
Men's Basketball Hosts Shockers Saturday on ESPN2
1/15/2010 9:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game #18 vs. Wichita State • Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010 • 4:05 p.m.
Wichita State Shockers at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: ESPN2
Series History: Creighton leads, 51-41
Last Meeting: Wichita State won 70-58 in Wichita, Kan. on Jan. 9, 2010
Next Game
Creighton (8-9, 3-3 MVC) hosts rival Wichita State (16-2, 5-1 MVC) on Saturday afternoon in a 4:05 pm contest at Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) in Omaha, Neb.
White Out For Wichita Planned
Creighton Athletic officials are asking fans to wear a white shirt to Saturday's game vs. Wichita State, in order to create a “white-out” effect for the national television audience on ESPN2.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com.
T. Scott Marr and former Bluejay Nick Bahe will call the action.
Interim KMTV sports director Matt Seigel will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show on KXSP. Seigel will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Brian Anderson and Stephen Bardo will announce.
Video Webcast Information
Saturday's game will be video webcast free on the Internet at espn360.com in most markets, including Omaha.
Live Stats Information
All Creighton basketball games will have live stats this season. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.
Scouting Wichita State
Wichita State comes into Saturday's game with a 16-2 record and is second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 5-1 league mark.
The Shockers are coming off an 84-73 road win at Indiana State on Wednesday.
Three men average in double-figures for the Shockers, a group led by sophomore Toure' Murry. Murry averages 12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He also tops the team with 31 steals this season.
Junior big man JT Durley averages 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, while senior point guard Clevin Hannah averages 12.1 points and 4.8 assists per game. His 72 assists lead the team, and his 95.8 percent accuracy at the line (with 34 straight makes) is second nationally.
The Shockers average 73.1 points per game and allow just 59.2 per contest. WSU shoots 46.4 percent from the floor, 37.0 percent from downtown and 76.3 percent at the line.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 8-9 on the season, including a 7-1 mark at Qwest Center Omaha and a 1-8 record at all other venues.
The Bluejays are 3-3 in the league, with losses to Northern Iowa, Indiana State and Wichita State as well as wins over Southern Illinois, Evansville and Drake.
The Bluejays returned eight lettermen and three starters from last year's team that went 27-8 and made a 12th straight postseason appearance.
Junior center Kenny Lawson Jr. leads the team in scoring (12.2 ppg.), rebounding (6.9 rpg.) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg).
Four other men average between 7.4 and 9.1 points per game, a group consisting of P'Allen Stinnett (9.1), Justin Carter (9.1), Darryl Ashford (8.5) and Cavel Witter (7.4).
Creighton averages 69.9 points per game and shoots 43.9 percent from the floor, 32.4 percent from downtown and 68.1 percent at the line. It holds opponents to 68.0 points per game and 40.8 percent shooting. The Jays have been outrebounded by 0.2 boards per game.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 16th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 317-169 (.652) mark at CU and a career record of 400-236 (.629) in his 21st year as a NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 24 years as a head coach at all levels. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 12 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones is the team's graduate manager.
Wichita State is coached by Gregg Marshall (Randolph-Macon, 1985), who owns a 44-39 mark in his third year with the Shockers. That moves his career mark to 238-122 in 12 years, which includes a highly successful run at Winthrop. He is assisted by Earl Grant, Chris Jans and Marty Gross.
Series History Against Wichita State
Creighton leads the all-time series with Wichita State by a 51-41 margin, including wins in four of the past six meetings.
Creighton has won the last 16 games in Omaha to own a 28-14 home record against the Shockers all-time.
The Jays have also won 27-of-34 and 34-of-44 vs. the Shockers in recent seasons.
Dana Altman is 29-8 all-time vs. Wichita State, including a 26-7 mark since coming to Creighton. Altman's 29 wins over Wichita State are five more victories than any other school he's beaten. He is 4-2 against Gregg Marshall.
A complete series history against Wichita State can be found on page 10 of this release.
Last Game Recap
Creighton defeated Southern Illinois 71-69 on Wednesday when Antoine Young banked in a six-foot shot with 1.3 seconds left for the decisive points. Justin Carter led Creighton with 19 points and seven rebounds, while SIU was paced by career-highs with 14 points and eight rebounds by freshman reserve Gene Teague.
WSU's Last Win In Omaha Was A “Big Show”
With 16 straight losses to Creighton in Omaha, it's been a while since Wichita State has beaten the Bluejays away from home.
In fact, the last time the Shockers won in Omaha (Feb. 22, 1992), they got eight points and seven rebounds in a career-high 18 minutes off the bench from a center named Paul Wight.
Who is Paul Wight? He's well-known among wrestling diehards as “The Big Show”, where he is a former WWE and WCW heavyweight champion. He is listed by Wikipedia at 7'0” and 507 pounds.
Keep The Shockers Under 70
Since arriving at Creighton, Dana Altman owns a 26-7 mark against Wichita State. One common theme for the Bluejays in those contests has been tenacious defense.
Creighton has allowed the Shockers to score 70 or more points in just seven of those 33 games, of which WSU won five times. However, in the 26 matchups the Shockers scored under 70, they are 2-24 vs. Altman and the Bluejays. This trend also held true when Altman was at Kansas State, as the Shockers went 0-3 when scoring under 70 but 1-0 when they eclipsed the 70-point barrier.
This season Creighton is 8-3 when holding teams under 70 points, but 0-6 when opponents score 70 or more points.
Dana Altman vs. Wichita State
at KSU at CU Total
WSU scores 69 or less 3-0 24-2 27-2
WSU scores 70+ 0-1 2-5 2-6
Buzzer Beaters Galore
Six of the last 10 Creighton/Wichita State games have been decided in the final seconds.
On Jan. 28, 2006 in Omaha, Creighton's Anthony Tolliver hit a 15-foot baseline jumper as time expired to give the Bluejays a 57-55 win.
In the rematch on Feb. 14, 2006 in Wichita, Matt Braeuer drained a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds left in overtime to give the Shockers a 62-61 triumph.
