Men's Basketball Renews SIU Rivalry on Friday
1/6/2011 9:17:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game #16 • Creighton at Southern Illinois • Friday, Jan. 7, 2011 • 7:05 p.m.
Creighton Bluejays at Southern Illinois Salukis
SIU Arena (8,500) • Carbondale, Ill.
Radio: KXSP 590 AM, www.bigsports590.com
Television: KMTV/ESPN Full Court
Series History: Creighton leads, 47-36
Last Meeting: Creighton won 83-78 (OT) on Feb. 23, 2010 in Carbondale, Ill.
Next Game
Creighton (10-5, 2-1 MVC) and Southern Illinois (8-6, 2-1 MVC) renew one of the MVC's fiercest rivalries on Friday in a 7:05 pm contest.
The game will take place in Carbondale, Ill., at the newly-renovated SIU Arena (8,500).
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 Kevin Sarver 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 post-game call in show, also on KXSP, from DJ's Dugout on 114th & Dodge Streets in Omaha.
Television Broadcast Information
Friday's game will be the fifth of eight games televised by KMTV this season, with Travis Justice and Nick Bahe on the call. The game will also be available on ESPN Full Court.
Satellite coordinates are as follows:
Galaxy 16 6 Analog
U/L - 14120 H
D/L - 11820 V
Video Webcast Information
Because Friday's game is on ESPN Full Court, it will be video webcast in most markets free of charge via ESPN3.com as well.
Fans also have the option to purchase SIU's pay-per-view video webcast at http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/siu.portal#. Cost is $9.95 for that option.
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.
Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 10-5 on the season, including a 2-1 mark in MVC play.
The Bluejays opened MVC play with a 64-53 road win at Illinois State, a 73-57 home win over Drake on Saturday, and lost 67-55 at home to Missouri State on Tuesday.
Junior guard Antoine Young (14.1 ppg., 3.3 rpg., 4.1 apg.) has carried Creighton at times and leads the squad in scoring, assists, steals, minutes, three-pointers and free throws.
Preseason MVC Player of the Year Kenny Lawson Jr. averages 11.3 points and 7.2 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. He also grabbed 16 rebounds vs. Drake last Saturday.
Freshman forward Doug McDermott (13.5 ppg., 6.4 rpg.) was named recipient of the MVC Newcomer of the Week award each of the first four weeks this season, as well as this past Monday. He's been in double-figures in 12 of 15 contests to date, including three double-doubles. He had 28 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's win vs. Drake.
New on the scene is big man Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 3.7 rpg., 1.7 bpg.). He's made an immediate impact and provides the Jays with a huge boost off the bench.
Creighton averages 66.7 points per game while allowing 62.2 per contest. The Bluejays own an impressive 210/163 assist/turnover ratio. Creighton leads the MVC with 76.2 percent accuracy at the line, and is second nationally with its 58.8 percent “free-throw defense”.
The Bluejays, picked fourth in the preseason MVC poll, have outscored opponents 205-114 at the line through 15 games.
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois is 8-6 on the season, including a 2-1 mark in conference play. The Salukis opened league play with a 69-55 loss at Drake, but have beaten Northern Iowa (57-55) and Bradley (72-64) in its past two games.
Impressively, all three MVC games have come without the services of talented big man Gene Teague (11.1 ppg., 7.6 rpg.), who leads the team in scoring and rebounding.
Senior Carlton Fay, who drained the game-winning shot to beat UNI, averages 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Also scoring in double-figures is newcomer Mamadou Seck (10.4 ppg., 7.1 rpg.).
Senior Justin Bocot tops a deep backcourt with 7.0 points per game and leads the Salukis with 17 steals, while sophomore Kendal Brown-Surles (5.6 ppg., 2.4 apg.) leads SIU with 32 assists.
As a team, Southern Illinois averages 64.7 points per game and allows 64.4 per contest. The 'Dawgs outrebound foes by an average of 7.1 caroms per contest. The Salukis are 5-2 at SIU Arena this season.
