Men's Basketball Finishes Regular-Season With UNI
2/25/2011 11:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game #31 • Northern Iowa at Creighton • Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011 • 1:05 p.m.
Northern Iowa Panthers at Creighton Bluejays
Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) • Omaha, Neb.
Radio: KXSP AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio, www.am590espnradio.com
Television: Fox Sports Net
Series History: Creighton leads, 26-15
Last Time: UNI won 71-66 on Jan. 26, 2011 in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Next Game
Creighton (17-13, 9-8 MVC) hosts its final regular-season game of the year when Northern Iowa (19-11, 10-7 MVC) comes to town.
Saturday's game will tip at 1:05 pm from Qwest Center Omaha (17,260) in Omaha, Neb.
Creighton will honor seniors Darryl Ashford, Casey Harriman, Kenny Lawson Jr., Kaleb Korver and Wayne Runnels in a post-game ceremony as part of Senior Day.
Feb. 26 Checkerboard Information
Creighton's final home game vs. Northern Iowa on Feb. 26 will start at 1:05 pm and be televised by Fox Sports Net. It will mark the final regular-season home game for seniors Kenny Lawson Jr., Casey Harriman, Darryl Ashford, Wayne Runnels and Kaleb Korver.
As part of “Checkerboard” day, here's how you should dress.
LOWER BOWL - Even-numbered sections are blue. Odd-numbered sections are white.
UPPER BOWL - Even-numbered sections are white. Odd-numbered sections are blue.
CU STUDENT SECTION - Students need to wear blue shirts.
Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha's ESPN Radio”) 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.AM590espnradio.com.
Television Broadcast Information
The Missouri Valley Conference will televise the Wildcard men's basketball game between Northern Iowa and Creighton on Saturday, Feb. 26, on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City and Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
The contest will be shown live at 1 p.m. Central on Fox Sports Midwest, Fox Sports Indiana, Fox Sports Kansas City and Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
Niles Media Group – the Missouri Valley Conference's production company – will televise the game digitally in SD 16:9 format via satellite.
Tom Ackerman and Mac McCausland will call the action.
What: UNI @ Creighton (MBB)
When: Saturday, Feb. 26 – 1 p.m. Central
Where: Qwest Center Omaha (17,260 Capacity) – Omaha, Nebraska
Clearances: Live at 1 p.m. Central on Feb. 26 on Fox Sports Midwest (3.1 million homes); Live at 1 p.m. Central on Feb. 26 on Fox Sports Indiana (1.2 million homes); Live at 1 p.m. Central on Feb. 26 on Fox Sports Kansas City (1.6 million homes); Live at 1 p.m. Central on Feb. 26 on Comcast SportsNet Chicago (4.759 million homes); Live at 1 p.m. Central on Feb. 26 on DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Network Channel 418 and AT&T U-verse Channel 748.
Test Time: 12:30 p.m.
On Air: 1 p.m.
Tipoff: 1:07 p.m.
Satellite Coordinates: Galaxy 16, Transponder K19 Upper
Band: Digital KU
Format: SD 16:9
Video Compression: 4:2:2
Modulation: QPSK
Bandwidth: 18 Megahertz
Parameters: FEC 3/4
Symbol Rate: 13.235
Downlink Frequency: 12089 Megahertz Horizontal
On-Air Talent: Tom Ackerman, Mac McCausland
Video Webcast Information
Saturday's game will not be video webcast.
Live Stats Information
All of Creighton's games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the left-hand side of the page for links the exact link.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.
Updates are also provided on the athletic department's Twitter page (@gocreighton).
Scouting Creighton
Creighton brings a 17-13 record into Saturday's game, which includes a 9-8 Missouri Valley Conference record. The Jays are currently fifth in the MVC, and guaranteed of a rematch with Northern Iowa in next week's State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
Freshman Doug McDermott, son of new head coach Greg McDermott, leads Creighton in scoring (14.3 ppg.) and in rebounding (7.8 rpg.). He's been in double-figures in 25 of 30 games and paces the MVC with eight double-doubles.
Second on the team in scoring is junior point guard Antoine Young. Young averages 13.7 points per game and leads the MVC in assists (138), assists per game (4.6), assist/turnover ratio (2.19) and minutes (1,088).
Giving the Jays a big tandem inside is sophomore Gregory Echenique (10.6 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 1.7 bpg.) and senior Kenny Lawson Jr. (8.8 ppg., 5.6 rpg.). Lawson was voted preseason MVC Player of the Year and has paced the league in blocked shots each of the past two seasons, while Echenique has scored in double-figures in five of the past six games.
Creighton owns an impressive 417/360 assist/turnover ratio and has made almost as many free throws (409) than the opposition has attempted (444).
Scouting Northern Iowa
Two-time defending Valley champion Northern Iowa is 19-11 on the season and fourth in the MVC with a 10-7 league mark.. The Panthers started conference play 1-3, got back in the race with eight straight wins, but have lost five of six since losing Lucas O'Rear (6.9 ppg., 5.7 rpg.) to a broken ankle.
Two guards average in double-figures, including Valley Player of the Year candidate Kwadzo Ahelegbe (14.3 ppg.). Ahelegbe was named Valley Tournament MVP last season and is shooting 47.3 percent from the floor in league play, including 38.6 percent from downtown. Also in double-figures is sophomore Anthony James (12.7 ppg.).
Northern Iowa allows just 60.5 points per game and has been outrebounded by an average of 1.0 caroms per contest.
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 297-208 in 17 seasons, a 166-144 mark in 10 Division I years and a 17-13 mark in his first year at Creighton.
He is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Ben Jacobson (North Dakota, 1994) owns a 108-54 record in his fifth year as a head coach. Jacobson was promoted to head coach when Greg McDermott took the Iowa State job five summers ago and has led UNI to back-to-back MVC regular-season and MVC Tournament titles. Jacobson is assisted by Ben Johnson, Kyle Green and P.J. Hogan.
The Series With Northern Iowa
Creighton leads the all-time series with Northern Iowa by a 26-15 count, including a 16-4 mark in Omaha.
UNI has won each of its last two games in Omaha, matching its win total from its first 18 trips to town.
Creighton has won 10 of the last 14 and 21 of the last 28 meetings. Nine of the last 13 contests have been decided by nine points or less.
Greg McDermott is 1-4 against UNI and 1-4 against Ben Jacobson.
Creighton's series history vs. Northern Iowa can be found on page seven of these notes.
Last Game Recap
Wichita State's Aaron Ellis made a lay-up with 1.5 seconds left to lift the host Shockers to a 67-65 win over Creighton on Wednesday. The tightly-contested game featured 16 ties and 17 lead changes, and neither team led by more than two points in the final 11 minutes. Doug McDermott's 30-foot prayer at the buzzer bounced off the rim. Antoine Young led Creighton with 15 points, while JT Durley had a game-high 16 points to pace the Shockers.
Home Season Finales
Creighton is 14-1 in the last 15 years in its final home game of the regular-season, including a 1-0 mark vs. Northern Iowa. That meeting came in 1998, when the Bluejays emerged with a 74-62 win at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
CU's last loss in a regular-season home finale came on a senior-less team in 2002 to Drake. The Jays have won 14 straight Senior Day's when they have at least one senior dating to a 1994-95 setback vs. Southern Illinois.
So Long Seniors
Saturday will mark the final regular-season home game in the career for seniors Darryl Ashford, Casey Harriman, Kaleb Korver, Kenny Lawson Jr. and Wayne Runnels. Over the past four years, Creighton is 84-48 with two 20-win seasons and three postseason appearances (two NIT's, one CIT) to date. The quintet will be honored after Saturday's game.
The five senior honorees are the most by Creighton in one year since 2001, when it had six men honored on Senior Day.
Ashford is in his second season at Creighton after transferring in from Jacksonville Junior College. He's played in 63 games, including 34 starts, and has 397 points, 209 rebounds and 39 blocked shots.