On Jan. 15, 2007 in Wichita, Nate Funk's game-tying trey in the final seconds was blocked by PJ Couisnard as WSU won 62-59.
On Jan. 12, 2008 in Wichita, Gal Mekel missed a three-pointer as time expired as Creighton won, 68-65.
In the Feb. 2, 2008 meeting in Omaha, Creighton overcame a 54-39 deficit in the final nine minutes to win a 65-63 contest. Dane Watts scored the go-ahead tip-in with 16.7 seconds left, then took a charge on WSU guard Gal Mekel with 11.1 seconds remaining.
Last year's final meeting at the 2009 MVC Tournament might have been the most dramatic finish of them all. Wichita State overcame a 22-point second-half deficit to go ahead 62-61 on a Toure' Murry three-pointer with 7.1 seconds left. Creighton would miss a shot as time ran out, only to have 1.9 seconds put back on the clock after a review of courtside monitors. Bluejay star Booker Woodfox would then catch an inbounds pass and drain a shot as time expired, giving Creighton the one-point victory.
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Creighton and Wichita State have played 25 games decided by 12 points or less during the 33 matchups since Dana Altman became Bluejay coach. CU has gone 21-4 in those games. Altman also went 1-0 while at Kansas State in games vs. WSU decided by 12 points or less. Additionally, Altman is 13-2 in his career (12-2 at CU) in games vs. Wichita State decided by four points or less.
Dana Altman vs. Wichita State, By Point Margin
at KSU at CU Total
Game decided by 4 or less 1-0 12-2 13-2
Game decided by 12 or less 1-0 20-4 21-4
Game decided by 13 or more 2-1 5-3 7-4
Young With The Winner
Antoine Young delivered Creighton's first game-winning shot of the season, connecting on a six-foot bank shot from the right side of the lane to beat Southern Illinois on Wednesday, 71-69.
It was the first time that Creighton hit a game-winning shot in the final five seconds of a game since Booker Woodfox's buzzer-beater to top Wichita State last March 6. Woodfox hit a shot as time expired to beat the Shockers, 63-62.
Creighton hadn't won a game after being in Wednesday's situation (with the ball in a tie game with less than 10 seconds left) since Nov. 25, 2006. On that day Dane Watts made two free throws with 7.5 seconds left to beat George Mason, 58-56.
Comeback Kids
Creighton has overcome a double-digit deficit to beat Wichita State five times since 2003. That includes a 57-55 win over the Shockers on Jan. 28, 2006 in which WSU had led 25-6 before eventually falling on a buzzer-beater by CU's Anthony Tolliver.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming 10+ Point Deficits vs. WSU Since '03
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 CU 57-55
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 CU 65-63
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 CU 70-69
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 CU 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 CU 73-69
Handling The Rock
Point guards Antoine Young and Andrew Bock have done a solid job of taking care of the ball in recent games.
Young has 17 assists and four turnovers in the last four games, while Bock has just one turnover in his last nine games.
For the season, Young owns a 50/24 assist/turnover ratio, while Bock has 17 assists to 10 turnovers.
In its eight wins, Creighton owns 142 assists and 105 turnovers, including P'Allen Stinnett's 32 assists and 10 turnovers.
In its nine losses, Creighton owns 105 assists and 129 turnovers, including 16 assists and 35 turnovers from Stinnett.
White Out Success
Saturday marks the fourth time Creighton has had a “White Out”. The Jays won the first three such games, as seen below:
Date Opponent Result
01/13/09 Southern Illinois W 73-72 OT
02/10/08 Southern Illinois W 72-53
02/24/07 Wichita State W 71-54
Millard Scores Six Points
Chad Millard entered Wednesday's game vs. Southern Illinois with two points in 45 minutes spread out over 13 games this season.
Against Southern Illinois, Millard converted a pair of old-fashioned three-point plays to score six points in his first three minutes on the floor, providing a spark and some aggressiveness for a team badly in need of both traits.
A transfer to Creighton after one year at Louisville, Millard started his first 12 games as a Bluejay in the 2007-08 season but has come off the bench in his past 59 appearances since then.
Beset by foot injuries throughout the fall, Millard hasn't let his limited playing time affect him. After Wednesday's win, his comments in the press conference displayed some of the maturity one might expect from a fifth-year senior:
“As everyone knows, my career has been real up and down, battling injuries and stuff like that,'' Millard said. “To actually get in a game and have some meaningful minutes, it's an unbelievable feeling. And to come away with a win, it's a memory I'm going to have for the rest of my life.''
Bluejay “O” vs. Shocker “D”
Creighton's offense ranks fifth in the MVC, scoring 69.9 points per game. Wichita State's defense ranks second in the MVC (and 13th nationally), allowing a mere 59.2 points per contest to the opposition.
When they face off on Saturday, it could become a battle of wills.
Each of Creighton's last 47 wins have come when the Jays have scored 60 or more points, dating to a 50-49 road win at Missouri State on Jan. 5, 2008.
Stinnett Eyes 1,000 Points
Junior guard P'Allen Stinnett is approaching 1,000 career points, having scored 996 points through the first 84 games of his career.
The last Bluejay to surpass 1,000 career points was Dane Watts, who did so in 2008 in an overtime loss to Drake. Watts was the third straight Bluejay to reach the 1,000 point barrier in a game that CU later lost.
Below is the number of games it took to reach 1,000 points for CU's last eight scorers to reach 1,000 points, as well as the top scorers of the Dana Altman era.
Name Games to 1,000 pts. Date
Dane Watts 115 01/22/08
Anthony Tolliver 124 03/16/07
Johnny Mathies 91 03/03/06
Nate Funk 92 02/28/05
Kyle Korver 81 01/30/02
Ben Walker 105 01/06/01
Ryan Sears 97 12/01/00
Rodney Buford 59 03/01/97
Most Points, Dana Altman Era (1994-Pres.)
