois 13 W 85-76
02/04/01 at Indiana State 13 W 77-71
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15 Florida 11 W 83-82 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
Creighton ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference in graduation success rate (94.7 percent) among all sports.
Also, for the fourth time in the six-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2007-08 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average over the 2007-08 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05 and 2006-07.
Creighton had seven men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year, which helped the team to a 3.01 GPA overall.
Bench Points Add Up
Creighton owned 41 different double-figure scoring games last season off the bench, compared to a total of 30 during the previous three years combined. In fact, there were only four (of 33) contests in which it didn't have a double-figure scorer off the bench.
Last year's team scored 18 or more bench points in every game but one, with a low of 13.
This year, the Bluejay bench has scored 673 of the team's 1,852 points (36.3 percent).
Creighton's bench has scored 51 points in two different games this season and 41 or more three times.
This year's Creighton team has produced 22 double-digit scoring games off the bench, including 10 such efforts from Cavel Witter.
Recruits Inked
A pair of prep standouts signed letters-of-intent in November to join the Creighton men's basketball team next year.
Andrew Bock is a 6'1” guard from Eisenhower High School in Rialto, Calif. Bock averaged 18 points and eight assists per game while helping the Eagles to a 27-4 record. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Citrus Belt League last season.
Ethan Wragge (RAH-gy) is a 6'8” forward from Eden Prairie, Minn., where he attends Eden Prairie High School. He averaged 16 points and nine rebounds per game and owns the school record for three-point baskets made. He made 91 percent of his free-throw attempts last year. His team finished 19-9 last winter.
Both men will be freshmen and have four years of eligibility.
Last Season Recap
Creighton put together a second consecutive 22-11 season last fall, reaching the second round of the NIT with a team featuring nine newcomers.
P'Allen Stinnett (12.6 ppg.) swept MVC Newcomer and Freshman of the Year honors after leading Creighton in scoring, while senior Dane Watts (11.3 ppg.) led the team with 6.4 rebounds per game.
Booker Woodfox (9.6 ppg.) was named MVC Sixth Man of the Year as the leader for a bench that outscored CU's starters by 76 points for the season.
Ticket Information
Single game tickets for regular-season home games went on sale on Nov. 11 at 10 am.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (402) 422-1212.
Morrison Stadium also sells tickets (in-person only) from 9:00 am-4:30 pm weekdays.
Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Creighton sold an MVC-record 13,615 season tickets for this year. The previous MVC record had been the 12,888 season-tickets Creighton fans bought for the 2007-08 season.
