2009-10 Men's Basketball Year-End Recap

Creighton Bluejays (18-16, 10-8 MVC) Year-End Recap For 2009-10

    A 13th straight postseason appearance, which included a semifinal appearance after a pair of wins in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament highlighted the 2009-10 Creighton men's basketball season.
    Creighton's record hovered around the .500 mark for most of the season before a 5-1 stretch late in the year clinched the program's 13th straight winning campaign. The team never won more than three in a row, but also never lost more than three in a row at any point.
    A challenging non-conference schedule, much of it away from home, had Creighton playing catch-up all year long in search of its 12th straight 20-win season. Creighton opened the year at preseason No. 21 Dayton, fading in the second half while dropping its first season lid-lifter since 1996-97.
    After regrouping with two home wins, Creighton would go 0-for-Orlando in three games at the Old Spice Classic. The Bluejays fell in overtime to No. 15 Michigan to open the tournament before suffering a 13-point loss to eventual Sweet 16 qualifier Xavier. Creighton then fell to an upstart Iona team in its final game of the event.
    Creighton found a return home to be the cure, topping Nebraska, 67-61, to reclaim state bragging rights. CU then suffered a heartbreaking loss at George Mason, where a technical foul on the Bluejay bench in the final 20 seconds contributed to Mason's game-ending 13-4 run that lifted the host Patriots to a three-point victory.
    Creighton sandwiched home wins over Savannah State and Houston Baptist with a 66-61 loss at No. 19 New Mexico. Creighton led by as much as 31-15 and were still up 40-28 at the break before a raucous crowd helped bring the Lobos to their 12th straight win to start the year. The comeback was the second-largest in the 43-year history of The Pit.
    Creighton entered MVC play with a 5-6 record, its first losing mark entering Valley action since 1996-97. The Bluejays opened at home following the Christmas break for the 10th straight season with preseason league favorite Northern Iowa. The Panthers would emerge with a 60-52 victory, improving to 10-1 in a season that saw them finish 30-5 and reach the Sweet 16.
    Creighton then headed to Terre Haute, Ind., where it lost a 70-64 game on New Year's Day. The defeat marked just the second time in Dana Altman's 16 years that the Jays opened league play 0-2.
    After going winless in its first seven games away from home, Creighton would finally win a game in its road jerseys with a 72-64 win at Evansville. Kenny Lawson Jr. had 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks in a dominating performance.
    The win at Evansville helped spur a segment with four wins in five games, including a four-point home win over Drake (73-69), a last-second two-point win over Southern Illinois (71-69) and a one-point win over Wichita State (57-56). The win over the Shockers was Creighton's 17th straight in Omaha over WSU.
    The Jays would follow a loss at Illinois State with narrow wins over Missouri State (76-72) and Bradley (73-68). The Bradley victory saw the emergence of freshman Josh Jones, who saw an increased role after the season-ending suspension of preseason all-Valley guard P'Allen Stinnett.
    The road win at Bradley started a six-game stretch where CU alternated wins and losses.
    Creighton stepped out of MVC play late in the season to host a Feb. 20 game versus Loyola Chicago, a 78-58 BracketBuster win. That game also saw the debut of an even younger starting line-up, as freshman Ethan Wragge and Jones moved into the first five. Creighton would win five of its final seven games with that starting combination.
    After beating Loyola, Creighton would fight back to win a closely-contested overtime game at Southern Illinois, thanks to a career-high 22 points from sophomore guard Antoine Young.
    The Jays then returned home and beat Bradley on Senior Day for Justin Carter, Chad Millard and Cavel Witter. The win over BU secured Creighton's 14th straight season of 10 or more league wins and locked up sole possession of fourth place in The Valley.
    A rematch with Bradley six days later in the quarterfinals of the State Farm MVC Tournament saw the Braves turn the tables, pulling away late in an 81-62 victory over Creighton.
    Creighton would then accept a bid to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, its 13th straight postseason appearance.
    With Qwest Center Omaha booked, Creighton would host South Dakota at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. The Jays would end USD's 12-game win streak, 89-78. Six days later in the quarterfinals, Creighton tamed a strong Fairfield team, 73-55. It marked the first time in school history that the men's basketball program had posted consecutive postseason victories.
    Creighton season came to an end in the semifinals of the CIT with a 67-61 loss at league rival Missouri State. The Bears would go on to win the event, topping Pacific 78-65 in the championship round.
    Lawson Jr. would lead Creighton in nearly every category, including points (13.1 ppg.), rebounding (6.8 rpg.), blocks (1.5 bpg.) and field goal percentage (53.8%). Lawson repeated his spot on the MVC's All-Defensive Team while also claiming second-team all-Valley accolades.
    Carter overcame a preseason knee injury to rank second on the club in scoring (9.7), rebounding (6.5) and steals (0.7) per game.
    Young took over for the graduated Josh Dotzler and led the MVC in assist/turnover ratio (2.5) while assuming more of a scoring load down the stretch.
    Wragge and Jones both had strong finishes to their freshmen seasons as well. Wragge made a three-pointer in each of his last 21 games and established a school record for freshmen with 68 three-pointers en route to MVC All-Freshman honors. Jones shook off a year of redshirt rust to play well down the stretch, with four games of 10 or more points in the second half of the season.
    Despite the up-and-down campaign, Creighton would still average 14,495 fans per game to rank 15th nationally in attendance. The Jays went 15-2 in home games, including a 13-2 mark at Qwest Center Omaha, but were just 3-14 in all other venues.

Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) broadcasted all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2009-10 season. All games, except those in the CIT, were also webcast at http://www.bigsports590.com.
    T. Scott Marr (play-by-play) and Nick Bahe (analyst) called the majority of the action, with Kevin Sarver, Jimmy Motz, Brody Deren and Dustin Sitzmann also filling in as an analyst when Bahe shifted over to television.

Television Information
Creighton had 24 games air on television this season, including its final 15 conference games. Creighton won the game in 10 of those 24 telecasts. The Jays aired nine times on KMTV, four times on Fox Sports Net and ESPNU, twice on NET Sports and ESPN2, and once each on Comcast Spotlight, WHIO and The Mtn.
    Creighton is a perfect 38-0 all-time in regular-season, non-televised games from Qwest Center Omaha.

Video Webcast Information
Close to 20 games were video webcast on a pay-per-view basis via gocreighton.com this season. The schedule included all home games except contests broadcast by FSN and ESPN, and several road games in which video was shared or televised by KMTV.

Live Stats Information
All Creighton basketball games had live stats this season. Fans could go to www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page.

The Coaches
The dean of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Creighton's Dana Altman (Eastern New Mexico, 1980) finished his 16th year as head coach of the Bluejays. He now owns a 327-176 (.650) mark at CU and a career record of 410-243 (.628) after 21 years 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 now played in the postseason in 13 straight seasons. He was assisted by Brian Fish, Darian DeVries and Todd Eisner. Mike Jones was the team's graduate manager.

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. This was the second year for the event.
    The event featured eight first-round games, four quarterfinal games, a semifinal round and then the championship game.
    Bracketing was to be done geographically into multiple regions of the country to minimize missed class time. Brackets were to be balanced competitively within each region.
    The 2009 CIT saw Old Dominion beat Bradley in the final, while the 2010 final saw Missouri State top Pacific for all the marbles.

Other CIT Match-Ups
Below is a listing of the results for the 2010 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)
Missouri State def. Creighton, 67-61

Thursday, March 25 (Semifinals)
Pacific def. Appalachian State, 64-56

Tuesday, March 30 (Finals)
Missouri State def. Pacific, 78-65

Forever Young
Antoine Young stepped up his play in the last six games. In that time, he averaged 12.5 points per game, giving CU a viable third offensive option behind top guns Kenny Lawson Jr. (14.8 ppg., 8.0 rpg.) and Justin Carter (11.5 ppg., 8.7 rpg.).
    Additionally, Young had 29 assists and just five turnovers in the last six 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 became the first Bluejay since Nate King (1993-94) with three straight games of 10+ rebounds when he had 13 rebounds vs. Bradley, 10 vs. South Dakota and 10 vs. Fairfield in the final two weeks of the year.
    In five career postseason games (2 NIT, 3 CIT), Carter averaged 9.8 points and 9.8 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 March 22nd in its win over Fairfield. That ranked as the first time all five members of the starting quintet have made a trifecta since Feb. 14, 2006 vs. Wichita State.

