Men's Basketball Ready For Bears In CIT Semifinals on Wednesday
3/23/2010 5:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game #34 at Missouri State • Wednesday, March 24, 2010 • 7:05 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at Missouri State Bears
JQH Arena (11,000) • Springfield, Mo.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM
Television: None
Series History: Creighton leads 30-23
Last Meeting: Missouri State won 70-52 on Feb. 6, 2010 in Springfield, Mo.
Next Game
Creighton (18-15), making its Missouri Valley Conference-record 13th straight postseason appearance, will play league rival Missouri State (22-12) in semifinal round action of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Wednesday.
JQH Arena (11,000) in Springfield, Mo., will host the action, which tips off at 7:05 pm.
About The CollegeInsider.com Tournament
The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament is a single-elimination tournament, consisting of four rounds, with games played at on-campus sites as determined by seeding.
The event features eight first-round games, four quarterfinal games, a semifinal round and then the championship game.
Bracketing will be done geographically into multiple regions of the country to minimize missed class time. Brackets will be balanced competitively within each region.
Fox College Sports Network will broadcast the championship game of the CIT on March 30th. All other games will be available via online broadcast on FoxCollegeSports.com.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2009-10 season. CIT rules preclude the audio from being webcast.
T. Scott Marr and five-time postseason participant Nick Bahe will call the action.
Television Information
Wednesday's game will not be televised.
Video Webcast Information
Video webcast rights for the CIT are held by B2 Networks. Cost for a video webcast is $8. Fans can sign up by going to
http://b2tv.com/partner_members.asp?id=336.
The game will include audio from the Missouri State radio broadcast.
Games in the CIT are not part of Creighton's video webcast subscription package.
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 Missouri State
After struggling through an 11-20 season last year, Missouri State opened this campaign with 10 straight wins and is 22-12 after CIT victories at home over Middle Tennessee (87-79) and Louisiana Tech (69-40).
MSU finished seventh in The Valley with an 8-10 league mark and owns a 17-2 mark at JQH Arena, where it averages 6,854 fans per game.
Sophomore Kyle Weems leads the team in scoring (14.0 ppg.), rebounding (6.1) and steals (1.4) per game, while also making 41.3 percent of his three-point shots.
Eastern Kentucky transfer Adam Leonard chips in with 13.0 points per game and has made a single-season MSU record 98 three-point shots. The Valley's Newcomer of the Year, Leonard missed all seven shots he took and was scoreless in MSU's first meeting with Creighton on Jan. 24th, but had 11 points in MSU's win over the Jays on February 6th in Springfield.
Also in double-digits is junior swingman Jermaine Mallett, who contributes 10.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The Bears lead the MVC in scoring offense (71.4 ppg.) and allow just 65.4 points per contest. MSU shoots 44.6 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from three-point range and 73.1 percent at the line. The Bears also outrebound teams by 3.4 caroms per contest.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton enters Wednesday's game with an 18-15 overall record after a fourth-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 10-8 league mark. The Bluejays advanced to the semifinals of the CIT with an 89-78 opening-round home win over South Dakota and a 73-55 home win over Fairfield in the quarterfinals.
Center Kenny Lawson Jr. leads Creighton in scoring (12.9 ppg.), rebounding (6.8 rpg.) and blocks (1.4) per game while also knocking down 53.7 percent of his shots from the floor and 81.9 percent at the line.
Justin Carter (9.8 ppg., 6.4 rpg.) and Darryl Ashford (7.7 ppg.) give Creighton a pair of athletic wings who can shoot from the outside or drive to the basket. Carter, who had a career-high 15 rebounds in an NIT game vs. Kentucky last season, has had 10 or more rebounds in all three games this March so far.
Sophomore point guard Antoine Young (6.8 ppg.) runs the show, leading the team with 100 assists and 23 steals. His 2.38 assist/turnover ratio leads the Missouri Valley Conference. Young had a career-high 22 points at Southern Illinois in Creighton's Feb. 23rd overtime victory, then added career-bests with eight assists and five rebounds in a Feb. 27th win over Bradley.
Creighton's bench averages 26.3 points and 14.6 rebounds per game and is led by Cavel Witter (7.4 ppg.) and Ethan Wragge (6.8 ppg.). Redshirt freshman Josh Jones (4.2 ppg.) has also been a difference-maker of late, averaging 6.9 points in CU's last 13 games. Wragge and Jones, however, have moved into the starting line-up for CU's last six games, which has resulted in five wins.
Creighton averages 70.1 points per game and shoots 43.6 percent from the floor, 33.5 percent from downtown and 71.9 percent at the line. It holds opponents to 68.3 points per game and 41.8 percent shooting. The Jays outrebound teams by 0.7 boards per game and has beaten nine 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 327-175 (.651) mark at CU and a career record of 410-242 (.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 25 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 13 straight seasons. He is assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones is the team's graduate manager.
Missouri State is coached by Cuonzo Martin (Purdue, 2000), who is 33-32 in his second year as a head coach. Martin was previously a star player and assistant coach at Purdue and played four years professionally. He is assisted by Steve Woodberry, Jon Harris and Kent Williams.
Series History With Missouri State
Creighton has won eight of the last nine meetings to claim a 30-23 lead over Missouri State in the series. Though Creighton has won three of its past four trips to Springfield, Missouri State still leads 16-7 in games played in Springfield.
