Men's Basketball Ends Road Swing Wednesday at UNI

Game #22 • Creighton at Northern Iowa • Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011 • 8:00 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at Northern Iowa Panthers
McLeod Center (6,650) • Cedar Falls, Iowa
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: ESPNU
Series History: Creighton leads, 26-14
Last Time: Northern Iowa won, 70-52, on Feb. 16, 2010 in Cedar Falls

Next Game
Creighton (13-8, 5-4 MVC) ends a grueling stretch of five road games in 19 days with a contest at two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa (15-6, 6-3 MVC).
    The game will tip at 8:00 pm and be played at McLeod Center (6,650) in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“Big Sports 590” AM) will broadcast all Creighton men's basketball games during the 2010-11 season. T. Scott Marr and Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.bigsports590.com.
    Bluejay Banter hosts Danny O'Byrne, Tim Krueger and Heath Gunderson will host a post-game call in show, also on KXSP, from DJ's Dugout on 114th & Dodge Streets in Omaha.

Television Broadcast Information
Wednesday's game at Northern Iowa will be televised nationally on ESPNU, with Dan McLaughlin and Kara Lawson on the call.

Video Webcast Information
Wednesday's game will not be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
    Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
    Updates are also provided on the athletic department's Twitter page (@gocreighton).

Scouting Creighton
Creighton has a new coach, but the winning ways that became common in the last decade have been continued under Greg McDermott. This year's edition is off to an 13-8 start, including a 5-4 league record that already includes Valley road wins at Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Evansville.
    Freshman forward Doug McDermott (13.6 ppg., 7.2 rpg.) leads Creighton in both scoring and rebounding this season. He was named recipient of the MVC Newcomer of the Week award each of the first four weeks this season, as well as January 3rd. He's been in double-figures in 17 of 21 contests to date, including five double-doubles.
    Junior guard Antoine Young (12.8 ppg., 3.0 rpg., 4.6 apg.) has carried Creighton at times and leads the squad in assists, steals, minutes and free throws.
    Preseason MVC Player of the Year Kenny Lawson Jr. averages 10.2 points and 6.0 rebounds on the season. He scored 30 points and snared 18 rebounds vs. Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11 to earn National Jesuit Player of the Week accolades. His streak of 92 straight starts was snapped last Wednesday, as Josh Jones (2.8 ppg.) took his place.
    New on the scene is big man Gregory Echenique (11.5 ppg., 4.9 rpg., 2.1 bpg.). He's made an immediate impact as Creighton has won eight of the 12 games since he became eligible on Dec. 17th.
    Creighton averages 67.0 points per game while allowing 63.4 per contest. The Bluejays own an impressive 290/236 assist/turnover ratio.
    The Bluejays, picked fourth in the preseason MVC poll, have outscored opponents 283/169 at the line through 21 games.

Scouting Northern Iowa
Two-time defending Valley champion Northern Iowa is 15-6 on the season and fourth in the MVC with a 6-3 league mark at the midway point. The Panthers started conference play 1-3, but have won five straight since then to get back into the race.
    Three men average in double-figures, a trio led by Kwadzo Ahelegbe (12.8 ppg.). Ahlelegbe was named Valley Tournament MVP last season and is shooting 54.8 percent from the floor in league play, including 50 percent from downtown. Also in double-figures are sophomores Anthony James (11.5 ppg.) and Jake Koch (10.3 ppg.).
    Pacing the Panthers on the glass is senior bruiser Lucas O'Rear (7.0 ppg., 5.7 rpg.).
    Northern Iowa ranks sixth among the national leaders in scoring defense (57.2 ppg.) and are 10-1 at home this year.

The Coaches
Greg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his first season as head coach at Creighton, but is no stranger to coaching in the state of Nebraska or in the Missouri Valley Conference. McDermott was hired in April after spending the previous four seasons as head coach at Iowa State (2006-10). He has also been a head coach at Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000).
    McDermott owns a head coaching record of 293-203 in 17 seasons, a 162-139 mark in 10 Division I years and a 13-8 mark in his first year at Creighton.
    He is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
    Ben Jacobson (North Dakota, 1994) owns a 104-49 record in his fifth year as a head coach. Jacobson was promoted to head coach when Greg McDermott took the Iowa State job five summers ago and has led UNI to back-to-back MVC regular-season and MVC Tournament titles. Jacobson is assisted by Ben Johnson, Kyle Green and P.J. Hogan.

The Series With Northern Iowa
Creighton leads the all-time series with Northern Iowa by a 26-14 count, including a 9-10 mark in Cedar Falls.
    The road team has won three of the last four meetings in the series, and the Jays have actually won five of their last six trips to Cedar Falls.
    Creighton has won 10 of the last 13 and 21 of the last 27 meetings. Eight of the last 12 contests have been decided by nine points or less.
    Greg McDermott is 1-3 against UNI and 1-3 against Ben Jacobson.
    Creighton's series history vs. Northern Iowa can be found on page seven of these notes.

Last Game Recap
Creighton led for more than 39 minutes, but it wasn't enough as Missouri State used a late rally to edge the Jays, 67-66, on Saturday at JQH Arena. Creighton soared to an early 10-2 lead and claimed a pair of 15-point leads in the second half before MSU's comeback. Kyle Weems would score the winning points on a lay-up off an inbounds play with 14.2 seconds left, and Creighton turned it over on its final possession.
    Antoine Young led Creighton with 18 points, Doug McDermott had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Gregory Echenique had 10 points, seven rebounds and seven blocked shots. Weems paced MSU with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

On Point
Only two point guards rank among the top-15 in the MVC in scoring...Creighton's Antoine Young and UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe.
    Young leads the MVC with 96 assists and a 2.40 assist/turnover ratio, and with 4.6 assists per game. He is eighth in The Valley with 12.8 points per game, 10th with 76.9 percent from the free throw line and second in minutes (36.2).
    Ahelegbe is seventh in the MVC with 12.8 points per game. He's also 11th in the league with 2.6 assists per game, sixth in free-throw percentage (81.1) and 10th in minutes (30.5).

Northern Iowa - Creighton Ties
Wednesday night's game features the Valley return of Creighton head coach Greg McDermott to his alma mater, Northern Iowa. McDermott played at UNI from 1984-88, where he scored 1,033 career points to rank 29th in UNI history. He later reached three NCAA Tournaments as head coach of the program from 2001-06. McDermott is 1-1 in Cedar Falls against the program he used to coach, beating UNI in 2008 after falling in 2006 when he was head coach at Iowa State.
    Creighton assistant coach Darian DeVries played at Northern Iowa from 1994-98. He ranks 25th on UNI's all-time scoring list with 1,084 points. He is a native of Aplington, Iowa. His younger sister, Jodi, was a second-team all-MVC volleyball player for the Panthers.
    Creighton Director of Basketball Operations Erik Crawford is also a UNI grad, having played for McDermott from 2003-06. He scored 985 points in three seasons, and ranks 34th on UNI's all-time scoring chart.
    In addition, Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen is a 1971 graduate of Northern Iowa. He is a native of Webster City, Iowa.

Little Mac Attack
Creighton freshman Doug McDermott signed a letter-of-intent with Northern Iowa as a senior in high school, only to be released by from that tender when his father Greg McDermott was named head coach at Creighton in April.
    Doug McDermott has been nothing short of sensational as a Bluejay, starting all 21 games and leading the team in scoring (13.6 ppg.) and rebounding (7.2 rpg.).
    He posted consecutive double-doubles last week, giving him a team-high five on the season, and has scored in double-figures in 17 of his first 21 games as a collegian.

Valley Tourney Champs Collide
Wednesday's meeting features seven of the last nine champions of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, and nine of the last 12 titlists. Creighton has won crowns in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007, while UNI won tournament titles in 2004, 2009 and 2010.
    This year's MVC Tournament will be held in St. Louis, Mo., from March 3-6.
    In addition, Creighton and UNI have had players named MVC Sixth Man of the Year in each of the last three seasons. CU's Booker Woodfox won the award in 2007-08, while UNI's Lucas O'Rear claimed the award in both 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Home Away From Home
Creighton had its five-game winning streak in Cedar Falls snapped by last season's UNI team that eventually reached the Sweet 16.
    Those five consecutive seasons with a road win against the same opponent (2005-09) was Creighton's longest such streak since 1936-40 versus Washington (Mo.).

Rude Visitors
Creighton handed UNI its first-ever loss at McLeod Center, and is 3-1 all-time at the facility.
    Creighton beat UNI 62-54 in Cedar Falls in 2007, scoring the game's first seven points and eventually taking a 20-4 lead after eight minutes. CU never trailed in the triumph.
    In 2008, Creighton used a 17-0 run spanning halftime to build a 45-28 lead. The Panthers would claw within four, but get no closer, as Nick Bahe's 15 points paced three Bluejays in double-figures.
    In 2009 Creighton trailed 35-31 before a 15-4 run gave it the lead for good. Justin Carter had 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Jays.
    Last season eventual NCAA Tournament hero Ali Farokhmanesh drained four three-pointers in the first half to help UNI to a 37-24 halftime lead over Creighton. The victory clinched UNI's second straight MVC regular-season title.