Postseason History
Creighton is a combined 17-30 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 2-1 all-time after their first CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament appearance.
    This year 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 was just the second year of the Collegeinsider.com Postseason Tournament, Creighton wasn'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 went 6-1 in the CIT, with Creighton going 2-1 and Missouri State going 4-0 en route to the title.

Home Sweet CIT Home
Having the home-court advantage during the CIT continues to be a tremendous edge.
    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 10-5 in the event, with Pacific accounting for three of those road triumphs.
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    1-1    1-0    10-5
Totals    13-3    5-3    3-1    1-1    22-8

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 Postseason Opponents
Creighton went 5-12 against teams that made the postseason this season. That included 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 3-3 mark over CIT teams (wins over Missouri State, South Dakota and Fairfield).

Postseason Features Last-Second Endings
Before this season, nine of Creighton's last 10 postseason runs have included a game that was decided in the final seconds, including the previous eight seasons. That streak ended this year.
    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.

Altman In The Postseason
Creighton coach Dana Altman made 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 2-1 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    2-1
Total    (8 NCAA, 7 NIT, 1 CIT)
        11-17 (7-13 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-Win Streak Snapped at 11
Creighton saw its MVC-record streak of 11 straight seasons of 20 or more wins come to an end, snapped after the team finished 18-16.
    Creighton had been the only school in the 102-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference to post 11 straight 20-win campaigns. No other Valley school has ever put together more than six straight 20-win seasons.
    Creighton had been one of six teams nationally with 20 or more wins in each of last 11 seasons. That list consisted of Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.

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).

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 before being held to a season-low four points in the year-end loss at Missouri State.

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
Creighton's March 22 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, was booked by the NCAA Wrestling Championships and by Cirque du Soleil this week, necessitating the move to the Civic.

Postseason Play At The Civic
The two CIT wins over South Dakota and Fairfield were 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.

The Over .500 Club
Creighton finished 18-16 on the season, the 14th straight season that Creighton has finished .500 or better.
    The Jays were exactly .500 on eight different occasions (1-1, 2-2, 9-9, 10-10, 11-11, 12-12, 13-13 and 14-14) and were within two games of the .500 mark for every game it's played this season except two (when it was 5-8 and when it was 18-15).
    Prior to its season-opening Nov. 14 loss at No. 21 Dayton, Creighton had not been under .500 since Dec. 3, 1997, a span of 380 games.

Double-Double Trouble
Kenny Lawson Jr. owned seven double-doubles this season, tied for third-most in the MVC. That tied 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. had 230 rebounds this season. Since Dana Altman took over 16 years ago, that ranks as the most in one season by one Bluejay player, eight 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.    230    Kenny Lawson Jr. (63o-167d)    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.) and Carter (6.5 rpg.), both men averaged more than 6.0 rebounds per game, the only MVC duo to do so.

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).
    Korver is currently in his seventh year in the NBA, and third season with the Utah Jazz and set an NBA record for single-season three-point percentage in 2009-10.

