Men's Basketball Opens MVC Play at Illinois State
12/28/2010 10:04:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game #13 • Creighton at Illinois State • Wednesday, Dec. 29, 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/ESPN Full Court
Series History: Illinois State leads, 40-24
Last Meeting: Illinois State won 67-63 on Feb. 13, 2010 in Omaha, Neb.
Next Game
Creighton (8-4, 0-0 MVC) opens Missouri Valley Conference play on the road with a Dec. 29 game at Illinois State (8-3, 0-0 MVC).
Wednesday's contest at Redbird Arena (10,200) in Normal, Ill., will tip at 7:05 pm.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2010-11 season. T. Scott Marr and Kevin Sarver will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com.
Bluejay Banter hosts Danny O'Byrne, Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host post-game call in show, also on KXSP.
Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday's game will be the fourth of eight games televised by Omaha's CBS affiliate KMTV this season, with Travis Justice and Nick Bahe on the call. The game will also be available on ESPN Full Court.
Satellite coordinates are as follows:
Galaxy 16 6 Analog
U/L - 14120 H
D/L - 11820 V
Video Webcast Information
Creighton University Athletics and Jump TV will present a live, pay-per-view video webcast of approximately 15 games this season, including Wednesday. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register at http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a monthly pass is $10.95 and a four-month pass is $34.95.
Once registered, fans will only need to log-in with their password on game night. The video stream, which will include an audio simulcast of the Big Sports 590 (or KMTV) broadcast, begins approximately 15 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 pre-game show.
Because Wednesday's game is on ESPN Full Court, it will be available in most markets free of charge via ESPN3.com as well.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 8-4 on the season, including an 8-1 home mark at Qwest Center Omaha and 0-3 record away from home. Creighton's four losses have come against nationally-ranked BYU, at Northwestern, at Nebraska and in Des Moines against Iowa State.
Junior guard Antoine Young (13.4 ppg., 3.2 rpg., 4.3 apg.) has carried Creighton at times and leads the squad in scoring, assists, steals, minutes and free throws.
Preseason MVC Player of the Year Kenny Lawson Jr. averages 11.7 points and 7.0 rebounds on the season. He scored 30 points and snared 18 rebounds vs. Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11 to earn National Jesuit Player of the Week accolades.
Freshman forward Doug McDermott (12.6 ppg., 6.3 rpg.) was named recipient of the MVC Newcomer of the Week award each of the first four weeks this season. He's been in double-figures in 10 of 12 contests to date, including two double-doubles.
New on the scene is big man Gregory Echenique (11.3 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 2.3 bpg.). He's made an immediate impact and provides the Jays with a huge boost off the bench.
Creighton averages 67.3 points per game while allowing 63.0 per contest. The Bluejays own an impressive 173/126 assist/turnover ratio. Creighton leads the MVC with 74.8 percent at the line, and leads the nation with its 58.3 percent “free-throw defense”.
The Bluejays, picked fourth in the preseason Missouri Valley Conference poll, have outscored opponents 157-84 at the line through 12 games.
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State emerged from non-conference play 8-3 while developing a young team that has had to overcome the losses of standouts Dinma Odiakosa, Osiris Eldridge and Lloyd Phillips.
Nine of those 11 games came at home, where Illinois State is 7-2 and averaging 4,441 fans per game.
Austin Hill leads the team in scoring (11.2 ppg.) and assists (2.0 apg.), while Jackie Carmichael averages 10.5 points and 1.6 blocks per contest. Tony Lewis leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game in addition to his 7.8 points per game scoring average.
Illinois State averages 64.7 points per game while allowing 60.7 per contest. ISU is +4.4 on the glass, but is shooting just 29.1 percent from three-point range and has a 130/149 assist/turnover ratio.
The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his first season as head coach at Creighton, but is no stranger to coaching in the state of Nebraska or in the Missouri Valley Conference. McDermott was hired in April after spending the previous four seasons as head coach at Iowa State (2006-10). He has also been a head coach at Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
McDermott owns a head coaching record of 288-199 in 17 seasons, a 157-135 mark in 10 Division I years and a 8-4 mark in his first year at Creighton.
He is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Illinois State is led by Tim Jankovich, who is 79-34 in his fourth year with the Redbirds. That moves his career mark to 132-91 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 40-24 margin. Illinois State has won seven of the past eight meetings, but the Bluejays have still won 16 of the last 26 games.
Illinois State owns a 24-6 lead in games played in Normal, but the Jays have won in five of their past 11 trips in Normal.
Creighton coach Greg McDermott has won five straight meetings to improve to 7-4 all-time against Illinois State (3-2 in Normal) but has never coached against Tim Jankovich. Jankovich is 6-1 against Creighton.
Last Game Recap
Creighton held Samford to a Qwest Center Omaha-record 40 points to beat the Bulldogs, 58-40, on Dec. 22nd. Doug McDermott had 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Antoine Young finished with 14 points as well. Creighton cleaned the glass to the tune of a 45-19 rebound advantage, another facility record.
Post Holiday Road Trip
Creighton will play its first game after the Christmas break on the road for the first time since Dec. 30, 1998. Every year since then, Creighton has played at home on Dec. 28, 29 or 30.
Creighton is 4-6 in the last 11 years in its first road game after December 25th. Each of the last four years, that has consisted of a trip to Indiana State.
Searching For Five
Creighton takes a four-game win streak into Wednesday night's game at Illinois State. This is the team's longest win streak since an 11-game hot streak late in the 2008-09 campaign.
The Bluejays have had at least one five-game win streak in 12 of the last 13 seasons.
Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's or NIT all 15 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT all seven times they haven't.
Birds of Prey
Creighton has lost each of its last five trips to Redbird Arena, dating to a Feb. 28, 2005 win over Illinois State.
During their careers Creighton seniors Kenny Lawson Jr., Casey Harriman and Kaleb Korver have beaten every MVC team, both at home and on the road, with the exception of a road triumph over Illinois State in Normal.