Return To Sender
Gregory Echenique has 13 blocked shots in his last two road games, including a Valley season-high of seven on Saturday at Missouri State. Echenique leads the MVC with 18 rejections in league play.
    In an unusual twist, all 18 swats have come in CU's five league road games, as he's yet to record a rejection in any of CU's four Valley home tilts to date.
    His seven blocks at Missouri State were the most by a Jay since Kenny Lawson Jr. at Evansville on Jan. 3, 2010.

Schedule Makes A Turn For Home
Creighton's game at UNI on Wednesday will mark its fifth Valley road game in its last seven tilts. No other school in The Valley has yet to undergo a similar stretch.
    Once Wednesday's game is in the rearview mirror, the schedule would appear to turn in Creighton's favor, as five of its final eight league games are at home.

Road Excitement
Creighton has played eight games away from home this season, with all but two being decided in the final minutes.
    Creighton's Nov. 21 game vs. Iowa State in Des Moines saw ISU drain a 35-foot shot at the final horn to hand the Cyclones a 91-88 victory.
    On Dec. 5, Creighton missed a three-pointer in the final 10 seconds that could have tied the score, going on to lose at Nebraska by five.
    On Jan. 7 at Southern Illinois, Creighton had the ball with the score tied but could not score at the buzzer, forcing overtime. Once in OT, the Jays won by six.
    Two days later at Evansville, Creighton won 74-69 when Ned Cox's game-tying jumper rimmed out with 20 seconds left.
    More recently on Jan. 16 at Indiana State, Creighton missed a go-ahead three-pointer with 20 seconds left, and lost when Carl Richard tipped in a Jake Odum airball as time expired.
    Last but likely not least, Creighton fell at Missouri State on Saturday when Kyle Weems scored on a lay-up with 14.2 seconds left to give MSU a 67-66 win. Creighton would turn the ball over without attempting a shot in the final seconds.

Ball Control Offense
Northern Iowa ranks third nationally with 10.3 turnovers per game, while Creighton's defense ranks 343rd (of 345) with 15.5 turnovers forced per 100 possessions, according to numbers crunched by KenPom.com.
    Creighton has forced single-digit turnovers in 10 of its 21 games to date, while UNI has seven games of less than 10 miscues.
    Creighton is no slouch to taking care of the ball itself, ranking 18th nationally with just 11.2 turnovers per game, including seven games of less than 10.

Pink Out Coming Up On Saturday
Creighton fans are encouraged to wear pink shirts for cancer awareness when head coach Greg McDermott and the Bluejays host Indiana State on Saturday afternoon.
    The promotion is one in which college basketball coaches nationwide will wear sneakers with their sideline attire to raise cancer awareness and remind fans that by making healthy lifestyle choices, such as regular exercise and a healthy diet, they can reduce their own cancer risk. Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration of the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
    Official “Pink Out” t-shirts are available for purchase at the following Lawlor's Custom Sportswear locations: Westroads Mall, Oakview Mall, Shadow Lake Town Center and the Superstore located at 84th & J Streets.
    Creighton players will be wearing special shoes with pink coloring, and coaches from both schools will wear sneakers with their suits as part of the national Coaches vs. Cancer awareness campaign.

Young Follows His Elders
Junior point guard Antoine Young has 21 assists in his last three games, giving him 250 for his career. Here's a look at how he compares in his career to some of his predecessors:
Name    Young    Dotzler    McKinney    Sears
Games    89    117    110    124
Starts    54    96    97    124
Points    676    422    570    1311
PPG    7.6    3.6    5.2    10.6
Assists    250    388    430    570
APG    2.8    3.3    3.9    4.6
Turnovers    122    200    188    252
A/TO Ratio    2.05    1.94    2.29    2.03
Steals    55    196    119    283
SPG    0.62    1.68    1.08    2.29
Minutes/Game    23.7    23.0    26.5    33.7

Jays Defend The Trey
Earlier in the season one of Creighton's bugaboos was its inability to slow down the opposition from three-point territory.
    That weakness has turned around in league action, where Creighton's 29.8 percent three-point percentage defense ranks second-best in the MVC (Indiana State, 27.3%).
    Last week alone, Creighton held Bradley and Missouri State to combined 4-of-25 profiency from three-point range, good for a paltry 16 percent.
    Northern Iowa figures to put Creighton's perimeter defense to the test, as it is tied for third in the MVC with 6.9 treys per league contest.

Teach Me How To Double-Double
Creighton freshman Doug McDermott has snagged a double-double in each of Creighton's last two games.
    He is Creighton's first player with consecutive double-doubles since Kenny Lawson Jr. in February of 2010, and Creighton's first freshman with consecutive double-doubles since Bob Harstad had three straight from March 2-9, 1988.
    He is seeking to become Creighton's first player (regardless of year) with three straight double-doubles since Nate King did so from Dec. 29, 1993 - Jan. 8, 1984.

Nearing The Top 10
Kenny Lawson Jr. ranks 13th in Creighton history with 672 career rebounds. He's five boards shy from a spot in the top-10 in school history.
Rank        Reb.    Name    Years
    1.    1,751    Paul Silas    1961-64
    2.    1,126    Bob Harstad    1987-91
    3.    1,005    Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
    4.    979    Bob Portman    1966-69
    5.    891    Chad Gallagher    1987-91
    6.    716    Rodney Buford    1995-99
    7.    709    Rick Apke    1975-78
    8.    696    Wally Anderzunas    1965-67, 1968-69
    9.    686    Dane Watts    2004-08
    10.    677    Ted Wuebben    1971-74
        677    Ben Walker    1997-01
    12.    674    Tim Powers    1964-67
    13.    672    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pres.
    14.    666    David Wesely    1975-79
    15.    664    Kyle Korver    1999-03

A Freshman Who Rebounds
Freshman Doug McDermott isn't anywhere close to senior Kenny Lawson's career totals, but his 152 rebounds through 21 games this year are more than double the 69 caroms Lawson had through his first 21 career games.
    McDermott has grabbed eight or more rebounds in each of the last eight games, the first Bluejay to do so since Jerry Vanderheydt had eight straight from Dec. 1-29, 1993.
    With another game of eight or more rebounds on Wednesday, McDermott will be Creighton's first player with nine straight games of eight or more boards since Benoit Benjamin's streak of 31 straight from Feb. 20, 1985 to March 8, 1984.

Different Paths, Similar Results
Doug McDermott and Harrison Barnes helped lead Ames (Iowa) High School to back-to-back, undefeated state championships while in high school. Now both freshmen at the college level, McDermott is at Creighton and Barnes a preseason first-team All-America at North Carolina.
Stat    McDermott    Barnes
Team W-L    13-8    13-5
Games/Games Started    21/21    18/18
Points/Game    13.6    11.8
Rebounds/Game    7.2    5.3
Minutes/Game    29.8    27.3
FG-FGA    114-220    74-198
FG%    .518    .374
3FG-3FGA    16-54    21-68
3FG%    .296    .309
FT-FTA    42-57    43-61
FT%    .737    .705
20-Point Games    2    0
10-Rebound Games    6    1
Double-Doubles    5    1

Double-Digits For Doug
According to STATS Inc., Creighton freshman Doug McDermott was the nation's only freshman to open the 2010-11 season by scoring in double-figures in each of his team's first eight games.
    Additionally, McDermott is among the national freshmen leaders in double-figure scoring games, as seen below:
Double-Figure Scoring Games, Freshmen
Source: STATS Inc. • Through Jan. 23, 2011
    Streak    Name, School    Next Game
    18    J.J. Sullinger, Ohio State    Jan. 25
    18    Tobias Harris, Tennessee    Jan. 26
    18    Brandon Knight, Kentucky    Jan. 29
    18    Terrence Jones, Kentucky    Jan. 29
    17    Doug McDermott, Creighton    Jan. 26
    16    Eric Ferguson, Georgia Southern    Jan. 26
    16    Steven Roundtree, Oral Roberts    Jan. 27
    16    Trey Zeigler, Central Michigan    Jan. 27
    15    Perry Jones, Baylor    Jan. 24
    15    Tristan Thompson, Texas    Jan. 26
    15    Ray McCallum, Detroit    Jan. 28
    15    Travis McKie, Wake Forest    Jan. 29

Sports Illustrated Coverage
Sports Illustrated writer Luke Winn wrote a feature for the Jan. 20 edition of the magazine's college men's basketball pages that talks about Greg and Doug McDermott. Winn calls them “the most surprising father-son combination in Division I”.
    The story can be found on-line at http://tinyurl.com/si-mcd-story.

Lawson Off The Bench?
Senior center Kenny Lawson Jr. made his 100th career start on Dec. 22 vs. Samford, the first Bluejay to reach that mark since Dane Watts on Jan. 9, 2008 vs. Evansville.
    Lawson started 92 straight games (10th-longest nationally according to STATS Inc.) from March 7, 2008 until Jan. 16, 2011, before coming off the bench on Jan. 19 vs. Bradley.
    Despite his recent role as a reserve, Lawson still leads all active Valley players with 107 career starts.

