Men's Basketball Heads To St. Louis For Valley Tournament

Game #31 vs. Bradley • Friday, March 5, 2010 • 2:30 p.m.
Bradley Braves vs. Creighton Bluejays
Scottrade Center (21,472) • St. Louis, Mo.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: FSN Midwest
Series History: Creighton leads 41-39
Last Meeting: Creighton won 82-71 on Feb. 27, 2010 in Omaha, Neb.

Complete 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament Schedule of Games
Thursday, March 4 -- Session I
Game 1 -- #8 Drake (13-18, 7-11) vs. #9 Southern Illinois (15-14, 6-12)    6 pm
Game 2 -- #7 Missouri State (19-11, 8-10) vs. #10 Evansville (9-20, 3-15)    8:30 pm
Friday, March 5 -- Session II (all games on FS Midwest)
Game 3 -- #1 Northern Iowa (25-4, 15-3) vs. Winner Game 1    Noon
Game 4 -- #4 Creighton (16-14, 10-8) vs. #5 Bradley (15-14, 9-9)    2:30 pm
Friday, March 5 -- Session III (all games on FS Midwest)
Game 5 -- #2 Wichita State (23-8, 12-6) vs. Winner Game 2    6 pm
Game 6 -- #3 Illinois State (21-9, 11-7) vs. #6 Indiana State (17-13, 9-9)    8:30 pm
Saturday, March 6 -- Session IV (all games on FS Midwest)
Game 7 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4    1:30 pm
Game 8 -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6    4 pm
Sunday, March 7 -- Session V (game on CBS, Westwood One Radio and Sirius XM Radio)
Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8    1 pm

This Weekend
Creighton (16-14, 10-8 MVC) heads to St. Louis, Mo., for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on a season-long three-game winning streak, hoping it can win the next three games to claim yet another Valley Tournament title.
    Tournament play starts on Thursday with two play-in games before four games on quarterfinal Friday.
    Creighton's first game will be Friday at 2:30 pm against the same team it beat last Saturday, Bradley (15-14, 9-9 MVC).
    With a win, Creighton would play on Saturday at 1:30 pm against the winner of the Northern Iowa vs. Drake/Southern Illinois quarterfinal game.
    The championship game is Sunday at 1 pm, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
    Scottrade Center (21,472) in St. Louis, Mo., will host all the tournament action.

Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com.
    T. Scott Marr and former Valley Tournament champion Nick Bahe will call the action.

Television Information
Friday's game will be televised live by Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Metro Sports in Kansas City, DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Network Channel 418 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 748, with Dan McLaughlin and Charlie Spoonhour on the call.
    Coordinates for the game follow:
What: MVC Tournament Quarterfinals
When: Friday, March 5 -- 2:30 p.m. (Central)
Where: Scottrade Center - St. Louis, Mo.
Clearances: Live on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Metro Sports (Kansas City), DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Network Channel 418 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 748.
On Air: 2:30 p.m. Central
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 17K - 13 - Digital Slot B
Band: Digital KU Band
Downlink Freq.: 11955.500 MHz Horizontal
Bandwidth: 9.0 MHz
Symbol Rate: 6.1113 Ms
Parameters: -- FEC 3/4
On-Air Talent: Dan McLaughlin (play-by-play), coach Charlie Spoonhour (analyst), Tom Ackerman (sideline)

Postgame Coordinates
The MVC, in conjunction with its television production company Metro Sports and KETC (St. Louis), will provide satellite feeds for the post-game press conferences for the tournament. Coordinates and uplink windows for games Friday and Saturday are as follows:
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 17K - 21 - Channel A
Band: Digital KU
Bandwith: 9 Megahertz
Parameters -- FEC: 3/4
Symbol Rate: 6.1113
Downlink Frequency: 12106.5000 MHz Horizontal

Video Webcast Information
None of the MVC Tournament games will be video webcast.

Live Stats Information
All MVC Tournament games will have live stats. Fans can go to www.gocreighton.com or www.mvc.org and look for the Live Stats links for the exact link.

Scouting Bradley
Bradley is 15-14 overall and finished tied for fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 9-9 league record.
    Andrew Warren (14.4 ppg.), Taylor Brown (14.1 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) and Sam Maniscalco (12.6 ppg.) give Bradley a high-scoring trio that have combined for 120 three-pointers. All three men also shoot better than 82 percent at the foul line. Brown poured in a career-high 27 points last Saturday at Creighton and scored 46 points in two meetings vs. the Jays this season.
    Bradley shoots 44.2 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from three-point land and 73.0 percent at the line. The Braves score and allow teams 67.9 points per game margin, and have been outrebounded by 2.1 boards per contest.
    The Braves are 1-1 on neutral floors this season, including a win over No. 20 Illinois on Nov. 28th in Las Vegas.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton used a season-long three-game win streak to finish the regular-season with a 16-14 overall record and fourth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference after compiling a 10-8 league mark.
    Center Kenny Lawson Jr. leads Creighton in scoring (13.0 ppg.), rebounding (6.7 rpg.) and blocks (1.4) per game while also knocking down 54.9 percent of his shots from the floor and 82.3 percent at the line.
    Justin Carter (9.8 ppg., 5.9 rpg.) and Darryl Ashford (7.8 ppg.) give Creighton a pair of athletic wings who can shoot from the outside or drive to the basket.
    Sophomore point guard Antoine Young (6.6 ppg.) runs the show, leading the team with 87 assists and 23 steals. He had a career-high 22 points at Southern Illinois in Tuesday's overtime victory, then added career-bests with eight assists and five rebounds in Saturday's win over Bradley.
    Creighton's bench averages 26.1 points and 14.6 rebounds per game and is led by Cavel Witter (7.0 ppg.) and Ethan Wragge (6.6 ppg.). Redshirt freshman Josh Jones (3.7 ppg.) has also been a difference-maker of late, averaging 6.5 points in CU's last 10 games. Wragge and Jones, however, have moved into the starting line-up for CU's last three games, all Bluejay wins.
    Creighton averages 69.6 points per game and shoots 44.0 percent from the floor, 32.8 percent from downtown and 70.7 percent at the line. It holds opponents to 68.0 points per game and 42.0 percent shooting.
    The Jays outrebound teams by 0.3 boards per game and has beaten six straight foes on the glass.