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 290-200 in 17 seasons, a 159-136 mark in 10 Division I years and a 10-5 mark in his first year at Creighton.
He is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Chris Lowery (Southern Illinois, 1995) owns a 132-80 record in his seventh year as head coach of the Salukis. Lowery, a former Saluki point guard and assistant coach, has been in the postseason in all but two of the 13 years he's been a part of the program. He is assisted by Marcus Belcher, Lance Irvin and Brad Korn.
Series History Against Southern Illinois
Creighton owns a 47-36 all-time lead in the series against Southern Illinois, though the Salukis lead 22-16 in Carbondale.
Creighton has won the last five meetings and six of seven since an eight-game losing streak to Southern Illinois.
Seventeen of the last 21 meetings have been decided by nine points or less, including both of Creighton's wins last season.
Greg McDermott is 4-7 against Southern Illinois and 2-3 against Chris Lowery. Lowery is 7-6 against Creighton all-time.
A complete series history against Southern Illinois can be found on page seven of this release.
Last Game Recap
Creighton had its six-game win streak snapped, falling to Missouri State 67-55 on Tuesday. Creighton led 31-20 early in the second half, but MSU would later put together a 23-5 run and hold the Jays without a field goal for nearly nine minutes for the comeback victory.
Doug McDermott led Creighton with 17 points, while Jermaine Mallett had 15 to pace the Bears.
Jays Look For Six Straight vs. Salukis
Creighton has won five straight games against Southern Illinois. With a victory on Friday, Creighton would win six straight versus SIU for the first time since taking seven straight contests from 1996-98 over the Salukis.
Clash of the Titans
Friday's showdown in Carbondale features the league's two dominant teams since the turn of the millennium.
Consider the following information about Creighton and Southern Illinois...
- Seven of the last 10 MVC regular-season champions.
- Six of the last 10 MVC Coaches of the Year.
- Six of the last nine MVC Players of the Year.
- Seven of the last 12 MVC Tourney champs.
- Either Creighton or Southern Illinois (or both) has made the postseason in 20 of the past 22 years.
- Creighton (127 wins) and Southern Illinois (126) have more MVC victories than any other school since the start of the 2000-01 season. No other league school has more than 100 conference wins in that time.
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 238 wins in the decade, as well as 10 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to Jan. 6, 2011)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 127 56 .694 238 103 .698
Southern Illinois 126 57 .689 225 114 .664
Northern Iowa 100 83 .546 196 135 .592
Wichita State 98 85 .536 193 139 .581
Missouri State 96 87 .525 192 141 .577
Illinois State 86 97 .470 176 148 .543
Bradley 87 96 .475 176 160 .524
Drake 77 106 .421 155 165 .484
Indiana State 61 122 .333 131 190 .408
Evansville 57 126 .311 117 190 .381
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 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 has done 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
Carbondale Copy?
Creighton has won in Carbondale each of the past two seasons, helping to exorcise some of the demons after a seven-year drought at SIU Arena from 2002-08.
In those two wins, Creighton has scored 82 points and 83 points. During the losing streak in Carbondale earlier in the decade, the Jays averaged a meager 58.7 points and never scored more than 68 points against the 'Dawgs.
Since the 2002 MVC Tournament final, Creighton is 8-0 against SIU when scoring 70 points or more, but 1-10 when scoring less than 70 against the Salukis.
Road Swing
After playing at Southern Illinois on Friday, the Jays quickly head to Evansville for a Sunday afternoon game. Creighton has won at both SIU and Evansville each of the previous two seasons.
Creighton has played a two-game MVC road trip in early January every year since 1999-00, but the only time they swept both games came in during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.
Both of those trips featured road wins over both Bradley and Illinois State.
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.
Young's Turnaround Began Here
Antoine Young has been one of the top guards in the MVC this season, a trend that began last year with a game at Southern Illinois on Feb. 23.
On that night, Young made 8-of-9 free throws and scored a career-high 22 points. Since then, he's doubled his scoring, rebounding and assist numbers while shooting significantly better from the floor, three-point land and the line.