Korver With 100 Treys
Kaleb Korver enters Wednesday's game with 100 career three-pointers. He has attempted 251 treys in his career, good for 39.84 percent.
    Korver has made half of his six three-point attempts in his career against UNI.

JJ Has Freaky Fast Finish
Josh Jones missed his first two shooting attempts last Wednesday in his first start since Nov. 17, only to recover by making his final five attempts, including four attempts from long-range.
    Jones tied his career-high with 14 points (set last season), and more than doubled his previous season best of six points.
    Jones entered the evening just 3-of-22 (13.6 percent) from long-range in the first 19 games of the year, before his breakthrough with four treys in the first half on Wednesday vs. Bradley.
    He followed up that game with seven points and two steals on Saturday at Missouri State.

Dishing Dimes
Junior point guard Antoine Young had a career-high with nine assists on Jan. 16 at Indiana State, then surpassed that with 10 helpers in last Wednesday's win over Bradley.
    Young became Creighton's first player with consecutive games of nine or more assists since Edward St. Fleur had nine in games on both Jan. 16 and Jan. 18, 1997.
    The 10 dimes by Young on Jan. 19 matched a Qwest Center Omaha record by a Creighton player, and were the most by a Creighton player (regardless of site) since Josh Dotzler also had 10 assists on Dec. 9, 2007 vs. Saint Joseph's.

Building A Lead
Creighton's 49-25 lead at halftime last Wednesday was its largest halftime lead at Qwest Center Omaha since a 47-20 advantage over Nebraska on Nov. 24, 2007.
    Creighton's 49 points in the first half was its most at Qwest Center Omaha by intermission since Houston Baptist also had 49 on Dec. 17, 2007.

ESPN All-Access
Creighton's current basketball team features three men that have helped out with ESPN's coverage of the Men's College World Series, held annually in Omaha.
    Kaleb Korver, Casey Harriman and Antoine Young have all held roles that includes setting up the announcer's booth, serving as grips, working with the camera men that venture into the crowd and other assorted duties.
    The CWS returns to Omaha for a 62nd consecutive year from June 18-28 and will once again be seen on ESPN and ESPN2. Scheduled to open its gates on April 19, 2011, the CWS will move to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha which will also be the home to Creighton baseball.

Bright Lights, Big Wins
Creighton is 29-15 in its last 44 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, and will be making its first appearance of the year on the World Wide Leader on Saturday. In these 44 ESPN-affiliated appearances, Creighton is 27-7 when scoring 62 points or more, but just 2-8 when scoring 61 points or less.
    Below is CU's recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Date    Opponent    Score    Network
01/22/11    at Missouri State    L 66-67    ESPN2
01/24/10    Missouri State    W 76-72    ESPNU
01/16/10    Wichita State    W 57-56    ESPN2
01/09/10    at Wichita State    L 58-70    ESPNU
11/29/09    vs. Iona    L 55-63    ESPNU
11/28/09    vs. Xavier    L 67-80    ESPNU
11/26/09    vs. #15 Michigan    L 76-83 ot    ESPN2
03/23/09    Kentucky    L 63-65    ESPN
02/28/09    Illinois State    W 74-70    ESPN2
02/21/09    George Mason    W 76-63    ESPNU
02/14/09    at Southern Illinois    W 82-60    ESPN2
01/20/09    at Evansville    W 79-57    ESPNU
03/21/08    at Florida    L 54-82    ESPN2
03/18/08    Rhode Island    W 74-73    ESPNU
02/23/08    at Oral Roberts    W 65-64    ESPN2
02/19/08    Missouri State    W 88-67    ESPNU
02/10/08    Southern Illinois    W 72-53    ESPNU
02/05/08    Northern Iowa    W 74-50    ESPNU
01/26/08    at Southern Illinois    L 44-48    ESPN2
01/15/08    at Northern Iowa    W 68-59    ESPN2
02/24/07    Wichita State    W 71-54    ESPN2
02/17/07    Drexel    L 58-64    ESPN2
02/13/07    Northern Iowa    W 66-55    ESPNU
02/10/07    at Southern Illinois    L 68-72    ESPN2
12/30/06    Missouri State    W 77-74    ESPN2
12/06/06    at Dayton    L 54-60    ESPNU
02/18/06    Fresno State    W 67-62    ESPN
02/14/06    at Wichita State    L 61-62 ot    ESPNU
01/31/06    Northern Iowa    W 63-55    ESPNU
03/07/05    vs. Missouri State    W 75-57    ESPN
02/12/05    at Southern Illinois    L 67-71    ESPN2
02/09/05    Northern Iowa    W 83-82    ESPN2
02/21/04    at Kent State    L 55-70    ESPN2
02/07/04    Southern Illinois    L 60-61    ESPN2
03/10/03    vs. Southern Illinois    W 80-56    ESPN
02/22/03    Fresno State    W 67-66    ESPN2
01/18/03    Southern Illinois    W 85-76    ESPN2
03/04/02    vs. Southern Illinois    W 84-76    ESPN2
02/23/02    at Bradley    W 80-64    ESPN2
02/17/01    Wyoming    W 84-72    ESPN
02/10/01    at Southern Illinois    W 77-63    ESPN
03/06/00    vs. Missouri State    W 57-45    ESPN
02/07/00    at Colorado State    W 78-67    ESPN
03/01/99    vs. Evansville    W 70-61    ESPN

No Upsets Here
In the eight-year history of Qwest Center Omaha, Creighton owns a perfect 50-0 record against teams that enter the game with a record of .500 or worse.
    Of the 21 teams that have beaten Creighton at Qwest Center Omaha, eight reached the NIT, seven reached the NCAA's, one played in the CIT and two teams (Wyoming and Illinois State, both in 2004-05) did not make the postseason. Postseason play for the teams to win at Creighton this season (nationally-ranked BYU, Wichita State and Missouri State) seems likely.

What's Your Twenty?
Creighton has been .500 or better after 20 games in each of the last 16 seasons, including this season.
    Even more impressive, Creighton has won 13 of its first 20 games in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
Creighton -- First 20 Games, Last 16 Years
Year    First 20 W-L    Final W-L    Postseason
2010-11    13-7    ? ? ?    ? ? ?
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    ---

Full House
This year Creighton is averaging 14,990 fans per home game, which ranks 11th nationally according to unofficial numbers crunched by the Creighton Sports Information office.
    In 2009-10, Creighton averaged 14,495 fans per game, which ranked 15th nationally. Creighton averaged 15,883 in 15 games at Qwest Center Omaha (which would have ranked 10th) before two CIT crowds below 5,000 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium dropped the average precipitously.
    Creighton has finished in the top-15 of the national attendance leaders in each of the previous four seasons.
2010-11 Attendance Leaders (through 1/24)
    Rk.    School    Average    Next
    1.    Kentucky    23,245    1/29
    2.    Louisville    21,586    1/26
    3.    Syracuse    21,098    1/25
    4.    Tennessee    18,239    1/26
    5.    North Carolina    17,830    1/29
    6.    Wisconsin    17,230    2/1
    7.    Memphis    16,678    1/26
    8.    Kansas    16,300    1/29
    9.    BYU    15,724    1/26
    10.    Illinois    15,682    2/1
    11.    Creighton    14,990    1/29
    12.    Marquette    14,835    1/25
    13.    Michigan State    14,797    1/27
    14.    New Mexico    14,746    1/26
    15.    Indiana    14,506    1/27

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
    194,864    Creighton    2010-11
    192,258    Creighton    2003-04
    191,440    Louisville    1974-75

Highest Average Attendance, MVC History
    Avg. Att.    School    Year
    15,930    Creighton    2008-09
    15,909    Creighton     2006-07
    15,333    Creighton    2007-08
    14,990 so far    Creighton    2010-11
    14,495    Creighton    2009-10
    13,901    Creighton    2005-06
    13,674    Louisville    1974-75

Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 11 of the last 12 seasons, an unprecedented feat in Missouri Valley Conference history that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
    Just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 12 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
    Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in 11 of the past 12 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
    That's better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut, Memphis and Michigan State (10 each), ahead of Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (9 each) and even better than Louisville (8).

Postseason x 13
Creighton has made the postseason in 13 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
    The only 10 schools to make the postseason in each of the last 13 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.

Consistent Challengers
Nine of Creighton's last 13 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley's regular-season race. Two of the four that didn't won the MVC Tournament.
    The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament.
Creighton's MVC Finishes, Last 13 Years
1st Place    2000-01
Tied for First    2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place    1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.), 2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd    1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place    2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place    1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10

Jays Earn 10 Home Wins, Again
The win last Wednesday against Bradley, was Creighton's 10th home victory this season. Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 15 straight seasons.
    The streak is a school-record, three 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.