Altman Coached In 500th Game At CU
Dana Altman has coached in 503 games as a head coach at Creighton, and 653 games overall in his Division I coaching career.
    Altman owns a 410-243 career record and is 327-176 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
Kenny Lawson Jr. became the first Bluejay since Nate Funk in 2004-05 to lead the team in points and rebounds in the same season.
    Lawson, who also led the team in blocks and field goal percentage, joined 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. put together a spectacular season, with 447 points, 230 rebounds and 50 blocked shots 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 was Creighton's first player with at least 425 points, 225 rebounds and 50 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    447    230    50
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 was one of the rare players in Creighton history who could both shoot the three-pointer as well as block shots inside.
    In fact, Millard was 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    2007-10    31    40
Dane Watts    2004-08    144    54
Rodney Buford    1995-99    212    59
Kyle Korver    1999-03    371    58

Charity Tosses
After struggling early in the season at the foul line, Creighton improved greatly down the stretch.
    The Jays were 92-for-108 at the line in the last six games, good for 85.2 percent. Nine different men shot free throws in that span and all made 72.4 percent or better in that time.
    Just as impressively, Creighton shot 33-of-35 (94.3 percent) in the final five minutes over the past six games at the line.

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 15 games, Young was Creighton's third-leading scorer at 9.5 points per game and topped the team with 55 assists and 13 steals in that time.
    After starting the season 31-of-64 from the free-throw line (48.4 percent), Young made 21 of his last 23 attempts (91.3 percent) in the last six games.

Closer Than You'd Think
Northern Iowa guard Kwadzo Ahelegbe was named MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player and 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    117-307    88-219
FG Pct.    .381    .402
Assists    97    105
Turnovers    104    42
Assist/Turnover Ratio    0.93    2.50
Steals    26    23
Assists/Minute    0.094    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 Returned to NBA
Former Bluejay center Anthony Tolliver signed a contract on February 17th with Golden State that lasted 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 collected 12 double-doubles and averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest for the Warriors.
    He joined 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 2.1 rebounds per game this year while shooting a league-record 53.6 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 44 games with Golden State, Tolliver has 539 points and 319 rebounds. He had 12 double-doubles and had a career-high of 34 points on April 7th at Minnesota.
    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 was 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 was 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. led Creighton with 230 rebounds this season, and now has 547 in his career. That made 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 134 career blocks, is the first Bluejay junior with 125 or more career blocks since Benoit Benjamin (1984-85).

Boffo On The Boards
Creighton was not outrebounded in any of its last 10 games, its longest stretch since doing so in 10 games in a row during the 1998-99 season.
    For the season, Creighton outrebounded teams by an average of 35.1 - 34.4 per game.
    The Jays 35.1 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 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 seven 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 5-2 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 511 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 2-10 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 63.7 percent of made field goals in wins, and just 48.9 percent in its losses.

Lawson The Law At The Stripe
Kenny Lawson Jr. made 53 of his last 62 free throws (85.5 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.
    Lawson shot 81.9 percent at the line in 2009-10 and is a career 75.5 percent free throw shooter.

Wragge Sinking Shots
Freshman forward Ethan Wragge made at least one three-pointer in each of his last 21 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    18-16    23-10
Games Started    7    1
Points/Game    6.9    8.8
FG-FGA    75-170    97-204
FG Pct.    .441    .475
3-Point FG-FGA    68-157    63-145
3-Point Pct.    .433    .434
FT-FTA    18-21    34-38
FT Pct.    .857    .895
Rebounds/Game    2.4    3.1
MInutes/Game    15.9    18.2

Three-Mendous!
Speaking of Ethan Wragge, his 68 three-pointers led Creighton this season and put him in some elite company.
    Wragge's 68 three-pointers were a record for Bluejay freshmen, five more than the 63 that 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 drew 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 503 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 happened, Cavel Witter was 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 outscored the opposition 328-232 over the past 14 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 14 without P'Allen Stinnett (9.2 ppg.).
    Creighton's bench has outscored the opposition 853-687 (+166) 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 were 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 pumped in 90 points in the last 14 games.
    Jones started just 8-of-29 from the field (27.6 percent) this year, but made 34-of-76 shots (44.7 percent) over the last 14 contests.
    On Jan. 27 at Bradley, Jones hit 5-of-8 shots and scored a 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 took 19 of the 47 charges taken by Creighton this season, doing so while playing in just 30 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    4    13
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    47    392

