Men's Basketball Visits Evansville on Sunday
1/8/2011 3:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Updated Creighton Basketball Notes
2010-11 Season -- Game #17
Creighton Bluejays (11-5, 3-1 MVC) at Evansville Purple Aces (7-7, 1-3 MVC)
Roberts Stadium – Evansville, Ind. (11,600)
Sunday, January 9, 2011 -- 3:35 pm
Creighton Probable Starters
No. Name Ht. Pos. Yr. PPG RPG Hometown
00 Gregory Echenique 6-9 C So. 10.6 4.4 Guatire, Venezuela
3 Doug McDermott 6-7 F Fr. 13.4 6.5 Ames, Iowa
15 Kaleb Korver 6-5 G Sr. 5.2 3.8 Pella, Iowa
25 Kenny Lawson Jr. 6-9 C Sr. 10.9 6.9 Oceanside, Calif.
30 Antoine Young 6-0 G Jr. 14.0 3.1 Bellevue, Neb.
Next Game
Creighton (11-5, 3-1 MVC) plays its second road game in three days when it visits Evansville (7-7, 1-3 MVC). The game will follow the 1 pm match-up between the Evansville and Drake women, and is scheduled to tip at 3:35 pm. The game will be held at Roberts Stadium (11,600) in Evansville, Ind.
Scouting Creighton (11-5, 3-1 MVC)
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 11-5 start, including a 3-1 league record that already includes road wins at Illinois State and Southern Illinois.
Four men average in double-figures, a quartet led by Antoine Young (14.0 ppg., 4.0 apg.). Young tops the team in scoring, minutes, field goals, assists and steals. Also in double-figures is freshman Doug McDermott (13.4 ppg., 6.5 rpg.), preseason MVC Player of the Year Kenny Lawson Jr. (10.9 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) and sophomore center Gregory Echenique (10.6 ppg., 4.4 rpg.,. 1.6 bpg.). Creighton is 6-1 since Echenique became eligible on December 17, including Friday's 72-66 overtime road win at SIU.
Creighton scores 67.0 points per game and allows 62.4 points per contest. The Jays outrebound foes by 3.9 caroms per contest and have made more free throws (225) than the opposition has attempted (205).
Scouting Evansville (7-7, 1-3 MVC)
Evansville is 7-7 on the season, but an impressive 6-1 at home as it looks to close out a long run at Roberts Stadium in style. The only home setback was a 76-49 loss on Dec. 8 to North Carolina. The Purple Aces also own what is likely the MVC's signature win to date, a 71-68 overtime road win at then-No. 23 Butler, and opened league play with a 64-59 win over Indiana State. Most recently, the Aces have lost at Northern Iowa by 12 and at Missouri State by 15.
Colt Ryan, the MVC Freshman of the Year last season, leads the Purple Aces with 16.2 points per game. Also in double-figures is newcomer Kenneth Harris, who averages 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Evansville averages 67.2 points per game and yields 67.8 per contest. The Aces are outrebounded by 1.5 rebound per game.
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 post-game call in show, also on KXSP, from DJ's Dugout on 114th & Dodge Streets in Omaha.
Television Broadcast Information
Sunday's game will not be televised.
Video Webcast Information
Sunday's game will be video webcast by Evansville on its website at www.gopurpleaces.com/showcase. A subscription is required.
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 to Evansville's page.
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 291-200 in 17 seasons, a 160-136 mark in 10 Division I years and an 11-5 mark in his first year at Creighton. He is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Evansville is coached by Marty Simmons, now in his fourth year with the Purple Aces. Simmons owns a record of 140-136 in 10 years as a head coach, and is 42-63 with the Purple Aces.
Series History Against Evansville
Creighton leads the all-time series with Evansville by a 23-9 margin, including a 9-7 mark in Evansville. The Jays have won four of their last five trips to Roberts Stadium and 10 of the last 11 meetings (at all sites) in the series.
Creighton coach Greg McDermott is 7-4 against Evansville and has never faced Marty Simmons at the Division I level. Simmons is 1-5 against Creighton.
A complete list of Creighton's current players career stats vs. Evansville can be found on page 51 of the Creighton Basketball Media Guide, and a series history is on page 67 of that same publication.
Last Game Recap
Creighton picked up a road win in Carbondale for the third straight season, needing overtime for the second straight campaign to post a 72-66 victory. Gregory Echenique led Creighton with 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the win. Also in double-figures for CU were Antoine Young (13 points), Doug McDermott (12 points) and Kaleb Korver, who tied his career-high with 14 points and had a career-best eight rebounds. SIU was paced by 18 points and 14 rebounds from Mamadou Seck.
Merfeld Returns
Steve Merfeld, who led Evansville to 54 wins as head coach from 2002-07, is in his first season as a Creighton assistant coach. Merfeld famously led the Purple Aces to a 74-66 victory over Creighton on Jan. 23, 2003, the same day the Jays were featured on the front page of USA Today after earning its first and only top-10 national ranking in program history. He went 3-1 in four games vs. Evansville as an assistant at Bradley in 2007-09.