No. Pts. Name, Games Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford (118 games) 1995-99
2. 1,801 Kyle Korver (128 games) 1999-03
3. 1,754 Nate Funk (135 games) 2002-07
4. 1,311 Ryan Sears (124 games) 1997-01
5. 1,238 Ben Walker (124 games) 1997-01
6. 1,152 Dane Watts (130 games) 2004-08
7. 1,031 Johnny Mathies (93 games) 2003-06
8. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver (124 games) 2003-07
9. 996 P'Allen Stinnett (84 games) 2007-10
10. 979 Terrell Taylor (97 games) 1999-02
Searching For .500
Before this season, Creighton hadn't spent a day under .500 since December of 1997.
This year has been almost the opposite, as Creighton has been over .500 for less than a week the entire season.
A Creighton win on Saturday would move the team to the .500 mark for the first time since losing on Thanksgiving Day to #15 Michigan to drop to 2-2. It would also give Creighton a Valley record over .500 for the first time all season.
MVC Success At the 1/3 Mark
Wednesday was Creighton's sixth MVC game of the season, marking the 1/3rd point of the league slate. The Bluejays have never had a losing record after exactly six league games under Dana Altman. CU currently at 3-3 in the league.
Creighton has not been under .500 in league play after six games or more at any time since Jan. 17, 1998, when the team was 3-4. That squad responded with nine straight wins and advanced to the NIT.
Success In MVC Game Six
Creighton has won its sixth game of the MVC slate in all 16 years with Dana Altman as head coach. Wednesday's game vs. Southern Illinois was Creighton's sixth MVC contest this season.
Record Breaking Attendance
Creighton attracted 302,676 home fans last season, a figure that was the most in the 103-year history of the MVC. The Jays also set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton averaged 15,930 fans (12th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.
This year's Creighton team is averaging 15,934 fans per game so far, which ranks 10th nationally.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (through 1/15/10)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 24,048 1/23
2. Louisville 19,217 1/24
3. Syracuse 19,047 1/18
4. Tennessee 18,357 1/16
5. North Carolina 18,336 1/16
6. Wisconsin 17,230 1/20
7. Memphis 16,651 1/20
8. Kansas 16,530 1/16
9. Maryland 16,188 1/19
10. Creighton 15,934 1/16
11. Illinois 14,937 1/19
12. Marquette 14,761 1/17
13. Michigan State 14,759 1/16
14. Indiana 14,323 1/17
15. Texas 13,428 1/16
16. Purdue 13,337 1/23
17. Arizona 13,240 1/28
2008-09 Attendance Leaders
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 23,012
2. Syracuse 21,044
3. North Carolina 21,035
4. Tennessee 20,483
5. Louisville 19,397
6. Wisconsin 17,230
7. Maryland 17,048
8. Memphis 16,933
9. Kansas 16,350
10. Marquette 16,200
11. Arkansas 16,043
12. Creighton 15,930
13. Illinois 15,498
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
15,934 so far Creighton 2009-10
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
Carter Loses Knee Brace, Play Improves
Justin Carter played his first nine games of the season with a brace on his left knee, the result of a partially torn MCL suffered when his knee buckled during the exhibition season. During that time, Carter averaged 7.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 25-of-58 from the field (43.1 percent) and 10-of-21 at the line (47.6 percent).
Carter shed his knee brace on January 1st, and his play has picked up since then. In the past four games, Carter has averaged 14.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 20-of-33 from the field (60.6 percent) and 14-of-20 at the line (70 percent).
Altman Earns 400th Division I Win
Dana Altman earned his 400th win as a Division I head coach on Wednesday when his team beat the same club he topped for his 100th and 200th career Division I victories, Southern Illinois.
Altman owns a 400-236 record in 21 years as a Division I head coach, including 317 wins at Creighton, 68 wins at Kansas State and 15 wins at Marshall.
Altman has a 317-169 mark in 15 1/2 years at Creighton, an average of 20.5 wins per season. This is especially impressive when you consider that Creighton had just 24 wins total in the three seasons prior to his arrival.
Win # Game # Opponent Date
50 94 at UC-Santa Barbara 12/30/92
100 195 Southern Illinois 01/29/96
150 280 Illinois State 01/23/99
200 351 at Southern Illinois 02/10/01
250 414 Bradley 02/08/03
300 486 vs. Wichita State 03/06/05
350 559 Houston Baptist 12/17/07
400 636 Southern Illinois 01/13/10
ESPN All-Access
Creighton's current basketball team features four men that have helped out with ESPN's coverage of the Men's College World Series, held annually in Omaha at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.
Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman, 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 61st consecutive year from June 19-29 and will once again be seen on ESPN and ESPN2.
Bright Lights, Big Wins
Creighton is 27-14 in its last 41 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, and will be making its fifth appearance of the year on the World Wide Leader on Saturday.
In these 41 ESPN-affiliated appearances, Creighton is 26-6 when scoring 62 points or more, but just 1-8 when scoring 61 points or less.
Below is CU's recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Date Opponent Score Network
01/09/10 at Wichita State L 58-70 ESPNU
11/29/09 vs. Iona L 55-63 ESPNU
11/28/09 vs. Xavier L 67-80 ESPNU
11/26/09 vs. #15 Michigan L 76-83 ot ESPN2
03/23/09 Kentucky L 63-65 ESPN
02/28/09 Illinois State W 74-70 ESPN2
02/21/09 George Mason W 76-63 ESPNU
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
20 Overall Wins x 11 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 103-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11 straight 20-win campaigns, a figure it reached last season on Feb. 11 with a win over Bradley. No other Valley school has ever put together more than six straight 20-win seasons.
Creighton is one of six teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last 11 seasons. That list consists of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Postseason x 12
Creighton has made either the NIT or NCAA in 12 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It is two more than the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 12 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 12 years are Arizona, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Syracuse.
10 Conference Wins x 13
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 13th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 13 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (15).
Bock & Young…Sweet 16
Andrew Bock's contributions may seem limited on the stat sheet, but he's following in a similar path to what the Jays got from then-freshman Antoine Young last year. Young picked up his play in Creighton's 17th game of the season, played on January 10th, and would go on to earn MVC All-Bench Team accolades.