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 five years. In fact, only one of the last nine meetings in Normal (2005) has seen a team win the game despite losing the rebound battle.
Illinois State has outrebounded foes by 4.4 boards per game this year, while Creighton is +3.2 on the glass.
Score Rebound
Year Margin Margin
2010 ISU +9 ISU +3
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
10 Conference Wins x 14
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 14th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 14 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (16).
Team of the Decade?
Below is the records for each MVC school since the start of the 2000-01 season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC overall with 228 wins in the decade, as well as 10 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to Dec. 28, 2010)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 125 55 .694 236 102 .698
Southern Illinois 124 56 .689 223 113 .664
Northern Iowa 99 81 .550 195 133 .595
Wichita State 95 85 .528 190 139 .578
Missouri State 93 87 .517 189 141 .573
Illinois State 86 94 .478 176 145 .548
Bradley 87 93 .483 176 157 .529
Drake 76 104 .422 154 163 .486
Indiana State 59 121 .328 129 189 .406
Evansville 56 124 .311 116 188 .382
Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team NCAA NIT CBI CIT Total
Creighton 5 4 0 1 10
Southern Illinois 6 1 0 0 7
Wichita State 1 4 1 0 6
Northern Iowa 5 0 0 0 5
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Missouri State 0 3 0 1 4
Illinois State 0 4 0 0 4
Indiana State 1 0 1 0 2
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 0 1 1
Postseason Contenders
Either Creighton or Illinois State has made the postseason in each of the last 16 years. In five of those 16 seasons, both Creighton and Illinois State have participated in postseason play.
Qwest Center Records Fall
Creighton set one Qwest Center Omaha record and tied another in its most recent outing, a Dec. 22 win over Samford.
Creighton set a building record by outrebounding the Bulldogs 45-19. That mark was Creighton's largest margin since an identical +26 differential over Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 29, 2001 back when it played at the Omaha Civic Auditoriuum.
Creighton also held Samford to a season-low 40 points, which tied the fewest points ever in a Qwest Center Omaha game. Alcorn State also had 40 on Nov. 15, 2004.
Defensive Gem
Creighton held Samford to just 40 points on December 22nd. That was the best defensive effort by the Bluejays since limiting Indiana State to 38 points in an MVC Tournament quarterfinal victory on March 2, 2007.
Creighton, which held Jim Molinari's Western Illinois club to 47 points on Dec. 20, has held consecutive opponents under 50 points for the first time since Dec. 3-6, 2003.
Creighton has not held three straight opponents under 50 points since Theron Thomsen's team did it in four consecutive contests to open the 1956-57 season.
The 87 points allowed over the previous two games is the best stretch by Creighton in any set of back-to-back games since Dec. 5-9, 1958 (86).
Four-Headed Monster
Creighton has four players currently averaging in double-figures; Antoine Young (13.4), Doug McDermott (12.6), Kenny Lawson Jr. (11.7) and Gregory Echenique (11.3).
It's been 10 years since Creighton last had a team with four men to average in double-figures over the course of a season.
Creighton's 2000-01 team got double-digit scoring from Kyle Korver (14.6), Ben Walker (12.3), Ryan Sears (11.0) and Terrell Taylor (10.4). That team finished 24-8 overall and is the program's last to win an MVC outright regular-season title.
MVC Road Openers
Wednesday's game at Illinois State will be Creighton's first MVC road game of the season. Creighton is just 1-5 in recent seasons in those situations, though in three of the last six years they've fallen in a game decided at the buzzer.
In 2006-07, Creighton lost a 55-52 game in Terre Haute when Nate Funk's last-second three-point try was deflected by Indiana State's Gabe Moore.
In 2005-06, Illinois State's Dana Ford drained a 40-foot heave at the final horn for a 53-50 Redbird win.
During the 2004-05 season, Evansville's Kyle Anslinger grabbed an offensive rebound and beat the buzzer with an 18-footer in UE's 63-61 win. That Evansville team was coached by current Bluejay assistant Steve Merfeld.
All three teams mentioned above that Creighton lost to would wind up with a losing record in Valley action and played in a MVC Tournament play-in game.
Conference Openers Have Gone Well
Creighton owns a 9-3 record in the previous 12 MVC openers, improving to 30-21 all-time in Valley lid-lifters.
Creighton is 3-3 all-time when opening league play against Illinois State. Interestingly, all of those games were contested in Omaha. Five of those six Creighton teams would reach either the NCAA Tournament or NIT.
Since 1993-94, only one team (Northern Iowa, a 2008-09 co-champion) has won at least a share of the regular-season title without winning its regular-season opener. In fact, 15 of the last 16 regular-season champs (or co-champs) have opened 2-0 or better in MVC play, with UNI in 2008-09 once again serving as the exception.
Greg McDermott is 3-2 all-time in MVC openers, including a 2-0 mark against Illinois State.
Ring In The New Year With A Night Game
Creighton's January 1 game vs. Drake will start at 7:05 pm. The time had been listed as TBD until the college football bowl schedule was finalized.
Looking To Go Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 29 straight trips through the league.
Creighton's 29 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, far ahead of Illinois State (6), Northern Iowa (5), Wichita State (3) and Indiana State (1).
Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96.
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2009-10 5-4 5-4
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
Total 89-55 (.618) 93-51 (.646)
Lawson Makes 100th Start
Senior center Kenny Lawson Jr. made his 100th career start on Dec. 22 vs. Samford, the first Bluejay to reach that mark since Dane Watts on Jan. 9, 2008 vs. Evansville.
Lawson has started 85 straight games since stepping aside on Senior Night in 2008, a 111-110 double-overtime win over Bradley. Also in building that night were assistant coach Steve Merfeld (then with Bradley as an assistant) and Gregory Echenique, who made an unofficial visit to Creighton that evening.
Clearing The Line
Gregory Echenique proved to be an immovable object in the post on Dec. 20, and there was nothing that an undersized Western Illinois team could do about it.
