Men's Basketball Hosts George Mason For ESPNU BracketBusters Game on Saturday
2/19/2009 3:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Next Game
Creighton (22-6) looks to extend its seven-game winning streak when it hosts George Mason (18-8) on Saturday night as part of the ESPNU BracketBusters event.
The game will tip at 8:35 pm from Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) in Omaha, Neb.
George Mason at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,272) ? Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: ESPNU
Series History: Creighton leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Creighton won 58-56 in Omaha on Nov. 25, 2006
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.
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
Saturday's game will air nationally on ESPNU. Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Dickey Simpkins (analyst) will broadcast the game.
Video Webcast Available
Saturday'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 (22-6)
The preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference have won seven straight games and 19 of their past 23 games to improve to 22-6 overall.
Creighton's 12-4 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference is tied for first with Northern Iowa and one game ahead of Illinois State with two final games to play next week.
Senior guard Booker Woodfox leads the team with 15.9 points per game and ought to be included in the discussion of the nation's best shooters. He leads the nation in three-point percentage (50.0 percent) and ranks 10th nationally in free-throw percentage (89.0 percent).
Also scoring in double-figures is sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett (12.7 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 62 steals and is fourth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.17), while sophomore big man Kenny Lawson Jr. tops The Valley with 43 blocked shots.
Creighton shoots 45.0 percent from the floor, 39.6 percent from three-point territory and is also making 76.3 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 George Mason (18-8)
George Mason is 18-8 on the season and 11-5 in Colonial Athletic Association play. The Patriots are one game behind VCU for the league lead and tied for second with Northeastern. All eight of Mason's losses have been by single-digits.
Three Patriot players score in double-figures, paced by John Vaughan (11.8 ppg.), Cam Long (11.5 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 3.3 apg.) and Darryl Monroe (10.8 ppg., 8.9 rpg.). Four other players average between 5.7 and 8.3 points per game.
George Mason is 5-8 away from home this season and has lost its past five games away from The Patriot Center.
George Mason averages 67.8 points per game while allowing a CAA-low 60.1 points per contest. The Patriots shoot 46.0 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from three-point range and 65.4 percent at the line.
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 304-158 (.658) mark at Creighton and a career record of 387-225 (.632) 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 510-249 (.672).
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.
George Mason is coached by Jim Larranaga (Providence, 1971), now in his 12th season with the Patriots. Larranaga owns a 422-309 career record in 25 years of coaching, including a 225-140 mark with George Mason. Larranaga is GMU's all-time leader in men's basketball victories and has helped the school to postseason appearances in 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. He was named National Coach of the Year in 2006 after leading Mason to the Final Four.
Previously, he served 11 seasons as head coach at Bowling Green and two at American International. He is assisted by Chris Caputo, Michael Huger and Eric Konkol.
The Series With George Mason
Creighton is 2-0 all-time against George Mason, with both meetings coming in the past four years.
Creighton beat a Final Four-bound George Mason team 72-52 on Nov. 22, 2005 in Fairfax, Va., in the first match-up. The following year Creighton topped George Mason 58-56 in Omaha on Nov. 25, 2006.
Dana Altman is 2-0 against George Mason and Jim Larranaga, and 7-1 all-time against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association. CU is also 2-0 against Georgia State and Towson as well as a 1-1 mark versus Drexel.
A complete series history against George Mason can be found on page 10 of this release.
Last Game Recap
Reserve guards Cavel Witter and Antoine Young both scored 15 points to help Creighton to an 89-84 victory over Evansville on Tuesday. Young had all of his career-high 15 points after half, while Witter scored nine of CU's last 11 points to seal the five-point win. Jason Holsinger had 30 points and Shy Ely added 26 for Evansville.
BracketBuster Crowds Have Been Huge
Saturday will mark 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 (CST) 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 at the time.
10 Largest Home Crowds, Creighton & State History
Att. Opp. Result Date
17,954 Wichita State W 68-56 12/28/08
17,607 Drexel L 58-64 02/17/07
17,459 Southern Illinois L 57-58 01/20/07
17,371 Indiana State W 86-69 01/19/08
17,283 Indiana State W 71-55 01/27/07
17,193 Drake L 62-74 01/24/09
17,110 Wichita State W 71-54 02/24/07
17,053 #22 Drake L 60-68 (ot) 01/22/08
17,049 Nebraska W 74-62 11/24/07
16,808 Illinois State L 67-80 12/29/07
Bracket Buster Trivia
Did you know that Creighton played in the first game in BracketBusters history? The Jays defeated Fresno State 67-66 on Feb. 22, 2003, in an 11 am game on the inaugural weekend then known as Bracket Buster Saturday.
