Ramblers Roll In For BracketBusters on Saturday
2/18/2010 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game #28 vs. Loyola Chicago • Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 • 8:35 p.m.
Loyola Chicago Ramblers at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: None
Series History: Loyola Chicago leads 11-5
Last Meeting: Loyola Chicago won 80-78 on Dec. 12, 1981 in Chicago
Next Game
Creighton (13-14) steps out of Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday night when it hosts Loyola Chicago (14-12) for part of the 8th Annual BracketBusters series.
Saturday's game will tip-off at 8:35 pm from Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) in Omaha, Neb.
Due to the state high school wrestling championship at the venue on Saturday until the late afternoon, Qwest Center Omaha arena doors for the game won't open until 7:30 p.m.
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 and local talk show host Nick Bahe will call the action.
For all home games, Travis Justice will host a call-in show focusing on the Bluejays, that leads into the pre-game show on KXSP. Justice will also take calls after the game, also on Big Sports 590.
Television Broadcast Information
Saturday's game will not be televised.
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 Saturday's game. To sign up for the video webcast, fans can register by going directly to http://www.gocreighton.com. Cost for a monthly pass is $11.95 and a season pass is $69.95.
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, typically begins approximately 15-30 minutes before tipoff featuring live video of Qwest Center Omaha and the audio of the Big Sports 590 pre-game show.
In order to view the webcast, users must have high speed Internet access (cable modem or DSL service) and Windows Media Player version 9.0 or above.
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 Loyola Chicago
Loyola Chicago is 14-12 on the season and 5-11 (8th of 10 teams) in Horizon League play. The Ramblers are 9-1 in non-conference play, losing only at Kansas State, and claim wins over Bradley, San Francisco, Holy Cross and Western Michigan to date.
Three players average in double-figures for the Ramblers, a group led by Terrance Hill (11.7 ppg.). Additionally, Walt Gibler averages 10.7 points per game while Geoff McCammon chips in with 10.7 points per game and has made 44.8 percent of his three-point attempts.
Courtney Stanley dishes 4.8 assists per game to lead the team, while Andy Polka grabs a club-best 8.8 rebounds per game.
Loyola Chicago averages 65.0 points per game while allowing 65.7 per contest. The Ramblers shoot 42.4 percent from the field, 37.4 percent from three-point range and 67.8 percent at the line.
Loyola is 5-8 in true road games this season, and have played in front of more than 10,000 fans just once all season (12,528 at Kansas State).
Scouting Creighton
Picked second in the preseason MVC poll, Creighton is currently tied for fourth place in the Missouri Valley Conference with an 8-8 league mark. Creighton is 13-14 overall.
Center Kenny Lawson Jr. leads Creighton in scoring (12.6 ppg.), rebounding (6.4 rpg.) and blocks (1.4) per game while also knocking down 54.5 percent of his shots from the floor and 81.7 percent at the line.
Justin Carter (9.3 ppg., 5.8 rpg.) and Darryl Ashford (8.0 ppg.) give Creighton a pair of athletic wings who can shoot from the outside or drive to the basket.
Creighton's bench averages 26.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per game and is led by Cavel Witter (7.0 ppg.) and Ethan Wragge (6.4 ppg.). Redshirt freshman Josh Jones (3.4 ppg.) has also been a difference-maker of late, averaging 6.9 points in CU's last seven games.
Creighton averages 68.4 points per game and shoots 43.3 percent from the floor, 32.3 percent from downtown and 69.5 percent at the line. It holds opponents to 67.9 points per game and 42.1 percent shooting. The Jays have been outrebounded by 0.2 boards per game.
The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) is in his 16th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He owns a 322-174 (.649) mark at CU and a career record of 405-241 (.627) 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.
Jim Whitesell (Luther, 1982) owns a 93-88 record in his sixth year as a head coach at Loyola Chicago. Whitesell was previously head coach at Elmhurst and Lewis, and owns a career mark of 371-282 in 22 seasons, including six NCAA Tournament appearances. Whitesell is assisted by Patrick Baldwin, Kevin Mondro and Bill Comar.
The Series With Loyola Chicago
Loyola Chicago leads the all-time series against Creighton by a 11-5 margin, though the teams have not met since December 12, 1981.
The Ramblers are 4-2 in the six Omaha meetings, but lost the last two of those.
Dana Altman has never coached against Loyola Chicago and has also never coached against Jim Whitesell.
A complete series history against Loyola Chicago can be found on page seven of this release.
History of BracketBuster When Not on TV
Saturday's game vs. Loyola Chicago will not be televised, just the second time in the past eight seasons Creighton's BracketBuster game did not air on television.
The previous time it wasn't came during the 2004-05 campaign, when Creighton hammered Chattanooga 100-68. The Bluejays set a Missouri Valley Conference record that day by making 20 three-point baskets (in just 30 attempts from downtown).
That Chattanooga win would be the second triumph in an eight-game win streak that carried the Bluejays to an MVC Tournament title and narrow 63-61 NCAA Tournament loss to eventual Elite Eight qualifier West Virginia.
BracketBuster Crowds Have Been Huge
Saturday will mark the fourth time in the eight-year history of the BracketBusters event that the Jays will play a late-night game at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton hosted Fresno State in an 11 pm (CST) start in 2006 and Drexel in a 9 pm start in 2007 in previous late-night adventures at Qwest Center Omaha. Both games sold out and set then-records for largest crowds to ever see a basketball game in Nebraska history at the time.
Last year's game with George Mason started at 8:30 pm and had a sellout crowd of 17,411.