Echenique attempted 14 free throws, most in the MVC by any player this year, and most by a Bluejay in any game since Dane Watts attempted 15 free throws on Dec. 9, 2007.
Creighton won that game despite its starting five not making any free throws, the first time it could say that since Nov. 29, 2007 vs. Savannah State.
Impact Player
Gregory Echenique scored 12 points in his Creighton debut on Dec. 18 vs. Idaho St., then added 16 more on Dec. 20 vs. Western Illinois.
Echenique was just the third Creighton player in the last 15 years to start with 12 points or more in each of his first two games, joining Darryl Ashford (2009-10) and Edward St. Fleur (1995-96).
Lock 'Em Up
Creighton has held the opposition's leading scorer below their average (entering that game) in nine of the last 11 games with only John Shurna and Lance Jeter exceeding their norms. Austin Hill's 11.2 ppg. paces Illinois St.
Avg. Pts. Name, Opp. Date
15.0 12 Cameron Jones, N. Arizona Nov. 14
19.0 6 David Perez, Louisiana Nov. 17
16.3 10 Scott Christopherson, Iowa State Nov. 21
18.2 10 Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw St. Nov. 26
22.7 23 John Shurna, Northwestern Nov. 28
24.8 13 Jimmer Fredette, BYU Dec. 1
10.0 12 Lance Jeter, Nebraska Dec. 5
18.8 17 Carl Jones, St. Joseph's Dec. 11
15.0 22 Broderick Gilchrest, Idaho State Dec. 18
17.9 15 Matt Lander, Western Illinois Dec. 20
11.2 9 Jeffrey Merritt, Samford Dec. 22
No TV, No Problem
Creighton is a perfect 44-0 in regular-season non-televised games at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton has also won 25 straight non-televised home games at Qwest Center Omaha, dating to a March 20, 2006 loss to Miami (Fla.) in the NIT.
Creighton's next home game, against Drake on Jan. 1, will not be televised.
Echenique The Eraser
While the addition of Gregory Echenique's 11.3 points per game to the line-up has been a big boost, he's made a similar impact on the defensive end of the floor in the lane. Echenique has blocked seven shots through three games, already good enough for second on the team.
In the first eight games of the year (without Echenique), opponents made 153-of-330 shots from two-point range, good for 46.4 percent. In three games with Echenique in uniform, foes are shooting 34-of-94 from two-point range, a scant 36.2 percent.
Below is the defensive numbers with and without Echenique in the game this season.
With Echenique In On Defense
Opponent FG-FGA 3FG-FGA Ech. Blocks
Idaho State 10-23 4-8 3
W. Illinois 10-29 2-2 4
Samford 9-20 4-10 0
Total 29-72 (.403) 10-20 (.500) 7
With Echenique Out Of The Game
Opponent FG-FGA 3FG-FGA Ech. Blocks
First 9 Games 230-532 77-202 n/a
Idaho State 13-36 4-8 n/a
W. Illinois 9-22 3-8 n/a
Samford 7-24 2-12 n/a
Total 259-614 (.422) 9-28 (.321) n/a
No Upsets Here
In the eight-year history of Qwest Center Omaha, Creighton owns a perfect 48-0 record against teams that enter the game with a record of .500 or worse.
Of the 19 teams that have beaten Creighton at Qwest Center Omaha, eight reached the NIT, seven reached the NCAA's, one played in the CIT and two teams (Wyoming and Illinois State, both in 2004-05) did not make the postseason. The 19th team, BYU, is currently 12-1 and ranked 16th nationally.
Creighton is 50-3 all-time in regular-season non-conference home games against unranked teams at Qwest Center Omaha, including 30 straight wins and a 41-1 mark since December 19, 2004.
Echenique Debuts
Dec. 18 marked Creighton's first game with the services of Gregory Echenique, who was an ineligible transfer until Dec. 17. He became eligible at the end of Creighton's fall semester.
Echenique, a 6'9”, 270-pound center, came to Creighton after spending three semesters at Rutgers from 2008-09. He averaged 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per game in 39 contests with the Scarlet Knights, which included 37 starts and an average of 27.5 minutes per game.
He had 12 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in 18 minutes vs. Idaho State in his Creighton debut. He followed that up with 16 points, four rebounds and four blocked shots in 21 minutes vs. Western Illinois. Echenique's four blocked shots on Dec. 20 were tied for the most in the MVC in any game this year by one player.
Red-Hot Start
Creighton made its first eight field goal attempts from the field to open its Dec. 18 win over Idaho State, with six of those shots coming from long-range. That helped Creighton build a 22-13 lead which it never surrendered.
Interestingly, it was the second straight game that Creighton had a stretch of six straight three-point attempts that were all made, having done it on six straight possessions vs. Saint Joseph's.
In eight seasons of games at Qwest Center Omaha (124 games), Creighton's previous best had been 6-for-6 starts from the floor vs. High Point (Dec. 2, 2004) and Illinois State (Jan. 22, 2005).
In fact, this was just the seventh occasion all-time that Creighton had started as well as 4-for-4 from the field.
Creighton is 51-for-124 all-time in its first shot of the game at Qwest Center Omaha, including a 3-for-9 mark this winter.
Qwest For 9,000 Ended By Wragge
Creighton has scored 9,050 points all-time at Qwest Center Omaha, surpassing 9,000 points in the building on Dec. 20 after a lay-up by Ethan Wragge
Creighton is now 8-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (QCO Game #) Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04 1,000-787 (14) Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05 2,000-1,696 (28) Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06 3,000-2,504 (41) Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07 4,000-3,359 (56) Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07 5,000-4,174 (69) Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08 6,000-5,048 (82) Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09 7,000-5,870 (95) Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10 8,000-6,750 (109) Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10 9,000-7,645 (123) Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
Practice Pays Off
Antoine Young is frequently the last player in the gym after practice, staying late to work on his shot. The dedication is clearly paying off.