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 325-174 (.651) mark at CU and a career record of 408-241 (.629) in his 21st year as a NCAA Division I head coach.
    Creighton's all-time winningest coach, Altman has been named national, conference, regional or district coach of the year in 10 of his 24 years as a head coach at all levels. The 2001 and 2002 MVC Coach of the Year was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award in 2003. In 2004, Altman was named the Collegeinsider.com Jim Phelan National Mid-Season Coach of the Year. In March, 2007, Altman was named a coach on the MVC's All-Centennial Team.
    Additionally, Altman has led Creighton to seven NCAA Tournaments and his teams have played in the postseason in 12 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones is the team's graduate manager.
    Jim Les (Bradley, 1986) owns a 141-119 (.542) record in his eighth year at his alma mater, which also doubles as his career record. Les was named 1986 MVC Player of the Year and played seven seasons in the NBA. He is assisted by Eric Buescher, Alvin Brooks III and Kyle Vogt.

Series History With Bradley
Creighton leads the all-time series with Bradley by a narrow 41-39 margin, using six straight wins to take the all-time series lead for the first time ever. Much of that difference has been made up in the past nine years, as the Jays have won 18 of the past 21 meetings.
    Creighton and Bradley have split four neutral site games, and the Braves lead 4-3 in the seven previous Valley Tournament encounters.
    In the last 29 meetings between the schools, Creighton is 15-1 when holding Bradley to 65 points or less but 6-7 when it allows more than 65 points. Creighton has also won the last 22 meetings when it scores 70 points or more against BU.
    Creighton coach Dana Altman is 22-13 all-time against Bradley and 15-3 against Jim Les.
    A complete series history against Bradley can be found on page seven of this release.

MVC Tournament History
Creighton owns a 36-18 all-time record in MVC Tournament games. Creighton's 10 MVC Tournament titles are five more than any other school, while its 36 wins and .667 winning percentage in league tourney action is also tops.
    Creighton is 16-11 in the quarterfinals, 10-6 in the semifinals and 10-1 in the championship games.

History As A Fourth Seed
Creighton is 6-5 all-time as the fourth seed, including a 3-1 record against Bradley (wins in 1984, 2000 and 2008, and a loss in 2006).
    Creighton's 2000 team beat Bradley 71-62 in the quarterfinals en route to a title, something this year's team is looking to do as well.
    That 2000 Bluejay team is the only one in MVC history to win the league tournament as a fourth seed.

One Game At A Time
Creighton has won the MVC Tournament seven of the last 10 times it has won its first game in St. Louis.
    Each time they've lost their first-round game, they've been bounced from the single-elimination tournament.

Six Out Of 11 Tourney Titles
Creighton owns six league tournament titles in the last 11 years. On a national basis, the only schools that can claim this are Gonzaga (9), Winthrop (8), Duke (8) and Creighton (6).
    Creighton's 10 Valley Tournament titles are twice as many as the next closest school, Southern Illinois (5).

Top-Notch Coach
Creighton's Dana Altman ranks among the top coaches in MVC Tournament history. Altman's six titles and 21 wins are the most of any coach in league history, and his .724 winning percentage is third all-time among coaches with six or more games under their belt.
Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Wins
Coach, School    Wins    Losses    Pct.    Titles
Dana Altman, CU    21    8    .724    6
Rich Herrin, SIU    17    8    .680    3
Nolan Richardson, TU    11    3    .786    2
Barry Hinson, MSU    11    9    .550    0
Jim Molinari, BU    11    10    .524    0

Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Titles
Coach, School    Wins    Losses    Pct.    Titles
Dana Altman, CU    21    8    .724    6
Rich Herrin, SIU    17    8    .680    3
Kevin Stallings, ILS    9    4    .692    2
Tom Apke, CU    5    2    .714    2
Tony Barone, CU    8    4    .667    2
Nolan Richardson, TU    11    3    .786    2

Top MVC Tournament Coaches, By Win Pct.
Coach, School    Wins    Losses    Pct.    Titles
Charlie Spoonhour, MSU    5    1    .833    1
Nolan Richardson, TU    11    3    .786    2
Dana Altman, CU    21    8    .724    6
Tom Apke, CU    5    2    .714    2
Kevin Stallings, ILS    9    4    .692    2

The Altman Invitational?
Need another reason why Dana Altman's teams are among the most dangerous at Arch Madness?
    Altman owns a 21-8 MVC Tournament record, including six titles, in 14 trips.
    The league's other nine active coaches have combined for a 21-23 record and two titles in 25 trips.