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 averaged 14,495 fans per game, which ranked 15th nationally.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (FINAL)
    Rk.    School    Average
    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    14,870
    13.    Michigan State    14,759
    14.    Texas    14,629
    15.    Creighton    14,495
    16.    BYU    14,292
    17.    Ohio State    14,181
    18.    Arizona    13,815
    19.    Purdue    13,681
    20.    UNLV    13,662

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    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    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    93-27    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    39-49    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.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.
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, 3.8 percent lower from three-point range and 1.1 percent lower from the line, which led to that group averaging 0.1 more points per game in 1.0 more minutes per game.
Stat    2008-09    2009-10
FG-FGA    578-1340    540-1249
FG%    .431    .432
3FG-3FGA    176-509    129-419
3FG%    .346    .308
FT-FTA    410-555    377-518
FT%    .739    .728
Games Played    268    242
Points    1742    1586
PPG    6.5    6.6
Minutes    4901    4663
MPG    18.3    19.3

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 last 22 games, Carter averaged 10.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. He shot 79-of-176 from the field (44.9 percent) and 62-of-87 at the line (71.3 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    18-16    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 tied 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
134    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 in the last five seconds of regulation, 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 410-243 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 327-176 mark in 16 years at Creighton, an average of 20.44 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. had 155 rebounds in his last 22 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 held opponents to 41.9 percent shooting from the floor this season, and had been 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 was 18-9 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 was 15-2 when Witter scores 14 or more points. Creighton won those games by an average of 12.0 points per contest. Creighton was 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 led Creighton with 13.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in 2009-10.

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. did 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. put up (13.1 ppg., 6.8 rpg.) his junior campaign.
    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 104 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    13.1
Junior RPG    6.7    6.8
Junior BPG    1.6    1.5
Points Thru 104 Games Played    742    953
Rebounds Thru 104 Games Played    472    547
Blocks Thru 104 Games Played    97    134
Wins Thru 104 Games Played    69    69

Road Warriors
The Missouri Valley Conference recorded a 19-18 record in non-conference true road contests this year. The 19 road wins were nearly double 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
2009-10 -- 19-10 (1 NCAA, 2 NIT, 2 CIT, 1 CBI)
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 535 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. five 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 5,139 wins, 13 national titles and 28 Final Four appearances.
Rk.    W-L    Name, School
1.    829-293    Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2.    795-220    Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
3.    575-221    Jim Calhoun, Connecticut
4.    442-238    Gary Williams, Maryland
5.    387-275    Bob Thomason, Pacific
6.    382-248    Bob McKillop, Davidson
7.    379-342    Fang Mitchell, Coppin State
8.    364-146    Tom Izzo, Michigan State
9.    330-139    Billy Donovan, Florida
10.    329-276    Dave Loos, Austin Peay
11.    327-176    Dana Altman, Creighton

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

Walker & Sears Enter Creighton Hall of Fame
Ben Walker and Ryan Sears were inducted into the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame on April 12, 2010. The duo starred for Creighton from 1997-2001 and advanced to four postseasons, including three NCAA Tournaments.

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 535 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 105 assists and 42 turnovers, good for a 2.50 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 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 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.

Players Mentioned

Darryl Ashford

Benoit Benjamin

Andrew Bock

Rodney Buford

Justin Carter

Joe Dabbert

Josh Dotzler

Nate Funk

Chad Gallagher

Mike Grimes

Casey Harriman

Bob Harstad

Justin Haynes

Pierce Hibma

Donnie Johnson

Josh Jones

Kaleb Korver

Kyle Korver

Kenny Lawson Jr.

Michael Lindeman

Johnny Mathies

Johnny Mathies

Tyler McKinney

Chad Millard

Vernon Moore

Jimmy Motz

Livan Pyfrom

Wayne Runnels

Ryan Sears

Dustin Sitzmann

P'Allen Stinnett

Terrell Taylor

Anthony Tolliver

Ben Walker

Dane Watts

Matt West

Cavel Witter

Booker Woodfox

Ethan Wragge

Antoine Young

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