Harriman is in his fifth season at Creighton, including his redshirt season in 2006-07. Harriman had 336 points, 242 rebounds and 44 charges taken before undergoing season-ending labrum surgery on January 5th.
Korver is in his fourth season at Creighton. The younger brother of MVC Hall of Famer Kyle Korver, Kaleb owns 389 points, 252 rebounds and 146 assists. He is a career 38.9 percent shooter from three-point range, making 107 of those attempts. He was recognized on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team as both a sophomore and junior.
Lawson is in his fifth season at Creighton, including a medical redshirt season in 2006-07. Lawson's name is littered throughout the school record books, ranking third with 149 blocked shots, seventh with 715 rebounds and 22nd with 1,217 career points. He was a second-team all-MVC pick a year ago.
Runnels is in his second year at Creighton after transferring in from Northern Oklahoma-Enid. Runnels owns 236 points, 192 rebounds and 39 assists at Creighton.
Senior Citizens
Below is a list of statistics by the Creighton players honored during Senior Day since 2003.
Name Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Min.
Carter-10• 17 6 3 0 34
Millard-10 Did Not Play (Hurt)
Witter-10 8 1 3 0 21
Woodfox-09• 20 3 1 3 27
Dotzler-09• 6 1 4 2 21
Sitzmann-09 Did Not Play
Bahe-08• 9 2 3 0 29
Watts-08• 7 4 0 0 34
Hibma-08• 0 3 0 0 21
Funk-07• 16 0 5 0 34
Tolliver-07• 11 7 2 0 32
Porter-07• 17 4 3 0 25
Gakou-07 2 0 0 0 7
Day-06 5 4 2 1 26
Mathies-06• 18 5 4 7 39
Motz-06 6 0 0 0 12
McKinney-05• 12 4 4 1 29
Miliner-05• 5 2 0 0 21
Dabbert-04 13 5 1 0 22
Deren-04• 6 10 2 0 19
Grimes-04• 16 8 2 0 29
Lindeman-04• 15 5 5 0 32
House-03• 28 6 1 0 22
Korver-03• 13 7 3 1 28
Bowden-03• 4 2 1 2 20
• indicates game started
Streaks In Jeopardy
The following Creighton streaks could end on Saturday with a loss.
-Creighton's Valley-record streak of 14 straight seasons of 10 or more league wins. This year's team is 9-8 with one game to play.
-Creighton has been 5-4 or better through each “half” of league play in 30 straight halves. This year's team is 4-4 with one game to play.
-Creighton has finished in fourth place or better in 13 straight seasons. A win would move Creighton into a tie for fourth place in the MVC and extend the streak.
10 Conference Wins x 14
Creighton is 9-8 in MVC play this year and needs a win on Saturday to extend its streak of 10 or more conference wins to 15 straight years.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 14 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas, which extended its streak to 17 earlier this season.
MVC Tourney Preview
Saturday's game between Creighton and Northern Iowa is a preview of next Friday's 2:30 pm State Farm MVC Tournament quarterfinal between the fourth and fifth seeds.
This will be the third time in the last four years, and seventh time overall, that Creighton has ended the regular-season against the same foe it opened Arch Madness action with, having done so in both 2008 and 2010 as well.
Possible Seeds
Heading into Saturday's games, here's the seeds that each league school could be, according to the MVC's Mike Kern:
Missouri State -- 1 or 2
Wichita State -- 1 or 2
Indiana State -- 3
Northern Iowa -- 4
Creighton -- 5
Evansville -- 6
Drake -- 7
Southern Illinois -- 8
Illinois State -- 9
Bradley -- 10
Who Needs To Do What?
Here's a bit more about the possible seeds for next week's MVC Tournament.
The winner of Saturday's Wichita State at Missouri State game will be the top seed. The loser of that game will be the second seed.
Everything else is set based on either the MVC's first tiebreaker (head-to-head) or the MVC's second tiebreaker (non-conference strength of schedule).
Jim Sukup of RPIRatings.com, who provides those rankings to the MVC office, gave the following non-conference strength-of-schedule rankings through games of Feb. 23rd. The “official” rankings used will be the ones disseminated after games played through Feb. 25th:
Team (MVC Record) NC SOS
Missouri State (14-3) 190
Wichita State (14-3) 53
Indiana State (11-6) 132
Northern Iowa (10-7) 169
Creighton (9-8) 223
Evansville (8-9) 168
Drake (7-10) 279
Southern Illinois (5-12) 230
Illinois State (4-13) 334
Bradley (3-14) 276
What's It Going To Take?
Since 1997, all 66 teams with 10 more MVC wins have had a top-six seed, and 77 of the 78 teams with nine or more league triumphs avoided the play-in round as well.
Below is a chart showing the average MVC record of each seed (not including the current 2010-11 season) entering the tournament, as well as the best and worst mark for each seed.
Seed Avg. MVC Wins Best W-L Worst W-L
1 14.71 17-1 13-5
2 12.64 15-3 11-7
3 11.57 12-6 11-7
4 10.86 12-6 10-8
5 9.50 11-7 8-10
6 8.86 11-7 7-11
7 7.36 9-9 5-13
8 6.21 8-10 5-13
9 5.07 7-11 4-14
10 3.21 5-13 0-18
More Tourney Info
Below is a list of average seeds (not including the current 2010-11 season) in the MVC Tournament since it expanded to include all 10 teams in 1997.
Notably, Creighton is the only team to avoid the play-in round in the past 14 years, a span that has seen eight different schools to earn the top seed for Arch Madness.
Team Avg. Seed Best Seed Worst Seed
Creighton 3.00 1 6
Southern Illinois 3.71 1 9
Missouri State 4.79 2 10
Bradley 5.14 2 8
Illinois State 5.21 1 10
Wichita State 5.43 1 9
Northern Iowa 5.50 1 10
Evansville 7.07 1 10
Indiana State 7.43 1 10
Drake 7.71 1 10
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
On Point
Only two point guards rank among the top-10 in the MVC in scoring...Creighton's Antoine Young and UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe.
Young leads the MVC with 138 assists and a 2.19 assist/turnover ratio, and with 4.6 assists per game. He is seventh in The Valley with 13.7 points per game, 10th with 75.7 percent from the free throw line, 10th in steals per game (1.0) and second in minutes (36.3).
Ahelegbe is fifth in the MVC with 14.3 points per game. He's also eighth in the league with 2.9 assists per game, eighth in free-throw percentage (78.2) and seventh in minutes (31.7).
Northern Iowa - Creighton Ties
Saturday's game features Creighton head coach Greg McDermott facing his alma mater, Northern Iowa. McDermott played at UNI from 1984-88, where he scored 1,033 career points to rank 29th in UNI history. He later reached three NCAA Tournaments as head coach of the program from 2001-06.
Creighton assistant coach Darian DeVries played at Northern Iowa from 1994-98. He ranks 25th on UNI's all-time scoring list with 1,084 points. He is a native of Aplington, Iowa. His younger sister, Jodi, was a second-team all-MVC volleyball player for the Panthers.
Creighton Director of Basketball Operations Erik Crawford is also a UNI grad, having played for McDermott from 2003-06. He scored 985 points in three seasons, and ranks 34th on UNI's all-time scoring chart.
In addition, Creighton Athletic Director Bruce Rasmussen is a 1971 graduate of Northern Iowa. He is a native of Webster City, Iowa.
Little Mac Attack
Creighton freshman Doug McDermott signed a letter-of-intent with Northern Iowa as a senior in high school, only to be released by from that tender when his father Greg McDermott was named head coach at Creighton in April.
Doug McDermott has been nothing short of sensational as a Bluejay, starting all 30 games and leading the team in scoring (14.3 ppg.) and rebounding (7.8 rpg.).
He leads the MVC with eight double-doubles on the season, and has scored in double-figures in 25 of his first 30 games as a collegian.