Ring Bearers
Creighton's current coaching staff and players have combined for 19 MVC Tournament championship titles.
    That includes three current student-athletes (Chad Millard, Kenny Lawson Jr. and Casey Harriman) from CU's last title run in 2007, though all redshirted that campaign.
    Here's a breakdown of how many championships each person has been a part of:
Name    Titles Won    Years
Dana Altman    6    1999, 2000, '02, '03, '05, '07
Darian DeVries    6    1999, 2000, '02, '03, '05, '07
Todd Eisner    2    1989, '91
Brian Fish    2    2005, '07
Chad Millard    1    2007*
Kenny Lawson Jr.    1    2007*
Casey Harriman    1    2007*
Note: *indicates player's redshirt year at CU

Quick Rematch vs. Braves
Creighton will open MVC Tournament play against the same team it closed the regular-season with, Bradley. This has happened five times previously, including four times under Dana Altman.
    In each of the previous four occurrences, the teams had the same result in the MVC Tournament as they did in the regular-season finale.
Year    Opponent    Reg. Season    MVC Tourney
2010    Bradley    W 82-71    ? ? ?
2008    Bradley    W 111-110    W 74-70
2005    Illinois State    W 64-59    W 69-52
2001    Missouri State    W 72-48    W 63-41
1998    Bradley    L 63-76    L 68-76
1984    Bradley    L 61-67    W 50-40

Three-Game Sweep?
Already 2-0 against Bradley this season, Creighton will be looking to go 3-0 against the Braves on Friday at the Valley Tournament. Creighton has never previously beaten Bradley three times in one campaign.
    Creighton has won both regular-season meetings from an eventual MVC Tournament opponent 16 times. The Jays have then gone 14-2 in the Valley Tournament against those teams.
    Those 16 meetings have come over the course of 13 different tournaments. CU won nine of those 13 tournaments, including the last four such occasions and six of the past seven.
CU 2-0 Reg.-Season, Then MVC Tourney Meeting
Year    Opponent    MVC Tourney Score    Title?
1978    Indiana State    CU 54-52    Yes
1979    S. Illinois    SIU 71-67    No
1980    Drake    CU 86-80    No
1981    Indiana State    CU 64-61    Yes
1989    Indiana State    CU 85-70    Yes
1989    Drake    CU 54-49
1989    S. Illinois    CU 79-77
1990    Wichita State    CU 70-66
1991    Drake    CU 77-58    Yes
1991    S. Illinois    CU 71-66
1999    Missouri State    CU 78-70    Yes
2001    Indiana State    ISU 87-74    No
2002    Illinois State    CU 90-63    Yes
2003    Indiana State    CU 57-56    Yes
2005    Wichita State    CU 70-60    Yes
2007    Missouri State    CU 75-58    Yes

Back-to-Back Days = Wins
One of the benefits to Dana Altman's frequent substitution patterns is that it keeps plenty of fresh legs on the bench. That strategy works best when Creighton enters tournament play requiring it to play on back-to-back days.
    Since the start of the 1998-99 season, Creighton owns 17-1 record on the first day of events they have played back-to-back games in. They are 14-4 during the second day of back-to-back games, and 6-2 when playing on a third-straight day.
    The Jays have won three games in three days at six of the last 11 Missouri Valley Conference Tournaments.
    They have also won back-to-back games four different times in Guardians Classic action and once in the Las Vegas Classic without a loss.

What A Win Would Mean
With a win on Friday, Creighton would...
    -Improve to 17-14 on the season, and win its season-high fourth straight game.
    -Win at least one game at the MVC Tournament for the fourth straight season, The Valley's longest active streak.
    -Improve to 23-5 in MVC Tournament action since 1999.
    -Reach the semifinals for the 10th time in the past 12 seasons.
    -Improve to 17-11 in quarterfinal round action of the MVC Tournament.
    -Improve to 37-18 at the MVC Tournament all-time, tops in wins and winning percentage (.673) in the event's history.
    -Give The Valley's No. 4 seed a quarterfinal round win for the fourth straight year.
    -Head coach Dana Altman would improve to 22-8 in MVC Tournament games, extending his league record for tournament victories.

Hall of Fame Weekend For Kyle Korver
Former Creighton men's basketball standout Kyle Korver (1999-2003) is entering the MVC Hall of Fame this weekend. He will be inducted on Friday at an 8:30 am breakfast ceremony held in the Scottrade Center's Bud Light Zone (tickets required).
    The MVC Hall of Fame, now in its 13th year, is also inducting former Southern Illinois men's basketball coach Rich Herrin and former Missouri State women's basketball coach Cheryl Burnett.
    Korver earned All-America honors each of his final two seasons at Creighton and played on three teams that won the MVC Tournament (2000, 2002 and 2003). A two-time MVC Player of the Year (2002, 2003), Korver ranks fifth in Creighton history with 1,801 career points and owns The Valley record with 371 career three-pointers. He remains the only player to be named MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player more than once (2002, 2003). He is currently in his seventh year in the NBA, and third season with the Utah Jazz.