Creighton has won 23 of the last 31 games with Missouri State, but nine of its last 14 Bluejay wins in the series have been by six points or less.
Dana Altman is 25-15 against Missouri State and 3-1 against Cuonzo Martin.
A history of the Creighton vs. Missouri State match-ups can be found on page seven.
Valley Of Death?
Heading into Tuesday's two NIT quarterfinals, there were just 40 teams still alive in the postseason. Three of those 40 teams were from the Missouri Valley Conference. On a national basis, only the Atlantic-10 and Big Ten Conferences have more teams that are still alive.
Thanks in part to a 6-3 record in the postseason this year, The Valley has moved up to seventh in the conference RPI of WarrenNolan.com, ahead of both the Pacific 10 and the Mountain West Conferences.
League CBI CIT NIT NCAA Total
Atlantic-10 1 - 2 1 4
Big Ten - - 1 3 4
Missouri Valley - 2 - 1 3
Atlantic Coast - - 2 1 3
Big 12 - - 1 2 3
Southeastern - - 1 2 3
Big East - - - 2 2
Ivy 1 - - 1 2
Colonial Athletic 1 - - - 1
America East 1 - - - 1
Big West - 1 - - 1
Southern - 1 - - 1
Conference USA - - 1 - 1
Horizon - - - 1 1
Pacific 10 - - - 1 1
West Coast - - - 1 1
Recapping The Previous Meetings
Creighton and Missouri State split two earlier meetings this season, with CU winning 76-72 on January 24 in Omaha and MSU winning 70-52 in Springfield on February 6th.
The first game featured 14 second half lead changes, but Creighton made its final 19 free throw attempts to win the back-and-forth game. Creighton trailed by one before Kenny Lawson Jr. dunked the Jays into the lead for good with 57.9 seconds left. MSU's Adam Leonard would air ball a three-pointer and CU's Darryl Ashford would make 4-of-4 free throws and Cavel Witter a pair at the line to ice the victory. Lawson Jr. led CU with 20 points, while Nafis Ricks had a career-high 18 points to pace MSU.
In the second meeting, Missouri State went on a 17-0 run midway through the second half to blow out the Jays. Creighton fell behind 25-11 early, and never came closer than seven points the rest of the night. Creighton was down just 41-30 before MSU's 17-0 flurry put the game out of reach. Lawson Jr. led CU with 15 points, while MSU was keyed by 13 points by Will Creekmore.
Conference Rematches In the Semi's?
The Missouri Valley Conference has been so successful in the postseason that this year, that in a tournament like the CIT the only way for one to lose is to have them play another league foe.
This is the second straight year that two teams from the same league have faced off in the semi's of the CIT. Last year Old Dominion throttled James Madison, 81-43, in the CIT semifinals, after the teams split the regular-season meetings. The Monarchs would also win in the finals to claim the event's inaugural title.
You Again?
Creighton and Missouri State will meet for the third time this season on Wednesday. This is the seventh time in the past 15 seasons that the teams have had three meetings, thanks to a plethora of MVC Tournament match-ups in that same span.
Other CIT Match-Ups
Below is a listing of the pairings for the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament:
Tuesday, March 16 (Opening Round)
Marshall def. Western Carolina, 90-88
Creighton def. South Dakota, 89-78
Fairfield def. George Mason, 101-96 (OT)
Wednesday, March 17 (Opening Round)
Appalachian State def. Harvard, 93-71
Missouri State def. Middle Tennessee, 87-79
Pacific def. Loyola Marymount, 86-76
Northern Colorado def. Portland, 81-73
Thursday, March 18 (Opening Round)
Louisiana Tech def. Southern Miss, 66-57
Monday, March 22 (Quarterfinals)
Appalachian State def. Marshall, 80-72
Creighton def. Fairfield, 73-55
Missouri State def. Louisiana Tech, 69-40
Pacific def. Northern Colorado, 63-59
Wednesday, March 24 (Semifinals)
Pacific at Appalachian State 6 pm CST
Creighton at Missouri State 7 pm CST
Tuesday, March 30 (Finals)
CU/MSU Winner vs. Pacific/ASU Winner (site TBD)
Springfield Success
Creighton has won three of its past four trips to Springfield, Mo. Around the league, other road venues that Creighton has won at three times in the past four seasons have been at Bradley, Evansville and Northern Iowa.
Statistically, MSU vs. CU, This Year
Creighton has been led by Kenny Lawson Jr. in both games vs. Missouri State this year, making 59.1 percent of his 22 field goal attempts He is one of seven Bluejays that has scored 10 or more points vs. MSU this season. Creighton has shot 42.0 percent from the field overall, but just 8-of-36 from three-point range (22.2 percent).
Missouri State has been led statistically by Nafis Ricks, who has averaged 13.5 points per game versus the Jays this year. Also in double-figures vs. Creighton this season have been Will Creekmore (12.5 ppg., 78.6 FG%), Jermaine Mallett (11.0) and Kyle Weems (10.5). Adam Leonard, the MVC Newcomer of the Year, was held to 11 total points. MSU has shot 46 percent from the floor overall, 27.3 percent from three-point range (9-33) and owns a +9.0 rebound advantage against CU this year.
CIT Leaders
Creighton has averaged 81.0 points in two CIT games thus far, but it's been due to balanced scoring. Eight different men have averaged at least 7.0 points or more per game in that time, a grouping led by Cavel Witter (11.5 ppg.) and Justin Carter (10.0 ppg., 10.0 rpg.).
