Men's Basketball Heads to St. Louis For Valley Tournament
3/2/2009 11:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Creighton (25-6, 14-4 MVC) heads to St. Louis, Mo., for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as the winners of 10 straight games and playing some of its best basketball of the year.
Tournament play starts on Thursday with two play-in games before four games on quarterfinal Friday.
Creighton's first game will be Friday at 6 pm against the winner of Thursday's game between Wichita State (15-15, 8-10 MVC) and Missouri State (11-20, 3-15 MVC).
With a win, Creighton would play on Saturday at 4 pm against the winner of the Illinois State/Evansville quarterfinal game.
The championship game is Sunday at 1 pm, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Scottrade Center (22,612) in St. Louis, Mo., will host all the tournament action.
Complete 2009 State Farm MVC Tournament Schedule of Games
Thursday, March 5 -- Session I (no television, games on Sirius XM Radio)
Game 1 -- #8 Drake (17-14, 7-11) vs. #9 Indiana State (10-20, 7-11) 6 pm
Game 2 -- #7 Wichita State (15-15, 8-10) vs. #10 Missouri State (11-19, 3-15) 8:30 pm
Friday, March 6 -- Session II (all games on FS Midwest and Sirius XM Radio)
Game 3 -- #1 Northern Iowa (20-10, 14-4) vs. Winner Game 1 Noon
Game 4 -- #4 Bradley (17-13, 10-8) vs. #5 Southern Illinois (13-17, 8-10) 2:30 pm
Friday, March 6 -- Session III (all games on FS Midwest and Sirius XM Radio)
Game 5 -- #2 Creighton (25-6, 14-4) vs. Winner Game 2 6 pm
Game 6 -- #3 Illinois State (22-8, 11-7) vs. #6 Evansville (17-12, 8-10) 8:30 pm
Saturday, March 7 -- Session IV (all games on FS Midwest and Sirius XM Radio)
Game 7 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 1:30 pm
Game 8 -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 4 pm
Sunday, March 8 -- Session V (game on CBS, Westwood One Radio and Sirius XM Radio)
Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 1 pm
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.
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 the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Information
Friday's game will be televised live by FS Midwest, FS Indiana, FS Kansas City and Metro Sports in Kansas City, with Mitch Holthus and Charlie Spoonhour on the call. The game will also air on Comcast Chicago on a tape-delay basis at 1 am on March 7th.
What: MVC Tournament Quarterfinals
When: Friday, March 6 -- 6:00 p.m. (Central)
Where: Scottrade Center - St. Louis, Mo.
Clearances: Live on FS Midwest, FS Indiana, FS Kansas City, Metro Sports (Kansas City); tape delayed on Comcast SportsNet (Chicago) at 1 am on March 7
On Air: 6:00 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: AMC 15K -- Trans. 12 -- Digital Slot B9
Band: Digital KU
Downlink Freq.: 11935.500 MHz Horizontal
Bandwidth: 9.0 MHz
Symbol Rate: 6.1113 Ms
Parameters: -- FEC 3/4
On-Air Talent: Mitch Holthus (play-by-play), Charlie Spoonhour (analyst), Tom Ackerman (sideline)
Postgame Coordinates
The MVC, in conjunction with its television production company Metro Sports and KETC (St. Louis), will provide satellite feeds for the post-game press conferences for the tournament. Coordinates and uplink windows for games Friday and Saturday are as follows:
Satellite Coordinates: AMC 15K - Trans. 12 - Digital Slot C9
Band: Digital KU
Bandwith: 9 Megahertz
Parameters -- FEC: 3/4
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
Downlink Frequency: 11944.500 MHz Horizontal
Video Webcast Information
None of the MVC Tournament games will be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All MVC Tournament games will have live stats. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com or www.mvc.org and look for the Live Stats links for the exact link.
Scouting Creighton (25-6, 14-4 MVC)
The preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference lived up to that moniker, tying for the regular-season title with a 14-4 league mark.
The Bluejays have won 10 straight games and 22 of their past 26 games to improve to 25-6 overall.
MVC Player of the Year candidate 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. The senior guard leads the nation in three-point percentage (50.9 percent) and ranks eighth nationally in free-throw percentage (88.8 percent).
Also scoring in double-figures is sophomore guard P'Allen Stinnett (12.6 ppg., 1.4 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 66 steals and is sixth nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.12), while sophomore big man Kenny Lawson Jr. tops The Valley with 49 blocked shots.
Creighton shoots 45.2 percent from the floor, 39.4 percent from three-point territory and is also making 76.0 percent of its shots from the line.
The Bluejays returned 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.
The Coach
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 307-158 (.660) mark at Creighton and a career record of 390-225 (.634) 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 513-249 (.673).
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.