Young entered this season a career 25.6 percent shooter from three-point range (23-90). Already this season, he's at 35.4 percent (17-48) from downtown.
At the line, Young entered the year as a 64.3 percent shooter (101-157). He's currently at 71.7 percent from the stripe (38-53).
Young connected on a career-high four three-point attempts vs. Idaho State on Dec. 18. His 4-for-4 shooting from downtown was a Qwest Center Omaha record for three-point shots without a miss by a Bluejay, eclipsing previous 3-for-3 displays by Johnny Mathies, Pierce Hibma, Dane Watts and Booker Woodfox.
Young Gets Better With Age
Junior point guard Antoine Young had seven assists vs. Idaho State on Dec. 20, most by any Bluejay in a game this season.
Young continues to lead the MVC in assists (now 52), minutes played (428) and assist/turnover ratio (2.36).
Young, who had six assists at Nebraska, five helpers vs. Saint Joseph's, seven dimes vs. Idaho State and five assists vs. Western Illinois, became the first Bluejay player since 2005 to have four straight games of five or more assists. Josh Dotzler (from Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2005) was the last to turn the trick.
Young has played 27 games since last having a negative assist/turnover ratio, and has three or more assists in 17 of his past 18 games.
Korver A Distributor, Too
Kaleb Korver is giving Antoine Young a run for his money as a distributor this season. The two men are Creighton's only players to each have at least one assist in every game this fall.
Korver, a senior from Pella, Iowa, tied his career-high with back-to-back games of six assists on Dec. 11 and Dec. 18.
Korver was the first Bluejay with consecutive games of six assists or more since March 1-7, 2008, when Cavel Witter did it in consecutive games vs. Bradley.
Starters Have The Green Light
Every player in Creighton's starting line-up during the past nine games has attempted at least one three-point shot in each of those games.
In fact, 58 of the 60 players to start a game (12 games multiplied by five starters) have hoisted at least one trey. The only exceptions have been three-point specialist Kaleb Korver (who did not shoot in 18 minutes vs. Alabama State) and Josh Jones vs. Louisiana.
The Dec. 11 game vs. Saint Joseph's marked the first time since the 1986 introduction of the three-point shot that every Creighton player to appear attempted at least one trey.
A Fan Of The A-10
Sophomore Ethan Wragge had a career-high of 22 points on Dec. 11 vs. Saint Joseph's, eclipsing his previous best of 21 that came last year in 17 minutes vs. fellow Atlantic-10 power Xavier.
Just like the game against Xavier, Wragge had his points in fewer than 20 minutes of playing time. When he did it last season, he became 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.
In three career games against the Atlantic-10 Conference, Wragge has scored 54 points (18.0 ppg.) in 48 minutes (16.0 mpg.) of play, connecting on 14-of-24 three-point attempts (58.3 percent) and 18-of-28 shots overall (64.3 percent).
Solid Stretch
Ethan Wragge will be hard-pressed to have a better four-minute stretch than what he had on Dec. 11 in a win over Saint Joseph's.
Wragge drained consecutive three-pointers with 15:55, 15:10, 13:56, 13:06 and 12:26 left in the second half. He also assisted on a Kaleb Korver
Ball Security
Creighton entered this week ranked 18th nationally with a 1.37 assist/turnover ratio. Of the teams in the top-18 nationally in assist/turnover ratio, six of the 18 are ranked, and six others are getting top-25 votes.
Even more impressive, the Jays were sixth nationally in fewest turnovers per game, at just 10.4.
Creighton also ranked eighth in the country in fewest fouls per game at just 15.0 hacks per contest. That figure also decreased to 14.3 after Wednesday.
Shades Of The Dynamic Duo
Doug McDermott's 20 points and 12 rebounds vs. No. 21 BYU on Dec. 1 were special numbers for any player, but even moreso considering he's just a freshman.
Creighton had not had a freshman record a double-double since Bob Harstad had 18 points and 13 rebounds at No. 14 Bradley on March 9, 1988.
The last Bluejay freshman to have at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in the same game was Chad Gallagher, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. Nebraska-Kearney on Jan. 20, 1988.
In addition, McDermott joined both Harstad and Gallagher as the only Bluejay freshmen in the last 25 years to record a double-double within the team's first seven games of the year. Both Harstad and Gallagher did it early in their 1987-88 freshman campaigns.
McDermott's 20 points were the most by a Bluejay freshman since Ethan Wragge scored 21 points against Xavier on Nov. 27, 2009.
McDermott owns two double-doubles this winter.
Speaking Of Double-Digits
According to STATS Inc., Creighton freshmen Doug McDermott was the nation's only freshman to open the 2010-11 season by scoring in double-figures in each of his team's first eight games.
Additionally, McDermott is among the national freshman leaders in double-figure scoring games, as seen below:
Double-Figure Scoring Games, Freshmen
Source: STATS Inc. • Through Dec. 27, 2010
Streak Name, School Next Game
11 Eric Ferguson, Georgia Southern Dec. 29
11 J.J. Sullinger, Ohio State Dec. 31
10 Doug McDermott, Creighton Dec. 29
10 Andre Stringer, LSU Dec. 29
10 Brandon Knight, Kentucky Dec. 28
10 Terrence Jones, Kentucky Dec. 28
10 Trey Zeigler, Central Michigan Dec. 30
10 Sterling Carter, Seattle Jan. 2
10 Tobias Harris, Tennessee Dec. 29
10 Steven Roundtree, Oral Roberts Dec. 28
9 Travis McKie, Wake Forest Dec. 29
9 Melvin Ejim, Iowa State Dec. 30
9 Ray McCallum, Detroit Dec. 30
McDermott Chalks Up Fourth Straight Honor
Doug McDermott was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for a fourth straight week on Dec. 6th.
In the 104-year history of the league, McDermott is the only basketball (men's or women's) player to win Player or Newcomer of the Week in four consecutive weeks.
