
Third Place On The Line As Men's Hoops Visits Illinois State
1/18/2010 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game #19 at Illinois State • Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010 • 7:05 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at Illinois State Redbirds
Redbird Arena (10,200) • Normal, Ill.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: KMTV
Series History: Illinois State leads 38-24
Last Meeting: Illinois State won 73-49 on March 7, 2009 in St. Louis, Mo.
Next Game
Creighton (9-9, 4-3 MVC) looks for a season-high third consecutive victory when it travels to Normal, Ill., to take on Illinois State (13-5, 4-3 MVC) in a battle of teams tied for third in the MVC. Tip-off at Redbird Arena (10,200) is set for 7:05 pm.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com. T. Scott Marr and Kevin Sarver will call the action.
The game will also be broadcast by Frank Santore on WCKY (1530 AM) in Cincinnati.
Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday's game is the fifth of eight telecasts for KMTV this season. Travis Justice and Nick Bahe will be on the call. Satellite coordinates are below:
Galaxy 16 K6 6A Digital
U/L - 14.104.13H
D/L - 11.804.13V
Video Webcast Information
Wednesday's game will be video webcast by Illinois State. To sign up to purchase, fans can visit ISU website at www.goredbirds.com, then select “Redbird All-Access” on the top right side.
Subscribers to Creighton's annual or monthly pass on www.gocreighton.com should have the Illinois State game added to their subscription and be able to receive the video feed at no additional cost thanks to an agreement between Creighton and Illinois State.
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 Illinois State
Picked third in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, the Redbirds are currently 13-5 overall and tied for third in the league with a 4-3 conference record.
Preseason Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Osiris Eldridge leads the league with 17.3 points per game and is tied for the league lead with 33 steals, while ranking second with 47 three-point baskets. He posted 26 points, all in the second half, in Sunday night's 69-59 loss at Drake.
Dinma Odiakosa gives the Redbirds a double-double threat inside, as the senior big man averages 11.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting a Valley-best 62.9 percent from the field.
Also scoring in double-figures is floor general Lloyd Phillips, who scores 10.2 points per game and has dished 78 assists.
As a team Illinois State averages 71.4 points per game while allowing 63.4 per contest. ISU shoots 45.4 percent from the field, 33.7 percent from three-point range and 72.2 percent from the line.
The 'Birds also outrebound foes by 4.6 caroms per contest and have made more free throws (281) than their opponents have attempted (275).
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 9-9 on the season, including a 8-1 mark at Qwest Center Omaha and a 1-8 record at all other venues.
The Bluejays are 4-3 in the league, with losses to Northern Iowa, Indiana State and Wichita State as well as wins over Wichita State, 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 7.5 and 9.4 points per game, a group consisting of P'Allen Stinnett (9.4), Justin Carter (9.1), Darryl Ashford (8.2) and Cavel Witter (7.5).
Creighton averages 69.2 points per game and shoots 43.4 percent from the floor, 32.3 percent from downtown and 68.5 percent at the line. It holds opponents to 67.3 points per game and 40.6 percent shooting. The Jays have been outrebounded by 0.6 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 318-169 (.653) mark at CU and a career record of 401-236 (.630) in his 21st year as a NCAA Division I head coach.
Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 24 years as a head coach at all levels. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 12 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones is the team's graduate manager.
Illinois State is led by Tim Jankovich, who is 62-25 in his third year with the Redbirds. That moves his career mark to 115-82 in seven years overall as a Division I head coach. Jankovich has also been an assistant coach at Kansas and Illinois and a head coach at North Texas. He is assisted by Rob Judson, Anthony Beane and Paris Parham.
Series History Against Illinois State
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Creighton by a 38-24 margin. Illinois State has won five of the past six contests, but the Bluejays have won 13 of the last 20 meetings.
Illinois State owns a 23-6 lead in games played in Normal, but the Jays have won in five of their past 10 trips in Normal.
Creighton coach Dana Altman is 17-16 all-time against Illinois State and 1-4 against Tim Jankovich-led teams.
A complete series history against Illinois State can be found on page nine of this release.