Last Game Recap
Booker Woodfox and P'Allen Stinnett both scored 20 points as Creighton clinched a share of the MVC regular-season title with a 74-70 victory over Illinois State on Senior Day last Saturday in Omaha.
The game was knotted at 52-all before CU seniors Josh Dotzler and Woodfox scored all the points in a 10-0 run. After the Redbirds got within two points late, Woodfox was 4-of-4 at the line in the final 25 seconds to ice the win.
The Redbirds placed five men in double-figures, led by 14 points each from Champ Oguchi and Emmanuel Holloway.
MVC Tournament History
Creighton owns a 35-17 all-time record in MVC Tournament games. Creighton's 10 MVC Tournament titles are five more than any other school, while its .673 winning percentage in league tourney action is also tops.
Creighton is 15-11 in the quarterfinals, 10-5 in the semifinals and 10-1 in the championship games.
History As A Second Seed
Creighton is 16-2 all-time as the second seed, including titles in each of its past four appearances in that spot. Creighton has won five titles overall from the second seed (1981, 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2007).
The second seed has won 13 of the 32 tournament titles all-time, more than any other seed, and own a 35-11 record in the event since the tournament moved to St. Louis in 1991.
Additionally, the No. 2 seed has won at least one game in 10 straight tournaments, reached the final in nine of the previous 10 seasons and won the title in five of the previous seven years.
One Game At A Time
Creighton has won the MVC Tournament seven of the last nine times it has won its first game in St. Louis.
Each time they've lost their first-round game, they've been bounced from the single-elimination tournament.
Six Out Of 10 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last 10 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (8), Winthrop (8), Duke (7) and Creighton (6).
Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).
Top-Notch Coach
Creighton's Dana Altman ranks among the top coaches in MVC Tournament history. Altman's six titles and 20 wins are the most of any coach in league history, and his .741 winning percentage is fourth all-time among coaches with six or more games under their belt.
Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Wins
Coach, School Wins Losses Pct. Titles
Dana Altman, CU 20 7 .741 6
Rich Herrin, SIU 17 8 .680 3
Nolan Richardson, TU 11 3 .786 2
Barry Hinson, MSU 11 9 .550 0
Jim Molinari, BU 11 10 .524 0
Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Titles
Coach, School Wins Losses Pct. Titles
Dana Altman, CU 20 7 .741 6
Rich Herrin, SIU 17 8 .680 3
Kevin Stallings, ILS 9 4 .692 2
Tom Apke, CU 5 2 .714 2
Tony Barone, CU 8 4 .667 2
Nolan Richardson, TU 11 3 .786 2
Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Win Pct.
Coach, School Wins Losses Pct. Titles
Charlie Spoonhour, MSU 5 1 .833 1
Nolan Richardson, TU 11 3 .786 2
Dana Altman, CU 20 7 .741 6
Tom Apke, CU 5 2 .714 2
Kevin Stallings, ILS 9 4 .692 2
Chris Lowery, SIU 6 3 .667 1
Ring Bearers
Creighton's current coaching staff and players have combined for 23 MVC Tournament championship titles. Here's a breakdown of how many championships each person has been a part of:
Name Titles Won Years
Dana Altman 6 1999, 2000, ?02, ?03, ?05, ?07
Darian DeVries 6 1999, 2000, ?02, ?03, ?05, ?07
Todd Eisner 2 1989, ?91
Brian Fish 2 2005, ?07
Dustin Sitzmann 2 2005*, ?07
Josh Dotzler 1 2007
Nick Bahe 1 2007
Chad Millard 1 2007*
Kenny Lawson Jr. 1 2007*
Casey Harriman 1 2007*
Note: *indicates player's redshirt year at CU
Back-to-Back Days = Wins
One of the benefits to Dana Altman's frequent substitution patterns is that it keeps plenty of fresh legs on the bench. That strategy works best when Creighton enters tournament play requiring it to play on back-to-back days.
Since the start of the 1998-99 season, Creighton owns 16-0 record on the first day of events they have played back-to-back games in. They are 14-2 during the second day of back-to-back games, and 6-2 when playing on a third-straight day. The Jays have won three games in three days at six of the last 10 Missouri Valley Conference Tournaments. They have also won back-to-back games four different times in Guardians Classic action and once in the Las Vegas Classic without a loss.
CU's only setbacks in these situations have been MVC Tournament semifinal losses in 2001 and 2008 and setbacks in the finals of the Energia Systems Thanksgiving Tournament in November of 2000 and at Hawaii in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic finals in December, 2006.
What A Win Would Mean
With a win on Friday, Creighton would...
-Improve to 26-6 on the season, and win its 11th straight game.
-Win its 13th straight game in the MVC Tournament when playing as the No. 2 seed.
-Improve to 21-4 in MVC Tournament action since 1999.