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.
McDermott's 430 points are fourth-most in Creighton history by a newcomer. All three men ahead of him (Paul Silas had 551 in 1961-62, Bob Portman had 457 in 1966-67 and Cyril Baptiste had 453 in 1969-70) were sophomores.
Valley Tourney Champs Collide
Saturday's meeting features seven of the last nine champions of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, and nine of the last 12 titlists. Creighton has won crowns in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007, while UNI won tournament titles in 2004, 2009 and 2010.
This year's MVC Tournament will be held in St. Louis, Mo., from March 3-6.
In addition, Creighton and UNI have had players named MVC Sixth Man of the Year in each of the last three seasons. CU's Booker Woodfox won the award in 2007-08, while UNI's Lucas O'Rear claimed the award in both 2008-09 and 2009-10.
“State” Games Give Jays Issues On Road
Creighton has played six games away from home against teams with the word “State” in their name. They beat Illinois State by 11 points, but lost the other five games by a combined eight points.
Creighton lost to Iowa State by three at the buzzer (though photos later showed the game-winning shot was late), by two on a tip-in at the buzzer at Indiana State, by one at Missouri State on a lay-up with 14.2 seconds left, and by two at Wichita State on a lay-up with 1.5 seconds left.
Creighton is currently 0-5 in games decided by three points or less this season, and 3-7 in games decided by five or less points. Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson is 31-18 in games decided by five points or less.
In the eight-year history of Qwest Center Omaha, Creighton is 27-9 in home games decided by five points or less.
Horseshoes & Hand Grenades
Creighton's loss at Wichita State was as close of a game as you'll ever see. It featured 16 ties and 17 lead changes, and no team ever led by more than five points all night. In fact, in the last two minutes of the game, neither team ever led by more than two points.
Young's Passing Fancy
Antoine Young ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring with 13.7 points per game. His team, however, sometimes succeeds when he takes on a secondary scoring role. Creighton is 13-2 this season when Young takes 11 field goal attempts or less.
Young, who also leads the MVC with 4.6 assists per game, is seeking to become the first Valley player to lead the MVC in assists per game and finish in the top-10 in scoring since MVC Player of the Year Curt Smith from Drake in 1992-93.
Young owns 412 points and 138 assists so far this year. It had been 25 years since Creighton has had a player with 400 or more points and 130 or more assists, as Vernon Moore in 1984-85 (671 points/159 assists) was the last to do so.
Learning From Past Losses
Creighton will head into the 2011 Valley Tournament 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.
Double-Double Doug
Doug McDermott had 16 points and 16 rebounds at Akron last Saturday, his Valley-best eighth double-double of the season, and fifth in his last 10 games. McDermott's eight double-doubles are the most in one season by a Creighton player since Nate King had nine double-doubles in 1993-94.
McDermott's 233 rebounds are also the most by a Bluejay since King's 1993-94 total of 242.
Currently second in the MVC with 7.8 rebounds per game, McDermott is seeking to join Valley Hall of Famer Bob Harstad (in 1988-89) as the only Creighton players to pace the MVC in rebounding.
Going For 20, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games in 11 of the previous 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 previous 12 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton is one of six schools with 20 or more wins in exactly 11 of the previous 12 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Syracuse, Texas, Xavier and Utah State have already reached 20 wins this season. Here's the progress of the other teams.
20-Win 2010-11 Next
School Seasons Record Game
Kentucky 11 19-8 2/26
Kent State 11 19-9 2/26
Creighton 11 17-13 2/26
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).
The McDermott's are one of five father-son duos in college basketball this season. Other pairs include Ray McCallum Sr. and Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit), Ernie Zeigler and Trey Zeigler (Central Michigan), Dave Boots and Jordan Boots (South Dakota), and Bruce Pearl and Steven Pearl (Tennessee).
Sites The Difference
Creighton is 5-7 in its last 12 games. That includes a perfect 5-0 mark at home, but an 0-7 road record in that same span. The five wins have been by a combined 68 points, while the seven losses have been by a combined 30 points.
Fox Sports Net A Hex?
Saturday is the middle game of a stretch where Creighton will play three (and possibly four) straight games on Fox Sports Net.
Creighton is 0-4 on Fox Sports Net this season, and has lost five straight on the network dating to last season's MVC Tournament, and Creighton hasn't had a winning record in games on Fox Sports Net since 2006-07.
Northern Iowa, on the other hand, is 12-2 in its last 14 games on Fox Sports Net.
McDermott Chases History
Cleo Littleton of Wichita State holds the league's freshman scoring record, notching 555 points in his first year with WSU in 1951-52. Littleton remains the only player in MVC history to earn first-team all-league honors in four-straight years.
According to research by associate MVC commissioner Mike Kern, Doug McDermott joined former Wichita State standouts Cleo Littleton and Cliff Levingston as the only freshmen in MVC history to have more than 400 points and 200 rebounds.
With 430 points this season, McDermott has already claimed Creighton's freshman scoring record, passing Rodney Buford's 421 points in 1995-96.
Since the start of the MVC Freshman of the Year award in 1985-86, all but one of the 10 freshmen to score more than 400 points have been named MVC Freshman of the Year.
Additionally, it's worth noting that every MVC player to score more than 435 points as a freshman would go on to earn multiple first-team all-MVC accolades in their career.
MVC -- Top Scoring Freshmen, 400+ Points
Name, School (Year) Pts. Reb.
Cleo Littleton, Wichita State (1951-52) 555 231
Mitchell Anderson, Bradley (1978-79) 545 144
John S. Williams, Indiana St. (1982-83) 520 158
Shea Seals, Tulsa (1993-94) 470 182
Tarise Bryson, Illinois State (1998-99) 465 126
Cliff Levingston, Wichita State (1979-80) 457 294
Antoine Carr, Wichita State (1979-80) 442 171
Kent Williams, Southern Illinois (1999-00) 440 85
Hersey Hawkins, Bradley (1984-85) 439 182
Colt Ryan, Evansville (2009-10) 435 131
Doug McDermott, Creighton (2010-11) 430 233
Eddie Bird, Indiana State (1987-88) 429 130
Rodney Buford, Creighton (1995-96) 421 122
P'Allen Stinnett, Creighton (2007-08) 416 111
Luke McDonald, Drake (2000-01) 412 78
David Moss, Indiana State (2002-03) 410 137
Rayvonte Rice, Drake (2010-11) 401 139
Benoit Benjamin, Creighton (1982-83) 400 259
Young Follows His Elders
Junior point guard Antoine Young has 72 assists in his last 13 games, giving him 292 for his career. Here's a look at how he compares in his career to some of his predecessors:
Name Young Dotzler McKinney Sears
Games 98 117 110 124
Starts 63 96 97 124
Points 820 422 570 1311
PPG 8.4 3.6 5.2 10.6
Assists 292 388 430 570
APG 3.0 3.3 3.9 4.6
Turnovers 145 200 188 252
A/TO Ratio 2.01 1.94 2.29 2.03
Steals 66 196 119 283
SPG 0.67 1.68 1.08 2.29
Min./Game 24.9 23.0 26.5 33.7
Sweet 16
Doug McDermott had 16 rebounds against Akron, the second time this season he's had 16 or more in a game (he also had 17 at Bradley).
That makes McDermott the first Bluejay since Bob Harstad in 1990-91 to have multiple games of 16 or more rebounds in the same season.
Making the feat all the more impressive is that prior to this year Creighton had not had a player grab 16+ rebounds in any game since 1995.
Shooting Stars
Creighton shot a season-best 62.8 percent from the field in its Feb. 16 win over Illinois State. Previously, Creighton's best mark of the year had been 58.7 percent in a Jan. 19 win over Bradley.
Creighton's 62.8 percent marksmanship was its best since shooting a school-record 66.7 percent vs. Evansville on Feb. 3, 2010.