Bock Young Young
Stat First 16 First 16 '09 Last 19 '09
Minutes/Game 9.8 9.7 17.8
Points/Game 2.3 1.8 7.4
Rebounds/Game 0.8 0.3 1.2
Assists/Game 1.1 1.1 1.7
Steals/Game 0.2 0.5 0.3
FG Pct. .261 .286 .415
3FG Pct. .250 .000 .393
FT Pct. .864 .583 .724
Plus/Minus +27 -20 +14
Player of the (Next) Decade?
It's ridiculously early, but Kenny Lawson Jr. has taken over the lead for Creighton's Player of the (Next) Decade. Since January 1st, Lawson has averaged 14.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He's shooting 51.9 percent from the field in that span and 76.2 percent at the line.
Casey's Countdown
Casey Harriman has started each of Creighton's last five games, and continues to prove his value on both ends of the court.
On Jan. 3rd in win over Evansville, Harriman had season-highs with seven points and five rebounds. Then last Wednesday in the win over Drake, Harriman had a new season-high with 10 points and tied his career-best with three baskets from three-point range.
On the defensive end of the court, Harriman leads Creighton with nine charges taken this season.
18-11-7 In The Same Game?
Kenny Lawson Jr.rsquo;s monster game of 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocked shots at Evansville on Jan. 3rd hasn't been seen too often in the history of Creighton basketball.
To find the last player with to reach each of those categories in the same game, you'd have to go all the back way to Benoit Benjamin, who posted 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 blocked shots at Bradley on Feb. 12, 1985.
Most impressively, Lawson stepped up when Creighton needed it most at Evansville. The junior center had six points, four rebounds and three blocked shots in Creighton's game-ending 12-4 run, which spanned the final five minutes.
Block Party
Kenny Lawson Jr.'s seven blocked shots against Evansville on Jan. 3rd were two more than his previous high and the most by any player in The Valley this season.
The last Creighton player with seven or more blocked shots in a game was Doug Swenson, who had eight rejections against UMKC on Nov. 18, 1998.
The last MVC player with seven or more blocks in a game was Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant, who had nine vs. Tennessee Tech on Feb. 18, 2006.
The Creighton record for blocks in a game by one player is 12, set by Benoit Benjamin at Bradley on Feb. 2, 1985.
As a team, Creighton's nine blocked shots were its most since it blocked nine shots against Evansville on Jan. 9, 2008 in a game played in Omaha. Lawson had three blocks in that game.
Creighton's Most Blocked Shots (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
112 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
104 Joe Dabbert 2000-04
Lawson Passes Board Test
Kenny Lawson Jr. had 14 rebounds in the Jan. 1st game at Indiana State. Not only was that a season-high, but it was also three more than his previous career-high of 11 boards. His 14 caroms are tied for second-most in the MVC this season.
Since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago, eight different Bluejays have had at least one game of 14 or more rebounds but no player has multiple games of 14 or more boards.
Most Rebounds, Game, Under Dana Altman
Reb. Name, Opponent Date
16 Donald Davenport vs. Missouri St. 1/21/95
15 Ben Walker at Baylor 12/4/99
15 Justin Carter vs. Kentucky 3/23/09
14 Rodney Buford vs. Northern Iowa 2/16/98
14 Doug Swenson vs. Towson 11/14/98
14 Brody Deren at Bradley 1/5/04
14 Anthony Tolliver at Bradley 1/31/07
14 Kenny Lawson Jr. at Indiana St. 1/1/10
Lawson Chasing Rebound Leaders Too
Kenny Lawson Jr. has 43 rebounds in his past five games, upping his season average to 6.9 rebounds per game. Since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago, the only player to average at least 7.0 rebounds for a season is Rodney Buford, who did it twice.
Buford averaged 7.3 boards per game in 1997-98, then followed that up by averaging 7.2 caroms per contest the following season.
40 Percent Barometer
Creighton is holding opponents to 40.8 percent shooting from the floor this season, its best second-best mark since the 1962-63 team held opponents to 39.3 percent shooting from the floor (706-1795).
Before Wichita State shot 45.3 percent last Saturday, Creighton had held six straight opponents below 40 percent, the first time its done that under Dana Altman.
Over the last 16 years, Creighton has been extremely successful when holding opponents to 40 percent or lower shooting from the field, sporting a 142-21 record, as seen below:
W-L Record When Opp. Under 40.0 FG%
Year When Opp. Under 40.0%
2009-10 4-4
2008-09 11-1
2007-08 10-2
2006-07 13-1
2005-06 10-3
2004-05 8-0
2003-04 8-1
2002-03 12-0
2001-02 9-1
2000-01 10-1
1999-00 11-0
1998-99 11-0
1997-98 8-1
1996-97 5-1
1995-96 8-4
1994-95 4-1
TOTAL 142-21
Decade Leaders
Creighton went an impressive 229-97 in the recently completed decade from Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009.
Below is the stat leaders for the decade, with more detailed info available page 13 of these notes:
Category Stat Name
Games Played 135 Nate Funk
Games Started 119 Dane Watts
Minutes Played 3,686 Nate Funk
Points 1,754 Nate Funk
Points Per Game 14.9 Kyle Korver
Field Goals Made 621 Nate Funk
Field Goals Attempted 1,307 Nate Funk
Field Goal Percentage .635 Livan Pyfrom
3-Pt. Field Goals Made 360 Kyle Korver
3-Pt. Field Goal Attempts 779 Kyle Korver
3-Pt. Field Goal Pct. .468 Matt West
Free Throws Made 312 Nate Funk
Free Throws Attempted 410 Anthony Tolliver
Free Throw Pct. .894 Kyle Korver
Rebounds 686 Dane Watts
Rebounds Per Game 6.1 Ben Walker
Fouls 326 Dane Watts
Assists 430 Tyler McKinney
Blocked Shots 138 Brody Deren
Steals 196 Josh Dotzler
Among The Decade's Best, Nationally
Creighton ranked among the nation's best schools during the recently-ended decade (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009), ranking 22nd nationally with 229 wins and 21st with a .702 win percentage. Below are those lists, as tabulated by STATS Inc., and Creighton Sports Information.