-Reach the semifinals for the ninth time in the past 11 seasons.
-Improve to 16-11 in quarterfinal round action of the MVC Tournament.
-Improve to 36-17 at the MVC Tournament all-time, tops in wins and winning percentage (.679) in the event's history.
-Give the Valley's No. 2 seed a quarterfinal round win for the 11th straight year.
-Head coach Dana Altman would improve to 21-7 in MVC Tournament games, extending his league record for tournament victories.
Hall of Fame Weekend For Hickey
Former Creighton coach Eddie Hickey (1935-43 and ?46-47) is entering the MVC Hall of Fame this weekend. He will be inducted posthumously on Friday at an 8:30 am breakfast ceremony held in the Scottrade Center's Bud Light Zone.
The MVC Hall of Fame, now in its 12th year, is also inducting basketball standout Junior Bridgeman of Louisville, track and field coaching legend John Coughlan of Illinois State, women's hoops star Lorri Bauman of Drake, basketball icon John Wooden of Indiana State and late coach and athletics director John L. Griffith.
Bridgeman will be enshrined as a Hall of Fame selection, while Coughlan and Hickey are Coaches Wing choices.
Bauman is an Institutional Great selection, while Wooden and Griffith enter the Hall of Fame as Lifetime Achievement choices.
More About Eddie Hickey
Nicknamed “The Little General,” Eddie Hickey of Creighton and Saint Louis is one of the greatest men's hoops coaches in MVC history.
A native of Reynolds, Neb., Hickey is the only head coach in the 102-year history of the league to lead two different schools to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
In his two coaching stints in The Valley, he posted 337 career victories and 163 league triumphs, ranking second all-time in those categories on league charts.
As Creighton head coach from 1935 to 1947, he compiled a 126-71 overall slate and a 73-35 Valley mark. He guided the Bluejays to four MVC regular-season championships, the 1941 NCAA Tournament and the 1942 and 1943 National Invitation Tournaments.
At Saint Louis, he registered an overall record of 211-89 and an MVC mark of 90-36 in 11 seasons (1947-58). He powered the Billikens to three MVC crowns, 1952 and 1957 NCAA Tournament appearances and the championship of the 1948 National Invitation Tournament.
He was selected Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1952 and 1957.
Elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978, he coached at Marquette from 1958 to 1964, leading the Golden Eagles to the 1959 and 1961 NCAA Tournaments and becoming the first coach to take three different schools to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
About The Senior Class
Creighton's senior class consists of Josh Dotzler, Booker Woodfox and Dustin Sitzmann. Over the past four years, Creighton is 89-38 with four 20-win seasons and three postseason appearances (one NCAA, two NIT's) to date.
Dotzler is a senior guard from Omaha who owns 414 points, 370 assists, 192 steals and 181 rebounds in his career. He's played in 113 games, including 92 starts, and ranks in the top-seven in CU history in both assists and steals.
Sitzmann is a senior guard from LeMars, Iowa, who owns 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his career. Sitzmann has played in 40 games, all as a reserve, while seeing 77 minutes of action.
Woodfox is a senior guard from Lewisville, Texas, who owns 795 points, 144 rebounds and 74 assists in his career. Woodfox has played in 63 games, including 30 starts, and is on pace to set CU records for three-point percentage in a season and career.
Title Town
Creighton owns a combined 14 all-time regular-season titles (7 outright, 7 shared), more than any other league school except Oklahoma A&M (15) and Kansas (also 14).
Creighton's 10 MVC Tournament titles are twice as many as any other school, with the most recent one coming in 2007.
MVC Champs = NCAA Bid?
Including Drake last year, 15 straight Missouri Valley regular-season champions have reached the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois State (1992-93) was the last squad to win the league's regular-season crown and not make it.
Favorites Chasing A Title?
Voted the preseason favorites in the MVC way back in October, Creighton lived up to those expectations this year with a regular-season title. Since 1985-86, the preseason poll has now accurately predicted the league's regular-season champ 11 times out of 23 polls.
In only nine of the previous 23 preseason polls was the preseason favorite the eventual Valley Tournament champion. However, the past three times that has happened, it's been Creighton (2007, 2003, 1999).
Only four previous times has the preseason favorite won both the regular-season and tournament titles (1988 Bradley; 1991 Creighton; 1997 Illinois State; 1998 Illinois State).
An Unlikely Turnaround?
Creighton trailed Northern Iowa by three games in the league standings with six conference games left, heading into a road game against the first-place Panthers on Feb. 8th.
Creighton left Cedar Falls with a 77-71 road win, snapping UNI's school-record 11-game win streak, and sending notice that the race was on for the regular-season title.
Since that day, Creighton has won all seven of its games, while UNI went 3-4 down the stretch.
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 25-6 overall and 14-4 mark (tied for first place) in a top-10 conference.