Stat Before 2/22/10 Since 2/23/10
Team W-L 41-22 14-7
Games Played 62 21
Games Started 27 21
Points 333 286
Points/Game 5.4 13.6
Rebounds 68 68
Rebounds/Game 1.1 3.2
Assists 125 90
Assists Per Game 2.0 4.3
Turnovers 77 33
Minutes 1166 724
Minutes/Game 18.8 34.5
FG-FGA 116-294 94-229
FG% .395 .411
3FG-3FGA 21-80 21-66
3FG% .263 .318
FT-FTA 80-134 77-94
FT% .597 .819
Assist/Turnover Ratio 1.62 2.73
20-Point Games 0 4
Young Savors The Salukis
Antoine Young played two of his best games last season against Southern Illinois.
In the Jan. 13 game in Omaha, Young hit a game-winning shot with the score tied and 1.3 seconds left, giving the Jays a 71-69 victory. He finished that game with seven points and five assists without a turnover.
In the Feb. 23 rematch in Carbondale, Young had a career-high 22 points to go with three assists and two rebounds. He scored six of Creighton's final eight points in the 83-78 overtime victory. His 22 points were seven more than his previous best at the time.
Diversity From Three
Creighton has seven different players who have made between 11 and 19 three-pointers this season.
By comparison, Southern Illinois has only two players two more than 10 treys, and none with more than 12.
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 All-America at North Carolina.
Stat McDermott Barnes
Team W-L 10-5 10-4
Games 15 14
Games Started 15 14
Points/Game 13.5 11.9
Rebounds/Game 6.4 5.6
Minutes/Game 28.9 27.4
FG-FGA 82-160 58-156
FG% .513 .372
3FG-3FGA 11-40 18-57
3FG% .275 .316
FT-FTA 27-36 33-46
FT% .750 .717
20-Point Games 2 0
10-Rebound Games 3 1
Double-Doubles 3 1
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 Tuesday.
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 game 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.
Jays Will Look For 10 Home Wins, Again
With a win next Wednesday against Wichita State, Creighton can win its 10th home game this season. Creighton has won 10 or more home games in 14 straight seasons, a streak they will push to 15 with its next home win.
The current streak is already 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.
Little Mac, Big Production
Doug McDermott had a season-high 28 points in last Saturday's 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 last Saturday night.
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.
Line Drill
Creighton was 22-for-23 at the free throw line on Saturday in its win over Drake, making its final 19 attempts from the stripe. A big part of that was the shooting of Antoine Young (10-for-10) and Doug McDermott (9-for-9). The Jays then converted its first eight at the line on Tuesday vs. Missouri State before missing six of its final eight attempts.
Young has now made 18 straight free throws and Ethan Wragge 12 straight.
For the season, Creighton is shooting 76.2 percent from the line (10th nationally), well ahead of the school-record output of 75.4 percent from the 2006-07 campaign.
Kenny, Kenny, Kenny
Preseason MVC Player of the Year Kenny Lawson Jr. is having the best rebounding season by a Bluejay in more than a decade.
Lawson currently leads the MVC with 108 rebounds and his 7.2 rebounds per game is third among league players.
Lawson's 7.2 rebounds per game average is 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.
Lawson's 16 rebounds last Saturday were the second-most by a Bluejay in the last 15 years, trailing only the 18 caroms he corralled on Dec. 11, 2010 vs. Saint Joseph's.
Lawson owns 354 career rebounds at Qwest Center Omaha, three ahead of the previous facility record total of 351 amassed by Dane Watts from 2004-08.
Greg McDermott Off To 10-5 Start
Greg McDermott is off to a 10-5 start after 15 games of his first season on the Creighton sideline.
The last Bluejay coach to start 10-5 or better after 15 games, was Tom Apke, who was 11-4 in 1974-75. Apke is also the most recent Bluejay coach to win his first two MVC games, having done that once CU rejoined The Valley in 1977-78.
McDermott has led Creighton to its recently-ended six-game win streak. His longest win streak while at Iowa State the previous four seasons was six (done twice), while his longest win streak while coaching Northern Iowa from 2001-06 was eight, done in the 2003-04 campaign.