Altman To Coach In 500th Game At CU
Friday will mark the 500th game of Dana Altman's Creighton head coaching career, and his 650th of his Division I coaching career.
    Altman owns a 408-241 career record and is 325-174 with Creighton. Altman won the 400th game of his Bluejay career in the 2007 MVC Tournament championship game with a 67-61 victory over No. 11 Southern Illinois, as seen below:
Dana Altman's Milestone Games at Creighton
Game No.    W-L @ CU    Opponent    Date
1    1-0    CU 68, ORU 61    11/26/94
50    20-30    MU 63, CU 57    2/14/96
100    45-55    BU 61, CU 58    1/17/98
150    82-68    CU 89, NU 72    12/9/99
200    116-84    CU 69, DU 44    2/7/01
250    155-95    CU 81, NU 73    12/21/02
300    194-106    SIU 68, CU 60    2/24/04
350    226-124    CU 71, ILS 52    1/5/06
400    260-140    CU 67, SIU 61    3/4/07
450    294-156    UNI 69, CU 66    1/6/09
499    325-174    CU 82, BU 71    2/27/10

Success In St. Louis
Creighton has won at least one game in the State Farm MVC Tournament in each of the past three years. That ranks as the MVC's longest current active streak.
    The only other streak of that length or better in Bluejay history came from 1999-2003, a span that saw the Jays claim four Arch Madness titles in five years.

Rare Bird
Kenny Lawson Jr. is putting together a spectacular season, with 390 points, 200 rebounds and 43 blocked shots so far this year.
    Since Creighton began recording blocked shots in 1980-81, Lawson Jr. is just the fourth man in Bluejay history to accomplish more than 390 points, 200 rebounds and 40 blocks in the same season. Notably, each of the three men to also accomplish that feat played in the NBA.
390 Points, 200 Rebounds, 40 Blocks, Same Year
Name    Year    Pts.    Reb.    Blk.
Kenny Lawson Jr.    2010    390    200    43
Anthony Tolliver    2007    443    220    57
Anthony Tolliver    2006    397    200    47
Chad Gallagher    1991    620    280    70
Chad Gallagher    1990    584    266    62
Benoit Benjamin    1985    688    451    162
Benoit Benjamin    1984    487    295    157
Benoit Benjamin    1983    400    259    92

Another Rare Bird
With 40 blocked shots and 31 three-pointers in his career, senior Chad Millard is one of the rare players in Creighton history who can both shoot the three-pointer as well as block shots inside.
    In fact, Millard is just the fourth player in Bluejay history with more than 30 blocks and more than 30 three-pointers in his career, joining a decorated group that consists of Rodney Buford, Kyle Korver and Dane Watts.
30+ Blocks, 30+ 3-Pointers, Career in CU History
Name    Years    3FG's    Blocks
Chad Millard    2007-Pres.    31    40
Dane Watts    2004-08    144    54
Rodney Buford    1995-99    212    59
Kyle Korver    1999-03    371    58

Random Valley Tournament Facts
-Creighton is the only Valley school that has not appeared in the play-in round since that format began in 1997.
    -Creighton junior Kaleb Korver is attempting to become the third member of his family to win a Valley Tournament title. Oldest brother Kyle won titles in 2000, 2002 and 2003 at Creighton, while older brother Klayton won a title at Drake in 2008.
    -Creighton has not gone three consecutive seasons without winning a Valley Tournament title since 1992-98. CU won titles in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007 in recent years.
    -Creighton has won its last eight games at the MVC Tournament decided by four points or less.
    -Creighton is 7-1 in its last eight MVC Tournament games when playing an opponent with a better seed than the Bluejays.

Entering On A Roll
Creighton enters the MVC Tournament with a three-game winning streak, the league's longest active streak.
    In its history, Creighton has five times previously headed to the Valley Tourney with a win streak of three or longer. The Jays won their first game each time and on three of those five occasions the Jays would win the tournament.
Entering MVC Tourney With 3-Game Win Streak
Year    Win Streak    MVC Tourney Result
2010    Won 3    ? ? ?
2009    Won 10    1-1
2005    Won 5    3-0 (Champs)
2001    Won 10    1-1
1999    Won 3    3-0 (Champs)
1991    Won 4    3-0 (Champs)

At Neutral Sites?
Creighton is 79-63 (.556) all-time at neutral sites, including a 36-22 (.621) mark under Dana Altman. Altman owns a 34-15 (.694) record in neutral site games that have not been part of the NCAA Tournament.

Can You Forecast This?
Even though the games are played indoors at Scottrade Center, the weather in the St. Louis metro area may play a bigger factor that you'd expect.
    According to historical weather data found on www.almanac.com for St. Louis, consider the following information:
    -Creighton is 13-2 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games when the high temperature that day was 49 degrees or warmer.
    -Creighton is 8-1 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games when the high is 47 degrees or cooler.
    -Creighton is 0-2 since 1999 when playing MVC Tournament games and the high that day was exactly 48 degrees.
    The forecast for this weekend is supposed to be rather average for this time of year. Weather.com expects it to be 53 degrees on Friday, 51 degrees on Saturday, and 50 degrees on championship Sunday.

Deans of The Valley
Friday's game features The Valley's two longest-tenured coaches: Creighton's Dana Altman (325 wins at Creighton in 16 seasons) and Bradley's Jim Les (141 wins in eight years) have combined to win 466 games at their respective schools, while the league's other eight head coaches have combined for 467 wins with their respective teams in 26 seasons.