-A 10-4 record against top-100 opponents.
-Eight true road wins, including victories at top-100 foes Saint Joseph's, Bradley, Northern Iowa and Evansville.
-One of five teams to defeat Dayton this year (77-59 on Dec. 10).
-Las Vegas Classic champions, defeating Fresno State and DePaul on a neutral floor.
-Winners of the 10 consecutive games and 22 of the past 26 games.
-One of four teams nationally with two different win streaks of nine or longer this year, joining North Carolina, Xavier and Connecticut.
-One of just 12 teams in the top 52 of the RPI with at least 10 Division I wins away from home (thru 2/28). Joining Creighton on that list is powerhouses North Carolina, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Memphis, Xavier, Clemson, Florida State, Butler, Utah State and Gonzaga.
-An RPI of 39 (as of March 1).
Record Breaking Attendance
Creighton attracted 276,115 fans this season, a figure that is the most in the 102-year history of the MVC.
The Jays are also on pace to set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton is averaging 16,242 fans currently (10th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
276,115 Creighton 2008-09
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
16,242 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 3/2/09)
Rk. School Average Next
1. Kentucky 22,961 3/4
2. Syracuse 21,033 3/3
3. North Carolina 20,984 3/8
4. Tennessee 20,482 3/8
5. Louisville 19,389 3/4
6. Memphis 17,638 3/7
7. Wisconsin 17,230 3/8
8. Maryland 16,995 3/3
9. Kansas 16,353 3/7
10. Creighton 16,242 --
11. Arkansas 16,068 3/4
12. Marquette 16,027 3/7
13. Illinois 15,498 --
14. Ohio State 15,251 3/8
15. Indiana 14,283 3/3
Three Streak Continues
Booker Woodfox has made a three-pointer in 27 straight games, which is the 10th-longest active streak nationally.
Woodfox's streak is tied for second-longest in CU history, and one behind Kyle Korver's school-record of 28 in a row with a trifecta.
It's worth noting that Korver's streak of 28 games with a trey was snapped when he did not attempt a field goal in 24 minutes of play during an 83-56 win over UNI on Feb. 9, 2002. Korver then drained a triple in 27 more games in a row, a stretch from Feb. 13, 2002 to Jan. 20, 2003.
Consecutive Games With a 3-Pointer, CU History
Streak Name Dates
28 Kyle Korver 2/4/01 to 2/6/02
27 Kyle Korver 2/13/02 to 1/20/03
27 Booker Woodfox 11/25/08 to Present
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 ranks first in the NCAA in three-point field goal percentage (50.9 percent) and is eighth in free-throw percentage at 88.8 percent, which makes him the only player in the country to rank in the top-10 nationally in both three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.
Below is a list of 11 incredible figures as they relate to Woodfox:
1. Leads the nation in three-point percentage (50.9 percent), including 10-of-14 (71.4 percent) shooting from distance in the past four games.
2. Only player to rank in the top-10 nationally in both 3FG% and FT%.
3. Set a Creighton record with 36 consecutive made free throws earlier this season.
4. Has made 43-of-44 free-throw attempts away from home this season (97.7 percent), including 25-of-25 in MVC road games this year.
5. Is shooting 57.0 percent (45-79) from three-point range in non-MVC games.
6. When you subtract nine games played in January when he was hobbled by a bum ankle, Woodfox has shot 56.1 percent from three-point land (69-123) this season.
7. Has made 55.6 percent (10-18) of his three-point attempts in games televised by ESPN2 or ESPNU this year
8. On pace to shatter CU's single-season and career marks for three-point accuracy.
9. Has made 58.7 percent (27-46) of his three-pointers the last 10 games and 62.1 percent (18-29) from downtown the past seven games.
10. Woodfox has made a three-pointer in 27 straight games. The only player in CU history with a streak longer than that was Kyle Korver, who had a streak of 28 straight from Feb. 4, 2001 to Feb. 6, 2002.
11. Woodfox is currently shooting 50.2 percent from the field overall this season. That would be the best by any Bluejay player ever listed at 6'1” or smaller who has taken 200 attempts in a season since at least 1955 (when field goal attempts started being listed regularly).
Woodfox Named Player of the Week, Again
Creighton guard Booker Woodfox claimed his third MVC Player of the Week honor on Monday after averaging 17.5 points in wins over Evansville and George Mason last week. Woodfox made 13-of-20 shots from the floor (65 percent) and hit 8-of-9 three-point attempts (88.9 percent) in the wins.
The only other player to earn MVC Player of the Week accolades this season has been Illinois State's Osiris Eldridge.