Looking To Go Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 30 straight trips through the league, including this year's first half.
    Creighton's 30 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, far ahead of Northern Iowa (6), Wichita State (4), Indiana State (2) and Missouri State (1). Southern Illinois can join that list with a win on Sunday vs. Illinois State.
    Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96. Notably, this is the fourth straight season Creighton has been 5-4 at the midway point. In 2008-09 (as well as in 2000-01), Creighton went 9-0 in the second half of the Valley slate.
Year    1st Half    2nd Half
2010-11    5-4    0-0
2009-10    5-4    5-4
2008-09    5-4    9-0
2007-08    5-4    5-4
2006-07    6-3    7-2
2005-06    7-2    5-4
2004-05    5-4    6-3
2003-04    7-2    5-4
2002-03    8-1    7-2
2001-02    8-1    6-3
2000-01    5-4    9-0
1999-00    5-4    6-3
1998-99    6-3    5-4
1997-98    5-4    7-2
1996-97    5-4    5-4
1995-96    4-5    5-4
Total    94-59 (.606)    93-51 (.646)

NBA Jays
Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver give Creighton a pair of alums in the NBA for the third straight year.
    Korver plays for the Chicago Bulls and is in his eighth year in the NBA, including previous stops in Philadelphia and Utah.
    Tolliver plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves and is in his third year in the NBA, including previous stops with Cleveland, San Antonio, New Orleans, Portland and Golden State.
    Creighton has now had an NBA player in 27 of the last 28 years, and 44 of 47 seasons since 1964-65.
    In addition, Creighton alum Paul Silas is currently interim head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.

300 Division I Games For McDermott
Last Wednesday was the 300th game as a Division I head coach for Greg McDermott, who owns a 162-139 mark in such games so far.
    He earned his 56th win in his 100th game over Illinois State on Jan. 3, 2005, and his 85th loss in his 200th game at Baylor on Jan. 12, 2008.

Home Cooking
Creighton is 53-14 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.791), compared to a 34-34 (.500) road record in the MVC during that stretch.
    Only six MVC visiting schools (DU, ILS, MSU, UNI, SIU and WSU) have ever won a game in the eight-year old Qwest Center Omaha. The other three Valley schools (BU, UE, INS) 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 13    8-0
Drake    Won 2    6-2
Evansville    Won 11    7-0
Illinois State    Lost 1    4-3
Indiana State    Won 11    7-0
Missouri State    Lost 1    6-2
Northern Iowa    Lost 2    5-2
So. Illinois    Won 3    3-4
Wichita State    Lost 1    7-1

Lawson Up For Senior CLASS Award
Senior center Kenny Lawson Jr. is one of 30 candidates nationwide for the Senior CLASS Award. The award – presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year in 10 sports – focuses on the “Four C's” of classroom, character, community and competition.
    An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor the attributes of college basketball seniors who remain committed to their university and pursue the many rewards that a senior season and complete college education brings.
    Lawson is the one of two MVC men's athletes named this year (joining Bradley guard Dodie Dunson), but the fourth Creighton candidate since 2003. Kyle Korver was a finalist for the award in 2003, while Anthony Tolliver was a finalist in 2007. Both were also named Senior CLASS All-Americans. In addition, Dane Watts was a candidate in 2008 but did not advance to the final stage.
    Creighton, which also has Sam Schuett as a candidate for the women's award, is one of just five schools nationally (Creighton, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Lehigh and Duke) with a candidate on both the men's and women's side.
    The 2011 men's candidate class includes three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans from a year ago, nine student-athletes on the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award, 16 players with grade point averages of 3.0 and above and eight from teams ranked in the Associated Press preseason top 25. It also includes 2010-11 Creighton opponents Dodie Dunson (Bradley), Jimmer Fredette (BYU) and Cameron Jones (Northern Arizona).

Home Losses Are Rare
Saddled with three home losses already, Creighton has history on its side. The last two Bluejay teams to finish with exactly three home losses (2008-09 and 2001-02) have won a share of the MVC regular-season title.

Creighton Prep Alum Scores, Ends Drought
Taylor Stormberg scored his first points as a Bluejay when his two free throws with 1:18 left closed the scoring on Jan. 12 vs. Wichita State.
    Incredibly for a hometown kid who attended a high school with as much athletic success as Creighton Prep, Stormberg's points marked the first by a former Junior Jay since Mark Johnson scored one point in a 98-77 win over West Texas State on Jan. 21, 1984.

Big Man Has Finesse
Creighton behemoth Gregory Echenique hasn't played in enough games (75 percent is required) to qualify for the MVC all-game leaders in field goal percentage, but he's running away with theat category in league-only contests.
    Echenique has drained 66.7 percent of his shots in MVC action, 34-of-51. Evansville center Pieter van Tongeren is second to Echenique at 63.8 percent in Valley play.
    In all games, van Tongeren shoots a league-best 65.2 percent from the field.
    Nationally, Mike Glover from Iona leads the nation with 65.9 percent marksmanship among players who make five or more field goals per game.

Team of the Decade?
Below is the records for each MVC school since the start of the 2000-01 season, ranked by overall winning percentage. Creighton leads the MVC overall with 240 wins in the decade, as well as 10 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to Jan. 23, 2011)
        MVC    only          All Games
Team    W    L    Pct.    W    L    Pct.
Creighton    130    59    .688    241    106    .695
Southern Illinois    128    61    .677    227    118    .658
Northern Iowa    105    84    .556    201    136    .596
Wichita State    102    87    .540    197    141    .583
Missouri State    101    88    .534    197    142    .581
Illinois State    87    102    .460    177    153    .536
Bradley    87    102    .460    176    166    .515
Drake    79    110    .418    157    169    .482
Indiana State    66    123    .349    136    191    .416
Evansville    60    129    .317    120    193    .383

Postseason Appearances by MVC Teams
(Since 2000-01)
Team    NCAA    NIT    CBI    CIT    Total
Creighton    5    4    0    1    10
Southern Illinois    6    1    0    0    7
Wichita State    1    4    1    0    6
Northern Iowa    5    0    0    0    5
Bradley    1    2    1    1    5
Missouri State    0    3    0    1    4
Illinois State    0    4    0    0    4
Indiana State    1    0    1    0    2
Drake    1    0    0    1    2
Evansville    0    0    0    1    1

Good Starts = Good Finishes
Since 1993-94, only one team (Northern Iowa, a 2008-09 co-champion) has won at least a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title without winning its regular-season opener in league play.
    In fact, 15 of the last 16 regular-season champs (or co-champs) have opened 2-0 or better in MVC play, with UNI in 2008-09 once again serving as the exception.
    This year, the only three teams to start 2-0 in the MVC were Creighton, Missouri State and Wichita State.
    Creighton has started 2-0 in MVC play 18 times previously. Incredibly, Creighton has ended up finishing first or second in the MVC in all 18 of those seasons, reaching the NCAA or NIT in 12 of the 13 years since postseason play started.
    Five of the past six times the Jays started 2-0 and lost its third league game (as it did this year), Creighton won at least a share of the regular-season title.
    Below is a list of Creighton's 2-0 starts in MVC play.
Year    MVC Start    MVC Finish    Postseason
2010-11    2-0    ??    ??
2008-09    2-0    14-4 (T-1st)    NIT
2006-07    2-0    13-5 (2nd)    NCAA
2003-04    4-0    12-6 (T-2nd)    NIT
2002-03    7-0    15-3 (2nd)    NCAA
2001-02    2-0    14-4 (T-1st)    NCAA
2000-01    2-0    14-4 (1st)    NCAA
1988-89    5-0    11-3 (1st)    NCAA
1980-81    4-0    11-5 (T-2nd)    NCAA
1979-80    3-0    9-7 (T-2nd)    --
1977-78    2-0    12-4 (1st)    NCAA
1942-43    10-0    10-0 (1st)    NIT
1941-42    4-0    9-1 (T-1st)    NIT
1940-41    2-0    9-3 (1st)    NCAA
1936-37    2-0    8-4 (2nd)    no tourneys yet
1933-34    2-0    7-3 (2nd)    no tourneys yet
1931-32    8-0    8-0 (1st)    no tourneys yet
1929-30    2-0    6-2 (T-1st)    no tourneys yet
1928-29    3-0    4-1 (2nd)    no tourneys yet

Road Success
Creighton already owns road wins at Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Evansville, matching its three MVC road victories total from a season ago.
    This year marked the first time that Creighton has started 3-0 on the MVC road since 2002-03, when Steve Merfeld's Evansville squad snapped that streak. Merfeld is now a Bluejay assistant.