Earlier this year McDermott became Creighton's first coach to start his first year 3-0 since Charles Kearney in 1921.
Freshman Showdown, Round One
Last Saturday's 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.
Lock 'Em Up
Creighton has held the opposition's leading scorer below their average (entering that game) in 12 of the last 14 games, including seven straight. Only Northwestern's John Shurna and Nebraska's Lance Jeter have exceeded their norms.
Gene Teague's 11.09 points per game paces Southern Illinois.
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
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 5-1 since he became eligible on December 17th.
With the big Venezuelan in the line-up, Creighton has held the opposition to 54.0 points per game (compared to 67.7 per game before he became active) and 39.3 percent shooting from the floor (compared to 43.2 percent).
In addition, Creighton has outrebounded foes by 10.7 rebounds per game, compared to a +1.0 advantage before he arrived.
The Echenique Effect
While the addition of Gregory Echenique's 9.7 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 nine shots through six games, already good enough for third on the team.
In the first nine games of the year (without Echenique), opponents made 153-of-330 shots from two-point range, good for 46.4 percent. In six games with Echenique in uniform, foes are shooting 87-of-215 from two-point range, a scant 40.5 percent.
Below is the defensive numbers with and without Echenique in the game this season.
With Echenique In On Defense
Opponent FG-FGA 3FG-FGA Ech. Blocks
Idaho State 10-23 4-8 3
W. Illinois 10-29 2-2 4
Samford 9-20 4-10 0
Illinois State 12-36 3-10 2
Drake 4-11 0-2 0
Missouri State 17-27 2-8 0
Total 62-146 (.425) 15-40 (.375) 9
With Echenique Out Of The Game
Opponent FG-FGA 3FG-FGA Ech. Blocks
First 9 Games 230-532 77-202 n/a
Idaho State 13-36 4-8 n/a
W. Illinois 9-22 3-8 n/a
Samford 7-24 2-12 n/a
Illinois State 7-17 2-8 n/a
Drake 17-48 6-17 n/a
Missouri State 8-20 4-5 n/a
Total 291-699 (.416) 98-260 (.377) n/a
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 could say 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).
Chairmen of the Boards
Creighton has won the rebound battle in seven of its past eight games, including margins of +26, +21 and +9 in its last three home games.
For the year, Creighton ranks fourth in the MVC by outrebounding the opposition by an average of 4.9 rebounds per game. Southern Illinois ranks third in the league with a +7.1 margin per game.
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 12-3 over the past two seasons when Jones scores five or more points.
Revenge Games
A win on Saturday gave Creighton a 2-0 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
Bradley 6-2
Evansville 5-1
Southern Illinois 5-1
Wichita State 5-2
Indiana State 4-2
Missouri State 5-3
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).
Looking To Go Over .500, 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 Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96.
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2010-11 2-1 so far 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 91-56 (.619) 93-51 (.646)
Lawson A Fixture
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 has started 88 straight games (and 103 games in his career overall) since stepping aside on Senior Night in 2008, a 111-110 double-overtime win over Bradley. Also in building that night were assistant coach Steve Merfeld (then with Bradley as an assistant) and Gregory Echenique, who made an unofficial visit to Creighton that evening.
Four-Headed Monster
Creighton has three players currently averaging in double-figures; Antoine Young (14.1), Doug McDermott (13.5) and Kenny Lawson Jr. (11.3), with a fourth man, Gregory Echenique (9.7) not far away.
It's been 10 years since Creighton last had a team with four men to average in double-figures over the course of a 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.
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 (126 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-126 all-time in its first shot of the game at Qwest Center Omaha, including a 3-for-11 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 six 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.
No Upsets Here
In the eight-year history of Qwest Center Omaha, Creighton owns a perfect 49-0 record against teams that enter the game with a record of .500 or worse.
Of the 20 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 and Missouri State) seems likely.