The Nation's Longest Active Win Streaks
Creighton's 10-game win streak is tied for third-longest nationally. Below is that list, through March 2nd:
Rk. Streak School Next Game
1. 20 Memphis 3/4
2. 11 Weber State 3/3
3. 10 Creighton 3/6
10 LSU 3/4
10 American 3/4
Pair of 9's
Creighton is currently on a 10-game winning streak after posting nine straight wins earlier this season from Dec. 2-31, a stretch snapped by Illinois State.
This is the first time in school history that Creighton has had two win streaks of nine or longer in the same season.
Creighton is one of four teams in the nation to have multiple winning streaks of nine or longer this year, joining Connecticut, North Carolina and Xavier.
A Tradition of Win Streaks
Creighton's 10-game win streak is its longest streak in five years. 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.
CU'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
10 Jan. 27, 2009 - Present ? ? ?
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 Four Times
6 Four Times
5 Four Times
Perfect Months
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.
Creighton also went 9-0 in the month of February, the school's first ever unbeaten February in which it played nine or more games.
Second Half Surges
Creighton has scored 40 or more second half points in nine of the 10 games during its 10-game win streak.
Creighton's bench, which no doubt contributes to that success, has outscored the opponents 191-55 in those second halves and has out-assisted its opponent's reserves 30-11. Creighton's reserves have made 17-of-34 three-point attempts (50.0 percent), while the reserves of the opposition are just 3-of-12 (25.0 percent) from downtown in this run.
25 Wins Helps The Cause For NCAA's
Creighton currently has 25 wins, all against Division I opponents.
According to Jerry Palm from http://www.collegerpi.com, every team in the last 15 years with at least 25 Division I wins from a top-10 conference has made the NCAA Tournament. The MVC is currently the ninth-ranked conference.
Overall, only four teams have missed the NCAA's with 25 or more Division I wins in the last 15 years...Robert Morris last year, Akron and Vermont in 2007 and Butler in 2002.
The 25-Win Group
Creighton was one of nine schools with 25 or more wins this season through March 1st.
Wins Schools
27 Connecticut
26 Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Memphis, Utah State
25 Creighton, North Carolina, Butler, LSU
24 Dayton, Duke, Missouri, Davidson, Niagara, St. Mary's, Kansas
Chasing History
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.
Creighton's 25 wins this season are second-most all-time, trailing only the 2002-03 season.
Below is a list of the campaigns in which Creighton has had 23 or more wins in a season.
Wins Year(s)
29 2002-03
25 2008-09
24 2000-01, 1990-91
23 2004-05, 2001-02, 1999-00, 1973-74, 1921-22
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 Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse have already extended their streak to 11 straight years. Below is a list of where the other school chasing an 11th straight 20-win season currently stand:
Team Current W-L Next Game
Kent State 16-13 March 5
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).
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 is 5-11 in the Pac-10 and cannot reach 10 league wins this season.
At Neutral Sites?
Creighton is 78-59 (.569) all-time at neutral sites, including a 35-18 (.660) mark under Dana Altman. Altman owns a 33-11 (.750) record in neutral site games that have not been part of the NCAA Tournament.
Random Valley Tournament Facts
-Creighton is the only Valley school that has not appeared in the play-in round since that format began in 1997.
-Creighton sophomore Kaleb Korver is attempting to become the third member of his family to win a Valley Tournament title. Oldest brother Kyle won titles in 2000, 2002 and 2003 at Creighton, while older brother Klayton won a title at Drake last spring.
-Creighton has not gone consecutive seasons without winning a Valley Tournament title since 1997-98. CU has won titles in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007 in recent years.
-Creighton has won its last seven games at the MVC Tournament decided by four points or less. However, seven of CU's last nine losses at the MVC Tournament have been by margins between five and eight points.
-Creighton is 7-1 in its last eight MVC Tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.
-Creighton has scored exactly 70 points in all five previous MVC Tournament meetings with Wichita State, winning four of those contests.
-Five of the previous six Bluejay teams to beat Missouri State in Springfield went on to win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament that March. Creighton won in Springfield, 65-59, this year.
Can You Forecast This?
Even though the games are played indoors at Scottrade Center, the weather in the St. Louis metro area may play a bigger factor that you'd expect.
According to historical weather data found on www.almanac.com for St. Louis, consider the following information:
-Creighton is 12-1 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games when the high temperature that day was 49 degrees or warmer.
-Creighton is 8-1 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games when the high is 47 degrees or cooler.
-Creighton is 0-2 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games and the high that day was exactly 48 degrees.
The forecast for this weekend is nothing short of brilliant. Weather.com expects it to be 64 degrees on Friday, 62 degrees on Saturday, and 53 degrees on championship Sunday.
Five In Double-Figures x 3
Creighton placed five men in double-figures in consecutive wins over Bradley, Southern Illinois and Evansville earlier this month.
Prior to that 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.