An Impressive Start
Freshman forward Doug McDermott led all players with 18 points in his Nov. 4 exhibition debut, making 6-of-9 shots from the field and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. His 18 points were the most by a Bluejay in their exhibition debut since Rodney Buford scored 24 points on Nov. 14, 1995 vs. Poznan (Poland).
    McDermott was equally impressive on Nov. 12 vs. Alabama State, finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-13 shooting. McDermott's 16 points and seven rebounds made him the first Bluejay freshman since at least 1973 to have 15 or more points and five or more rebounds in the season-opener.
    Below is a list of the most points after 22 games by a Bluejay newcomer since 1993-94. Doug McDermott has scored 286 games through 21 games thus far. Nate King had 327 games through 21 games.
Most Points, Newcomer, First 22 Games Since 1993-94
    Pts.    Name, Class    Year
    342    Nate King, Jr.    1993-94
    322    Rodney Buford, Fr.    1995-96
    286    Doug McDermott, Fr. (thru 21)    2010-11
    264    Tad Ackerman, Jr.    1994-95
    252    P'Allen Stinnett, Fr.    2007-08
    241    Ryan Sears, Fr.    1997-98
    235    Doug Swenson, Jr.    1997-98
    221    Brody Deren, So.    2001-02

Rare Comeback Against Jays
Creighton had won 49 straight home games in which it had owned a lead of 10 or more at any point in the game, before blowing a 31-20 lead against Missouri State on Jan. 4th.
    In fact, the 11-point rally matched the largest comeback in Qwest Center Omaha history by a visiting team, previously done by Drexel in 2007.
    Creighton had been 9-0 all-time in games at Qwest Center Omaha in contests that saw both teams claim double-digit leads previously.
    The last time Creighton lost a lead came after leading by 12 or more points at home came on Super Bowl Sunday in 2002 (Feb. 3, 2002), when SIU overcame a 16-point first-half deficit (and 48-34 at half) to beat the Jays, 79-77, on two free throws by Kent Williams with 0.3 seconds left. Williams is currently an assistant on for Missouri State.

Little Mac, Big Production
Doug McDermott had a season-high 28 points in a Jan. 1 win vs. Drake, the most by a Bluejay freshman since Ryan Sears poured in 29 vs. Wyoming on Dec. 6, 1997. The Jays have not had a freshman score 30 points in a game since Rodney Buford lit up Illinois State for 36 points on Feb. 5, 1996.

Double-Double Duo
Kenny Lawson Jr. had 14 points and 16 rebounds, while Doug McDermott had 28 points and 10 rebounds, as Creighton topped Drake on January 1.
    It marked the first time Creighton had two double-doubles in the same game since Lawson (17/11) and Justin Carter (10/13) did so vs. Bradley on March 5, 2010 in the State Farm MVC Tournament.
    Ironically, each of the previous two times Creighton had two men with a double-double in the same game, it had lost. The last Bluejay win with two double-doubles was Feb. 1, 1999, when Rodney Buford (11/11) and Doug Swenson (19/10) double-dipped at SIU.

Lock 'Em Up
Creighton has held the opposition's leading scorer below their average (entering that game) in 14 of the last 20 games.
    Kwadzo Ahelegbe's 12.8 points per game paces Northern Iowa.
    Avg.    Pts.    Name, Opp.    Date
    15.0    12    Cameron Jones, N. Arizona    Nov. 14
    19.0    6    David Perez, Louisiana    Nov. 17
    16.3    10    Scott Christopherson, Iowa State    Nov. 21
    18.2    10    Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw St.    Nov. 26
    22.7    23    John Shurna, Northwestern    Nov. 28
    24.8    13    Jimmer Fredette, BYU    Dec. 1
    10.0    12    Lance Jeter, Nebraska    Dec. 5
    18.8    17    Carl Jones, St. Joseph's    Dec. 11
    15.0    22    Broderick Gilchrest, Idaho State    Dec. 18
    17.9    15    Matt Lander, Western Illinois    Dec. 20
    11.2    9    Jeffrey Merritt, Samford    Dec. 22
    11.2    5    Austin Hill, Illinois State    Dec. 29
    13.8    7    Rayvonte Rice, Drake    Jan. 1
    16.4    14    Kyle Weems, Missouri State    Jan. 4
    11.1    6    Gene Teague, Southern Illinois    Jan. 7
    16.2    16    Colt Ryan, Evansville    Jan. 9
    11.6    13    David Kyles, Wichita State    Jan. 12
    13.8    2    Dwayne Lathan, Indiana State    Jan. 16
    18.9    22    Andrew Warren, Bradley    Jan. 19
    16.1    23    Kyle Weems, Missouri State    Jan. 22

Chairman Of The Boards
Freshman Doug McDermott is having one of the best rebounding seasons by a Bluejay in more than a decade. McDermott averages 7.2 per contest.
    Those rebound per game averages are just behind the 7.3 per game by Rodney Buford in 1997-98 for the best by a Bluejay in the past 17 seasons. The Jays have not had a player average more than 7.4 rebounds per game since Nate King averaged 9.0 rebounds per game in 1993-94.

Harriman Opts For Surgery
Plagued by a pair of partially torn labrums, among other maladies, senior forward Casey Harriman elected to have season-ending shoulder surgery on January 5th.
    Harriman made the decision on January 3rd, but was given once last chance to play. He played in the final minute of a 12-point home loss to Missouri State, receiving standing ovations both when he checked in, then again 19 seconds later when he checked out.
    Harriman played 13 minutes total in six games this season, finishing with two points and two rebounds. For his career, Harriman started 16 of 104 games played and finishes with 336 points, 242 rebounds and 44 charges taken.

Freshman Showdown, Round One
Creighton's Jan. 1 game vs. Drake featured the top-two scoring freshmen in the Missouri Valley Conference.
    Drake's Rayvonte Rice entered the game ranked sixth in the MVC with 13.8 points per game and second with 1.4 steals per contest, while Creighton's Doug McDermott was 10th in the MVC with 12.1 points per contest.
    Not only did McDermott's team win the game, but he won the individual battle as well. McDermott had 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Rice was held to seven points on 2-of-11 shooting.

On A Roll
During its recently-completed six-game win streak, Creighton held opponents to 55.3 points per game, and 37.8 percent shooting from the floor. In addition, Creighton outrebounded teams by 9.5 boards per game, and outscored the opposition 86-45 at the line.
    The Bluejays have now put together at least one five-game win streak in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
    Since 1988-89, the Bluejays have made the NCAA's or NIT all 15 previous times they've had a five-game winning streak in a season, but missed the NCAA/NIT all seven times they haven't.

A Sketch on Ech
Gregory Echenique has made an immediate impact for Creighton, as the Jays are 8-4 since he became eligible on December 17th.
    With the big Venezuelan in the line-up, Creighton has held the opposition to 60.2 points per game (compared to 67.7 per game before he became active) and 40.9 percent shooting from the floor (compared to 43.2 percent).
    In addition, Creighton has outrebounded foes by +3.1 rebounds per game, compared to a +1.0 advantage before he arrived.

The Echenique Effect
While the addition of Gregory Echenique's 11.5 points per game to the line-up has been a big boost, he's made a similar impact on the defensive end of the floor in the lane. Echenique has blocked 25 shots, already good enough to lead the team and rank second-most in The Valley.

Clearing The Line
Gregory Echenique proved to be an immovable object in the post on Dec. 20, and there was nothing that an undersized Western Illinois team could do about it.
    Echenique attempted 14 free throws, most in the MVC by any player this year, and most by a Bluejay in any game since Dane Watts attempted 15 free throws on Dec. 9, 2007.
    Creighton won that game despite its starting five not making any free throws, the first time it did that since Nov. 29, 2007 vs. Savannah State.

Impact Player
Gregory Echenique scored 12 points in his Creighton debut on Dec. 18 vs. Idaho St., then added 16 more on Dec. 20 vs. Western Illinois.
    Echenique was just the third Creighton player in the last 15 years to start with 12 points or more in each of his first two games, joining Darryl Ashford (2009-10) and Edward St. Fleur (1995-96).

10 Conference Wins x 14
Last season's Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 14th consecutive season.
    On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 14 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (16).

Revenge Games
A win on Jan. 1 gave Creighton a 2-0 league start, with wins over Illinois State and Drake.
    In the last four years, the only two MVC schools that own a winning record vs. Creighton have been Illinois State and Drake, as seen below.
Creighton vs. MVC Schools, Last Four Years
Opponent    Creighton Record vs. Opponent
Evansville    6-1
Southern Illinois    6-1
Bradley    7-2
Indiana State    4-3
Wichita State    5-3
Missouri State    5-4
Northern Iowa    3-3
Drake    3-5
Illinois State    2-6

Qwest Center Records Fall
Creighton set one Qwest Center Omaha record and tied another in its Dec. 22 home win over Samford.
    Creighton set a building record by outrebounding the Bulldogs 45-19. That mark was Creighton's largest margin since an identical +26 differential over Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 29, 2001 back when it played at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
    Creighton also held Samford to a season-low 40 points, which tied the fewest points ever in a Qwest Center Omaha game. Alcorn State also had 40 on Nov. 15, 2004.