Qwest For 9,000 Ended By Wragge
Creighton has scored 9,236 points all-time at Qwest Center Omaha, surpassing 9,000 points in the building on Dec. 20 after a lay-up by Ethan Wragge vs. Western Illinois. Creighton has currently outscored the opposition 9,236-7,848 in 126 career games in the eight-year old facility.
Creighton is now 8-1 all-time in games where it moves over any 1,000 point milestone, as seen below:
Date Pts-Opp (QCO Game #) Who/How vs. Opp.
02/18/04 1,000-787 (14) Lindeman FG vs. Indiana State
02/05/05 2,000-1,696 (28) Funk FG vs. Missouri St.
01/18/06 3,000-2,504 (41) Watts FT vs. Bradley
01/09/07 4,000-3,359 (56) Tolliver FG vs. Drake
12/17/07 5,000-4,174 (69) Korver 3FG vs. Hou. Baptist
11/16/08 6,000-5,048 (82) Dotzler FG vs. New Mexico
02/11/09 7,000-5,870 (95) Witter 3FG vs. Bradley
01/16/10 8,000-6,750 (109) Young FG vs. Wichita State
12/20/10 9,000-7,645 (123) Wragge FG vs. W. Illinois
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 33.9 percent (19-56) from downtown.
At the line, Young entered the year as a 64.3 percent shooter (101-157). He's currently at 78.9 percent from the stripe (56-71), including 18 straight makes.
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 ranks second in the MVC in assists per game (4.1), minutes played (539) and assist/turnover ratio (2.18).
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 20 of his past 21 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.
Korver was 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.
Starters Have The Green Light
Every player in Creighton's starting line-up during the past 12 games has attempted at least one three-point shot in each of those games.
In fact, 73 of the 75 players to start a game (15 games multiplied by five starters) have hoisted at least one trey. The only exceptions have been three-point specialist Kaleb Korver (who did not shoot in 18 minutes vs. Alabama State) and Josh Jones vs. Louisiana.
The Dec. 11 game vs. Saint Joseph's marked the first time since the 1986 introduction of the three-point shot that every Creighton player to appear attempted at least one trey.
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 trey at the 13:29 mark, and took a charge with 13:13 remaining.
Ball Security
Creighton entered this week ranked 27th nationally with a 1.32 assist/turnover ratio and also ranked 10th with 77.1 percent accuracy from the free throw line.
Even more impressive, the Jays are sixth nationally in fewest turnovers per game, at just 10.8.
Creighton also ranked fourth 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 three double-doubles this winter.
Speaking Of Double-Digits
According to STATS Inc., Creighton freshmen 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 freshman leaders in double-figure scoring games, as seen below:
Double-Figure Scoring Games, Freshmen
Source: STATS Inc. • Through Jan. 5, 2011
Streak Name, School Next Game
14 Eric Ferguson, Georgia Southern Jan. 8
13 Steven Roundtree, Oral Roberts Jan. 6
13 Brandon Knight, Kentucky Jan. 8
13 Terrence Jones, Kentucky Jan. 8
13 Tobias Harris, Tennessee Jan. 8
13 J.J. Sullinger, Ohio State Jan. 9
12 Doug McDermott, Creighton Jan. 7
12 Travis McKie, Wake Forest Jan. 8
11 Sterling Carter, Seattle Jan. 6
11 Ray McCallum, Detroit Jan. 6
11 Andre Stringer, LSU Jan. 8
11 Trey Zeigler, Central Michigan Jan. 9
11 Melvin Ejim, Iowa State Jan. 8
McDermott Chalks Up Fourth Straight Honor
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 35.9 minutes per game this season.
Young's 35.9 minutes per game is the most by a Bluejay since Matt Petty averaged 39.1 minutes per game in 1992-93.
Streaks Snapped By BYU
Creighton had won 36 straight Wednesday home games, including 23-0 all-time at Qwest Center Omaha, before losing to No. 21 BYU on December 1st. Creighton had not lost a home game on Wednesday since Jan. 12, 2000 vs. #19 Tulsa.
The loss to BYU also snapped Creighton's 26-game home win streak in non-conference regular-season games.