McDermott's four Newcomer of the Week honors thus far are second-most ever for an entire season in league history. Bradley's Marcellus Sommerville won the award six times during his debut season in the league in 2003-04.
Lawson Named Player of the Week
Creighton senior Kenny Lawson Jr. was named MVC Player of the Week on December 13 following his career-highs of 30 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Saint Joseph's. He played a career-high 34 minutes and also registered a season-best three blocked shots.
This was the first MVC Player of the Week honor of Lawson's career.
Laying Down The Law
Kenny Lawson Jr.'s 30-point, 18-rebound game vs. Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11 kept the pages of the Bluejay record book busy.
His 18 rebounds were the most by a Bluejay since Bob Harstad had 20 rebounds on Jan. 23, 1989. Harstad, ironically, had his jersey retired at halftime and spoke to the team before its pre-game shootaround earlier on Saturday.
His 18 rebounds were also a Qwest Center Omaha record, three more than the previous mark set by Creighton's Justin Carter (vs. Kentucky) and by Akron's Romeo Travis (vs. Creighton).
Lawson's 30 points were the most by a Bluejay since P'Allen Stinnett had 30 points against New Mexico on Nov. 16, 2008.
Lawson was the first Bluejay with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the same game since Rodney Buford had 30 points and 10 rebounds at Northern Iowa on Dec. 30, 1997.
Lawson was the first Bluejay with at least 30 points and 18 rebounds in the same game since Feb. 7, 1983, when Gregory Brandon had 32 points and 18 rebounds in a win over West Texas State.
Lawson is believed to be the first player in the MVC with a game of 30 points and 18 rebounds since Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel had 33 points and 22 rebounds on Feb. 23, 1985 against Bradley.
Finally, Lawson had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone. The last Bluejay with a double-double in one half was Brody Deren, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the second half of a Jan. 5, 2004 win at Bradley.
All-Tournament Honors
Both Doug McDermott and Antoine Young were named to the All-Tournament Team of the Global Sports Hy-Vee Challenge.
McDermott averaged a team-high 15.0 points per game in the event, shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 9-for-9 at the line. He also added six assist, a steal and a block.
Young averaged 13.8 points per game and added 16 assists and seven steals. He shot 44.1 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range and 79.2 percent at the line.
Iowa State won the event with a 4-0 record, while Creighton finished 3-1.
Iowa State's Diante Garrett was named tournament MVP, while Melvin Ejim (Iowa State), Cameron Jones (Northern Arizona) and Spencer Dixon (Kennesaw State) were also honored on the squad with McDermott and Young.
I Am Iron Man
Antoine Young logged all 40 minutes in Creighton's Nov. 28 game at Northwestern. He was the first Creighton player to play from tip to buzzer, without a rest, since Ryan Sears on March 15, 2001 vs. Iowa. Since then, Creighton had played 329 games.
Young leads the MVC with 35.7 minutes per game this season.
Streaks Snapped By BYU
Creighton had won 36 straight Wednesday home games, including 23-0 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha, before losing to No. 21 BYU on December 1st. Creighton had not lost a home game on Wednesday since Jan. 12, 2000 vs. #19 Tulsa.
The loss to BYU also snapped Creighton's 26-game home win streak in non-conference regular-season games.
However, one Wednesday streak that remains intact is a 37-game home win streak on Wednesday's against unranked teams, dating to a Dec. 29, 1999 loss to Missouri State.
Toe The Line
Creighton continues to lead the MVC in free-throw percentage, making 74.8 percent of its shots at the line.
By comparison, no Bluejay opponent has had a single-game mark better than 76.9 percent.
Helping the improvement from last year's that shot 72.0 percent overall has been the marksmanship of freshmen Doug McDermott and Jahenns Manigat. Those two newcomers are a combined 25-for-30 at the stripe this season.
Oddly, Creighton's “free-throw defense” has also been exceptional this season. Bluejay opponents are shooting just 58.3 percent from the line, (worst/best) nationally.
Doubling Up From The Start
Doug McDermott scored 10 or more points in each of his first eight games this season. The last previous Creighton player to start a career with 10 or more points in each of the first eight games was Benoit Benjamin, who had eight in a row to start the 1982-83 campaign.
McDermott was the first Bluejay (of any class) to score 10 or more in eight straight games to start the season since then-senior Rodney Buford in 1998-99 had 13 in a row.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest double-figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
Consec. Name, Class Year
all 32 Vernon Moore, Sr. 1984-85
28 Benoit Benjamin, Jr. 1984-85
27 Bob Harstad, Sr. 1990-91
16 Rod Mason, Sr. 1987-88
13 Rodney Buford, Sr. 1998-99
12 Gary Swain, Sr. 1986-87
10 Chad Gallagher, Sr. 1990-91
9 Rodney Buford, So. 1996-97
8 Benoit Benjamin, Fr. 1982-83
8 Gregory Brandon, Sr. 1983-84
8 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11
An Impressive Start
Freshman forward Doug McDermott led all players with 18 points in his Nov. 4 exhibition debut, making 6-of-9 shots from the field and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. His 18 points were the most by a Bluejay in their exhibition debut since Rodney Buford scored 24 points on Nov. 14, 1995 vs. Poznan (Poland).
McDermott was equally impressive on Nov. 12 vs. Alabama State, finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting. McDermott's 16 points and seven rebounds made him the first Bluejay freshman since at least 1973 to have 15 or more points and five or more rebounds in the season-opener.
Below is a list of the most points after 13 games by a Bluejay newcomer since 1993-94. Doug McDermott has scored 151 games through 12 games thus far. Nate King had 188 games through 12 games.