10 Largest Home Crowds, Creighton & State History
Att. Opp. Result Date
17,954 Wichita State W 68-56 12/28/08
17,607 Drexel L 58-64 02/17/07
17,459 Southern Illinois L 57-58 01/20/07
17,411 George Mason W 76-63 02/21/09
17,371 Indiana State W 86-69 01/19/08
17,283 Indiana State W 71-55 01/27/07
17,193 Drake L 62-74 01/24/09
17,152 Northern Iowa L 52-60 12/29/09
17,116 Illinois State W 74-70 02/28/09
17,110 Wichita State W 71-54 02/24/07
Bracket Buster Trivia
Did you know that Creighton played in the first game in BracketBusters history? The Jays defeated Fresno State 67-66 on Feb. 22, 2003, in an 11 am game on the inaugural weekend then known as Bracket Buster Saturday.
Bracket Buster History
Creighton owns a 5-2 record in BracketBusters match-ups, including a 4-2 mark in televised games (the 2/19/05 win over Chattanooga was not on television).
In return trip rematches, Creighton owns a 3-4 record.
Opponent First Meeting Rematch
Fresno State W 67-66 (H) W 70-62 ot (R)
Kent State L 55-70 (R) L 58-67 (H)
Chattanooga W 100-68 (H) L 64-69 (R)
Fresno State W 67-62 (H) L 54-69 (R)
Drexel L 58-64 (H) W 72-48 (R)
Oral Roberts W 65-64 (R) W 87-65 (H)
George Mason W 76-63 (H) L 72-75 (R)
Loyola Chicago Saturday Still To Come
Busting the Brackets
The Missouri Valley Conference is 21-11 in the televised portion of the ESPNU BracketBusters series -- better than any other league.
Leagues (top 6 only) All Home Road
Missouri Valley 21-11 12-5 9-6
Western Athletic 13-15 10-7 3-8
Mid-American 12-16 9-6 3-10
Colonial Athletic 11-5 4-2 7-3
Horizon League 8-10 4-5 4-5
Metro Atlantic 6-3 3-1 3-2
No TV, No Problem
Creighton has won 87 percent of its games the last past eight years (since 2002-03) that have not been televised, winning 16 of its last 17 games to improve to 67-10 in non-televised games. Saturday's game will be CU's first not to air on the tube since a January 3rd win at Evansville.
The Jays have been pretty successful on television as well, going 109-69 in that same span (.612). However, CU is just 8-13 on television this season.
Creighton is a perfect 37-0 in regular-season non-televised games at Qwest Center Omaha.
Creighton has also won 18 straight non-televised home games at Qwest Center Omaha, dating to a March 20, 2006 loss to Miami (Fla.) in the NIT.
Below .500 Some Unfamiliar Territory
Creighton finds itself in some unfamiliar territory with its 13-14 record to date.
This is the first time that Creighton has been under .500 in the month of February since being 13-14 prior to a win on Feb. 26, 1996.
Creighton has not finished a season below .500 since that 1995-96 club ended the year 14-15. Every other school in the MVC has had at least two losing seasons since 1995-96.
Birds of Prey
Creighton has lost a total of 21 home games in the last 10 seasons, including last Saturday's setback to Illinois State. Following almost every setback, Creighton has taken out its frustration in its next regular-season home game.
Creighton has followed all but one of its previous 20 home losses with a win in its next home game by an average of 16.00 points, including 11 double-digit triumphs.
Since February of 2000, Creighton has suffered consecutive home losses just once, as it fell Dec. 7 and Dec. 18, 2004 to Kent State and Wyoming, respectively.
The last time CU dropped consecutive MVC contests at home was Jan. 4 and Jan. 17, 1999, when it lost to Evansville and Indiana State.
Creighton's Home Losses, Last 10 Years
Home Loss Next Home Game
L 63-67, Illinois State Saturday vs. Loyola Chicago
L 52-60, N. Iowa W 73-69, Drake
L 63-65, Kentucky W 78-53, Florida A&M
L 62-74, Drake W 73-62, Indiana State
L 66-69, N. Iowa W 73-72 (OT) vs. So. Illinois
L 60-68 ot, #22 Drake W 65-63, Wichita State
L 67-80, Illinois St. W 77-59, Evansville
L 58-64, Drexel W 71-54, Wichita State
L 57-58, S. Illinois W 71-55, Indiana State
L 52-53, Miami (Fla.) W 78-42, Miss. Valley State
L 67-74, S. Illinois W 67-62, Fresno State
L 71-79, Missouri St. W 83-82, Northern Iowa
L 77-82, Illinois St. W 73-69, Wichita State
L 63-69, S. Illinois W 82-67, Drake
L 64-68, Wyoming W 71-62, Bradley
L 58-67, Kent State L 64-68, Wyoming
L 70-71, Nebraska W 74-40, Alcorn State
L 60-61, S. Illinois W 74-56, Bradley
L 73-75, Drake W 106-50, Texas-Arlington
L 77-79, S. Illinois W 83-56, Northern Iowa
L 65-72, Xavier W 90-65, Miss. Valley State
Lose Two, Then At Home?
Creighton can extend an amazing trend on Saturday with a win over Loyola Chicago.
In the last 13 seasons, Creighton has played 23 home games in which it brought in a losing streak of two games or more. In each case, Creighton won the home game.
Creighton won 16 of those 23 home games by 10 points or more, including nine by 20 points or more. The average margin in those wins has been 17.0 points, as CU has outscored foes 75.1-58.1 in those scenarios.
Below is a chart showing CU's games since 1997-98 in which it took to its home court with a losing streak of two games or more.
L Streak Home Game Opp. Score Date
3 UMKC W 81-59 11/14/97
2 Grambling State W 67-51 12/03/97
2 Indiana State W 80-67 01/15/98
4 Towson State W 93-48 11/14/98
2 #18 Oklahoma State W 66-60 12/20/98
2 Northern Iowa W 77-60 02/10/99
2 Colorado State W 74-51 12/06/00
2 Indiana State W 81-72 01/11/01
2 N. Carolina A&T W 72-51 11/18/01
2 Nebraska W 76-70 12/12/01
2 Miss. Valley State W 90-65 12/29/01
3 Wichita State W 75-61 03/01/04
2 Alcorn State W 74-40 11/15/04
2 Bradley W 71-62 12/28/04
2 Nebraska W 70-44 12/11/05
2 Illinois State W 71-52 01/05/06
2 Fresno State W 67-62 02/18/06
2 Akron W 71-60 03/16/06
2 Wichita State W 71-54 02/24/07
2 Wichita State W 65-63 02/02/08
2 Missouri State W 88-67 02/19/08
2 Miss. Valley State W 82-58 12/02/08
2 Nebraska W 67-61 12/06/09
Lose One, Then At Home?