The Jays have shot 45.0 percent from the floor (54-120), 50 percent from three-point range (19-38) and 87.5 percent at the line (35-40).
CU has also out-rebounded teams 41.0-34.0 in the two wins.
Forever Young
Antoine Young has stepped up his play in the past five games. In that time, he's averaged 11.6 points per game, giving CU a viable third offensive option behind scoring leaders Kenny Lawson Jr. (13.6 ppg., 8.6 rpg.) and Justin Carter (12.4 ppg., 8.8 rpg.).
Additionally, Young has 24 assists and just five turnovers in the past five contests.
The Streak Went On
Before losing on Feb. 6 in Springfield, Creighton had won its last eight meetings against Missouri State. That had been its longest stretch ever over the Bears. Below is a list of Dana Altman's longest winning streaks over any opponent since coming to Creighton.
Altman's Longest Win Streaks vs. One Opponent
Streak Opponent Dates
9 Bradley Feb. 14, 2001-Jan. 26, 2005
9 Northern Iowa Feb. 4, 2004-Feb. 5, 2008
8 Illinois State Jan. 27, 2001-Jan. 24, 2004
8 Missouri St. Dec. 30, 2006 - Jan. 24, 2010
7 Miss. Valley State Dec. 22, 1998-Present
7 Wichita State Feb. 23, 1995-Feb. 14, 1998
7 So. Illinois Jan. 29, 1996-Dec. 5, 1998
7 Wichita State Feb. 22, 1999-Feb. 7, 2002
7 Missouri State Feb. 26, 2001-Dec. 30, 2003
7 Indiana State Dec. 16, 2001-Feb. 18, 2004
Carter Corrals Caroms
Senior forward Justin Carter has entered the final week of his collegiate career, and he's never rebounded better.
Carter has 10 or more rebounds in each of Creighton's last three games, the first Bluejay to do that in three consecutive contests since Nate King in 1993-94.
In four career postseason games (2 NIT, 2 CIT), Carter has averaged 10.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest, including 15 boards versus Kentucky last season.
Lethal Weapons From 3
Creighton had all five starters drain at least one three-pointer on Monday in its win over Fairfield. That ranks as the first time all five members of the starting quintet have made a trifecta since Feb. 14, 2006 vs. Wichita State.
High Scoring Tournament
The common theme among the games of the CIT seems to be prolific offensive displays.
Seven of the eight teams to win in the opening round scored 81 or more points, and those eight winning teams averaged an unheard of 86.6 points in their victories. The offensive wave was even a theme with the losing teams, as seven of the eight non-advancing teams scored 71 or more points, averaging 77.3 points.
In the second round the four winning teams averaged 71.3 points per game, while holding the opposition to 56.5 points.
Postseason History
Creighton is a combined 17-29 in the postseason all-time. The Bluejays have gone 9-17 in 16 NCAA Tournaments, 5-10 in 10 National Invitation Tournaments, 1-2 in two National Catholic Invitational Tournament appearances and 2-0 all-time in their first CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament appearance.
Monday's win marked the first time in school history that Creighton won consecutive postseason games, a mind-boggling fact for a program in its 29th all-time postseason appearance.
Past MVC Teams In The CIT
Though this is just the second year of the Collegeinsider.com Postseason Tournament, Creighton isn't the first Missouri Valley Conference team in the field.
Last year the MVC went 3-3 in CIT games. Bradley beat Austin Peay (81-74), Oakland (76-75) and Pacific (59-49) before falling to Old Dominion in the final (66-62). In other opening-round action, Evansville lost 92-76 to Belmont, and Drake fell at Idaho (69-67).
This year the MVC is 4-0 in the CIT, with Creighton and Missouri State both going 2-0 heading into Wednesday's game.
Home Sweet CIT Home
If last year's inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament was any indication, having the home-court advantage during the CIT is a tremendous factor.
Last year teams were a combined 12-3 when playing on its home court in the CIT, including a 7-1 mark in the first round. However, two of the three home teams to lose in the event (Evansville, Liberty, Bradley) hailed from the Missouri Valley Conference.
This year home teams went 6-2 in opening-round CIT games, with only George Mason and Loyola Marymount losing. Home teams were 2-2 on Monday in the quarterfinals.
Home Court Records, CIT, By Round
Year Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Rd. 4 Total
2009 7-1 3-1 2-0 0-1 12-3
2010 6-2 2-2 -- -- 8-4
Totals 13-3 5-3 2-0 0-1 20-7
Does The CIT Help?
Did playing in the 2009 CIT serve as a springboard to greater success in 2010? Let's take a look at how last year's participants fared. Notably, 2009 CIT champion Old Dominion and 2009 CIT participant Kent State both won first round postseason games this season:
2009 CIT 2010 2010
Team W-L W-L Postseason?
Old Dominion 4-0 26-8 NCAA
Bradley 3-1 16-15 --
Pacific 2-1 20-11 CIT
James Madison 2-1 13-20 --
Liberty 1-1 15-16 --
Belmont 1-1 19-12 --
Idaho 1-1 15-16 --
Oakland 1-1 26-8 NCAA
Mount St. Mary's 0-1 16-51 --
Rider 0-1 17-16 --
Evansville 0-1 9-21 --
The Citadel 0-1 16-16 --
Drake 0-1 14-19 --
Portland 0-1 21-10 CIT
Kent State 0-1 23-9 NIT
Austin Peay 0-1 17-15 --
Against Common Opponents
Creighton and Missouri State have played nine common opponents this season, consisting of UALR and the eight other MVC schools. Creighton went 10-8 against those teams, while Missouri State was 9-10 against those squads.