Most Wins (Jan. 1, 2000 thru Dec. 31, 2009)
Rank School W-L
1. Duke 294-59
2. Kansas 284-67
3. Memphis 271-81
4. Gonzaga 266-64
5. Florida 260-87
6. Texas 256-89
7. Pittsburgh 255-84
8. Utah State 254-78
North Carolina 254-93
Syracuse 254-95
11. Illinois 253-92
Connecticut 253-87
13. Michigan State 249-95
14. Kentucky 246-93
15. Oklahoma 242-91
16. Xavier 239-92
17. Butler 236-87
Wisconsin 236-96
19. Kent State 234-101
20. Louisville 233-104
21. Arizona 232-104
22. Creighton 229-97
Oklahoma State 229-104
24. Western Kentucky 227-91
Ohio State 227-104
Best Win Percentage
(Jan. 1, 2000 thru Dec. 31, 2009)
Rank School W-L Win %
1. Duke 294-59 .833
2. Kansas 284-67 .809
3. Gonzaga 266-64 .806
4. Memphis 271-81 .770
5. Utah State 254-78 .765
6. Pittsburgh 255-84 .752
7. Florida 260-87 .749
8. Connecticut 253-87 .744
9. Texas 256-89 .742
10. Illinois 253-92 .733
11. North Carolina 254-93 .732
12. Butler 236-87 .731
13. Syracuse 254-95 .728
14. Oklahoma 242-91 .727
15. Kentucky 246-93 .726
16. Michigan State 249-95 .724
17. Xavier 239-92 .722
18. Western Kentucky 227-91 .714
19. Wisconsin 236-96 .711
20. Stanford 227-96 .703
21. Creighton 229-97 .702
22. Kent State 234-101 .699
23. Louisville 233-104 .691
24. Arizona 232-104 .690
25. Oklahoma State 229-104 .688
MVC Team of the Decade?
Below is the records for each MVC school for the recently completed decade (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009), ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton led the MVC overall with 229 wins and a .702 win percentage in the decade, as well as nine postseason appearances, as can be seen by the numbers below through games of Dec. 31, 2009:
MVC Standings (Jan. 1, 2000 to Dec. 31, 2009)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 125 54 .698 229 97 .702
Southern Illinois 130 50 .722 224 103 .685
Missouri State 97 82 .542 185 134 .580
Northern Iowa 92 89 .508 173 138 .556
Wichita State 88 92 .489 175 142 .552
Bradley 89 91 .494 171 150 .533
Illinois State 81 99 .450 161 146 .524
Drake 72 108 .400 145 162 .472
Indiana State 63 117 .350 129 178 .420
Evansville 62 118 .344 116 177 .396
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 1999-2000)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 6 4 0 0 10
Southern Illinois 6 2 0 0 8
Wichita State 1 3 1 0 5
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Northern Iowa 4 0 0 0 4
Missouri State 0 4 0 0 4
Illinois State 0 3 0 0 3
Indiana State 2 0 0 0 2
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 0 1 1
Jays Pass 1.5 Million Fans at Qwest Center
Creighton moved over the 1.5 million fan mark at Qwest Center Omaha in its Dec. 29 home game vs. Northern Iowa.
Creighton has attracted 1,536,784 fans in 108 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,229 per contest.
How impressive is that average? No other league school has ever drawn more than 13,675 fans per game for a season and none of the league's other nine current venues has a capacity of 11,600 or greater.
It's About Time
Creighton is 8-2 in the Central Time Zone this season, 0-6 in games played in the Eastern Time Zone and 0-1 in the Mountain Time Zone. The Jays lost three times in Orlando, Fla., and single games at George Mason (in Fairfax, Va.), at Dayton (in Dayton, Ohio), at Indiana State (Terre Haute, Ind.) and at New Mexico (Albuquerque, N.M.).
Before this season, Creighton had not played five or more games in the Eastern Time Zone of the same season since 1970-71 under the direction of Eddie Sutton. That 1970-71 season saw them play one game each in Charlotte, N.C., South Bend, Ind., Olean, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., and two games in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked second in the preseason poll of MVC coaches, SID's and media. Northern Iowa was a near-unanimous pick to win the league, garnering 38-of-39 first-place votes and 389 points overall.
Creighton was second with 336 points and the remaining first-place vote.
Illinois State (299), Southern Illinois (272) and Wichita State (216) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Bradley (208), where it was followed by Indiana State (173), Drake (105), Missouri State (92) and Evansville (55).
Creighton junior guard P'Allen Stinnett is one of six men on the preseason all-MVC team. It's Stinnett's second straight year earning such an accolade. He's joined on the team by UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe and Adam Koch, SIU's Tony Freeman, Drake's Josh Young and preseason MVC Player of the Year Osiris Eldridge from Illinois State.
Witter Wonderland
Senior guard Cavel Witter had his two best shooting nights of the season in consecutive home games in late December.
On Dec. 22nd against Houston Baptist, he made 7-of-10 shots from the floor and finishing with a season-best 18 points. Witter tied a personal best with four three-pointers (done twice previously) and did not have a turnover in 20 minutes of action.
Witter then had 17 points, including 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range, to lead all scorers in the Northern Iowa game.
In his career, Creighton is 14-1 when Witter scores 14 or more points. Creighton has won those games by an average of 13.3 points per contest. Creighton is also 8-2 in games that Witter plays and does not commit a turnover.
Better To Give Than Receive
Creighton had 28 assists on its 32 baskets on Dec. 22 against Houston Baptist. Not only were the 28 helpers a season-high and Qwest Center Omaha record, but they were also the most by any Creighton team under the direction of Dana Altman. Creighton's 28 assists were its most since 29 assists against Southwest Missouri State on Feb. 10, 1991.
One week later on the same floor against UNI, Creighton did not record an assist until 5:21 remained in the first half and finished with eight.
Playing With The Lead At Home
Creighton has led from wire-to-wire in four of its eight home games this season, never trailing in wins over Florida A&M, Arkansas-Little Rock, Savannah State and Houston Baptist.