Posts With the Most
Creighton centers Kenny Lawson Jr. and Kenton Walker have produced eight double-figure scoring performances in the current 10-game win streak (five by Lawson, three by Walker).
When both men score 10 or more in the same game, CU is 4-0 all-time and has won those 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 14.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots in 36.8 minutes in the past 13 games.
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
2nd Half Defense = Wins
Creighton's defense has been stellar in the second halves of its current 10-game win streak. The Jays have held opponents to 38.8 percent from the floor (109-281) after intermission and just 29.9 percent from three-point range (26-87) in those 10 triumphs.
Creighton's defense has held the opposition without a field goal for a five-minute second-half stretch on seven occasions in those past 10 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.
-Held George Mason without a field goal for a span of 6:29 on Feb. 21.
-Held Missouri State without a field goal for a span of 7:06 (last 5:18 of first half and first 2:48 of the second half) on Feb. 24.
Biggest Road Wins
Creighton 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 367 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
Six of Creighton's MVC road results were the opposite of how it 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 went 2-1.
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 CU 65-59
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:
-Creighton's 7-2 MVC road record was the school's best mark since the 2001-02 team went also went 7-2.
-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 10 wins away from home (eight 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 eight true road wins this season. Four of the five most recent times it has won eight or more true road games, it has made the NCAA's. This is the the first team with eight true road wins since the 1999-2000 club finished 8-6 on the road.
-At 7-2 on the MVC road, Creighton has now won three or more Valley road contests in 14 straight seasons.
Record Chasers
A trio of Bluejay guards are moving up on the school's single-season record lists.
Josh Dotzler leads Creighton with 66 steals thus far. That places him sixth in school history.
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
66 Josh Dotzler (Sr.) 2008-09
63 James Farr (Jr.) 1987-88
Fellow senior Booker Woodfox has made 83 three-point baskets this season, which ranks third in single-season Creighton history.
Most 3-Point Field Goals Made, Season
3FG Name (Class) Year
129 Kyle Korver (Sr.) 2002-03
100 Kyle Korver (So.) 2000-01
83 Booker Woodfox (Sr.) 2008-09
82 Tad Ackerman (Jr.) 1994-95
79 Kyle Korver (Jr.) 2001-02
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 eighth at 86.1 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) 87-98
.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
.861 Cavel Witter (Jr., 2008-09) 87-101
.855 Ryan Sears (So., 1989-99) 71-83
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
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 2-0
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 1-3
TOTAL 35-18
Altman Picks Up 300th Win With Jays
With Creighton's 79-68 win last on Feb. 4 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 307-158 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.)
A Ton of Points
Creighton has scored 2,317 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 2,200 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. 2,317 2008-09 ? ? ?
9. 2,220 2006-07 NCAA
10. 2,100 1997-98 NIT
Check The Book's
Booker Woodfox has scored 20 or more points nine 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 11-1 when Woodfox scores 20 or more points in his Bluejay career.
Woodfox has made five three-pointers in one game six times this year and eight times in his career. Creighton is 7-1 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 seven of the past 10 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 305 points, 187 rebounds and 40 blocks the past 10 games.
All The Small Things
Josh Dotzler has scored just 34 points in the past 10 games, but you'd have a tough time finding a Creighton player doing any better.
In the past 10 games (all CU wins), Dotzler has 40 assists, seven turnovers and 19 steals in 216 minutes.
Despite being CU's primary ballhandler, Dotzler owned just 18 turnovers in 18 MVC games this season, including 15 league games with zero or one miscue this winter. He ranked sixth nationally with a 3.00 assist/turnover ratio (now 3.12) through games of last Thursday.
Give Me Four (Or More) From 3
Creighton has made four or more three-pointers in 64 consecutive games, which ranks eighth nationally.
Consecutive Games, 4+ 3-Pointers, Teams
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 3/2)
Rank No. Team Next Game
1. 95 Lafayette 3/4
2. 94 Belmont 3/5
3. 79 Eastern Kentucky 3/3
4. 72 Liberty 3/3
5. 69 Drake 3/5
69 Michigan 3/8
7. 68 Portland State 3/7
8. 64 Creighton 3/6
9. 61 Valparaiso 3/3
Woodfox From Distance
Booker Woodfox has made a three-pointer in 27 straight games, a streak that began on Nov. 25, 2008 at UALR.
Kyle Korver is the last Creighton player with a streak of 27 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 10th-longest nationally according to STATS Inc.