Against Postseason Opponents
Creighton is 5-11 against teams that made the postseason this season. That includes an 0-4 mark vs. NCAA Tournament qualifiers, a 1-4 mark vs. NIT teams (a win over Wichita State), a 1-1 mark vs. CBI qualifiers (a win over Indiana State) and a 3-2 mark over CIT teams (wins over Missouri State, South Dakota and Fairfield).
Missouri State is 8-8 in 16 games against postseason qualifiers, going 0-2 against NCAA Tournament squads, 3-4 against NIT qualifiers (wins over Tulsa, Illinois State and Nevada), 2-1 versus CBI teams (wins over Saint Louis and Indiana State) and 3-1 against CIT foes (wins over Creighton, Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Tech).
Postseason Features Last-Second Endings
Nine of Creighton's last 10 postseason runs have included a game that was decided in the final seconds, including the previous eight seasons.
In fact, Creighton's postseason openers in the past nine years have had three games decided by one point (including a double-OT finish), two by two points, two by six points (including an OT finish) and two games by 11 points.
Last year, Creighton rallied from a 14-point deficit and would hang on to beat Bowling Green, 73-71 in the first round of the NIT. The Jays needed a last-second defensive stand, as BGSU's Darryl Clements' game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
The following game, Creighton led Kentucky by one with 36 seconds left, only to miss two free throws and see UK All-American Jodie Meeks convert a three-point play. CU's Booker Woodfox, the nation's No. 2 three-point shooter, missed an open trey as time expired, and Creighton lost 65-63.
In 2008 Creighton rallied from a 12-point deficit in the final 3:07 to top Rhode Island, 73-72, in the first round of the NIT. Cavel Witter hit the game-winner with 3.2 seconds left to give CU its first lead of the game since 3-0.
In 2007, Creighton had the ball for a final shot in a tie game against Nevada in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Nate Funk's shot attempt missed, and a tip-in try was also not converted. The Jays would eventually lose 77-71 in overtime.
In second round of the 2006 NIT, Miami (Fla.) guard Guilermo Diaz drained a free throw with 2.6 seconds left to beat Creighton 53-52. A last-second shot attempt by Bluejay senior Johnny Mathies was knocked out of his hands.
In the 2005 NCAA Tourney, Nate Funk had his three-point try with seven seconds left blocked by Tyrone Sally, and Sally raced downcourt for a breakaway dunk with 2.4 seconds left to give West Virginia a 63-61 win. Funk's three-point try from the corner missed at the buzzer.
In 2004, Creighton fell 71-70 to Nebraska in the NIT. The Jays led nearly the entire second half before NU's go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left. Nate Funk's game-winning jumper from 18-feet away was blocked by Husker guard Jake Muhleisen.
In 2003 Creighton lost 79-73 to Central Michigan in the NCAA's. The Jays trailed 50-24 with 16:24 left but a furious rally got them within two points (72-70) with 1:20 left, only to turn it over the next three possessions.
In the 2002 NCAA's, Creighton beat #15 Florida, 83-82, in Chicago. Terrell Taylor hit a game-winning trey with 0.2 seconds left in double-overtime, his final three of 28 points after a scoreless first half.
Korver Shines At The Civic...Again
Just as his oldest brother Kyle did from 1999-2003, Kaleb Korver found the Omaha Civic Auditorium to be a great gym for shooters.
Kaleb, mired in a 16-for-56 slump this season from long-range, made 3-of-4 trifectas on March 16 in a win over South Dakota..
In home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium during his All-American career at Creighton, Kyle shot 174-for-369 (47.2 percent) from three-point range, 176-of-192 (91.7 percent) from the line and averaged 15.4 points while winning 52 of 57 career home contests he played in.
Fountains of Wayne, And Others
Keying Creighton's 56-18 bench surplus in the win over South Dakota was the play of Wayne Runnels, Darryl Ashford, Cavel Witter and Kaleb Korver. All four men far exceeded their season averages and helped carry the Jays to victory, more than making up for a combined 1-for-15 shooting night from the field by leading scorers Kenny Lawson Jr. and Justin Carter.
Runnels was averaging 4.2 points and 3.3 rebounds, but produced 15 points and nine rebounds in his best game since the season-opener.
Ashford was averaging 7.5 points per game, but had gone scoreless in the previous two contests. He scored 11 points in the first half and finished with 13 points and five rebounds.
Witter was averaging 7.1 points while shooting 35.4 percent from three-point range. He produced 15 points on 4-of-5 accuracy from downtown.
Last but not least, Korver entered averaging 2.0 points per game and was making 28.6 percent from three-point territory. He hit 3-of-4 shots from long-range and finished with nine points and three assists.
Creighton's bench outscored Fairfield 18-7 on Monday.
Non-Conference Home Success
Creighton owns an 88-13 (.871) record in non-conference home games under Dana Altman. That includes a 41-7 record (.854) at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and a 47-6 (.887) record at Qwest Center Omaha.
During CU's active string of 13 straight postseason bids, the Bluejays are 71-8 (.899) in home games against non-conference foes.