Busting the Brackets
The Missouri Valley Conference is 19-9 in the televised portion of the ESPNU BracketBusters series -- better than any other league.
Leagues (top 6 only) All Home Road
Missouri Valley 19-9 10-5 9-4
Western Athletic 12-13 9-7 3-6
Mid-American 12-14 9-6 3-8
Colonial Athletic 7-4 2-3 5-1
Horizon League 6-9 4-4 2-5
Metro Atlantic 4-2 1-0 3-2
Bracket Buster History
Creighton owns a 4-2 record in BracketBusters match-ups, including a 3-2 mark in televised games (the 2/19/05 win over Chattanooga was not on television).
In return trips, Creighton owns a 3-3 record.
Opponent First Meeting Rematch
Fresno State W 67-66 (H) W 70-62 ot (R)
Kent State L 55-70 (R) L 58-67 (H)
Chattanooga W 100-68 (H) L 64-69 (R)
Fresno State W 67-62 (H) L 54-69 (R)
Drexel L 58-64 (H) W 72-48 (R)
Oral Roberts W 65-64 (R) W 87-65 (H)
George Mason Saturday 2009-10 season
The Case For Creighton
Below are some highlights on Creighton's profile, in the event it would need an at-large bid:
-A record of 22-6 overall and 12-4 mark (tied for first place) in a top-10 conference.
-A 6-4 record against top-100 opponents.
-One of three teams to defeat current No. 25 Dayton this year (77-59).
-Seven true road wins, including victories at top-100 Saint Joseph's, Northern Iowa and Evansville.
-Las Vegas Classic champions, defeating Fresno State and DePaul on a neutral floor.
-Winners of the seven consecutive games and 10 of the past 12 games.
Nation's Best Shooter?
Creighton guard Booker Woodfox continues to sink shots from all distances and angles, making his case as one of the nation's top shooters.
Woodfox, in fact, is the only player in the country to rank in the top-10 nationally in both three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.
Woodfox ranks first in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (50 percent) and is 10th in free-throw percentage at 89.0 percent.
ESPN All-Access
Creighton's current basketball team features three men that helped out with ESPN's 2008 coverage of the Men's College World Series, held annually in Omaha at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.
Kaleb Korver, Antoine Young and Chad Millard have all held roles that includes setting up the announcer's booth, serving as grips, working with the camera men that venture into the crowd and other assorted duties.
The CWS returns to Omaha for a 60th consecutive year from June 13-24 and will once again be seen on ESPN and ESPN2.
Bright Lights, Big Wins
Creighton is 25-9 in its last 34 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, and will be making its third appearance of the year on the self-proclaimed World Wide Leader on Saturday. CU is 2-0 this year on ESPN2/ESPNU, winning both games by 22 points, both away from home.
In these 34 ESPN appearances, Creighton is 24-2 when scoring 62 points or more, but just 1-7 when scoring 61 points or less.
Last year the Jays went 6-2 on the ESPN family of networks, including thrilling one-point wins over both Rhode Island and Oral Roberts.
Below is CU's recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Date Opponent Score Network
02/14/09 at Southern Illinois W 82-60 ESPN2
01/20/09 at Evansville W 79-57 ESPNU
03/21/08 at Florida L 54-82 ESPN2
03/18/08 Rhode Island W 74-73 ESPNU
02/23/08 at Oral Roberts W 65-64 ESPN2
02/19/08 Missouri State W 88-67 ESPNU
02/10/08 Southern Illinois W 72-53 ESPNU
02/05/08 Northern Iowa W 74-50 ESPNU
01/26/08 at Southern Illinois L 44-48 ESPN2
01/15/08 at Northern Iowa W 68-59 ESPN2
02/24/07 Wichita State W 71-54 ESPN2
02/17/07 Drexel L 58-64 ESPN2
02/13/07 Northern Iowa W 66-55 ESPNU
02/10/07 at Southern Illinois L 68-72 ESPN2
12/30/06 Missouri State W 77-74 ESPN2
12/06/06 at Dayton L 54-60 ESPNU
02/18/06 Fresno State W 67-62 ESPN
02/14/06 at Wichita State L 61-62 ot ESPNU
01/31/06 Northern Iowa W 63-55 ESPNU
03/07/05 vs. Missouri State W 75-57 ESPN
02/12/05 at Southern Illinois L 67-71 ESPN2
02/09/05 Northern Iowa W 83-82 ESPN2
02/21/04 at Kent State L 55-70 ESPN2
02/07/04 Southern Illinois L 60-61 ESPN2
03/10/03 vs. Southern Illinois W 80-56 ESPN
02/22/03 Fresno State W 67-66 ESPN2
01/18/03 Southern Illinois W 85-76 ESPN2
03/04/02 vs. Southern Illinois W 84-76 ESPN2
02/23/02 at Bradley W 80-64 ESPN2
02/17/01 Wyoming W 84-72 ESPN
02/10/01 at Southern Illinois W 77-63 ESPN
03/06/00 vs. Missouri State W 57-45 ESPN
02/07/00 at Colorado State W 78-67 ESPN
03/01/99 vs. Evansville W 70-61 ESPN
Double Up
George Mason has not lost by double-figures this season. Creighton has won 16 games by double-figures this season. In Qwest Center Omaha history, Creighton has won 53 of 96 all-time games by 10 or more points.