Defensive Gem
Creighton held Samford to just 40 points on December 22nd. That was the best defensive effort by the Bluejays since limiting Indiana State to 38 points in an MVC Tournament quarterfinal victory on March 2, 2007.
    Creighton, which held Jim Molinari's Western Illinois club to 47 points on Dec. 20, held consecutive opponents under 50 points for the first time since Dec. 3-6, 2003.
    The 87 points allowed over those two games was the best stretch by Creighton in any set of back-to-back games since Dec. 5-9, 1958 (86).

Josh Jones Provides Offensive Boost
Sophomore Josh Jones entered the Dec. 29 game at Illinois State mired in a 9-of-38 shooting slump to start the season, including 0-of-16 from three-point range.
    Against the Redbirds, Jones hit 2-of-3 shots from long-range, and he tied his season-high with six points. The Jays outscored ISU 15-10 in the 8:51 with Jones on the floor.
    Creighton is 13-4 over the past two seasons when Jones scores five or more points.

Four-Headed Monster
Creighton has four players currently averaging in double-figures; Antoine Young (12.8), Doug McDermott (13.6), Kenny Lawson Jr. (10.2) and Gregory Echenique (11.5).
    It's been 10 years since Creighton last had a team with four men to average in double-figures over the course of an entire season.
    Creighton's 2000-01 team got double-digit scoring from Kyle Korver (14.6), Ben Walker (12.3), Ryan Sears (11.0) and Terrell Taylor (10.4). That team finished 24-8 overall and is the program's last to win an MVC outright regular-season title.

Echenique Debuts
Dec. 18 marked Creighton's first game with the services of Gregory Echenique, who was an ineligible transfer until Dec. 17. He became eligible at the end of Creighton's fall semester.
    Echenique, a 6'9”, 270-pound center, came to Creighton after spending three semesters at Rutgers from 2008-09. He averaged 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per game in 39 contests with the Scarlet Knights, which included 37 starts and an average of 27.5 minutes per game.
    He had 12 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in 18 minutes vs. Idaho State in his Creighton debut. He followed that up with 16 points, four rebounds and four blocked shots in 21 minutes vs. Western Illinois. At the time, Echenique's four blocked shots on Dec. 20 were tied for the most in the MVC in any game this year by one player. He now owns the top two efforts this season in the MVC, with seven blocks at Missouri State (Jan. 22) after six at Indiana State (Jan. 16).

Red-Hot Start
Creighton made its first eight field goal attempts from the field to open its Dec. 18 win over Idaho State, with six of those shots coming from long-range. That helped Creighton build a 22-13 lead which it never surrendered.
    Interestingly, it was the second straight game that Creighton had a stretch of six straight three-point attempts that were all made, having done it on six straight possessions vs. Saint Joseph's.
    In eight seasons of games at Qwest Center Omaha (128 games), Creighton's best had been 6-for-6 starts from the floor vs. High Point (Dec. 2, 2004) and Illinois State (Jan. 22, 2005).
    In fact, this was just the seventh occasion all-time that Creighton had started as well as 4-for-4 from the field.
    Creighton is 51-for-128 all-time in its first shot of the game at Qwest Center Omaha, including a 3-for-13 mark this winter.

No TV, No Problem
Creighton is a perfect 45-0 in regular-season non-televised games at Qwest Center Omaha.
    Creighton has also won 26 straight non-televised home games at Qwest Center Omaha, dating to a March 20, 2006 loss to Miami (Fla.) in the NIT.
    Each of Creighton's next four home games are slated for television. A decision on potential coverage for the regular-season finale on Feb. 26 vs. Northern Iowa will be made in early February.

Practice Pays Off
Antoine Young is frequently the last player in the gym after practice, staying late to work on his shot. The dedication is clearly paying off.
    Young entered this season a career 25.6 percent shooter from three-point range (23-90). Already this season, he's at 28.6 percent (22-77) from downtown.
    At the line, Young entered the year as a 64.3 percent shooter (101-157). He's currently at 76.9 percent from the stripe (70-91).
    Young connected on a career-high four three-point attempts vs. Idaho State on Dec. 18. His 4-for-4 shooting from downtown was a Qwest Center Omaha record for three-point shots without a miss by a Bluejay, eclipsing previous 3-for-3 displays by Johnny Mathies, Pierce Hibma, Dane Watts and Booker Woodfox.
    Likewise, his 10-for-10 marksmanship from the line on Jan. 1 vs. Drake was a Qwest Center Omaha record for most free throws in a game without a miss.

Young Gets Better With Age
Junior point guard Antoine Young had seven assists vs. Idaho State on Dec. 20, most by any Bluejay in a game this season.
    Young leads the league in minutes played (761), assists (96), assists per game (4.6) and in assist/turnover ratio (2.40).
    Young, who had six assists at Nebraska, five helpers vs. Saint Joseph's, seven dimes vs. Idaho State and five assists vs. Western Illinois, became the first Bluejay player since 2005 to have four straight games of five or more assists. Josh Dotzler (from Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2005) was the last to turn the trick.
    Before his three assist, four turnover game vs. Missouri State on Jan. 4th Young had played 29 games since last having a negative assist/turnover ratio. He has three or more assists in 25 of his past 27 games.

Korver A Distributor, Too
Kaleb Korver is giving Antoine Young a run for his money as a distributor this season. The two men are Creighton's only players to each have at least one assist in every game this fall.
    Korver, a senior from Pella, Iowa, tied his career-high with back-to-back games of six assists on Dec. 11 and Dec. 18.
    That made Korver the first Bluejay with consecutive games of six assists or more since March 1-7, 2008, when Cavel Witter did it in consecutive games vs. Bradley.

A Fan Of The A-10
Sophomore Ethan Wragge had a career-high of 22 points on Dec. 11 vs. Saint Joseph's, eclipsing his previous best of 21 that came last year in 17 minutes vs. fellow Atlantic-10 power Xavier.
    Just like the game against Xavier, Wragge had his points in fewer than 20 minutes of playing time. When he did it last season, he became the first CU player to score more than 20 points in less than 20 minutes since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.
    In three career games against the Atlantic-10 Conference, Wragge has scored 54 points (18.0 ppg.) in 48 minutes (16.0 mpg.) of play, connecting on 14-of-24 three-point attempts (58.3 percent) and 18-of-28 shots overall (64.3 percent).

Solid Stretch
Ethan Wragge will be hard-pressed to have a better four-minute stretch than what he had on Dec. 11 in a win over Saint Joseph's.
    Wragge drained consecutive three-pointers with 15:55, 15:10, 13:56, 13:06 and 12:26 left in the second half. He also assisted on a Kaleb Korver

Ball Security
Creighton entered this week ranked 37th nationally with a 1.23 assist/turnover ratio and also ranked 34th with 74.1 percent accuracy from the free throw line.
    Even more impressive, the Jays are 21st nationally in fewest turnovers per game, at just 11.2.
    Creighton also ranks third in the country in fewest fouls per game at just 14.4 hacks per contest.

Shades Of The Dynamic Duo
Doug McDermott's 20 points and 12 rebounds vs. No. 21 BYU on Dec. 1 were special numbers for any player, but even moreso considering he's just a freshman.
    Creighton had not had a freshman record a double-double since Bob Harstad had 18 points and 13 rebounds at No. 14 Bradley on March 9, 1988.
    The last Bluejay freshman to have at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in the same game was Chad Gallagher, who had 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. Nebraska-Kearney on Jan. 20, 1988.
    When McDermott had 28 points and 10 rebounds vs. Drake on Jan. 1, it marked the first points by a Bluejay freshman since Ryan Sears had 29 points on Dec. 6, 1997 vs. Wyoming.
    McDermott owns five double-doubles this winter.

McDermott Chalks Up Four Straight Honors
Doug McDermott was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for a fourth straight week on Dec. 6th.
    In the 104-year history of the league, McDermott is the only basketball (men's or women's) player to win Player or Newcomer of the Week in four consecutive weeks.
    McDermott's five Newcomer of the Week honors (he also won it on Jan. 3) thus far are second-most ever for an entire season in league history. Bradley's Marcellus Sommerville won the award six times during his debut season in the league in 2003-04.

Lawson Named Player of the Week
Creighton senior Kenny Lawson Jr. was named MVC Player of the Week on December 13 following his career-highs of 30 points and 18 rebounds in a win over Saint Joseph's. He played a career-high 34 minutes and also registered a season-best three blocked shots.
    This was the first MVC Player of the Week honor of Lawson's career.

Laying Down The Law
Kenny Lawson Jr.'s 30-point, 18-rebound game vs. Saint Joseph's on Dec. 11 kept the pages of the Bluejay record book busy.
    His 18 rebounds were the most by a Bluejay since Bob Harstad had 20 rebounds on Jan. 23, 1989. Harstad, ironically, had his jersey retired at halftime and spoke to the team before its pre-game shootaround earlier on Saturday.
    His 18 rebounds were also a Qwest Center Omaha record, three more than the previous mark set by Creighton's Justin Carter (vs. Kentucky) and by Akron's Romeo Travis (vs. Creighton).
    Lawson's 30 points were the most by a Bluejay since P'Allen Stinnett had 30 points against New Mexico on Nov. 16, 2008.
    Lawson was the first Bluejay with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the same game since Rodney Buford had 30 points and 10 rebounds at Northern Iowa on Dec. 30, 1997.
    Lawson was the first Bluejay with at least 30 points and 18 rebounds in the same game since Feb. 7, 1983, when Gregory Brandon had 32 points and 18 rebounds in a win over West Texas State.
    Lawson is believed to be the first player in the MVC with a game of 30 points and 18 rebounds since Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel had 33 points and 22 rebounds on Feb. 23, 1985 against Bradley.
    Finally, Lawson had 14 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone. The last Bluejay with a double-double in one half was Brody Deren, who had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the second half of a Jan. 5, 2004 win at Bradley.