Make it 17
Creighton's 57-56 win over Wichita State was its 17th consecutive win over the Shockers in Omaha, a streak that began in 1993.
The win prevented Wichita State from its first regular-season sweep of the Jays since 1988 and improved Dana Altman to 14-2 in his career against Wichita State in games decided by four or less points.
Stinnett Goes Over 1,000 Points
P'Allen Stinnett surpassed the 1,000-point milestone with a pair of free throws on Saturday against Wichita State. Stinnett is the 33rd player in Bluejay history to reach that milestone, and currently ranks 32nd with 1,010 career points.
Tolliver Returns to NBA
Former Bluejay center Anthony Tolliver has been called up to the NBA for the second time this season, signing a contract with Golden State on Sunday. Previously this year he played in two games for Portland. He has also spent time on NBA rosters with Cleveland, San Antonio and Charlotte since graduating from Creighton to all-Valley acclaim in 2007.
He joins former All-American Kyle Korver as former Bluejays currently in the NBA. Korver plays for the Utah Jazz.
Redbirds Rained Three's
Illinois State beat Creighton in 2-of-3 meetings last season, due in part to its long-distance shooting. The Redbirds made 34 three-pointers (at a 52.3 percent clip) and just 31 free throws in those contests.
Osiris Eldridge made 9-of-15 shots from downtown, Lloyd Phillips was 7-of-11 from long-range and since-departed Champ Oguchi was 11-of-22 from downtown.
Eldridge, a career 37.8 percent shooter from three-point territory, has made 23-of-41 career three-point attempts (56.1 percent) against the Bluejays.
Rebound Battle Decides The War
Rebounds have played an important role in deciding the outcome of Creighton's recent trips to Redbird Arena, as CU has lost on the backboards and on the scoreboard each of the last four years. In fact, only one of the last eight meetings in Normal (2005) has seen a team win the game despite losing the rebound battle.
Score Rebound
Year Margin Margin
2009 ISU +22 ISU +18
2008 ISU +14 ISU +21
2007 ISU +10 ISU +7
2006 ISU +3 ISU +1
2005 CU +5 ISU +6
2004 CU +1 Even
2003 CU +19 CU +2
2002 CU +14 CU +5
Room To Grow
With eight returners (P'Allen Stinnett, Kenny Lawson Jr., Justin Carter, Cavel Witter, Antoine Young, Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman and Chad Millard) back from last year's 27-8 team, one of the expected strengths of this year's squad was to be its offensive productivity.
However, despite increased playing time compared to last year, those same eight men have seen their numbers decrease across the board, shooting 1.0 percent lower from the field, 4.5 percent lower from three-point range and 6.6 percent lower from the line, which has led to that group averaging 0.3 fewer points per game in 0.3 more minutes per game.
Stat 2008-09 2009-10
FG-FGA 578-1340 288-669
FG% .431 .430
3FG-3FGA 176-509 69-229
3FG% .346 .301
FT-FTA 410-555 191-284
FT% .739 .673
Games Played 268 134
Points 1742 836
PPG 6.5 6.2
Minutes 4901 2495
MPG 18.3 18.6
Ready For A Run?
Creighton is currently 4-3 in the seven MVC games it's played this year. Against those same schools, in the same venues, last year's team was also 4-3. Both teams lost at Wichita State, and at home to UNI. This year's team lost at Indiana State, while last year's team lost at home to Drake. All other results have been the same.
Against the same opponents versus the rest of the MVC, CU went 10-1, with the only other loss being a road setback at Illinois State.
Slimmest of Margins
Creighton used a game-winning shot with 1.3 seconds left by point guard Antoine Young to beat Southern Illinois by two points on Wednesday before topping Wichita State by one point on Saturday.
It's the first time since 2004 that Creighton has won consecutive games decided by two points or fewer. In 2004 the Jays beat Ohio State 65-63 to win the Guardians Classic, then won at Xavier 73-72, as point guard Tyler McKinney hit a pair of game-winning shots.
Creighton has not won three consecutive games, all by three points or less, since the 1966-67 campaign.