Another Long Win Streak
Creighton is currently on a seven-game winning streak after posting nine straight wins earlier this season.
The last time Creighton had two win streaks of seven or longer in the same season was 2004-05.
The last time Creighton had two win streaks of eight or longer in the same season was the 1990-91 campaign.
Second Half Surges
Creighton has scored 40 or more second half points in each of the past seven games, all wins.
Creighton's bench, which no doubt contributes to that success, has outscored the opponents 138-34 in those second halves and has out-assisted its opponents 22-5.
Virgin(ia) Territory
Hard to believe as it may seem, it is believed that Creighton has never had a basketball player from the state of Virginia.
Counting Crowds?
Creighton has hosted 12,000 or more fans in all 61 regular-season (non-NIT) games it has hosted in the past four years, and with a season-ticket base of more than 13,600 this season, it will extend that streak again on Saturday night vs. George Mason.
George Mason has played before just one crowd this season of 12,000 or more, falling at Dayton by four before 13,1707 fans. In fact, the Patriots have lost six consecutive games before 12,000-plus fans, last winning before such a large crowd against Connecticut 86-84 in overtime before 19,718 fans on March 26, 2006 to secure its memorable trip to the Final Four.
Five In Double-Figures x 3
Creighton has placed five men in double-figures in each of its past three games, wins over Bradley, Southern Illinois and Evansville.
Prior to this stretch, CU hadn't placed five players in double-figures during the same game since Jan. 31, 2007 when it did so against Bradley.
Creighton had not placed five men in double-figures in three consecutive games in a search back through readily available box scores dating to the 1981-82 season.
The Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks
Creighton's seven-game win streak is tied for eighth-longest nationally. Below is that list, through Feb. 18th:
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 17 Memphis 2/21
2. 13 Oklahoma 2/21
3. 11 Tennessee-Martin 2/21
4. 10 Troy 2/19
10 Citadel 2/26
10 North Carolina 2/21
7. 8 Weber State 2/19
8. 7 Creighton 2/21
7 American 2/21
7 Arizona 2/22
7 Cleveland State 2/21
7 Jackson State 2/21
7 Kent State 2/21
7 LSU 2/21
7 Montana 2/19
7 Morgan State 2/21
7 Niagara 2/18
7 Radford 2/21
Posts With the Most
Creighton centers Kenny Lawson Jr. and Kenton Walker both scored in double-figures in last week's wins over both Bradley and Southern Illinois. Lawson extended his double-figure streak to a career-long four with 10 points vs. Evansville on Tuesday.
Last Saturday's win at SIU was the third time this season and fourth time in the past two years that both men scored 10 or more in the same game, and CU has won those four games by an average of 25.5 points.
Since Chad Millard's ankle injury on Jan. 14th, Lawson and Walker have almost exclusively shared the center position. They've combined to average 15.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots in 37.5 minutes in the past eight games.
The 22-Win Group
Creighton is one of 14 schools with 22 or more wins this season through Feb. 18.
Wins Schools
25 Oklahoma, Utah State
24 Connecticut, Pittsburgh, North Carolina
23 Dayton, Memphis
22 Creighton, Illinois State, Butler, Marquette, Missouri, Davidson,LSU
20 Overall Wins x 11 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11 straight 20-win campaigns, a figure it reached this season on Feb. 11 with a win over Bradley. No other Valley school owns more than six straight 20-win seasons.
Creighton is one of seven teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of previous 10 seasons. That list consists of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kent State and Syracuse.
Creighton, Duke, Florida and Kansas have already extended their streak to 11 straight years. Below is a list of where the other three schools chasing an 11th straight 20-win season currently stand:
Team Current W-L Next Game
Gonzaga 19-5 Feb. 19
Syracuse 19-7 Feb. 22
Kent State 15-11 Feb. 21
The Race To 20 Wins
Creighton picked up its 20th win this season on Feb. 11th with a win over Bradley. This is the 21st time that Creighton has won 20 or more games, but only once before has it gotten there quicker on the calendar.