Civic Minded
Monday's win over Fairfield marked just Creighton's second game at the Omaha Civic Auditorium since an 86-60 win over Wichita State on March 3, 2003. The March 16th, 89-78 win over South Dakota, was the only other game since then. Creighton now owns an all-time record at the Omaha Civic Auditorium of 434-155 (.737).
Dana Altman's teams own a 102-28 (.785) record at the Omaha Civic Auditorium and have won its last 19 games in the old barn.
More Civic Notes
Creighton first played at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in 1955 and moved there full-time for the 1961-62 season. The Jays own an all-time record of 434-155 at the Civic, including a 102-28 mark under Dana Altman.
The Civic has been home to five regular-season MVC champs and seven MVC Tournament champions in the last 25 years alone.
Creighton's current home, Qwest Center Omaha, is located less than a mile from the Civic floor. Qwest Center Omaha, however, is currently booked as the NCAA Wrestling Championships were held there last week and by Cirque du Soleil this week.
Postseason Play At The Civic
The two CIT wins over the last week are Creighton's first postseason men's basketball wins ever at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
The Creighton men are now 2-2 in postseason games at the Civic, also losing in the 1977 NIT to Illinois State and in 1984 to Nebraska.
The Civic was also home to six Creighton women's basketball postseason games over the years. The Bluejay women went 1-0 in NCAA Tournament play and 4-1 in NIT action there.
Altman In The Postseason
Creighton coach Dana Altman is making his 13th postseason appearance at Creighton, and 16th overall as a Division I head coach if you include his time at Kansas State.
Altman teams own a 2-8 record in eight NCAA Tournament appearances (2-7 in seven years at Creighton), a 7-8 record in seven NIT appearances (3-5 in five years at Creighton), and a 2-0 mark in his first foray into the CIT.
Altman's Postseason Appearances
Year Tourney Postseason W-L
1991-92 (KSU) NIT 0-1
1993 (KSU) NCAA 0-1
1994 (KSU) NIT 3-2
1998 (CU) NIT 0-1
1999 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2000 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2001 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2002 (CU) NCAA 1-1
2003 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2004 (CU) NIT 0-1
2005 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2006 (CU) NIT 1-1
2007 (CU) NCAA 0-1
2008 (CU) NIT 1-1
2009 (CU) NIT 1-1
2010 (CU) CIT 2-0
Total (8 NCAA, 7 NIT, 1 CIT)
11-16 (7-12 at CU)
Postseason x 13
Creighton has made the postseason in 13 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history. It is three more than the 10 straight from 1966 to 1975 by Louisville.
The only 10 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 13 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.
The other nine teams in that group were selected to the NCAA Tournament this spring.
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.
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 18-15) have already reached 20 wins this year.
There's no doubt that this streak appears to be in serious jeopardy, with Creighton entering the postseason with just 18 wins to date. To extend the streak to a 12th straight year with 20 or more wins, the Jays would need to win the CIT.
10 Conference Wins x 14
This season's Creighton team 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).
Charity Tosses
After struggling early in the season at the foul line, Creighton has improved greatly of late.
The Jays are 82-for-95 at the line in the last five games, good for 86.3 percent. Nine different men have shot free throws in that span and all are making 76 percent or better in that time.
Just as impressively, Creighton is shooting 32-of-34 (94.1 percent) in the final five minutes over the past five games at the line.
The Over .500 Club?
Creighton is currently 18-15 on the season and has guaranteed it will finish the year with a record better than .500. This will be the 14th straight season that Creighton has finished .500 or better.
The Jays have been exactly .500 on eight different occasions (1-1, 2-2, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13 and 14-14) and have been within two games of the .500 mark for every game it's played this season except one (when it was 5-8).
Monday's win put Creighton three games over .500 for the first time this season.
Crowded House?
Creighton's crowd of 4,348 last Tuesday was the second-biggest in the opening-round of the CIT, and third-largest in CIT opening-round history.
Last year's eight first-round CIT games had crowds ranging between 1,176 (James Madison) to 4,472 (Bradley), and averaged 2,239 per game. This year's crowds ranged from 1,541 (Loyola Marymount) to 5,003 (Marshall) and averaged 2,681 per game.
The four 2009 CIT quarterfinals ranged from 2,068 (Liberty) to 5,007 (Bradley), averaging 2,838. This year's four CIT quarterfinal crowds ranged from 4,371 (Marshall) to 2,588 (Northern Colorado) and averaged 3,450 per game.
The two 2009 CIT semifinals had crowds of 2,932 (Old Dominion) and 6,114 (Bradley) to average 4,523.
The 2009 CIT championship game attracted 8,118 fans to Bradley.
In all, the 15 games of the 2009 CIT attracted 46,427 fans, which amounts to an average of 3,095 per game.
Below is the Creighton attendance averages entering each home postseason game since 2000, as well as the turnout that night.
Date Opponent Avg. Entering Attendance
3/16/04 Nebraska 11,918 13,483
3/16/06 Akron 14,406 10,197
3/20/06 Miami (Fla.) 14,143 10,018
3/18/08 Rhode Island 15,767 7,948
3/18/09 Bowling Green 16,242 9,577
3/23/09 Kentucky 15,871 16,984
3/16/10 South Dakota 15,883 4,348
3/22/10 Fairfield 15,162 3,824
Double-Double Trouble
Kenny Lawson Jr. owns seven double-doubles this season, tied for third-most in the MVC. That ties him with Rodney Buford's junior year (1997-98) for the most double-doubles in a season since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago.