Call It A Comeback
Dana Altman frequently urges his team to play hard all 40 minutes regardless of the score, whether they are up 10 points or down 10 points. In recent seasons Bluejay fans have seen plenty of comebacks, many of which have favored CU.
Each of the last seven times Creighton has lost a game it led by 10 points or more, it has come away from home. In that same span, Creighton has won seven home games and one road game (at Missouri State, last season) after trailing by 10 points or more.
The Jays are 76-2 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it has held a lead of 10 or more at any point, including 33 straight wins.
Creighton is also a mind-boggling 17-9 at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it trails by 10 or more points at any juncture.
Creighton is 7-0 in Qwest Center Omaha games in which both teams own leads of 10 or more points, and 23-1 in games at Qwest Center Omaha in which there are no lead changes.
Below is a chart showing how many times Creighton (or its opponent) overcame a 10-point deficit to win a game in the past six years:
Comebacks From 10 Points Down, Last 6 Years
CU Comebacks Opp. Comebacks
2009-10 0 2
2008-09 4 2
2007-08 4 2
2006-07 2 2
2005-06 6 1
2004-05 5 3
Total 21 12
Andy Katz Hasn't Given Up Hope
ESPN.com analyst Andy Katz had several notes about MVC schools in his Dec. 21st Weekly Watch, and he had several positive things to say about Creighton, as seen below:
“The Bluejays are 4-6 and overall have been a disappointment, but I refuse to say this squad is toast. Creighton had New Mexico beat on Saturday before a major Lobo comeback at the Pit. The Bluejays did beat Nebraska and lost a tough opener at Dayton. I wouldn't be shocked one bit if the Jays made serious noise during the Valley season.”
Lawson Produces 25 & 10
Kenny Lawson Jr. became the first player in The Valley to have 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game this year when he produced those numbers in Creighton's seventh straight regular-season home win over Nebraska on Dec. 6th.
The 25 points were seven more than Lawson's previous best, and his 10 rebounds were a season-high.
He'd owned 11 previous games of at least eight points and eight rebounds in the same contest before finally notching his first double-double in his 77th career contest.
He currently is leading Creighton with 12.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
Lawson One Of Four
Kenny Lawson Jr. became the first Creighton player since 1992 to record 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game against a school from one of the six major BCS football conferences. That dates back to when Mike Amos had 28 points and 17 rebounds against Nebraska.
Lawson was also just the fourth player in the Dana Altman era (1994-Present) with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the same game, joining Anthony Tolliver, Rodney Buford and Randall Crutcher. That list is below:
25 Points & 10 Rebounds, Under Altman
Name (Points, Rebounds) vs. Opp. Date
Kenny Lawson Jr. (25/10) vs. Nebraska 12/06/09
Anthony Tolliver (26/10) vs. Xavier 12/18/05
Rodney Buford (30/10) at Northern Iowa 12/30/97
Rodney Buford (28/11) at Drake 01/24/98
Randall Crutcher (25/12) at Illinois State 02/24/97
Junior Year, Game No. 7 A Big One
Creighton's last center, Anthony Tolliver, took a big step forward in his junior season, something that Kenny Lawson Jr. seems to be doing as well.
Tolliver's year-end stats in 30 games as a junior (13.2 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) are similar to those Lawson Jr. has put up (12.2 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) through 17 games.
Tolliver had a career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in the seventh game of his junior campaign, a home win over Xavier. Lawson had 25 points and 10 rebounds in the seventh game of his junior campaign on Dec. 6th, a home win over Nebraska.
Tolliver was named second-team all-MVC as a junior and first-team all-Valley as a senior. He finished his career with 1,004 points, 603 rebounds and 136 blocked shots.
Below are the numbers comparing Tolliver and Lawson by year, as well as through 87 career games.
Stat Tolliver Lawson Jr.
Freshman PPG 0.8 5.9
Freshman RPG 1.3 4.2
Freshman BPG 0.3 0.8
Sophomore PPG 4.2 8.5
Sophomore RPG 4.4 4.8
Sophomore BPG 0.7 1.6
Junior PPG 13.2 12.2
Junior RPG 6.7 6.9
Junior BPG 1.6 1.6
Points Thru 87 Games Played 499 714
Rebounds Thru 87 Games Played 352 435
Blocks Thru 87 Games Played 72 112
Wins Thru 87 Games Played 60 59
Road Warriors
The Missouri Valley Conference has recorded a 18-14 record in non-conference true road contests this year. The 18 road wins are already more than all of last year (10).
In recent history, road success has translated into multiple bids in the NCAA Tournament.
Recent MVC Non-Conference Road Records
2008-09 -- 10-24 (1 NCAA, 2 NIT, 3 CIT, 1 CBI)
2007-08 -- 18-26 (1 NCAA, 3 NIT, 1 CBI)
2006-07 -- 19-20 (2 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2005-06 -- 17-18 (4 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2004-05 -- 14-20 (3 NCAA, 2 NIT)
2003-04 -- 12-23 (2 NCAA, 2 NIT)
Winning From Within
Creighton beat Nebraska on Dec. 6th, despite making just 1-of-10 three-point shots. That snapped a streak of 74 straight games making four or more treys (the nation's fifth-longest active streak).
Creighton had made just one three-pointer in a game just once previously in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure at CU, on Jan. 20, 2007 vs. Southern Illinois.
Creighton's 518 straight games with at least one trifecta is the MVC's longest active streak.
20 Point Scorers Off The Bench
Creighton has had four individuals score more than 20 points this season, and two did it in a reserve role.
Justin Carter scored a career-high 21 points off the bench in the overtime setback to Michigan on Nov. 26th.
A day later, Ethan Wragge had a career-best 21 points off the bench against Xavier.
Before those two games, Creighton hadn't had a player score 20 points off the bench since Cavel Witter had 25 points against Oral Roberts on Nov. 22, 2008.
Welcome Back, Carter
Senior Justin Carter missed Creighton's first three regular-season games with a partially torn MCL in his left knee, but didn't waste any time making a difference in his return.