In the 2002-03 season, Creighton became the nation's first team to 20 wins when it beat Northern Iowa on Feb. 4th. That Creighton team won a school-record 29 games.
The only times that Creighton has won more than 22 regular-season games (which doesn't count MVC Tournaments or any other postseason tournament games) was 2002-03 (26 wins), 2000-01 (23) and 1921-22 (23).
Tenure? He's Got 15 Years
Dana Altman is the dean of MVC coaches, as he is in his 15th season as head coach at Creighton.
According to a recent article by The Washington Times, Altman's 15 years at CU ranks 16th-longest nationally among active head coaches at one school. Below is that list:
Yrs. Name, School
33 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
31 Dave Bike, Sacred Heart
29 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
27 Don Maestri, Troy
26 Tom Green, Fairleigh Dickinson
25 Greg Kampe, Oakland
23 Rick Byrd, Belmont; Jim Calhoun, Connecticut; Ron “Fang” Mitchell, Coppin State; Vann Pettaway, Alabama A&M
21 Bob Thomason, Pacific
20 Bob McKillop, Davidson; Gary Williams, Maryland
19 Dave Loos, Austin Peay
16 Kirk Speraw, Central Florida
15 Dana Altman, Creighton; Ron Hunter, IUPUI; Rick Scruggs, Gardner-Webb; Dennis Wolf, Boston University
14 Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's, Scott Nagy, South Dakota State; Fran O'Hanlon, Lafayette
10 Conference Wins x 13
Creighton has also 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 teams with at least 12 straight years of 10 or more league wins entering 2008-09 were Stanford (14), Kansas (14) and Creighton (12).
Kansas already has reached 10 league wins, while Stanford was 4-8 in the Pac-10 before playing at Oregon State on Feb. 19th.
Top Three Finish Assured
Creighton has assured itself of no worse than the third seed for next month's State Farm MVC Tournament. Below is a list of the possible start times for the top three seeds for Friday's quarterfinals:
#1 seed plays #8/9 winner 12:05 pm
#2 seed plays #7/10 winner 6:05 pm
#3 seed plays #6 seed 8:35 pm
2nd Half Defense = Wins
Creighton's defense has been stellar in the second half of its current seven-game win streak. The Jays have held opponents to 39.3 percent from the floor (77-196) after intermission and just 30.2 percent from three-point range (19-63) in those seven triumphs.
Creighton's defense has held the opposition without a field goal for a five-minute second-half stretch on five occasions in those past seven games. Some highlights of that stretch is below:
-Held Missouri State to two field goals in final 14:12 on Feb. 1.
-Held Drake without a field goal for stretch of 7:07 on Feb. 4.
-Held UNI without a field goal for a stretch of 8:16 on Feb. 8.
-Held Bradley to one field goal in final 10:48 on Feb. 11.
Biggest Road Wins
Creighton has won four 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 366 Valley road games played. The Jays posted another 22-point Valley road win on Feb. 14th at Southern Illinois, topping the Salukis 82-60.
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 victories at Evansville and Southern Illinois match the largest in the MVC this season by a road team in a conference game, as UNI also defeated Drake 81-59 on Jan. 17th and Illinois State beat Drake 67-45 on Feb. 15th.
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
82-60 +22 at Southern Illinois 2/14/2009
Road Reversal
Creighton has played eight MVC road contests this year, but six 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 went 5-1. 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 CU 82-60
at Wichita State CU 68-65 WSU 74-61
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 6-2 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 nine wins away from home (seven 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.
-Creighton has seven true road wins this season. Each of the previous six times it has won seven or more true road games, it has made the NCAA's.
Dominating The Valley
Creighton head coach Dana Altman owns a .500 or better record against every current Valley coach except Southern Illinois mentor Chris Lowery and Illinois State's Tim Jankovich.
Below is his head-to-head record against the current Valley coaching fraternity:
Altman vs. Current MVC Head Coaches
Cuonzo Martin, MSU 1-0
Ben Jacobson, UNI 5-1
Jim Les, BU 13-3
Kevin McKenna, INS 3-1
Gregg Marshall 3-1
Marty Simmons, UE 3-1
Mark Phelps, DU 1-1
Chris Lowery, SIU 4-7
Tim Jankovich, ILS 0-3
TOTAL 33-18
Attendance Remains Strong
Creighton has attracted 241,588 fans heading into its Feb. 21st home game vs. George Mason, a figure that already ranks second in the 102-year history of the MVC. The only mark that is higher is last year's Creighton seasons.