The last Bluejay player with eight (or more) double-doubles in a season was Nate King, with nine double-dips in 1993-94.
Below is a list of the individuals with Creighton's most double-doubles under Altman.
Most Double-Doubles, Season
(since 1994-95)
Double-Doubles Name Year
7 Rodney Buford 1997-98
7 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2009-10
6 Randall Crutcher 1996-97
6 Kyle Korver 2002-03
6 Anthony Tolliver 2006-07
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
7 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
6 Chuckie Johnson 1995-97
6 Dane Watts 2004-08
Lawson Owns Glass Title, Too
Kenny Lawson Jr. enters Wednesday's game with 225 rebounds this season. Since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago, that ranks as the most in one season by one Bluejay player, three more than Rodney Buford's 222 total as a senior. All three of the previous players with at least 217 rebounds in a season under Altman have played in the NBA.
Most Rebounds, Season, Under Altman
Rk. Reb. Player Year
1. 225 Kenny Lawson Jr. (62o-163d) 2009-10
2. 222 Rodney Buford (67o-155d) 1998-99
3. 220 Anthony Tolliver (74o-146d) 2006-07
4. 217 Kyle Korver (46o-171d) 2002-03
5. 212 Dane Watts (62o-150d) 2006-07
212 Dane Watts (78o-134d) 2007-08
Double-Double Duo
Justin Carter (10 pts., 13 reb.) and Kenny Lawson Jr. (17 pts., 11 reb.) both had double-doubles in the MVC Tournament quarterfinal game against Bradley.
It was the first time two Jays had a double-double in the same contest since Anthony Tolliver (18 pts., 10 reb.) and Dane Watts (10 pts., 12 reb.) both turned in double-doubles in Creighton's game on Dec. 16, 2006 at Fresno State.
Speaking of Lawson (6.8 rpg.) & Carter (6.4 rpg.), both men are both currently averaging more than 6.0 rebounds per game.
They are the only duo in the MVC to average over 6.0 rebounds per game this year, and could join the 2007 pair of Tolliver (6.7 rpg.) and Watts (6.4 rpg.) as the first Bluejay teammates to both average 6.0 rebounds in the same year.
Additionally, Carter has become the first Bluejay with three straight games of 10 or more rebounds since Nate King in 1993-94.
Kyle Korver Enters MVC Hall of Fame
Former Creighton men's basketball standout Kyle Korver (1999-2003) entered the MVC Hall of Fame on March 5th.
The MVC Hall of Fame, now in its 13th year, also inducted 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 Coached In 500th Game At CU
Dana Altman has coached in 502 games as a head coach at Creighton, and 652 games overall in his Division I coaching career.
Altman owns a 410-242 career record and is 327-175 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
500 325-175 BU 81, CU 62 3/5/10
Top Of The Charts
With healthy leads on Creighton's scoring and rebounding charts, Kenny Lawson Jr. stands a strong chance to become the first Bluejay since Nate Funk in 2004-05 to lead the team in points and rebounds in the same season.
Lawson, who also leads the team in blocks and field goal percentage, could join Nate King (1993-94), Chad Gallagher (1990-91) and Benoit Benjamin (1982-83) as Jays to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage in the same season.
Rare Bird
Kenny Lawson Jr. is putting together a spectacular season, with 426 points, 225 rebounds and 47 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 produce more than 400 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.
He is Creighton's first player with at least 425 points, 225 rebounds and 40 blocks in the same year since Chad Gallagher in 1991.
400 Points, 200 Rebounds, 40 Blocks, Same Year
Name Year Pts. Reb. Blk.
Kenny Lawson Jr. 2010 426 225 47
Anthony Tolliver 2007 443 220 57
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
Streaks Extended With A Clutch Week
Creighton needed two wins during the final week of February (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.
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.
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
Point Taken
Antoine Young's 22 points at Southern Illinois on Feb. 23rd 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.
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 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 on Feb. 23rd, 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 the Feb. 27th win over Bradley.
In Creighton's last 14 games, Young is Creighton's third-leading scorer at 9.0 points per game and tops the team with 50 assists and 13 steals in that time.
After starting the season 31-of-64 from the free-throw line (48.4 percent), Young has made 18 of his last 20 attempts (90.0 percent) in the past five games.
Closer Than You'd Think
Northern Iowa guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe was named MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and has helped the Panthers to the Sweet 16, but some of his numbers aren't too different than those of CU's Antoine Young.
Statistic Ahelegbe Young
FG-FGA 113-299 81-205
FG Pct. .378 .395
Assists 95 100
Turnovers 99 42
Assist/Turnover Ratio 0.96 2.38
Steals 26 23
Assists/Minute 0.095 0.121
Road Win Trio
Creighton had 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 years.
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 eight double-doubles and is now averaging 11.2 points and 6.5 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 7.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per game this year while shooting a league-best 55.2 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 32 games with Golden State, Tolliver has 357 points and 208 rebounds. He has had eight double-doubles and had a career-high of 30 points on March 17 vs. New Orleans.
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.
MVC Honors Lawson, Wragge and Korver
Three Creighton players earned honors from the MVC recently.
Kenny Lawson Jr. was named second-team all-Missouri Valley Conference as well as a spot on the MVC's All-Defensive Team. He is CU's first repeat pick on the All-Defensive Team since Doug Swenson in both 1997-98 and 1998-99.
Ethan Wragge was named to the MVC's All-Freshman Team.