Most Points, Newcomer, First 13 Games Since 1993-94
Pts. Name, Class Year
203 Nate King, Jr. 1993-94
151 Doug McDermott, Fr. (thru 12) 2010-11
148 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
145 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96
144 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
142 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
131 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
128 Darryl Ashford, Jr. 2009-10
128 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98
118 Nick Porter, Jr. 2005-06
117 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96
Rare Freshman Start
With his start on Nov. 12, Doug McDermott became the first Creighton freshman to start the season-opener since Ryan Sears in 1997-98. Sears would go on to earn MVC Freshman of the Year honors, starting all 124 games of his Bluejay career and remains the MVC's all-time leader with 283 steals. Sears also dished a Creighton-record 570 career assists.
A Strong Fall
Creighton has already placed three teams into the NCAA Tournament during the 2010-11 school year, as Bluejay teams in women's soccer, men's soccer and women's volleyball have all made the “Big Dance” within the past month.
On a national basis, only 10 schools nationally can say this, an elite list that consists of Creighton, California, Duke, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn, Penn State and UCLA.
Creighton men's basketball has seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 12 years, most in the MVC in that time.
Harstad Honored on Dec. 11
Already inducted into both the Creighton Athletics (2002) and Missouri Valley Conference (2008) Hall of Fame's, former Creighton men's basketball standout Bob Harstad was honored during the Dec. 11 game vs. Saint Joseph's.
Harstad's jersey was retired during a halftime ceremony. The Loveland, Colo., native wore No. 30 during his career from 1987-91 with the Jays, but the number will still be available for current (such as Antoine Young) and future Bluejays to wear.
The only other previous players to have their jersey's retired in Creighton men's basketball history are Bob Portman (#33), Paul Silas (#35) and Bob Gibson (#45).
Harstad is one of only four MVC players -- joining Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson, Indiana State's Larry Bird and Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel -- to score 2,000 points (2,110) and grab 1,000 or more rebounds (1,126).
A first-team All-MVC choice from 1989 to 1991, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Player of the Year in 1990 and earned State Farm MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in 1991.
He led CU to regular-season titles and postseason tournament crowns in 1989 and 1991. He also powered the Jays to two NCAA Tournament appearances and a win over New Mexico State in the first round in 1991.
High Octane Setback
Despite putting up 88 points vs. Iowa State on Nov. 21, Creighton still came up on the short end of the scoreboard. Prior to that, Creighton had won 37 straight games when scoring 88 points or more since losing on Feb. 12, 1994.
Fab Five
Creighton's starting line-up accounted for 86 of the team's 88 points on Nov. 21 vs. Iowa State. In fact, the only points off the bench came with 3:42 left on a Wayne Runnels putback.
All five of Creighton's starters had 12 points or more, becoming the first starting quintet in double-figures since Jan. 31, 2007 at Bradley.
Creighton's two bench points were its fewest since also scoring two bench points on Feb. 17, 2007 vs. Drexel.
Creighton's bench was much more effective on Friday vs. Kennesaw State, scoring 32 points against the Owls.
In Creighton's eight wins, the bench has scored 186 points (23.3 ppg.), but in the four losses it's scored just 34 points (8.5 ppg.).
Helping Hands
Creighton dished 25 assists on its 29 made baskets on Nov. 26 vs. Kennesaw State, as seven players had multiple helpers.
It was the first time Creighton's had 25 assists in a game since Dec. 22, 2009 vs. Houston Baptist. In that game, Creighton also had exactly 25 assists on exactly 29 field goals.
'Tis The Season For Charity
Creighton has attacked the lane and the boards while racking up gaudy free throw numbers through 12 games.
The Bluejays have shot 157-of-210 (74.8 percent) at the line through 12 games, while its opponents are a combined 84-of-144 (58.3 percent) from the charity stripe.
Nine of the 10 Creighton players with at least one attempt from the line are shooting 71.0 percent or better, leading to the improvement from last year's team that shot 72.0 percent overall.
Active Leader
Kenny Lawson Jr. leads all active Missouri Valley Conference players with 631 rebounds, 141 blocked shots and 100 games started.
He also ranks third on that list with 1,093 career points and became the 34th member of Creighton's 1,000 point club on Nov. 21 vs. Iowa State. The only active MVC players with more points than Lawson are Bradley teammates Andrew Warren (1,225) and Sam Maniscalco (1,210).
Below is a list of Creighton all-time scoring leaders:
Most Points, Creighton History
Rk. Pts. Name Years
1. 2,116 Rodney Buford 1995-99
2. 2,110 Bob Harstad 1987-91
3. 1,983 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
4. 1,876 Bob Portman 1966-69
5. 1,801 Kyle Korver 1999-03
6. 1,754 Nate Funk 2002-07
7. 1,682 Rick Apke 1974-78
8. 1,661 Paul Silas 1961-64
9. 1,654 Vernon Moore 1981-85
10. 1,575 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
11. 1,526 John C. Johnson 1975-79
12. 1,500 Kevin McKenna 1977-81
13. 1,437 Eddie Cole 1951-55
14. 1,369 Gene Harmon 1971-74
15. 1,361 Duan Cole 1987-92
16. 1,309 Ryan Sears 1997-01
17. 1,303 Elton Tuttle 1951-54
18. 1,272 Bob Gibson 1954-57
19. 1,267 Wally Anderzunas 1965-67, 1968-69
20. 1,254 Gary Swain 1983-87
21. 1,238 Ben Walker 1997-01
22. 1,196 Ray Yost 1951-54
23. 1,172 Dick Harvey 1956-59
24. 1,152 Dane Watts 2004-08
25. 1,116 Kenny Evans 1982-87
26. 1,115 Doug Brookins 1972-75
1,115 Daryl Stovall 1978-82
28. 1,093 Tim Powers 1964-67
1,093 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pr.
30. 1,050 Reggie Morris 1982-86
Lawson Up For Senior CLASS Award
Senior center Kenny Lawson Jr. is one of 30 candidates nationwide for the Senior CLASS Award. The award – presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in 10 sports – focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.
Lawson is the one of two MVC men's athletes named this year (joining Bradley guard Dodie Dunson), but the fourth Creighton candidate since 2003. Kyle Korver was a finalist for the award in 2003, while Anthony Tolliver was a finalist in 2007. Both were also named Senior CLASS All-Americans. In addition, Dane Watts was a candidate in 2008 but did not advance to the final stage.