The Jays are also on pace to set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton is averaging 16,106 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
241,588 Creighton 2008-09
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
16,106 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 2/18/09)
Rk. School Average Next
1. Kentucky 22,762 2/21
2. North Carolina 20,985 2/28
3. Tennessee 20,585 2/25
4. Syracuse 20,412 2/22
5. Louisville 19,346 3/1
6. Memphis 17,583 2/28
7. Wisconsin 17,230 3/01
8. Maryland 16,867 2/21
9. Kansas 16,360 2/21
10. Creighton 16,106 2/21
11. Arkansas 15,839 3/1
12. Marquette 15,835 2/25
13. Illinois 15,364 2/26
14. Ohio State 14,803 2/22
15. Indiana 14,217 2/19
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
Record Chasers
A trio of Bluejay guards are moving up on the school's single-season record lists.
Josh Dotzler leads Creighton with 62 steals thus far. That places him tied for seventh in school history. At his current pace of 2.21 steals per game, and at least four games left, he would finish with 70.86 steals 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
62 Josh Dotzler (Sr.) 2008-09
59 Rodney Buford (Sr.) 1998-99
59 Johnny Mathies (Jr.) 2004-05
Fellow senior Booker Woodfox has made 76 three-point baskets this season, which ranks tied for fifth in single-season Creighton history. At his current pace of 2.80 treys per game, he would finish with 87.26 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
76 Booker Woodfox (Sr.) 2008-09
69 Duan Cole (Sr.) 1991-92
Both Woodfox and Cavel Witter are also making a dent on the school's free-throw percentage list. Woodfox is second at 89.0 percent, while Witter is eighth at 86.3 percent.
Free Throw Percentage, (Minimum 70 Attempts)
Pct. Name (Class, Year) FTM-FTA
.908 Kyle Korver (Sr., 2002-03) 109-120
.8902 Booker Woodfox (Sr., 2008-09) 81-91
.8899 Kyle Korver (Jr., 2001-02) 97-109
.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
.863 Cavel Witter (Jr., 2008-09) 82-95
.855 Ryan Sears (So., 1989-99) 71-83
All The Small Things
Josh Dotzler has scored just 23 points in the past seven games, but you'd have a tough time finding a Creighton player doing any better.
In the past seven games (all CU wins), Dotzler has 32 assists, four turnovers and 15 steals in 158 minutes.
Despite being CU's primary ballhandler, Dotzler owns just 16 turnovers in 16 MVC games this season, including 14 league games with zero or one miscue this winter. He ranked fourth nationally with a 3.14 assist/turnover ratio (now 3.17) through games of Sunday.
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 304-158 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.)
Does 20 Wins = Postseason?
Creighton and Illinois State both have 20 or more wins. 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).
A Ton of Points
Creighton has scored 2,102 points so far, moving over the 2,000-point barrier for the 11th time in 15 seasons under Dana Altman.
Creighton has had eight previous teams score more than 2,100 points under Altman. Seven of those teams reached the NCAA Tournament, while last year's team reached the second round of the NIT.
Most Points, Season, Under Altman
Rank Points Year Postseason
1. 2,688 2002-03 NCAA
2. 2,421 2004-05 NCAA
2,421 2001-02 NCAA
4. 2,410 1999-00 NCAA
5. 2,360 2007-08 NIT
6. 2,357 1998-99 NCAA
7. 2,325 2000-01 NCAA
8. 2,220 2006-07 NCAA
9. 2,102 2008-09 ? ? ?
10. 2,100 1997-98 NIT
Check The Book's
Booker Woodfox has scored 20 or more points seven times this season, but his 23 points at Drake on Feb. 4 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.
Iowa Road Sweep
Creighton picked up road wins at both Drake and Northern Iowa this 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.
CU's Feb. 8th 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.
Paint It Blue
Creighton has outscored its opponents in the paint in six of the past seven 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 231 points, 136 rebounds and 28 blocks the past seven games.
Give Me Five (Or More) From 3
Creighton has made five or more three-pointers in each of its 28 games this season, tied for the nation's fifth-longest active streak.
Lower that threshold to four or more three-pointers and the Bluejay streak would stretch to 61 consecutive games, which ranks eighth nationally.
Consecutive Games, 5+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/18)
Rank No. Team Next Game
1. 50 Portland State 2/19
2. 48 Auburn 2/21
3. 35 VMI 2/21
4. 31 Eastern Kentucky 2/21
5. 28 Creighton 2/21
6. 28 Miami (Fla.) 2/21
Consecutive Games, 4+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/18)
Rank No. Team Next Game
1. 92 Lafayette 2/22
2. 90 Belmont 2/20
3. 76 Eastern Kentucky 2/21
4. 69 Liberty 2/21
5. 66 Drake 2/21
6. 65 Michigan 2/19
7. 64 Portland State 2/19
8. 61 Creighton 2/21
9. 59 Valparaiso 2/21
Woodfox From Distance
Booker Woodfox has made a three-pointer in 24 straight games, a streak that began on Nov. 25, 2008 at UALR.