No Slowing This Young Colt
Sophomore guard Colt Ryan had two of his best games last season against Creighton, scoring 26 points in Evansville and pouring in 31 more in the Omaha rematch. Ryan, who averaged 14.5 points per game in all games last season, is leading the Aces in scoring this year with a 16.2 scoring average.
Last Call At Roberts Stadium
This will be Creighton's final trip to Roberts Stadium, as the city of Evansville is building a new arena to house the Purple Aces for next season. Since starting 5-6 at the facility, the Jays have won four of their last five games there to improve to 9-7 all-time at Roberts Stadium entering Sunday.
Lawson's Going To Miss This Place
Kenny Lawson Jr. will be hard-pressed to duplicate his effort last year in Creighton's 72-64 victory at Roberts Stadium. The Bluejay big man had 18 points, 11 rebounds and a career-best seven blocked shots in 27 minutes against the Purple Aces as UE centers Clint Hopf, Pieter van Tongeren and Bryan Bouchie combined for four points and six fouls in a 40 total minutes.
As a sophomore, Lawson had 16 points, a career-high at the time, in another road victory at UE.
NBA Backgrounds
One similarity between Creighton and Evansville is that both programs have one of their all-time great players currently serving as a head coach in the NBA. Paul Silas attended Creighton and is currently interim head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, while Evansville alum Jerry Sloan coaches the Utah Jazz.
The only other active NBA head coach who attended an MVC school is Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins, who starred at Illinois State.
Family Bragging Rights Are Now Kaleb's
Kyle Korver was an All-American from 1999-2003 at Creighton, but his brother Kaleb Korver can claim something his older brother never did. Thanks in large part to his 14 points and a career-high eight rebounds on Friday, Kaleb won three times in Carbondale during his playing career, one more time than Kyle.
Kaleb's 14 points on Friday matched his career high, the third time he's reached that mark, and it was the second time he's done it at SIU Arena (also in 2009). For the record, Kyle scored “just” 10 points his senior year at SIU Arena. He was held to a season-low five points in his final appearance at Roberts Stadium, making just 1-of-12 from the floor.
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Hire 'Em
After a 3-6 mark in Missouri Valley Conference road games last year, Creighton is off to a 2-0 start on the road in Valley play this winter. Around the league, only Missouri State and Wichita State also have two league wins away from home, and MSU's unblemished record will be put to the test on Sunday night when it plays at Wichita State in an ESPNU contest.
Creighton last started 2-0 on the road in MVC play in 2003-04, only to lose its third Valley road game to a Northern Iowa team coached by Greg McDermott.
The only time in the last 20 years that Creighton won its first three road games in MVC play came in 2002-03. That team started 3-0 on the road, but would lose its fourth league road contest at Evansville, a team coached by Steve Merfeld.
Both McDermott and Merfeld are on the Creighton coaching staff now.
A New Five
Creighton started its third different combination of the year on Friday, when Gregory Echenique started in place of Darryl Ashford in the starting five. Echenique joined Antoine Young, Kaleb Korver, Kenny Lawson Jr./b>. and Doug McDermott in the starting quintet.
That starting five started the game slow, but played well to open the second half and get Creighton back in the game. For the night, those five men played together for 12:23, outscoring SIU 18-17.
Notably, it marked Echenique's first start at Creighton, and paired him with fellow big man Lawson for their most extended time yet. With both men on the court, Creighton outscored SIU by one (18-17) over 12:53 of game action.
Working Overtime
Friday's 72-66 win over Southern Illinois evened Creighton's all-time record in single-overtime games to 38-38, and improved the Bluejays to 51-44 all-time in overtime contests of any length. Creighton has now won an OT game over Southern Illinois in each of the last three seasons.
Creighton has played back-to-back overtime games just four times in program history, and not since Feb. 9 & 12, 1994.
Call It A Comeback
Creighton won at Southern Illinois on Friday despite facing a nine-point deficit in the first half and a pair of seven-point deficits after intermission, including 50-43 with 5:13 left.
The comeback was reminiscent of last year's win in Carbondale, when the Jays trailed 68-60 with 6:10 left before going on to win in overtime.
That had also been the last time that Creighton rallied from a deficit of nine points or more to win a road game.
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 did this year), Creighton won at least a share of the regular-season title.
Road Swings Never Easy
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, but never on the same weekend trip.
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.
Diversity From Three
Creighton has seven different players who have made between 11 and 22 three-pointers this season. That puts them in elite company with VMI, Samford and Washington nationally that can also say that.
By comparison, Evansville has only one player with more than 10 treys, Colt Ryan (35).
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.