Breakout Games vs. Bradley
Three Bluejay guards have experienced break-out games in the past against Bradley.
    Earlier this year Josh Jones, in his first dose of extended playing time, had a then-career-high with 13 points in 21 minutes in a win at Bradley.
    Last year Antoine Young broke into double-figures for the first time in his career with 13 points in a Jan. 10 road win at Bradley.
    In 2008, Cavel Witter had a Qwest Center Omaha record 42 points (double his previous high) in a 111-110 double-overtime win over Bradley, then followed it up with 15 points and eight assists in a four-point MVC Tourney victory over the Braves six days later.

Streaks Extended With A Clutch Week
Creighton needed two wins last week (at Southern Illinois, home vs. Bradley) to extend a pair of lengthy streaks, but got the needed wins.
    -Creighton's Valley-record streak of 14 straight seasons of 10 or more league wins. This year's team finished 10-8.
    -Creighton has been 3-3 or better in its final six MVC games in each of its last 15 seasons. This year's team finished 3-3 in the last six games.
    -Creighton has been 5-4 or better through each “half” of league play in 29 straight halves. This year's team finished 5-4 in its final nine league games.
    -Creighton has finished in fourth place or better in 13 straight seasons.

What It Takes For The Best Seeds
Since 1997 all 66 teams that had 10 more wins have had a top-six seed, and 77 of the 78 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    14.71    17-1    13-5
2    12.64    15-3    11-7
3    11.57    12-6    11-7
4    10.86    12-6    10-8
5    9.50    11-7    8-10
6    8.86    11-7    7-11
7    7.36    9-9    5-13
8    6.21    8-10    5-13
9    5.07    7-11    4-14
10    3.21    5-13    0-18

More Tourney Info
Below is a list of average seeds in the MVC Tournament since it expanded to include all 10 teams (1997).
    Notably, Creighton is the only team to avoid the play-in round in the past 14 years, a span that has seen eight different schools to earn the top seed for Arch Madness.
Team    Avg. Seed    Best Seed    Worst Seed
Creighton    3.00    1    6
Southern Illinois    3.71    1    9
Missouri State    4.79    2    10
Bradley    5.14    2    8
Illinois State    5.21    1    10
Wichita State    5.43    1    9
Northern Iowa    5.50    1    10
Evansville    7.07    1    10
Indiana State    7.43    1    10
Drake    7.71    1    10

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 13 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race, with the other four finishing in the top four of the league standings. Two of Altman's three previous teams 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

Road Win Equals A Home Win?
Since 2002-03, all 21 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 added Evansville and Bradley to that list this season.
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
2009-10    Bradley    73-68    82-71

Road Win Trio
Creighton has three road victories in The Valley this season, winning at Bradley, Southern Illinois and Evansville.
    The Jays also won at all three schools last season.
    Since Evansville joined the league in 1994-95, Creighton is the only team to earn road wins over those three schools in consecutive seasons.

Young Not Restless
Antoine Young had a (then) season-best with 13 points in Creighton's Feb. 16th 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.
    Young followed that up with nine points in the Feb. 20th win over Loyola Chicago.
    Young added a career-high with 22 points at Southern Illinois, including six of CU's final eight points in overtime. He made seven field goals as well as 8-of-9 free throws in the win.
    Most recently, Young had 12 points and career-highs with eight assists and five rebounds in last Saturday's win over Bradley.
    In Creighton's last 11 games, Young is Creighton's third-leading scorer at 9.3 points per game and tops the team with 37 assists and 13 steals in that time.

Point Taken
Antoine Young's 22 points at SIU were a career-high for the sophomore point guard.
    It was also the most by a starting Bluejay point guard since Johnny Mathies had 24 on Nov. 26, 2005 in double-overtime win vs. Dayton.

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    100-258    73-176
FG Pct.    .388    .415
3FG's Made    20    10
Assists    81    87
Turnovers    89    40
Assist/Turnover Ratio    0.91    2.18
Steals    19    23
Points/Minute    0.351    0.266
Rebounds/Minute    0.103    0.064
Assists/Minute    0.093    0.116

Double-Double Trouble
Kenny Lawson Jr. owns six double-doubles this season, tied for fourth-most in the MVC.
    Below is a list of the individuals with Creighton's most double-doubles under Dana Altman.
Most Double-Doubles, Season
(since 1994-95)
    Double-Doubles    Name    Year
    7    Rodney Buford    1997-98
    6    Randall Crutcher    1996-97
    6    Kyle Korver    2002-03
    6    Anthony Tolliver    2006-07
    6    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2009-10
    5    Chuckie Johnson    1995-96
    5    Ben Walker    2000-01

Most Double-Doubles, Career
(since 1994-95)
    Double-Doubles    Name    Year
    11    Rodney Buford    1995-99
    11    Anthony Tolliver    2003-07
    10    Kyle Korver    1999-03
    9    Randall Crutcher    1994-97
    9    Ben Walker    1997-01
    6    Chuckie Johnson    1995-97
    6    Dane Watts    2004-08
    6    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pres.