The Feb. 16 performance was just the eighth time in 132 games at Qwest Center Omaha in which CU shot 60 percent or better.
Creighton also tied a season-high by shooting 55.6 percent from three-point range on Feb. 16. The Jays were also 10-of-18 beyond the arc in that same Jan. 19 win over Bradley.
Straight Shooter
Josh Jones had a career-best 15 points on Feb. 16 vs. Illinois State thanks to 6-for-6 shooting from the field. That was the most hoops by a Bluejay without a miss since Kenny Lawson Jr. went 7-for-7 on March 1, 2008 in a 111-110 double-overtime victory over Bradley.
Jones had owned 13 previous career games with six or more shot attempts, but had at least two misses in each of those contests.
The Wing's The Thing
Creighton has won half of its last eight games, and the play of wings Jahenns Manigat and Josh Jones has been a key reason why.
In the last eight games, Manigat and Jones have averaged a combined 15.9 points per game on 41-of-73 shooting from the field (56.2 percent), 21-of-47 shooting from downtown (44.7 percent) and 24-of-32 at the line (75.0 percent) to go with a 36/17 assist/turnover ratio.
Either Manigat or Jones has scored in double-figures in six of the past eight games, a good sign since Creighton is 7-2 when either of them score in double-digits.
Creighton is also 7-2 when Manigat and Jones combine for 13 points or more and 6-0 when Manigat, Jones and fellow wing Darryl Ashford combine for 20 or more points.
Big Mac's Attack
Greg McDermott has led Creighton to a 17-13 mark so far this year, tied for the second-most wins by any first-year coach in school history.
Tom Apke went 20-7 in 1974-75, while Creighton's first coach ever, Thomas E. Mills, was 17-3 in 1916-17.
McDermott's 17 wins are more than the combined number of first-year wins by his two predecessors, Dana Altman (7 in 1994-95) and Rick Johnson (9 in 1991-92).
New Coaches Update
Greg McDermott is one of 53 head coaches at a new school this winter. His 17 wins are tied for eighth-most of that group, trailing only the head coaches from UTEP (20), Marshall (18), Clemson (18), Iona (18), St. John's (18), Wright State (18) and Hofstra (18).
Among his MVC peers, the only other Valley coaches to win 17 or more games in their first year were Drake's Mark Phelps (17 in 2009-10) and UNI's Ben Jacobson (18 in 2006-07).
Below is a list of the new coaches with 15 or more wins so far this season, through Feb. 24.
School Coach W-L Next Game
UTEP Tim Floyd 20-8 2/26
Marshall Tom Herrion 19-9 2/26
Hofstra Mo Cassara 19-10 2/26
Clemson Brad Brownell 18-9 2/26
St. John's Steve Lavin 18-9 2/26
Iona Tim Cluess 18-10 2/25
Wright State Billy Donlon 18-12 2/25
UCF Donnie Jones 17-9 2/26
Colorado Tad Boyle 17-11 2/26
Creighton Greg McDermott 17-13 2/26
Northern Colorado B.J. Hill 16-10 2/26
Boston College Steve Donahue 16-11 2/26
Indiana State Greg Lansing 16-13 2/26
Boise State Leon Rice 16-11 2/26
Free And Easy
For the season, Creighton is 9-0 when making more than 15 free throws, and has won 12 straight dating to last year when doing so.
Foreign Aid
Creighton has had just seven foreign players in its history, but two of them played a big role in Creighton's 69-50 win over Southern Illinois on Feb. 13.
Jahenns Manigat (Canada) had a career-high 14 points, while Gregory Echenique (Venezuela) had his first double-double as a Bluejay with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
It was the 75th game in Bluejay history in which two foreign players saw action in the same game, but first time that both would score in double-figures.
Other previous simultaneous foreign tandems include Livan Pyfrom (Bahamas) and Nerijus Karlikanovas (Lithuania) in 1999-2000, as well as Brice Nengsu (Cameroon) and Manny Gakou (France) from 2005-07.
The Big Fella Doubles Up
Gregory Echenique recorded his eighth career double-double at the college level on Feb. 13, but first as a Creighton Bluejay, when he had 12 points and 14 rebounds vs. Southern Illinois.
Echenique had seven rebounds in the first 5:40 of the game, at which point he was outrebounding everyone else in the game 7-5.
Echenique had 10 rebounds by intermission, at which point SIU had just 13 rebounds as a team.
It was his first double-double since he generated 21 points and 11 rebounds in a Rutgers win over Princeton on Dec. 3, 2009.
He's The Manigat
Freshman Jahenns Manigat had a career-high 14 points last Sunday in the win over Southern Illinois. He was 3-for-4 from the field, 2-for-3 from three-point range, and 6-of-8 at the line.
Manigat has started seven of Creighton's last eight games and appears to be showing no signs of hitting the proverbial 'freshman wall'. In those seven starts, Manigat is making 55.9 percent of his shots from the floor and averaging 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Creighton is 4-3 in those starts.
Rebounds Coming Around
Creighton ranks second in the MVC with a +3.6 rebounding margin. That figure has skyrocketed in the past three weeks, as the Jays are +63 overall in their last nine games. Creighton has outrebounded 12 of its last 18 opponents.
Creighton outrebounded UNI 34-23 in the first meeting last month.
Northern Iowa is 11-0 this season when winning the rebounding battle.
Look At These Numbers
Doug McDermott has averaged 14.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game so far this season. He ranks fourth in the MVC in scoring and is second in rebounding in all games.
Since 1998-99, the only MVC player to have season averages at least 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game was Wichita State's Jason Perez in 1999-2000, when the senior averaged 20.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest.
Freshmen Sensations
With seven MVC Newcomer of the Week honors to his name already, Creighton freshman Doug McDermott appears to be a leading candidate to capture MVC Freshman of the Year accolades. McDermott is averaging 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds per game.
According to MVC associate commissioner for communications Mike Kern, no freshman has made first-team all-conference since Cleo Littleton of Wichita State in 1952. Littleton likely is the only freshman to make first-team all-league all four seasons.
Rodney Buford of Creighton was the last player in league history to earn all-league honors four straight years _ he was a second-teamer as a freshman, then a first teamer his last three years. The freshman of the year award has been around since 1986 and no winner of the award has ever made first-team All-MVC.
The MVC's Most Consistent
Ask Creighton head coach Greg McDermott what has surprised him the most about the play of his son, Doug McDermott, and he'll likely rattle off the consistency that the freshman has maintained.
Doug McDermott owns 12 games of 15 or more points in MVC play, tied for the most in the MVC behind Andrew Warren (12) and just ahead of Carlton Fay (10) and Kwadzo Ahelegbe (10).
In addition, Doug McDermott's 14 conference games of seven or more rebounds is also the most in the MVC. Will Creekmore (12) and Mamadou Seck (12) are next in that category.
Not surprisingly then, Doug McDermott is far ahead in the number of league games with 15 or more points and seven or more rebounds, with 11. Next up with five such contests is Kyle Weems with five.
Most MVC Games, 15+ Points
15+ Pt. Games Name, School
12 Andrew Warren, Bradley
11 Doug McDermott, Creighton
10 Carlton Fay, Southern Illinois
10 Kwadzo Ahelegbe, Northern Iowa
Most MVC Games, 7+ Rebounds
7+ Reb. Games Name, School
14 Doug McDermott, Creighton
12 Will Creekmore, Missouri State
12 Mamadou Seck, Southern Illinois
9 Gabe Blair, Wichita State
8 Kyle Weems, Missouri State
8 Carl Richard, Indiana State
7 Gregory Echenique, Creighton
7 Kenneth Harris, Evansville
7 Tony Lewis, Illinois State
7 Toure Murry, Wichita State
7 Jermaine Mallett, Missouri State
Most MVC Games, 15+ Points, 7+ Rebounds
15/7 Games Name, School
11 Doug McDermott, Creighton
5 Kyle Weems, Missouri State
5 Mamadou Seck, Southern Illinois
4 Carl Richard, Indiana State
4 Andrew Warren, Bradley
4 Will Creekmore, Missouri State
Different Paths, Similar Results
Doug McDermott and Harrison Barnes helped lead Ames (Iowa) High School to back-to-back, undefeated state championships while in high school. Now both freshmen at the college level, McDermott is at Creighton and Barnes a preseason first-team All-America at North Carolina.