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. Evansville limited Barnes to nine points and seven rebounds on Dec. 8, 2010 at Roberts Stadium, a game won 76-49 by the Tar Heels.
|
Stat |
McDermott |
Barnes |
|
Team W-L |
11-5 |
10-4 |
|
Games |
16 |
14 |
|
Games Started |
16 |
14 |
|
Points/Game |
13.4 |
11.9 |
|
Rebounds/Game |
6.4 |
5.6 |
|
Minutes/Game |
29.4 |
27.4 |
|
FG-FGA |
87-168 |
58-156 |
|
FG% |
.518 |
.372 |
|
3FG-3FGA |
12-43 |
18-57 |
|
3FG% |
.279 |
.316 |
|
FT-FTA |
28-38 |
33-46 |
|
FT% |
.737 |
.717 |
|
20-Point Games |
2 |
0 |
|
10-Rebound Games |
3 |
1 |
|
Double-Doubles |
3 |
1 |
Kenny, Kenny, Kenny
Preseason MVC Player of the Year Kenny Lawson Jr./b>. is having the best rebounding season by a Bluejay in more than a decade.
Lawson currently is second in the MVC with 111 rebounds and his 6.9 rebounds per game are third among league players.
Lawson's 6.9 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 11-5 Start
Greg McDermott is off to a 11-5 start after 16 games of his first season on the Creighton sideline.
The last Bluejay coach to start 11-5 or better after 16 games, was Tom Apke, who was 12-4 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.
Lock 'Em Up
Creighton has held the opposition's leading scorer below their average (entering that game) in 13 of the last 15 games, including eight straight contests. Only Northwestern's John Shurna and Nebraska's Lance Jeter have exceeded their norms.
Colt Ryan's 16.2 points per game paces Evansville.
|
Avg. |
Pts. |
Name, Opp. |
Date |
|
15.0 |
12 |
Cameron Jones, Northern 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 State |
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 |
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 6-1 since he became eligible on December 17th.
With the big Venezuelan in the line-up, Creighton has held the opposition to 55.7 points per game (compared to 67.7 per game before he became active) and 39.6 percent shooting from the floor (compared to 43.2 percent).
In addition, Creighton has outrebounded foes by 7.7 rebounds per game, compared to a +1.0 advantage before he arrived.
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 nine 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 3.9 rebounds per game. Evansville ranks eighth in the league with a -1.6 margin per game.
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).
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 89 straight games (and 104 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 four players currently averaging in double-figures; Antoine Young (14.0), Doug McDermott (13.4), Kenny Lawson Jr. (10.9) and Gregory Echenique (10.6).
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.
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 33.3 percent (19-57) from downtown.
At the line, Young entered the year as a 64.3 percent shooter (101-157). He's currently at 77.8 percent from the stripe (63-81)
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 (4.0), minutes played (583) and assist/turnover ratio (2.06).
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 21 of his past 22 games.
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.
Last but not least, Creighton's 58.0 percent “free throw defense” is the best in the country.
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 more so 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 tied for second among the national freshman leaders in double-figure scoring games, as seen below, though games of Jan. 7th:
|
Streak |
Name, School |
Next Game |
|
14 |
Eric Ferguson, Georgia Southern |
Jan. 8 |
|
13 |
Doug McDermott, Creighton |
Jan. 9 |
|
13 |
Steven Roundtree, Oral Roberts |
Jan. 8 |
|
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 |
Ray McCallum, Detroit |
Jan. 8 |
|
11 |
Sterling Carter, Seattle |
Jan. 8 |
|
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.
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 would also play a career-high 44 minutes at Southern Illinois, an overtime road win on Jan. 7th.
Young is second in the MVC with 36.4 minutes per game this season.
Young's 36.4 minutes per game is the most by a Bluejay since Matt Petty averaged 39.1 minutes per game in 1992-93.
Toe The Line
Creighton continues to lead the MVC in free-throw percentage, making 75.0 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 41-for-55 at the stripe this season.
Oddly, Creighton's “free-throw defense” has also been exceptional this season. Bluejay opponents are shooting just 58.0 percent from the line, (worst/best) nationally.
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.
Active Leader
Kenny Lawson Jr./span>. leads all active Missouri Valley Conference players with 658 rebounds, 144 blocked shots and 104 games started.
He also ranks third on that list with 1,127 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 (1,303) and Sam Maniscalco (1,210).
Below is a list of Creighton all-time scoring leaders:
|
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. |
1,127 |
Kenny Lawson Jr. |
2006-Pr. |
|
26. |
1,116 |
Kenny Evans |
1982-87 |
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 11 wins, the bench has scored 229 points (20.8 ppg.), but in the five losses it's scored just 42 points total (8.4 ppg.).
'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 225-of-300 (75.0 percent) at the line, while its opponents are a combined 119-of-205 (58.0 percent) from the charity stripe.
Nine of the 11 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.
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.
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 527 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.
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 551 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.
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.
MVC Standings (Through Jan. 8, 2011)
Wichita State 4-0 13-2
Missouri State 4-0 12-3
Creighton 3-1 11-5
Indiana State 3-1 8-7
Southern Illinois 2-2 8-7
Northern Iowa 1-3 10-6
Evansville 1-3 7-7
Drake 2-2 7-8
Illinois Sate 0-4 8-7
Bradley 0-4 6-9