Creighton can extend another amazing trend on Saturday with a win over Loyola Chicago.
Since December 25th, 2001, Creighton has played 50 home games in which it lost the previous game (at any venue). In all but two scenarios, Creighton won the home game. The lone blemishes in that time came last season, when Creighton lost to Northern Iowa on Jan. 6 following a Jan. 3 loss at Illinois State, and at the end of the 2003-04 season, when CU followed up a MVC Tournament loss to Missouri State with an NIT loss to Nebraska.
Creighton has won 29 of those 50 home games by 10 points or more, including 14 by 20 points or more. The average margin in those games has been 13.9 points, as CU has outscored foes 3,824-3,131 in those scenarios.
Panthers Couldn't Miss
Coming off a game where it was 6-of-30 from three-point range, Northern Iowa shot a red-hot 13-for-27 from downtown in Tuesday's win over Creighton. To go with their 13 three-pointers, UNI also made seven two-point baskets.
The last time a Bluejay opponent made more than half of its baskets from three-point range was March 2, 2007. On that night Indiana State was 7-for-23 from downtown but just 3-of-20 from two-point range.
UNI's 13 three-point baskets were the most by a Bluejay opponent since Illinois State made 13-of-19 treys in the 2009 Valley Tournament.
Nine Weapons
Creighton has tied a school record with nine different players to hit 10 or more three-pointers in a season. The Bluejays previously did that in both 2007-08 as well as 2005-06.
No other MVC school has more than six players with 10 three-point makes this year.
Creighton is also the only team in the MVC to have eight different men score 120 or more points this season.
Rare Illini
Creighton has not had a player on the roster from the state of Illinois since the 1996-97 campaign, when both Randall Crutcher (Bolingbrook) and Lamont Scott (Chicago) were on the team.
Jays Go Back To Bock
After a month on the sidelines, reserve guard Andrew Bock saw his first action since Jan. 16th when he played five minutes on Tuesday against Northern Iowa.
Bock made his only shot from the field, a three-pointer, and also drained two free throws. His lone turnover came on a strong move to the hoop in which he was whistled for a charge.
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, with the other three finishing in the top four of the league standings. Two of the three that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 12 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08
Closer Than You'd Think
While Northern Iowa guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe is being mentioned as a potential MVC Player of the Year candidate, some of his numbers aren't too different than those of CU's Antoine Young.
Statistic Ahelegbe Young
FG-FGA 97-240 59-145
FG Pct. .404 .407
3FG's Made 18 10
Assists 72 75
Turnovers 81 36
Assist/Turnover Ratio 0.89 2.08
Steals 17 19
Points/Minute 0.360 0.237
Rebounds/Minute 0.111 0.058
Assists/Minute 0.091 0.114
Young Not Restless
Antoine Young had a season-best with 13 points in Tuesday's game at Northern Iowa. He also tied career-highs with four rebounds and three steals in the game while limiting preseason all-Valley counterpart Kwadzo Ahelegbe to six points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Stinnett Suspended
Junior guard P'Allen Stinnett has been suspended from the Creighton basketball team for the rest of the season, coach Dana Altman announced on Feb. 14th.
Stinnett had previously been suspended indefinitely on Jan. 25th due to conduct not acceptable to the team, missing the six games prior to the announcement of the year-ending suspension.
Stinnett had averaged 9.2 points per game and started 15 of the 20 contests he appeared in this season.
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Creighton is 5-2 in Missouri Valley Conference games this season to have been decided by five points or less. Over the past two years, that record improves to 8-3.
In the history of Qwest Center Omaha, Creighton is 19-5 against MVC schools and 25-9 overall in games decided by five or less points.
For the season, 26 of the MVC's 80 games have been decided by five points or less.
Jesuit Showdown
The Creighton vs. Loyola Chicago match up is one of more than 90 games this season between men's and women's basketball teams from the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities across the country.
The Jesuit Basketball Spotlight uses Jesuit basketball to raise awareness of Jesuit education, as each of the 28 institutions are dedicated to strong academics and teaching men and women to serve others and live a faith that does justice. The Jesuit educational mission began in Europe approximately 500 years ago.
Visit www.ajcunet.edu for more information.
Army of Iowans
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 504 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
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).
Qwest To Be The Best
Creighton has played 113 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own a 95-18 (.841) record all-time at the facility, including a perfect 22-0 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 1-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 8,334-7,053 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.3 points per game. The 18 losses have been by a combined 99 points (5.5 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 24 different times, including five times this year.
Helping Hands
Creighton had 21 assists on 25 baskets in its Feb. 9 win over Indiana State, including all 11 first half baskets.
Since January 27, 2009, Creighton is 18-1 against MVC schools when recording 11 or more assists, and just 1-8 when its assist total is 10 or less.
This year's Creighton team is averaging 15.6 assists in its eight league wins, but just 8.8 helpers in its eight league setbacks.
For the season Creighton is averaging 13.9 assists per game, a figure that moves to 12.2 in league play.
It assists on 68.8 percent of made field goals in wins, and just 49.5 percent in its losses.
Lawson The Law At The Stripe
Kenny Lawson Jr. has made 29 of his last 31 free throws and had his streak of consecutive makes snapped at 19 on Feb. 9 vs. Indiana State. He had been seeking to become the first Bluejay in recorded history to stand 6-foot-9 or taller and make 20 or more straight shots at the line.
Among Bluejays with 20 or more attempts this year, Lawson shoots a team-best 81.7 percent at the line.