All-Tournament Honors
Both Doug McDermott and Antoine Young were named to the All-Tournament Team of the Global Sports Hy-Vee Challenge.
    McDermott averaged a team-high 15.0 points per game in the event, shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 9-for-9 at the line. He also added six assist, a steal and a block.
    Young averaged 13.8 points per game and added 16 assists and seven steals. He shot 44.1 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range and 79.2 percent at the line.
    Iowa State won the event with a 4-0 record, while Creighton finished 3-1.
    Iowa State's Diante Garrett was named tournament MVP, while Melvin Ejim (Iowa State), Cameron Jones (Northern Arizona) and Spencer Dixon (Kennesaw State) were also honored on the squad with McDermott and Young.

I Am Iron Man
Antoine Young logged all 40 minutes in Creighton's Nov. 28 game at Northwestern. He was the first Creighton player to play from tip to buzzer, without a rest, since Ryan Sears on March 15, 2001 vs. Iowa. Since then, Creighton had played 329 games.
    Young is second in the MVC with 36.2 minutes per game this season. Young's minutes per game average is the most by a Bluejay since Matt Petty averaged 39.1 minutes per game in 1992-93.

Toe The Line
Creighton is second in the MVC in free-throw percentage, making 74.1 percent of its shots at the line.
    By comparison, no Bluejay opponent has had a single-game mark better than 78.9 percent.
    Oddly, Creighton's “free-throw defense” has also been exceptional this season. Bluejay opponents are shooting just 62.8 percent from the line, (10th-worst/best) nationally.

Doubling Up From The Start
Doug McDermott scored 10 or more points in each of his first eight games this season. The last previous Creighton player to start a career with 10 or more points in each of the first eight games was Benoit Benjamin in 1982-83, who had also eight in a row to start his career.
    McDermott was the first Bluejay (of any class) to score 10 or more in eight straight games to start the season since then-senior Rodney Buford in 1998-99 had 13 in a row.
    Below is a list of Creighton's longest double-figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
    Consec.    Name, Class    Year
    all 32    Vernon Moore, Sr.    1984-85
    28    Benoit Benjamin, Jr.    1984-85
    27    Bob Harstad, Sr.    1990-91
    16    Rod Mason, Sr.    1987-88
    13    Rodney Buford, Sr.    1998-99
    12    Gary Swain, Sr.    1986-87
    10    Chad Gallagher, Sr.    1990-91
    9    Rodney Buford, So.    1996-97
    8    Benoit Benjamin, Fr.    1982-83
    8    Gregory Brandon, Sr.    1983-84
    8    Doug McDermott, Fr.    2010-11

Rare Freshman Start
With his start on Nov. 12, Doug McDermott became the first Creighton freshman to start the season-opener since Ryan Sears in 1997-98. Sears would go on to earn MVC Freshman of the Year honors, starting all 124 games of his Bluejay career and remains the MVC's all-time leader with 283 steals. Sears also dished a Creighton-record 570 career assists.

A Strong Fall
Creighton has already placed three teams into the NCAA Tournament during the 2010-11 school year, as Bluejay teams in women's soccer, men's soccer and women's volleyball have all made the “Big Dance” within the past month.
    On a national basis, only 10 schools nationally can say this, an elite list that consists of Creighton, California, Duke, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn, Penn State and UCLA.
    Creighton men's basketball has seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 12 years, most in the MVC in that time.

Harstad Honored on Dec. 11
Already inducted into both the Creighton Athletics (2002) and Missouri Valley Conference (2008) Hall of Fame's, former Creighton men's basketball standout Bob Harstad was honored during the Dec. 11 game vs. Saint Joseph's.
    Harstad's jersey was retired during a halftime ceremony. The Loveland, Colo., native wore No. 30 during his career from 1987-91 with the Jays, but the number will still be available for current (such as Antoine Young) and future Bluejays to wear.
    The only other previous players to have their jersey's retired in Creighton men's basketball history are Bob Portman (#33), Paul Silas (#35) and Bob Gibson (#45).
    Harstad is one of only four MVC players -- joining Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson, Indiana State's Larry Bird and Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel -- to score 2,000 points (2,110) and grab 1,000 or more rebounds (1,126).
    A first-team All-MVC choice from 1989 to 1991, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Player of the Year in 1990 and earned State Farm MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in 1991.
    He led CU to regular-season titles and postseason tournament crowns in 1989 and 1991. He also powered the Jays to two NCAA Tournament appearances and a win over New Mexico State in the first round in 1991.

Fab Five
Creighton's starting line-up accounted for 86 of the team's 88 points on Nov. 21 vs. Iowa State. In fact, the only points off the bench came with 3:42 left on a Wayne Runnels putback.
    All five of Creighton's starters had 12 points or more, becoming the first starting quintet in double-figures since Jan. 31, 2007 at Bradley.
    Creighton's two bench points were its fewest since also scoring two bench points on Feb. 17, 2007 vs. Drexel.
    In Creighton's 13 wins, the bench has scored 268 points (20.6 ppg.), but in the eight losses it's scored just 81 points total (10.1 ppg.), with a high of 16.

Active Leader
Kenny Lawson Jr. leads all active Missouri Valley Conference players with 672 rebounds, 146 blocked shots and 107 games started.
    He also ranks third on that list with 1,167 career points and became the 34th member of Creighton's 1,000 point club on Nov. 21 vs. Iowa State. The only active MVC players with more points than Lawson are Bradley teammates Andrew Warren (1,394) and Sam Maniscalco (1,210).
    Below is a list of Creighton all-time scoring leaders:
Most Points, Creighton History
    Rk.    Pts.    Name    Years
    1.    2,116    Rodney Buford    1995-99
    2.    2,110    Bob Harstad     1987-91
    3.    1,983    Chad Gallagher     1987-91
    4.    1,876    Bob Portman     1966-69
    5.    1,801    Kyle Korver    1999-03
    6.    1,754    Nate Funk    2002-07
    7.    1,682    Rick Apke     1974-78
    8.    1,661    Paul Silas    1961-64
    9.    1,654    Vernon Moore     1981-85
    10.    1,575    Benoit Benjamin     1982-85
    11.    1,526    John C. Johnson    1975-79
    12.    1,500    Kevin McKenna    1977-81
    13.    1,437    Eddie Cole    1951-55
    14.    1,369    Gene Harmon    1971-74
    15.    1,361    Duan Cole    1987-92
    16.    1,309    Ryan Sears    1997-01
    17.    1,303    Elton Tuttle    1951-54
    18.    1,272    Bob Gibson    1954-57
    19.    1,267    Wally Anderzunas    1965-67, 1968-69
    20.    1,254    Gary Swain    1983-87
    21.    1,238    Ben Walker    1997-01
    22.    1,196    Ray Yost    1951-54
    23.    1,172    Dick Harvey    1956-59
    24.    1,167    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pr.
    25.    1,152    Dane Watts    2004-08

Lawson Moves Up The Charts
With 11 points vs. Alabama State on Nov. 12, Kenny Lawson Jr. became the seventh player to score 500 or more points at Qwest Center Omaha. Lawson, who now stands at 633, ranks second in Qwest Center Omaha scoring history. Nate Funk holds the facility record with 735 career points.
    Lawson (364 rebounds) is atop the Qwest Center Omaha rebound list, just ahead of Dane Watts (351).
    Lawson also owns 78 blocks in his career at Qwest Center Omaha. That's a facility record, seven more than the former mark held by Anthony Tolliver. The top shot blockers in Bluejay history (at all sites) are listed below:
Most Blocked Shots, Creighton History
    Blk.    Name    Years
    411    Benoit Benjamin    1982-85
    183    Chad Gallagher    1987-91
    146    Kenny Lawson Jr.    2006-Pres.
    138    Brody Deren    2001-04
    136    Anthony Tolliver    2003-07

'Tis The Season For Charity
Creighton has attacked the lane and the boards while racking up gaudy free throw numbers thus far.
    The Bluejays have shot 283-of-382 (74.1 percent) at the line, while its opponents are a combined 169-of-269 (62.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
    Every Creighton player with at least one attempt from the line are shooting 64.0 percent or better, leading to the improvement from last year's team that shot 72.0 percent overall.