Stat McDermott Barnes
Team W-L 17-13 21-6
Games/Games Started 30/30 27/27
Points/Game 14.3 13.5
Rebounds/Game 7.8 5.7
Minutes/Game 29.7 27.7
FG-FGA 168-332 131-327
FG% .506 .401
3FG-3FGA 30-84 38-120
3FG% .357 .317
FT-FTA 64-87 65-90
FT% .736 .722
20-Point Games 3 3
10-Rebound Games 9 2
Double-Doubles 8 2
Double-Digits For Doug
According to STATS Inc., Creighton freshman Doug McDermott was the nation's only freshman to open the 2010-11 season by scoring in double-figures in each of his team's first eight games.
Additionally, McDermott is among the national freshmen leaders in double-figure scoring games and double-doubles, as seen below:
Double-Figure Scoring Games, Freshmen
Source: STATS Inc. • Through Feb. 24, 2011
Streak Name, School Next Game
26 Brandon Knight, Kentucky Feb. 26
26 J.J. Sullinger, Ohio State Feb. 27
25 Doug McDermott, Creighton Feb. 26
25 Tobias Harris, Tennessee Feb. 26
25 Terrence Jones, Kentucky Feb. 26
24 Perry Jones, Baylor Feb. 26
23 Trey Zeigler, Central Michigan Feb. 26
23 Rayvonte Rice, Drake Feb. 26
22 Ray McCallum, Detroit Feb. 25
22 Tristan Thompson, Texas Feb. 26
22 Steven Roundtree, Oral Roberts Feb. 26
22 Alex Francis, Bryant Feb. 26
Most Double-Doubles, Freshmen (Nationally)
Source - STATS, Inc. - Through Feb. 24, 2011
D-D Name, School Next Game
13 Augustine Rubit, South Alabama 2/27
12 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State 2/27
10 Terrence Jones, Kentucky 2/26
8 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2/26
8 Tobias Harris, Tennessee 2/26
7 Alex Francis, Bryant 2/26
On The Double
Freshman forward Doug McDermott owns eight double-doubles this season, the most in the MVC this season. As a team, Creighton's 14 double-doubles this season lead the Missouri Valley Conference, four more than the 10 attained by Southern Illinois.
Most Double-Doubles, MVC Players, 2010-11
8 Doug McDermott, Creighton
6 Mamadou Seck, Southern Illinois
5 Will Creekmore, Missouri State
4 Kenny Lawson Jr., Creighton
4 Kyle Weems, Missouri State
4 Carl Richard, Indiana State
4 Gene Teague, Southern Illinois
Most Double-Doubles, MVC Teams, 2010-11
14 Creighton
10 Southern Illinois
9 Missouri State
Return To Sender
Gregory Echenique is second in the MVC with 27 rejections in league play, including a Valley season-high of seven on Jan. 22 at Missouri State. His seven blocks at Missouri State were the most by a Jay since Kenny Lawson Jr. at Evansville on Jan. 3, 2010.
In an unusual twist, his first 20 swats came in Valley road games, but six of his last seven rejections have come at home.
Nearing The Top 10
Kenny Lawson Jr. ranks seventh in Creighton history with 715 career rebounds. He's two boards shy from passing Rodney Buford for sixth place in school history.
Rank Reb. Name Years
1. 1,751 Paul Silas 1961-64
2. 1,126 Bob Harstad 1987-91
3. 1,005 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
4. 979 Bob Portman 1966-69
5. 891 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
6. 716 Rodney Buford 1995-99
7. 715 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
8. 709 Rick Apke 1975-78
A Freshman Who Rebounds
Freshman Doug McDermott isn't anywhere close to senior Kenny Lawson's career totals, but his 233 rebounds through 30 games this year are nearly double the 117 caroms Lawson had through his first 30 career games.
McDermott grabbed eight or more rebounds in nine straight games from Jan. 1-26, the first Bluejay to do so since Benoit Benjamin's streak of 31 straight games of eight or more rebounds from March 8, 1984 to Feb. 20, 1985.
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 245 wins in the decade, as well as 10 postseason appearances:
MVC Standings (start 2000-01 to Feb. 25, 2011)
MVC only All Games
Team W L Pct. W L Pct.
Creighton 134 63 .680 245 111 .688
Southern Illinois 129 68 .655 229 125 .647
Northern Iowa 109 88 .553 205 141 .592
Wichita State 109 88 .553 204 143 .588
Missouri State 107 90 .543 203 145 .583
Illinois State 90 107 .457 180 159 .531
Bradley 90 107 .457 180 171 .513
Drake 83 114 .421 162 173 .484
Indiana State 70 127 .355 140 196 .417
Evansville 64 133 .325 124 198 .385
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
Qwest Records Within Reach
With one home game to play, six Qwest Center Omaha single-season records have already fallen.
Doug McDermott has 129 rebounds this season at home, passing the Qwest Center Omaha mark of 124 set by Dane Watts in 2007-08. H is 7.6 rebounds per game are also on pace to be a building record, ahead of the 7.0 from Kenny Lawson Jr. last season.
McDermott also has 45 offensive rebounds this year, tying behind the building mark of 45 set by Watts in 2007-08.
Watts' facility record of 79 defensive rebounds in a season (from 2007-08) has already been broken by Kenny Lawson Jr., who has 82 this year and McDermott, with 84.
Antoine Young has played in 594 minutes at home, ahead of the previous building mark of 582 by Johnny Mathies in 2005-06. Young's 34.9 minutes per game is also ahead of the record pace of Nate Funk's 34.6 minutes per game in 2006-07.
From a career perspective, Lawson already owns the facility mark with 272 defensive rebounds. He is four field goals shy of Funk's mark of 253 and eight offensive rebounds shy of Watts' record career mark of 118.
Historically After 12 MVC Games
Currently 9-8, Creighton was 6-6 in the MVC after the 12th game of the league slate.
This is the 16th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of the previous 15 campaigns the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Notably, the last time that Creighton was 6-6 after 12 league games was 2004-05, when it won eight of their next nine games (including an MVC Tournament title) and lost by two in the NCAA Tournament.
Year W-L After 12 W-L Final 6
2010-11 6-6 3-2 so far
2009-10 7-5 3-3
2008-09 8-4 6-0
2007-08 7-5 3-3
2006-07 9-3 4-2
2005-06 9-3 3-3
2004-05 6-6 5-1
2003-04 9-3 3-3
2002-03 11-1 4-2
2001-02 10-2 4-2
2000-01 8-4 6-0
1999-00 7-5 4-2
1998-99 7-5 4-2
1997-98 8-4 4-2
1996-97 7-5 3-3
1995-96 6-6 3-3
Total 125-67 (.651) 62-33 (.653)
Not Half Bad
Antoine Young had 16 points in the second half against Drake on Feb. 8, the second straight game he's done that. Below is the most points in any half by a Bluejay individual this year:
Pts. Name, Opponent, Date Half
18 Antoine Young, Iowa State, 11/21 2nd
17 Ethan Wragge, Saint Joseph's, 12/11 2nd
16 Kenny Lawson Jr., Saint Joseph's, 12/11 1st
16 Doug McDermott, Drake, 1/1 2nd
16 Doug McDermott, Indiana State, 1/29 1st
16 Antoine Young, Evansville, 2/5 2nd
16 Antoine Young, Drake, 2/8 2nd
15 Doug McDermott, Evansville, 1/9 2nd
Not Half Bad On The Glass, Either
Doug McDermott had 11 rebounds in the first half at Bradley on Feb. 1, matching the most rebounds in a half by a Bluejay all season. It's worth noting that before this season, Creighton's last player with 10 or more rebounds in a half was Brody Deren (11) at Bradley on Jan. 5, 2004.