He is a career 74.8 percent free throw shooter, the best mark by a Bluejay 6-foot-9 or taller since 6-foot-10 Doug Swenson shot 75.1 percent from 1997-99.
Wragge Sinking Shots
Freshman forward Ethan Wragge has made at least one three-pointer in each of his last 14 games, the longest streak by any Bluejay this winter.
Wragge's streak establishes the Creighton record by a freshman, breaking the mark of 12 previously held by Rodney Buford from Jan. 12 - Feb. 14, 1996.
It's the longest streak by a Bluejay (regardless of year) since senior guard Booker Woodfox closed last season with a trey in his final 31 contests.
Below is a streak of the MVC's longest active streaks of games with a three-pointer:
Consec. Games With a 3-Pointer (MVC - Active)
Streak Name, School Next
18 Tony Freeman, SIU 2/20
14 Ethan Wragge, CU 2/20
14 Adam Templeton, DU 2/20
Below is a chart comparing the first 27 career games of Wragge and Kyle Korver, as well as Korver's final six games of his freshman year:
Wragge Korver Korver
Stat First 27 First 27 Last 6
Team W-L 13-14 18-9 5-1
Points/Game 6.4 7.7 14.0
FG-FGA 55-125 69-149 28-55
FG Pct. .440 .463 .509
3-Point FG-FGA 48-114 46-107 17-38
3-Point Pct. .421 .430 .447
FT-FTA 16-19 23-27 11-11
FT Pct. .842 .852 1.000
Rebounds/Game 2.3 3.0 3.2
MInutes/Game 14.6 16.6 25.7
What's It Going To Take?
With four teams still within a game of .500 in the league standings, the race is most definitely on for teams to claim the best possible seeds for next month's MVC Tournament.
Notably, since 1997 all 62 teams that had 10 more wins have had a top-six seed, and 71 of the 72 teams with nine or more league triumphs avoided the play-in round as well.
Below is a chart showing the average MVC record of each seed entering the tournament, as well as the best and worst mark for each seed.
Seed Avg. MVC Wins Best W-L Worst W-L
1 14.69 17-1 13-5
2 12.69 15-3 11-7
3 11.62 12-6 11-7
4 10.92 12-6 10-8
5 9.54 11-7 8-10
6 8.85 11-7 7-11
7 7.31 9-9 5-13
8 6.15 8-10 5-13
9 5.00 7-11 4-14
10 3.23 5-13 0-18
Feb. 27 Time, TV Coverage Set
Creighton's Feb. 27 regular-season finale against Bradley will be a 2:05 pm start. The game will be televised by KMTV.
20 Years of Memories
The Missouri Valley Conference is conducting a poll of the top-20 moments in Arch Madness history, as well as an all-time all-tournament team.
Fans can visit www.archmadness20.com to vote, which ends February 24th.
Toughest Thing In Basketball
Did you realize that Creighton has as many true road wins this season as the combined total of true road wins by North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, LSU, Stanford and DePaul this year?
It's often been said that winning on the road is the toughest thing to do in college sports, and this year's Creighton team has found that out.
After going 8-4 on the road last winter, Creighton is currently 2-9 in true road games this year.
The Bluejays have plenty of company in their struggles away from home, as 16 BCS schools (of 73 BCS schools total) enter tonight with one or fewer true road wins this season: BCS Schools, 1 or Less True Road Wins, 2009-10
(Through Feb. 17, 2010)
School Home W-L Road W-L
Stanford 10-2 0-11
DePaul 6-6 0-9
Georgia 10-3 0-9
LSU 9-6 0-7
Colorado 11-2 1-8
South Carolina 11-2 1-8
Iowa 8-9 1-7
Rutgers 12-4 1-7
Oklahoma 11-1 1-7
Nebraska 11-4 1-7
Southern California 11-3 1-6
Washington 16-1 1-6
Connecticut 13-3 1-6
North Carolina 12-4 1-6
Notre Dame 15-2 1-6
Indiana 7-8 1-5
Jays Pass 1.6 Million Fans at Qwest Center
Creighton moved over the 1.6 million fan mark at Qwest Center Omaha in its Feb. 9 home game vs. Indiana State.
Creighton has attracted 1,616,642 fans in 113 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,306 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.
20 Overall Wins x 11 Years = MVC History
Creighton is the only school in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11 straight 20-win campaigns, a figure it reached 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.
There's no doubt that this streak appears to be in serious jeopardy, with Creighton owning four games before MVC Tournament and just 13 wins to date:
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. All but Creighton (currently 13-14) and Florida (currently 17-8) have already reached 20 wins this year.
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.
This streak is also on the line heading into the final two weeks of the season, as Creighton has eight MVC wins with just two league contests to play.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 13 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (15). Kansas has already extended its streak with a 11-0 open to Big 12 action this winter.
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.
Below is a look at how those teams have done so far this year:
Team W-L Record Next Game
Kansas 25-1 2/20
Kentucky 25-1 2/20
Syracuse 24-2 2/18
Duke 22-4 2/21
Gonzaga 21-4 2/18
Michigan State 21-6 2/21
Oklahoma State 18-7 2/20
Maryland 18-7 2/20
Florida 17-8 2/18
Arizona 13-12 2/21
Creighton 13-14 2/20
Stanford 11-14 2/18
Over 200,000 Home Fans, Again
With a crowd of 16,209 fans last Saturday, the Creighton men's basketball team has now drawn 207,332 fans to Qwest Center Omaha this season. The Jays are the only team in MVC history to attain that milestone, something it has done each of the past five seasons.
Creighton has averaged 14,306 fans in 113 all-time games at Qwest Center Omaha. No other league school has ever drawn more than 13,675 fans per game for a season and none of the other nine current venues has a capacity of 11,600 or greater.
State and Local Pride
When Josh Jones (14) and Antoine Young (12) each scored in double-figures on Feb. 3rd vs. Evansville, it marked a rare daily double.