Kyle Korver is the last Creighton player with a streak of 24 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 14th-longest nationally according to STATS Inc.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Individuals
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 2/18)
Rank No. Name, Team Next Game
1. 38 Josh Akognon, Cal St Fullerton 2/21
2. 36 Craig Moore, Northwestern 2/22
3. 31 Tyrone Lewis, Niagara 2/20
4. 29 Ryan Schneider, Marist 2/21
5. 28 Matthew Dotson, Belmont 2/20
28 Jack McClinton, Miami Fla. 2/21
7. 27 Chase Adams, Centenary 2/19
27 Jamarco Warren, Charleston So. 2/21
27 Jodie Meeks, Kentucky 2/21
10. 26 Ryan Wittman, Cornell 2/20
11. 25 David Holston, Chicago State 2/21
25 Sean Ogirri, Wyoming 2/21
25 Robert Vaden, UAB 2/21
14. 24 Booker Woodfox, Creighton 2/21
15. 23 T.J. Campbell, Portland 2/19
23 Nick Calathes, Florida 2/21
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 4.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game in 14.4 minutes per contest. He shoots 54.9 percent from the floor, best on the team.
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 4-0 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) 55-33 (.625)
Room To Board
The rebound differential between Creighton and its opponent has stood at 10 or larger in 15 of the 28 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 13 games that the rebound discrepancy has been a single-digit, CU is 12-1.
Creighton is 13-1 when winning the rebound battle this year, and 16-2 when they are -9 or better on the glass.
Jays Reach 10 Home Wins, Again
The Jan. 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.
Ball Control
Creighton point guards Josh Dotzler and Antoine Young have done an admirable job of taking care of the ball in the past eight games, combining for just 13 turnovers in that span.
Young has eight turnovers in 135 minutes of action, while Dotzler has just five in 175 minutes of play in those eight games.
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 144 rebounds and ranks third with 52 assists while playing the power forward position.
Carter has started each of his first 28 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
28 Justin Carter 2008-Present
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 94-for-173 in the final seven minutes of regulation in its 22 wins this season, good for 54.3 percent. That figure includes Stinnett shooting 23-of-26 from two-point range (88.5 percent), and the team shooting 30-of-72 (41.7 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 304 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 170 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. 170 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. 304 Dana Altman Creighton
Over .500 Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 28 straight trips through the league, including the both halves this year.
Creighton's 28 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, far ahead of Illinois State (4), 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 7-0 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) 86-47 (.647)
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 seven straight league games, entering next Tuesday's contest at Missouri State.
Home Cooking
Creighton is 43-10 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.811), compared to a 27-26 (.509) 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 11 1/17/98
Drake Lost 2 1/24/09
Evansville Won 10 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 43 blocked shots. Lawson has a blocked shot in 25 of CU's 28 contests this season. Lawson owns 71 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
71 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 43 blocked shots for the season are two more than his closest competition, Bradley's David Collins.
Walker owns the Valley lead in conference play with 26 blocks, five more than both 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, eight behind Kenny Lawson Jr.'s team-best 22.
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. 22 5 0
Booker Woodfox 20 6 1
P'Allen Stinnett 14 5 1
Justin Carter 11 3 0
Antoine Young 9 1 0
Kaleb Korver 5 1 0
Cavel Witter 5 0 0
Casey Harriman 4 0 0
Chad Millard 3 1 0
Kenton Walker 3 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 205 wins in the decade.
MVC Standings (2000-01 to 2/19/09)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 113 47 .706 205 80 .719
Southern Illinois 116 44 .725 200 91 .687
Missouri State 85 75 .531 156 123 .559
Northern Iowa 82 78 .513 151 123 .551
Wichita State 82 78 .513 152 124 .551
Illinois State 75 85 .469 144 126 .533
Bradley 77 83 .481 148 134 .525
Drake 69 91 .431 134 134 .500
Indiana State 49 111 .306 104 166 .385
Evansville 52 108 .325 99 160 .382
Let's Start With Dotzler
Josh Dotzler has started each of Creighton's last 62 games, winning 44 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 89 starts, with CU winning 62 of them (69.7 percent).
Toe The Line
Creighton has shot the ball well from the free-throw line, moving up to eighth nationally with its 76.3 percent rate from the charity stripe. That's even more impressive when you consider CU's 477 free throw makes are also tied for 12th nationally.
Creighton and North Carolina are the only team in the country to rank in the top-15 in both free-throw makes and free-throw percentage.