Creighton, which also has Sam Schuett as a candidate for the women's award, is one of just five schools nationally (Creighton, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Lehigh and Duke) with a candidate on both the men's and women's side.
The 2011 men's candidate class includes three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans from a year ago, nine student-athletes on the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award, 16 players with grade point averages of 3.0 and above and eight from teams ranked in the Associated Press preseason top 25. It also includes 2010-11 Creighton opponents Dodie Dunson (Bradley), Jimmer Fredette (BYU) and Cameron Jones (Northern Arizona).
Third Time's A Charm
Creighton has won each of its first three home games in 15 of the past 16 years, including this season.
Creighton's Nov. 17 win over Louisiana was the 17th straight season that the Jays won their third home game of the year.
Lawson Moves Up The Charts
With 11 points vs. Alabama State on Nov. 12, Kenny Lawson Jr. became the seventh player to score 500 or more points at Qwest Center Omaha. Lawson, who now stands at 593, ranks second in Qwest Center Omaha scoring history. Nate Funk holds the facility record with 735 career points.
Lawson (332 rebounds) also ranks in second place on the Qwest Center Omaha rebound list, trailing only Dane Watts (351).
Lawson also owns 76 blocks in his career at Qwest Center Omaha. That's a facility record, five more than the former mark held by Anthony Tolliver. The top shot blockers in Bluejay history (at all sites) are listed below:
Most Blocked Shots, Creighton History
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
141 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
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. 14 against Northern Arizona, senior Kaleb Korver did it midway through the first half. He became the first Bluejay to do record a four-point play since P'Allen Stinnett did it at Dayton on Nov. 14, 2009.
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.
According to Harvey Pollack's NBA Statistical Yearbook, Kaleb's older brother, Kyle Korver, has just three four-point plays to his credit in his eight-year NBA career.
Qwest To Be The Best, 105 Times Over
Creighton has played 124 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in its eight seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own a 105-19 (.847) record all-time at the facility, including a 24-1 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 3-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 9,108-7,724 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.2 points per game. The 19 losses have been by a combined 111 points (5.8 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 26 different times, including once this winter.
Creighton's win on Nov. 17 vs. Louisiana was its 100th all-time at the facility, coming in just 118 games. By comparison, Creighton needed 138 games to reach 100 wins at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Creighton is also a mind-boggling 19-10 at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it trails by 10 or more points at any juncture.
Creighton is 9-0 in Qwest Center Omaha games in which both teams own leads of 10 or more points, and 26-1 in games at Qwest Center Omaha in which there are no lead changes.
Big Shoes To Fill
Creighton's Greg McDermott replaced the school's all-time wins leader, Dana Altman, who was named head coach at Oregon in April. The winningest coach in school history, Altman was 327-176 in 16 years at Creighton, leading the program to seven NCAA Tournaments and 13 straight postseason bids.
Altman's win total ranks third in Missouri Valley Conference history and he was named coach of the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Centennial Team in 2007.
First Time Since 1921
It might seem hard to believe given the lineage of Creighton coaches (such as Eddie Sutton, Tony Barone, Dana Altman, Red McManus, Tom Apke, etc...) through the years, but Creighton's Nov. 17 night's win over Louisiana made Greg McDermott the first Creighton coach to start 3-0 on the Bluejay sidelines since 1921.
The only other men to start their Creighton careers 3-0 were the school's first three coaches. Thomas E. Mills started 6-0 in 1916-19, Eddie Mulholland started 5-0 in 1920-21, and after Mulholland abruptly resigned mid-season, Charles Kearney took over and was 3-0 before taking his first loss.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 11 of the past 13 seasons, including this season. Each of Creighton's last 11 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Father/Son Duo
Doug McDermott is the only player in Creighton men's basketball history to play for his father, head coach Greg McDermott. The previous closest relationship between a player/coach had been when Rick Apke (1974-78) played for his older brother, head coach Tom Apke (1974-81).
Return Of The Mac
Greg McDermott is the 10th MVC head coach to coach at two different league schools and first since Ken Hayes got hired away from Tulsa to go to New Mexico State in 1975.
He is the first to go to a different league and coach there, then come back to the MVC.
McDermott went 90-63 in five years at Northern Iowa from 2001-06, advancing to the NCAA Tournament each of his final three seasons.
Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns four starters (Kenny Lawson Jr., Antoine Young, Darryl Ashford and Casey Harriman) from last year's team that finished 18-16.
Creighton's roster contains players who made 123 starts a year ago, the first time the Jays have returned 120 or more starts since the 2006-07 team that was also the program's most recent to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Returning Returning Starts Final
Year Starters From Previous Year W-L
2010-11 4 123 ? ? ?
2009-10 3 106 18-16
2008-09 3 83 27-8
2007-08 1 44 22-11
2006-07 4 120 22-11
2005-06 4 134 20-10
2004-05 2 58 23-11
2003-04 3 101 20-9
2002-03 5 159 29-5
2001-02 2 65 23-9
2000-01 3 90 24-8
1999-00 3 84 23-10
1998-99 3 84 22-9
1997-98 4 72 18-10
1996-97 4 126 15-15
1995-96 4 100 14-15
1994-95 2 52 7-19
1993-94 3 73 7-22
1992-93 2 64 8-18
1991-92 2 51 9-19
1990-91 4 132 24-8
1989-90 4 127 21-12
1988-89 4 123 20-11
1987-88 3 83 16-16
1986-87 2 65 9-19
1985-86 1 48 12-16
1984-85 4 124 20-12
1983-84 3 72 17-14
1982-83 3 77 8-19
1981-82 2 78 7-20
1980-81 4 112 21-9
Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in the preseason poll of MVC coaches, SID's and media. Wichita State was a near-unanimous pick to win the league, garnering 33-of-39 first-place votes and 382 points overall.