McDermott would finish with 17 rebounds for the game, most by a Bluejay freshman since Bob Harstad pulled down 17 rebounds at Southern Illinois on Jan. 28, 1988.
Below is the most rebounds in any half by a Bluejay individual this year.
Pts. Name, Opponent, Date Half
11 Kenny Lawson Jr., Saint Joseph's, 12/11 2nd
11 Doug McDermott, Bradley, 2/1 1st
10 Gregory Echenique, Southern Illinois, 2/13 1st
9 Doug McDermott, Akron, 2/19 2nd
8 Kenny Lawson Jr., Drake, 1/1 1st
8 Kenny Lawson Jr., Drake, 1/1 2nd
8 Doug McDermott, Wichita State, 1/12 1st
Game Tested
Fifth-year senior Kenny Lawson Jr. has played in 134 games as a Bluejay, second-most in school history. Only Nate Funk has played in more games. Below is a list of the all-time Creighton leaders in games played:
GP Name Years
135 Nate Funk 2002-07
134 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
130 Dane Watts 2004-08
128 Bob Harstad 1987-91
128 Kyle Korver 1999-03
Sports Illustrated Coverage
Sports Illustrated writer Luke Winn wrote a feature for the Jan. 20 edition of the magazine's college men's basketball pages that talks about Greg and Doug McDermott. Winn calls them “the most surprising father-son combination in Division I”. The story can be found on-line at http://tinyurl.com/si-mcd-story.
Full House
This year Creighton is averaging 14,993 fans per home game, which ranks 13th nationally according to unofficial numbers crunched by the Creighton Sports Information office.
Creighton has already surpassed 200,000 home fans in a season for the sixth time. No other school in the history of the MVC has ever done so even once.
In 2009-10, Creighton averaged 14,495 fans per game, which ranked 15th nationally. Creighton averaged 15,883 in 15 games at Qwest Center Omaha (which would have ranked 10th) before two CIT crowds below 5,000 at the Omaha Civic Auditorium dropped the average precipitously.
Creighton has finished in the top-15 of the national attendance leaders in each of the previous four seasons.
2010-11 Attendance Leaders (through 2/25)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 23,494 2/26
2. Syracuse 21,991 3/5
3. Louisville 21,736 2/27
4. North Carolina 18,812 2/27
5. Tennessee 18,667 2/26
6. BYU 18,049 3/2
7. Wisconsin 17,230 2/27
8. Memphis 16,740 3/5
9. Kansas 16,300 3/2
10. Illinois 15,742 2/26
11. Marquette 15,515 2/27
12. Indiana 15,174 3/3
13. Creighton 14,993 2/26
14. New Mexico 14,848 3/5
15. Michigan State 14,797 2/27
Highest Season Home Attendance, MVC History
Home Att. School Year
302,676 Creighton 2008-09
276,000 Creighton 2007-08
254,877 Creighton 2010-11
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
14,993 so far Creighton 2010-11
14,495 Creighton 2009-10
13,901 Creighton 2005-06
13,674 Louisville 1974-75
Dishing Dimes
Junior point guard Antoine Young had a career-high with nine assists on Jan. 16 at Indiana State, then surpassed that with 10 helpers in the Jan. 19 win over Bradley.
Young became Creighton's first player with consecutive games of nine or more assists since Edward St. Fleur had nine in games on both Jan. 16 and Jan. 18, 1997.
The 10 dimes by Young on Jan. 19 matched a Qwest Center Omaha record by a Creighton player, and were the most by a Creighton player (regardless of site) since Josh Dotzler also had 10 assists on Dec. 9, 2007 vs. Saint Joseph's.
Building A Lead
Creighton's 49-25 lead at halftime on Jan. 19 vs. Bradley was its largest halftime lead at Qwest Center Omaha since a 47-20 advantage over Nebraska on Nov. 24, 2007.
Creighton's 49 points in the first half was its most at Qwest Center Omaha by intermission since Houston Baptist also had 49 on Dec. 17, 2007.
What's Your Twenty?
Creighton has been .500 or better after 20 games in each of the last 16 seasons, including this season.
Even more impressive, Creighton has won 13 of its first 20 games in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
Creighton -- First 20 Games, Last 16 Years
Year First 20 W-L Final W-L Postseason
2010-11 13-7 ? ? ? ? ? ?
2009-10 10-10 18-16 CIT
2008-09 15-5 27-8 NIT
2007-08 14-6 22-11 NIT
2006-07 13-7 22-11 NCAA
2005-06 15-5 20-10 NIT
2004-05 13-7 23-11 NCAA
2003-04 17-3 20-9 NIT
2002-03 18-2 29-5 NCAA
2001-02 14-6 23-9 NCAA
2000-01 14-6 24-8 NCAA
1999-00 14-6 23-10 NCAA
1998-99 14-6 22-9 NCAA
1997-98 14-6 18-10 NIT
1996-97 10-10 15-15 ---
1995-96 11-9 14-15 ---
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.
Trèy's Bien
Creighton has seven different players that have drained at least four three-pointers in a game this year. That list includes Doug McDermott, Antoine Young, Kenny Lawson Jr., Kaleb Korver, Jahenns Manigat, Josh Jones and Ethan Wragge.
In addition, Darryl Ashford had a game with four three-pointers last season, while Casey Harriman owns five career games with three treys.
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 the interim head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Looking To Go Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 30 straight trips through the league, including this year's first half.
Creighton's 30 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley's longest active streak, far ahead of Northern Iowa (6), Wichita State (4), Indiana State (2) and Missouri State (1).
Here's how Creighton's teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96. Notably, this is the fourth straight season Creighton has been 5-4 at the midway point. In 2008-09 (as well as in 2000-01), Creighton went 9-0 in the second half of the Valley slate.
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2010-11 5-4 4-4 so far
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 91-53 (.632) 96-47 (.671)
Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has five 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 541 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State.
Jays Earn 10 Home Wins, Again
The Jan. 19 win against Bradley was Creighton's 10th home victory this season. Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 15 straight seasons.
The streak is a school-record, three more than the previous standard of 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign with 10 or more home wins.
Creighton To Visit San Diego State In 2011
Creighton learned that it will visit San Diego State on Nov. 30, 2011 to open play in the third annual Mountain West Conference/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge Series.
The event pits teams in head-to-head format against each other. The Valley won the inaugural competition in 2009 by a 5-4 margin, before the MWC claimed an 8-1 victory in 2010.
Creighton is 3-1 all-time against SDSU, though the teams have not met since 1974.
Home Cooking
Creighton is 57-14 at home all-time at Qwest Center Omaha in MVC games (.803) compared to a 34-38 (.472) road record in the MVC during that stretch.
Only six MVC visiting schools (DU, ILS, MSU, UNI, SIU and WSU) have ever won a game in the eight-year old Qwest Center Omaha. The other three Valley schools (BU, UE, INS) have an Omaha losing streak of 10 or longer.
Below is a look at Creighton's current home winning streaks over current league foes:
Opponent CU Home Win Streak CU W-L at QCO
Bradley Won 13 8-0
Drake Won 2 6-2
Evansville Won 12 8-0
Illinois State Won 1 5-3
Indiana State Won 12 8-0
Missouri State Lost 1 6-2
Northern Iowa Lost 2 5-2
So. Illinois Won 4 4-4
Wichita State Lost 1 7-1
Rare Combo Sinks Jays
Creighton lost at Northern Iowa on Jan. 26 despite shooting 50.0 percent from the field and owning a +11 edge on the glass.