Won By One
Creighton has won 17 of its last 22 games decided by one point (including seven straight victories), improving to 19-11 under Dana Altman in such contests. Even more impressive is the fact that Creighton has won 11 of its last 12 games away from Omaha that have been decided by a single point.
CU is 18-11 under Altman in the game after a one-point contest, including a 13-6 mark in the past 19 such games.
Creighton's One-Point Games Under Dana Altman
Date Winner Loser Score
01/16/10 at Creighton Wichita State 57-56
03/06/09 Creighton Wichita State# 63-62
01/14/09 at Creighton So. Illinois 73-72 (OT)
03/18/08 at Creighton Rhode Island 74-73
03/01/08 at Creighton Bradley 111-110 (2OT)
02/23/08 Creighton at Oral Roberts 65-64
01/05/08 Creighton at Missouri State 50-49
01/20/07 So. Illinois at Creighton 58-57
03/20/06 Miami (Fla.) at Creighton@ 53-52
02/14/06 at Wichita State Creighton 62-61 (OT)
11/26/05 at Creighton Dayton 91-90 (2OT)
02/09/05 at Creighton Northern Iowa 83-82
01/15/05 Creighton at Northern Iowa 67-66
11/30/04 Creighton at Xavier 73-72
03/06/04 Nebraska at Creighton 71-70
02/07/04 So. Illinois at Creighton 61-60
01/07/04 Creighton at Illinois State 56-55
03/09/03 Creighton Wichita State# 70-69
03/08/03 Creighton Indiana State# 57-56
02/22/03 at Creighton Fresno State 67-66
03/15/02 Creighton #15 Florida$ 83-82 (2OT)
02/06/02 Creighton at Indiana State 64-63
12/29/99 Missouri State at Creighton 59-58
12/04/99 Creighton at Baylor 77-76 (OT)
01/17/99 Indiana State at Creighton 70-69
02/20/97 at Creighton Wichita State 59-58
12/21/96 at Houston Creighton 74-73
11/30/96 #24 Minnesota Creighton% 64-63
02/24/96 at Missouri St. Creighton 67-66
02/17/96 Northern Iowa at Creighton 58-57 (OT)
#MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
$NCAA Tournament in Chicago, Ill.
%San Juan Shootout in Caguas, Puerto Rico
@National Invitation Tournament in Omaha, Neb.
Looking To Go 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, something it can extend with at one win this week.
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 (4), Wichita State (2) and Indiana 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
2009-10 4-3 so far --
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 88-54 (.620) 88-47 (.652)
Third Place On The Line
Creighton enters Wednesday's game tied with Illinois State for third place in the MVC with a 4-3 record, and should Wichita State (5-2) fall to conference-leader Northern Iowa (7-0) on Tuesday, then Wednesday's CU-ISU winner will be tied for second-place in the Valley standings. There are currently five teams tied for fifth-place in the league standings with a 3-4 mark.
Coach vs. Former Player x 2
Wednesday will feature each head coach facing a former player of his now with the other team's program.
Creighton television analyst Nick Bahe played two seasons (2003-05) under the tutelage of Tim Jankovich when the two were at the University of Kansas. Jankovich was an assistant coach for the Jayhawks at the time. Bahe also played at Creighton for two years before spending last season as the Bluejays' graduate manager.
Additionally, Illinois State assistant coach Anthony Beane played for current Creighton head coach Dana Altman when the pair were at Kansas State from 1991-94. Beane was named 1992 Big Eight Newcomer of the Year and was twice an all-conference selection at K-State.
Local Flavor
Illinois State senior guard Lloyd Phillips hails from Iowa Western Community College, located just across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The radio crew for Phillips' Iowa Western teams was Jake Ryan and Jeff Gogerty. Ryan also serves as public address announcer for Creighton men's basketball.
Former Redbird Jeremy Robinson, who played in 15 games last season and left ISU last month, is currently playing for Iowa Western.
Young With The Winner
Antoine Young delivered Creighton's first game-winning shot of the season, connecting on a six-foot 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 last 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.
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 five games, while Bock has just one turnover in his last 10 games.
For the season, Young owns a 50/24 assist/turnover ratio, while Bock has 17 assists to 10 turnovers.