Consecutive Games With A 3-Pointer, Individuals
Courtesy STATS Inc. (through 3/1)
Rank No. Name, Team Next Game
1. 40 Josh Akognon, Cal St Fullerton 3/3
2. 39 Craig Moore, Northwestern 3/4
3. 32 Ryan Schneider, Marist 3/6
4. 31 Chase Adams, Centenary 3/7
5. 30 Jack McClinton, Miami Fla. 3/4
30 Ryan Wittman, Cornell 3/6
30 Jamarco Warren, Charleston So. --
8. 28 David Holston, Chicago State 3/2
28 Sean Ogirri, Wyoming 3/4
10. 27 Booker Woodfox, Creighton 3/6
27 T.J. Campbell, Portland 3/7
12. 26 Nick Calathes, Florida 3/4
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 5.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game in 14.9 minutes per contest. He shoots 53.6 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 those 14 campaigns the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Creighton has made the NCAA Tournament each of the last seven times it has gone 4-2 or better in its last six MVC games, something it did again this year with a 6-0 finish.
Year W-L After 12 W-L Final 6
2008-09 8-4 6-0
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) 57-33 (.633)
Room To Board
The rebound differential between Creighton and its opponent has stood at 10 or larger in 16 of the 31 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 11 occasions (going 7-4).
In the 15 games that the rebound discrepancy has been a single-digit, CU is 14-1.
Creighton is 13-1 when winning the rebound battle this year, and 18-2 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 11 games, combining for just 19 turnovers in that span.
Young has 11 turnovers in 181 minutes of action, while Dotzler has just eight in 233 minutes of play in those 11 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 157 rebounds and ranks third with 59 assists while playing the power forward position. He is vying to become the first junior college transfer to lead Creighton in rebounding in his first season since Chuckie Johnson in 1995-96.
Carter has started each of his first 31 games at Creighton. The last player that could say that was Ryan Sears, who started all 124 games of his Bluejay career from 1997-2001.
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
31 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 104-for-197 in the final seven minutes of regulation in its 25 wins this season, good for 52.8 percent. That figure includes Stinnett shooting 24-of-28 from two-point range (85.7 percent), and the team shooting 34-of-81 (42.0 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 307 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 172 triumphs in regular-season conference games are second-most in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hickey 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. 172 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. 307 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 (3), Indiana State (1) and Wichita State (1).
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 9-0
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) 88-47 (.652)
Second Half Turnaround, Again
This season turned around just 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.
This year Creighton also lost on Jan. 24th before starting its current 10-game winning streak on Jan. 27th.
Home Cooking
Creighton is 44-10 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.815), compared to a 28-26 (.519) 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 Won 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 49 blocked shots. Lawson has a blocked shot in 27 of CU's 31 contests this season. Lawson owns 77 career blocked shots, moving him into eighth 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
77 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
76 Livan Pyfrom 1999-01
75 Jeffrey Day 2004-06
Let's Start With Dotzler
Josh Dotzler has started each of Creighton's last 65 games, winning 47 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 92 starts, with CU winning 65 of them (70.7 percent).
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 49 blocked shots for the season are five more than his closest competition, Bradley's David Collins.
Walker owned the Valley lead in conference play with 31 blocks, four more than UNI's Jordan Eglseder.
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 18 go-ahead baskets this year, five behind Kenny Lawson Jr.'s team-best 23.
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. 23 5 0
Booker Woodfox 22 6 1
P'Allen Stinnett 18 6 2
Justin Carter 11 3 0
Antoine Young 9 1 0
Kaleb Korver 5 1 0
Cavel Witter 5 0 0
Casey Harriman 5 0 0
Kenton Walker 4 1 0
Chad Millard 3 1 0
Josh Dotzler 2 1 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 208 wins in the decade.
MVC Standings (2000-01 to 3/4/09)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 115 47 .710 208 80 .722
Southern Illinois 118 44 .728 202 92 .687
Missouri State 85 77 .525 157 125 .557
Northern Iowa 84 78 .519 153 124 .552
Wichita State 83 79 .512 154 125 .552
Illinois State 75 87 .463 144 129 .527
Bradley 78 84 .481 150 135 .526
Drake 69 93 .426 135 136 .498
Indiana State 50 112 .309 106 167 .388
Evansville 53 109 .327 101 161 .385
Toe The Line
Creighton has shot the ball well from the free-throw line, moving up to ninth nationally with its 76.0 percent rate from the charity stripe. That's even more impressive when you consider CU's 525 free throw makes are also 10th nationally.
Creighton and North Carolina are the only teams in the country to rank in the top-10 in both free-throw makes and free-throw percentage.
One of Five
Creighton ranks tied for 11th nationally with 254 three-pointers made and is 20th with its 39.6 percent marksmanship from three-point territory.
On a national basis, the only other schools to be in the top-20 of both categories are Notre Dame, Green Bay, Oklahoma State and Eastern Kentucky.
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 (1.7 ppg.), but has since exploded to score 115 points over the past 15 games (7.7 ppg.).
That includes 15 points against Evansville, 13 points against Bradley and George Mason 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 513-249 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 307 victories at Creighton (1994-Present).