The last time the Jays shot at least 50 percent from the field and were +10 on the glass in a loss was Jan. 12, 1985, when Nolan Richardson's Tulsa team topped Creighton by a near-identical 70-66 score. In that contest, Creighton shot 21-39 from the floor and won the battle of the boards, 48-36. CU had won its previous 42 games with a +10 glass edge and 50% shooting from the floor.
Take things a step further, and you'll see that the loss on Jan. 26 was historic. It was the first time since the inception of the three-point shot (1986-87) that Creighton lost despite shooting 50 percent or better from both the floor and three-point arc, and also winning the boards by 10 or more. Creighton had been 9-0 previously when doing that, winning those games by an average of 27.0 points.
Lawson Was Up For Senior CLASS Award
Senior center Kenny Lawson Jr. was 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. He did not make the list of the 10 finalists.
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).
Creighton Prep Alum Scores, Ends Drought
Taylor Stormberg scored his first points as a Bluejay when his two free throws with 1:18 left closed the scoring on Jan. 12 vs. Wichita State.
Incredibly for a hometown kid who attended a high school with as much athletic success as Creighton Prep, Stormberg's points marked the first by a former Junior Jay since Mark Johnson scored one point in a 98-77 win over West Texas State on Jan. 21, 1984.
Road Success
Creighton already owns road wins at Illinois State, Southern Illinois and Evansville, matching its three MVC road victories total from a season ago.
This year marked the first time that Creighton has started 3-0 on the MVC road since 2002-03, when Steve Merfeld's Evansville squad snapped that streak. Merfeld is now a Bluejay assistant.
Rare Comeback Against Jays
Creighton had won 49 straight home games in which it had owned a lead of 10 or more at any point in the game, before blowing a 31-20 lead against Missouri State on Jan. 4th.
In fact, the 11-point rally matched the largest comeback in Qwest Center Omaha history by a visiting team, previously done by Drexel in 2007.
Creighton had been 9-0 all-time in games at Qwest Center Omaha in contests that saw both teams claim double-digit leads previously.
The last time Creighton lost a lead came after leading by 12 or more points at home came on Super Bowl Sunday in 2002 (Feb. 3, 2002), when SIU overcame a 16-point first-half deficit (and 48-34 at half) to beat the Jays, 79-77, on two free throws by Kent Williams with 0.3 seconds left. Williams is currently an assistant on for Missouri State.
Little Mac, Big Production
Doug McDermott had a season-high 28 points in a Jan. 1 win vs. Drake, the most by a Bluejay freshman since Ryan Sears poured in 29 vs. Wyoming on Dec. 6, 1997. The Jays have not had a freshman score 30 points in a game since Rodney Buford lit up Illinois State for 36 points on Feb. 5, 1996.
Double-Double Duo
Kenny Lawson Jr. had 14 points and 16 rebounds, while Doug McDermott had 28 points and 10 rebounds, as Creighton topped Drake on January 1.
It marked the first time Creighton had two double-doubles in the same game since Lawson (17/11) and Justin Carter (10/13) did so vs. Bradley on March 5, 2010 in the State Farm MVC Tournament.
Ironically, each of the previous two times Creighton had two men with a double-double in the same game, it had lost. The last Bluejay win with two double-doubles was Feb. 1, 1999, when Rodney Buford (11/11) and Doug Swenson (19/10) double-dipped at SIU.
Chairman Of The Boards
Freshman Doug McDermott is having one of the best rebounding seasons by a Bluejay in years. McDermott's 7.8 rebound per game average is ahead of the 7.3 per game by Rodney Buford in 1997-98 for the best by a Bluejay in the past 17 seasons.
The Jays have not had a player average more than 7.4 rebounds per game since Nate King averaged 9.0 rebounds per game in 1993-94.
Harriman Opts For Surgery
Plagued by a pair of partially torn labrums, among other maladies, senior forward Casey Harriman elected to have season-ending shoulder surgery on January 5th.
Harriman made the decision on January 3rd, but was given once last chance to play. He played in the final minute of a 12-point home loss to Missouri State, receiving standing ovations both when he checked in, then again 19 seconds later when he checked out.
Harriman played 13 minutes total in six games this season, finishing with two points and two rebounds. For his career, Harriman started 16 of 104 games played and finishes with 336 points, 242 rebounds and 44 charges taken.
On A Roll
Creighton won a season-high six straight games from Dec. 11-Jan. 1. 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 12-9 since he became eligible on December 17th.
With the big Venezuelan in the line-up, Creighton has held the opposition to 62.9 points per game (compared to 67.7 per game before he became active) and 42.1 percent shooting from the floor (compared to 43.2 percent).
In addition, Creighton has outrebounded foes by +4.7 rebounds per game, compared to a +1.0 advantage before he arrived.
Offensively, Creighton's field goal percentage has jumped from 42.1 percent to 46.6 percent and its three-point percentage has gone from 31.7 percent to 36.8 percent.
The Echenique Effect
While the addition of Gregory Echenique's 10.6 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 36 shots, already good enough to lead the team and rank second-most in The Valley.
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).
Qwest Center Records Fall
Creighton set one Qwest Center Omaha record and tied another in its Dec. 22 home win over Samford.
Creighton set a building record by outrebounding the Bulldogs 45-19. That mark was Creighton's largest margin since an identical +26 differential over Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 29, 2001 back when it played at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Creighton also held Samford to a season-low 40 points, which tied the fewest points ever in a Qwest Center Omaha game. Alcorn State also had 40 on Nov. 15, 2004.
Defensive Gem
Creighton held Samford to just 40 points on December 22nd. That was the best defensive effort by the Bluejays since limiting Indiana State to 38 points in an MVC Tournament quarterfinal victory on March 2, 2007.
Creighton, which held Jim Molinari's Western Illinois club to 47 points on Dec. 20, held consecutive opponents under 50 points for the first time since Dec. 3-6, 2003.
The 87 points allowed over those two games was the best stretch by Creighton in any set of back-to-back games since Dec. 5-9, 1958 (86).
Josh Jones Provides Offensive Boost
Sophomore Josh Jones entered the Dec. 29 game at Illinois State mired in a 9-of-38 shooting slump to start the season, including 0-of-16 from three-point range.
Against the Redbirds, Jones hit 2-of-3 shots from long-range, and he tied his season-high with six points. The Jays outscored ISU 15-10 in the 8:51 with Jones on the floor.
Creighton is 17-7 over the past two seasons when Jones scores five or more points, but 12-20 when he plays and doesn't score five points or more.
Echenique Debuts
Dec. 18 marked Creighton's first game with the services of Gregory Echenique, who was an ineligible transfer until Dec. 17. He became eligible at the end of Creighton's fall semester.
Echenique, a 6'9”, 270-pound center, came to Creighton after spending three semesters at Rutgers from 2008-09. He averaged 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots per game in 39 contests with the Scarlet Knights, which included 37 starts and an average of 27.5 minutes per game.
He had 12 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in 18 minutes vs. Idaho State in his Creighton debut. He followed that up with 16 points, four rebounds and four blocked shots in 21 minutes vs. Western Illinois. At the time, Echenique's four blocked shots on Dec. 20 were tied for the most in the MVC in any game this year by one player. He now owns the top two efforts this season in the MVC, with seven blocks at Missouri State (Jan. 22) after six at Indiana State (Jan. 16).
Red-Hot Start
Creighton made its first eight field goal attempts from the field to open its Dec. 18 win over Idaho State, with six of those shots coming from long-range. That helped Creighton build a 22-13 lead which it never surrendered.
Interestingly, it was the second straight game that Creighton had a stretch of six straight three-point attempts that were all made, having done it on six straight possessions vs. Saint Joseph's.
In eight seasons of games at Qwest Center Omaha (131 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 53-for-132 all-time in its first shot of the game at Qwest Center Omaha, including a 5-for-17 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.
Creighton's last home game vs. UNI is also slated for television.