Kaleb Korver was named to the MVC's Scholar-Athlete Team as an honorable-mention pick. Korver owns a 3.36 GPA in Business Management.
Top Arch Madness Moments
Creighton had four of the top 12 moments when fans voted for the Top 20 moments in Arch Madness history, something done to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the event in St. Louis.
Nate Funk's 33-point performance in the 2005 semifinals against Missouri State, and 51 points in the final two rounds, was the No. 2 selection.
Ranked third was the performance of Bob Harstad in the 1991 tournament. Harstad had a double-double in the semi's, then added 16 points and nine rebounds in the first-ever final in St. Louis.
Eighth on the list was the play of Ryan Sears in the 2000 tournament, where he had 15 points, four assists and three steals while carrying the Jays to the 2000 title.
Ranked 12th on the list, and the final Creighton-related moment, was the buzzer-beater by Booker Woodfox in the 2009 MVC Tournament. Woodfox his a shot with 1.9 seconds left to beat Wichita State in the quarterfinals.
Arch Madness All-Time All-Tournament Team
Also in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Arch Madness, fans voted for the top players in the event's history. Creighton had four of the top five selections.
Kyle Korver (1999-2003) was named the all-time tournament MVP after guiding the Bluejays to three Arch Madness titles. Korver was a three-time all-Tourney selection and the lone player to receive multiple Most Outstanding Player accolades.
Nate Funk (2002-07) was also a member of three Arch Madness championship teams, including Most Outstanding Player honors in 2007. His 33 points in the 2007 semifinals against Missouri State ranks third-most in Arch Madness single-game history.
Rodney Buford (1995-99) guided Creighton to the 1999 MVC title with a Most Outstanding Player performance. He collected 21 points and 13 points in a championship game win over Evansville in 1999.
Ryan Sears (1997-2001) was a member of two Arch Madness championship teams and earned Most Outstanding Player honors in 1999.
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.
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 225 rebounds this season, and now has 542 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 131 career blocks, is the first Bluejay junior with 125 or more career blocks since Benoit Benjamin (1984-85).
Boffo On The Boards
Creighton has outrebounded the opposition in each of its last nine games, its longest stretch since doing so in 10 games in a row during the 1998-99 season.
For the season, Creighton is outrebounding teams by an average of 35.2 - 34.5 per game.
The Jays 35.2 rebounds per game is its highest figure for a season since 2001-02.
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Creighton went 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.
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 five games.
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. Since that change, Creighton is 5-1 with that line-up, which also consists of Antoine Young, Kenny Lawson Jr. and Justin Carter.
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 510 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 2-9 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 13.8 assists per game, a figure that moves to 12.3 in league play.
It assists on 63.7 percent of made field goals in wins, and just 49.4 percent in its losses.
Lawson The Law At The Stripe
Kenny Lawson Jr. has made 48 of his last 54 free throws (88.9 percent) 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 30 or more attempts this year, Lawson shoots a team-best 81.9 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 20 games, the longest streak by any Bluejay this winter and the longest active streak in The Valley.
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 chart comparing the freshmen years of Wragge and Kyle Korver:
Stat Wragge Korver
Team W-L 18-15 23-10
Games Started 6 1
Points/Game 6.8 8.8
FG-FGA 71-162 97-204
FG Pct. .438 .475
3-Point FG-FGA 64-150 63-145
3-Point Pct. .427 .434
FT-FTA 18-21 34-38
FT Pct. .857 .895
Rebounds/Game 2.4 3.1
MInutes/Game 15.6 18.2
Three-Mendous!
Speaking of Ethan Wragge, his 64 three-pointers lead Creighton this season and put him in some elite company.
Wragge's 64 three-pointers are a record for Bluejay freshmen, one more than Creighton legends Kyle Korver (in 1999-2000) and Ryan Sears (in 1997-98) had in their rookie campaigns.
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.
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
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.
Speaking of 60 Percent
Creighton has shot 60 percent or better from the field 14 times in 502 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 324-219 over the past 13 games, including a 30-3 differential on Jan. 30 at Drake and a 56-18 advantage on March 16 vs. South Dakota.
What makes that figure all the more impressive is that Creighton played its game at Drake without Darryl Ashford (7.7 ppg.) and played all 13 without P'Allen Stinnett (9.2 ppg.).
Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition 849-674 (+175) this season and 2990-1884 (+1,106) 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 90 points in the last 13 games.
Jones started just 8-of-29 from the field (27.6 percent) this year, but has made 34-of-73 shots (46.6 percent) over the past 13 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 Feb. 3rd 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.
Captain Charge
Casey Harriman has taken 19 of the 46 charges taken by Creighton this season, doing so while playing in just 29 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 6 6
Cavel Witter 3 0 5 8
Antoine Young n/a 4 4 8
Justin Carter n/a 9 3 12
Wayne Runnels n/a n/a 3 3
Kaleb Korver 0 3 2 5
Andrew Bock n/a n/a 2 2
Chad Millard 7 4 1 12
Kenny Lawson Jr. 2 4 1 7
P'Allen Stinnett 5 4 0 9
Former Players 264 11 n/a 275
Total 298 47 46 391
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
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 better from the field, 4.0 percent lower from three-point range and 1.2 percent lower from the line, which has led to that group averaging the same number of points per game in 0.9 more minutes per game.