The last time two Nebraska prep products had scored in double-figures in the same game for Creighton was March 5, 2000, when Matt West (11) and Justin Haynes (10) did so versus Indiana State in the MVC Tournament.
The last time two Omaha-area prep products scored in double-figures in the same game for Creighton was Dec. 22, 1997, when West (14) and Kevin Mungin (13) did so at Towson.
Lights Out Shooting
Creighton shot a school-record 66.7 percent from the field in its Feb. 3 win over Evansville, sinking 28-of-42 shots.
The mark eclipsed the previous Bluejay single-game record of 65.9 percent vs. Drake on Jan. 9, 2007, when CU was 29-of-44.
Below is Creighton's top-five shooting performances under Dana Altman:
Best FG Percentage, Game, Under Dana Altman
Rk. Pct. Opponent (FG-FGA) Date
1. .667 Evansville (28-42) 2/03/10
2. .659 Drake (29-44) 1/09/07
3. .654 Evansville (34-52) 2/28/00
4. .643 Illinois State (27-42) 1/01/07
5. .636 Evansville (28-44) 2/02/97
Speaking of 60 Percent
Creighton has shot 60 percent or better from the field 14 times in 496 games under Dana Altman.
CU has done it four times each against Drake, Evansville and Illinois State and once each versus Notre Dame and Wichita State.
Jays Win 10 Games at Home, Again
Creighton's win over Evansville on Feb. 3rd was its 10th home victory this season. This is the 14th straight season it has accomplished that feat.
The current streak of 14 is a school-record, two more than the previous standard of 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign with 10 or more home wins.
Handful Of Options
Creighton had five men score in double-figures in its Feb. 3 win over Evansville, just the fourth time it has done that this season.
All four times it has happened, Cavel Witter has been a part of that group.
The Bluejays haven't had six men in double-figures since Dec. 29, 2001 vs. Mississippi Valley State.
That contest was also the second time this season that Creighton had three reserves score in double-figures in the same game.
Dime Time For Witter
Cavel Witter dished a season-high five assists in CU's Feb. 3 win over Evansville.
It was the ninth time in his CU career he's had five or more assists. The Bluejays have won eight of those games, outscoring teams by an average of 12.0 points.
Altman Earns 200th MVC Win
Dana Altman owns 201 career wins against Missouri Valley Conference schools since arriving at Creighton, a figure that includes 180 regular-season wins and a league-record 21 MVC Tournament triumphs.
He was also 3-1 against the MVC while serving as head coach at Kansas State, with all four games taking place against Wichita State.
Tolliver Returns to NBA
Former Bluejay center Anthony Tolliver has signed a contract with Golden State that will last the rest of the season. 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.
Tolliver has collected four double-doubles and is now averaging 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest for the Warriors.
He joins former All-American Kyle Korver as Bluejay alumni currently in the NBA. Korver plays for the Utah Jazz, and is averaging 5.6 points and 1.0 rebounds per game this year.
Comparing AT to P'OB
How impressive is Anthony Tolliver's 15-game start with Golden State? Let's compare to fellow Valley alum Patrick O'Bryant, who went to Bradley.
In 15 games with Golden State, Tolliver has 152 points and 87 rebounds. He has had four double-doubles and had a career-high of 29 points on Feb. 10 vs. the Los Angeles Clippers.
In 40 career games with Golden State (after being selected with the ninth overall pick in 2006), O'Bryant had 66 points and 50 rebounds. He never had an NBA double-double or scored more than 16 points.
And in case you were wondering, in five head-to-head meetings in college, O'Bryant averaged 8.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks compared to Tolliver's 12.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. Tolliver's CU team won three of those five games.
Bench Getting It Done
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition 173-100 over the past seven games, including a 30-3 differential on Jan. 30 at Drake.
What makes that figure all the more impressive is that Creighton played its game at Drake without Darryl Ashford (8.3 ppg.) and played all seven without P'Allen Stinnett (9.2 ppg.).
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition 716-562 (+154) this season and 2857-1772 (+1,085) since the start of the 2007-08 campaign.
The Bluejays have ranked in the top-four nationally in minutes played by their bench in two straight years, and are third nationally this season.
Jones Provides Instant Offense
Redshirt freshman Josh Jones had 20 points in Creighton's first 20 games of the season, but has pumped in 48 points in the last seven games.
Jones started just 8-of-29 from the field (27.6 percent) this year, but has made 17-of-37 shots (45.9 percent) over the past seven contests.
On Jan. 27 at Bradley, Jones hit 5-of-8 shots and scored then-career-high 13 points. His 21 minutes were also a career-high effort.
Jones then scored six points in 19 minutes at Drake on Jan. 30, including a three-pointer with 8:53 left that produced the game's only tie.
Jones then erased several career-highs on Wednesday in the win over Evansville, scoring 14 points in 23 minutes in the victory over the Purple Aces.
Jones followed with 10 points off the bench on Feb. 6 at Missouri State on 4-of-6 shooting.
In Creighton's first nine MVC games, Jones's experience in league play consisted of one (missed) shot and no points in less than nine minutes (8:50) on the floor.
Jones' breakout performance at Bradley reminded some of that of Antoine Young last year at Bradley, when Young scored a then-career-high 13 points.
Young averaged 7.4 points in 17.8 minutes per game from that Bradley game on after averaging just 1.8 points in 9.7 minutes per game in CU's first 16 contests a year ago. He would go on to earn MVC all-Bench Team accolades.
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 almost across the board, shooting 0.1 percent lower from the field, 6.0 percent lower from three-point range and 3.9 percent lower from the line, which has led to that group averaging 0.3 fewer points per game in 0.5 more minutes per game.
Stat 2008-09 2009-10
FG-FGA 578-1340 422-982
FG% .431 .430
3FG-3FGA 176-509 100-350
3FG% .346 .286
FT-FTA 410-555 290-414
FT% .739 .700
Games Played 268 199
Points 1742 1234
PPG 6.5 6.2
Minutes 4901 3748
MPG 18.3 18.8
Casey's Countdown
Casey Harriman has started each of Creighton's last 15 games, and continues to prove his value on both ends of the court.