Comparison To Past Years After 31 Games
Below is a comparison after 31 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 25-6 and would win the MVC regular-season title, with season-bests in bold:
Statistic 2008-09 2007-08 2002-03 2000-01
W-L Record 25-6 21-10 27-4 24-7
MVC W-L 14-4 10-8 15-3 14-4
FG% .452 .451 .499 .446
3FG% .394 .370 .390 .366
3FG/Game 8.2 8.3 8.1 7.9
FT% .760 .719 .687 .701
Reb. Margin -3.1 +1.7 +1.2 +1.1
Assists 439 458 521 479
Turnovers 382 435 412 414
Blocks 124 112 135 111
Steals 253 233 266 290
PPG Scored 74.7 72.0 79.5 73.2
PPG Allowed 65.2 65.0 64.5 62.1
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 (87-98), which is eighth-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)
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.
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
Book It!
Booker Woodfox is 83-of-163 (50.9 percent) from three-point range this season, best nationally.
For his career, he is 139-of-295, which computes to 47.1 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 44.5 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 44.4 percent accuracy.
Woodfox's 83 three-point baskets this season are tied for 38th-most nationally.
Creighton's 3-Point Percentage Leaders, Career
(Minimum 100 Attempts)
Pct. Name, Years 3FGM-FGA
.4712 Booker Woodfox, 2007-Present 139-295
.4530 Kyle Korver, 1999-03 371-819
.4444 Kaleb Korver, 2007-Present 48-108
.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
.4262 Casey Harriman, 2007-Present 52-122
.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 16,040 16,422 +2.4%
Statistical Leaders, Nationally
Through games of Feb. 26th, Booker Woodfox ranked first in three-point field goal percentage (51.3%), eighth in free-throw percentage (89.1%) and 45th in three-pointers per game (2.8). Josh Dotzler ranked sixth with a 3.0 assist/turnover ratio and 40th with 2.1 steals per game. Cavel Witter's 86.7 percent free-throw percentage ranked 25th.
As a team, Creighton was ranked ninth in free-throw percentage (76.5), 18th in turnover margin (+3.8), 18th in three-point field-goal percentage (39.6) and 22nd in three-point field goals per game (8.3).
Dotzler Top Seven 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 192 career steals ranks third in CU history. Dotzler's 370 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
192 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
370 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 5.9 percent of all defensive possessions that he's in the game for, the nation's second-best rate.
The same website ranks Booker Woodfox 10th 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 473 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Big Blue Wave
Eleven different players are averaging 10.1 minutes per game or more this season for Creighton, with no player seeing more than 26.0 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, nine individuals throughout the MVC average 31.8 minutes per game or more.
Two Years, 700 Points Under Altman
Creighton has had four players score 700 or more points in their first two years playing for Dana Altman. Two of those men, Booker Woodfox and P'Allen Stinnett, are currently in the program.
Among players in the Altman era, only Rodney Buford has scored more points in their first two years in the program.
700+Points In First 2 Years Under Dana Altman
Name Points Games Years
Rodney Buford 1,010 59 1995-1997
Booker Woodfox 795 63 2007-2009
P'Allen Stinnett 795 63 2007-2009
Kyle Korver 759 65 1999-2001
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 497 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
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 42 charges in 31 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
Justin Carter n/a n/a 8 8
Casey Harriman n/a 17 7 24
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 3 3
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 42 334
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.
Like A Good Neighbor
Sophomore center Kenton Walker has been named one of 10 recipients of the MVC's Good Neighbor Award. The award is given to model student-athletes in good academic standing who demonstrate good sportsmanship and significant community service.
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. Friday will be the 376th 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 24-4 in Lawson's career when he has five rebounds or more, but 25-13 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 100-54 in televised games in the last seven seasons, including a 36-22 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. CU is 6-3 on KMTV this year.
The Jays are also 45-28 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 aired on 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.
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 52 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has won 63 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 84-13 when winning this category, including an 23-3 mark this winter.
Paint Points
Since Creighton started tracking points in the paint six years ago, CU is 63-9 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 returned to playing for the Des Moines Energy in the NBA D-League. Tolliver left for Turkey on Feb. 25th, where he will finish off this season.
Korver is averaging 8.3 points in 23.5 minutes per game off the bench for Utah. He is shooting 35.9 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. Nine of his last 12 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race, including this year. 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 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 12 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 98 regular and post-season contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time. The Bluejays own a 83-15 (.847) 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 7,270-6,105 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.9 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 216-47 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 15-2 9-4 24-6
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 126-18 90-29 216-47
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 98 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 three times this season, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 29 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
02/24/09 at Missouri State 13 W 65-59
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15 Florida 11 W 83-82 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
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 859 of the team's 2,317 points (37.1 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 30 double-digit scoring games off the bench, including 13 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.