Stat 2008-09 2009-10
FG-FGA 578-1340 523-1210
FG% .431 .432
3FG-3FGA 176-509 126-412
3FG% .346 .306
FT-FTA 410-555 367-505
FT% .739 .727
Games Played 268 236
Points 1742 1539
PPG 6.5 6.5
Minutes 4901 4535
MPG 18.3 19.2
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 14,495 fans per game so far, which ranks 15th nationally.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (through 3/23/10)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 24,110 --
2. Syracuse 21,152 --
3. Louisville 19,397 --
4. Tennessee 19,168 --
5. North Carolina 17,786 --
6. Wisconsin 17,230 --
7. Maryland 16,792 --
8. Memphis 16,498 --
9. Kansas 16,433 --
10. Marquette 15,617 --
11. Indiana 15,296 --
12. Illinois 15,242 3/24
13. Michigan State 14,759 --
14. Texas 14,629 --
15. Creighton 14,495 TBD in CIT
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
246,419 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
15,333 Creighton 2007-08
14,495 so far Creighton 2009-10
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 (99) and best home winning percentage (.846) among all Missouri Valley Conference schools, which includes a 2-0 mark at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
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 99-18 51-12
Missouri State 91-27 43-20
Wichita State 88-26 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 30-62 17-46
Indiana State 20-76 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'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 21 games, Carter has averaged 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest. He's shooting 78-of-172 from the field (45.3 percent) and 57-of-79 at the line (72.2 percent).
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 ? ? ? CIT
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 ---
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.
Before Lawson, 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
131 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
109 Doug Swenson 1997-99
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
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 410-242 record in 21 years as a Division I head coach, including 327 wins at Creighton, 68 wins at Kansas State and 15 wins at Marshall.
Altman has a 327-175 mark in 16 years at Creighton, an average of 20.4 wins per season. This is especially impressive when you consider that Creighton had just 24 wins total in the three seasons prior to his arrival.
Win # Game # Opponent Date
50 94 at UC-Santa Barbara 12/30/92
100 195 Southern Illinois 01/29/96
150 280 Illinois State 01/23/99
200 351 at Southern Illinois 02/10/01
250 414 Bradley 02/08/03
300 486 vs. Wichita State 03/06/05
350 559 Houston Baptist 12/17/07
400 636 Southern Illinois 01/13/10
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 150 rebounds in his past 21 games, moving his season average to 6.8 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 41.8 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 147-20 record, as seen below:
W-L Record When Opp. Under 40.0 FG%
Year When Opp. Under 40.0%
2009-10 9-3
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 147-20
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)
It's About Time
Creighton is 18-8 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 15-2 when Witter scores 14 or more points. Creighton has won those games by an average of 12.0 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 (and 40 straight at home if you include two games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium in that time).
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 12.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
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 (12.9 ppg., 6.8 rpg.) through 33 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 103 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 12.9
Junior RPG 6.7 6.8
Junior BPG 1.6 1.4
Points Thru 103 Games Played 736 932
Rebounds Thru 103 Games Played 465 542
Blocks Thru 103 Games Played 97 131
Wins Thru 103 Games Played 69 69
Road Warriors
The Missouri Valley Conference has recorded a 19-18 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)
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
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 534 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 327. The 11 coaches on this list have combined for 5,131 wins, 12 national titles and 26 Final Four appearances.
Records below are through games of March 23rd.
Rk. W-L Name, School Next Game
1. 829-292 Jim Boeheim, Syracuse 3/26
2. 791-220 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 3/26
3. 575-221 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut --
4. 442-238 Gary Williams, Maryland --
5. 386-274 Bob Thomason, Pacific 3/24
6. 382-248 Bob McKillop, Davidson --
7. 379-342 Fang Mitchell, Coppin State --
8. 362-145 Tom Izzo, Michigan State 3/26
9. 330-139 Billy Donovan, Florida --
10. 329-276 Dave Loos, Austin Peay --
11. 327-175 Dana Altman, Creighton 3/24
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
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
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
Altman Passing Coaching Legends
Dana Altman continues to pass some of the coaching greats in MVC history in two categories. Altman's 327 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. 327 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 534 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 65 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.
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 100 assists and 42 turnovers, good for a 2.38 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.
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
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 1 11
Southern Illinois 6 2 0 0 8
Wichita State 1 4 1 0 6
Bradley 1 2 1 1 5
Northern Iowa 5 0 0 0 5
Missouri State 0 4 0 1 5
Illinois State 0 4 0 0 4
Indiana State 2 0 1 0 3
Drake 1 0 0 1 2
Evansville 0 0 0 1 1
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
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.
Last Season Recap
Creighton went 27-8 and won a share of the MVC regular-season title for the first time since 2001-02. The Jays were then selected to the NIT, where it defeated Bowling Green before falling to Kentucky.
Senior Booker Woodfox was named MVC Player of the Year after averaging 15.8 points and ranking second nationally with 47.6 percent marksmanship from three-point range.
Fellow senior Josh Dotzler led CU in assists and led the MVC in steals while earning a spot on the Valley's All-Defensive Team.
Justin Carter returns after leading Creighton with 5.5 rebounds per contest, while P'Allen Stinnett is the team's top returning scorer after scoring at a 12.5 points per game clip.
Creighton averaged an MVC-record 15,930 fans per game last season, 12th-best nationally.
Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus provided complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to Qwest Center Omaha to all men's basketball home games played there this season. The service was available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle started 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles continued to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus were: 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 then went eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route was designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle started 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.