He's scored 33 points over the course of the last five games after 38 points in the first 11 league contests this winter.
On Jan. 3rd in win over Evansville, Harriman had seven points and five rebounds. Then on Jan. 6th in the win over Drake, Harriman had 10 points and tied his career-best with three baskets from three-point range.
He then had a career-high 14 points and season-high five rebounds at Drake on Jan. 30th. Most recently, Harriman had nine points in a win over Evansville on Feb. 3rd.
On the defensive end of the court, Harriman leads Creighton with 16 charges taken this season.
Captain Charge
Casey Harriman has taken 16 of the 36 charges taken by Creighton this season, doing so while playing in just 24 games this winter. Over the previous seven seasons, the Bluejays have averaged taking 49.2 per year.
Below is a list of the CU players that have taken charges since the 2002-03 season, as well as season and career leaders since '02-03.:
Name 2002-08 '08-09 '09-10 Total
Casey Harriman 17 8 16 41
Darryl Ashford n/a n/a 5 5
Antoine Young n/a 4 4 8
Wayne Runnels n/a n/a 3 3
Justin Carter n/a 9 2 11
Cavel Witter 3 0 3 6
Andrew Bock n/a n/a 2 2
Chad Millard 7 4 1 12
P'Allen Stinnett 5 4 0 9
Kenny Lawson Jr. 2 4 0 6
Kaleb Korver 0 3 0 3
Former Players 264 11 n/a 275
Total 298 47 36 381
Most Charges Taken, Season
(since 2002-03)
Charges Name Year
23 Anthony Tolliver 2006-07
17 Mike Grimes 2002-03
17 Anthony Tolliver 2005-06
17 Casey Harriman 2007-08
17 Dane Watts 2007-08
16 Casey Harriman 2009-10
Most Charges Taken, Career
(since 2002-03)
Charges Name Year(s)
49 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
43 Dane Watts 2004-08
41 Casey Harriman 2007-Pres.
24 Joe Dabbert 2002-04
22 Mike Grimes 2002-04
21 Tyler McKinney 2002-05
Record Breaking Attendance
Creighton attracted 302,676 home fans last season, a figure that was the most in the 102-year history of the MVC. The Jays also set an MVC record in average attendance. Creighton averaged 15,930 fans (12th nationally), just ahead of the 15,909 average from 2006-07.
This year's Creighton team is averaging 15,949 fans per game so far, which ranks 10th nationally.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (through 2/17/10)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 24,080 2/25
2. Syracuse 21,188 2/27
3. Louisville 19,323 2/23
4. Tennessee 18,952 2/27
5. North Carolina 18,663 2/24
6. Wisconsin 17,230 2/21
7. Memphis 16,716 2/20
8. Maryland 16,558 2/20
9. Kansas 16,458 2/20
10. Creighton 15,949 2/20
11. Illinois 15,417 2/27
12. Marquette 15,270 2/18
13. Indiana 15,083 2/25
14. Michigan State 14,759 2/21
15. Texas 14,509 2/24
16. Purdue 13,579 2/20
17. Arizona 13,571 2/21
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
207,332 so far Creighton 2009-10
192,258 Creighton 2003-04
Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
Avg. Att. School Year
15,949 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
League's Best, At Home
Since Qwest Center Omaha opened in the 2003-04 season, Creighton owns the most home wins (95) and best home winning percentage (.841) among all Missouri Valley Conference schools.
In MVC-only action, Creighton's 50 home wins and .806 home winning percentage both are second in The Valley in that time.
MVC Home Records, Since 2003-04
School All Home MVC Home
Creighton 95-18 50-12
Wichita State 87-25 45-17
Missouri State 87-27 42-20
Bradley 85-26 42-20
Southern Illinois 82-16 51-11
Northern Iowa 82-22 46-16
Illinois State 80-27 39-23
Drake 69-39 34-28
Indiana State 61-38 31-31
Evansville 59-45 26-36
MVC Road Records, Since 2003-04
School All Road MVC Road
Northern Iowa 50-40 34-28
Southern Illinois 48-47 33-29
Wichita State 39-47 24-38
Creighton 38-48 30-32
Missouri State 35-58 19-43
Bradley 31-64 19-43
Drake 30-53 20-42
Illinois State 30-60 17-45
Indiana State 20-73 11-51
Evansville 15-78 7-55
Slimmest of Margins
Creighton won four consecutive home games by four points (Drake), two points (Southern Illinois), one point (Wichita State) and four points (Missouri State) in the month of January.
This was the first time since 1945-46 that Creighton won four consecutive home games that were each decided by four points or less.
Creighton is 25-9 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in games decided by five points or less.
Historically After 12 MVC Games
Creighton is currently 8-8 in the MVC as it enters the stretch run of the league slate.
This is the 15th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of the previous 14 campaigns the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Year W-L After 12 W-L Final 6
2009-10 7-5 1-3 so far
2008-09 8-4 6-0
2007-08 7-5 3-3
2006-07 9-3 4-2
2005-06 9-3 3-3
2004-05 6-6 5-1
2003-04 9-3 3-3
2002-03 11-1 4-2
2001-02 10-2 4-2
2000-01 8-4 6-0
1999-00 7-5 4-2
1998-99 7-5 4-2
1997-98 8-4 4-2
1996-97 7-5 3-3
1995-96 6-6 3-3
1994-95 3-9 1-5
Total 122-70 (.635) 58-36 (.617)
Rebound Dominance Usually Equals A Win
Creighton lost at Drake on Jan. 30th despite a commanding 39-24 victory on the boards. Creighton had been victorious in its previous 22 games when winning the rebound battle by 15 or more, winning those games by an average of 22.6 points per game.