A Tradition of Win Streaks
Creighton has won three games in a row for the first time this season.
    Creighton has had at least one five-game win streak in each of the past 12 seasons, and 20 such streaks overall in the 16-year tenure of Dana Altman.
    Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the postseason all 15 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the postseason all six times they haven't.
    Below is a list of Creighton's longest win streaks under Dana Altman.
Creighton's Longest Win Streaks Under Dana Altman
    W's       Dates    Postseason
    12    Nov. 22, 2003-Jan. 11, 2004    NIT
    11    Jan. 27-March 3, 2001    NCAA
    11    Jan. 27 - March 6, 2009    NIT
    10    Nov. 17-Dec. 29, 2002    NCAA
    9    Jan. 21-Feb. 16, 1998    NIT
    9    Nov. 22-Dec. 21, 1999    NCAA
    9    Dec. 2-31, 2008    NIT
    8    Feb. 16-March 7, 2005    NCAA
    7    Four Times
    6    Four Times
    5    Four Times

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 five double-doubles and is now averaging 10.0 points and 6.1 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 6.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game this year while shooting 59.6 percent from three-point range.

Comparing AT to P'OB
How impressive is Anthony Tolliver's run with Golden State? Let's compare to fellow Valley alum Patrick O'Bryant, who went to Bradley.
    In 20 games with Golden State, Tolliver has 200 points and 122 rebounds. He has had five 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.

Defense Stepped 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.

Nine Weapons
Creighton is the only team in the country to have nine different players with 10 or more three-pointers this season. That ties a school-record as the Bluejays previously did that in both 2007-08 as well as 2005-06.
    No other MVC school has more than seven players with 10 three-point makes this year.
    Creighton is also the nation's only school with eight players to have made 15 or more three-pointers this season.

Lawson Jr. Attending Boarding School
Kenny Lawson Jr. leads Creighton with 200 rebounds this season, and now has 517 in his career. That makes Lawson CU's first junior to reach the 500-rebound milestone since former Valley Player of the Year Chad Gallagher in 1989-90.
    Lawson, who also owns 127 career blocks, is the first Bluejay junior with 125 career blocks since Benoit Benjamin (1984-85).

Boffo On The Boards
Creighton has outrebounded the opposition in each of its last six games, its longest stretch since doing so in seven straight games in 2006-07.
    For the season, Creighton is outrebounding teams by an average of 34.7 - 34.4 per game.
    The Jays 34.7 rebounds per game matches its highest figure for a season since 2001-02.

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Creighton is 6-2 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 9-3.
    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.
    Friday's foe, Bradley, went 3-4 in league games decided by five or fewer points this year.
    For the season, 31 of the MVC's 90 games were decided by five points or less.

Give Me Five
Creighton's has used eight different starting line-ups this season, including the quintet of Josh Jones, Justin Carter, Kenny Lawson Jr., Antoine Young and Ethan Wragge the past three wins.
    Each of the last four times Creighton has used six or more different starting five's (2007, 2002, 2000, 1999) over the course of a season, that team has reached the NCAA Tournament.
    Below is a list of the number of different starting line-ups by season in the past dozen years by Creighton.
Year    Different Starting Line-ups
2009-10    8
2008-09    5
2007-08    5
2006-07    5
2005-06    4
2004-05    6
2003-04    2
2002-03    2
2001-02    6
2000-01    4
1999-00    7
1998-99    8

Freshmen Get First Starts
Two Bluejay freshmen made their first career starts on February 20th vs. Loyola Chicago, Josh Jones and Ethan Wragge.
    It was the first time that Creighton started two freshmen in the same game since March 21, 2008, when Kenny Lawson Jr. and P'Allen Stinnett both started at Florida.
    With Antoine Young (Bellevue) and Jones (Omaha) in the starting line-up, it marked the first time since March 16, 2000 that the Jays started two Omaha-area preps in the same game. In that game vs. Auburn, Omaha natives Matt West and Donnie Johnson both started.

Army of Iowans
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 507 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 115 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in seven seasons at the facility.
    The Bluejays own a 97-18 (.843) 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 8,494-7,182 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.4 points per game. The 18 losses have been by a combined 99 points (5.5 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 25 different times, including six 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 19-1 against MVC schools when recording 11 or more assists, and just 2-8 when its assist total is 10 or less.
    This year's Creighton team averaged 15.2 assists in its 10 league wins, but just 8.8 helpers in its eight league setbacks.
    For the season Creighton is averaging 13.7 assists per game, a figure that moves to 12.3 in league play.
    It assists on 63.8 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 42 of his last 46 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 82.3 percent at the line. He is a career 75.5 percent free throw shooter.

Wragge Sinking Shots
Freshman forward Ethan Wragge has made at least one three-pointer in each of his last 17 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
    21    Tony Freeman, SIU    3/4
    17    Ethan Wragge, CU    3/5
    17    Adam Templeton, DU    3/4
    Below is a chart comparing the freshmen years of Wragge and Kyle Korver:
Stat    Wragge    Korver
Team W-L    16-14    23-10
Games Started    3    1
Points/Game    6.6    8.8
FG-FGA    63-145    97-204
FG Pct.    .434    .475
3-Point FG-FGA    56-134    63-145
3-Point Pct.    .418    .434
FT-FTA    16-19    34-38
FT Pct.    .842    .895
Rebounds/Game    2.3    3.1
MInutes/Game    15.0    18.2

Three-Mendous!
Speaking of Ethan Wragge, his 56 three-pointers lead Creighton this season and put him in some elite company.
    Kyle Korver (in 1999) and Ryan Sears (in 1997), who both made 63 three-pointers to set the Bluejay record for freshmen, are Creighton's only freshmen in school history to make more three-pointers than Wragge.