The Four-Point Play
Few plays in basketball are as rare as the four-point play, which happen only when a player is fouled while making a three-point shot and then hits the ensuing free throw.
    On Nov. 14 against Northern Arizona, senior Kaleb Korver did it midway through the first half. He became the first Bluejay to do record a four-point play since P'Allen Stinnett did it at Dayton on Nov. 14, 2009.
    Before Stinnett's magic, Creighton had not had a player convert a four-point play in a regular-season game since Johnny Mathies vs. Evansville on Jan. 22, 2006.
    According to Harvey Pollack's NBA Statistical Yearbook, Kaleb's older brother, Kyle Korver, has just three four-point plays to his credit in his eight-year NBA career.

Qwest To Be The Best, 107 Times Over
Creighton has played 128 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in its eight seasons at the facility.
    The Bluejays own a 107-21 (.836) record all-time at the facility, including a 25-2 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 3-0 mark on Friday's.
    Creighton has outscored its opponents 9,371-7,984 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 10.8 points per game. The 21 losses have been by a combined 137 points (6.5 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 26 different times, including once this winter.
    Creighton's win on Nov. 17 vs. Louisiana was its 100th all-time at the facility, coming in just 118 games. By comparison, Creighton needed 138 games to reach 100 wins at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
    Creighton is also a mind-boggling 19-12 at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it trails by 10 or more points at any juncture.
    Creighton is 9-1 in Qwest Center Omaha games in which both teams own leads of 10 or more points, and 26-1 in games at Qwest Center Omaha in which there are no lead changes.

Big Shoes To Fill
Creighton's Greg McDermott replaced the school's all-time wins leader, Dana Altman, who was named head coach at Oregon in April. The winningest coach in school history, Altman was 327-176 in 16 years at Creighton, leading the program to seven NCAA Tournaments and 13 straight postseason bids.
    Altman's win total ranks third in Missouri Valley Conference history and he was named coach of the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Centennial Team in 2007.

Father/Son Duo
Doug McDermott is the only player in Creighton men's basketball history to play for his father, head coach Greg McDermott. The previous closest relationship between a player/coach had been when Rick Apke (1974-78) played for his older brother, head coach Tom Apke (1974-81).

Return Of The Mac
Greg McDermott is the 10th MVC head coach to coach at two different league schools and first since Ken Hayes got hired away from Tulsa to go to New Mexico State in 1975.
    He is the first to go to a different league and coach there, then come back to the MVC.
    McDermott went 90-63 in five years at Northern Iowa from 2001-06, advancing to the NCAA Tournament each of his final three seasons.

Who Are These Guys?
Creighton returns four starters (Kenny Lawson Jr., Antoine Young, Darryl Ashford and Casey Harriman) from last year's team that finished 18-16.
    Creighton's roster contains players who made 123 starts a year ago, the first time the Jays have returned 120 or more starts since the 2006-07 team that was also the program's most recent to reach the NCAA Tournament.
    Returning    Returning Starts     Final
Year    Starters    From Previous Year    W-L
2010-11    4    123    ? ? ?
2009-10    3    106    18-16
2008-09    3    83    27-8
2007-08    1    44    22-11
2006-07    4    120    22-11
2005-06    4    134    20-10
2004-05    2    58    23-11
2003-04    3    101    20-9
2002-03    5    159    29-5
2001-02    2    65    23-9
2000-01    3    90    24-8
1999-00    3    84    23-10
1998-99    3    84    22-9
1997-98    4    72    18-10
1996-97    4    126    15-15
1995-96    4    100    14-15
1994-95    2    52    7-19
1993-94    3    73    7-22
1992-93    2    64    8-18
1991-92    2    51    9-19
1990-91    4    132    24-8
1989-90    4    127    21-12
1988-89    4    123    20-11
1987-88    3    83    16-16
1986-87    2    65    9-19
1985-86    1    48    12-16
1984-85    4    124    20-12
1983-84    3    72    17-14
1982-83    3    77    8-19
1981-82    2    78    7-20
1980-81    4    112    21-9

Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
    Creighton has six players from Iowa on this season's team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State's top preps. CU's native Iowans this season include seniors Casey Harriman (Ida Grove) and Kaleb Korver (Pella) as well as redshirting sophomore Grant Gibbs (Marion) and freshmen Doug McDermott (Ames) and Will Artino (Waukee).
    Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver and Pierce Hibma (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale), Nate Funk (Sioux City) and Michael Lindeman (Iowa Falls).
    Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 532 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.

Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 556 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
    UNLV, Vanderbilt and Kentucky are the only three schools that have made at least one three-point basket since the rule was adopted prior to the 1986 campaign.

Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 11 of the past 13 seasons, including this season. Each of Creighton's last 11 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.

Jays Sweep Weekly Awards
Creighton swept the weekly awards handed out by the Missouri Valley Conference on Nov. 15, as Antoine Young was named MVC Player of the Week and Doug McDermott named MVC Newcomer of the Week.
    Young averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in wins over Alabama State and Northern Arizona. He opened the year with 21 points against ASU while also grabbing a career-high seven rebounds. He scored the first four points and assisted a three-pointer in the 11-0 second half run that gave Creighton the lead for good. On Nov. 14, he had 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists in a win over NAU.
    McDermott averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first weekend of play. He began his career with 16 points and seven rebounds against Alabama State, becoming the first freshman to start the opener since 1997-98. He then had 10 points in Creighton's 74-70 win over Northern Arizona.
    McDermott repeated his honors on Nov. 22 after averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games.
    McDermott won his third straight award on Nov. 29 after averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game vs. Kennesaw State and Northwestern, shooting 70 percent (14-20) from the floor.
    McDermott made it 4-for-4 on Dec. 6th, earning the honor after averaging 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in losses to No. 21 BYU and Nebraska.

Learning From Past Losses
Creighton heads into the 2010-11 season looking to rebound from a quarterfinal round loss to Bradley in the 2010 MVC Tournament.
    Each of Creighton's previous three quarterfinal round losses (1998, 2004, 2006) saw the Bluejays claim the Arch Madness crown the following spring.
    Creighton's six conference tournament titles in the past 12 years trail only Gonzaga, Duke and Winthrop nationally.

Foreign Invasion
Creighton has a pair of foreigners on the roster for just the third time in school history with Canadian Jahenns Manigat and Venezuelan Gregory Echenique. Echenique is the nation's only returning Venezuelan who also played NCAA ball last season.
    The last pair of simultaneous international teammates at Creighton was Brice Nengsu (Cameroon) and Manny Gakou (France) from 2005-07.
    Creighton's other international players on record include Livan Pyfrom (1999-2001, Bahamas), Nerijus Karlikanovas (1998-2000, Lithuania) and Colin Lubsey (1992-93, Australia).

Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 71 straight home games when scoring 68 points or more since Feb. 5, 2005.
    Creighton has also won 44 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
    Creighton has won 15 straight when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.

Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton has been picked fourth in the preseason poll of MVC coaches, SID's and media. Wichita State was a near-unanimous pick to win the league, garnering 33-of-39 first-place votes and 382 points overall.
    Missouri State was second with 313 points and one first-place vote.
    Northern Iowa (289, 1 first-place vote), Creighton (282) and Bradley (264, 2) rounded out the upper half of the league.
    In sixth was Illinois State (165), where it was followed by Indiana State (136), Drake (120), Southern Illinois (120) and Evansville (73).
    Creighton senior Kenny Lawson Jr. is one of five men on the preseason all-MVC team. He's joined on the team by UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Wichita State's Toure' Murry, Bradley's Sam Maniscalco and Missouri State's Kyle Weems.
    Lawson was also named Preseason MVC Player of the Year. He is the third Bluejay to be honored since 2001, joining Kyle Korver (2002-03) and Nate Funk (2006-07).

Last Season Recap
Creighton finished 18-16 on the season, winning a pair of games in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament before falling in the semifinals. Creighton's 10-8 league mark was good for fourth place, the Jays 13th straight year of a fourth-place finish or better.
    Individually, Kenny Lawson Jr. was a second-team all-MVC pick and led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots. Justin Carter ranked second on the team in both scoring and rebounding, while Antoine Young topped the team in assists and steals.

Academically Tops In The MVC Too
For the sixth time in the eight-year existence of the award, Creighton University has been recognized with the 2009-10 MVC All-Academic Award. Bluejay student-athletes posted a 3.33 cumulative grade-point average over the 2009-10 academic calendar. Creighton previously shared the award in 2003-04, and were the outright winners in 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09.
    Creighton had four men's basketball players earn Dean's List (3.50 GPA or better) accolades last year; Matthew Dorwart, Kaleb Korver, Derek Sebastian and Taylor Stormberg.

Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to Qwest Center Omaha for all men's basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
    The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
    The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
    Following the game's conclusion, the shuttle will start at the Qwest Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2010-11 season went on sale on November 1st at 10 am.
    Fans can purchase tickets in advance at Qwest Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker's, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free).
    For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS. trey at the 13:29 mark, and took a charge with 13:13 remaining.

Players Mentioned

P'Allen Stinnett

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