Walking A Fine Line
Creighton entered its Jan. 24 game vs. Missouri State last in the Missouri Valley Conference in free throw shooting at 68.1 percent.
Against the Bears, Creighton was a perfect 15-for-15 in the second half, and made its final 19 attempts of the game.
Creighton's 15-for-15 second half marksmanship at the line was its most free throws made without a miss for any of the 986 halves Creighton has played under Dana Altman. The previous best was also against Missouri State, as CU went 14-of-14 at the line in the second half of a Feb. 28, 1999 MVC Tournament semifinal game against the Bears.
Creighton's 19 straight free throws made as a team were its longest stretch of the season, three more than a stretch of 16 in a row on Dec. 16-19. The streak was halted when Wayne Runnels missed CU's first attempt of the game at Bradley the following game.
Most Consecutive FT's Made, Team, 2009-10
Consec. FT's Date(s)
19 Jan. 24, 2010
16 Dec. 16-19, 2009
14 Feb. 13, 2010
12 Dec. 6, 2009
10 Nov. 17-22, 2009
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.
Road Win Equals A Home Win?
Creighton completed the season sweep of Evansville on February 3rd when it beat the Purple Aces in Omaha.
Since 2002-03, all 20 times the Bluejays beat a Valley rival on the road before hosting the same team, Creighton has completed the sweep with a home victory, as seen below. Creighton's final remaining chance to complete a season sweep at home will come Feb. 27 when Bradley comes to Omaha.
Year Opponent Road Mtg. Home Mtg.
2002-03 Illinois State 76-57 95-82
2002-03 Northern Iowa 65-52 84-75
2002-03 Bradley 65-58 88-65
2002-03 Indiana State 74-46 77-54
2003-04 Illinois State 56-55 72-63
2003-04 Bradley 66-49 74-56
2003-04 Indiana State 61-44 69-65
2004-05 Drake 61-58 82-67
2004-05 Northern Iowa 67-66 83-82
2005-06 Northern Iowa 55-52 63-55
2005-06 Indiana State 69-53 67-62
2006-07 Evansville 75-62 79-74
2006-07 Northern Iowa 62-54 66-55
2007-08 Wichita State 68-65 65-63
2007-08 Northern Iowa 68-59 74-50
2007-08 Missouri State 50-49 88-67
2008-09 Indiana State 79-61 73-62
2008-09 Bradley 73-64 79-65
2008-09 Evansville 79-57 89-84
2009-10 Evansville 72-64 84-71
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 15 games, Carter has averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 53-of-113 from the field (46.9 percent) and 41-of-58 at the line (70.7 percent).
Over .500 In The MVC, 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.
Creighton's 28 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, far ahead of Illinois State (5), Northern Iowa (4), Wichita State (2), Bradley (1) and Drake (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 5-4 3-4 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 89-55 (.618) 91-51 (.641)
What's Your Twenty?
Creighton has been .500 or better after 20 games in each of the last 15 seasons, a streak it extended to 15 with a win on Jan. 24.
In fact, prior to this season, Creighton had won at least 13 of its first 20 games in 12 straight seasons, going on to reach the postseason each time.
Here's a look at Creighton's record after 20 games in the 16 seasons under Dana Altman.
Creighton -- First 20 Games Under Dana Altman
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2009-10 10-10 ? ? ? ? ? ?
2008-09 15-5 27-8 NIT
2007-08 14-6 22-11 NIT
2006-07 13-7 22-11 NCAA
2005-06 15-5 20-10 NIT
2004-05 13-7 23-11 NCAA
2003-04 17-3 20-9 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
1994-95 6-14 7-19 ---
Home Cooking
Creighton is 50-12 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.806), compared to a 30-31 (.492) road record in the MVC during that stretch.
Only five MVC visiting schools (DU, ILS, MSU, UNI, SIU) have ever won a game in the seven-year old Qwest Center Omaha. The other four Valley schools (BU, UE, INS, WSU) have an Omaha losing streak of 10 or longer.
Below is a look at Creighton's current home winning streaks over current league foes:
Opponent CU Home Win Streak CU W-L at QCO
Bradley Won 11 6-0
Drake Won 1 5-2
Evansville Won 11 7-0
Illinois State Lost 1 4-3
Indiana State Won 11 7-0
Missouri State Won 5 6-1
Northern Iowa Lost 2 5-2
So. Illinois Won 3 3-4
Wichita State Won 17 7-0
Carter Cleans The Glass
Senior Justin Carter grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds in the Jan. 20 game at Illinois State. It was the most boards he had snared in a game since pulling down 15 caroms in last season's finale against Kentucky.
Defense Steps Up
Creighton made just one field goal in the final 9:20 of the game at Bradley on Jan. 27th, but its defense stood up to the test down the stretch in its Jan. 27 win, allowing just one point in the final 3:55 to the Braves.
Bradley had five different chances to tie the score or take the lead in the final three minutes. On each occasion, Creighton got the badly-needed defensive stop and/or rebound.
2:58 (CU 69-68) - Chris Roberts misses FT, rebound goes out of bounds to the Jays.
2:23 (CU 69-68) - Ethan Wragge picks off Andrew Warren pass.
1:13 (CU 71-68) - Chris Roberts misses three-pointer, Chad Millard grabs rebound.
0:19 (CU 71-68) - Andrew Warren misses three-pointer, Antoine Young grabs rebound.
0:10 (CU 71-68) - Sam Maniscalco misses three-pointer, Justin Carter grabs rebound.
Block Party
Kenny Lawson Jr.'s seven blocked shots against Evansville on Jan. 3rd were two more than his previous high and tie the most by any player in The Valley this season (Indiana State's Josh Crawford also had seven swats at UE).
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
123 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
Millard Scores Six Points
Chad Millard entered its Jan. 13th 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 69 appearances since then.
Beset by foot injuries throughout the fall, Millard hasn't let his limited playing time affect him. After that 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.''
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 Jan. 13th, 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 that kind of 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.