Carter played 24 minutes off the bench against No. 15 Michigan on Nov. 26th. He led CU with a career-high 21 points, making 10-of-15 shots from the floor, and also grabbed eight rebounds.
Keeping It Fresh
The 21 points scored by Ethan Wragge against Xavier were the most by a Bluejay freshman since P'Allen Stinnett had 22 points against Rhode Island on March 18, 2008. Stinnett had four games of 20 or more points as a freshman en route to sweeping MVC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year honors.
Wragge's 21 points came in just 17 minutes. That made him the first CU player to score more than 20 points in less than 20 minutes since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.
Wragge's five three-pointers against Xavier were the most by a CU freshman since Stinnett had five three-pointers in a season-opening win over DePaul on Nov. 9, 2007.
True Freshmen Knocking 'Em Down
True freshman Andrew Bock is 19-of-23 at the free-throw line in his young career. His 82.6 percent marksmanship from the line would rank 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference with enough attempts.
Bock has a streak of 16 straight free throw makes snapped when he missed his first attempt versus Savannah State on Dec. 16th.
Fellow true freshman Ethan Wragge made his first 10 free throw attempts far as well.
No Creighton freshman on record has ever made 20 consecutive free throws or more.
Doubling Up From The Start
Darryl Ashford and Ethan Wragge both scored 11 or more points in each of their first two games at Creighton.
Prior to this season, Creighton hadn't had a player open their career with two or more games of 11 points or more since junior college transfer Edward St. Fleur had 16 points, then 17 points, to start the 1995-96 campaign.
Ashford's 145 points are ninth-best 17-game start in Dana Altman's 16-year tenure, while Wragge's 109 points are 13th-most. Wragge's total is fifth-most by a freshman under Altman.
In case you are wondering, the most points under Altman in a newcomer's first 18 games is 218 by Rodney Buford in 1995-96.
Most Points, First 17 Games Under Dana Altman
Pts. Name, Class Year
214 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
199 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96
195 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
187 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98
186 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
168 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
158 Nick Porter, Jr. 2005-06
152 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96
145 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10
134 Johnny Mathies, So. 2003-04
131 Terrell Taylor, Fr. 1999-00
130 Larry House, Jr. 2001-02
108 Ethan Wragge, Fr. 2009-10
27 Wins in 2008-09
Creighton tied for 15th nationally with 27 wins in 2008-09, and were one of 24 schools with 27 or more wins last season.
Last season Creighton became the only school from a top-10 league to ever win 26 or more games by Selection Sunday and not receive an NCAA Tournament bid.
Wins Schools
34 North Carolina
33 Memphis
31 Missouri, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Connecticut,
Michigan State
30 Duke, Villanova, Oklahoma, Utah State
28 Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, Syracuse
27 Creighton, Davidson, LSU, Charleston, Siena Dayton, Purdue, Penn State, Kansas, Xavier
Looking To Fill Dotzler's Shoes
Just like he did four years ago at Bellevue (Neb.) West High School, Antoine Young is looking to fill the shoes of four-year starting point guard Josh Dotzler.
In two exhibition games this fall, Young tied for the team lead with three steals, and had 13 assists without a turnover. In regular-season action, Young has 50 assists and 24 turnovers, good for a 2.08 assist/turnover ratio.
Last year Dotzler led the MVC in steals (70) and steals per game (2.0 spg.) while ranking fourth in the nation with a 3.46/1 assist/turnover ratio.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman ranks 11th nationally in Division I wins at his current school with 318. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 5,019 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of Jan. 15th.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 815-289 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 1/16
2. 774-217 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 1/17
3. 568-210 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 1/17
4. 428-234 Gary Williams, Maryland 1/16
5. 376-330 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 1/16
6. 374-242 Bob McKillop, Davidson 1/16
7. 373-269 Bob Thomason, Pacific 1/16
8. 350-140 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 1/16
9. 323-270 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 1/16
10. 320-131 Billy Donovan, Florida 1/16
11. 318-169 Dana Altman, Creighton 1/16
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including four times last season, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 30 times in the last 10 seasons.
Below is a list of those comebacks, listed by size of the margin overcome:
Overcoming Double Digit Deficits, Last 10 Years
Date Opponent Deficit Final Score
01/28/06 Wichita State 19 W 57-55
11/27/01 Western Kentucky 18 W 95-91 2ot
02/12/03 Missouri State 17 W 70-67 ot
11/09/07 DePaul 17 W 74-62
03/18/08 Rhode Island 17 W 74-73
11/16/08 New Mexico 16 W 82-75
02/04/06 at Drake 16 W 72-67 ot
01/26/03 TCU 16 W 89-79
02/02/08 Wichita State 15 W 65-63
02/22/06 Indiana State 14 W 67-62
02/07/07 Evansville 14 W 79-74
03/18/09 Bowling Green 14 W 73-71
12/04/04 High Point 13 W 79-60
03/09/03 vs. Wichita State 13 W 70-69
01/18/03 Southern Illinois 13 W 85-76
02/04/01 at Indiana State 13 W 77-71
02/24/09 at Missouri State 13 W 65-59
01/07/04 at Illinois State 12 W 56-55
01/18/06 Bradley 12 W 80-76
03/01/08 Bradley 12 W 111-110 2ot
12/30/06 Missouri State 11 W 77-74
11/26/05 Dayton 11 W 91-90 2ot
01/15/05 at Northern Iowa 11 W 67-66
11/30/04 at Xavier 11 W 73-72
03/15/02 vs. #15 Florida 11 W 83-82 2ot
12/18/05 Xavier 10 W 61-59
02/16/05 at Wichita State 10 W 82-68
02/01/05 Wichita State 10 W 73-69
12/30/03 Missouri State 10 W 59-54
02/01/09 Missouri State 10 W 75-51
Tenure? He's Got 16 Years
Dana Altman is the dean of MVC coaches, as he is in his 16th season as head coach at Creighton. His 16 years at CU ranks 15th-longest nationally among active head coaches at one school. Below is that list:
Yrs. Name, School
34 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
32 Dave Bike, Sacred Heart
30 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
28 Don Maestri, Troy
26 Greg Kampe, Oakland
24 Rick Byrd, Belmont; Jim Calhoun, Connecticut; Ron “Fang” Mitchell, Coppin State; Vann Pettaway, Alabama A&M
22 Bob Thomason, Pacific
21 Bob McKillop, Davidson; Gary Williams, Maryland
20 Dave Loos, Austin Peay
17 Kirk Speraw, Central Florida
16 Dana Altman, Creighton; Ron Hunter, IUPUI; Rick Scruggs, Gardner-Webb
15 Tom Izzo, Michigan State; Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's, Scott Nagy, South Dakota State; Fran O'Hanlon, Lafayette
The Four-Point Play
Few plays in basketball are as rare as the four-point play, which happen only when a player is fouled while making a three-point shot and then hits the ensuing free throw.