Most Free Throw Makes, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. UTEP 25 532 730 .729
2. Wyoming 25 515 698 .738
3. Vermont 28 506 716 .707
4. Washington 25 499 715 .698
5. North Carolina 26 497 655 .759
6. Marquette 26 496 703 .706
7. Chattanooga 27 492 753 .653
Niagara 28 492 688 .715
9. North Texas 25 490 683 .717
10. Florida Gulf Coast 29 482 685 .704
11. Oklahoma 26 478 702 .681
12. Creighton 28 477 625 .763
Connecticut 26 477 691 .690
Best Free Throw Percentage, Nationally
Rank Team GP FTM FTA Pct.
1. Southern Utah 25 409 509 .804
2. UC Davis 26 432 544 .794
3. Green Bay 28 469 596 .787
4. Utah 26 424 542 .782
5. Kentucky 26 465 597 .779
6. Maryland 25 351 454 .773
7. Washington State 25 251 327 .768
8. Creighton 28 477 625 .763
9. Michigan 26 326 428 .762
10. Illinois-Chicago 27 368 484 .760
11. North Carolina 26 497 655 .759
12. Drake 28 421 555 .759
13. James Madison 28 458 604 .758
Loyola (Md.) 28 458 604 .758
One of Two
Creighton ranks 10th nationally with 237 three-pointers made and is 15th with its 39.6 percent marksmanship from three-point territory.
On a national basis, the only other school s to be in the top-15 of both categories are Notre Dame, Green Bay and Eastern Kentucky.
Most 3-Point Field Goal Makes, Nationally
Rank Team GP 3FG 3FGA 3Pct.
1. VMI 26 350 960 .365
2. Eastern Kentucky 27 282 708 .398
3. Liberty 28 265 719 .369
4. Davidson 27 252 699 .361
5. Belmont 25 251 706 .356
6. Portland State 26 250 670 .373
7. Oklahoma State 25 248 626 .396
8. Troy 27 240 640 .375
9. UNC-Wilmington 28 240 714 .336
10. Creighton 28 237 598 .396
11. Illinois State 27 232 608 .382
12. Boston 26 229 634 .361
13. Butler 26 226 622 .363
14. Notre Dame 25 224 558 .401
15. Green Bay 28 223 557 .400
Best 3-Point Field Goal Percentage, Nationally
Rank Team GP 3FG 3FGA 3Pct.
1. California 25 157 342 .459
2. North Dakota State 26 195 463 .421
3. Portland 25 202 491 .411
4. IPFW 25 164 401 .409
5. Cornell 24 190 470 .404
6. Xavier 25 171 425 .402
7. Notre Dame 25 224 558 .401
8. Green Bay 28 223 557 .400
9. Western Illinois 26 143 358 .399
10. Robert Morris 27 179 449 .399
11. Eastern Kentucky 27 282 708 .398
12. Arizona 26 156 392 .398
13. BYU 25 192 483 .398
14. New Mexico State 26 173 436 .397
15. Creighton 28 237 598 .396
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 94 points over the past 12 games.
That includes 15 points against Evansville, 13 points at Bradley and 12 points against both Indiana State and Wichita State.
Young delivered the breakthrough game of his fledgling career on Jan. 10th at Bradley. Young had a career-best 13 points while adding two assists and a team-high two steals in 21 minutes. Young, who had entered the contest 0-for-11 from three-point range, also went 2-for-2 from downtown in the victory.
Young scored a career-high 15 points in Creighton's 89-84 win over Evansville on Feb. 17th. He missed his first six attempts, but would score all his points in the final 14:40 to help CU rally for 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 510-249 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 304 victories at Creighton (1994-Present).
Comparison To Past Years After 28 Games
Below is a comparison after 28 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 20-6 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 22-6 19-9 25-3 22-6
MVC W-L 12-4 9-8 14-2 13-4
FG% .450 .451 .506 .447
3FG% .396 .376 .396 .370
3FG/Game 8.5 8.3 8.4 7.9
FT% .763 .715 .689 .702
Reb. Margin -2.6 +2.0 +1.6 +1.5
Assists 402 413 481 433
Turnovers 351 401 373 379
Blocks 111 94 121 103
Steals 227 220 243 261
PPG Scored 75.1 70.7 80.7 73.6
PPG Allowed 65.4 63.1 64.7 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 89.0 percent marksmanship from the line (81-91), which is 10th-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 20 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 ? ? ?
8 Feb. 16-March 7, 2005 NCAA
7 Five Times, including current streak
6 Four Times
5 Four Times
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 nine times this season, making at least 40 percent of its tries in eight 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 13
FG-FGA 19-56 167-338 60-138
FG% .339 .494 .435
3FG-3FGA 12-33 88-182 32-69
3FG% .364 .484 .464
FT-FTA 8-12 83-99 31-36
FT% .667 .838 .861
Rebounds 17 103 18
Rebounds Per Game 1.5 2.9 1.4
Assists 12 50 10
Turnovers 11 34 13
Points 58 505 183
Points Per Game 5.3 14.0 14.1
Book It!