Altman Earns 400th Division I Win
Dana Altman earned his 400th win as a Division I head coach on Jan. 13 when his team beat the same club he topped for his 100th and 200th career Division I victories, Southern Illinois.
Altman owns a 405-241 record in 21 years as a Division I head coach, including 322 wins at Creighton, 68 wins at Kansas State and 15 wins at Marshall.
Altman has a 322-174 mark in 15 6/7 years at Creighton, an average of 20.3 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
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 97 rebounds in his past 15 games, moving his season average to 6.4 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 42.1 percent shooting from the floor this season, seeking to hold the opposition under 40 percent for the year for the first time 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 145-20 record, as seen below:
W-L Record When Opp. Under 40.0 FG%
Year When Opp. Under 40.0%
2009-10 7-3
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 145-20
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
MVC Success After the 1/3 Mark
January 13th 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 8-8 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.
It's About Time
Creighton is 13-7 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 was 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 14-2 when Witter scores 14 or more points. Creighton has won those games by an average of 12.1 points per contest. Creighton is also 9-3 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.
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 eight 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 eight home games and one road game (at Missouri State, last season) after trailing by 10 points or more.
The Jays are 79-2 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it has held a lead of 10 or more at any point, including 36 straight wins.
Creighton is also a mind-boggling 18-9 at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it trails by 10 or more points at any juncture.
Creighton is 8-0 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 1 3
2008-09 4 2
2007-08 4 2
2006-07 2 2
2005-06 6 1
2004-05 5 3
Total 22 13
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 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 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 (12.6 ppg., 6.4 rpg.) through 27 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 97 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 12.6
Junior RPG 6.7 6.4
Junior BPG 1.6 1.4
Points Thru 97 Games Played 643 845
Rebounds Thru 97 Games Played 425 489
Blocks Thru 97 Games Played 88 123
Wins Thru 97 Games Played 65 64
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 528 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 (including Kenny Lawson Jr. three times), 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.
Altman Among These Leaders
Creighton head coach Dana Altman ranks 11th nationally in Division I wins at his current school with 322. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 5,080 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of Feb. 17th.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 823-290 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 2/18
2. 782-219 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 2/21
3. 572-216 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 2/20
4. 436-236 Gary Williams, Maryland 2/20
5. 381-271 Bob Thomason, Pacific 2/20
6. 379-246 Bob McKillop, Davidson 2/20
7. 378-337 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State 2/20
8. 357-143 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 2/21
9. 328-273 Dave Loos, Austin Peay 2/18
10. 327-134 Billy Donovan, Florida 2/18
11. 322-174 Dana Altman, Creighton 2/20
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 Division I 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
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.
Stinnett Among Altman's Top Scorers
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 31st in CU history with 1,024 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. 1,024 P'Allen Stinnett (87 games) 2007-10
9. 1,004 Anthony Tolliver (124 games) 2003-07
Stinnett Goes Over 1,000 Points
P'Allen Stinnett surpassed the 1,000-point milestone with a pair of free throws on Jan. 16th against Wichita State. Stinnett is the 33rd player in Bluejay history to reach that milestone, and currently ranks 31st with 1,024 career points.
Rank 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. 1,115 Doug Brookins 1972-75
1,115 Daryl Stovall 1978-82
27. 1,106 Kenny Evans 1982-87
28. 1,093 Tim Powers 1964-67
29. 1,050 Reggie Morris 1982-86
30. 1,031 Johnny Mathies 2003-06
31. 1,024 P'Allen Stinnett 2007-Pres.
32. 1,023 Rod Mason 1986-88
Stinnett Tied For Second
P'Allen Stinnett is now tied for second place on the all-time Qwest Center Omaha scoring list with 586 points. Stinnett is currently tied with Johnny Mathies (2003-06) and Dane Watts (2004-08) for second on that list. Nate Funk owns the record with 735 points.
Qwest Center Omaha, Most Career Points
Rk. Name, Years Points (Games)
1. Nate Funk, 2003-07 735 (47)
2. Johnny Mathies, 2003-06 586 (49)
Dane Watts, 2004-08 586 (65)
P'Allen Stinnett, 2007-Pres. 586 (47)
5. Anthony Tolliver, 2003-07 507 (61)
6. Cavel Witter, 2007-Pres. 481 (49)
7. Booker Woodfox, 2007-09 462 (37)
8. Kenny Lawson Jr., 2006-Pres. 452 (52)
9. Nick Porter, 2005-07 325 (31)
Kellen Miliner, 2003-05 325 (32)
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 75 assists and 36 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.
Double-Digit Comebacks
Including four times last season and once this year, Creighton has won after overcoming a double-digit deficit 31 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
02/03/10 Evansville 10 W 84-71
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 322 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 180 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. 322 Dana Altman Creighton
MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
Wins Coach School(s)
1. 187 Henry Iba Oklahoma A&M
2. 180 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 528 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
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
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 61 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.
Coat, Food Drives A Success
The generosity of some Creighton Basketball fans has paid big dividends for the Siena Francis House in the preseason. More than 675 pounds of food and around 250 coats were collected in separate events connected with Bluejay basketball.
The food drives took place on both Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 as part of the open practices hosted at D.J. Sokol Arena in the Wayne and Eileen Ryan Athletic Center. Fans were invited to bring canned goods or other perishable items prior to both events. More than 675 pounds of food were collected.
On Nov. 8th as part of the team's exhibition game against Nebraska-Omaha, fans could exchange new or slightly used coats for two tickets to Creighton's regular-season home opener on Nov. 17 against Florida A&M. Around 250 coats were gathered. Nu-Trend Cleaners then donated to the cause by cleaning of all coats before they were delivered to the Siena Francis House on Nov. 9th.
The Siena Francis House is Nebraska's largest shelter, serving homeless men, women and children for over 30 years.
Creighton also raised more than $11,000 in funds for those affected by the Haiti earthquake on Jan. 16th.
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 were $20 for adults and youth.
For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.
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.