On Nov. 4th against Missouri Western State, P'Allen Stinnett pulled off that rare feat with 13:17 left in the second half.
Stinnett then did it again at Dayton in the season-opener on Nov. 14.
Before Stinnett's magic, Creighton had not had a player convert a four-point play in a regular-season game since Johnny Mathies vs. Evansville on Jan. 22, 2006.
Consistent Challengers
One of the most impressive facets of the Dana Altman tenure is how often his teams have been in the running for the MVC regular-season title. Nine of his last 12 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the four that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 12 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 317 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 175 triumphs in regular-season conference games are second-most in league history.
Both men above him, Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey, are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hickey entered the MVC Hall of Fame last March in conjunction with Arch Madness.
Coaches--Most Wins As MVC Member--All Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 486 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 337 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
3. 317 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 175 Dana Altman Creighton
3. 163 Eddie Hickey Creighton & St. Louis
Runnels Rebounds Into History
Junior transfer Wayne Runnels became the first Creighton player in 40 seasons to grab nine or more rebounds in each of his first two games as a Bluejay.
Believe it or not, that 1969-70 season saw three different men open their careers with consecutive games of nine or more rebounds.
Cyril Baptiste had five straight such games, Denny Bresnahan had three such games and Nate Stephens had at least two such games to begin their Creighton career.
Dance Regulars
Creighton is one of 20 schools to have appeared in multiple NCAA Tournaments during each of the past five decades.
Multiple NCAA Appearances, Last 5 Decades
Team 60's 70's 80's 90's 00's
Arizona State 4 2 2 2 2
BYU 2 3 5 5 7
Creighton 2 3 2 2 6
DePaul 2 3 9 2 2
Duke 4 2 7 9 10
Kansas 3 4 6 10 10
Kentucky 6 7 9 8 9
Louisville 4 6 8 7 7
Marquette 3 9 3 4 6
North Carolina 3 6 10 10 8
Princeton 7 2 4 6 2
Providence 3 5 2 3 2
Temple 2 3 5 10 4
Texas Tech 2 2 2 2 4
UCLA 7 10 5 10 8
Utah 3 3 3 7 6
UTEP 4 2 6 2 2
Villanova 3 4 8 6 5
Weber State 2 6 2 2 2
Western Kentucky 4 4 4 3 5
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 518 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton had two players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include juniors Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver and Pierce Hibma (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 494 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
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
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 21 charges so far this year after taking 47 in 2008-09. Over the previous seven seasons, the Bluejays have averaged taking 48.4 per year.
Below is a list of the Creighton players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season:
Name 2002-08 '08-09 '09-10 Total
Casey Harriman 17 8 9 34
Antoine Young n/a 4 3 6
Darryl Ashford n/a n/a 3 3
Justin Carter n/a 9 2 11
Andrew Bock n/a n/a 2 2
Wayne Runnels n/a n/a 2 2
Chad Millard 7 4 0 11
P'Allen Stinnett 5 4 0 9
Kenny Lawson Jr. 2 4 0 6
Kaleb Korver 0 3 0 3
Cavel Witter 3 0 0 3
Former Players 258 11 n/a 243
Total 292 47 21 360
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 108 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 91-17 (.843) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 21-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 7,989-6,735 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.6 points per game. The 17 losses have been by a combined 95 points (5.6 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 23 different times, including four times this year.
Creighton has attracted 1,536,784 fans in 108 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,229 per contest.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 59 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Coat, Food Drives A Success
The generosity of some Creighton Basketball fans has paid big dividends for the Siena Francis House in the preseason. More than 675 pounds of food and around 250 coats were collected in separate events connected with Bluejay basketball.
The food drives took place on both Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 as part of the open practices hosted at D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center. Fans were invited to bring canned goods or other perishable items prior to both events. More than 675 pounds of food were collected.
On Nov. 8th as part of the team's exhibition game against Nebraska-Omaha, fans could exchange new or slightly used coats for two tickets to Creighton's regular-season home opener on Nov. 17 against Florida A&M. Around 250 coats were gathered. Nu-Trend Cleaners then donated to the cause by cleaning of all coats before they were delivered to the Siena Francis House on Nov. 9th.
The Siena Francis House is Nebraska's largest shelter, serving homeless men, women and children for over 30 years.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2009-10 season went on sale on October 26th at 10 am.
Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). Tickets for the Dec. 6 Nebraska game will be $20 for adults and youth.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 27-8 and won a share of the MVC regular-season title for the first time since 2001-02. The Jays were then selected to the NIT, where it defeated Bowling Green before falling to Kentucky.
Senior Booker Woodfox was named MVC Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points and ranking second nationally with 47.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range.
Fellow senior Josh Dotzler led CU in assists and led the MVC in steals while earning a spot on the Valley's All-Defensive Team.
Justin Carter returns after leading Creighton with 5.5 rebounds per contest, while P'Allen Stinnett is the team's top returning scorer after scoring at a 12.5 points per game clip.
Creighton averaged an MVC-record 15,930 fans per game last season, 12th-best nationally.
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
Creighton ranks first in the Missouri Valley Conference in graduation success rate (94.7 percent) among all sports.
Also, for the fifth time in the seven-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2008-09 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.32 cumulative grade-point average over the 2008-09 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Creighton had three men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to Qwest Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.