Booker Woodfox is 76-of-152 (50.0 percent) from three-point range this season, best nationally.
For his career, he is 132-of-284, which computes to 46.5 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. Kaleb Korver ranks third on the list with 45.2 percent accuracy.
Woodfox's 76 three-point baskets this season are tied for 26th-most nationally.
Creighton's 3-Point Percentage Leaders, Career
(Minimum 100 Attempts)
Pct. Name, Years 3FGM-FGA
.4648 Booker Woodfox, 2007-Present 132-284
.4530 Kyle Korver, 1999-03 371-819
.4519 Kaleb Korver, 2007-Present 47-104
.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
.4123 Casey Harriman, 2007-Present 47-114
.4065 Nate Funk, 2002-07 200-492
.4053 Matt West, 1996-00 92-227
.4051 Matt Petty, 1989-93 143-353
.4017 Darin Plautz, 1989-91 94-234
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.
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 16,335 so far +3.1%
Statistical Leaders, Nationally
Through games of Feb. 15th, Booker Woodfox ranked second in three-point field goal percentage (49.0%), ninth in free-throw percentage (89.0%) and 47th in three-pointers per game (2.8). Josh Dotzler ranks fourth with a 3.14 assist/turnover ratio and 25th with 2.3 steals per game. Cavel Witter's 86.2 percent free-throw percentage ranked 28th.
As a team, Creighton is ranked ninth in free-throw percentage (76.1), 19th in turnover margin (+3.8), 16th in three-point field-goal percentage (39.4) and 21st in three-point field goals per game (8.4).
Dotzler Top 10 in Assists & Steals
After seven previous games with exactly five steals in his career, Josh Dotzler had a career-best six steals on Dec. 13 against Northern Colorado. Creighton turned all six of those steals into points, scoring 13 points on its ensuing possessions.
Dotzler's 188 career steals ranks third in CU history. Dotzler's 362 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
188 Josh Dotzler 2005-Pres.
186 Duan Cole 1987-92
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
362 Josh Dotzler 2005-Pres.
332 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
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 6.2 percent of all defensive possessions that he's in the game for, the nation's second-best rate.
The same website ranks Booker Woodfox 22nd 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.
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 470 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Big Blue Wave
Eleven different players are averaging 11.2 minutes per game or more this season for Creighton, with no player seeing more than 25.9 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 32-of-59 three-point shots in his past 22 games off the bench, an impressive 54.2 percent.
Korver has made just two two-point baskets since Jan. 2, 2008, and 42 of his last 44 field goals have been worth three points.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 494 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 40 charges in 28 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
Justin Carter n/a n/a 7 7
Josh Dotzler 4 5 6 15
Chad Millard n/a 7 4 11
Kenton Walker n/a 3 4 7
P'Allen Stinnett n/a 5 3 8
Kenny Lawson Jr. 0 2 3 5
Kaleb Korver n/a 0 3 3
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 39 331
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.
Jays Were 3-0 Once Again
Creighton's win against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22nd gave it a 3-0 start for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons. The 2006-07 team that started 2-1 is the lone exception in the past decade.
Each of Creighton's previous 3-0 starts under Dana Altman have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Creighton has not taken the floor with a losing record since December 3, 1997 when it faced Grambling. Saturday will be the 373rd 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 13 points and nine rebounds at Southern Illinois on Feb. 14, owns nine career games of at least eight points and eight boards in his career. CU has won eight of those games, outscoring foes by an average of 78.4-62.8.
Creighton is 23-4 in Lawson's career when he has five rebounds or more, but 23-13 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 97-54 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 43-28 in games that air regionally or nationally in that time, including a 23-16 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.
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 50 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 61 straight games when scoring 72 points or more at all sites dating to Jan. 29, 2005.
The Bluejays have won 67 consecutive games when scoring 80 points or more, dating to Feb. 19, 2000.
Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
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 81-13 when winning this category, including an 20-3 mark this winter.
Paint Points
Since Creighton started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 62-9 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 8.4 points in 23.2 minutes per game off the bench for Utah. He is shooting 36.1 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 96 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 81-15 (.842) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 17-0 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 7,120-5,972 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 214-46 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 13-2 9-3 22-5
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 124-18 90-28 214-46
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 96 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 775 of the team's 2,102 points (36.9 percent).
Creighton's bench has scored 51 points in two different games this season and 41 or more four times.
This year's Creighton team has produced 27 double-digit scoring games off the bench, including 11 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.