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 30.6 percent (34-111) from downtown.
At the line, Young entered the year as a 64.3 percent shooter (101-157). He's currently at 75.7 percent from the stripe (106-140).
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.
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.
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 eight double-doubles this winter.
McDermott Chalks Up Four Straight Honors
Doug McDermott was named MVC Newcomer of the Week for a fourth straight week on Dec. 6th.
In the 104-year history of the league, McDermott is the only basketball (men's or women's) player to win Player or Newcomer of the Week in four consecutive weeks.
McDermott's seven Newcomer of the Week honors (he also won it on Jan. 3, Jan. 24 and Jan. 31) thus far are the 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, and again on Jan. 26 at Northern Iowa and Feb. 1 at Bradley. He was the first Creighton player to play from tip to buzzer, without a rest, since Ryan Sears on March 15, 2001 vs. Iowa. Since then, Creighton had played 329 games.
Young is second in the MVC with 36.3 minutes per game this season. Young's minutes per game average is the most by a Bluejay since Matt Petty averaged 39.1 minutes per game in 1992-93.
Doubling Up From The Start
Doug McDermott scored 10 or more points in each of his first eight games this season. The last previous Creighton player to start a career with 10 or more points in each of the first eight games was Benoit Benjamin in 1982-83, who had also eight in a row to start his career.
McDermott was the first Bluejay (of any class) to score 10 or more in eight straight games to start the season since then-senior Rodney Buford in 1998-99 had 13 in a row.
Below is a list of Creighton's longest double-figure scoring streaks to start a season since 1979-80.
Consecutive Double-Figure Scoring Games
To Start Year, Since 1979-80
Consec. Name, Class Year
all 32 Vernon Moore, Sr. 1984-85
28 Benoit Benjamin, Jr. 1984-85
27 Bob Harstad, Sr. 1990-91
16 Rod Mason, Sr. 1987-88
13 Rodney Buford, Sr. 1998-99
12 Gary Swain, Sr. 1986-87
10 Chad Gallagher, Sr. 1990-91
9 Rodney Buford, So. 1996-97
8 Benoit Benjamin, Fr. 1982-83
8 Gregory Brandon, Sr. 1983-84
8 Doug McDermott, Fr. 2010-11
Rare Freshman Start
With his start on Nov. 12, Doug McDermott became the first Creighton freshman to start the season-opener since Ryan Sears in 1997-98. Sears would go on to earn MVC Freshman of the Year honors, starting all 124 games of his Bluejay career and remains the MVC's all-time leader with 283 steals. Sears also dished a Creighton-record 570 career assists.
A Strong Fall
Creighton has already placed three teams into the NCAA Tournament during the 2010-11 school year, as Bluejay teams in women's soccer, men's soccer and women's volleyball have all made the “Big Dance” within the past month.
On a national basis, only 10 schools nationally can say this, an elite list that consists of Creighton, California, Duke, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn, Penn State and UCLA.
Creighton men's basketball has seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 12 years, most in the MVC in that time.
Harstad Honored on Dec. 11
Already inducted into both the Creighton Athletics (2002) and Missouri Valley Conference (2008) Hall of Fame's, former Creighton men's basketball standout Bob Harstad was honored during the Dec. 11 game vs. Saint Joseph's.
Harstad's jersey was retired during a halftime ceremony. The Loveland, Colo., native wore No. 30 during his career from 1987-91 with the Jays, but the number will still be available for current (such as Antoine Young) and future Bluejays to wear.
The only other previous players to have their jersey's retired in Creighton men's basketball history are Bob Portman (#33), Paul Silas (#35) and Bob Gibson (#45).
Harstad is one of only four MVC players -- joining Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson, Indiana State's Larry Bird and Wichita State's Xavier McDaniel -- to score 2,000 points (2,110) and grab 1,000 or more rebounds (1,126).
A first-team All-MVC choice from 1989 to 1991, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Player of the Year in 1990 and earned State Farm MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in 1991.
He led CU to regular-season titles and postseason tournament crowns in 1989 and 1991. He also powered the Jays to two NCAA Tournament appearances and a win over New Mexico State in the first round in 1991.
Active Leader
Kenny Lawson Jr. leads all active Missouri Valley Conference players with 715 rebounds, 149 blocked shots and 107 games started. He also ranks 23rd in Creighton history on the all-time scoring list:
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. 1,217 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pr.
23. 1,196 Ray Yost 1951-54
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 661, ranks second in Qwest Center Omaha scoring history. Nate Funk holds the facility record with 735 career points.
Lawson (382 rebounds) is atop the Qwest Center Omaha rebound list, just ahead of Dane Watts (351).
Lawson also owns 80 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
149 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-Pres.
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07
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 17 wins, the bench has scored 366 points (21.5 ppg.), but in the 13 losses it's scored just 144 points total (11.1 ppg.), with a high of 17.
Qwest To Be The Best, 111 Times Over
Creighton has played 132 regular and postseason contests at Qwest Center Omaha all-time in its eight seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own a 111-21 (.841) record all-time at the facility, including a 26-2 figure on Wednesday's, a 6-0 mark on Thursday's and a 3-0 mark on Friday's.
Creighton has outscored its opponents 9,673-8,231 in games at Qwest Center Omaha, an average margin of 10.9 points per game. The 21 losses have been by a combined 137 points (6.5 ppg.). Creighton has led wire-to-wire 28 different times, including three times this winter.
Creighton's win on Nov. 17 vs. Louisiana was its 100th all-time at the facility, coming in just 118 games. By comparison, Creighton needed 138 games to reach 100 wins at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.
Creighton is also a mind-boggling 19-12 at Qwest Center Omaha in games in which it trails by 10 or more points at any juncture.
Creighton is 9-1 in Qwest Center Omaha games in which both teams own leads of 10 or more points, and 27-1 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.
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.
Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in 565 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That's the longest active streak in the MVC.
UNLV, Vanderbilt and Kentucky are the only three schools that have made at least one three-point basket since the rule was adopted prior to the 1986 campaign.
Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 11 of the past 13 seasons, including this season. Each of Creighton's last 11 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.
Jays Sweep Weekly Awards
Creighton swept the weekly awards handed out by the Missouri Valley Conference on Nov. 15, as Antoine Young was named MVC Player of the Week and Doug McDermott named MVC Newcomer of the Week.
Young averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in wins over Alabama State and Northern Arizona. He opened the year with 21 points against ASU while also grabbing a career-high seven rebounds. He scored the first four points and assisted a three-pointer in the 11-0 second half run that gave Creighton the lead for good. On Nov. 14, he had 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and three assists in a win over NAU.
McDermott averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first weekend of play. He began his career with 16 points and seven rebounds against Alabama State, becoming the first freshman to start the opener since 1997-98. He then had 10 points in Creighton's 74-70 win over Northern Arizona.
McDermott repeated his honors on Nov. 22 after averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games.
McDermott won his third straight award on Nov. 29 after averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game vs. Kennesaw State and Northwestern, shooting 70 percent (14-20) from the floor.
McDermott made it 4-for-4 on Dec. 6th, earning the honor after averaging 15.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in losses to No. 21 BYU and Nebraska.
Foreign Invasion
Creighton has a pair of foreigners on the roster for just the third time in school history with Canadian Jahenns Manigat and Venezuelan Gregory Echenique. Echenique is the nation's only returning Venezuelan who also played NCAA ball last season.
The last pair of simultaneous international teammates at Creighton was Brice Nengsu (Cameroon) and Manny Gakou (France) from 2005-07.
Creighton's other international players on record include Livan Pyfrom (1999-2001, Bahamas), Nerijus Karlikanovas (1998-2000, Lithuania) and Colin Lubsey (1992-93, Australia).
Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 75 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.
Today's Tip
The team leading at halftime has won the last seven meetings between Creighton and Northern Iowa.
Creighton has led at halfime in 20 of its last 21 home games.