Missouri State was second with 313 points and one first-place vote.
Northern Iowa (289, 1 first-place vote), Creighton (282) and Bradley (264, 2) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Illinois State (165), where it was followed by Indiana State (136), Drake (120), Southern Illinois (120) and Evansville (73).
Creighton senior Kenny Lawson Jr. is one of five men on the preseason all-MVC team. He's joined on the team by UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Wichita State's Toure' Murry, Bradley's Sam Maniscalco and Missouri State's Kyle Weems.
Lawson was also named Preseason MVC Player of the Year. He is the third Bluejay to be honored since 2001, joining Kyle Korver (2002-03) and Nate Funk (2006-07).
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 11 of the last 12 seasons, an unprecedented feat in Missouri Valley Conference history that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 12 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in 11 of the past 12 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut, Memphis and Michigan State (10 each), ahead of Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (9 each) and even better than Louisville (8).
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has six 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 seniors Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella) as well as redshirting sophomore Grant Gibbs (Marion) and freshmen Doug McDermott (Ames) and Will Artino (Waukee).
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 523 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Postseason x 13
Creighton has made the postseason in 13 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The only 10 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 13 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 547 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
UNLV (762), Vanderbilt (756) and Kentucky (753) are the only three schools that have made at least one three-point basket since the rule was adopted prior to the 1986 campaign.
Full House
Creighton averaged 14,495 fans per game, which ranked 15th nationally, in 2009-10. Creighton averaged 15,883 in 15 games at Qwest Center Omaha before two CIT crowds below 5,000 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium dropped the average precipitously.
Creighton has now finished in the top-15 of the national attendance leaders in each of the last four seasons.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (FINAL)
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 24,111
2. Syracuse 22,152
3. Louisville 19,397
4. Tennessee 19,168
5. North Carolina 17,786
6. Wisconsin 17,230
7. Maryland 16,792
8. Memphis 16,498
9. Kansas 16,433
10. Marquette 15,617
11. Indiana 15,296
12. Illinois 14,870
13. Michigan State 14,759
14. Texas 14,629
15. Creighton 14,495
16. Ohio State 14,181
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
246,419 Creighton 2009-10
236,313 Creighton 2005-06
222,728 Creighton 2006-07
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
191,440 Louisville 1974-75
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
15,930 Creighton 2008-09
15,909 Creighton 2006-07
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
Jays Sweep Weekly Awards
Creighton swept the weekly awards handed out by the Missouri Valley Conference on Nov. 15, as Antoine Young was named MVC Player of the Week and Doug McDermott named MVC Newcomer of the Week.
Young averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in wins over Alabama State and Northern Arizona. He opened the year with 21 points against ASU while also grabbing a career-high seven rebounds. He scored the first four points and assisted a three-pointer in the 11-0 second half run that gave Creighton the lead for good. On Nov. 14, he had 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists in a win over NAU.
McDermott averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first weekend of play. He began his career with 16 points and seven rebounds against Alabama State, becoming the first freshman to start the opener since 1997-98. He then had 10 points in Creighton's 74-70 win over Northern Arizona.
McDermott repeated his honors on Nov. 22 after averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games.
McDermott won his third straight award on Nov. 29 after averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game vs. Kennesaw State and Northwestern, shooting 70 percent (14-20) from the floor.
McDermott made it 4-for-4 on Dec. 6th, earning the honor after averaging 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in losses to No. 21 BYU and Nebraska.
Consistent Challengers
Nine of Creighton's last 13 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 13 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; 2009-10
Learning From Past Losses
Creighton heads into the 2010-11 season looking to rebound from a quarterfinal round loss to Bradley in the 2010 MVC Tournament.
Each of Creighton's previous three quarterfinal round losses (1998, 2004, 2006) saw the Bluejays claim the Arch Madness crown the following spring.
Creighton's six conference tournament titles in the past 12 years trail only Gonzaga, Duke and Winthrop nationally.
Foreign Invasion
Creighton has a pair of foreigners on the roster for just the third time in school history with Canadian Jahenns Manigat and Venezuelan Gregory Echenique. Echenique is the nation's only returning Venezuelan who also played NCAA ball last season.
The last pair of simultaneous international teammates at Creighton was Brice Nengsu (Cameroon) and Manny Gakou (France) from 2005-07.
Creighton's other international players on record include Livan Pyfrom (1999-2001, Bahamas), Nerijus Karlikanovas (1998-2000, Lithuania) and Colin Lubsey (1992-93, Australia).
NBA Jays
Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver give Creighton a pair of alums in the NBA for the third straight year.
Korver plays for the Chicago Bulls and is in his eighth year in the NBA, including previous stops in Philadelphia and Utah.
Tolliver plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves and is in his third year in the NBA, including previous stops with Cleveland, San Antonio, New Orleans, Portland and Golden State.
Creighton has now had an NBA player in 27 of the last 28 years, and 44 of 47 seasons since 1964-65.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 69 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.
Last Season Recap
Creighton finished 18-16 on the season, winning a pair of games in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament before falling in the semifinals. Creighton's 10-8 league mark was good for fourth place, the Jays 13th straight year of a fourth-place finish or better.
Individually, Kenny Lawson Jr. was a second-team all-MVC pick and led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. Justin Carter ranked second on the team in both scoring and rebounding, while Antoine Young topped the team in assists and steals.
Academically Tops In The MVC Too
For the sixth time in the eight-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2009-10 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.33 cumulative grade-point average over the 2009-10 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Creighton had four men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year; Matthew Dorwart, Kaleb Korver, Derek Sebastian and Taylor Stormberg.
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.
Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2010-11 season went on sale on November 1st 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).
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS. vs. Western Illinois. Creighton has currently outscored the opposition 9,108-7,724 in 124 career games in he eight-year old facility. trey at the 13:29 mark, and took a charge with 13:13 remaining.