In its nine wins, Creighton owns 150 assists and 114 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.
Millard Scores Six Points
Chad Millard entered last 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 last 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.''
Stinnett Passes 1,000 Points
P'Allen Stinnett's free throw with 1:54 left in the first half against Wichita State made him the 33rd player in school history to reach 1,000 career points.
Stinnett, who reached the milestone in his 85th career game, currently ranks 32nd in CU history with 1,010 career points.
Below is the top scorers of the Dana Altman era.
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. 1,010 P'Allen Stinnett (85 games) 2007-10
9. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver (124 games) 2003-07
10. 979 Terrell Taylor (97 games) 1999-02
Three-Man Weave
P'Allen Stinnett, Kenny Lawson Jr. and Cavel Witter all scored in double-figures in the win over Wichita State. It was the sixth time in the past three seasons that they've all had 10+ points in the same contest. CU has won five of those games.
Looking To Go Over .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 Wednesday would move the team above the .500 mark for the first time since losing on Thanksgiving Day to #15 Michigan to drop to 2-2.
MVC Success After the 1/3 Mark
Last 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.
Currently at 4-3 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.
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 16,048 fans per game so far, which ranks 10th nationally.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (through 1/17/10)
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 18,593 1/27
5. North Carolina 18,533 1/20
6. Wisconsin 17,230 1/20
7. Memphis 16,651 1/20
8. Kansas 16,511 1/20
9. Maryland 16,188 1/19
10. Creighton 16,048 1/24
11. Illinois 14,937 1/19
12. Marquette 14,888 1/26
13. Michigan State 14,759 1/20
14. Indiana 14,568 1/24
15. Texas 13,729 1/27
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
16,048 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 six games, Carter has averaged 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 23-of-42 from the field (54.8 percent) and 19-of-28 at the line (67.9 percent).
Altman Earns 400th Division I Win
Dana Altman earned his 400th win as a Division I head coach last Wednesday when his team beat the same club he topped for his 100th and 200th career Division I victories, Southern Illinois.
Altman owns a 401-236 record in 21 years as a Division I head coach, including 318 wins at Creighton, 68 wins at Kansas State and 15 wins at Marshall.
Altman has a 318-169 mark in 15 3/5 years at Creighton, an average of 20.4 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
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
Casey's Countdown
Casey Harriman has started each of Creighton's last six 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 on Jan. 6th 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 11 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
114 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
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 50 rebounds in his past six 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 40.6 percent shooting from the floor this season, its best mark since the 1962-63 team held opponents to 39.3 percent shooting from the floor (706-1795).
Over the last 16 years, Creighton has been extremely successful when holding opponents to 40 percent or lower shooting from the field, sporting a 143-21 record, as seen below:
W-L Record When Opp. Under 40.0 FG%
Year When Opp. Under 40.0%
2009-10 5-4
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 1,553,739 fans in 109 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,254 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 9-2 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.
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 77-2 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it has held a lead of 10 or more at any point, including 34 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 18 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 88 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 88 Games Played 518 725
Rebounds Thru 88 Games Played 357 442
Blocks Thru 88 Games Played 76 114
Wins Thru 88 Games Played 60 60
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 519 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.
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 5,026 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of Jan. 17th.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 816-289 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 1/18
2. 775-217 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 1/20
3. 568-211 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 1/21
4. 429-234 Gary Williams, Maryland 1/19
5. 376-331 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 1/18
6. 374-243 Bob McKillop, Davidson 1/20
374-269 Bob Thomason, Pacific 1/21
8. 351-140 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 1/21
9. 324-270 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 1/21
10. 321-131 Billy Donovan, Florida 1/21
11. 318-169 Dana Altman, Creighton 1/20
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
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
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
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.
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 318 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 176 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. 318 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 176 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 519 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 495 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
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 109 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 92-17 (.844) 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 8,046-6,791 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.5 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 1,553,739 fans in those 109 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,254 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.
The Charge Chart
Creighton has taken 24 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 11 36
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
Cavel Witter 3 0 1 4
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
Former Players 258 11 n/a 243
Total 292 47 24 363
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.