However, one Wednesday streak that remains intact is a 37-game home win streak on Wednesday's against unranked teams, dating to a Dec. 29, 1999 loss to Missouri State.
Toe The Line
Creighton continues to lead the MVC in free-throw percentage, making 76.2 percent of its shots at the line.
By comparison, no Bluejay opponent has had a single-game mark better than 76.9 percent.
Helping the improvement from last year's that shot 72.0 percent overall has been the marksmanship of freshmen Doug McDermott and Jahenns Manigat. Those two newcomers are a combined 38-for-49 at the stripe this season.
Oddly, Creighton's “free-throw defense” has also been exceptional this season. Bluejay opponents are shooting just 58.8 percent from the line, (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, who had eight in a row to start the 1982-83 campaign.
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
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 16 games by a Bluejay newcomer since 1993-94. Doug McDermott has scored 202 games through 15 games thus far. Nate King had 232 games through 15 games.
Most Points, Newcomer, First 15 Games Since 1993-94
Pts. Name, Class Year
248 Nate King, Jr. 1993-94
202 Doug McDermott, Fr. (thru 15) 2010-11
192 Tad Ackerman, Jr. 1994-95
189 Rodney Buford, Fr. 1995-96
189 P'Allen Stinnett, Fr. 2007-08
170 Brody Deren, So. 2001-02
169 Doug Swenson, Jr. 1997-98
168 Ryan Sears, Fr. 1997-98
153 Nick Porter, Jr. 2005-06
150 Edward St. Fleur, Jr. 1995-96
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.
High Octane Setback
Despite putting up 88 points vs. Iowa State on Nov. 21, Creighton still came up on the short end of the scoreboard. Prior to that, Creighton had won 37 straight games when scoring 88 points or more since losing on Feb. 12, 1994.
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 10 wins, the bench has scored 216 points (21.6 ppg.), but in the five losses it's scored just 42 points total (8.4 ppg.).
Helping Hands
Creighton dished 25 assists on its 29 made baskets on Nov. 26 vs. Kennesaw State, as seven players had multiple helpers.
It was the first time Creighton's had 25 assists in a game since Dec. 22, 2009 vs. Houston Baptist. In that game, Creighton also had exactly 25 assists on exactly 29 field goals.
'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 205-of-269 (76.2 percent) at the line, while its opponents are a combined 114-of-194 (58.8 percent) from the charity stripe.
Nine of the 10 Creighton players with at least one attempt from the line are shooting 71.0 percent or better, leading to the improvement from last year's team that shot 72.0 percent overall.
Active Leader
Kenny Lawson Jr. leads all active Missouri Valley Conference players with 655 rebounds, 144 blocked shots and 103 games started.
He also ranks third on that list with 1,123 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 (1,283) 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. 1,152 Dane Watts 2004-08
25. 1,123 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pr.
26. 1,116 Kenny Evans 1982-87
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).
Third Time's A Charm
Creighton has won each of its first three home games in 15 of the past 16 years, including this season.
Creighton's Nov. 17 win over Louisiana was the 17th straight season that the Jays won their third home game of the year.
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 617, ranks second in Qwest Center Omaha scoring history. Nate Funk holds the facility record with 735 career points.
Lawson (354 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
144 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
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, 106 Times Over
Creighton has played 126 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in its eight seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own a 106-20 (.841) record all-time at the facility, including a 24-1 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 3-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 9,236-7,848 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.0 points per game. The 20 losses have been by a combined 123 points (6.2 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 19-11 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.
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.
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 526 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
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.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 550 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.
Full House
Creighton averaged 14,495 fans per game, which ranked 15th nationally, in 2009-10. Creighton averaged 15,883 in 15 games at Qwest Center Omaha before two CIT crowds below 5,000 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium dropped the average precipitously.
Creighton has now finished in the top-15 of the national attendance leaders in each of the last four seasons.
2009-10 Attendance Leaders (FINAL)
Rk. School Average
1. Kentucky 24,111
2. Syracuse 22,152
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. Ohio State 14,181
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
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
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
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.
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
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).
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.
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 70 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.