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 South Carolina, Indiana, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma 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 3-9 in true road games this year.
    The Bluejays have plenty of company in their struggles away from home, as 10 BCS schools (of 73 BCS schools total) entered this week with one or fewer true road wins this season:
BCS Schools, 1 or Less True Road Wins, 2009-10
(Through Feb. 28, 2010)
School    Home W-L    Road W-L
DePaul    6-7    0-11
Georgia    12-3    0-10
LSU    10-7    0-8
Colorado    12-2    1-10
South Carolina    11-4    1-9
Rutgers    13-5    1-8
Nebraska    12-5    1-8
Iowa    9-9    1-8
Oklahoma    11-3    1-7
Indiana    7-9    1-7

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 entering the MVC Tournament and just 16 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 16-14) have already reached 20 wins this year.

10 Conference Wins x 14
This season's Creighton team has extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 14th consecutive season. Prior to Dana Altman's arrival, the Bluejays had 10 or more conference wins in only six different seasons all-time.
    On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 14 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (16).

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, through Feb. 28th:
Team    W-L Record    Next Game
Kansas    27-2    3/3
Kentucky    27-2    3/3
Syracuse    27-2    3/2
Duke    25-4    3/3
Gonzaga    24-5    3/2
Michigan State    22-7    3/4
Maryland    21-7    3/3
Oklahoma State    20-8    3/3
Florida    20-9    3/2
Creighton    16-14    3/5
Arizona    14-14    3/4
Stanford    13-16    3/6

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 1,647,557 fans in 115 games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average of 14,327 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.
    Creighton men's basketball team has drawn 238,247 fans to Qwest Center Omaha this season. The Jays are the only team in MVC history to attract 200,000 or more home fans in a season, something it has done each of the past five seasons.

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 499 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.

Altman Earned 200th MVC Win
Dana Altman owns 203 career wins against Missouri Valley Conference schools since arriving at Creighton, a figure that includes 182 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.

Bench Getting It Done
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition 241-177 over the past 10 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 (7.8 ppg.) and played all 10 without P'Allen Stinnett (9.2 ppg.).
    Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition 784-639 (+145) this season and 2925-1849 (+1,076) 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 65 points in the last 10 games.
    Jones started just 8-of-29 from the field (27.6 percent) this year, but has made 24-of-50 shots (48.0 percent) over the past 10 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 0.8 percent better from the field, 5.2 percent lower from three-point range and 2.3 percent lower from the line, which has led to that group averaging 0.1 fewer points per game in 0.8 more minutes per game.
Stat    2008-09    2009-10
FG-FGA    578-1340    481-1095
FG%    .431    .439
3FG-3FGA    176-509    111-377
3FG%    .346    .294
FT-FTA    410-555    333-465
FT%    .739    .716
Games Played    268    218
Points    1742    1406
PPG    6.5    6.4
Minutes    4901    4161
MPG    18.3    19.1

Captain Charge
Casey Harriman has taken 19 of the 42 charges taken by Creighton this season, doing so while playing in just 27 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    19    44
Darryl Ashford    n/a    n/a    5    5
Antoine Young    n/a    4    4    8
Justin Carter    n/a    9    3    12
Cavel Witter    3    0    3    6
Wayne Runnels    n/a    n/a    3    3
Andrew Bock    n/a    n/a    2    2
Chad Millard    7    4    1    12
Kenny Lawson Jr.    2    4    1    7
Kaleb Korver    0    3    1    4
P'Allen Stinnett    5    4    0    9
Former Players    264    11    n/a    275
Total    298    47    42    387

Most Charges Taken, Season
(since 2002-03)
    Charges    Name    Year
    23    Anthony Tolliver    2006-07
    19    Casey Harriman    2009-10
    17    Mike Grimes    2002-03
    17    Anthony Tolliver    2005-06
    17    Casey Harriman    2007-08
    17    Dane Watts    2007-08

Most Charges Taken, Career
(since 2002-03)
    Charges    Name    Year(s)
    49    Anthony Tolliver    2003-07
    44    Casey Harriman    2007-Pres.
    43    Dane Watts    2004-08
    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 15,883 fans per game so far, which ranks 10th nationally.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (through 2/28/10)
    Rk.    School    Average    Next Home
    1.    Kentucky    24,096    3/7
    2.    Syracuse    21,934    3/2
    3.    Louisville    19,356    3/6
    4.    Tennessee    19,103    3/3
    5.    North Carolina    18,493    3/2
    6.    Wisconsin    17,230    3/3
    7.    Memphis    16,806    3/6
    8.    Maryland    16,715    3/3
    9.    Kansas    16,441    3/3
    10.    Creighton    15,883    --
    11.    Illinois    15,497    3/7
    12.    Marquette    15,351    3/2
    13.    Indiana    15,172    3/6
    14.    Michigan State    14,759    3/4
    15.    Texas    14,543    3/1

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
238,247 so far    Creighton    2009-10
    236,313    Creighton    2005-06
    222,728    Creighton    2006-07
    192,258    Creighton    2003-04

Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
    Avg. Att.    School    Year
    15,930    Creighton    2008-09
    15,909    Creighton     2006-07
    15,883 so far    Creighton    2009-10
    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 (97) and best home winning percentage (.843) among all Missouri Valley Conference schools.
    In MVC-only action, Creighton's 51 home wins and .810 home winning percentage both are tied for best in The Valley in that time.
MVC Home Records, Since 2003-04
School    All Home    MVC Home
Creighton    97-18    51-12
Missouri State    89-27    43-20
Wichita State    88-25    46-17
Bradley    87-26    43-20
Northern Iowa    84-22    47-16
Southern Illinois    83-17    51-12
Illinois State    82-27    40-23
Drake    69-40    34-29
Indiana State    62-38    32-31
Evansville    60-46    27-36

MVC Road Records, Since 2003-04
School    All Road    MVC Road
Northern Iowa    50-41    34-29
Southern Illinois    48-48    33-30
Creighton    39-48    31-32
Wichita State    39-49    24-39
Missouri State    35-59    19-44
Drake    31-54    20-43
Bradley    31-65    19-44
Illinois State    30-61    17-46
Indiana State    20-75    11-52
Evansville    16-78    8-55

Historically After 12 MVC Games
Creighton finished 10-8 in the MVC, including a 3-3 mark in its final six games.
    This is the 15th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of time 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    3-3
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)    60-36 (.625)

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.

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 18 games, Carter has averaged 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 69-of-143 from the field (48.3 percent) and 47-of-67 at the line (70.1 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 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 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    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
1994-95    3-6    1-8
Total    89-55 (.618)    93-51 (.646)

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 51-12 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.810), compared to a 31-31 (.500) 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 12    7-0
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

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
127    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pres.
    109    Doug Swenson    1997-99

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.
    Ironically enough, Creighton was in the exact same situation in the rematch with Southern Illinois on Feb. 23rd. On that occasion, Young and Kenny Lawson Jr. would miss potential game-winning shots, but the Jays would win in overtime.

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 408-241 record in 21 years as a Division I head coach, including 325 wins at Creighton, 68 wins at Kansas State and 15 wins at Marshall.
    Altman has a 325-174 mark in 16 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 125 rebounds in his past 18 games, moving his season average to 6.7 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 42.0 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 146-20 record, as seen below:
W-L Record When Opp. Under 40.0 FG%
Year    When Opp. Under 40.0%
2009-10    8-3
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    146-20

It's About Time
Creighton is 16-7 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.

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.

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 81-2 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it has held a lead of 10 or more at any point, including 38 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 25-1 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 13.0 points, 6.7 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 (13.0 ppg., 6.7 rpg.) through 30 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 99 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    13.0
Junior RPG    6.7    6.7
Junior BPG    1.6    1.4
Points Thru 100 Games Played    682    896
Rebounds Thru 100 Games Played    443    517
Blocks Thru 100 Games Played    93    127
Wins Thru 100 Games Played    67    67

Road Warriors
The Missouri Valley Conference has recorded a 19-16 record in non-conference true road contests this year. The 19 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 531 straight games with at least one trifecta is the MVC's longest active streak.

20 Point Scorers Off The Bench
Creighton has had five individuals score more than 20 points this season (including Kenny Lawson Jr. four 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 325. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 5,108 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
    Records below are through games of Feb. 28th.
Rk.    W-L    Name, School    Next Game
1.    826-290    Jim Boeheim, Syracuse    3/2
2.    785-219    Mike Krzyzewski, Duke    3/3
3.    574-217    Jim Calhoun, Connecticut    3/3
4.    439-236    Gary Williams, Maryland    3/3
5.    382-247    Bob McKillop, Davidson    3/5
    382-273    Bob Thomason, Pacific    3/4
7.    379-339    Fang Mitchell, Coppin State    3/1
8.    358-144    Tom Izzo, Michigan State    3/4
9.    329-135    Billy Donovan, Florida    3/2
    329-275    Dave Loos, Austin Peay    3/2
11.    325-174    Dana Altman, Creighton    3/5

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

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 87 assists and 40 turnovers, good for a 2.18 assist/turnover ratio. He had more turnovers than assists in just one of CU's 18 MVC games.
    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 325 wins at Creighton are third in MVC history, while his 182 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.    325    Dana Altman    Creighton

MVC Coaches--Most Wins In Conference Games
    Wins    Coach       School(s)
1.    187    Henry Iba    Oklahoma A&M
2.    182    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.

Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 531 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.

Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 63 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 (at all venues), dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
    Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.

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

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

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

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.

Men's Basketball Heads To St. Louis For Valley Tournament

Players Mentioned

Darryl Ashford

Benoit Benjamin

Rodney Buford

Justin Carter

Joe Dabbert

Josh Dotzler

Nate Funk

Chad Gallagher

Mike Grimes

Casey Harriman

Justin Haynes

Pierce Hibma

Donnie Johnson

Josh Jones

Kaleb Korver

Kyle Korver

Kenny Lawson Jr.

Michael Lindeman

Johnny Mathies

Tyler McKinney

Chad Millard

Vernon Moore

Livan Pyfrom

Wayne Runnels

Ryan Sears

P'Allen Stinnett

Anthony Tolliver

Ben Walker

Dane Watts

Matt West

Cavel Witter

Booker Woodfox

Ethan Wragge

Antoine Young

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